NOVEL NEXT WORLD If you’re talking about treating distinguished guests, this must be what you mean.
Amira truly treated Yona as if she were not just a distinguished guest but a state guest.
The peak of winter had passed, and soon spring seemed to be on its way.
However, even considering the seasonal factors, Kapatia Port was very mild in temperature, probably because it was located to the south.
And in this Kapatia Port, the most coveted and famously expensive inn—an inn that seemed almost too extravagant to be called just that—was on the top floor.
It looked like it was built exclusively for wealthy and high-ranking guests, featuring a very spacious room.
And in that room, only Yona and Amira were present.
“Uh, this is too much…”
“What do you mean— She’s the Saint of Vervaria, who else could I possibly serve if not this esteemed person—!”
Her words elongated oddly.
And in between, a split tongue appeared, hissing like a snake.
Every time those vertically split black pupils turned toward Yona, it was genuinely uncomfortable.
【Looks like my faith has been carried over from that side.】
‘What do you mean?’
【You seem unaware, but there are tales about me still circulating. It appears to have been forgotten among humans… but it seems to be continued from that side.】
With Vervaria’s words, Yona looked at Amira once more.
Well, if she knows Vervaria’s name, there must be something more there.
But the real issue was the beauty with brown skin in front of her.
A lady whose brown skin clearly showcased her well-bred upbringing.
On top of that, her unique eyes with red irises and black pupils only added to her allure.
Although the emperor rotates, since the current emperor is Amira’s father, it stands to reason that Amira is a princess—
Yet here she was, practically glued to Yona’s side, serving her.
“Saint—are you feeling hot—?”
“I’m not hot…”
But you’re somewhat burdensome.
The princess, throwing away all those maids, decided to stick to Yona’s side and serve her, which was quite overwhelming.
“That’s a relief—!”
“…But why were you at the port…?”
Isn’t she a princess of a nation?
Moreover, the Katus Empire and the Duchy of Kapatia have a rivalry, always on the brink of war, hardly being able to stand each other.
Even though it’s the Kingdom of Lukasia, which behaves more like a vassal state of the Duchy of Kapatia.
It seemed odd for Amira to be in the port of such a place.
“Ah— well, you see, I originally came here to receive education from the Church of the Celestial God…”
Ah.
So that was it.
Yona had heard of it too.
The permission for missionary work from Ceres, to be precise.
“Church permit granted.
It seems that was part of the deal.
“So, um… they say they’ll be prohibiting the preaching of the Church of the Celestial God again, so we’ve been ordered to return to our homeland—”
“So that’s how it is… what a waste of time.”
“Well— you could say that, I suppose— but still, since we’re escorting the Saint back, isn’t that a much better outcome?”
‘Ugh, this is so awkward…’
Yona finds Amira quite burdensome.
It’s a relief that people don’t cling to her like this usually,
And the reason Amira is behaving like this is that Yona is a Saint, which isn’t a lie either.
*
“Come with me, idiot.”
“A-ow! That hurts, you lizard!”
Alex was almost dragged out of the inn by Kaiyak, who had a firm grip on his ear.
As the sun began to set in Kapatia Port, a cool breeze blew, and the docks bustled with fishing boats returning home and others setting out for night fishing.
“Let go of me, come on. I’m not running away.”
Finally, after Alex’s annoyed voice, Kaiyak released his grip.
The stoic Kaiyak didn’t say anything, but James stepped up and draped an arm over Alex’s shoulder.
“Hey there, Alex.”
“What? What is it?”
“You heard everything, didn’t you? Right?”
“What are you talking about?”
Alex rubbed his reddening ears, frowning.
He was planning to lie down and catch some sleep before dinner.
But suddenly being dragged out by Kaiyak and James, he had responded that he’d like to rest, and now here he was.
“If you’re going to drag someone out like this, at least give me a reason or something! How am I supposed to know what you heard or didn’t?”
With an annoyed tone, Alex’s irritation made Kaiyak let out a long sigh.
James found it all so funny that he chuckled while patting Alex’s back loudly.
“Come on, Alex. Yona made quite the noise, how can you act like you didn’t hear a thing? Huh?”
“T-That…”
Alex felt his face heat up in an instant.
There was no way he hadn’t heard; of course, he had.
Yona had tried her best to keep it down, but sadly, the walls of that inn were so thin, it felt like they were made of paper. Plus, Yona’s moans traveled so well that they echoed throughout the inn.
If the sound reached the hallway, that was really saying something.
As for Yona— well, being the party involved, it was no surprise she didn’t realize.
“I’m just trying to score some points with Yona. You’ve got to get married someday, right?”
“…W-What do you mean, ‘score points’? How exactly?”
Not that I dislike it.
No, I actually like it.
If it’s Yona, I’d welcome her with open arms.
“Ugh… this dumbass, seriously.”
Maybe he got tired of listening, as Kaiyak frowned.
When that shark-headed face contorts, it really does look scary.
Kaiyak crossed his arms and walked up to Alex.
Then he leaned in, peering closely at Alex’s face.
“We’re heading to a foreign country, Alex. The water, air, and food will all be different. Are you just going to watch Yona suffer from a stomachache?”
“Stomachache…?”
Only then did Alex understand what Kaiyak and James were trying to convey.
Since they were going abroad, everything would definitely be different from the Duchy of Kapatia, especially the food.
Alex was pretty laid-back and had never faced serious problems wherever he went, but that was mostly within the confines of the Duchy of Kapatia. He had heard that sometimes people would get stomachaches when going to places with different water and air.
“So, we need to buy some local snacks and side dishes here. Chips, side dishes, fruits, meats—anything that can only be eaten in Kapatia, prepare that.”
“So you want me to prepare that in advance to score points with Yona…?”
“Exactly. When are you going to stop sitting around? Unless you want to be a total loser?”
“Hey, that’s not fair?!”
Alex shouted without realizing.
I mean, the idea that he’s a loser? Ridiculous. Just the night before, he heard Yona’s moans…
“…That’s not it. Not at all.”
“Then hurry up and score some points! What are you waiting for?”
“I’m not ‘waiting’…”
No way, it hurts.
Even just holding hands felt prickly and painful.
How could he cuddle or go beyond that… well, you know, stuff that’s a bit hard to say—
“—I want to do that too…”
But he couldn’t admit that he was in a situation where he couldn’t.
He could talk about it if he wanted, but it would still be embarrassing.
“Just hurry up already. If you keep this up, you might really lose her.”
“Lose…”
Could that even happen?—Alex was about to shout but trailed off instead.
Honestly, he was being a bit slow.
He knew very well that this wasn’t the time to be casually flirting around Yona.
“…Alright, I get it.”
*
“It’s a chicken coop…”
Literally a chicken coop.
Chickens were clucking inside a wooden crate, and under that crate, eggs were spilling out.
Then a man with a blank expression picked up three eggs and cracked them without hesitation, letting them drop onto the cast-iron pot lid.
Done.
– Sssssss…
The sound of eggs cooking.
Then the man picked up a piece of pork fat, rubbed it on one side of the cast-iron pot lid, grabbed a piece of bread, split it open flat in the middle, and placed it on the lid.
The bread is cooking on the oil-coated lid.
In the meantime, the man took a handful of finely chopped lettuce, picked up the bread again, and shoved the lettuce in between the slices.
While doing this, he lifted the fully cooked egg with a spatula, placed it between the bread, poured a generous amount of red sauce on top, and folded it before handing it over.
“This is really delicious!”
Amira took the two pieces of bread and handed one to Yona.
‘That sauce looks suspiciously good…’
Even though she hated spicy food.
Yona hesitated, but she accepted the bread—well, it should be called a sandwich.
The hot sandwich steamed up, and the red sauce was particularly eye-catching.
The red sauce draped over the white fried egg.
“Give it a try! It’s delicious!”
Then, Amira took a big bite.
Watching her munch away, it didn’t seem spicy at all.
“Amira, isn’t it spicy…?”
“Not at all!”
‘…Really? Is that true?’
Amira, with her grayish-colored lips that oddly suited her brown skin, chewed away merrily.
Even though she was a princess, she seemed quite simple, not having the air of a royal line.
Now it was Amira, who pulled Yona, saying there was a delicacy that couldn’t be tasted back in Katus.
Though Yona had just met Amira today, her friendly demeanor made it feel like they had known each other for ages, which was a rather strange experience for Yona.
Perhaps because of that, she could hardly refuse her.
The place Yona was led to by Amira was this night market, and among all the stalls, she couldn’t resist the sandwich Amira was raving about.
Yona stared at the red sauce on the sandwich, then at Amira enjoying it before she finally made a big decision and took a bite.
The first taste hit her with a strong whiff of rye bread.
It didn’t seem like high-quality bread; the chewiness was somewhat rough, and rather than sweet, it had that bitter and slightly sour unique flavor of rye bread.
Then came the taste of the egg, drenched in oil, giving it a rich texture, and she could also feel the texture of the sauce resting on top.
At first, she didn’t taste the sauce.
She sensed the tangy and green vegetable smell of the lettuce, and after a few more chews, the crunchy texture of the lettuce finally revealed the flavor of the sauce in Yona’s mouth—
“…Ugh, AAAAAAH!?”
It was spicy.
Insanely spicy.
Fire was bursting from her mouth—
That’s what Yona thought.