Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 141

After rushing through the final narrow cave, Franryule, Alex, Neln, and Gilles slumped down.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Y-yes. Somehow…”

“Whew… I feel like I’ve run faster than I ever have in my life.”

“…I’m not injured, but I’m exhausted to death. I can’t go on.”

“Please let us rest for a bit.”

The full-speed sprint from Volkanos seemed to have taken a toll on them, as Franryule and the others sat on the ground.

The defeat of the Magma Golem, retrieval of Volkanos’ egg, and escape.

It was only half a day’s events, but it was quite intense. I’m pretty exhausted myself today.

Though I want to sit down with them and rest, I’ll try to keep up appearances as the elder here.

Well, I may be mentally older, but in terms of appearance, I’m not that different from them.

After resting and rehydrating for a while, the four of them seemed to have calmed down and stood up.

“Shuu-san. Here’s Volkanos’ egg.”

Alex handed over the Volkanos egg.

“There don’t seem to be any damage. With this, it looks like I’ll be able to fulfill my request.”

“That’s a relief. We’re glad to be of help, Shuu-san.”

Franryule and the others looked relieved.

Though I’m expressing my gratitude calmly, inside, I’m filled with the desire to jump for joy.

After all, this was a request that I had once failed, then turned away from the second time, leaving me at a loss. It’s only on the third attempt that we’ve finally succeeded in retrieving the item. There’s no way I wouldn’t be happy about that.

“Thanks to Franryule-san and the others, we were able to retrieve the egg. Thank you very much.”

“No, it’s all thanks to Shuu-san’s power. We just helped a little.”

“We also got some help with our tasks, so it’s mutual.”

“…It’s doubtful if we could have achieved it without Shuu-san.”

“That’s true!”

Is that so? Considering Neln and the others’ abilities, I feel like we could have managed to achieve it even if with some difficulty. Well, there’s no need to make such assumptions, so as Gilles says, it’s mutual.

“Well then, shall we return to Eld? There should be a carriage back at this time.”

Carriages regularly depart from Ladeo Volcano to Eld.

They disappear as evening approaches, but at this time, just before dusk, there should still be some available.

In our current tired state, I don’t want to walk back on foot.

“I agree. I really want to take a bath quickly.”

“…Me too. I feel gross with sweat and dirt all over.”

“I’m starving.”

“I just want to lie down in bed for a while.”

As we head towards the location of the regular carriage, each of us discusses our plans upon returning to town.

Walking side by side like this and chatting feels nostalgic, like we’re high school students.

“Yes, Shuu-san! When we get back to town, why don’t we have dinner together? As a celebration for what we’ve accomplished!”

Listening to everyone’s plans, Franryule suddenly proposes as if she just thought of it.

Neln, Alex, and Gilles seem enthusiastic too, giving hopeful looks.

“If it’s not a bother, I’d love to.”

“That’s settled then!”

With that response, Franryule and the others smiled happily.

♦ ♦ ♦

Returning to Eld and taking a breather, Franryule and the others tidied up and arrived at the inn.

We were planning to search for a suitable venue for our celebration, but we ended up being intercepted by the dwarf landlady and escorted to the underground tavern.

Well, the food at this inn is delicious, and it’s not noisy even if we make a racket, so we can drink without worry.

“Wow, so the inn here has a tavern underground! No wonder it was quiet upstairs!”

As we descended the stairs, Alex exclaimed in admiration.

“Is the inn where you guys are staying lively?”

“It’s hell. We can’t sleep at night because we hear the dwarves’ voices until late every day.”

“Ugh… Thanks to that, I’ve got those dwarves’ indecent songs stuck in my head.”

“…Really? I was fine.”

“That’s just Neln.”

Alex and the others had a gloomy expression. Neln seemed unfazed, probably the type who could sleep in any environment.

I’m fine staying at the quiet inn recommended by Drogan, but apparently in other places, the voices of dwarves echo quite loudly.

Once, when I took a walk at night, I could hear loud voices coming from all the shops around.

In a city where dwarves make up eighty percent of the population, this might be the norm.

“Sit over there at the spacious table.”

“Thank you.”

Perhaps because there were five of us, the landlady guided us to a spacious table at the corner.

It’s nice and comfortable here with the large table surrounded by sofa seats.

As we sit down, Franryule takes the seat on the right, and Neln on the left.

I feel a little nervous having two beautiful girls sitting on either side. Unlike chairs, there’s no separation in the sofa seats.

Trying to appear calm, I look around the tavern, and I notice something.

“Huh? It’s quiet today, isn’t it?”

Today, there are fewer dwarves around.

Despite how they usually get ridiculously noisy every night.

“Don’t worry, they’ll come crashing in soon.”

That makes sense too. It’s still a bit early for them to start drinking in the evening.

With that understanding, each of us orders what catches our interest.

“Shuu-san, do you have any recommended dishes?”

“The Lazona skewers are delicious.”

“What!? Shuu-san, you’ve tried them!?”

When Franryule asks, everyone looks surprised.

It seems Franryule and the others haven’t tried the Lazona skewers yet.

“I have. They may not look appetizing, but they taste like chicken and are delicious. They also go well with the spices.”

The landlady, who is taking our orders after my presentation, nods in satisfaction.

“A-are they really that good?”

“…Let’s give them a try.”

Surprisingly, Neln is the first to make a decision.

Though her expression still looks sleepy as usual, her words are clear.

“Alright. I’ll prepare enough for everyone.”

And with that, the landlady forcefully closes our orders and heads to the kitchen.