In a Port Town, There's Only One Thing to Do—Food Crawling, Of Course!
"Alright, next question! What does an Aristo Golem like!?"
Milfie shouted as she charged toward the rock monster in front of her.
Aqua responded while casting support magic.
"Sunlight—"
"Hehehe, correct, meow!"
And then, with Milfie’s incredible strength, the golem's head snapped clean off.
This was the two girls' scary little game to make boring hunts more fun—battle trivia, not classroom lectures.
I answered too sometimes, but I couldn't match their ease.
Well, it’s probably a mental thing.
Maybe it's the difference between us—fighting monsters is routine for them.
I was likely the same once, but not anymore.
Unless I get fired up like I did with the cyclops, I'm still pretty nervous, like a typical Japanese guy.
But—
"Milfie, Aqua, there's an Angar in the back right.—I'll take it."
The moment a strong monster appeared on the map, I couldn't help but grin.
I dashed past Milfie and gripped my weapon.
Right after, my body was enhanced from behind.
Aqua really gets me.
I exhaled sharply, then slashed through the hard stone of the golem.
A few seconds later, large chunks of rock collapsed with a rumble.
"Tabito’s the best, meowaa!"
"Truly beyond standards."
"R-Really? It's thanks to your support, right?"
"Not at all. Normally, you can't slice through a golem that easily."
"... Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Super seriously?"
"Super seriously."
Ever since Aqua truly began to trust us, she started smiling a little, instead of that blank look.
And she's even started to play along with my weird energy—sometimes she even outdoes me.
A super capable elf girl.
"I’ve finished dismantling the golem~!"
Of course, Milfie is always amazing too.
◇
"Oh, finally showing up at the tip of the map. Took forever..."
"Yay meow~! Tonight we sleep snug and cozy in real beds~!"
"With this being a port town, we should be able to use plenty of water. I want to wash up."
"So you’re the clean-freak type after all?"
"… Me?"
"Yeah."
"Well, to the extent of an average elf, I suppose."
H-How clean is that!?
… Nah, better not get annoying about it.
Still, even when these two haven’t bathed, they always smell nice.
Sometimes when they sleep beside me, there’s this floral scent wafting from them.
Like I’m a bee drawn to honey. Call me Buzzing Tabito.
"Mister Tabito, are you staring up at the sky again?"
"He does that a lot, meow~"
Then, walking happily side by side, we finally arrived at a lively entrance.
The vast sea could be seen in the distance.
It had been a while since I'd smelled the ocean.
Some people were fishing, others were pulling in nets with wooden boats.
"Whoa, fish! It’s a town of fish!"
"I wanna eat tasty fish, meow~"
"Seems like a safe place too."
—
[Port Town: Vildy]
4.3 ★★★★☆ (24,541)
Fish-Loving Adventurer
★★★★☆
Fresh and tasty acqua pazza!
Sashimi is the best.
Famous Fish Lover
★★★★☆
Fish fish fish~ ♪
I’m going to eat fish~ ♪
A-Rank Adventurer
★★★★☆
Stayed for two nights for the ship.
Lively town with lots of delicious fish dishes.
Traveling Adventurer
★★★★★
One of the liveliest and best port towns I've visited.
Grilled with salt is a must.
—
To reach the country where Tia is, we’ll need to cross the sea by ship.
That’s why we came to this port town.
I’d heard about it, and it really is a fish town.
There were no massive walls like you'd see around a capital—it's wide open and accessible.
Of course, there were soldiers at the entrance.
It seems to be under the royal capital’s jurisdiction, but I didn’t expect this level.
The ground is almost like concrete, always wet in places.
On both sides, stalls like you'd see at a festival lined the path—like a street fair.
People bustled around, and the buildings were painted in colorful tones unlike the capital.
We need to arrange for a ship, but we arrived earlier than expected, so the departure is probably in about a week.
I was planning to use reviews to pick an inn, but Milfie and Aqua had disappeared.
Panicking, I checked the map—they were nearby.
Looking over, I saw them buying something like skewered grilled tuna from a food stall.
Classic Milfie—fast as always.
"Here ya go! Pretty girls get the big ones!"
"Thanks meow~!"
"Thank you very much."
Damn, Aqua too.
She’s really getting used to our vibe.
Looks like grilled fish slices sprinkled with salt.
Let’s check the reviews.
—
[Old Man Bels’ Grilled Skewers]
4.9 ★★★★★ (4,541)
Port Town Regular
★★★★★
You haven’t really been here if you haven’t tried these skewers.
Royal Capital Drifter
★★★★★
Crispy with just the right amount of salt.
One bite fills your mouth with tuna flavor.
Bridget
★★★★★
Delicious, absolutely delicious.
—
Wait, Bridget!?
Judging by the timestamp, she’s probably already departed by ship.
So she stopped here too.
And that rating is insane!?
What the heck!?
I rushed over and bought some skewers from Old Man Bels.
Fresh off the grill, the three of us bit in side-by-side.
"Delicious meowrrrrrrr!"
"… These are exquisite."
"Perfection. Fish really is the best… Viva fish."
There’s no ocean near the capital, so fish dishes were almost nonexistent.
But I’m Japanese at heart, even if I don’t look it.
This is the best. Fish is truly the best.
Milfie was grinning from ear to ear—and Aqua looked happy too.
Ha! Who says elves have no emotions?
They just don’t realize it themselves.
"Alright, let’s fill our stomachs for now. I’ll find us the ultimate fish restaurant!"
"I’m in! Count me in, meow~!"
"I was thinking we should look for an inn… but I agree."
Alright! Today’s a full-on food-crawl day!
—
Milfie
★★★★★
♪ Fish fish fish~ I’m gonna eat fish~ ♪
Aqua
★★★★★
That skewer… also looked delicious.
Tabito
★★★★★
I want sashimi.
I wonder if they have sashimi.
And I want some garnish too.
What do you think about this chapter?
