Chapter 592

Chapter 599: This Ain’t Got Nothin’ to Do with You! (Please Subscribe!)

Izay stepped into the tavern, and after dealing with Aniya’s usual antics, he first checked if Mistress Demeter was around to inspect the premises.

Once it was confirmed that Mistress Demeter wasn’t in sight, Izay gestured for Ryu to enter. For some reason, Ryu seemed particularly uneasy today about Mistress Demeter.

At first, Izay couldn’t quite grasp why.

But then, as he witnessed what followed, things became clearer.

“Ah? Ryu, you’re late today, nya? Come to think of it, I didn’t see you this morning…”

Aniya noticed Ryu entering behind Izay, her small eyes widening with curiosity.

It was strange. She had sensed Ryu coming back last night, so why did she completely overlook her presence this morning?

Realizing something was off only now, Aniya couldn’t help but feel confused.

Could she have become this careless?

Facing her question, Ryu cleared her throat twice before quietly averting her gaze, “I was just too tired last night, overslept, and accidentally got here late…”

“This is quite unusual. Ryu, you’ve never been like this, even when you took a day off.”

“That’s right~”

Lunowa, who was sweeping the floor, looked intrigued, while Kuroi nodded beside her in agreement.

In no time at all, the staff of the tavern put down their work, gathering around Ryu with concern or gossiping openly.

The silver-haired waitress Hiel, who stood out among them, observed the situation briefly before suddenly leaning close to Ryu, whispering something that made the elf turn red-faced and flustered.

Laughter filled the quiet tavern without customers.

Still… they were technically still on working hours…

(If Mistress Demeter were here, she’d either explode in anger or join in, wouldn’t she?)

Izay stood nearby, resting his chin on his hand, contemplating silently.

The former scenario would be fine; Ryu would just get scolded.

But if the latter happened… well, imagining Mistress Demeter joining in teasing Ryu was too much for Izay to handle.

Who knows what shocking remarks her loud voice and carefree personality might produce?

Ryu must fear this possibility, which is why she asked Izay to check first, right?

(She’s acting just like a teenage girl afraid of her mom finding out about her secret romance…)

For some reason, Izay felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu at this moment.

“～～～～”

Just then, a rich aroma wafted through the air.

Izay instinctively sniffed—it was the smell of freshly baked bread.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten anything since last night.

Not just him, but Ryu as well.

Including Victorica, whose whereabouts were currently unknown, the three of them had traveled through time with empty stomachs.

Peeking slightly into the kitchen, a petite catgirl chef could be seen carefully taking fresh loaves out of the oven.

The Bountiful Mistress employed more than just Ryu, Aniya, Hiel, Kuroi, and Lunowa—though these five were the most noticeable.

The others weren’t as eye-catching.

Was it due to lack of skill? Or experience?

Anyway, handling the large number of customers alone was already a challenge for them.

Mai was a prime example.

She was also a catgirl but smaller than Aniya, darting around frantically like a little person, often busy in the kitchen yelling “Uwaah~!” and barely having time to fix her tilted chef hat.

Izay was somewhat familiar with this little chef, so without hesitation, he approached her.

“Are those croissants? They look great… can you spare some? I don’t mind paying.”

“—!”

Instantly, the petite catgirl chef twitched slightly, clearly startled.

But quickly turning her head, she saw who it was and pouted, saying, “These are the breakfast for us employees, nya! I made them according to everyone’s appetite!”

In other words, there wasn’t any for him. (Cat shaking hands.jpg)

Mai gently refused using polite wording.

“Alright, then how about letting me make my own? Can I use your kitchen facilities and ingredients?” Izay chuckled lightly and changed his request.

“If you’re willing to pay for the ingredients… sure. For Ryu’s sake, you can use the kitchen freely.” Mai placed all the croissants onto a plate while responding to Izay’s inquiry.

By nature, the little chef was easygoing, so such a small favor was naturally not refused.

Thus began Izay’s self-sufficient endeavor.

……

The ingredients at The Bountiful Mistress were quite comprehensive. Though it was a tavern, in Orario, there wasn’t much difference between taverns and restaurants.

Izay found the materials for meat-filled flatbreads, along with green vegetables and red beans, and started cooking immediately using magic to stew meat and boil congee.

Anyone who has tried it knows how blissful it is to enjoy a meat-filled flatbread paired with lean meat congee in the morning.

As for the rice used for the congee, it came from the special stock provided by Goddess Demeter.

To be honest, after getting used to it, Izay realized he couldn’t quite live without this agricultural goddess anymore.

Food is the foundation of life, and there’s a good reason for that.

Initially, Izay wanted to make Century Egg and Lean Meat Congee, but alas, Orario lacked century eggs.

Reluctantly, he substituted them with the most common omelets from the city, and surprisingly, the result was decent.

Thanks to Orario’s advanced agricultural techniques, the omelet paired beautifully with the lean meat congee.

The dark brown shredded meat mixed with the soft, white omelet, garnished with chopped green onions. Beside it lay the tender white steamed bun, thinly sliced with minced meat inside, emitting warm steam.

This aroma, this presentation…

Isn’t it better than the daily bread and milk that Mai and the others usually eat?

Meanwhile, under Izay’s manipulation, the red bean cake was quickly taking shape.

At the same time, outside the kitchen.

Smelling the sudden burst of delicious fragrance in the air, Aniya, who was happily munching on her croissant, paused mid-motion.

Suddenly, the croissant she usually loved seemed less appealing!

Though she didn’t know what Izay was making in the kitchen,

The cat wanted to eat!

And she wasn’t the only one. The girls in the tavern, to varying degrees, shared similar feelings.

Even upstairs,

“Is Mistress Demeter preparing a new breakfast dish? This scent is so tempting~ I wonder if I could buy a portion?”

Victorica, who had just woken up and finished washing up, descended the stairs with a step, the calm in her eyes fading, replaced by a fiery gaze.

How could a traveler seeking the ordinary resist waking up to a piping hot, delicious breakfast waiting for them?

That was undoubtedly one of the happiest things in the world!

With eyes akin to chasing a belief, Victorica followed the source of the delicious aroma within the tavern.