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Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter SS2




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A Certain Restaurant’s Opening Day 

The chatter, and eventual roar, of activity soon thundered through the streets. It was now morning in Maalt, a town on the fringes of the frontiers of the Kingdom of Yaaran. 

It would be difficult to call Maalt a city, as it was nowhere near the relative size. Though, in recent days, many adventurers had flocked to Maalt due to its proximity to various dungeons. If anything, Maalt was a town that did quite well for itself. 

At this specific moment in the morning, a well-observed phenomenon happened: The taverns and eateries of Maalt were filled to the brim. There were, of course, well-established factors as to why this happened at this general hour. Adventurers, having returned from the dungeon the following night and wasted away their earnings later in the evening, now sought to fill their bellies with sustenance. For the otherwise normal townsfolk of Maalt, however, it was simply breakfast time. 

Among the cacophony of voices, a couple, apparently proprietors of one such eatery, were trying to attract the attention of prospective customers, and in turn earn their coin. 

What a common sight in the mornings of Maalt. 

But in this particular busy street, a single building stood out, that of an eatery made of red bricks, with a signboard that read, “The Red Wyvern Pavilion.” 

It was worth noting, however, that there were no other shops of a similar nature near this eatery. In fact, various plaques bearing congratulations and other greetings lined the little path that led up to its steps. It was quite the sight, for a restaurant at least. One would think an eatery that had received this many flowers had its host of patrons—patrons with deep pockets, at that. 

In other words, the cooking here was most likely very good, so much so that the line outside the establishment snaked well into the road. Seeing this brought some degree of peace to my, Rentt Faina’s, heart. 

At the same time, it occurred to me that dining at this establishment on today of all days would be a difficult prospect. In fact, it was rare for me to be out and about at this time of the morning to begin with, since the rays of the sun were not exactly healthy for an undead such as myself. I suppose a god or omnipotent being somewhere had once decreed that creatures like me were only meant to walk in the darkness. 

However— 

“Ah! W-wait! Wait up, Mister! Yes, you, robed sir!” 

The voice became louder, its owner apparently seeing fit to approach me. Turning around, I was greeted with the familiar face of a middle-aged man—I suppose I should say that I was sick of seeing him, but yes—a face that was kind but very much unfit for adventuring. 

“...You mean... Me?” I asked. 

“Ah! I knew it! Boss! Boss Rentt! It is you! You finally came...” 

With that, the man ran toward me, a wide smile on his face. His name was Loris—Loris Cariello. He was a man who used to have something to hide. He was the proprietor and owner of the Red Wyvern Pavilion, and at the same time, a fellow adventurer of mine. To be precise, he was perhaps more of a hindrance than a peer, but it was quite the adventure, so I suppose that was all well and good. 

He did, after all, have a good reason to be beaming. With my help, Loris paid off his debts, a huge burden lifted from his shoulders. Plainly speaking, I had given him half of my proceeds from exploring the dungeon. As a result, he could continue running his store, with the new opening in question perhaps symbolic as a fresh start, a new beginning to his business. 

The results were plain to see; if anything, Loris was doing quite well for himself. He couldn’t afford to repeat the same mistakes, after all, having been nearly out of business in the not-too-distant past. 

We had, of course, sent him flowers to congratulate his reincarnated enterprise, with the pair of flower plaques at his door having been sent from Lorraine and myself respectively. As for the other plaque, though... I wonder who sent it? It was certainly a fancy arrangement of flowers. An admirer of Loris’s cooking, perhaps? 

Unable to contain my curiosity, I posed the question to the still-beaming Loris. 

“Well, Boss... Even I have no idea, see. Still good to have, though! Doesn’t hurt the business!” 


Loris’s observation was indeed inaccurate, as the wallet of the one who had sent him said flowers grew lighter. In Loris’s view, however, what he had said was correct. Even so...I couldn’t help but feel that Loris was too relaxed. This was one of his redeeming qualities, as well as a bad habit. 

“I... See. Well... Then. It seems you are... Doing well. I am happy... For you. I have to... Get going. You should... Get back... To work.” 

As I turned to leave, Loris shook his head at an alarming velocity, grabbing me by the arm. 

“W-wait up, Boss! Wait up! You came all the way here, so that means you wanted to have a meal, yeah? Then please do eat something, Boss! You’re our greatest investor!” Loris said. 

An investor... For all intents and purposes, I had already handed a hefty sum of coin to Loris, and I was sure that I wouldn’t receive profits or dividends. Semantics, I suppose. And yet— 

“...If one such... As myself. Were to dine... At your... Establishment. I would stand out... Too much. Bad for... Business, no?” 

I was, after all, a member of the walking dead. Although I managed to conceal the smell of my perpetually rotting body after detailed discussions with Lorraine, I had to wrap my entire body up in robes and other items. At the very least, I looked highly suspicious. To think that one such as myself would enter a busy eatery. It did not seem like a good idea in any shape or form. 

But Loris had other ideas. 

“What do you mean, Boss? If you don’t come in at least once, how can I keep doing business in good faith? So come on, Boss! This way!” Loris said, pulling me to the front of the line as he did so. 

I suppose Loris’s actions caused the line to assume that I was related to the proprietors somehow, and on that note, I felt no suspicious stares as I was led by Loris through the door. 

Upon entering, I was greeted by yet another familiar face: the warm smile of Loris’s wife, Isabel. 

“Mister Rentt! I see you came. Well then! Please do come this way,” she said, leading me to an empty seat. 

The seat in question, however, was the most central, and arguably best, seat in the entire eatery. I would stand out far too much, so I instead requested a more isolated and quiet corner table. 

It would seem that Loris and Isabel had employed other staff, having two other young girls present in the restaurant, working the tills and whatnot. Although Isabel had wanted them to greet me, I declined, seeing how they were already busy enough with work. 

Shortly after, Isabel took my order, and Loris returned to leading and seating more guests to their tables. The restaurant was already filled to the brim, and I didn’t think they could possibly fit any more people in this establishment. 

With Isabel taking order after order and the girls working the kitchen and till, it did seem like the Pavilion was doing very well for itself. 

After a short wait, my meal was delivered to my table. It only took one bite for me to understand just how good the cooking was here. There was no blood of any kind present in my meal, but I still found myself somewhat satisfied by the experience. 

Thinking back to when I first met Loris in the dungeon, I remembered having many doubts about him, and could hardly predict an outcome like this. All’s well that ends well, I could say. I suppose that was why I did what I did next. 

Being in a reasonably good mood, I summoned one of the girls Isabel had hired, instructing her to handle my bill in a specific way. Paying the appropriate amounts, I left the store silently. If I were to say goodbye to Loris during their busiest time, it would only slow them down. 

Just as I was about to step out of the doors, however... 

“...Eh?! What? The Boss did?! Dear customers...! I am pleased to announce that just now, all your bills have been paid for by a certain benefactor of ours! In fact, this person is the greatest investor in our eatery, and the one who saved my life! Please enjoy your meal at the Red Wyvern Pavilion today!!” 

Loris’s voice rang out from above the din. The price was right, and there were occasionally adventurers who did this sort of thing. Establishments that had patrons like this, in turn, were often seen as good shops that gave back to the community. I suppose this was an adequate, celebratory gift. 

With this, Loris’s eatery was bound to do well, at this point in time and well into the future. 

Those thoughts in mind, I headed back in the direction of Lorraine’s home, making a mental note to visit here again for dinner sometime soon. 



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