Chapter 3: Trying Out Going to a Cafe – Part 6
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Part 6
One week later──
The church’s bell rang three times, informing them that it was three o’clock in the afternoon.
Diablo’s group was headed towards the cafe.
「......I am sorry, having everyone expressly walk there.」
Right when they were passing through the gate to the Central District, Rem formally added those words.
Shera raised a lively voice.
「It’s fine! I was really looking forward to going to a cafe!」
「......True, we did promise to go there before.」
Alicia asked a question.
「Shera-sama, do you like cafes?」
「Ehehe, I’ve only heard about what it’s like. I’ve been thinking that I want to run a cafe. Rem would be the person that brings the customers coffee, and Diablo would be the person wiping the glasses.」
Before he knew it, he had become the one wiping the glasses.
Rem shrugged her shoulders.
「......I still haven’t made any promises about the future. Well, I did make the promise to bring you to a cafe. It’s just, I didn’t think that it would be like this.」
「There’s nothing to mind though? Since I’m happy as long as we can go to the cafe.」
Alicia nodded.
「The matter this time, I believe that it is a necessary arrangement. Rem-sama, there is nothing for you to fret over.」
「......I wonder if that is really the case.」
The place of destination was the cafe that was in the Central District.
There, Celestine Bordorel, the head of the Magician’s Guild, was waiting.
Towards Rem who had reported the chain of events, Celes said that she “wanted to meet with her by all means”.
Because of that, Krem was also accompanying them.
Shera was pulling her hand.
Diablo was gazing at the girls from his position of being last in their line. He was bad at joining in the conversation of a group of people.
Rem was uneasy.
「When I said that it would be difficult to bring her to the Magician’s Guild, she designated the meeting to be at the cafe.」
Alicia nodded.
「I believe that was appropriate. At a time where the other party would have thoughts of inflicting harm to Krem-sama, it would surely be difficult to resist while inside the Magician’s Guild.」
「......While Celes knew that the Demon King’s soul was sealed inside of me, she allowed me freedom. At this point, I would like to think that there is no need for that concern.」
「A person’s true feelings is something that can’t be understood by anyone and everyone.」
「......This time, there is one more worry that is bothering me but......no, as long as Diablo is around, I believe that it will be alright.」
「I see.」
The reason why the girls’ words were ambiguous was because Krem was around.
In other words, she was probably worried about a case where Krem would suddenly awaken as the Demon King and attack Celes.
It seemed that at that time, she was expecting that Diablo would protect her.
He had made preparations so that it would be fine if something were to happen, but looking at Krem for these past few days, he thought that such worries were probably just needless anxiety.
──This girl, she just simply “lives idly/does nothing but eat and sleep”.
She was an exact image of an infant that gets as many biscuits as she wants.
Shera became something like a kindergarten teacher, teaching her songs almost every day, and was making her toys.
She opened her heart to her.
What should worry them is that the amount they paid for biscuits was not insignificant.
The moment the money that this party possessed ran out, wouldn’t that be the moment the Demon King make its descent into the world. It was enough to make him think that.
The Central District was partitioned off by a stone wall.
Even when they went to the Feudal Lord’s mansion before, they passed through this gate.
At that time, there was a bit of trouble with the gatekeeper, but this time, since the State Knight Alicia was there, they were able to pass thanks to her position.
The ground underfoot changed from stone pavement to tiles.
Also, the buildings, they weren’t made of stone but were lined up estates made of brick and denoted that this was a district where the rich lived.
Watch-keepers meant for the sake of maintaining public order were standing all over the place.
Several times, ahead of them when they turned a corner, they would discover somewhat stylishly made shops.
Shera raised a voice of admiration.
「Uwaah......So this, is a cafe, isn’t it!?」
It was fundamentally a brick building, but the eaves were made with a wooden framework. An iron signboard was hung at the entrance.
Above all, there was glass fitted “in” the door.
Something like a door with glass in it, this was the first time he had seen such a thing since coming to this world.
Rem introduced it.
「......It is said that this was made in the same way as the buildings in the royal capital. Celes might already be here. Shall we go in?」
They pulled the door open.
The fragrance of coffee drifted in the air.
Having come to this world, he had drank coffee several times, but he felt that this was a different fragrance from those other times.
Shera pulled Krem’s hand and entered while looking around restlessly.
「Wah! Incredible! It’s somehow, incredible!」
「Fumu, I don’t really get it but......This place, does it really have delicious biscuits?」
「They do～. They are called scones. A girl that went to the royal capital’s cafe boasted about it.」
Alicia made a face that looked like she wanted to say something, but she kept silent.
Properly thinking about it, she lived in the royal capital. Moreover, she was the daughter of a duke family. Most likely, she has at least gone to the cafe.
Even Diablo, in the world before he was summoned, he obtained a certain level of knowledge.
──Scones aren’t biscuits, you know?
In the store interior, there were five counter seats and two four-person tables.
It wasn’t very spacious.
There was the fact that it was just made, but the store interior was sparkling everywhere and looked new and clean.
He had heard stories that it was a considerably high-class store, but even when compared to the stores in the world that he was formerly in, it was full of a high-class feeling.
──Crap. I’m getting nervous. Now that I think about it, I, I’ve never entered a place with a riajuu atmosphere like a high-class tea house.
This place, it was something different from the type of stores where sweet coffee would come out in plastic or paper cups for 300 yen.
In the store, there was only one customer.
While still sitting in the chair, she expressed a smile this way.
Her looks were gentle, and her voluptuous body was wrapped up in a long robe.
A staff was leaning against the wall, indicating that she was a Magician.
It was the person they had an appointment with──Celestine Bordorel.
「Ara ara, welcome......Wait, it feels odd for me to say that even though there is an employee here, doesn’t it?」
Rem greeted her.
「......Did we keep you waiting?」
「Actually, I was looking forward to this a bit too much, and came here considerably early. But, it was correct to make it at this shop. I didn’t lose interest no matter how much time I waited. To tell you the truth, I also wanted to try coming to a cafe, you know?」
She expressed a childlike smile.
Shera leaned forward.
「M, me too! I was really looking forward to it, the cafe!」
「Araa, then, you’re the same as me. It is wonderful to be able to drink coffee with the same taste as the coffee in the royal capital, isn’t it──Ah, could it be that child?」
Even though she should know Krem’s true identity, Celes’ facial expression was calm.
Her gaze met with Krem’s.
「Who are you -nanoda?」
「Nice to meet you, I am called Celes. I work as the head of this town’s Magician’s Guild.」
「Hou, I see. The one that maintains this town’s barrier, so that is you.」
Krem had her gaze go around. It would seem that she was able to see the flow of magical power that was used for the barrier.
Rem became a bit nervous, and her face stiffened up.
Celes smiled.
「That’s right, it is a significant responsibility. That’s why, it was really difficult to come here alone. But, I’m glad......After all, you are very adorable. I’m glad to have met you.」
「Maou only came here to eat biscuits -nanoda!」
「Is that so? They are very delicious, aren’t they. Please have a seat.」
「Umu!」
Krem took her seat, and it was automatically decided that Shera’s seat would be next to her. She was something like her guardian.
Following that flow, Rem sat in the remaining seat.
Since they were four person tables, without forcibly gathering at one table, Diablo and Alicia used the neighboring table.
Alone together with Alicia.
His nervousness became even higher.
──To think that my human life would awaken just from sitting opposite of such a beautiful girl in a riajuu tea house like this.
So that the heart throbbing in his mind wouldn’t be perceived, Diablo deliberately behaved imposingly.
「You should order anything that you like.」
「Thank you very much, Diablo-sama. But is that alright?」
Alicia pointed at the menu that was on the table.
Incidentally, when drinking coffee at 《Relief》, one cup was 200 F (Furis). Even in other stores, it wouldn’t exceed 300 F.
In this high-class shop......
One cup of coffee, was 3000 F.
──HAAAHH!? There are three zeros!?
His voice was about to reflexively come out.
That was an amount of money that matched one night (breakfast and a bed for one) at Relief.
──To think that she would arrange to meet at a place like this! That damned Celes, does she plan on making us go bankrupt, that damned oni! Damned witch!
That devilish woman expressed a sweet smile.
「I’ll be the one paying here, so please order anything that you like, okay?」
「What, so she was a goddess.」
Diablo’s muttering was fortunately not overheard by anyone.
The brought out coffee was different from the stuff that they normally drank.
Its acidity was strengthened, but that became an accent to the bitter taste and made it easy to drink. Also, surprisingly, what was suggested was the orange juice. There certainly existed a sweetness different from sugar.
──Amazing! If it’s this taste, it would definitely be popular even in a metropolitan area!
Krem found the coffee to be bitter and no good, but once the cocoa and scones came out, she became quite pleased.
「Sweet! Tasty! It is tasty, this muddy water and these biscuits are delicious -noda!」
It seems that to her, snack-like things were all biscuits.
「I am so glad that they are to Krem-chan’s liking.」
「Umu, I shall praise it! The usual biscuits are good, but this place’s biscuits were also delicious -noda!」
「Ufufu......Would you like a second helping?」
She looking like she enjoyed it quite well.
At the time they were going back──
Shera, Krem, and Alicia left the store first.
Taking only a small amount of time to pay the bill, Diablo, Rem, and Celes exchanged words. So that not even the employee could hear them, they lowered their voices.
「Celes, you have heard of the situation from Rem, correct? Krem has lost her memories but......She is the Demon King. What do you intend to do?」
He didn’t want to make enemies of the Magician’s Guild.
However, she definitely also had the responsibility of protecting the people of the Races.
Just how would she move?
「Fufu......I don’t think that there is a Demon King like that out there. To not be killing people of the Races and be liking snacks. Someone like that couldn’t be a Demon King, right?」
Celes’ cheerful smile didn’t darken at all.
Rem asked a question, sounding worried.
「......It, really helps us for you to say that, but......Celes, will you be alright? Won’t you get punished?」
「It’s the same as the time with you. If the matter becomes public, I don’t know what will happen. But, for me......Things that tie people down and steals away their freedom even though that sort of thing isn’t necessary, I get an “I don’t want that” kind of feeling, you know?」
Celes is the key that activates Faltra City’s barrier. She is unable to leave this town.
It was something that she herself chose to do, but it is a position where she has lost her freedom.
It was for that reason, that her words were believable.
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