As 'Gale,' who had struggled and scrambled on the edge of life and death countless times.
Ryuu's sensitivity to gazes exceeded even her perception of killing intent.
Especially when the owner of that gaze was her most treasured best friend—Syr.
Ryuu stopped the hand that was wiping the table.
She followed the direction of the last glance Syr had cast before disappearing.
At the end of that line of sight.
It was precisely that black-haired Deity sitting at the head of the long table, currently chatting cheerfully with the black-haired, red-eyed Half-Dwarf beside him.
Ryuu narrowed her eyes slightly.
Her gaze was like a knife, lingering on that Deity for a moment.
The other party seemed completely unaware.
"..."
That Deity.
Was he the reason Syr felt unwell and eventually fled with that panicked look in her eyes?
Or did he hold some kind of leverage over Syr?
"..."
Thinking of this, Ryuu couldn't help but purse her lips.
The rag in her hand was clenched a few degrees tighter.
She took a deep look at that black-haired figure, carving his appearance into her mind.
"Ryuu?"
Suddenly.
Just as Ryuu was zoning out.
A call carrying a nasal tone rang out beside her ear.
"..."
Ryuu's whole body stiffened.
She turned her head.
Only to see.
Reflected in her eyes was a magnified cat face wearing a sly smile.
——Anya Fromel.
Like the tavern's proprietress—Mia—she was a former adventurer of the [Freya Familia], Level 4.
Title: 「Avatar of the Chariot」. Currently a waitress at the tavern [Hostess of Fertility].
This brown short-haired idiot Cat Person was holding an empty tray, tilting her head and looking at Ryuu with a face full of confusion.
"Nya-ha! Caught you, meow!"
"Slacking off here will get you scolded by Mama Mia, meow!"
"N-no, it's nothing."
Ryuu shook her head, releasing the hand that was tightly gripping the rag.
"I wasn't slacking off."
"I just suddenly remembered there are still a few barrels of overflowing kitchen waste in the back alley that haven't been dealt with."
"If I don't go dump them now, the smell will be terrible by closing time."
"Eh—that kind of dirty work, meow?"
Anya wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"But Syr is on duty tonight, meow."
"It doesn't matter. Since Syr went back because she wasn't feeling well, I happen to be free, so I'll go handle it."
"Alright then, you go, Ryuu. Leave this place to me and the others, meow."
"Mn."
Ryuu nodded, turning to walk toward the back kitchen.
However.
One second before lifting the curtain.
She still couldn't hold back and swept a glance out of the corner of her eye in that direction one more time.
This time.
It met precisely with the gaze that person seemed to have cast over, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Ryuu's heart skipped a beat; she quickly retracted her gaze and swiftly disappeared behind the curtain.
*
At the long table.
Haimer put down the wine glass in his hand.
Naturally, he noticed the gaze Ryuu had cast.
Even if she had retired, 'Gale' was ultimately still 'Gale'.
It was hard to ignore her even if one wanted to.
However.
Haimer didn't pay it too much mind.
After all, Ryuu had an excessive protectiveness over Syr—who was Freya's disguise—and this was no secret.
Let her be.
Acting too sharp would instead confirm unnecessary suspicions.
As long as neither he nor Freya actively burst the bubble.
Even if this cautious Elf lady thought until her head exploded, she wouldn't be able to guess the twists and turns involved here.
Moreover.
That wasn't the main point of tonight.
Thinking of this.
Haimer withdrew his thoughts and placed his attention back on the young girls sitting around the table.
From leaving the Dungeon, to negotiating at the Guild and watching those staff members stare until their eyes popped out, to taking their seats in this tavern.
Along the way, he had been solely focused on dealing with the chatterbox Tsubaki and pulling back and forth with Shakti.
It seemed he had somewhat neglected these children of his own.
Thinking of this.
Haimer looked at the flushed faces of the girls, who were now full of food and drink, noticing they had clearly slowed down their eating.
It was time.
*
"By the way."
"All this way, I've only been listening to Tsubaki chatter on about your performance."
"I forgot to hear your own thoughts."
"Entering the Dungeon for the first time, and engaging in slaughter with monsters."
"How did it feel?"
Haimer spoke softly.
As soon as these words came out.
Amou Kirukiru was the first to put down the knife and fork in her hands.
Subsequently, she casually wiped a grease stain from the corner of her mouth, a kind of heart-palpitating light flickering in those narrow phoenix eyes.
"It was great."
Short.
Powerful.
Amou Kirukiru licked her lips, her voice carrying an irrepressible excitement. Her slender fingers swiped gently through the empty air, as if still savoring the previous battle.
"That resistance of fingers piercing into flesh."
"The sensation of warm blood splattering on my cheeks."
"And the crisp sound of bones fracturing just before a monster dies..."
"Every minute, every second."
"Made me feel."
"That I am truly alive!"
"Compared to the restrained sparring matches of the past!"
"This kind of thorough, unscrupulous slaughter!"
"And the thrill of hanging by a thread."
"It all makes me incomparably intoxicated."
"I already feel that I was born for this."
Amou Kirukiru's face revealed an expression bordering on intoxication.
These words.
The adventurers at the neighboring table shivered involuntarily upon hearing them, looking over as if looking at a lunatic.
Haimer, however, was accustomed to this and instead nodded approvingly.
"That is good."
"Only those who enjoy combat can walk further in the Dungeon."
"I believe you won't lose yourself because of it either."
"So, what about the others?"
Haimer then looked to the other side.
"Tsukuyo doesn't have that special feeling Kirukiru has."
Inaba Tsukuyo tilted her head slightly, her face with eyes closed tight facing Haimer's direction, her voice soft and gentle.
"It is just that Tsukuyo feels very fulfilled here."
"The movements of those monsters, and even their killing intent... Tsukuyo can sense them clearly."
"And thanks to this sword bestowed by Kami-sama."
"And Kami-sama's Grace."
"If not for these, Tsukuyo absolutely could not have achieved today's level."
Inaba Tsukuyo reached out and gently stroked the famous sword named [White Heron] placed at her side, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"That's right!"
Onigawara Rin couldn't help but interject as well, nodding forcefully with a face full of agreement.
"My [Black Crow] is the same!"
"If it weren't for that sword, plus Kami-sama's Grace..."
"I might have been surrounded by those Killer Ants long ago."
Onigawara Rin touched the Hannya mask hanging at her waist, which had already been repaired, a sheepish smile on her face.
"In the final analysis."
"It's all thanks to Kami-sama."
"Yeah."
"If we had used those scraps of copper and iron we brought ourselves to fight desperately against those monsters..."
"It's hard to say if we could even be sitting here eating in one piece right now."
It seemed the alcohol had taken effect.
The girls chimed in one after another, suddenly talking much more, nodding in agreement like chickens pecking at rice.
In their eyes.
The reason they could rampage through the Dungeon like chopping vegetables today.
That Divine Weapon that cut iron like mud, and that God's Grace surging within their bodies, definitely accounted for ninety-nine percent of the credit.
As for themselves.
It was probably just good luck that they had clung to this Kami-sama.
Hearing these words, the eyes of the adventurers nearby who were originally just watching the fun changed at this moment.
At first, they were only surprised by the configuration of this team—beauties, beasts, and a God.
But when the wine had gone three rounds, and their attention finally shifted from the two bears to land on the weapons carried by the girls.
The air in the hall noticeably stagnated for a few seconds.
"Hey... look at the sword on the waist of that masked samurai girl..."
At the next table, a senior adventurer with a face full of stubble lowered his voice, nudging his companion with his elbow.
"That forging pattern... and the material of that scabbard..."
"That's a high-grade item from the [Hephaestus Familia], isn't it?"
"Could it even be hand-crafted by that Tsubaki?"
"Hiss—"
The companion sucked in a breath of cold air, forgetting to lift the wine glass in his hand to his mouth.
"Are you kidding..."
"What is the background of this group of rookies?"
"Weapons of that level, even Level 3 adventurers might not necessarily be able to afford them, right?"
"And they actually have one each?!"
Envy, jealousy, and deep awe.
This was Orario's simplest set of values—equipment often represented strength, or an even more terrifying background.
However.
Facing those surrounding gazes that were almost hot enough to burn people, and the girls' words that chattered on pushing all the credit onto his head.
The expression on Haimer's face finally gradually retracted.
Finally, he shook his head helplessly, then raised his hand, making a gesture to stop.
"Halt."
As soon as this word came out, the girls who were originally still in a state of excitement immediately quieted down.
Haimer put down his wine glass, his gaze calmly sweeping over the faces of these girls of his.
The girls looked at each other in dismay, not knowing if they had said something wrong.
____
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