The Other World Dining Hall Chapter 26

Chapter 26

a.s.sorted Cookies

 

It was during her fifth job ever since Aletta started working at otherworld dining hall.

[For 30 minutes… take a break until the long hand of the clock over there point right above.]

[Yes!]

“Break” time for Aletta was when there were not many customers at the restaurant.

In a small rest room with a simple table and chair, Aletta sat while holding the cup of hot cocoa that the owner made.

[Fuu… delicious.]

The hot cocoa warmed her tired body.

This slightly bitter and very sweet drink was one of Aletta’s favorite foods since she first drank it.

It seemed to be a product of a different world, because she had never seen it sold even in the Capital City which was the most prosperous capital in her world.

It was always enjoyable when it was possible for her to get one of the favorite beverages in this dining room.

[Somehow, I am happy…]

She let out a satisfied sigh.

For the last month or so, feeling that her life was like a dream, Aletta began to change.

 

After she was hired at the otherworld dining hall, Aletta ceased to wear her hat.

 

It was great that she was able to gain a lot of money by working at the otherworld dining hall. She was also able to wash her hair and body twice a day during the morning and at night to maintain her “hygiene”. By doing so, her hair became l.u.s.trous and it was regrettable to conceal it underneath her hat.

And she found out that it was better for her to work without wearing her hat.

 

Aletta is a member of the demon tribe. She has a pair of small winding black horns growing from her temple.

When she did not wear her hat to conceal them, it was naturally transmitted to other people that she was a demon.

 

However, in return, it also became known that she was not a strange girl hiding a secret. As such, her work had proceeded more smoothly than before.

Of course, some people refused to hire her when they found out that she was a demon but the owner did not care. Thanks to that, the trouble the secret could cause decreased before it could escalate.

(It is also nice that I am now a “clean” and well-groomed girl with better hair and clothes than before. But now the trouble I encounter changed considerably, like being hit on by a man during work.)

 

A remarkable thing happened 3 days ago during the morning.

She was hired to clean, wash and maintain for a small house owned by a treasure hunter.

Some of the valuable magic tools that her employer had found were locked in a room, but the job of managing a house more than anything else, required trust between the employer and employee.

And her employer trusted Aletta on first sight, hired her with eight coins as her pay and provided her a bed. There’s only 1 reason.

 

The employer knew about Aletta…

She was one of the regulars at otherworld dining hall.

 

After she was hired, Aletta moved from the ruins at the slum to a room for a servant house at the old city. Once every 7 days, she worked at the otherworld dining hall and enjoyed the rest of the days.

 

And then, she was relaxing a little.

[…This food, is it good…?]

Aletta reached out to it.

A large metal box depicting the sky with clouds and rainbows, with a picture of a white-winged puppy demon in the background.

Aletta gently opened the lid.

Stuffed inside were otherworld biscuits called “cookies”.

According to the owner, it was a special sweet that was not served at the otherworld dining hall. He said that it did not fit to be served

at a restaurant as it was more appropriate to be sold at a café.

[What shall I do…?]

Aletta was fascinated with the brown cookies.

The owner said that “the cookies at the break room were given as a sample, so you can eat it”.

 

However, while they looked delicious, Aletta did not have the courage to eat all of the baked sweets alone.

 

She decided to eat up to five pieces just like the number of her fingers on one hand.

 

[Okay… I’ll eat it.]

After hesitating for a while, Aletta took 5 cookies.

 

One with a white cream made of b.u.t.ter and sugar was sandwiched between the two pieces of dough that was also made with plenty b.u.t.ter.

 

Another one was big with roughly crushed nuts called almond and a spice named cinnamon mixed with the dough.

 

 

The third had the same colour as cocoa, which was made with something the owner called chocolate, and pieces of dried fruit called banana, which could be found in strange countries that were summer all year long, could also be seen in the mix.

 

 

The fourth was beautiful as it had jam made of red berries boiled in sugar water on the middle.

 

And the last was crispy and brittle with the flavor of tea leaves and b.u.t.ter.

 

 

Among 15 different kinds, she carefully selected 5 and gently pulled them from the container.

The cookies were big enough for several bites and she rolled and tasted them inside her mouth.

(…These sweets taste much better than fruits!)

Aletta was obviously pleased with the taste of sweet cookies spreading in her mouth.

 

While she was eating the cookies, she remembered Hilda the demon mercenary said that “Sweets are much more high-cla.s.s compared to seasonal fruits in the market”.

 

Gnawing the cream sandwich cookie, the sweet flavour of b.u.t.ter and cream spread in her mouth.

 

The cookie with nuts called almonds was fragrant with distinctive nutty flavor.

 

The dark brown cookie with cocoa mixed in had slightly bitter dough. It complimented the sweet taste of chocolate chips and bananas.

 

The cookie with red jam was slightly chewy and looked beautiful. Its sweetness and texture complimented each other.

 

The cookie with tea flavor broke apart easily in her mouth leaving the scent of tea and flavor of b.u.t.ter inside her mouth.

 

While eating the cookies, Aletta realized that the “sweets” she had never eaten before were very delicious.

Fruits certainly couldn’t be compared with them.

That was why Aletta enjoyed her cookies slowly.

It was blissful that she could eat three meals while working at the otherworld dining hall.

At that time, her cheeks loosened and she felt an incomparable happiness.

 

But it soon ended.

 

Even though she ate carefully little by little, she decided to only eat 5 cookies.

In a blink of eye, she finished all of her cookies.

[I ate all of them already…]

After that, she sipped her cocoa while observing the metal box.

Inside this large box… there’re plenty of cookies left.

There were still 5 other types that Aletta wanted to try.

[…Not good!]

There were still a lot left; surely she could take more… Aletta shook her head.

Once she gave in, she would surely eat all the cookies.

Until she filled her tummy.

Even though the owner gave her permission, it was still awkward.

That’s why she needed to be patient.

[…Haa. Let’s get back to work.]

The long needle of the clock was nearly pointing to the top so she shook off the crumbles from her clothes.

There was still a little time left, but she couldn’t afford to be absent while thinking of the owner that was doing all the cooking and serving.

[Excuse me. Aletta, the break’s over. Oh, it’s okay to be slower, but well, take this thing to the usual young lady.]

[Okay!]

Taking the fruit parfait from the owner, Aletta replied to the owner.

 

7 hours later, the sales of otherworld dining hall ended without delay.

 

[Ano, I finished changing my clothes.]

After finis.h.i.+ng her work and taking a shower, Aletta switched her uniform to her washed clothes and reported to the owner.

[Oh, another tiring day. Here, your salary… and a bonus.]

After confirming that she was finished, the owner gave Aletta a brown envelope… and another bag made of thick sky blue paper.

[Ano… what is this?]

Taking the bag, Aletta felt puzzled.

The sky blue coloured bag with words of otherworld and a picture of winged puppy was quite heavy.

She was curious of the content.

[Aa, is there no such custom at the otherworld?]

The owner noticed Aletta’s curiosity.

While there were concepts of years and months at the otherworld, for the concept of weeks… there was no such custom of naming the days of a week.

The owner explained one more thing.

[Aletta, you said it during the morning. That you found a good job at the otherworld.]

[E? Hai, that’s correct…]

Certainly, she said such a thing that morning.

The owner nodded to the confused Aletta.

[You know, that’s a good thing so I’m giving you this as a gift. Not every time though. So don’t hesitate to take it. I’m sorry for such a makes.h.i.+ft gift.]

[Ah, hai. Thank you very much… eh this!?]

Aletta peered inside the bag given to her and raised a surprised voice.

 

What was inside was something Aletta wanted.

 

The owner laughed at Aletta’s reaction.

[It seemed that you were quite shy while eating it at the break room. Cookies, you don’t dislike them right?]

He had hired Aletta for a month and in that time, he had gotten to know her.

For example, he knew that Aletta liked to eat cookies little by little every break time.

It was a humility trait that he wanted his other weekday staffs that could finish the biggest can of cookies in three days to emulate.

[Ha, hai. But, isn’t this pretty expensive?]

The paper bag was familiar as it had the same winged puppy picture on it like the one on the metal box of cookies.

It was smaller than the one at the break room, but from the weight, there must be a considerable amount of “cookies” inside.

[A… well, it’s certainly expensive. But it’s a gift.]

The owner nodded to Aletta’s question.

According to his childhood friend who made those, the a.s.sortment of cookies was sold at department stores and wedding venues ever since the previous generation of the Flying Puppy.

 

—This was because the cookies could not be ma.s.s produced. Their taste was worth the price though.

 

It was the valve to say.

[Such a thing… are you sure I can take it?]

Not only did the owner pay her 10 silver coins, he also gave her such a luxurious item.

She could attest to the taste.

Feeling that, she trembled a little.

[Aa, of course. You could buy it if you like, but this one is a gift from me. Don’t be afraid to eat it. You’re the only staff on Sat.u.r.days, so don’t be shy.]

The owner strongly answered her.

In the past month, Aletta worked diligently.

Although he understood that she was unfamiliar with servicing customers, she had the “strength” to do so.

According from what he managed to gleam from her, she was living in poverty at the otherworld. This was something nice that he could give.

From his heart, the owner wanted to give the cookies to her.

[That, thank you very much. This is important… I’ll enjoy it.]

Aletta thanked the owner.

[Oh, no need to be shy. The cookies can last for 3 months if you haven’t open the box, but after opening it, make sure to finish it within half a month. A, the silica gel at the bottom… you can’t eat the transparent grains, so be careful.]

The owner answered with a wry smile.

Thus Aletta obtained “different world cookies”.

…Without knowing that it would trigger a new encounter.

 

In front of a house at the corner of the Capital was a small, splendidly constructed horse-drawn carriage.

[We have arrived, my lady.]

The butler who was in charge said to the lady sitting inside the carriage.

[Indeed. Thank you. I’ll be back after a while, come back and pick me up then.]

The young lady ordered the butler.

[Yes, as you wish, my lady.]

When she came to this house… to see her family, the butler who served the Gold family accompanied her and was accustomed to this. The young lady stepped off the carriage and it went away.

[Well… nee-san, I hope you’re doing fine.]

As soon as she stepped of the carriage and patted her dress, she faced the house in front of her.

It was one of her family’s houses at the Capital where her elder sister lived after she said to her parents that she wanted to live on her own.

Her older sister that was afflicted with a troublesome “fever”… that was Sarah.

 

The “fever” that affected Sarah who was five years older than s.h.i.+a… was the disease her family called “The Curse of William”.

That curse of William… was the longing for adventure.

For the four generations ever since the first generation of Gold family, some people in each generations were afflicted with this troublesome fever and became treasure hunters and adventurers.

Rather than living a peaceful life in the Kingdom, they prefer exploring ancient ruins and monsters’ nests alone or with dubious people…

Eventually, they would most certainly lose their life.

Such a terrible disease.

 

Of course, it would be necessary for them if it was Richard who was the second generation of William and his son, and as they were not yet rich.

The main income of the Gold family at that time was valuable magical items that they found and sold.

 

But times had changed.

 

The adventurers and treasure hunters at the Capital now came to the company that the Gold family founded to do business for magical items as they were known to be trusted for a long time and would not deceive them.

 

The company bought the items by making full use of appraisal techniques that were honed over the years of experience, and sold them to knights, mercenaries and top adventurers.

Or contracting magicians to make simple magic goods to sell to adventurers and n.o.bilities.

 

The Gold Company was now able to make more than enough money.

There’s no need for the family members to bother to go searching for treasures at dangerous ruins by themselves.

 

Treasure hunting was a dangerous occupation.

Only the first generation William and his son Richard were able to retire safely after a successful treasure hunting career.

…Ironically, in a sense, that all but two of them who went out for adventuring were killed accidents and monsters.

 

For s.h.i.+a, William’s curse was not something she would be concerned of.

Her uncle who was her mother’s brother was eaten by a monster before she and Sarah were born.

An older cousin went to the ruins and his dead body had never been found.

And now Sarah became a treasure hunter after throwing away a life without inconvenience. There was no way she would be delighted.

 

In such circ.u.mstances, she went to check on her sister whenever she was back at the Capital to see whether she was fine or not.

[Eto, sorry, Sarah is currently out.]

…There were days like this.

 

It was a girl that she had never seen before that responded to her.

[Eto… You are s.h.i.+a, right? Nice to meet you. My name is Aletta. Sarah employed me as a housekeeper.]

It seemed that she managed to identify s.h.i.+a as she resembled a young Sarah.

That girl… Aletta introduced herself politely.

What she was wearing was not the servant’s uniform of the Gold family, but her own personal clothes. It was worn out, but not dirty.

Seeing the black horns growing from her temple, there was no doubt that she was a demon kin that was more common as adventurers, mercenaries and treasure hunters.

That Aletta was surprised by the visit of her employer’s family.

[…Anyway, can I wait inside?]

[A, hai! Please do!]

Seeing as Aletta consented, s.h.i.+a went inside the house.

Inside a humble drawing room, she sat down on a chair with soft cus.h.i.+ons and waited for Sarah.

[A, I brought you tea!]

Aletta who looked withdrawn as she was not familiar with s.h.i.+a said so.

[…I wonder why nee-san hired a girl of demon kin.]

Observing Aletta, s.h.i.+a wondered inside her heart.

 

It was  the “norm” not to hire a demon servant.

Being a daughter of Gold family who bought and sold magical items with adventurers, she was not afraid of demons, but even so.

Many demons that lived a terrible life often had bad habits and rough behaviors.

If they were mercenaries, adventurers or magicians who had money then it’s not so bad, but Aletta’s fighting capabilities seemed to be poor.

 

The phrase “poverty is the root of evil” was well-known at s.h.i.+a’s world.

 

[I wonder why nee-san hired her.]

She muttered to herself and arranged her thoughts.

Her sister who was afflicted with the curse of William left their home three years ago.

While the blood relation was far, she had talent, as such in three years she managed to change from a naïve young girl to a full-fledged treasure hunter.

And Sarah’s eyes that could discern a person had become even more polished compared to when she was just a daughter of a merchant family.

If her sister would vouch for her, it seemed that Aletta was worthy of credit.

…The question was how she would know it.

 

[Sorry I made you wait.]

While thinking such, Aletta came back.

A cup of tea was placed on a tray that she carried and…

[…Is that baked confectioneries?]

She looked at the baked dessert placed on a coa.r.s.e wooden dish and tilted her head.

 

Baked confectioneries were unusual for her sister who lived a simple life with only her own earnings.

It was the first time that anything other than tea was served at this house when she came to visit.

[Yes. They’re cookies; I say that they’re kind of special.]

For the last five days she had been eating these “special” sweets whenever she wanted, and Aletta decided to serve the last five cookies to the guest while pasting a “service smile”.

[Here you are. The tea is hack tea1.]

She put the tray of cookies and hot tea with refres.h.i.+ng flavor on the table.

Her behavior was the way the owner taught her at the restaurant.

[Yes, thank you.]

Honestly, there was no honey or sugar. Hack tea had a strong flavor so she disliked it, but it would be rude to not drink it.

As a daughter of a merchant family, s.h.i.+a was raised to be polite so as to not make enemies, so she sipped the tea.

The flavor that hit her tongue was what she expected, a little spicy.

(I do not dislike the flavor by itself…)

The tea had a faint sweetness so she did not dislike it.

While thinking so, she looked at the baked sweets.

(…She said that they’re confectionaries, I wonder if they taste sweet.)

It seemed to be made of wheat, with tan and dark brown colours.

There were only five of them.

(Each of them seemed to be different… pretty fancy.)

s.h.i.+a tasted the baked sweets called “cookies”.

 

The first one was shaped like a leaf with white sugar on the surface.

 

The second was thin and pale yellow with something dark brown sandwiched in between.

 

Third was vivid orange at the center.

 

Fourth contained raisins and was shaped like a dog with wings. 2

 

And the last had a black and white check pattern.

 

They were more brilliant and beautiful than any ordinary baked confectioneries.

If they taste amazing, it would befit to be served to n.o.bles.

(So, the taste is…)

She had high expectations for the beautiful sweets and took the leaf-shaped one.

Then she carried it to her mouth that still had the lingering taste of the tea.

 

(E!?)

 

Her eyes became wide open due to astonishment.

It was not as sweet as she thought; it contained the savory flavor of b.u.t.ter along with sweetness of baked wheat.

To be honest, the desserts served to n.o.bles were sweeter.

But, s.h.i.+a a.s.serted in her mind.

(…This is incredible.)

She was surprised by its texture.

The thin sugar surface was crispy while the cookie itself was chewy. The cookie crumbled in her mouth with no resistance.

Mixing with the crushed sugar was the flavor of b.u.t.ter and wheat.

She then drank the hack tea and pondered.

(…Is that all of it?)

She then gazed at the rest of the cookies.

Only 4 cookies left.

…Did all of them taste the same as the first one?

She then took another one.

(Is this really baked? The colour is very pale, but… what is this dark brown layer?)

The next one was yellow with dark brown sandwiched in between.

Honestly, she could not imagine the flavor of the dark brown part.

Feeling a mix of anxiety and expectation, she bit it and was surprised by the taste.

(What’s this!? The outer part and inner layer fit perfectly!)

Yes, the yellow cookie was crispy and brittle with strong but sweet flavor of b.u.t.ter and milk, but the dark brown part was sweet and bitter.

The two confections which could become a leading role even by itself complimented each other.

(Thi, this one… it’s also wonderful!)

She looked at the rest with excitement… impatient to taste them.

 

(Just as I thought!)

 

Her premonition was not wrong.

 

The one with orange center was Michele3 boiled in sugar water.

By doing so, a fresh, sweet and sour flavor was made.

Furthermore, by including the zest, its scent became even more p.r.o.nounced.

 

Raisins were mixed in a well-made winged puppy shaped cookie

It’s not just raisins; it’s also mixed with plenty of strong liquor with rich scent.

The sweet raisins contained peculiar sweetness similar to alcohol.

It harmonized well with the cookie and became a wonderful taste.

 

And last, the confectionary with black and white checker pattern.

This one also showed a good workmans.h.i.+p.

Unlike other sweets, there’s no decoration.

The dough was chewier and the black part had a distinctive sweet and bitter taste.

 

After she finished the cookies, she resumed to drink her tea.

The hack tea no longer had the distinct sweet spiciness.

It was refres.h.i.+ng in her mouth after eating the sweet confectionaries.

[It was delicious…]

She muttered at the end.

Even if it’s wrong, they were not normal desserts.

They had wonderful sweetness that was even better than “high cla.s.s sweets” which, despite their extravagant appearances, merely increased the amount of sugar used.

[You, this, where did you get it!? Or did nee-san buy it!?]

Unexpectedly, s.h.i.+a asked Aletta.

The cookies were not something a normal person could get, let alone a demon kin.

She could only think that they’re made by a skilled chef, more than the elite chefs of Alfade firm who handled all kind of ingredients and boasted skills similar to the imperial chefs.

[E!? That…]

Aletta did not elaborate.

s.h.i.+a did not know the otherworld dining hall, and Sarah told Aletta to keep the otherworld dining hall as a secret.

It was difficult for her to answer.

[…You do not want to say it. I understand.]

s.h.i.+a understood that there was a circ.u.mstance that prevented Aletta to say it.

There was no doubt that a fuss would be raised if people knew such confectionary.

 

If the place of the shop was known, the aristocrats and rich people who loved sweets would crowd the shop.

 

A merchant would be happy, but some craftsmen hate such customers.

If the cookies were the work of a craftsman, Aletta’s reaction was not out of norm.

[Well, I change my question… can I get them again?]

She asked Aletta again.

[E, etto… maybe. But I think it’s extremely expensive. A lot of cookies were packed inside a beautiful metal box.]

Aletta said as her hand showed an estimate of the size of the box.

At that time, the owner said that “if you like it, you can buy it”, so she concluded that the cookies could be bought.

However, he also said that “it’s pretty expensive”.

If it’s “pretty expensive” by the owner’s standard, then to Aletta’s standard it would be “extremely expensive”.

[Is that so? Just show me the box.]

s.h.i.+a was interested by Aletta’s words and ordered her.

[Yes, please wait a moment.]

Aletta nodded, retreated to the back, and came back with the box.

A sky blue, metal box.

[Here… the cookies I gave you were the last ones…]

She blushed and put down the box in front of s.h.i.+a.

[Indeed… this would certainly be expensive.]

s.h.i.+a opened the box and felt a bit disappointed that it was empty. She then quickly calculated the amount of cookies that could be contained inside and sighed at the result.

 

Originally, sweets were expensive.

The five “high quality sweets” that she was served could amount to two silver coins.

Although the amount of sugar used was restrained, they were made with wonderful technology and ingenuity, and the quality of the ingredients used were all first-cla.s.s.

It was not strange if the value was 2 to 3 times the norm.

Especially as they were sold in a beautiful metal box like that.

[…Yos.h.i.+.]

Digesting the information given, s.h.i.+a decided.

She casually took out her wallet and retrieved one coin.

[When you can, can you get the same cookies with this?]

She then gently gave it to Aletta.

[E!? But, but this is a gold coin…]

Holding the gold coin, Aletta exclaimed in surprise.

Gold coin.

It was only recently that she saw it for the first time.

One of the regulars of the otherworld dining hall who happened to be a magical being that always bought a huge pot full of soup always gave it to the owner as payment.

It’s worth a ridiculous amount, especially since two plates of the soup were worth of one piece of silver coin.

[That’s right. That’s my bill for the month, so don’t lose it. Though I don’t think it would sum up to 1 gold coin… In my view, it would cost around 40 to 50 silver coins per box. So, I will hand it over to you. One gold coin is 100 silver coins. I’ll get the change later, but I will give you a reward, so be relieved.]

She instantly decided at that moment.

Just like that, she was the same as her sister.

Even though Aletta was a demon, she was a servant that her sister trusted.

She would not mistrust her.

[I understand…]

Aletta unexpectedly accepted the gold coin and nodded.

[Really, I’m begging you.]

s.h.i.+a stared straight at Aletta and said.

[Ara, if it isn’t s.h.i.+a. What’s wrong? Holding the hand of my servant.]

At that time, Sarah who was her original purpose, came into the room.

It was such a shock.

 

At a later date, she was further shocked by the amount and types of cookies that could be bought by the money.

 

There was no impossibility.

 

Aletta got 10 pieces of silver coins.

Two pieces of the silver coins were of larger size.

In that otherworld, it was sold at a price that Aletta could afford.

 

Thus, a new fan of Flying Puppy that could be said as a part of otherworld dining hall was born.

…Even though the person who made it did not know.

Hack tea – I don’t know what kind of tea this is. Tried searching and found nothing. I doubt there’s any raisin cookies that has a winged dog shape so I just put a picture of a normal raisin cookie. Michele – Orange