"Everything in the lounge, including food and drinks, are complimentary services, please put yourself at ease and enjoy them."
In any world, as long as a certain amount of money was put in, corresponding amount of service would be returned. Even so, the services being returned here did not please Ainz at all.
"Understood. Come, Nabe."
Ainz entered the lounge with Narberal and chose the nearest chairs to sit down on.
There were a few other guests also resting in the lounge. The majority of them were adventurers. If high ranking adventurers could complete quests that paid generous rewards, their living standard would naturally increase as well and they could afford to live in hotels like this.
Regardless of where they were, be it the Kingdom capital or E-Rantel, all adventurers led the same lifestyle.
Ainz made sure that the adamantite plate hanging around his neck was visible for the others to see, so that they would become the topic of conversation amongst the guests at the hotel. It wasn't a bad thing to raise one's profile through this method.
While being conscious of the attention he was getting, Ainz opened the menu that was next to him.
Can't read it…
Ainz slowly flicked through the menu, even though he couldn't read, to prevent others from finding out.
Even though Ainz brought along the item that had previously been lent to Sebas which allowed one to read any language, in the current situation, it would be weird to suddenly take it out and use it.
"Sebas… and Tsuare..."
The image of Sebas along with Tsuare popped up in Ainz's mind when thinking about whether or not to use the item.
"Is something wrong with that woman?"
"Ah, no, it's not a big deal. I was wondering about how she is adjusting."
Although Ainz had handed everything to Sebas, he still had the obligation to ensure Tsuare's wellbeing since he made the promise to protect her.
"I don't think there's any problem. At the moment... because the head maid is currently under house arrest, Sebas-sama is personally teaching her the skills needed as a maid. After she has learned an adequate amount of proper etiquette, she will then study cooking and a few other types of work. We plan on teaching her a bit of everything until we discover what work she is most suitable for."
"Is that so? Well then, it should be fine leaving it to Sebas. Also, it's about time to release those two from house arrest… Albedo’s temper should have cooled off by now."
Narberal lowered her head without saying a word.
Noticing that their conversation had ended, a waiter quietly walked towards them.
"Have the two of you decided on what to order?"
"I'll have iced Makyatia. What do you want, Nabe?"
"I want the same."
"It's okay to order something that you like."
"No, I want to have the same drink. Oh, and also, I want milk to be added to mine."
"Certainly."
Having received the orders, the waiter bowed deeply, and left quietly.
Makyatia was a drink that looked similar to latte, and Ainz often saw it in E-Rantel. It smelled like latte as well. However, since latte and coffee also existed in this world there must be some difference. Nevertheless, Ainz would never find out because he could not consume any food or drinks. He had previously experimented by attempting to eat and drink, but the only results were that everything spilled out from below his chin without tasting anything. Not a single benefit was found.
The reason why Ainz chose this drink was because it was only served in high-class establishments. It was probably the most suitable choice for the current setting.
While wiping away non-existent sweat, Ainz thought of the most pointless question to ask.
"Nabe... what does Makyatia taste like?"
Knowing that Narberal had tried the drink before, Ainz curiously asked her.
Narberal made an expression that showed that she was thinking. It was the kind of expression one would make such as when being asked what does coffee tastes like by someone who has never tried it once in their life.
"Hmmm... If I had to describe it, I would say it tastes similar to Shakerato. Except it leaves behind an aftertaste of condensed milk."
"...Is that so? Sounds delicious."
Never heard of a drink called Shakerato before. Is this perhaps a type of drink that only exists in this world? The possibility of that seems high.
"It's not bad. Only so-so." Narberal replied.
Just as Ainz responded to Narberal with a "Hmmm", the drinks that were ordered arrived.
"Don't mind me and drink up. Otherwise it'll be weird if neither of us touched our drinks."
Having becoming accustomed to wearing his helmet all day long, Ainz did not notice the unnaturalness of not removing his helmet despite drinks being served in front of him.
"Thank you."
"It's fine if you drink mine as well. Anyway, listen up. For the time being, the plan is to first tour the capital in the next two days. I've heard that the amount of goods they sell at the central market is unbelievable. It's definitely worth taking a look. Also, they sell magic items in the center area of the northern market and adventurers frequent that place."
This information was acquired from the captured members of "Eight Fingers". Although most of the reports received were related to the black markets, Ainz didn't have any plans on visiting them. He only knew of it from glancing at the reports provided.
"The third day is to visit the Adventurer's Guild. If possible, I would like to make connections with some of the adamantite adventurers of the Empire, if not, then let's simply complete our current tasks and head home. Overall it should take around seven days. Do you have any other suggestions?"
Narberal, who stopped drinking halfway, listened in silence and shook her head.
Part 2
The capital of the Empire, often regarded as the manifestation of the Empire's power, contained many aspects which surprised people. One of them was something which the majority of travelers that arrived at the capital were amazed of—that every road in the capital was covered by bricks and stones.