The Dasher Company
The day of the all-you-can-eat sweets buffet, once the seniors and Belle had all gone back to their territories, I suddenly found myself with nothing to do. So, I decided to finally visit a shop I’d been wanting to go to for ages but never had the chance.
“My Lady, this is the Dasher Company.”
“So this is it. I’ve passed by here a few times, but I never noticed.”
Since I hadn’t known exactly where it was, I asked Liam. He said Martha often visited, so she guided me here.
Dasher Company was the tea wholesaler run by Alisha’s father, the same man I rescued from goblins in General when he wanted to ride Snowy. Apparently, it’s one of the capital’s long-established stores.
Inside, the shop had a classic atmosphere fitting of an old establishment, filled with the pleasant aroma of tea. Behind the counter, drawers of tea leaves stretched up to the ceiling, showing the impressive variety they carried. On the second floor, there was a café where customers could enjoy tea with sweets. During afternoon tea time, I’d heard it was always crowded.
“You buy our household tea from here?”
“Yes, Young Lady. The tea served not only at the capital manor but also at our General and Fantasmo estates comes from this very shop.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.”
While chatting with Martha as I browsed the tea on display, a staff member approached.
“Well, well, Lady Martha. Thank you for your continued patronage. What brings you in today?”
“Oh, Manager, thank you as always. This is my Lady, the young mistress of our household.”
So the person greeting us was the manager.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Joan Lampail, eldest daughter of House Lampail.”
“Ah, how very kind of you. I am Kumar, the manager entrusted with running this store.”
“I came without an appointment, but… is Mr. Dasher in today?”
“Eh? The owner, Mr. Dasher?”
“Yes. If he’s available, I’d love to greet him.”
“Y-Yes, I believe he’s free at the moment. Please wait just a moment.”
The manager said this, then handed a quickly scribbled note to a nearby clerk.
“If you’d like, would you care to have some tea upstairs while you wait?”
“Yes, I’d love to.”
We were guided to a private room. Apparently, anyone, noble or commoner, could use one if they made a reservation.
While sipping the manager’s recommended tea, I looked over the menu of light meals and sweets.
“Huh? They don’t have cakes or cookies made with tea leaves?”
“That’s because those are your original creations, Young Lady… If you intend to share those recipes with the owner, please be sure to get permission from Madam first.”
“Y-Yes, of course…”
As expected of Martha, she’d already read my mind.
I didn’t want Mother to scold me later, so I quickly sent her a message for permission.
Just as I finished reading her reply, there was a knock on the door. The manager entered with Mr. Dasher.
“Thank you for waiting. I’ve brought the owner.”
“Thank you for your patience. I am Dasher, the owner. Was there some trouble with our service?”
Ah. Showing up unannounced and asking for the owner must’ve given them the wrong idea.
“I’m so sorry for arriving without notice. I simply wanted to greet you. Do you remember me? We met in General…”
“General?”
“Um… would ‘the divine pegasus’ ring a bell?”
“The divine pegasus…? Wait, you’re that adventurer from back then…?”
“Yes, that’s right. I apologize for not introducing myself then. I’m Joan Lampail, eldest daughter of House Lampail. When I work as an adventurer, I go by just Joan.”
After hearing me mention General, Mr. Dasher explained the situation to the manager. It seemed he’d already heard about me from Alisha, and he nodded in understanding.
“I’ve wanted to visit Dasher Company for a while now. I was looking for a particular kind of tea, and our household’s chef told me your sweets are wonderful too.”
“I see. And what kind of tea were you looking for?”
“Yes. It’s called green tea, it’s drunk in the eastern nations.”
“Ah, green tea! Of course, we have it. Kumar.”
At Mr. Dasher’s instruction, the manager brought some over.
“……”
It had been a while since I’d had green tea, it was good, but a bit too mild for my taste. Probably because it was the first steep. The water also seemed too hot. Black tea is brewed at about 100°C, but green tea should be around 80–90°C.
“Umm… how do you usually brew your green tea? The same way as black tea? Same temperature too?”
Mr. Dasher gave a subtle signal to Kumar.
“Yes, we brew it the same as black tea.”
“What!? Is that true?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Oh, heavens… my deepest apologies, Young Lady Joan.”
The fact that he apologized meant Mr. Dasher did know the proper method.
“Kumar! Bring two teapots, two cups, green tea, and hot water at once!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“My sincerest apologies, Young Lady Joan. It seems we’ve been preparing it incorrectly. Might I ask, do you know the proper way to brew green tea?”
“Yes, I do. Umm… if it’s alright, may I show you?”
“Of course.”
What do you think about this chapter?
