The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 43: Ominous News

Episode 43: Ominous News 

We spent the time before lunch strolling around. This area seemed to be a commercial district. It had many people walking about, likely shopping. 

As expected, there weren’t any adventurers carrying weapons around at this hour. We probably just looked like ordinary shoppers ourselves. 

The capital’s public order seemed excellent. The town of Colibri wasn’t unsafe, but this place was even better. I hadn’t even seen a single quarrel break out. 

“It’s so peaceful~” 

“Yeah, it really is. Right now, there aren’t any wars happening on this continent. And there’s no sign of increased monster activity either. At this rate, adventurers might run out of work.” 

“That would be a problem. Without excitement, I’d get bored really fast.” 

Most of the people passing by wore smiles. Perhaps protecting those smiles was also part of an adventurer’s duty. 

As we chatted, we arrived at the café from earlier. It had now entered its lunch hour. Though it was a little early, we decided to head inside. The place was already nearly full. 

“Wow, there are already this many people here.” 

“It must be a popular café. That means the food must be delicious. I can’t wait!” 

We found an open seat at the counter for one person and took it. Lately, even when I was with Lilia, I’d request seating for just one person. If I asked for two seats, the staff would always get confused. 

“I’ll have the recommended pasta and a pudding for dessert.” 

“Understood. I’ll bring out the dessert afterward.” 

The waiter took my order with a polite smile. 

Before long, a delicious-looking pasta dish covered in tomato sauce was served. I scooped some onto Lilia’s plate. She could now cut pasta on her own. 

“Alright, let’s dig in. Mm, the tomato sauce is rich and flavorful. It’s delicious.” 

“I guess there’s no pasta thinner than this. It would’ve been nice if there were Fairy-sized pasta… But you’re right, Fel, the sauce is really tasty.” 

Lilia carefully cut her pasta into even smaller portions before eating. Though the scale was completely different, she still looked like she was enjoying it. I might have to find a chef who can make meals in Lilia’s size. That’s going to be a challenge. 

“Sorry for the wait. Here’s your pudding.” 

“Thank you.” 

A yellow, jiggly substance topped with brown syrup was placed before us—this was pudding. I wondered what it would taste like. I scooped some onto Lilia’s tiny plate. I was making sure to include the syrup as well. 

“It’s a strange-looking food. But it’s so wobbly. It’s kind of like a Slime.” 

“I get what you’re saying, but do you really have to compare it to a Slime right before we eat?” 

Lilia frowned. Oh, right—she wasn’t fond of Slimes. Apparently, she hated their slimy texture. Maybe she had a bad experience with one in the past? That would be unfortunate. 

Cautiously, I stuck my spoon into the pudding. Instead of the bouncy resistance I expected, it felt more like scooping into potato salad. I lifted a spoonful, along with the brown syrup, and placed it in my mouth. 

A deep, sweet, and slightly roasted flavor immediately spread across my tongue. It was delicious. The yellow part had a subtle sweetness and a smooth texture that melted in my mouth. It blended perfectly with the syrup. 

“This is amazing! Lilia, you’ve got to try it!” 

“Let’s see… Ooh! It’s delicious! What is this!? They’ve created something incredible!” 

Curious, I glanced around the café. Nearly every table had a pudding on it. I see, so this was the thing people came here for. No wonder. This could become addictive. 

Though we shared one pudding, Lilia ate about half of it. Where did all that food even go in her tiny body? The proportions didn’t add up. 

— 

We liked the pudding so much that we kept coming back to the café. Eventually, as regulars, we were given special permission to take pudding home. 

Then, one day…

“What? The pudding is sold out!? How could this happen…? This has never happened before.” 

“I’m terribly sorry. We can’t buy the eggs needed for making the pudding anymore.” 

“Did something happen?” 

Lilia tilted her head to the left, resting her index finger on her chin. Maybe the birds that laid the eggs were attacked by some animal? 

“The thing is, the dairy farmer who supplied us with eggs suddenly became unreachable. Or so the Commercial Guild told us. I’m worried. But since I have to run the shop, I can’t go check on them myself.” 

Even the café owner looked troubled. As pudding enthusiasts, we couldn’t ignore this problem. This was a crisis that required action. 

“If you’d like, we can go check on them for you. We may not look it, but we’re quite capable adventurers.” 

“Oh, really? That would be wonderful. You’re so young but already so talented… But I don’t have the money to request such a job…” 

“That’s not necessary! We have a special relationship, don’t we? Right, Fel?” 

“Exactly. Leave it to us.” 

To gather more information about the dairy farm, we first headed to the Commercial Guild. The café bought its eggs through them. So that was the best place to start. 

“So this is the Commercial Guild. It’s my first time here, but it’s huge.” 

“Yeah, it’s about the same size as the Adventurers’ Guild.” 

Unlike the Adventurers’ Guild, which resembled a fortress, this building was made of stacked bricks. However, as Lilia pointed out, it was just as large. 

It made sense, considering how many goods from all over the kingdom flowed into the capital. I had also heard that imported goods from the port town of Beaumont were first gathered here before distribution. 

If they managed both domestic and international trade, it was no surprise the guild needed a building of this scale. 

We stepped inside to gather information about the eggs. The place was bustling with people. Judging by their attire, most of them seemed to be merchants. Many were dressed similarly to Sancho-san. 

Wait—could Sancho-san actually be here? No, that would be too much of a coincidence… 

“Oh my, if it isn’t Fel-san!” 

There he was—Sancho-san! If the great merchant Sancho-san was here, this investigation might go a lot smoother. 

“It’s been a while, Sancho-san. There’s something I’d like to look into.” 

“Oh ho, is that so? However, it seems there’s a bit of trouble going on right now.” 

Sancho-san let out a wry smile. Maybe this unusually crowded scene wasn’t how the Commercial Guild usually looked. 

“Trouble?” 

“Yes. It seems that one of the villages supplying livestock products to the capital was devastated by monsters. That village was apparently a well-known production site.” 

Livestock products… Birds… Eggs… 

“Fel, could it be…?” 

“Yeah, it might be. Sancho-san, was that village the one supplying the eggs used for making pudding in the capital?” 

“Oh? So you’ve also tasted the pudding? It truly is a delight! That elegant golden hue… Ah, but I digress. I’m not an expert in livestock trade, so I can’t say for sure. But the chances are high. After all, look at how many people who did business with that village are gathered here.” 

Sancho-san looked troubled. It seemed he was here for a different matter altogether. 

“Sancho-san, do you know where that village is?” 

“Yes, I do. But… are you planning to go there?” 

“Yes. We’re going to check it out for ourselves.” 

A village attacked by monsters…….… This was ominous news. I hadn’t heard of any such incidents before. Were monsters becoming more active? 

For now, we would head to the location Sancho-san provided.