「....In that case, go and immediately make preparations for departure.」

When Shion said that, Nino pulled out the luggage that was crammed in the back, and started packing.

The maid that was also a knight, the Maid Knight was experienced with this sort of thing.

Towards Kain and Sharon who were looking at Nino’s skillful movements as if they were admiring her, Shion cleared his throat once.

「Immediately made your preparations, and then gather in the restaurant below. Don’t forget to bring purification-type tools.」

「Ah....Yes.」

After seeing Kain and Sharon off as they left in a fluster, Shion sunk himself into a sea of thoughts.

What he needed to think of was their means of travel first.

A carriage probably wouldn’t go as far as their destination.

If Ogres have come out, there should be a self-restraint claim from the stagecoach union.

By some chance, they might bring them to a nearby town, but there was the problem of what to do after that.

There was the hand of buying horses, but buying them, riding them, then tossing them away was something that he didn’t want to do on an emotional level.

As for going on foot, the problem of time would be big.

For example, if the opponents were a group of Goblins, the town should be able to hold out until they arrived if the town scale was large enough.

However, when it came to Ogres, that wouldn’t work.

There was the fear that the walls that protect the town would be destroyed and that the town would annihilated.

Moreover, Shion had a thought.

The feudal lord’s response was incomprehensible.

It would be one thing if it were a village, but to abandon a town, that is a statement that brings the feudal lord’s nature into question.

If he had that sort of response for only a single Ogre, it wouldn’t just be an uproar about incompetence.

Even if it was an atrocious Ogre, if a feudal lord scale army were to be dispatched, the extermination should be simple.

However──

What if, it wasn’t just one.

If there were several of them, the circumstances would surely be different.

In that case, there was no telling how much time would be left for the town.

For there to have been enough leeway to send out a request, most likely the town hasn’t targeted until that point.

However, there was no telling how long that would last.

It would be out of the question if they arrived but the town was annihilated.

Of course, he wouldn’t feel anger for that itself.

In the end, Shion was a Demon King, and he wouldn’t be sad about something that would weaken the Humans’ strength.

However, if damages on the scale of a town being ruined were to come out, the influences given to Human society would be large.

He wouldn’t be able to stand cries of the Demon King’s revival created due to needless anxiety.

「Preparations, are done.」

Shion closed his thoughts from Nino’s words that came from behind him.

「Ah, yeah. Thank you.」

「Nn.」

After Shion said that and then placed his hand on Nino’s head, she narrowed her eyes looking delighted.

「So, what shall we do?」

「Let’s see....It will probably take a while until their preparations are in order. I guess we’ll have a meal until then.」

Preparations for a journey weren’t things that could be quickly put in order.

After Shion and Nino carried the gathered luggage on their backs, they descended the staircase.

「Huh, Shion! Are you leaving already!?」

The poster girl Carol, who was moving about and ready for the peak of congestion, detected Shion and Nino and raised a surprised voice.

On the first floor of the Steel Fish Store, many good smells were already started to waft about.

「Yeah, we got an urgent request, you see.」

「And here I thought that you would be able to take things slowly for at least today.」

「Sorry about that.」

Shion replied with a wry smile to Carol who was pouting and looking a bit dissatisfied.

That being said, Carol naturally understood.

Adventurers were that sort of people.

They would suddenly leave at any time.

And they would suddenly come back at any time.

And then, there would be also be talks heard that they had suddenly become deceased people.

Being the poster girl of an Adventurer’s inn, that was something that Carol always experienced.

Because of that, she would associate with them while leaving a degree of distance in between, but the regular customer called Shion who seemed like wouldn’t die so easily had destroyed the wall to that Carol’s heart before she knew it.

「You’ll at least eat a meal, right?」

「Will it be your treat, Carol?」

「Ahaha, no, no! It’s included in your inn charges.」

After they had that frivolous talk, Garadd’s voice could be heard from the kitchen.

「Hey, Carol! ‘Ere’s the portion of food for Shion’s group!」

「’Kaーy!」

Running off to the kitchen, Carol once again came back, and Nino’s eyes sparkled in an easy to understand way at the cuisine that Carol carried with her.

Today’s menu was something where Morol bird was fried in oil. In addition, there was plenty of Leris salad.

There was vegetable scrap soup, and hard bread.

And then, there was three slices of Ringo (apple).

「Un, delicious.」

「Nino, the Ringo is for dessert, you know?」

「Ringos are the most delicious when freshly cut.」

As she happily ate the Ringo slices, Nino’s gaze flowed onto Shion’s Ringo slices.

There weren’t any Ringos in the Dark Continent.

There was a fruit similar to Ringos called Ringil, but when compared to a Ringo, there wasn’t any sweetness, and the sourness was strong.

Speaking about it further, if anything it was a product closer to being a medicinal plant.

It seemed that Nino had made this Ringo her favorite food, and put it on her list of things to bring back to the Dark Continent.

「I see. In that case, it can’t be helped, huh.」

「Un, can’t be helped. That is why, Nino is willing to bring salvation to Shion-sama’s Ringo slices that won’t be immediately eaten.」

After Shion silently pushed his Ringo slices to her, Nino immediately started to munch on them.

On the other hand, Shion found the deep-fried Morol bird to be his favorite among the food given to them.

It was simply cuisine that was only fried in oil, but maybe because it was high grade bird meat, it had a juicy texture and deliciousness.

Moreover, how it was deep-fried food that couldn’t be eaten at their destination where many of the dishes were boiled food and flame-broiled food appealed to Shion’s heart even further.

Carrying the food to his mouth with a fork, he carefully enjoyed the flavor.

The deliciousness that spread throughout his mouth brought an indescribable happiness to Shion.

By eating it by alternating with the fresh and crispy Leris salad, he would never get tired of it.

「As expected of you, Garadd. I find it hard to understand why this hasn’t become a craze up until now.」

「Keh, customers have been comin’ here up until now! Yer a rude bastard!」

Shion and Garadd hit each other with that sort of frivolous talk.

Simply put, it was because gorgeous and magnificent cooking was the preference in the royal capital, but if one were an Adventurer, there were probably many that instead preferred cooking like that from the Steel Fish Store.

「Sorry to keep you waiting!」

Looking like it was done in a rush, the doors of the Steel Fish Store were opened.

The time that Kain and Sharon, who had put their preparations for the adventure into order, came bursting in was right when Shion thrust his fork into his third piece of karaage, and when Nino had asked Carol for another helping of Ringos.

Chapter 38