Posting this from my workplace  xP
No I’m not slacking off okay? Totally not….. *cough*

Episode 23:  The other world’s restaurant has the smell of a hornworm

My body became weary after carrying the drunk Sh.e.l.lo-san, who was still not awake to bed. It’s almost time to eat. I would like to go to sleep too as soon as we are done with our dinner.

“Please, I beg of you.” I left Sh.e.l.lo-san who was noisily sleep talking there alone and went to the dining room to have dinner.

The line-ups are Rebecca-san, Diana, Marina and I.

We had asked them to prepare the number of seats for us in advance. It might be because there are a lot of meat in the dishes served here. I’m really glad since I’m a meat lover.

The dining room is located on the first floor of the inn. It seems to be operating as a restaurant as well. It’s a floor built using an abundance of beautiful native trees as well as a wall with light pea green plaster. As for the lighting, there are candlestick lamps fixed to the wall beside each table. It is quite dark but once your eyes get accustomed to it, it wasn’t that bad.

Should I say that this actually feels quite extraordinary? Or rather this feels like a non-daily life of the people in the other world.

We were guided by the waiter.

For some reason the all other customers were looking at us. Putting aside myself who was just wearing a plain dark blue clothing with a plain looking face, the tall beauty Rebecca-san, Marina who was from the Turk tribe and Diana the high elf with tattoo on her body would definitely draw a huge attention. It’s at the level whereby it’s impossible not to stand out……

When Rebecca-san and I were guided to our seats, Marina slowly crouched down and sat on the floor while grasping her knees. When I looked at Diana, she could be seen sitting in a similar way too.

Hold it…., what the h.e.l.l are you guys doing?

“W-why is princess sitting on the floor too? Please do not make a mockery of slaves….”  [Marina]

“Marina, please do not misunderstand it. I’m also goshujin-sama’s slave.”  [Diana]

Ah so it’s like that. I guess the slaves’ position are lower than even servants here. They probably aren’t allowed to eat together with their master.
Is this also a common sense? I wonder who was the one who have actually taught them this. Did the master of the slave trading house brief all the slaves about this through a seminar? Something like 「The complete 4 courses of the right thing to do for slaves」. It’s surreal.

“Eh? Eh? Despite being a princess you’re also a slave?”  [Marina]

That’s right. In short she’s a slave princess. On hearing just that single word, all my dream phrases seemed to have overflowed. A high elf slave princess.

I hope Marina will get used to being a dark elf slave knight soon too!

“Look closely here Marina. Isn’t the slave mark properly engraved here?”  [Diana]

“Ah it’s true……B-But I have heard that e-elves are e-e-extremely expensive. Is my liege possibly someone who is really r-rich? And yet, why did you p-purchase someone like Marina?”  [Marina]

You’re stuttering too much Marina. Try calming yourself there!

The slave mark that Diana was talking about was something like 『The proof of slave』 that was engraved onto the wrist. In the case of Diana, the slave mark was covered up by her original tattoo so it wasn’t really obvious. It’s not impossible for Marina to be surprised.

“Marina……This is one of your technique in making goshujin-sama say 『Because she’s cute』…..isn’t it?”  [Diana]

“M-Marina doesn’t particularly have that intention at all…..But, what I couldn’t really understand was, why me……”  [Marina]

“No, Marina must be just pretending to be pure and innocent but in reality you’re a lewd female slave pig. Th-this useless swelling chest of yours is the evidence. This! This! This! This!”  [Diana]
(TL: Did she suddenly turn S from an M?)

“Wahiyaaa~! P-Please stop that princesssss…….”  [Marina]

Hey! Hey! Why are you rubbing her chest before the master himself.
Are those two getting along? Both of them seemed to be arguing as they sat side by side. It was interesting to watch but I’m getting hungry!

“Hey, putting aside all the jokes, could you guys quickly get back to your seats here! Marina aside, isn’t Diana overdoing it with your practical joke?”  [Ayase]

“……I wasn’t really joking though. ….It was only a little. Goshujin-sama’s always sticking up for Marina. It’s unfair. W-Why did I become goshujin-sama’s slave…….”  [Diana]

“Isn’t it because of your guidance?”  [Ayase]

“Muu~! I don’t know!”  [Diana]

*Pui!*

Pui!? Not! Whatever but could you guys quickly get back to your seats. The waiter has been waiting there to take our order since a while ago.

“Jirou. It won’t be good unless you give your instructions properly to your slaves—. I wouldn’t say that they might grow impudent if you go lenient on them but you should properly make a clear distinction here too.”  [Rebecca]

“So it’s like this…..Diana, Marina, don’t just sit there. Return to your seats now.”  [Ayase]

As soon as I said so, Diana snubbed me before sitting down almost immediately. Marina was still hesitant to sit as she kept glancing at me. She finally sat down only after I said 「Enough with that and just sit down」.

……Why must I be ingrained with a servile character just for this? Are they first grader slaves? Eh? Is this how Middle Ages is?
……No matter how you look at it, isn’t this way of speaking inappropriate to be used in the Middle Ages?

Even though this place also serves as a restaurant for the time being, the menu has a wider variety than the stalls outside. Since I couldn’t read the letters, Rebecca-san has to explain it to me one by one……there are a lot of meat dishes in the menu just as I have expected. There must be a lot of meat lovers here. If I were to bring a tool a.s.sociated with meat here, it might be able to sell well. I wasn’t able to figure out any particular item yet but there should be something that I might be able to think of.

“Can Diana and Marina read the letters? All the orders here will be charged on Jephthah-san anyway so you can order whatever you like.”  [Ayase]

“Aa, my liege….It’s actually Marina’s first time at an amazing place like this so I’m not sure of what to order……”  [Marina]

“Then I’ll help Marina to select something. This 『Original Deep-fried Hunter-Style Witchetty with sauce』 sounds good.”  [Diana]

Rebecca-san did explain it a while ago but Witchetty is actually a huge hornworm….. I wasn’t sure if it’s really considered as one of a feast among the elves in the forest dwellings or she was just suggesting it as a prank.
(TL: For those who don’t know what a Witchetty is – here