“It’s more delicious to pour this liquid over the vegetables than to eat them as they are.”

“Of course, raw vegetables are tasty too, but adding dressing makes them easier to enjoy.”

Just like Ms. Berna said, salads taste better with dressing. In the town of Al-Flare, spices have been spreading recently, so people have started to eat raw vegetables not just with salt but also with spices.

This is how the spread of things like spices and sugar leads to the development of various dishes.

“Next up is stewed and grilled Belmarcon.”

Following the salad, we served Belmarcon stewed with soy sauce in an instant Chinese soup base, and another version that was lightly boiled and then grilled.

Belmarcon looks similar to daikon or turnip, so I tried cooking it in the same way for now.

“...I see, it’s reasonably tasty.”

“The flavor has soaked in well. It’s pretty good.”

“Yeah, not bad at all.”

Mr. Lange, Lilia, and Dolph gave their impressions in that order, but judging from their expressions, I could mostly tell how they felt about it.

Cooking it improves the taste to some extent, but I’d say it’s about on par with ordinary vegetables. It tastes about as good as the price suggests.

“I still want meat...”

“Of course, I’ve prepared meat as well.”

Ms. Ferry is honest, as always.

I figured that Belmarcon alone might feel a bit lacking, so I had also prepared some meat separately. Well, the Belmarcon tasted okay when eaten normally.

I still feel like this Belmarcon vegetable might be more useful when processed into sugar rather than eaten as-is.

Anyway, we’ll arrive at the royal capital tomorrow, so I’ll make sure to check out the markets there. If Belmarcon is being sold in the capital, I’ll try discussing it with Lady Ruhail, the guild master of the royal capital’s Adventurer Guild.

“The royal capital is in sight.”

“We’ve arrived safely.”

The next day in the evening.

Hearing the voices of Ms. Berna and Ms. Ferry seated at the front of the carriage, I stuck my head out the window and saw the massive city walls of the royal capital.

“We’ve made it to the capital again without any major trouble this time. It’s all thanks to Ms. Berna and Ms. Ferry.”

We discovered Belmarcon along the way, and this time we arrived at the capital without encountering any monsters in battle. That’s thanks to Sleipnir, which runs far faster than a regular carriage, and to the Sylphs who kept watch at night.

It’s been a while since I last saw the capital’s enormous and sturdy walls, which are much more imposing than those of Al-Flare. The monsters that inhabit this area are far stronger than the ones around Al-Flare, so it makes sense that such walls are necessary.

I’m really back in the royal capital.

“You must be Lord Tetsuya. We’ve been informed by the Adventurer Guild. Please allow us to escort you to your lodgings for the evening.”

“...Ah, yes. Thank you very much.”

The capital has separate gates: one for commoners and one for nobles and major merchants. Ms. Ruhail had contacted the guards in advance about our arrival, so we went to the noble gate. When we told the knights about it, some rather dignified individuals appeared and conveyed the message to us.

Thankfully, the guild will be covering our lodging expenses again this time. A few knights guided us toward our lodging for the night.

Since it was already late, I decided to visit the Adventurer Guild tomorrow. Even though we had outdoor mats and the ride was a bit smoother, my body had become quite stiff after sitting in the carriage for four days. I’ll take it easy tonight and rest properly.

By the way, we briefly stopped by the market on the way to the inn, and I confirmed that Belmarcon is being sold here in the capital as well. That means we can potentially produce sugar in the capital too. I’ll discuss that with everyone later.

“...Isn’t this an even fancier inn than the last time?”

The inn we were led to this time was different from the one we stayed at on our previous visit to the capital. But not just different—in fact, if I’m remembering correctly, this one looked even more luxurious than the already high-class inn from before.

“This is one of the top three luxury inns in the capital. Considering Lord Tetsuya’s achievements, it’s only fitting.”

“Thanks to Tetsuya, even us guards get to stay here. Lucky!”

“I-I see...”

The inn we stayed at last time in the capital was already above the high-class inns in the city of Eibra, and now we’re at one of the top three in the entire capital...

They handed over 3,000 gold coins as a reward for the compass alone, so clearly, there’s money where it matters.

Of course, that just shows how valuable the method for creating that compass really was.

“Welcome, Lord Tetsuya. Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to inform the staff.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you for having us.”

A row of men dressed like butlers and women in maid outfits stood in a line, bowing their heads to us.

For someone like me, an ordinary citizen, this kind of welcome is a bit embarrassing... No, actually, it’s downright nerve-wracking.