SWNOVELXO chapter 308
308.Unsolved Tasks (6)
“What, what, what, what?!”
Viola’s new voice echoed throughout the square. People passing by heard the sound and looked at Viola. She asked Viola with her new red face like a tomato.
“Uh, so… You’re… My date… Partner?”
“Okay.”
“Really?”
“Do you think Elisa would have someone else to introduce besides me?”
At one word from Johan, Viola nodded her head without realizing it. Even if Elisha, who was still shy, said that the man she was going to introduce was John, there was no way she would be the only one.
If you think about it, it was natural, but Viola couldn’t tell whether she should blame herself or be relieved that she hadn’t thought of that possibility.
‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m on a date with you.’
Viola was somehow embarrassed and couldn’t look at her face.
It’s not an objectively handsome face… But it’s definitely the face of a person with good feelings.
“Am I disappointed because I am the opponent?”
“No no no no! It’s not like that, uh, um, uh… Let’s just say I’m nervous because it’s our first date…”
Viola answered in gibberish and looked up at John. There was a soft smile on the face that went up against his chest her her her her. An expression as if looking at something cute.
Viola hurriedly lowered her eyes at that expression.
A hand was carefully extended into her eyes. Clumsy and huge hands. Viola looked up at John again.
“I’m here for a date, so I guess I should move slowly. Viola, will you come with me?”
“…Ah, uncle, do whatever you want…”
Viola was embarrassed and placed a cold hand on John’s hand hers. The two, holding hands like that, left the square while receiving strange looks from the people around them.
—————
“This is…”
“I chose a place I think you’ll like.”
“No! Good. But…Isn’t it a bit of a place for a date?”
Viola said while scratching her cheek in front of the entrance to Canbury Tool Store, which handles high-quality alchemy materials and tools. Even though she was new to dating, she still knew that incorporating an alchemy tool into a date was absurd.
To her reaction, John shrugged his shoulders and answered.
“When it comes to dating, it’s common sense to choose a place the other person likes.”
“Is it… ?”
Viola tilted her head in response to John. Since she had no dating experience, Viola decided to just take her her uncle’s word her her her.
“Okay, then let’s go in!”
“Okay.”
The two quietly entered the Canbury Alchemy Tool Shop. Because we chose a rather quiet time, we didn’t see many customers.
The two slowly began looking at the display stand with various sizes of flasks located to the right of the entrance.
“This is amazing…A bottle made out of diamonds. “Wouldn’t this alone eat up a considerable amount of the research budget?”
“I guess so.”
“Look at this material. It’s the shell of the steel turtle. I heard this thing is that hard-“
“If I make armor with this, it will be strong.”
“This frog is the purple frog that only exists in the jungles of the southern part of the continent! “This frog’s blood can be used in many ways as an alchemy ingredient, so it’s quite expensive!”
“I see.”
“…Ah. It was a bit boring to talk about things that only I know, right? Sorry…”
“No, it’s okay. Because it was a pretty interesting story.”
Although he had a different field, he was someone who made things as a business, so he was listening to Viola’s explanation with great interest. Especially since alchemy was uncharted territory for him.
“Still, it’s a bit much to talk about things like this on a date, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know what you think a date is, but this could definitely be called a date.”
Viola tilted her head in response to Johan’s answer to her, but she ultimately had no choice but to agree. Because he had nothing to say about it.
So the two walked around the store and stopped again at the place where the materials were gathered.
“Is there anything you want to buy?”
“No, it’s still okay.”
“Don’t refuse. “It’s natural to buy a gift for your date.”
“Uh…Then I’ll take this.”
Viola picked up the bottle filled with gray powder that was lying in a corner.
“That’s…”
“Finely ground luminous bellflower powder. This is also a pretty precious ingredient…”
“Are there any more?”
“This is enough.”
John went straight to the counter with the bottle, paid for it, then returned and held Viola’s hand
“Then let’s go to the next location.”
“Uh oh…But do we have to hold hands?”
“There is no need to walk around awkwardly.”
“Uhm. Right…”
“Now it’s time to eat, so I’ll go to the restaurant.”
The two left the store holding hands and entered the main street again. The next stop was a high-end restaurant in the city.
Viola asked, looking up at him with a puzzled face when he stopped in front of a high-end restaurant she normally wouldn’t dare go to.
“Um, have lunch here?”
“Don’t worry about money. How much do you think I make from prosthetic hands?”
“Oh, that’s right. He was rich…”
A knight richer than his master. With those thoughts in mind, Viola entered the restaurant. As it is a famously expensive place in Kalon, the interior of the restaurant was gorgeous.
Chairs and tables with luxurious decorations. Several decorations hanging on the wall. Even musicians playing on the stage in the corner of the restaurant. Viola was caught up in the feeling of being in another world.
“Welcome.”
“Johan Quartz. Reservation is for 12 o’clock.”
“Ah, Lord Quartz. Please come this way. “I will guide you to the VIP room of our restaurant.”
The two people followed the manager who personally came to meet them and moved to the VIP room on the second floor of the restaurant. The VIP room was a closed space where you could barely hear any outside sounds.
On the other hand, the exterior wall is entirely made of glass, allowing you to enjoy the cityscape, creating a cool atmosphere even though it is an enclosed space.
“Wow…”
“Are there any ingredients that you can’t eat?”
“Uh, probably not… ?”
“Please bring out the product you are most confident in in this store.”
“Yes, we will soon serve the full course meal that our restaurant is proud of.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Then I hope you have a good time.”
The manager left the room, and only a man and a woman remained in the enclosed space. When Viola was left alone with John, she looked at her table with an awkward expression.
‘It feels completely different from the studio…’
The space for work and research and the space for an intimate meal had a different feel. Viola wiggled her hands in her lap and glanced at her John.
“Are you nervous?”
“Huh? Uh oh…”
“This is not usual.”
“No, it’s hard to do things like usual in a place like this…” ” ? Well, more than that, did John come on a date at Elisha’s request?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s an appetizer.”
Johan answered in a calm voice and looked down at the simple food the waiter was placing on the table. Although it was a bit disappointing compared to the food eaten in the imperial family, the dishes were luxurious enough.
Yohan took a spoonful of pre-dinner soup and expressed his thoughts lightly.
“It’s delicious.”
“It’s true. As expected, expensive restaurants are different… I still like Yeomyeonggwan better.”
“I agree.”
The merits of home-cooked meals cannot be ignored. The two looked at each other, expressing the same sentiment.
‘What should I talk about?’
Viola’s mind was once again tangled like a tangled skein of thread. It was because she couldn’t find a topic worth bringing up. John, who was looking at Viola, smiled and asked her.
“It seems like he can’t concentrate on his research these days.”
“Uh, uh… That’s right.”
“Explosive agent. “Is this research something that needs to be done urgently?”
“It’s not like that…”
“There is no need to rush too much. “There is still plenty of time.”
“But I still want to make it quickly.”
“Is there a reason?”
“…My parents used to be explorers. But at the time, my parents couldn’t find a wizard, so they forced themselves into the dungeon to survive. Then he got seriously injured…And my father is still limping.”
‘Was there such a past?’
“I see…”
“So I wanted to make a potion that explorers could use without a wizard.”
“So is it an explosion?”
“Huh. Because explosions can be applied to a variety of places.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Leaving my story here, what was your original job?”
“Have I never told you about my past?”
“Hmm, I never did it right, maybe?”
“It’s my past… When I opened my eyes, I found myself floating on a deserted island. That is my first memory.”
John told Viola a short summary of his life. Viola listened with interest to his life story, and when she finished, she asked him.
“Then how old are you now? “You said you were 19 before?”
“I am now 20 years old.”
“…Who would look at your face and think you’re 19?”
“It’s a strange place where time doesn’t pass.”
“It’s an amazing place. Are there places like that if you go outside the continent?”
“There are many interesting things outside the continent. “There are octopuses bigger than most sailboats.”
“Octopus?”
“Okay.”
“I see…”
The more Viola talked to him, the more she felt that she knew less about John than she thought.
Why?
She felt like she wanted to know more about John.
“Today’s main dish, a steak made from carefully selected premium cuts of beef raised on high-quality feed.”
“It’s a bit of a shame that a cow would die just to treat us.”
“This is actually a secret, but we supply meat by cutting off the necessary parts and treating them with the help of a priest.”
“… “That’s a really novel method.”
“That’s right.”
The two people looked at each other and shrugged.
“Well then, I hope you have a good meal.”
“We’ll talk about the rest after we eat.”
“OK. It’s hard to look away with such delicious food in front of you… “
The two people got along well and picked up the utensils and started cutting the steak.