After leaving the duke's estate, Noel headed for the city center. There was nothing of interest in the outskirts—the real places worth visiting were in the heart of the capital.
The guards at the gate saw the two of them leaving so soon and weren't surprised at all. Just another failure, they thought. They had seen people like this come and go countless times and were long since numb to it.
"Carla, where should we go?" Wendy asked softly.
"How about the city center?" Carla suggested. She rarely left the guild herself, and now that they had the chance to visit the royal capital, she wanted to explore too.
"Yay!" Wendy beamed with excitement.
"You two are heading to the city center too?" Noel overheard them and confirmed.
"We rarely get to leave the guild, so since we're out, we want to enjoy ourselves a bit," Carla explained.
"Then we're headed the same way. How about we go together?" Noel offered.
"Is that really okay?" Wendy asked timidly.
"No problem at all," Noel promised with a bright smile.
And so, the two humans and one cat strolled off to explore the capital together. After spending the entire afternoon wandering around, they found themselves growing hungry.
The three decided to casually wander down the street to find a good place to eat before checking into an inn for the night.
After they each rented a room, they stepped back out onto the bustling streets. As they walked, a delicious aroma drifted through the air, piquing their curiosity and leading them to glance eagerly toward a nearby restaurant.
Not far ahead stood a restaurant with a large sign depicting a slab of meat—"The Good Meat House." The name was certainly straightforward.
It looked promising, and the two of them were immediately tempted.
"Mr. Noel, how about we eat here?" Wendy asked, looking up to him for confirmation.
"I think it looks great too," Noel admitted. The smell alone had already won him over.
Wendy then turned to Carla, who nodded with her usual proud air, indicating her agreement as well.
Since they had washed up at the inn earlier, Wendy looked fresh and clean. She had changed from her usual blue-and-yellow dress into a simple blue one, which suited her perfectly and made her look even cuter. Noel found himself briefly lost in thought.
Noel proceeded to order a large amount of food, while Wendy, concerned about her wallet, ordered only a small portion, hesitant and cautious. Carla, meanwhile, ordered several plates of grilled fish.
Her taste was similar to Happy's, but she was pickier, ordering only the higher-quality fish without too many spicy seasonings.
When all the food and drinks arrived, Noel gasped. The portions were enormous. But looking at the towering platters of meat, he felt a thrill of excitement. Eating such large cuts of grilled meat was sure to be satisfying.
After a moment, the server brought out a massive platter containing cartoon-sized meat on the bone.
He hadn't expected them to serve such premium cuts here. Noel had never experienced meat like this before.
"Praise the meat!" Noel couldn't contain his delight, overwhelmed by the miracle of such amazing grilled meat.
"Mr. Noel, are you really that excited?" Wendy asked, noting the joyful glow on his face.
"Of course! I've been looking forward to this for so long. If it turns out to be bad, I might give up on grilled meat forever," Noel vowed dramatically.
"That's too cruel! You can't just stop eating grilled meat," Wendy said, shocked.
Wendy herself hadn't had grilled meat in a long time, and the sight of it opened up her appetite. She picked up a skewer and took a small, careful bite, savoring the meat as she chewed slowly.
"This grilled meat is really delicious!" Wendy's face shone with happiness. Food could bring such simple joy, needing only a single bite to fill one's heart.
Carla ate her grilled fish with elegance, her expression unchanged, but seeing her devour one fish after another, it was clear she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
Seeing this, Noel decided it was time for him to dig in. Taking small bites of meat would be an insult to such a feast, so he tore into the meat without concern for appearances.
The moment he bit down, the juices burst forth, flooding his mouth with flavor in an instant. The taste was overwhelming, impossible to resist.
It was shocking—truly shocking. It was the best grilled meat he had ever tasted, surpassing any he had eaten before. It was beautifully cooked, and the flavor deserved an S-rank rating.
Grilled meat like this was meant to be paired with beer to achieve perfection.
However, since he was technically underage, Noel hesitated as he looked at the beer on the table. The beer was complimentary at The Good Meat House, showing how well they understood their customers.
The beer was so tempting. After all, Cana drank all the time, so what harm would one sip do?
Taking a gulp, the cool beer washed down his throat, refreshing him completely. With cartoon meat in one hand and beer in the other, Noel felt like he was in paradise.
Wendy's meal consisted of a beef burger and a salad of thinly sliced meat.
The burger was excellent, too. One bite filled her mouth with rich, meaty flavor, and the juices exploded in her mouth.
In that moment, it felt as if she were flying across the sky, with a vast grassland beneath her, and a herd of cattle in the distance…
For dessert, they were served fruit skewers. Initially, she thought they would be fried vegetables, but the fruit skewers were sweet and satisfying, bringing a sense of happiness.
As Wendy looked at the messy table, she began to worry about her travel expenses. She didn't take on many missions, so she hadn't brought much money.
She turned to Carla for help, but Carla didn't take many missions either, and this was one of their few paying jobs. If they couldn't get paid for this commission, getting back to the guild would be a problem.
Seeing their predicament, Noel spoke up:
"I'll cover this meal."
"Really?" Wendy asked in disbelief.
"It's not a gentleman's way to let a lady pay for a meal," Noel said, turning toward the counter.
Carla's opinion of Noel shifted again. Perhaps he really was a gentleman… though she still found him somewhat annoying.
At the counter, Noel noticed the cashier was dressed in a maid uniform, something he hadn't realized earlier since all his focus had been on the meat.
"I'd like to settle the bill," Noel said, pulling out his heavy coin pouch.
"That will be 2,000J," the maid cashier said sweetly.
2,000J was a bargain for such excellent grilled meat, Noel thought. Even if it cost 10,000J, it would have been worth it.
Full and satisfied, the two humans and one cat returned to the inn to rest for the night.
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at