Inn Overlord: Reincarnated with Enhancement Magic, Now Worshipped as a Divine Messenger! - Chapter 9

Seraph’s Perspective

A few days had passed since Luka turned into a human. She had completely settled into the inn and had become another charming hostess.

“Welcome~! How many in your group~?”

“Two ales for table two, please!”

“Yes~! Here’s the chef’s special soup!”

“Delicious, delicious, magical charm~♡!”

That last part was my idea.

Regular customers like Hazan and Rubens often said, “She’s a nice girl,” with warm smiles. And every time, they asked how such a beautiful, adorable girl had ended up here.

Whenever they asked, we always gave the same answer:

“She’s my mother, Marie’s, niece.”

Hearing that, the customers would nod and say:

“That makes sense. No wonder she’s so beautiful.”

Mom would always get a little embarrassed whenever she heard that. Luca, with her natural charm, had completely won over the customers.

Meanwhile, around the time my house arrest was about to be lifted, a certain ingredient I had been working on was finally close to completion.

Yes, soy sauce.

That morning, I went to the shed.

I had made koji mold from rice grains, combined it with boiled soybeans and roasted, crushed wheat, then sprinkled the koji mold over it. Using enchantment magic, I kept the shed warm and humid to let the mold grow. Every half day, I would recast the spell to maintain the temperature and humidity, stirring the mixture to help the mold spread evenly. Once the beans and wheat had turned a proper greenish color, I mixed them into a barrel of saltwater, sealed the lid, and left it to ferment into moromi. When the moromi was ready, I would squeeze it through a hemp sack, and the liquid that came out would be soy sauce.

As I was in the middle of putting the moromi into a sack, Luka arrived.

“Seraph-sama? What are you doing?”

She peeked over my shoulder just as I was scooping the moromi from the barrel.

“Ahhhh!! Seraph-sama, did you have an accident?!”

Moromi looked a lot like… well, something you’d rather not see when someone has a stomach problem. Luca, clearly shocked, gently rubbed my stomach and asked, “Does your stomach hurt? Are you okay?”

“N-No, Luca! This isn’t what you think!”

“What?! Then whose is it? Sir David’s?!”

“Of course not!”

“Then… Lady Abigail’s—”

Explaining everything started to feel like a hassle. And honestly, it would be kind of funny to let the misunderstanding continue. So I said:

“Yeah, yeah! Abby had a little accident.”

“Oh no! That’s terrible! Please leave the cleanup to me!”

“No, no, it’s fine—”

Just then, a familiar voice interrupted.

“What are you two doing?”

Abigail had arrived.

Uh-oh… this isn’t good…

As expected, Luka immediately turned to her and said:

“Lady Abigail! Are you feeling okay?! You should rest from work today!”

Abigail, looking confused, replied:

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m completely fine…”

Her gaze then shifted to me, standing awkwardly in the back of the shed. When our eyes met, she looked at my hands—at the moromi. Her face twisted in confusion.

Then Luka, completely sincere, continued:

“Are you sure you’re okay? With that amount coming from your small body, it must have been awful!!”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Huh? Seraph-sama just told me that—”

I tried to cut her off, but it was too late.

“—he’s cleaning up after your accident.”

Abigail froze as the meaning of Luka’s words slowly sank in. Then, her gaze flicked to the moromi in my hands. Her eyes widened, and her face turned bright red.

“Wait, Abby, I was just teasing Luka a little—”

“Seraph, you idiot!!!”

—

**(Seraph’s Perspective)**

A bottle of freshly made soy sauce sat on the kitchen counter. Sitting around it were me (with a swollen cheek), Sir David, Luka, and a very grumpy Abigail.

“So? This is the seasoning you made?”

“Yep! Try cooking something with it!”

Ideally, I’d have made some sake as well, but for now, white wine would do as a substitute. Sir David leaned in and sniffed the soy sauce.

“Hmm…”

Then he dipped a finger in and tasted it.

“It’s a bit salty… but it’s good!”

“I want to try it too!”

Luka, eyes sparkling with excitement, waved her arms up and down eagerly.

—Wait, is it okay for cows to eat soy sauce? Well, she’s human now, so I guess it’s fine…

“Just a little taste.”

Like Sir David, Luka dipped her finger in and licked it.

“It’s delicious!!”

Even though Abigail was still sulking, she was clearly interested.

“Go on, Abby, try it!”

She turned her nose up and looked away, but still dipped her fingertip into the soy sauce.

—Please forgive me already…

“It’s really salty… but it tastes good.”

“Right?!”

I grinned proudly.