“…Alright, let’s go then.”

It was the day after I decided to go to Rikardo.

I was leaving Kiria in order to change my base of activity.

My destination was Rikardo, the city that Tina and Lisa had suggested.

I did some research before leaving, and while there were some strong monsters there, it seemed quite stable. It did not seem likely that a very strong monster would suddenly appear.

It also had delicious food and was in a comfortably warm climate, making it a town that should be very nice to live in.

‘Are there any strong monsters around?’

‘No!’

‘It’s fine!’

I called to the slimes regularly to make sure the area was safe. Then I rode on the Proud Wolf and continued on the road to Rikardo.

The town was quite far, and it would take at least half the day even with the Proud Wolf’s legs.

Still, it seemed shorter when you were talking with the slimes.

◇

…And then a few hours pa.s.sed.

We had stopped to rest in the town of Mariardo, which was on the way.

Rikardo was only about an hour away from here, but as the slimes were hungry, we decided to stop here for a bite to eat.

I was pretty hungry myself, so it was perfect.

‘What do you guys want to eat?”

“Hmmm. Maybe some meat!’

‘Fish!’

“No! I want fruit!’

While the slimes were all in one clump on my shoulder, their will was not united, and so many voices were saying different things.

Huh…what kind of place did I have to go to if I wanted to fulfill all of their demands?

I wondered this as I walked through the town…

‘Ah, that looks good!’

‘It does!’

The slimes suddenly started to shout as they hopped off of my shoulder.

Then they hopped away and into a nearby patch of gra.s.s.

‘Something delicious? Are there fallen fruits or something?”

‘No!’

‘Leaves!’

The slimes were now pointing at…some gra.s.s that had grown on the side of the road.

They had been jabbering about meat and fruits only a moment ago. But now they were joyously eating gra.s.s(that just looked like weeds to me).

I guess the slimes were pets(?) that were quite cheap to keep.

…Now I had no need to find a place for them to eat, so I could just grab something random for myself.

I could eat a real meal in Rikardo, as Tina and Lisa had recommended. But a little snack here wouldn’t hurt.

As I thought this, a delicious smell wafted around me.

After some searching, I was able to find the source of it.

…It was a food stall that sold skewers of barbecue meat.

The slimes looked like they would be eating for some time, and I couldn’t just leave them here.

And so I decided to buy some food at the stall so I could watch over the slimes as I ate.

“I’ll have two of those.”

“Alright. It’ll be ready soon. Just wait right there.”

I made the order and the owner started skewering the meat and cooking it.

But there was meat to the side that was already cooked and looked delicious…

“Why can’t I just have these ones?”

“…I see.”

This place really cared about how their food tasted.

I had heard that Rikardo had especially great food, but perhaps its neighbor, Mariardo, was also particular about their food.

Since I wasn’t in a hurry, I decided to wait.

“Yes, it’s ready now.”

“…It looks delicious.”

It didn’t take more than a minute to cook.

And it did look better than the meat that had been sitting out.

It was definitely worth waiting an extra minute for.

I thought this as I paid and accepted the meat.

In spite of looking so delicious, it was not very expensive.

And then I bit into it.

…Hmm. Delicious.

Just the right amount of fat and sauce.

I think it was the best thing I had eaten in this world yet.

It was true then, that the food in this region was great.

And so my expectations for Rikardo only increased.

…Actually, I almost didn’t mind just staying in this town, the food was that good.

But then again, apparently, this town had few requests and was not really suited for Adventurers. So that wasn’t a real option.

I thought about this as I ate the meat and scanned my surroundings. Then, something curious caught my eye.

It was a corner of a general goods store. A mountain of fur coats lay under a sign that read, ‘Restocked after being sold out! Fur coats to fight the cold!’

But it was quite warm around here.

I only needed a single t-shirt.

So there was no way you would need a fur coat.

…And yet they had sold out. What could this mean?

As I pondered over this, I noticed a girl who seemed to work there was staring at me.

And so I decided that I should just ask her why the coats were selling so well now.