Chapter 36: Slime jelly
"Now, your upgrade quest is the reason that the Butler of the Baron is here. In two days' time in the city of Blacklight, there will be a festival.
That festival is to honor our little town that has delivered an A-class labyrinth.
The Baron is going to receive recognition, and the Duke is going to award him a higher title as Viscount.
Normally, that is a privilege reserved for the King, but the King will not be in attendance, so the Duke will have to do it.
Now, this is a great ceremony, and the Baron will have to flaunt his wealth and power a bit.
That's where you come in. As the prodigy of this town and the rising star, you will be his main attendant and security for the period he stays there.
If the Baron comes back safe, your quest will be completed, and you will be promoted to B-rank, as well as given a good reward," Raze explained the quest to him.
"I see, so this quest will throw me out for all the nobles to see, and then I'll be dragged into politics.
Since I have no choice, then I'll do it. I've been wanting to see Blacklight for a while," Silva said.
"Alright, very good. You are to take this free time to prepare, so no quests for you, at all. You must focus on your quest," Raze said.
Silva didn't say anything more; he bowed his head and left the office.
"This is all bullshit. I wish I could get stronger faster; then I could break free from all this."
Silva decided to head home. He saw Lia at home since she had finished her magic classes, so he decided to have fun with her to clear his head.
"Lia, let's go out and have some fun," Silva said to her.
She was cleaning up the kitchen; he sat at the dining table, watching her.
"Huh? You want us to go on a date?" she asked eagerly.
"When did I say that? I said have fun, not a date," Silva corrected her.
"When a boy and a girl go out together to have a nice day, it is called a date," she argued.
"Yes, a boy and a girl, not a brother and a sister," Silva retorted.
"Tsk, well, whatever. I'll take it as a date; you take it however you want," she said and went in to prepare.
Silva also changed into some more casual clothes and waited for his sister. They didn't need to clean up every single time because the Mana seeping out of their bodies eliminated dirt on their skin, given some time.
Bathing and showering were just an extra luxury.
She came out wearing a simple white dress. When she got to Silva, she spun around and asked,
"How do I look?"
"You look pretty," Silva said. He never had issues with such things as compliments, but when he saw the blush on Lia's face, he thought maybe he shouldn't have complimented her.
"Alright, let's go."
______ ______
It was noon, so they decided to start their date/not a date off with lunch at a famous beast steakhouse in the town.
They served all sorts of things, from horned rabbit meat to mountain wolves.
When they arrived, a waiter led them to their seats. Silva took the menu and skimmed through it.
He saw something that caught his attention.
"Lia, what is slime jelly?" Silva asked.
"Uhm, I don't know as well. This is the first time I am seeing something like this," she replied.
"Ho Ho, seems you two don't know of this fine delicacy that has made its way to this town," a blonde-haired man sitting not too far from them spoke.
"Slime jelly is gotten from the slimes, their bodies to be precise," the man said.
"How is that possible? The bodies of slimes turn liquid after their core is destroyed or removed," Silva said.
"Well, that is true, but a famous wild chef discovered a way to do this. He captures slimes and sets them in freezers, and then lets them freeze.
Under intense cold, the cores shatter and dissolve into the bodies of the slimes, while the slimes retain their solid form.
Then they are taken out and warmed over a low heat that returns them to their jelly-like form, where they are then put through certain processes to make them tasty," the man explained.
"That sounds barbaric," Lia pointed out.
"Yes indeed, freezing them alive seems like a very sick thing to do, but there was no other way to get them to retain their bodies.
Only this method was able to get the job done, and I have to say myself, the taste is very much worth it," the man said.
"I see, then I'll have the spicy slime jelly," Silva said.
"I'll take the honey-flavored one," Lia made her choice as well.
They called the waiter over and made their orders. The food was brought to them in some minutes.
The jelly looked like normal jelly, and one would not be able to tell that they were slimes. Silva's slime had a reddish tint, probably because of the spice, while Lia's slime had a brownish tint.
The both of them dug their spoons into the dish at almost the same time and took a bite. Their eyes opened wide in shock as waves of flavor splashed in their mouths.
The jelly exploded as soon as it came in contact with their saliva, filling their mouths with flavor.
The man looked at their faces and gave a knowing smile.
"It's good, right? At first, I didn't think that something as basic as a slime would have such flavors with such immense depths," the man said.
Silva and Lia basically gobbled the whole thing down and then ordered another plate.
When they finished eating, they thanked the man for telling them about the slime, they paid and left the restaurant, the man watching them as they left with a bright smile.
"Ah, to see my creations accepted like this, that makes me feel like an accomplished chef."