Chapter 55: The Virgin’s Strange Adventure

A short while after the evening bell that signaled night in the city finished ringing, Rafilia-san returned.

"I’ll prepare the meal now."

"Sorry for the trouble. Thank you."

Rafilia-san headed toward the stove in the corner of the room.

I feel bad about this. Apparently in this region’s culture, people only eat breakfast and lunch, and usually skip dinner.

But I’m starving.

I had given the 1000-yen silver coin I received for lunch to that sleazy guy to buy a kemololi’s pussy, so I hadn’t eaten anything since morning. After using up a lot of stamina on the status examination and treating the kemololi, I couldn’t turn down dinner.

I sat down next to Iferaski. While Rafilia-san was ringing the bell earlier, Iferaski had already finished eating the carrot she was given, but she was still sitting in the chair.

"Sorry I couldn’t prepare anything warm. We’re not allowed to use large fires after the evening bell rings."

"No, no. I’m the one who should apologize for making you prepare food at this hour."

What Rafilia-san prepared was wine and a large round loaf of bread.

Since a fire in the city could be catastrophic, using cooking flames after the evening bell is strictly forbidden. Only certain facilities like the lord’s mansion and the church are allowed to use candles.

In an era without fire trucks or fire extinguishers, with houses packed tightly inside the city walls, such precautions are only natural. From outside, I could hear night watchmen calling out warnings to be careful with fire.

This is a world with magic, so I wonder if there are firefighter-like people who can use water magic. Maybe something like the magic staff’s water version that I used during the magic attack power test?

If they exist, it’d be convenient to have one in every house like a fire extinguisher, but I bet they’re expensive.

The charcoal used as a cooking fire source was kept in an iron pot and hung from a pot hook hanging from the ceiling. Since lighting a new fire is troublesome, they carefully preserve embers to use again the next day.

Even though magic exists, not everyone can use fire or water magic, so daily life isn’t necessarily that convenient.

"I’ll cut the bread now."

The round loaf was about as big as Rafilia-san’s breasts. Since we had finished the one from this morning, she must have bought a new one. It was the perfect size to fit snugly in the wooden basket.

Rafilia-san made a cross cut on the bread with a knife, said a prayer, and then sliced it for us.

Since it was the first cut, it was naturally from the end, so it had a lot of crust.

"Please wait until the Saturday market for cheese."

It seems the bakery operates every day without rest, but shops like vegetable stands and cheese shops that deal with imported goods are apparently closed on weekdays.

"Wow. Delicious. This is completely different from the one in the morning. It’s insanely good."

"It cooled down a bit, but it was baked today."

"It’s really that different? I’m surprised."

The crust was super crispy, yet the inside was incredibly soft and fluffy, like it had just come out of the oven.

I took another piece. This time it wasn’t from the end, so there was more of the soft interior.

The moment I put it in my mouth, the fragrant aroma of wheat spread throughout my mouth and rose up through my nose.

It was too delicious. It was definitely better than the bread I ate in Japan, and without a doubt the most delicious thing I’d eaten since coming to this other world.

Saliva wouldn’t stop flowing in my mouth. I wanted another piece right away.

"If you eat bread that fast, you’ll choke."

"Ah, thank you."

Rafilia-san poured wine into my cup.

"Delicious..."

The wine was also excellent.

It might be obvious, but it had a very strong grape flavor.

The one from this morning tasted more like grape juice made from dissolving cheap candy powder rather than actual wine. It didn’t have much grape character.

But this...

"This wine is insanely good... It’s completely different from the morning one. Can I have another cup?"

The grape aroma was vivid, as if I were biting into fresh grapes.

I heard that table grapes and wine grapes are different varieties, but this wine had a flavor like 100% pure grape juice.

I got a refill and immediately drank it down.

The alcohol stimulated my throat, and warmth spread through my body.

"Damn, it’s good... Even the second cup is so delicious it moves me... I don’t usually drink wine so I don’t know how to describe it, but I can really taste the grapes."

"We bought it from the same shop, but maybe the vineyard or barrel was different?"

"Vineyard?"

"Yes. Wine connoisseurs can naturally tell the difference in grape varieties. Some can even tell which vineyard the grapes came from. And among the most refined connoisseurs, some can even distinguish which slope the grapes grew on, or even which specific row in the vineyard."

"Seriously? That’s amazing... Being able to tell the difference between rows..."

"The barrels used for winemaking also affect the final product — whether they’re new or old, the type of wood, and the finishing process all change the wine’s character."

"Wow. I can’t even imagine how the barrel changes the taste..."

But was it really this different?

Both the wine and the bread were ridiculously delicious. My hand kept reaching for more.

Was it because I had skipped lunch and was starving that everything tasted so good?

Come to think of it...

Bread without preservatives or additives is apparently something even wild horses will eat.

I tore off a small piece and brought it close to Iferaski’s face.

"Iferaski, want to try some bread too?"

She brought her nose close to sniff it, then chomp — she ate the piece along with my finger.

Nom nom.

"...!"

Iferaski’s eyes widened. She grabbed my hand with both of hers and started sucking on my finger.

"Oh. You like it that much?"

I tore off another piece and gave it to her.

Chomp.

She seemed to really like it. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Even though she didn’t eat the bread from this morning, she was now opening her mouth asking for another piece.

I kept tearing off bread for Iferaski as she demanded it.

When I drank the wine, she licked my wet lips. Iferaski, who had only drunk water until now, had taken an interest in wine too.

I get it. That’s how good this bread and wine are.

Rafilia-san prepared a cup for Iferaski and poured some wine into it.

Looking more closely, Rafilia-san had prepared another cup for herself.

"Watching the two of you eat so happily made me hungry too..."

Rafilia-san also cut herself a piece of bread.

The moment she took a bite, she covered her mouth with her palm and opened her eyes wide.

"...! It’s delicious... Just like Masaharu-san said. The crust is so crispy, and the inside is fluffy like it was freshly baked. Even though we bought the same bread, it feels like we’re eating something completely different."

"Did they change the ingredients or the baking method?"

"I wonder. The lord manages wheat production, and the ratio of barley or rye mixed into the dough is regulated by city law, so..."

"So the ingredients should be the same, meaning the taste should be the same... Maybe it’s the baking method?"

"No. The bakers should all use the same techniques... The Bakers’ Guild exists to provide the same quality service using the same techniques, so they don’t change their methods. Even the amount of firewood used in the ovens is regulated by law."

Ah, right. Since bread is a staple food, the related professions and wheat production are protected and given preferential treatment, while cheating by using cheap flour is strictly punished. I heard that in medieval Europe, there were even cities where only the lord’s wife was allowed to knead the dough.

"Ah. I get it."

"Hm?"

"Food tastes better when everyone eats together. It’s more delicious with three people than eating alone."

"We also ate together this morning."

"That’s true..."

If it wasn’t just a psychological effect, then what was it?

I didn’t understand why it was so delicious, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Maybe it was because I felt lighter after saving the kemololi?

I took another piece and ate it.

Iferaski also got another piece from Rafilia-san.

She especially seemed to like the crusty end pieces. Her tail was wagging so hard I could hear it swishing.

Rafilia-san also seemed to like the crust.

"The crust is so crispy, just like freshly baked. I used to dislike the crusty parts, but now I’ve come to love them."

"Did you warm it up beforehand?"

"No, I didn’t do anything special. I’m surprised the bread I bought at noon is still this fresh."

"Crisp outside, fluffy inside. It’s really good bread."

"Yes, it is."

The way Rafilia-san described bread and cheese as "young" or "fresh" felt very medieval and charming.

Our stomachs full, dinner came to an end.

Rafilia-san was about to cover the basket containing the bread with a cloth.

Inside the basket was a perfectly round loaf, still about the size of her breasts.

Grrr...

...?

Grrrr...

Something was wrong.

Grrrrrrrr...

There was a strange, ominous sound, like wind blowing from a dark cave.

Grrrrrrrrrr...

"The first piece I ate was naturally from the end, so it had a lot of crust."

In France, there’s even a special word — quignon — for that large end piece cut from a round loaf. It’s a very distinctive part that leaves a strong impression when eating bread, and I definitely ate it!

After that, I had several more pieces, and I also tore the crusty quignon into small pieces for Iferaski.

Ddddddddd...

My voice naturally started shaking and growing louder.

"I’ve been cutting the round bread from the end in order, so why did the crusty end piece appear twice?"

I hadn’t paid much attention before, but maybe Rafilia-san had started cutting from the opposite side at some point?

Even if she cut from both sides, it would dry out faster, but did she do that?

No, that still didn’t make sense. Rafilia-san had also said the crust was crispy and delicious. She had definitely eaten a crusty end piece too.

Ddddddddd...

Even if the clumsy ditzy priestess had cut from the outside... After three people ate the crust pieces, from my position I should have been able to see the cut marks, right?

Rafilia-san was about to cover the basket with cloth to prevent the bread from drying out. Because the cloth was blocking her view, she hadn’t noticed the abnormality inside.

Ddddddddd...

"This is weird, Rafilia-san! We definitely ate bread!"

"Yes, we did eat bread."

"All three of us ate the crusty ends!"

And yet Rafilia-san was about to cover a perfectly round, untouched-looking loaf with cloth!

Crash.

I stood up abruptly, knocking my chair over. Iferaski next to me toppled over with a thud.

Now that I was standing, I could see the entire contents of the basket.

The bread was perfectly round.

"Even though three of us ate it, why is the bread still completely round?!?!"

I pointed at the bread, my face twitching, and screamed.