Aozaki Aoko Case File [207]

The knowledge exchange activity lasted for several hours, and the time on Aoko's watch showed it was around three in the afternoon. Even Gourry, who had been sleeping, had woken up.

"Hey, Miss Lina, Miss Aoko, shouldn't we get going now?" Gouryy stretched his body and walked over to ask, "It's already late. If we don't leave soon, we might not make it to the next village before nightfall, and we might not even have a place to eat dinner."

"Oh no, it's already this late?!" Lina quickly stood up and started packing up the tools they had used to grill fish earlier. "Let's head out right away!"

Aoko wasn't particularly interested in continuing academic research out in the wild. Getting to a town earlier would allow her to gather more information faster. After all, Lina and Gouryy's perspectives were inherently biased—many pieces of information needed cross-referencing to verify their authenticity.

Thus, the three of them shouldered their packs (though Gouryy didn't have one, as his meals seemed to rely entirely on luck) and set off along the main road leading to the nearest village.

After about an hour, the three finally reached the town just before sunset.

The town wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't tiny either—its size was comparable to the larger villages Aoko had seen in her previous life.

Having walked for a while, both Lina and Gouryy were pretty worn out (though Aoko could use magic to eliminate fatigue), so they decided to find a restaurant to have dinner first. After all, the grilled fish they ate earlier at lunch didn't count as a proper meal.

Lina seemed to have a knack for spotting good restaurants in every town. At the very least, she could accurately identify, just from the menu displayed at the entrance, which places were overpriced scams and which ones offered good, affordable food.

Since Aoko had recently arrived in this otherworld and couldn't yet use her Fifth Magic to ensure absolute safety, she had to manage her resources carefully and avoid wasting spell slots unnecessarily. She left the task of finding a restaurant to the local experts, Lina and Gouryy.

Lina's choice was an inn that also served food. They planned to have dinner there and stay the night at the same place, which Aoko had no objections to.

The inn was bustling with diners, about a third of whom were locals, while the rest appeared to be travelers passing through. Judging by their attire, Aoko estimated that at least half of these travelers were reasonably skilled adventurers, suggesting that the world outside the town wasn't exactly peaceful.

After taking the menu, Lina and Gouryy confidently ordered a variety of dishes. Lina had mentioned earlier that she had earned quite a bit from her last job and had no problem treating Gouryy and Aoko to a meal.

"Miss Aoko, why aren't you ordering anything?" Lina asked, noticing that Aoko hadn't even attempted to look through the menu. "Don't you like the food here?"

"I can't read your language," Aoko replied. "The only reason I can talk to you and Gouryy is because of a spell called 'Tongue of Eloquence.' If I want to read your writing, I'd have to cast an additional 'Comprehend Languages' spell. So I'll leave the ordering to you two."

"Oh, got it! Leave it to us then!" Gouryy thumped his chest confidently. "Not to brag, but I'm pretty familiar with the best dishes around here. A friend of mine once recommended…"

Gouryy began enthusiastically flipping through the menu, pointing out which dishes were friend-approved and which ones were better avoided due to their strange flavors. His extensive knowledge of food made even Lina pull out a small notebook to take notes.

Before long, the dishes they ordered started arriving. Aoko observed the food and was surprised by its unexpectedly high quality. It wasn't anything like the true medieval dark cuisine of Earth but was more akin to modern Western cuisine.

The main course consisted of spaghetti with meatballs, mashed potatoes drizzled with beef gravy, tomato and mushroom soup, roasted turkey, grilled steak, and a selection of fresh fruits and vegetable salads.

Aoko was quite satisfied with the meal, especially considering it was being served in a fantasy medieval setting. After using a simple spell to sterilize her utensils, she immediately began enjoying the food.

While Aoko treated eating as a periodic enjoyment—since her magic could completely sustain her body without the need for food—Lina and Gouryy were a different story. As extraordinary-class individuals, their energy requirements were significantly higher. This explained why they were constantly complaining about being hungry during their journey.

According to Lina, her family was quite well-off, but her current eating habits didn't reflect her upbringing as a well-educated noblewoman. Perhaps prolonged wandering had reshaped her behavior.

Gouryy, on the other hand, ate with the wild abandon of a true warrior, devouring his food with a ferocity that rivaled Lina's. Aoko, eating slowly and elegantly with her knife and fork, couldn't help but smile as she watched her two lively companions bicker over a delicious steak. It reminded her of the old-school shōnen anime she had watched in her previous life.

After paying the bill and booking two rooms to rest for the night, the three were about to head upstairs when an elderly, bald man with a white beard stormed into the inn and shouted at them.

"It's you!" the old man exclaimed. "You're the ones who attacked the Dragonfang Bandits, aren't you?!"

"No way, you've got the wrong people~" Lina instantly feigned innocence, adopting the tone of an airheaded noblewoman (despite lacking the noble part). "My name is Sophia, so it can't possibly be me~."

"Don't deny it! It's definitely you!" the old man retorted. "Do you realize that attacking those bandits means they'll come and raid our town?"

Well now, it seemed those bandits ambushing Lina had some backstory after all.

Unfazed, Aoko watched as Lina argued with the village elder, expertly deflecting responsibility to avoid any blame. Her core strategy was simple: deny everything. Lina had no intention of admitting to anything that might implicate her in dealing with the bandits' retaliation.

However, a sudden, monstrous roar interrupted their argument. The sound came from the skies outside the inn, prompting everyone to rush to the windows to take a look.

What they saw was a massive black dragon, about ten meters tall, with a menacing appearance. Sparks of fire occasionally flickered at the corners of its mouth, making it clear that this creature wasn't to be trifled with.

"This is bad!" the village elder stammered, trembling. "You said you wiped out the Dragonfang Bandits, but how could you leave behind their pet black dragon? What kind of elimination is that?!"