Chapter 277: Culinary Recruitment.

Chapter 277: Culinary Recruitment.

Y-You want to hire me?!

Flabbergasted and astonished. Those were the only emotions you could see on the faces of the young katzune woman and the middle-aged human man sitting across from me. Not only did I already surprise them by coming back to their eatery, but by suddenly asking them to talk, I scared them.

Sadly for them, there was no stopping this train. Choo-choo, I was out to recruit people for the restaurant.

Yes, that is correct, I confirmed Haatis, the katzunes, question. I dont know if you know about the street eatery we operate

Yes, I do! I just went there with my friends to eat the noodle dish five days ago. Uhm, what was the name again? Haati scrambled her brain as she interrupted me, trying to remember the name of one of the new dishes.

Spaghetti Bolognese. Thankfully, coming to her rescue was Tamae, whom I brought with me since these recruitments concerned her the most.

Yes, thats exactly

Haati! But before Haati could speak, the person next to her shouted at her her boss. I dont know if you forgot about this, but you are sitting before a princess and champion of the Goddess. Could you, please, act properly?

I could see the mans wrinkles growing with how Haati was speaking to me. With how she interrupted me. If I were any normal aristocrat, being so rude could come back to bite Haatis tail, and I guess her boss was trying to remind her of that. He didnt know I was nowhere close to being an ordinary princess.

Oh, its fine. There is no need to worry, Mister Braym, I told the agitated eatery owner. I dont really care about etiquette in general, and this isnt exactly formal. I mean, Im trying to poach one of your employees right in front of you. If you ask me, Im being infinitely ruder.

Of course, that alone wasnt exactly enough to calm down a common citizen since they were taught in Artorias to stay away from nobles. One mistake with a less amicable noble and you could lose your head just like that. And since the aristocracy controls the laws, nobles can get away with things pretty easily if they have friends.

As such, it took a while for Braym to come around to the idea I wasn't like the nobles he was taught to avoid. Princess or not, Im just Hestia at the end of the day. I wasnt a fan of abusing my power.

After I managed to calm everyone down, Braym and Haati asked me to explain the situation better. They were confused about why I suddenly wanted to talk to them and why I brought up hiring Haati. She was, according to them, just a normal single woman, trying to make due with her situation. She didnt have any special skills, in other words.

Well, since you already know about the eatery we serve, this is not only the chef but also the main proprietress of the eatery. Technically, its part of our adventurer company, but small stuff, really. I patted Tamae on her shoulder. And, we are soon planning on turning the eatery into a restaurant.

Restaurant? Braym looked confused at this English word. The word restaurant didnt exist in this world yet, as eatery was the general term used for anywhere you could go to get food. Street eatery, instead of food cart, and so on.

Tamae nodded. Yes. A restaurant is similar to an eatery as it serves food to customers, but the difference between the two is that restaurants are more formal. The main demographics will be nobles and wealthy commoners. Thats how it worked where we came from.

Came from? Oh, do you mean Loatryx? Kargryx? I think you mentioned your country the first time we met. Haati twitched a bit when she mentioned first time, probably since it was when she was still a slave. The slave mark on her might be gone, but I could only imagine that the pain from the her bothers' deaths and her time as a slave was still there.

I see. On the other hand, Braym didnt show any reaction. I wondered if Haati had told her new boss anything about her past. But, the gal doesnt exactly have the manners or know-how on how to deal with nobles, though. Isnt hiring her for that job a bit too much?

Oh no, dont worry, Tamae replied. I already have the staff for the restaurant ready and trained. However, for the street eatery Ive been holding for a while now, Ive recently lost my helpers for it. Although the restaurant will bring in more profit, I presume, I still wish to keep serving food to the lower city or any other commoner on our travels. As such, I need new employees willing to work with me on the eatery.

Travels? The two of them asked.

To them, the restaurant hasnt been going anywhere despite Tamae and The Magical Biscuit members teleporting from Griffonpeak to Ullistar and then to Gleisvale. Since I didnt tell them goodbye, they didnt know we had been away from Griffonpeak for three weeks now.

Then I cant! Haati rejected our offer. When I asked her for her reasons, it became clear that we had a misunderstanding. Well, since my brothers died, Im the only child left that my parents have. They were one of the people who got injured during the attack, but, thankfully, High Bishop Theodore granted them the white grace without a fee. May the Goddess bless his kind soul. Still, while they can work again, I think age is catching on and theyve been feeling more fatigued than usual. I cant leave the city, since I need to help with the household money.

Quite a lot of people were either hurt or even killed during the demonkins invasion of the city. Griffonpeak seemed to have recovered quite a bit, and even the hole connecting Griffonpeak to Shaturein was closed up. However, it seemed the effects it had on people hasnt ended yet.

Oh yeah, that attack. Ive lost my two previous waitresses cuz of it. Good gals. Also quite a bunch of my regulars got hurt, but, thank the Goddess, they still got their lives. Better results than a bunch of other people, really. Braym let out a deep sigh, scratching his throat while his eyes looked around. He stopped once his eyes returned to us.

Yes, Haati nodded. That is why I must decline, Lady Hestia. I cant leave my parents alone, right now.

Hmm, I see. Parents come first, I can understand that. However, I think youre misunderstanding us a bit, Haati. You would be traveling, but you could easily still live inside Griffonpeak, if that's what you want. Haati tilted her head as I brought that revelation to her, causing me to smile. Magic is pretty extraordinary, dont you two think? Well, I wont bore you two with the finer details of the spell, but let me just say that we can serve food to people from any country at the same time, even if the restaurant is here in Griffonpeak.

??? Now even Braym was tilting his head and was looking at me as if he understood not even a word Id said.

Explaining this concept to people has been pretty easy when I did it to other mages. If they had an inkling of knowledge on space-time magic, they would be able to grasp the concept somewhat. But this time, if I suddenly explained the finer details on the [Room] runes to them, I probably wont get through to them. Seeing was better.

However, I couldnt just bring out my [Room] runes now. It was just the evening after I brought up hiring new people to Tamae, and after I brought up that idea, we went straight to Griffonpeak. Brayms eatery was gonna go into the night, so it was still pretty full. His wife and children were currently managing the front while we talked about Haatis hiring in the back.

Showing them the nexus would be the best way to explain it, but I couldnt do it here, where there was the danger of somebody I couldnt trust seeing the runes. Im okay with people knowing I could teleport, but not with how I could do it. The method had to stay a secret. After the invasion, I really had to be more careful.

I know its confusing, but thats how Im here right now. Just for your information, I left the capital three weeks ago to go to Ullistar to perform one of my concerts. Currently, I was in Ullistar, working on some stuff there. The restaurant we were opening? Well, it will serve not only Artorian nobility and merchants, but also invite the merchants of Gleisvale.

?????

Well, I kinda expected that reaction.

Uhm, okay I wont say I understood anything you just said, Lady Hestia. What is teleportation anyways? Haati seemed like she lost all hope in what I said. However, the summary of what you meant to say is that I can work for your restaurant, but I didnt have to leave the city?

Correct. I nodded. She was smart enough to understand the gist of it. You have two options you can either stay in our quarters or you may stay at House Helvass mansion as one of our employees. Dont worry, the latter option is alright since I have a strong relationship with them. They will treat you pretty well.

I cant stay with my parents?

You could, but I wouldnt advise it. You see, the whole teleportation method requires you to enter through a specific entry point, and the only ones, outside of myself, who have one are Arcanuess Helvas and another person I cannot disclose. Thats why I recommend you staying in House Helvass mansion, since you dont have to go from and out of the noble district all the time.

The other person was King Drangleic, but there was no need to reveal that.

Haati, still taken aback, didnt answer immediately. I guess it would be hard to make such a decision like now, and I didnt know how much we would pay her since I had no idea about it. Tamae, also, wasnt versed in how to pay people since she only had a surface-level idea about the money of this world. She could use it and she had an idea of what was worth how much, but she didn't know enough about how much eateries paid people.

However, that was why we brought somebody with us who knew about the whole money thing.

If its your wage, we can discuss it right away. It wasnt Saori or Ellaine who spoke for us, it was Yorshka. Your primary employer will be Hestia, but you will work under Tamae as she will be the proprietress for the eatery. As such, you will be receiving money appropriate for the person you are serving. In this case, the youngest princess of the Dragon Empire, Kargryx. We arent here to scam you, and are willing to compensate you for your work.

Even if Yorshka acted lax sometimes, she was still an adult.

No, thats not it. I didnt think Lady Hestia was here to trick me at all. Waving her hands in a fluster, Haati cleared up the situation for us. No, the reason why Im not sure what to answer is because I still owe Braym for allowing me to work here. I dont want to suddenly leave him just cause a better option is available.

That was understandable. Loyalty was good. It reinforced my wish to hire her even more.

Still, this will be tricky. I have to persuade her somehow, so it might be best to

However, before I could say anything, Braym made his move first.

Haati, I think you should accept the job.

Huh, Braym?! Haatis eyes widened while I raised a brow at this development. W-Wait, hold on! D-Did I do something that you didnt like. I didnt break anything, nor did I give a wrong order to any of the customers ever since my first day working! W-Why are you trying to get rid of me?!

L-Lass?! Haati! Stop shaking me! Ark! Your claws!

Haati suddenly shot up from her seat and grabbed Brayms shoulders, shaking him wildly as she frantically bombarded him with questions. Yorshka went to help Braym out by pulling Haati back onto her seat, but she reacted too late as the katzune's claws protracted and bit into him slightly.

I healed him with [Major Heal], but I dont think you could hide the holes or bits of blood on his shirt. Looking over at Haati, she was breathing heavily and clutched her chest as if she was having a heart attack. Her eyes were wide like a scared cat and her shivering hands caused her claws to scratch herself.

Cant believe this happened again Barym said after we finally managed to calm Haati down. Confused at his comment, I prodded him to elaborate on it. Well Lady Hestia. Uhm the thing is that this happened once before when she first began working here. She suddenly had a panic attack when she brought the wrong dish to a customer, dropped it and began scratching herself on her chest. My sons managed to calm her down, though.

Oh? Is that a challenge? Farrons hand began stroking Yorshkas chin, causing her to smile and bite her lips. Ill show you how much this husband of yours hasnt changed when we last met a week ago. Lets see if your tail can keep up, my love. Then, Ill crush you one-on-one.

Priscilla and I couldnt help but cringe as they looked at each other lovey-dovey.

So thats why Dame Yorshka was so late that other time.

Before they could make-out and do some pretty PG18 stuff, I left two [Room] runes on Farrons desk before leaving his office with Tamae and Priscilla. We could leave Yorshka alone for now.

Uhm, well, I think it will work out in the end, so when do I start? Priscilla stated to our satisfaction. The guilds kitchen already was full enough, so losing Priscilla really wouldnt hurt them.

After informing Priscilla that we will start tomorrow, early in the morning, Priscilla nodded and told us good night for the day. Good night, Tamae! You too, Grandaunt Hestia!

Urk! I flinched.

Oh right, Yorshka is your niece, right? Tamae remembered. A one year old grandaunt huh? Although, with how age worked with dragons and dragonewts, youre probably Yorshkas great-great-and-so-on grandaunt, anyways.

Life was suffering.

However, while it was soon a good night for Priscilla, our trip wasnt over yet. We still had one more person to recruit, and thankfully, it was somebody also in Firwood.

Hmm, are you sure this is the correct place, Hesti-chan? Tamae asked me.

Probably. Ive only been here once, but if theyre at home right now, we can finish it off our list. Lets just hope.

In a neighborhood bordering the middle and slum district of the town, we found ourselves in front of an apartment. Walking up the dirty stairs, we stopped at a door on the second floor. Knocking on it, I smiled as a familiar voice came from behind it.

Whos there? A young mans voice could be heard.

Well, I dont know if you two can still remember me, but I can remember you two. Ruld? Lorena? Its been a long time!

Y-Yeah, thats our name, but wh Woah, Lorena?!

The door slammed up and a young woman with dark green hair appeared before. Her clothes looked quite patchwork, suggesting it was regularly mended by adding cloth to cover up holes on the dress. Dirt and some soup stock could be seen on her apron. Maybe she was cooking.

But the most surprising sight was the fact her belly wasnt as bloated anymore. It was slim.

Lady Hestia!

Hey, Lor Woah! Without letting me speak, Lorena jumped into my arms and embraced me. Giggling, I reciprocated her gesture. This woman was the first human friend I had in Peolynca. Its good to see you, again.

After she had enough of hugging me, she invited us inside her home, apologizing that this place wasnt suited for a noble like me. She was still the same as we first met, it seemed.

Ruld, also apologized, but mostly cause he couldnt remember my voice. I didnt think bad of him at all, since opening your door when it began getting dark wasnt advised. It was very dangerous to do so.

When Tamae and I sat down, we noticed the two bowls on the table, meaning they were just having dinner. Bad timing on us, but the two didnt take it too badly.

I see you guys are still together. Good for you! I congratulated Lorena and Ruld on their marriage.

And its all thanks to you, Lady Hestia. Honestly, I cannot thank you nor the Goddess for the honor of meeting you, Ruld bowed his head. We did hit some problems up until now, but I think weve been doing well. Our jobs are exhausting, but they're keeping us afloat.

Mhmm, thats great! My eyes then turned to Lorena, specifically, her belly. I see youve changed, Lorena. I guess from the lack of crying, you did choose to give up the baby to the orphanage, right?

However, unexpectedly, getting directly to the point of it seemed to have caused Lorena to frown. She looked grief-struck at the table, clutching her hands.

As I stared in shock at what happened, I turned to Ruld, only to see him have his eyes closed. Something had happened, and I just brought that memory up again.

Before I could ask, Lorena spoke, Maybe it was the Goddesss way of saying that I shouldnt have thought of the baby as such. That not being able to give him enough love meant he shouldn't have lived his life. I didnt want him, but he still deserved to live

And then it became clear.

We Lorena had a miscarriage, Lady Hestia, Ruld answered my fears. The baby might have come from Lorenas rapist, but in the light of the Goddess, the baby should have at least given the chance to live his life out.

Rapist?! Tamae exclaimed, reminding me that I forgot to tell her about it. I calmed her down and told her I would explain it once we left.

Lorena I tried to say something to soothe her, but I couldnt think of anything.

Its alright, Lady Hestia. I was already able to mourn for him. Even if the newborn came from a man I never want to remember ever again, it was still mine. I was still his mother, and I failed to give him the life he deserved. A warning to me that I should love my next child with Ruld, otherwise it might happen again

I should not tell her anything about Hamil.

I was planning on revealing everything I knew about Hamil to Lorena, but at this point, it might just be better to forget it entirely. Just leave it in the past so Lorena could heal from her time. Once again, I regretted my passiveness in the past. I should have killed Hamil for what he did to Lorena!

Seeing the situation at hand, I told Tamae it was better for us to leave and she agreed with me. However, when we stood back up, Lorena stopped us, telling me she hadnt seen me in months and wanted to talk and why I was in the city right now.

As such, I let Tamae tell her about the restaurant and our wish to hire Lorena as a waitress since we needed people we could trust. Lorena, listening to us talk for the entire time, nodded after we were done.

How much does it pay? Lorena asked bluntly.

We were planning on talking about pay tomorrow, when our treasurers talk about it, but you can expect a good price since Im hiring you, Lorena, I answered. The eatery is placed in a type of magic area. You will be visiting the hunters guild and talking to Farron, the guild leader there. He will then transport you to the area. Its better if you see it for yourself, so were planning on showing you it tomorrow. Or, the second option, you could join us and well make accommodations for you in this magical area.

I understand. She nodded before turning to Ruld. Dear, I think this might be a chance for us to get out of this neighborhood and get a new life.

Lorena?!

Think about it. Weve been having some trouble lately with those women starting to believe Im having an affair since I had that miscarriage. Its true but you know it came from that bastard, Lorena pleaded to her husband.

I know I know theyve been harassing you, but I also cant just leave my workshop. They brought me in, and I still owe the Master a great debt. I cant just up-go-and-leave like that.

You dont have to, I interjected. If you dont want to leave Firwood, Ill get you an apartment close to the hunters guilds master. Considering youre working for me, it would be better if you stuck around Farron for your safety, in case, I have any enemies in Firwood. And, dont worry, this magical area allows you to enter it and back to Firwood whenever you want. If you choose the second option, that is.

See? Lorena begged Ruld once again. Please, I just want to leave this area and the memories here We dont need to get out of Firwood, but just a new place to start anew. If I know its for Lady Hestia, I know I can work even harder to get us more money. Ill make sure I will love our children Ruld. I will make sure they will be born!

Of course, if its for your happiness, Ill do it, Lorena.

And that was how we got the last member for Tamaes eatery. Even with three more people, it probably will still be too busy as always, but our gastronome didnt mind it. She relished the challenge to manage two restaurants. Cooking and experimenting with food was her dream in Peolynca.

And, it was also our path to conquer the bellies of Gleisvale. As such, we needed a proper menu for that.

Lets do this, Tamae-chan!

Got it, Hesti-chan.

An idol and chef were about to bring another culinary revolution to this world.