This week’s episode once again prominently featured children as customers of Nekoya. Not just the first half, but also the second half of the episode.
The first half focused on Victoria, who for the first time went to eat with her family, Alfred and Margarette, who are Victoria’s nephew and niece. Typical with the story of racial prejudice that is a common theme in isekai setting, the half-elf Victoria was an outcast and must live alone at the Western Tower due to a misdeed caused by a half-elf long ago. It wasn’t elaborate in detail, but it’s clear that human prejudice towards half-elves were severe and won’t bring any good to Victoria should she reveal herself to the world. Regardless of her isolation, she’s content with her life by finding the positive side from her situation: she’s able to entrust the fate of the country to the children’s father who is her younger brother while she dedicated herself in studying magic.
Alfred and Margarette have known their aunt, but this was the first time they were told that she’s a witch. They were told not to go near the tower, but like children their age, their curiosity led them to ignore warning and went to the western tower. Instead of a scary tower filled with magic tools, they instead found a pudding. Mistaking it for a potion that could grant magical power, they ate it and got caught red-handed by Victoria. Finding out that their aunt was a witch came as a surprise for them, especially knowing the real reason why she was locked up at the Western Tower. I’m 100% agree with the children. Victoria didn’t do anything wrong, so she doesn’t deserve to be isolated like that. Not just Victoria, but also other innocent half-elves. Just because one half-elf did evil things, it doesn’t mean we should stereotype the entire half-elves.
I’m happy for Victoria because now she has people she could share her secret with, and they were none other than her own family. Until this episode, Victoria always came alone to eat at Nekoya, the only place where she can interact with others of mixed races without having to worry being prejudiced by humans or elves like the ones in her world. Having lived alone with little interaction aside from the people at Nekoya, the chances of Victoria getting married and have her own family is pretty slim. Alfred and Margarette gave her the happiness of having children to care for and who cares for her in return. Seeing their interaction brought warmth to my chest, the same warmth I have no doubt also experienced by Victoria. (^_^)
The second half of the episode focused on Pikke and Pakke, who made a fortune by selling cream stew, which is actually a cream stew. The second half didn’t give much an impression on me, both the characters and the menu (I don’t really like croquette). But the revelation about how halflings like them caneat several times more than normal humans made me wow. They were able to eat 15 plates each of cream croquette, which made 30 plates in total! And as someone who helped in mother’s culinary business, I wish they can teach me a few things in marketing their foods. XD
No offense to Pikke and Pakke, but I wish the whole episode just focus on Victoria spending times with Alfred and Margarette. I want to see more of them together spending times as a family, something that Victoria really needs.
Next episode’s menu would be Scotch Egg and Mont Blanc. I don’t like scotch egg, but Mont Blanc is an okay in my book!
