Chapter 122 – Hot Sandwich

On the outskirts of the deserted ruins.

(Ah, it’s dawn…)

As he bathed in the bright light of the morning sun at dawn. Gordon once again thought that the world was unfair.

Before he knew it, the door which was written in master’s letters appeared, 『Otherworld Restaurant Nekoya』.

(She’s finally back.)

He whispered so as not to be heard. With the tinkling sound of a bell, a girl came out of the store’s door.

This area has been abandoned for about 100 years, and because demons and ghosts have appeared, only few people live in this area of the royal capital.

The ones that live here are probably the ones who are very confident in their ability or people who don’t know anything about it.

That’s why Gordon was secretly escorting her at the command of his master.

According to his master, he has been given a powerful blessing from a powerful being, although it’s more akin to a powerful curse, it seems that it happens in some cases.

(The world is unfair.)

Seeing the girl’s beautifully washed clothes and the black goat’s horns sticking out of her golden, frivolous hair, Gordon couldn’t help but stroke his forehead.

The feel of the cross-section of the smooth corners that is different from that of human skin and hair. This is proof that Gordon is a 『demon』.

(Although if I had stayed, I wouldn’t have been able to become a sorcerer, or even live properly. …It’s no use.)

He sighed. It’s a question that he has asked himself many times.

Apparently, his father was a demon. Gordon’s mother told him that his father died when he was very young. He doesn’t know if it’s true or not.

Seventy years have passed since the demons lost to human heroes, and now there are two types of demons.

Those who do not hide the fact that they are demons, and those who hide it.

The demons who do not hide the fact that they are demons mainly live in the empire, in the territories governed by the 『Demon King』who is said to be the greatest aristocrat other than the Emperor.

Yes, the empire, a gathering of terrifying bloody barbarians, expanded by fighting with demons in battle, so even demons are treated as equals to humans.

Although the continent is wide and there are as many countries as the number of stars, if you include small countries, only the empire and its subordinate nations allow demons, including the demon lord, to be aristocrats.

Other kingdoms and the dukedoms, who are at odds with the Empire, do not recognize the demons as 『equal』.

They 『tolerate』 the existence of demons among low-class people, slaves, out-of-order adventurers and mercenaries, but they are never accepted as the nation’s citizens.

No matter how successful a demon may be, they will never be recognized as a citizen, and it’s not uncommon for a heartless person to persecute demons.

It is unavoidable because of the fear of the demons who have repeatedly destroyed and attacked human society for a long time, and the threat of an evil empire that tries to take over the continent in cooperation with such demons.

However, it is a shackle for demons who were born outside the empire and who had little protection from their gods.

…If you don’t want to admit it, you can hide that you are a demon.

Some of the demons, who have become more and more aware of this in their difficult, painful, and impoverished lives, have 『 abandoned 』 the demon tribe.

If a person has parts of their body that shows that they are demons that can be removed, such as horns, tails, and wings, they can cut them off to pretend to be human.

They abandon their hometown where there are people who know that they are demons, and live as humans in another city.

Awkwardly, any child that a demon has will also become a demon.

Due to this, it is not unusual for a child to be born as a demon and for people to realize that the parent was an demon.

Gordon was also the same. When he was born as a child of a prostitute in a slum, he had horns on his forehead.

Then, his mother, who was a human, saw Gordon’s little horns and decided to raise him as a human. The horns were cut off shortly after they were born, leaving only traces of them on the forehead.

Nearly 20 years have passed since then, and few people have lived since then, and the number of people who know that Gordon is a demon is very small.

Specifically, there is only his tight-lipped mother who picked him up, and his master, the Great Sage Altorius, who discovered that he was a demon using his magical powers.

After accidentally discovering that Gordon, a slum-raised thug, had the talent needed to be a sorcerer, he was beaten up and made to be Artorius’ disciple.

He didn’t tell the other disciples that he was a demon. He was masquerading as a human sorcerer.

From the beginning, the Great Sage Altorius was a man who very enthusiastic in studying magic knowledge and techniques, and in nurturing the future generations so that the magic would develop even after his death.

He even took a half-elf princess from another country as a disciple when he saw her talent.

Master Altorius said that Gordon’s innate magical power was probably due to the horns he received as blessings for the demons.

In the past, he has defeated countless demons, including the demon king, and according to his『rule of thumb』, demons with powerful magic power often have horns.

However, it seems that this is not always the case because the unknown girl in front of her eyes has horns, but while her magical power is a little higher than that of ordinary people, and she cannot be a magician.

(Well, let’s escort her today.)

To escort such a girl, a demon who is no different from an ordinary human being. That was the job given to Gordon, who is probably the only demon among the disciples of Altorius.

Gordon secretly escorted her to the adventurer’s house, where the girl seems to be currently living.

Seven days after that.

(…Again. It seems that she is spending the night there.)

Gordon saw the rising sun at dawn, feeling a little irritated and anxious about the girl who never returned even at dawn.

Apparently, as the road at midnight is dangerous, she decided spend the night in the other world behind the door.

(Next time, I’ll go and come back just before dawn)

As Gordon secretly made up his mind, a tinkling sound echoed in the dawn sky.

(Oh, she’s back.)

What came out was the usual demon girl. She had a basket in her hand.

The girl was looking for someone, scampering around the area…

“…Ah, um! Are you Gordon?”

…For some reason she approached Gordon and talked to him.

“…Yes, what do you want?”

Gordon, who was terribly hungry, asked the girl.

Even though Gordon was escorting her for a while now, this was the first time they had talked other than a greeting.

“Actually, Pork Loin Cutlet-san… an old man who was a regular asked me to give Gordon-san his breakfast. Oh, the old man paid for it, so it’s okay!”

Those words reminded him that this girl visited an otherworldly restaurant called『Otherworld Restaurant Nekoya』.

And master seems to like their dishes very much.

“…Itadakou.”

A sorcerer is also a scholar who studies magic. Curious about what kind of food would be served, Gordon accepted the food from the girl.

It smells good… Is this the smell of freshly baked bread?

With that in mind, he uncovers the basket and looks at the food inside.

“…Is this silver?”

The food in the basket was covered with a silver cloth that was as thin as paper.

“No, that’s aluminum, and it looks like silver, but it’s completely different. It’s hot in your mouth, so please peel it off before you eat.”

“……Oh”

Gordon nodded to the girl, who said something a little scary with a smile, and picked up one of the packages.

The heat of the package was soaked into his body which was due to being out for a long time during the night, his hands relaxed.

(…A mysterious metal. What is it?)

With that in mind, he peeled off the silver cloth.

Even though it’s thin like a cloth, it feels like metal and it easily tears.

The moment the cloth was torn open, what I saw was a freshly baked slice of bread that was hot to the touch.

A brown bread that looks like a square cut in half.

Considering that bread that has been baked long ago, and has hardened is the norm, freshly baked bread is a treat even in the royal capital.

(It smells like good bread…)

The bread he sees under the morning sun has a smooth surface. Maybe it’s bread with the surface re-baked?

It seems to be evenly cooked, with no burnt spots, and a beautiful wheat color.

The aroma in the air made my throat growl, and he remembered that he was hungry.

After eating yesterday evening, he stayed up until dawn and his stomach was completely empty.

He took a piece of bread to his mouth and bit into it.

(Hmm!? It’s full of ingredients!)

The bread was much thinner than he had expected.

The moment when his teeth hit the hard and brittle surface, it crumbled and the ingredients inside popped out.

It was unlike anything he had ever tasted before. The meat is oily and fine, with a hint of sourness and spiciness, and seems to have been mixed with chopped oranie and cule.

The bread on the surface side is fragrant like baked bread, and the inside is soft from absorbing the moisture of the ingredients.

Along with the savory flavor of the bread comes the crunchy texture and taste of the slightly cooked vegetables, which are fresh and not bitter.

This was complemented by the seasoned meat.

(What kind of meat is this?)

Gordon couldn’t help but at the surface of his unknown but delicious meat.

The meat has the color, seasoned with white and sour seasonings.

(It’s color like raw pork or chicken, but from the texture, it was definitely cooked. What is this?)

“Oh, that’s a tuna hot sandwich made from fish meat. It’s delicious.”

While he was trying to figure out what this was using his analytical habits as a sorcerer, the girl gave him the answer.

“…Oh, fish? Fish is a delicious food.”

For Gordon, who had hardly left the royal capital, fish was an unknown food.

It’s not that you can’t get it even in the royal capital, but fresh food is too expensive for commoners, and the dried ones and ones that are caught from the river are not so delicious…

That’s why he never thought of eating it.

“That’s right. I didn’t know about it until I was over there.”

The girl answered Gordon’s words with a smile. She only learned that fish could be a delicious dish after she went to the other side.

As they talked, the hot sandwich, which was about the size of a palm, disappears into Gordon’s belly in an instant.

“One more…”

Of course, one sandwich was not enough for Gordon, who is still a young man.

“Oh, yes. Today’s hot sandwiches alternate between two different flavors, so that one different taste than what you had before.”

“I see.”

With those words, he broke the package, wondering what the next taste was.

The hot sandwiches that came out must taste different. The pink meat and the pale yellow stuff could be seen through the gaps in between the brown bread that had been baked.

(Well, what does it taste like?)

While he was thinking this, he carried it to his mouth and bit it.

With the crisp texture of bread, the taste of something soft and rich spread.

Among them, the pink one was smoked meat and the pale yellow one was cheese.

The smoked meat was sliced ​​thinly. Smoked meat, which is much less salty than what is normally sold and is not suitable for storage, would be delicious to eat as it is.

It was mixed with the salty, hot melted cheese, and with the aroma of bread and the spiciness of something that seems to be mixed with the cheese spread in his mouth.

The familiar taste of cheese and smoked meat hit his hungry stomach.

He ate one and took another. He took one more and ate it.

He couldn’t stop eating the hot sandwiches in the basket, and he finished them in the blink of an eye.

“Here you go. It’s some tea. It’ll warm you up.”

After he had eaten everything, the girl handed him a drink in a small cup.

“Oh, thank you.”

He accepted it casually and drank it. The heat of hot tea went through his throat, and the chill went away.

The warmth of the food and drink warmed Gordon’s body and relaxed him.

He exhaled. The feeling of a stomach filled with delicious food is pleasant.

The girl who was watching Gordon soaked in the feeling smiled and said, “You’re the person who is always watching over me, right?”

“…You noticed?”

Gordon was a little surprised at the words.

Gordon grew up in a downtown area of ​​the city. Though not as good as a professional bandit or scout, he thought he eliminated some of his presence.

“Um, yes. We have passed each other many times. I’m Aletta. Thank you for everything.”

But the girl, Aletta, is a waitress by trade. She knows her customers by sight, and memorizes their orders, she has to serve food and clear up tables quickly.

She’s been doing this over and over again.

That’s why she noticed that there was always someone passing by her.

“…It’s Gordon. Don’t worry about it. My master asked me to do this for you.”

At Aletta’s introduction, Gordon looked away, and for the first time, they exchanged greetings.

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Edit: Fixed a bunch of stuff. Looks like I got a few lines completely wrong. My mistake.

Edit (06/14/2022): Added link to previous chapter translated by Fox’s Coffee Time for convenience. One minor word change, two comma-related fixes, and changed formatting for these notes at the end for no reason.

TN: Just did a buncha stuff to the page! Do you like it?

Here’s a new series! The author posts irregularly so you won’t really see this a lot. Chapters might have gaps of months in between them. Anyhow, enjoy reading!