Ch. 309
“Ugh, it’s so cringey I can’t even watch.”
They were so wrapped up in their own little world that they didn’t even notice my disgust.
‘Are they seriously smiling at each other while staring into each other’s eyes right now? Chad, especially, is grinning like an idiot… Can I kill him?’
[Shouldn’t you hold back? Don’t you see the knights?]
Just look at them. They were practically dying of happiness, clinging to each other like that.
I didn’t want to watch, but Akia was the only one who knew where the restaurant was, so I had no choice but to follow behind them in a foul mood.
While I scratched at the skin that had broken out in goosebumps, Enk and Gale came up beside me and shook their heads.
“You’re even worse, you know.”
“That’s right.”
Was it after we escaped the underwater Dungeon alive? The two of them had seemed conflicted over what to call me.
Then, after Bright helped them confirm that I was Geenie Crowell, they started calling me ‘Noona’ in unison.
I was younger, but it sounded natural enough, partly because I often said, ‘Trust your noona,’ and partly because both men were so sincere in trying to attach some kind of honorific to my name.
Actually, if you counted my age from my past life, then ‘Noona’ was correct.
Anyway, it was better than being called ‘Geenie-nim.’
“I’ve never acted like that!”
“You never realize it when you’re the one doing it.”
“Especially you, Noona. You never think about how the people around you feel.”
“What’s with you two? The fact that Chad is still alive is proof that I’m being considerate of my surroundings.”
The fact that his idiot face was still attached to his body proved that I still had some patience and reason left.
“I guess you really don’t know. You’re always holding Ash’s hand, linking arms with him. You even get piggyback rides when you’re tired! How do you think we feel watching that from the side!”
“Jealous, I bet.”
“…It’s hard to watch!”
“If you’re that jealous, then why don’t the two of you hold hands?”
Enk and Gale started grumbling that I was ruining the Captain’s dignity with my habit of touching and using Ash however I pleased whenever I got the chance.
“What about it! If I do it, it’s all forgiven!”
“You need to show some restraint! Don’t you remember touching Ash’s butt right in front of us before!”
“I do! It was perfectly firm!”
“That’s not the point! Good grief!”
“I should touch it again when he gets back. Being told not to just makes me want to do it more.”
Thinking of Ash’s embarrassed face made Akia and Chad’s public display much easier to endure.
I wonder when my Ash will be back. Will he come back tomorrow?
With that thought, motivation suddenly surged in me, and I turned to Enk.
When Ash was away, Enk was the one who managed the schedule.
“Hey. When is Ash coming back?”
“…Let’s just drop it.”
“Yeah… pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“Tell him to come to my room the moment he gets back.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, Ash…”
Gale avoided my sparkling gaze as though it were burdensome, and Enk’s face darkened as if something tragic had happened.
Anyone would think I was planning to eat Ash alive.
Though I do lick him sometimes…
“Welcome!”
The restaurant really was as famous as I’d heard. Despite its size, there was barely an empty seat to be found.
According to Akia, you couldn’t eat here without a reservation, and many nobles frequented it as one of the city’s prides.
“I have a reservation under the name Akia.”
“Would that be the party of six at noon?”
“One person couldn’t make it, so there are five of us.”
“Understood. This way, please.”
There was even someone to guide us to our seats, which was rare, so my expectations rose even higher. It had been a while since I’d been to a proper, professional establishment like this.
I may not be some delicate gourmet, but I do know the happiness of eating delicious food.
“My friend works at the castle, you know? He saw it himself.”
“Did you hear? I heard that…”
“They say if you go near the castle walls, they’re still thawing out the people who got frozen.”
“They said it shot up into the sky in an instant and disappeared!”
Trying not to listen was pointless.
Everyone was talking about it.
The tables we passed, the table next to ours, the one behind us—every single one was buzzing with talk about the brazen criminal who had attacked the Royal Palace last night.
‘Why is not a single table talking about anything except me?’
The person in question, me, sat down comfortably, picked up the menu, and started deciding what to eat, but the faces of my friends sitting across from me grew paler by the second.
I was talking about the three men who had gone hunting yesterday and left me behind.
“It’s true! I went to see it myself this morning. The castle wall was practically pulverized. There’s no way a human did that!”
“I heard the knights talking, so it must be true. They said it was the work of a Spirit Mage on Lidrat Theatrazen’s level! A high-level water spirit mage!”
“People who went to watch after hearing the commotion last night said they saw a giant dragon made of water!”
As if he had been thirsty from the start—or perhaps had only just become thirsty—Chad was gulping down water, but the moment he heard the word ‘Spirit Mage’ from the next table, he sprayed it out.
“Pfft!”
“Ugh, gross.”
If my reflexes had been just a little faster, I would have summoned Undine to block it.
But I didn’t want to attract attention by summoning a water spirit, so I held back.
“Why would they do something like that? What were they trying to do in the Royal Palace? There has to be a motive.”
“The thief theory is ridiculous, right?”
“It seems they still don’t know. I heard they’re investigating whether anyone died inside the Royal Palace or whether anything was stolen.”
I ignored the stares from the others and kept scanning the menu. What looks good? The special menu here looks pretty generous.
“Hey! Hey, everyone! I just heard this on the way here. This is the latest!”
“What is it?”
“Hurry up and tell us!”
“They’re trying to keep it quiet at the top, but… I heard Lidrat Theatrazen is unconscious. Because of that thief!”
At that newest piece of news flying in from somewhere inside the restaurant, Enk and Gale suddenly ducked under the table as if they were looking for somewhere to hide, while Chad broke out in a cold sweat and looked as if he were about to die.
Akia, being the smart one she was, seemed to have figured out in an instant why the atmosphere at our table had suddenly gone strange.
Her pupils were wider than I had ever seen as she looked at me.
Akia had never seen me summon Endairon, but she knew I was a water spirit mage, and that I was no ordinary person after surviving a Dragon.
And that my temper was violent and filthy.
“My goodness, what is happening? Is this kingdom heading for ruin?”
“First Count Trenpe, and now Lidrat Theatrazen… doesn’t it feel like bad things keep happening ever since Rovenin Fedri?”
“What a terrible omen!”
I nodded and closed the menu.
I’ll admit it, that bastard really was responsible for that one.
“You… You…!”
“N-Noona…?”
“What? What is it? Hurry up and choose from the menu. I’m hungry.”
“…I don’t think this is the time for us to be eating! What happened?!”
Enk hissed in a whisper from behind the menu, but I ignored him.
“Is there a problem? It’s lunchtime. That means it’s time to eat.”
“No! Look around us!”
“I’ll have the special lamb set. If you people aren’t going to choose, then I’m ordering five of those.”
Ignoring the men as they fidgeted, I raised my hand and called over a waiter.
My appetite was still perfectly intact, and that didn’t change even when knights entered the restaurant through the entrance behind the waiter.
Three armored knights surveyed the restaurant with solemn expressions.
Judging by their rigid posture and stern faces, they were definitely not here to eat.
“Hic…”
“Oh, dear God.”
The others at my table, who had seen the same thing I had, suddenly started twitching around the mouth, but I stayed calm. This was an important moment.
“What would you like to order?”
“Five special lamb sets.”
“You may choose a side.”
“Mix up all the appetizers and drinks. We’ll share.”
Knights stood out no matter where they went.
Our table wasn’t the only one disturbed by their appearance.
The attention of every table turned toward them.
With a thief having broken into the Royal Palace, there was only one reason for a group of knights to visit a restaurant.
“We apologize for interrupting your meal, but we will be conducting a brief inspection.”
“It won’t take long, so we ask for your cooperation.”
“Until the inspection is complete, all entry and exit will be restricted.”
‘I can’t wait. For the lamb.’
I took a bite of the bread the waiter had brought before the meal and leisurely watched the knights.
They’re all handsome. And well built, too.
A man is all about the shoulders. But I can’t give up on a broad chest like that brown-haired knight’s either.
Still, when it comes to a beautiful body, my Ash is the best.
Unlike me, who showed no sign of tension, Chad and Enk started trembling the moment the waiter left.
“Please, please… I’m begging you. Tell us this has nothing to do with you…!”
“Right! We’re just misunderstanding, right? We’re the awful, despicable ones, right? We’re the ungrateful bastards for doubting you for no reason, right?”
They whispered through clenched teeth, staring at me desperately, keeping their voices low so the nearby tables wouldn’t hear.
Gale, who had been clutching the back of his neck, joined in too, as if trying to deny reality.
“You should hit us for saying something that ridiculous! I’d rather that happen!”
There was still a faint glimmer of hope left on their faces.
The sort of faces that were begging for a beating, hoping I would throw the bread in my hand at them for the crime of daring to suspect me.
Do they really not know me at all…? I slowly chewed and swallowed the bread, took a sip of water, and then replied, very quietly and very affectionately.
“If it makes you feel better, think whatever you like. It might help if you think of it this way: I went hunting with you guys yesterday. And I caught five rabbits.”
“…What did you say?”
“Th-That means…”
Gale toppled backward again, Chad covered his face and started sobbing silently, and Enk looked like a man who had lost his country.
Akia, not knowing what to do, kept darting her eyes around, but she at least stayed seated in relative calm.
At that moment, a man who looked like the restaurant owner hurried out of the kitchen and started speaking to the knights.
“Sirs, I don’t mean to interfere in state affairs, but… our establishment is reservation only.”
“And what of it?”
They were quite far away, but I could still overhear the conversation without difficulty.
Ever since I had learned the trick to sensing presences, my hearing had become more sensitive too, and if I focused, I could strangely pick out the exact sounds I wanted to hear.
In the end, everything came down to focus. To uncover the essence and awaken the purpose.
“The culprit in that incident cannot possibly be here. What kind of thief would rob the Royal Palace and then stroll into a high-end restaurant the very next day to enjoy a meal? Especially after making a reservation in advance.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but we were ordered to search every establishment, so there can be no exceptions.”