Chapter 183
After thanking for the dinner, Soma let out a deep breath.
It was because of satisfaction. As the stomach was full, his heart was filled with even more. It was great to be able to feel nostalgic in some way.
After that, when Iori proudly presented pickled radish and sweet-sour pickled leek, he thought that this guy was absurd.
But anyway, this was certainly not possible for Soma. No matter how good he could swing sword, that alone couldn't solve the problem of money. Iori could have done this because he was the Demon King.
Anyhow…
"Well… have you ever thought that you've been overdoing things?" (Soma)
"No… this is something I've prepared myself." (Iori)
"…Hmm, we can't waste the food." (Sheila)
Felicia and Sheila had been talking about such things since the beginning of the dinner. Soma was wonder what happened, but apparently they were struggling with curry.
The reason was probably what Aina had said. Those who didn't know curry, would have a hard time with it.
Moreover, since the spices used were a lot, it produces an irritating smell if people weren't used to it. Aside from Aina, who already used to it, and Soma, who remembered the nostalgic feeling, it was inevitable to have a hard time eating curry for the first time.
"If anything, Iori is the one who serves curry to the first time visitor. Should you be blamed, right?" (Soma)
"Aah… well, yeah. My bad, I honestly didn't consider those two." (Iori)
"Goodness, Otou-sama… what are you going to do? You're not asking them to put up with the hunger, right?" (Aina)
"Yes, I can't allow that to happen as the host, but… hmmm, what should I do?" (Iori)
Although they were trying to eat it somehow, the progress was unusually slow. They had already eaten it, but they were only eating it in a small bite.
Apparently, it was too spicy for them. They gave up trying to take it to the mouth many times, but still… they repeated that.
"It looks like they are being completely pestered if looked from the side…" (Soma)
"Yes… it is a scene that could be done by a Demon King or something like that…" (Aina)
"It's a bit unconvincing when you finish it, but… I can't say that in front of them." (Iori)
"…I'm very sorry." (Felicia)
"…Sorry." (Sheila)
"No, both of you don't have to apologize." (Soma)
However, what was in his mind at that time was what could be done in this matter.
The chief butler who had withdrawn for a long time appeared. He held two dishes in his hands.
"Sorry for being late." (Butler)
The dishes had the same lid as the curry earlier, and their expression became wary at the moment. However, the chief butler bitterly smiled at them. As soon as he put the dishes in front of them, he quickly removed the lid.
The only thing that appeared was white. It was similar to curry, or almost the same if the brown part was whitened.
However, the reason why the two of them blinked their eyes was because the dishes didn't have irritating smell, unlike the curry. Of course, Soma knew the name of the dish.
"Is it stew?" (Soma)
"You know it… as I expected. Yes, when I had gathered too much ingredients in the past, I was taught by the Demon King that I could do this with almost the same material, so I prepared the stew as a backup. It's hard to eat the curry for the first time. Well, I have actually experienced that as well." (Butler)
"It seems you're able to flawlessly fulfill your Lord's unreasonable demand. That's as expected of you." (Soma)
"You place a very high evaluation on me. But if I am the chief butler, I should be able to do it." (Butler)
The movement to bow when saying it was splendid. It was to the extent that Soma was unexpectedly admired him.
"Hmm… what a capable subordinate. To be honest, I'm jealous… Iori, can I scout him?" (Soma)
"I don't mind, you know? But if he's not here, I'll starve and die, but that's fine!" (Iori)
"What kind of threat is that…" (Soma)
While such comical exchanges going on, Felicia and Sheila started to eat the stew. This time, Soma let out a small breath when looking at them scooping the stew to the mouth without problems. Coincidentally, his eyes and Iori's met. As if he was relieved, he shrugged his shoulders to the figure with a bitter smile.
Iori was a bit of a ha.s.sle and he was someone who brought a lot of trouble, but that didn't mean he was inconsiderate. If Iori knew about Soma, he would have thought about the two.
It was the same with Soma. Soma didn't realize that they weren't eating… It was because that didn't go through his mind. It was something that he didn't usually think about.
It was also probably due to the meeting with Iori and eating curry. He remembered the feeling of nostalgia, so he missed about such a matter.
In any case, Iori, unlike Hildegard, was someone who could be clearly said a friend in the previous life, and he knew Iori longer than Hildegard. When Soma met a person like that, his sentiment didn't go away. That was especially at the time when he was in the throne room.
Moreover, there was curry. To be honest, he was immersed in a nostalgic atmosphere. When Soma, Iori and others were there… they were spending a lot of time doing stupid things.
It had been decades ago… perhaps that was why.
Iori might be the same. Soma had heard a brief summary, and it seemed that Iori had gone through a lot of hards.h.i.+p here.
No… was he still struggling? It was highly possible to think about the story Soma heard from Steina and the current state of this castle.
Although it was only a little bit, the other matters had been taken care apathetically. At least, Soma had no right to blame him.
Rather, he was in the position to apologize. So, he shrugged his shoulders again to Iori but this time it had a different meaning.
Well, it would be nice to apologize later.
"By the way, since you have reproduced stew and curry, have you reproduced anything else?" (Soma)
"Well… I tried to reproduce it, but…" (Iori)
"Tou-sama was banned from entering the kitchen since he couldn't be overlooked any more. Well, that's obvious." (Aina)
"I told others that it will not cost that much amount of money…" (Iori)
"That's true." (Soma)
A man used money like a fool to reproduce a curry, so who would believe him when he said that he didn't spend that much money? In fact, Soma also thought that the concern was right on the spot.
It was because he ate a bite of curry, and he thought that it was nostalgic. In other words, what Iori did was a true reproduction.
Instead of creating a delicious curry, he created a nostalgic curry. There was a difference like between heaven and earth. This was because Iori had probably made a mistake while trying to create a delicious curry.
What Iori wanted was a nostalgic taste rather than curry. Of course, it wasn't easy to make delicious food, so the difficulty was quite high. Therefore, the hards.h.i.+p to reach this degree was… due to the hard work of the chief butler, and he should be praised.
Or maybe, Iori was aware of it, and taught him how to make stew. The stew didn't require much money, and the knowledge the butler gained to make curry would help him to some extent.
"Speaking of which… there's also stew." (Soma)
"Hmm? Aah… there were cliques to it, so I told him about the application of curry. You did that too, right?" (Iori)
"Yeah…" (Soma)
It was a nostalgic story. He forgot what the cutout was, but the stew matter was divided into two groups. The first was to eat with rice, and the other was to eat with bread. Well, in the end, he could settle for anything that was delicious, but it was part of his daily routine.
While feeling nostalgic again in the old stories, he secretly looked at Felicia and Sheila. Apparently, they had no problem with stew, and they kept eating normally. Then, his mouth loosened a little.
This might be the first time that Felicia and Sheila have eaten rice, but Soma thought it was great because they could accept it. He was worried whether they could accept other dishes from his hometown.
Strictly speaking, the current hometown of Soma would be in this world. While looking at both of them who weren't trying to make conversation in the middle of the meal, Soma continued to talk about trivial matters with Iori.