The Other World Dining Hall (WN) Chapter 37

TN: Please keep in mind that the MC of this chapter comes from the Southern Continent. Just like Australia, its seasons are reversed so even though it was autumn in j.a.pan, it’s spring there. Btw, manager refers to the owner of Flying Puppy.

Sweet Potato Tart

The manager of the "Flying Puppy" upstairs was preparing to bring his ordered items to the otherworld dining hall as soon as possible.

[Yo, there's no problem today.]

[Ou.]

[A, good morning manager!]

The owner and Aletta greeted the manager who brought the cake wagon.

[Un, good morning. Here, I brought cake. To the usual person, it's today's cake.]

That's right, the manager brought the "special cake of the day" in addition to the usual selection of pound cake and pudding.

[Waa… looks delicious.]

Aletta who saw it spontaneously sighed in admiration.

This was the first time Aletta saw a cake with vivid reddish purple colour and beautiful dark golden skin1…

It looked so sweet and delicious.

[Ou, it's delicious. This is the first time I made it this year.]

The manager laughed at Aletta.

The Flying Puppy had "vegetable day" for a limited period of time every year from autumn until the year changed.

They were popular products that were seasonal unlike the regular stuff that were sold all-year round.

[This year… the sweet potato's season has arrived.]

As he said so, the manager picked up one of the tarts and handed it to Aletta.

[Here, it's a treat. Try it.]

[E!? Is that okay!?]

Aletta who received it unintentionally glanced to the owner.

[…It's just 1 piece.]

[Ye, yes… the, then…]

With the owner's permission, Aletta swallowed her spit and bit it.

(A… this…)

The sweetness that spread in her mouth had the softness peculiar to baked treats and it crumbled inside her mouth as if melting.

The sweetness of the sweet fruit of this shop was different from the sweetness of cream that could only be eaten here, a mysterious sweetness.

She swallowed it.

The feeling of the cake disappearing from her mouth was regretful… she finished eating it in 5 bites.

[…Is it good?]

[Yes!]

To the manager who was watching the situation, Aletta nodded without hesitation.

[Ou, I see! That's good.]

The manager laughed and said to the owner,

[Because I'm going to sell this starting today, so I asked. Certainly sweet potato tarts have fans, don't they?]

The manager had heard from the owner before.

There were regulars who only came when sweet potato tarts were sold every year.

[Ou. Somehow I felt like they will come today.]

The owner nodded back to the manager's confirmation.

Every year when autumn had arrived, the sweet potato tart regulars came to the restaurant.

It seemed that they would visit soon, his intuition that was polished through long-time restaurant management said so.

The snow that slightly remained on the shaded ground of the town had completely melted and there were signs that spring was arriving. That day was Satur's day.

[Umu. It should be around this time.]

The priest serving the "G.o.d of Gold" noticed it and nodded heavily.

[I'm going to practice a little. I'll be back by night time.]

Antonio easily told his wife and children about his errands and headed to training grounds.

[…Umu.]

The place he had continually used as his training grounds… it's impossible for humans to climb the cliff.

The cliff was so high that the top was covered with white clouds, and had been standing high as if resisting anything.

However, among the priests wors.h.i.+ping the "G.o.d of Gold", its height was not a problem to Antonio, which was particularly good.

[Well then… let's hurry.]

Muttering that word, Antonia prepared quickly.

He took off his simple jacket and wrapped it around his waist, exposing his well-trained tanned upper body.

After exposing it, Antonia clasped his hands together… and prayed.

The object of the prayer was the G.o.d of Gold who governed the sky and its thunder.

One of the six pillar G.o.ds with the figure of "dragon", which was the strongest creature in the world.

He continued to pray with concentration to borrow that power.

[Nuu!]

He activated it with a yell.

With the power of that prayer, gold dragon wings like the one that the G.o.d possessed grew from his back.

[Umu…]

After slowly flexing his wings a few times, Antonio looked up and flew.

From his point of view, the ground grew distant and he went up the cliff face.

[…Nuu.]

When he flew close to the top, he reached his destination… he found a black door attached to a place where there was a slight scaffolding protruding from the cliff wall.

[Well, today is a good day…]

He shrugged on his jacket again and went through the door.

'Chirinchirin', the door opened.

[Owner, I'll be in your care… nu?]

[A, welcome!]

While pa.s.sing through the door and sensing the sign of Red G.o.ddess2 leaking out, he tilted his head seeing a young waitress that was not there last autumn.

[…Mu, young lady, what are you?]

[A, yes! I'm Aletta who is indebted to this restaurant! Pleased to meet you!]

The girl with goat horns hailed from the north and was a believer of the Demon G.o.d that was banished to the other side by the six pillar G.o.ds. She was not familiar with Antonio.

Apparently she was hired during the winter when Antonio didn't visit, and she was trained to this restaurant's method where even monsters were customers.

[Is that so. My name is Antonio. Nice to meet you… by the way, is sweet potato tarts available?]

After the introduction, Antonio asked for what he wanted.

[Yes! There is! It just came today! So your order is sweet potato tarts?]

To Aletta's question after she answered with a smile, Antonio nodded satisfactorily.

[Umu. I wish to order sweet potatoes… 5 of it for the time being. Drink will be milk.]

[Yes, certainly! Please wait a moment!]

After receiving her order, Aletta retreated to the kitchen and Antonio went to sit on a vacant seat.

(…In the holy land of the Red G.o.ddess, northern person, huh…)

While visiting the restaurant for the first time in half a year, he felt the anomaly of that place once again while looking at the restaurant's interior.

As usual, this restaurant was filled with signs of the Red G.o.ddess who was one of the six pillars who governed fire.

When Antonio was still young and traveled around the continent, he went to an enshrined 500 years old temple of the Red G.o.ddess that had such a strong aura it felt like a child's deception.3

(…So she still visits this place. The Red G.o.ddess… seeking for food.)

If the Red G.o.ddess was visiting this land, this would not be the goal that usually was considered.

A dish that attracted even G.o.d. It's shown that it exist in this restaurant.

(This is why northerners.)

Next, he observed the customers inside the restaurant.

Their cultures were different from Antonio's.

He remembered the northern people who visited the town 3 years ago.

A young man who said that he was a treasure hunter and was blown to that continent with the power of a ruins to fend off invaders a few years ago.

That man travelled around the continent to look for a way to return home said that there was a continent beyond the "Sea of the Blue G.o.d" to the north and many people lived there.

That's why this continent was called the "Southern Continent".

To the townspeople, his story was very mysterious but it was not surprising to Antonio now.

…He knew that the customers who visited the restaurant were "northern people" and convinced the townspeople to believe the man.

In this restaurant, the people of the continent where Antonio lived… they were hardly seen according to the young man's words.

Apparently the door had not yet been found in the Southern Continent.

…Though the numbers had been increasing little by little lately.

[Ano, sorry to keep you waiting! Here's your sweet potato tart and milk.]

While he was thinking such things, the waitress brought his order.

[Oo, it's here…]

Hearing the waitress' words, Antonio discontinued his thoughts.

Reddish purple sweet potatoes served in golden confectionery boat.

This was the gem that Antonio had loved for 6 years.

[Well then, please enjoy.]

Carefully thanking the waitress, Antonio started to eat his sweet potato tarts.

Using his hands, he lifted the tart by grasping its vessel… and bit on it.

Spreading inside the mouth was the sweet and nice k.u.mara's4 flavour.

Once it entered his mouth, the mashed sweet potato unraveled inside it.

(Aa, spring has come this year as well…)

To that taste, Antonio felt the arrival of spring.

Because k.u.mara was easy to grow and preserve, it was served at the dining table throughout the year, but Antonio did not like it that much.

Just boiling and roasting k.u.mara made it tasteless and dry inside his mouth.

However, this sweet potato was different.

This sweet potato sweetly melted inside his mouth and contained plenty moisture.

He could tell from the taste that the missing moisture was replaced by kneading milk and b.u.t.ter to it.

Also, it was a good idea to mash and shape it.

The sweet potatoes that were mashed once and kneaded again had fine texture; its sweetness did not deprive the water from the mouth.

(If these delicious sweet potatoes can be eaten at home, there's no way I would think that k.u.mara is not tasty.)

He thought so, but there's no way that such thing could be done.

In this holy place, Antonio ate one tart after another and washed the taste with the chilled milk.

He finished one tart in just two bites and he ate all of the tarts in one minute.

[Young lady. I would like to order a second serving.]

[Yes! Please wait a moment!]

After he finished the tarts, he asked for replacements and started eating again.

(Umu, as I thought, this is spring…)

After eating the sweet potato tarts until he's full, he felt the arrival of spring.

That was Antonio's custom for the last few years.

Since his belly was full, he paid the money and returned to the cliff top.

[Well then… fun'nu!]

He took of his jacket, grew his wings and flew.

[7 more days…]

After watching where the door was while hovering on the spot, Antonio flew away.

He would come again. He swore that inside his heart.

That was Antonio's secret spring enjoyment that he looked forward to every year.

For Antonio, spring had just begun.