Chapter 8
It was a common day like any other in the guild.
The staff arrived earlier, followed by Adventurers and by some weird miracle Gods. The last ones were the type Rose Fannet wanted to avoid the most as they were usually a primary source of trouble.
Not that adventurers were any better seeing there was no such thing as an honest one.
New ones? Give them time and either they will be molded by the Dungeon or other Adventurers… that is if they don't get killed in the process.
Rose held the urge of frowning and kept her stoic face on instead. She already held a number of dead Adventurers under her 'belt'. It wasn't that she didn't grieve for them, but rather it was something temporary as another new Adventurer would come in with hopes of achieving some big dream and then… rinse and repeat.
She really envied some of the younger members of the staff sometimes. They were naïve to some degree as they kept advising their respective Adventurer's thinking they would see them the next day like usual until they start getting a wakeup call.
Like a certain half-elf she knew. She had initially started working here because the pay was good, at least she admitted that herself. But she still put all her enthusiasm in her work… until her first adventurer died. The half-elf then started to take things more seriously to the point where even the way she held herself changed, something reflected in the fact that she even cut her own hair.
The lessons she gave to Adventurers became harsher to the point most of them left her, and those that remained still eventually died.
She's down to three dead adventurers at the moment, and little by little Rose could see how the girl's mood started to degrade every time the count increased… So imagine Rose's surprise when Eina Tulle came walking from the opposite side of the hall with some books and an angry expression on her face.
She seemed annoyed at best, and that was only when Eina complained at her Adventurer's recklessness. But angry, never.
"Rough day?" Rose asked out of pure curiosity after the half-elf passed her while muttering several words that Rose couldn't make out.
Eina stopped sternly and turned around after sighing. "I… had a… complicated conversation with someone in the library."
"An Adventurer?" Rose asked, seeing there was nothing new in arguing between them and advisors.
"According to him, no." Eina scowled before massaging the bridge between her eyes. "I assumed that he was someone thinking of becoming one, so I tried to offer my services in answering any doubt he had… but he ignored me." Her eye twitched as she told her coworker that the person in question ignored her as he focused on a pile of books. "I told him he wouldn't make it as an Adventurer," her face started to become red out of anger. "You know what he said? Classic of an elf, so quick in jumping into a conclusion and thinking they are right." She pointed at herself. "When have I ever acted uptight and arrogantly in being sure about something towards anyone!?"
Rose raised an eyebrow. "Just now; You pretty much told him he was going to die." The half-elf froze in place as her redness became one of embarrassment as she turned around and headed her way. "Forget about it, I have already wasted enough time as it is. If he's not willing to listen, he's not worth it; he's not gonna last long with that stubbornness. He didn't even have the nerve to look me in the eyes as if I wasn't worth it."
'I can name you one person that never listens and is a first rank adventurer.' Rose thought as the image of the Sword Princess ran through her mind.
"… that's a whole different level of stubbornness though." Rose thought as she sighed before heading her way to her destination, which so just happened it was the library.
General information of the Dungeon, maps, a bestiary of floor monsters discovered, historical records, information about Falna, Skill and Development abilities.
Drake had found the library's collection of books rather helpful. However, this place didn't have general information about the world, and historical records were limited to only the things that have happened in Orario.
But there was one more thing it lacked; however, he couldn't blame it on this place since technology had yet to advance… or be invented.
"I miss tactile screens." He muttered to himself as he flipped another page while he heard a pair of steps in high heels getting closer to his place.
He frowned; he really didn't want to be bothered again. So, he focused on his lecture and ignored looking at the entrance of the library: he wouldn't even acknowledge the newcomer, especially since he felt her stare at him. Thankfully it didn't last long seeing the person make their way to a different part of the library.
'… ok then… The Dark Age of Orario.' Drake thought as he focused on his current book. He had already read what Hephaestus and Tsubaki had recommended to him, so there wasn't any need to focus on this. However, no one knows when the past might play a role in the present in some sort of way.
'The only thing worst that terrorists, it's cultists.'
Evilus, a group whose only objective is to cause havoc and destruction to bring an end to Orario. In his eyes, at the very least the White Fang back in Remnant fought for equality and rights before turning into an actual terrorist group, but the intent was still there. But this, this was just a group of people that literally wanted to see the world burn.
Like any other terrorist… cultist group, this one started as a radical group when the Zeus and Hera Familia were still around. Said Familias had dealt with them several times, but never managed to put an end to them. The blonde guessed it was because none of the Familias thought they could ever become a threat… just like they thought they would be able to end the three great quests.
'How wrong they were…' Drake thought as he pondered about the three great Quests . "The Black Dragon… such a small fucking world."
Drake focused back on the topic in hand. Had those two Familias handled Evilus seriously, those dark days could have been avoided. He also couldn't help but find it ironic that the remnants of those Familias came back after being forced to leave Orario by Loki and Freya.
'Hello Karma, my dearest friend.'
And all because of pure greed in reaching the top.
He narrowed his eyes at the final entries in the records. Ottarl had been able to beat the level seven of Zeus Familia, while Astrea Familia managed to beat someone of the same level from Hera Familia.
Ottarl beating someone with a higher level than him… he could believe that. Even Drake admitted he would have a hard time dealing with him with no proper weapon or only his human boundaries.
'But a Familia full of Level threes?'
Make no mistake. To him, levels were only numbers, but for other people here it was common that a level seven was just someone near inhuman.
'Something doesn't add up-'
"Excuse me." The blonde's train of thought crashed abruptly as he looked away from his book with a visible twitch in his eye.
'Of fucking course, it had to be a red head.' The blonde cursed in his head as he focused on a red-haired werewolf with yellow eyes.
"May I help you?" The blonde asked in a usual bland tone, to which the woman pointed at the two piles of books next to him. "Do you happen to have the books containing information regarding the floors thirty-one to forty-five in any of those piles of books? I am sorry if you plan to read them, but I am in need of them."
The former Noble looked at the pile before taking three books out of it to hand them over to her without saying a single word.
"I apologize if you had planned on reading them." She gave a slight bow and prepared to leave, only to be beaten by the blonde's reply. "I already read them, so you don't have to worry about it."
The eyes of the werewolf widened slightly, she now figured out the two piles of books were of those he had already read. There were a total of thirteen if she counted the ones she was holding and the one he was currently reading. "…How long have you been here?"
"Since seven, if I am not wrong…" the blonde stopped focusing on the book after replying as he realized he didn't know how long he had been there, to which then both looked at the library's clock.
"Almost three hours." She thought out loud as the blonde laid on his chair before rubbing both of his eyes, he clearly had lost the track of time. But still, it was quite impressive in her eyes.
"How did you manage to read all of these in such little time?" the blonde stopped rubbing his eyes as he gazed past the Advisor to see his own Shadow with his appearance in physical form, coming out of an aile of books with another book in hand before he flipped him off while mouthing a clear 'Fuck you!'
"Multitasking." The werewolf raised an eyebrow as his shadow disappeared into another aile.
"…Is there anything else you may need?" he asked. Not because he noticed she was staring at him, but because she wasn't leaving.
"I am sorry if this bothers you. But I have to ask, are you thinking of becoming an Adventurer?"
'Fuck my life' the blonde thought as Rose took a seat a across the table.
"I am guessing this has to do with your other coworker?" he raised an eyebrow seeing she reached that conclusion rather quickly.
Rose sighed as she gave another slight bow. "Please forgive her, I know she may have been a little unprofessional."
He gave her a blank look before snorting. "Right… telling people they are gonna die it's part of your job curriculum."
"Actually, it is." She replied without hesitation. "We advise Adventurers and make sure to remind them that they are not all powerful or immortal. And that if they are not careful, they will meet Death's embrace sooner or later."
'At least she's been subtle about it.'
"However, you are not an Adventurer. And even if you were, the way she handled things was not the right one. So please accept my apologies on her behalf." The blonde sighed before reluctantly waving his hand as a sign of 'forget about it.'.
"Having said that," the blonde mentally cursed, knowing this wasn't over. "May I ask if you are thinking of becoming one? I see you have dedicated yourself to your studies. Even though usually new Adventurers would research about the dungeon and many other related subjects after joining a Familia. But seeing as you aren't one, you don't belong to-"
"If that's what you are worried about, then don't. I already have a deity's blessing on me."
Her stoic face faltered a little at his statement. "But you said-"
"I don't consider myself an Adventurer. I am going into the Dungeon to either work or under my own volition. I am not a damn kid wanting to go into some big adventure and save a useless princess in despair." He replied with a serious tone. But even so, she couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"Adventurers shouldn't go on adventures'...a certain coworker of mine uses that as her motto, I can't help but compare your statement with hers." She retained a small smile on her face at his reaction thanks to a twitching eye.
"Those are two complete separate things. I simply refuse being called an 'Adventurer'; your friend just takes off the meaning of that very term."
She raised her palm as a sign of peace before she dropped her smile. "So, you already belong to a Familia, and you are also studying. Do you perhaps wish to take an Advisor as well?"
"No, thank you." He replied with an even blanker look, to which Rose scowled in for a short instance.
"I can see you are serious about Dungeon diving, but books can only take you so far. That's why Advisors can fill the gap with the experience they have accumulated from other Adventurers."
Drake could see the logic in her words. However, it was for the best that he limited his contact with the Guild to a minimum to avoid problems for himself, Tsubaki and Hephaestus.
"It's not you, it's me." He fought the urge of laughing seeing he noticed her wolf ears and eye twitch slightly; she was clearly misunderstanding his statement. "I am arrogant, full of myself, have problems doing what other people suggest to me, always do things my way… most of the time."
Rose sighed; she understood his line of reasoning. "So you admit simply being like any other Adventurer," she sighed. "At least you are honest about it."
"I wouldn't say that." He leaned on his chair as he placed his right elbow over the table so he could rest his head on his hand to then stare at the werewolf with narrowed eyes. "I can actually back up my words."
Rose instincts kicked in that moment as a chill ran down her spine. It was as if an actual predator, no, a Monster had laid its eyes on her. The fact that his eyes resembled that of a Dragon didn't help at all.
"Although," his sudden statement brought her back to reality as he stared at the book he was currently reading. "mind helping me figure something about this." She narrowed her eyes after the blonde turned the book and pointed at a specific entry. "Why would you want to know about that?"
"I am just educating myself." He moved the book back to him. "So, how did a Familia of Lever Threes beat a Level 7?"
Rose sighed as she placed both arms on the table with her hands intertwined. "The Guild was also curious about that as well. After some investigation we found out that both Zald 'The Gluttony' and Alfia 'The Silence' were both ill from different afflictions."
'Finally hearing a good god damn alias… not sure about Gluttony though.' Drake thought as he reached his own conclusion. "So, I take it that by the time the Astrea Familia fought Alfia in the Dungeon-"
She nodded. "She was already severely weakened."
Drake adopted the same position as before, his mind racing as he reached an unwanted conclusion. "… It doesn't make sense." He thought out loud, making Rose stare confused at his statement.
"Two of the strongest people in the world, both dying, decide to come back to Orario for revenge knowing full well it could be futile."
Rose sighed. "They had a clear motive. They also probably thought that if they were going to die, they might as well destroy the place and people that took everything from them."
Drake shook his head without hesitation. "Avengers might act harshly. But if there's something every Avenger has it is the mindset of taking their revenge no matter the cost. Both Zard and Alfia knew how fatale their diseases were and still went through with Evilus's plan."
He took a moment to think about something else.
"Besides, despite the high number of mortality alone… why didn't they cause more destruction? The records may be vague, but both of them were described as power houses, so why didn't they destroy more." Rose's eyes started to wide as she listened, because his words carried a lot of logic with them. "They could have destroyed everything on the first day, so why didn't they?"
The Advisor looked down on the table, his logic was definitely solid. Unfortunately, there was no way of knowing what those two were thinking since they were now gone. And it looked like the blonde reached the same conclusion seeing he leaned back on his seat before sighing.
"At least Astraea Familia got something out of it." he thought out loud, only to feel the mood in the library shift as he noticed Rose frowning.
"You clearly aren't from here." She muttered, making Drake reach the conclusion that said Familia didn't exist anymore. "Their deaths left a huge gap in Orario, but that was just the tip of the iceberg compared to the Gale's spring of terror." The were-wolf couldn't help but sigh as she stood up. "Give me a moment."
Rose headed to the aile his shadow had previously walked by. As soon as she was about to disappear from his line of sight, his shadow came out of the other side of the aisle without Rose noticing with another book in hand, which he tossed at Drake as he walked to the opposite side of the library while double flipping him off as he cursed.
"Fuck you, Fuck you, Fuck you." His instinct kept cursing over and over again as he walked into another aile. It was really salty for having been forced to read.
"This is a list of every Adventurer that has been blacklisted and has a bounty depending on how bad their transgressions are." Rose suddenly said, getting the attention of the blonde as she sat with a new book on hand.
"Here." She replied after flipping some pages of the book to then hand it to Drake.
The blonde took the book to notice a list of transgressions committed by the Adventurer known as the Gale while Rose explained the details of the events that caused all of this.
Apparently, Rudra Familia had been responsible for killing all members of the Astrea Familia… all but one. Said member would then take it onto herself to go and dispose of every person that was remotely related to that event.
"I take it there's more than charging her for causing chaos and fear into the population?" Rose nodded. "She only followed possible rumors with no concrete proof. So many suffered her wrath with the possibility of having been innocent, even though some of her hunches were correct and that helped with sending various Gods affiliated with Evilus back to Tenkai… but still…" Rose muttered the last part as Drake read that even members of the Guild had been killed as well.
Drake mentally groaned. By all means and rights, the Gale's wrath was justified, but something he could never acknowledge was the involvement of 'innocent' people that had nothing to do with her tragedy.
For the sake of wanting to believe in someone who also took the path of revenge, he hoped every single one of those victims were actually guilty… even if the possibilities were really damn low.
"…Looks like she didn't get to finish her revenge." He thought out loud as he noticed Rudra's name was nowhere mentioned on the records. "She went into hiding, and it has remained that way since then."
"Makes… sense…" the blonde said slowly as he finally looked at the drawn picture of the Adventurer, an elf with short hair wearing a hood and a mask to cover the lower half of her face. But even so, she looked extremely familiar.
"Say… the records just refer to her as the Gale. Don't you have records with her name from when she wasn't blacklisted?"
Rose sighed before shaking her head. "She infiltrated the Guild at night and made sure to destroy every single trace of her true identity. And since a lot of time has passed, not many remember her name."
'At least you were smart in that part, Ryuu.' Drake thought as he finally collected all the pieces of the puzzle.
He knew she was an Avenger. The records also stated she was a natural blonde, and he knew for a fact that her current hair color is just dyed… much to his dismay.
Since no one really remembered her face or name, no one would suspect her of being a waitress in a pub. The fact that this was probably the only picture of her fortified his idea since he figured not many looked for this thing seeing Ryuu's bounty had yet to be claimed… but even so-
'People are so fucking stupid.' He thought before sighing as he addressed the Advisor.
"Thank you for the insight." Drake commented, to which Rose stood up seeing she figured out this would be a good point to leave.
"No problem. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any inquiry." She nodded and gave another small bow as he simply nodded to then focus on another book.
She turned around and started to walk away, but stopped before turning around.
"What is it now?" Drake asked after sighing, at least he focused on her instead of a book this time.
"Even if you are sure about your abilities, I would suggest you seek an Advisor when you finally get registered. One never knows when death might decide it's your time."
He chuckled as he adopted the same position as he did the previous time. "That's what I hope for. Because The grim reaper won't come when you're ready for him."
Rose gave a snort before turning heading her way. "Suit yourself."
The blonde smiled before looking at the book his Shadow had tossed at him.
'… The Nightmare of floor Twenty-Seventh.' The blonde narrowed his eyes. 'Well, that isn't ominous at all.'
Rose walked with her book in hand as she thought about the blonde she just met.
She wished most Adventurers had that mentality. Even if he was arrogant, he was a realist in his approach by the way he behaved.
She had some doubts since his clothes looked a little fancy to be an Adventurer, but she had learned never to judge a book by its cover. Besides… his eyes weren't kind at all, even if they didn't show any hostility.
"Huh…" Rose stopped for a second as she turned around before shaking her head and continued on her way. "I never got his name." she thought out loud while wondering how he looked under his scarf.
"Wasn't expecting to see you until tonight." Mia voiced from the counter as she saw the blonde entering the Hostess. "Had fun reading?" she asked, having noticed the tired look in his eyes.
"It was…" Drake started as he walked to the table, a quick glance to a certain elf, who stared back. "Entertaining… what time is it?" He took a seat in front of the counter before slamming his head on it.
"A little past two. Hungry?" the blonde simply nodded.
"I am gonna trust you with what you think it's best today." His statement made Mia snort. "What? Not feeling like reading another single word today?"
He rested his chin on the table. "I am used to reading a lot… just not in printed format ."
There was a difference between reading on a digital screen and books, believe it or not a person gets more tired by having to move their head to read pages. While on screens you can keep the head still as it just scrolls down.
"What the hell does that mean? In what format did you read then, scrolls?"
"Yes." He replied without hesitation as that was the name of the smartphones back in his world, making Mia shrug as she ordered whoever was in the kitchen to cook him something.
"On another subject…" he eyed her. "Tonight's your last night. Are you gonna make another reservation?"
"Hmm… " Drake sat properly as he looked at Mia, and then focused on a glass close to him, or rather its reflection to see Ryuu. "The food's good-"
"Really? No complaints?" Mia interrupted with a twitch on her lips, to which Drake deadpanned at her.
"Get over it already." Drake replied before he continued. "The accommodations are also fine, the service as well… but… I feel kind of unwelcome."
"Gee, I wonder why?" Mia said a little louder than usual so the elf in question would listen, this made Ryuu almost jump at the sudden outburst as she held a tray of food.
"It's not just her. If anything, I find her annoying at best." The blonde mercilessly said with the same tone of voice to follow Mia's intention. He could already feel the daggers on his back by her glare alone.
"If it's not her then it's-"
"Oh, Good afternoon, Mister! I haven't been able to speak with you since your first night here." Drake slammed his face on the counter once again before snapping his fingers to then point at Syr.
"I figured." Mia replied as Syr looked confused at Drake's actions. "Sorry, but the best I can tell her it's not to bother you while you eat."
He rested his chin on the counter once more. "You're her boss. Of course, you can."
Mia snorted. "You aren't the first person she treats this way," she started to walk away while Syr gave him a smile that was surrounded by a malicious fog for having been ignored by both of them. "And you won't be the last."
The blonde sighed as he felt someone poking his right cheek. "Why are you like this?"
"I have no idea what you mean." She stated calmly as she stopped. "I didn't hear your name right during your first night here, could you repeat it for me?"
"That's because I haven't told my name to anyone here." He sat properly before rubbing the sport between his eyes, trying his best to ignore the anomaly to his right.
"Does it perhaps have to do with the fact of you being a former Noble?" The waitress asked as she put the tip of her finger under her chin while Drake froze, his eyes opened dangerously unknown to Syr. "Or does it have to do with you being here against your will?"
He fought the urge to look at her with a death glare and instead tried to focus on how she found out.
'It wasn't Mia, she doesn't look like the type to gossip…' in that moment, he recalled that someone else conveniently came down the stairs… someone with a really good pair of ears.
"Why the hell do I have the sudden urge of going bounty hunting?" Drake stated. He didn't need to raise his voice like before for the elf to hear, but because she was only a few feet away from Syr.
Ryuu Lyon froze in place. Her face betrayed her usual stoic composure, her complexion became paler, her eyes were lost as she recalled all her past transgressions by simply hearing the term bounty addressed at her.
"Sorry! sorry! sorry!" Syr bowed over and over again while Ryuu remained in shock. "I am the one that asked her if she found out anything about you. I didn't think it would be such a big deal."
The blonde gritted his teeth at the amount of stupidity she was hearing. "Of course it's a big deal, you dumbass!"
The blonde ran his hand through his forehead from left to right while Syr pouted. "Hey! That's not nice!"
And the amount of seriousness in her attitude didn't make things any better.
"Neither is invading someone's personal history," he turned to his right to finally address her. "You dumb b-" The former Noble froze midsentence as he stared at the waitress. Syr looked puzzled and surprised seeing the blonde kept staring at her with intensity, which made her cheeks start to turn red.
"Did you do something to yourselves recently?" This sudden question was taken out of context. The waitress became embarrassed as she pressed her cheeks with her hands before she started to shake it in a motion that any normal person would find cute.
But Drake was no longer in the mood to tolerate any of that.
"Just answer the question, did you change something about you between two night ago and now?"
She suddenly stopped mid shake before she put her index finger on her chin. "Hmm… nope. I am still the cute and adorable Syr Flova." She replied as she tilted her head while she cutely knocked her head to the side. But Drake wasn't paying attention, instead he was looking a little above her head to see two pairs of words floating on her face.
'Truth/False'
"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" The Dragon thought as he decided to lay the subject rest. He was about to dismiss her, but Mia's presence suddenly got their attention. Her expression was unreadable, but Drake thought he knew her enough to know she was angry. Luckily, it wasn't directed at him.
"You," she stared at the blonde after sighing, her expression becoming one of tiredness. "Come with me."
The blonde reluctantly nodded after figuring out Mia was giving him an out.
"And you two, get back to work" Ryuu was brought back to reality, Mia's glare on her unreadable once more. The elf knew she was beyond angry this time. "Yes, Mama" both muttered in low tones as Drake walked to the kitchen with Mia, but not before subtly eyeing the grey-haired waitress.
'Syr Flova'
Her name was no longer trying to be overlapped by another unknown one. But this time, her name had apostrophes, also something very uncommon. As if it was a title and not an actual name.
Also, the fact that she was able to deliver an answer that was recognized as Truth and False at the same time made him more wary.
Meanwhile, the gray-haired waitress put her hand on her friend's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "I am sorry, Ryuu. I didn't expect him to behave like that."
It was truly a surprise. It was the first time someone reacted negatively to her noisiness. But she was even more surprised by the fact the blonde was able to identify Ryuu as the Gale.
Yes, for the first time 'Syr' was worried about the consequences of her actions.
"Eat, no one will dare to bother in the kitchen." Mia said, having already placed a steak with mashed potatoes and a glass of juice in front of him.
The former Noble sighed in relief as he took a seat in front of the small table while he acknowledged the Hostess's chef who was focusing on her craft.
"I apologize for those two," Drake didn't need to ask who she was referring to, she had clearly managed to hear the conversation between him and the waitresses. "Syr's usually like that with people that picks her interest-"
"You mean invading personal space, privacy and sensitive subjects?" Mia sighed at Drake's sarcasm as he spoke between bites. At least he was more focused on his food than in holding a grudge at the moment. "One would expect she would learn, if this is not the first time."
"Yeah… the thing is no one has ever answered her back, nor has they ever made Ryuu falter in defending her…" her eyes narrowed, but the blonde didn't care to be honest. "How did you-"
"There's a really well drawn portrait of her wearing a hood with her lower face covered." The blonde stated finally finishing his meal in less than a minute, Mia would have been impressed had the conversation not been so serious. "Seeing as all the portraits of her of her days in the Astrea Familia were destroyed, it would be normal that people would forget how she actually looked. Also, it's been a while since someone has actually tried to claim her bounty, so the image of the drawn portrait wouldn't be seen by them-"
"They wouldn't recognize her or put two and two together when they see her here." Mia nodded in acknowledgment. "So that's how you figure it out?"
"One of the reasons, yes. Another one being, I am not a fucking dumbass."
Mia started to crack, making the chef jump out of surprise by her sudden outburst. "And the other one?" Mia managed to ask between laughs while the blonde moved his glass with juice from left to right, watching how the remaining liquid danced.
"I know those kinds of eyes better than anyone."
That killed Mia's laugh instantly as she stared at the blonde. "No shit she's so wary of you. Leaving Syr aside, and that menacing air about you. She kind of sees herself in you."
He snorted. "Don't compare me to her. Contrary to her I at least made sure to deal with the people related to my revenge and took my time in doing so."
Mia placed her arm on her forehead after resting her elbow on the table. He clearly knew of all her transgressions. "Just how much did you read?"
"… Yes."
Mia's eye twitched.
"Anyway… mind telling me where I can find a public library?" Mia looked blankly at him. "More reading, seriously?" Mia asked as she instructed May to take care of the dirty dishes.
"The Guild doesn't have common knowledge like a map of any close… kingdoms or important places, or historical events that don't relate to Orario."
Mia looked confused at him before snorting. "I just remembered you said you weren't from around these parts. But to want to learn something almost everyone knows." She laughed harder. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you're from another world."
The blonde simply deadpanned at the Dwarf's statement as she drank the remaining of his juice while looking away.
"Anyway, I hope you're able to find your way home." Mia stated, only to realize her words had managed to have some negative effect on Drake as he was not staring at the empty glass with eyes void of emotion.
"You can't go back, can you?" Mia concluded, cursing herself the moment Drake shook his head.
There was the option of having a God 'sacrifice' their vacation time in the mortal realm just to send him home. But Drake had no Hope of that seeing he wasn't sure how much they were capable of since the assessment he did with his brothers was rather… lackluster.
"No reason for crying over spilled milk." The blonde stated. "I already made some good connections to land me a job to distract myself thanks to a friend, so that should keep my mind occupied."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Keeping you occupied? What? Don't you need to work for money?"
He waved his mind. "Already covered. I just happened to make some of it myself before my first night here."
Mis chuckled. She figured out it wouldn't be a big sum seeing he just recently made it to Orario. So, there was no problem in asking.
"How much?"
Ryuu sat in front of a table by herself. She didn't react to any of Syr's or her co-workers' intents of cheering her up. All she could think of is how her life could probably crumble if the blonde she's been antagonistic towards decided to reveal her secret to all of Orario.
She would no longer be able to stay here with her friends.
Syr tried to convince her that Mia was probably trying to talk things out with him. That wasn't hard to believe, but in the worst case scenario…
'I might-'
"Bitch, You're rich!"
Her train of thought was interrupted at Mia's clear shout coming out of the kitchen. Her surprise was enough to dissipate any other thought as she blinked several times in confusion in the direction of the kitchen, while all her co-workers did the same.
"Well… at least she's not in a bad mood."
"You sure are subtle." The blonde replied at Mia's sudden outburst.
"Don't patronize me." She growled, her hand resting on her forehead. "So… you have nowhere to go. You already found a job… whatever it is. But I see your eyes and I can't help but- "
He raised his palm in a sign of stop, she could have sworn he almost growled. "Don't. The last person that told me the speech 'You lack purpose'" was a manipulative bastard."
His tone was calm, almost bland. But she knew an angry person when she saw one. Thankfully, it looked like he tried to calm down as he laid back before sighing. "…Where are you going with this?"
Her response came with a grin on her face as she looked at where the chef was, as if therein laid the answer.
"…No." he replied after taking him ten seconds in figuring out the answer. "I don't know if you noticed. But one of your waitresses hates my guts, and the other is just a plain noisy bitch."
Mia nodded.
"I know. But you managed to press every single button on that elf to possibly cause a nervous breakdown. But leaving that aside, you have already helped here once, you even cooked something for the whole staff yesterday."
"It was incredibly delicious, by the way." He heard the chef compliment his food.
"You already mentioned the need of keeping your mind occupied. Why not add something else to do?"
May, the chef and cat person in the kitchen gave Mia a look that could be translated as 'You have no shame, Mama'.
"And the real reason you want me here is because-"
She raised her first and started counting. "You're efficient, fast, tidy, you know how to cook being the most important one." She looked at May. "May's good, but she's still learning. As a matter of fact she's the one that gave me the idea."
"I didn't do any such thing!" May snapped her head at them with a slight blush on her face.
"Her exact words were 'I wish I could be able to cook like this'. While moving her body as if she was on a hype."
May turned around in that instant, not being able to look at either of them. The fact that Mia said that with such a straight face just made it worse.
Drake on the other hand was actually thinking about the idea. Not because of Mia's reasons but because of the talk he had with his brother and Hephaestus's advice.
They were pretty much telling him to live. Find something of his own, something else he found joyful. And even though working as a restaurant wasn't the answer he was looking for, it was a good place to start.
'… Sigh. They did suggest opening a restaurant.'
"… ok." He stated suddenly, only to realize Mia and May had been bickering at each other. Mia was about to say something, but Drake wasn't done with it.
"… If that elf tries tries anything while I sleep-"
"She won't, I will make sure of it. But you will have to bury your own grudge as well." Mia stated, she could have pulled an innuendo right there, but she didn't want to taste her luck.
"And Syr?"
He could see Mia forcing a bland expression, it was a lost cause in that department.
"You should really be stricter with your workers."
"Boy, should she?"
Both stared at the chef, whose sarcasm was as clear as day while Mia twitched before going back into topic.
"… I have some conditions as well"
"This cannot be happening." Ryuu muttered as she, Mia, and her co-workers were sitting in front of the counter. "Just… why?"
Mia simply sat next to her right. She already knew the answer, but she kept being in denial. According to Mia, this decision was part of her punishment knowing full well she didn't like him.
Suffice to say, it was obvious he didn't like her either, so they had a common ground there.
Luckily, there was a way out.
"It's ready!" May replied as all of them heard footsteps approaching from the kitchen.
Ryuu was thankful her friends stood with her. When Mia came up he would be staying as a supplementary chef, all of them looked at her knowing it bothered her. Mia said it would be fair if all of them agreed to it, but also insisted it was after tasting his cooking as a way of giving him the benefit of the doubt.
She wasn't gonna lie, she was worried. For some reason, the blonde had decided to cook breakfast yesterday by Mia's request. By the time Ryuu took a shower after cleaning the bathrooms, Syr had saved some from the others, seeing they had been wanting to eat it.
"It's one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted."
The voice of her friend sounded in her head as she recalled seeing a plate of what it looked like a brunch staple consisting of poached eggs and bacon on an muffin, topped with some sort of creamy sauce which consistence she couldn't tell.
Syr had exaggerated things before… well, always. So, she thought this was just one of those cases. She hadn't expected much of his food, and thought that Lunor or Chloe expressions of delight were exaggerations as well.
Anya also had one, but she found joy in anything really.
All of those thoughts went to hell the moment she took the first bite. She felt as if every nerve in her body went into shock before a sensation of bliss invaded her mouth . It was a shiver so satisfying that it looked like she was no longer in control of her body as it started to twitch and move in an irrational behavior.
It was as joyful as it was dirty. If she had to summarize it in a few words, she would say she felt… lewd.
The moment it came to an abrupt stop Ryuu noticed that she was not only breathing erratically and her face felt rather heated, her plate was also empty. She had finished the plate without noticing and to make things worst, all of her friends looked at her with widened eyes before Chloe decided to break the ice by saying-
"Didn't think food would get you aroused nya~. I rarely get to moan like that."
Ryuu wanted to die at that very moment. She could hear her friends laughing from the afterlife at her predicament.
The blonde was clearly an enemy they couldn't underestimate.
This time, not only her but Lunor and Chloe were prepared. If the majority voted on a 'No', then he wouldn't stay. As much as she trusted Syr, she knew where her interest lied. And Anya… yeah that was a no. Not that he didn't trust her, just that she was honest.
"Enjoy." May and Drake served the plates on the counter. The blonde didn't bother staring directly at each one of them as he did so.
"Well… not to offend but," Lunor said as she picked up a spoon while staring at the plate of curry. "Compared to yesterday… this seems rather normal."
"Don't judge it with your eyes." The blonde stated matter of factly with crossed arms.
Ryuu meanwhile was staring at the plate as if it was poisoned. Mentally preparing herself as she took the spoon.
"Oh, this is good."
Mia's statement made her wary of her mental opinion of the food.
"This is delightful."
Syr's opinion wasn't helping either. As a matter of fact, the multiple sounds of munching made her hesitant.
'… Wait a second.' Ryuu realized there were several sounds of munching around her. not just Mia's and Syr's. She quickly leaned back on her seat to see her two friends, a single thought came to her mind.
'Traitors.'
Lunor was taking her sweet time with every bite, savoring its flavor as much as she could. Her stern expression was only betrayed by the clear blush on her face.
Chloe on the contrary wasn't subtle at all. She was doing the exact same thing as her friend; with the exception she was smiling out of joy while her tail waved from left to right.
'…I thought that was a dog thing.' Ryuu thought as she noticed Anya was already asking for seconds, to which the blonde happily accepted.
"Wait, we can get seconds!? Me too please./Me as well."
The elf sighed in defeat at that moment. She would have to deal with him from now on… even though she did admit it was her fault in the first place.
"I won't stay if you want me to."
Her eyes widened as she looked up. He was staring directly at her with his abnormal eyes.
"What?"
He looked at Mia, who was about to dig at her second serving before she gave a small nod.
"I am not willing to stay in a place where I have someone giving me a bad eye at every turn. So," he pushed the dish slightly at her. "We can all let bygones be bygones, start over and ignore any kind of knowledge that might endanger anyone here."
Ryuu wasn't a fool. She knew that last part was referring to her bounty. Syr seemed to get the gist of what was happening as well, so she gave her friend a small push telling her to take the deal while Mia watched the whole thing.
This was one of Drake's conditions. The final decision in him staying was on Ryuu and her alone. The whole thing about a majority vote was a ruse on their part to corner into a false sense of security until the moment was right. Ironically, this was all just so Drake could show her he didn't intend to have any malicious intent or target her for no reasons.
So, with a little bit of hesitation the elf took the spoon and took a bite out of it, and to her surprise. It wasn't what she was expecting.
It was great, just like his previous food. But unlike last time, she felt a sense of relief as a warm sensation invaded her body.
"…It's good."
All the other waitresses released a sigh they were holding while Mia simply dug in her food seeing the drama was finally over… for now.
"I am curious though." May got his attention. "You had mentioned something about a secret ingredient…" she narrowed her eyes. "But all I saw when you were cooking were normal ones."
"Oh, that's rather simple really." The blonde moved his scarf down slightly as he gave her the kindest smile some of them have ever seen on a face.
"Love!"
Mia didn't waste a moment to spit her food. Lunor on the other hand got shocked mid shallowing, Chloe looked perplexed, Anya looked confused at them; she clearly hadn't listened to what was going on.
Syr… just stared expressionless at him, as if someone had just told her something so shocking she couldn't react to it. Drake didn't say anything, but it suited her… no matter how crazy she looked like that.
And Ryuu… just blushed madly.
"Seriously?" the chef asked, to which the blonde simply shrugged.
"The guy who taught me the recipe told me 'I always put as much love into it as I can, that way I know it will taste great'" he stated as they figured he imitated his friend by how confident he sounded. "I ended up doing that and…" he gestured at the food. "This is the result… to this day I don't know if he was fucking with me or not."
'Fuck you, Yuri.'
"Well… now that's done." She snapped her fingers at him. "He will only work when he's not doing his other job," she eyed him. "Which still eludes me. He will help in everything with the exception of the bathrooms."
Ryuu scowled, her right eye clearly twitching.
"And he won't work on Sundays, which just so happens it's tomorrow." She looked blankly at him for that last condition, she could even see his half-smirk before adjusting his scarf while the girls complained.
"I am gonna get paid less than any of you." He replied blandly. "So stop bitching about it."
Mia sighed. "Also forgot, he's also allowed to use heavy language?"
"Even with clients?" Lunor asked, she was actually feeling a little jealous about it.
"Let's say I already worked as a waiter once…" he nodded and cringed at the memory. "Not my best moment."
"Well… I suppose the only thing left is… how do we call you anyway?" Mia asked, finally realizing he had never mentioned his name, not even when he confronted the Loki Familia previously.
"Oh, it's-" he never got to finish his sentence, instead he focused on the Hostess entrance. It wasn't the usual time for people to arrive at night for the Hostess, but he knew she wasn't here for that.
"Cyclops?" Mia asked, confused as she saw the Captain of the Hephaestus Familia walking in with a katana in hand and her usual smile on her face. And it only widened as her nose managed to smell something delicious.
"Is that the famous love curry?" All the waitress staff seemed to look at her surprised and then at Drake, who simply snorted. "It will cost you."
"Sure thing." She sat on the last seat available in front of the counter. "Just make sure to give a friend's discount."
"Friend!?" All the waitresses seemed shocked while Mia just face palmed. She was able to figure out Drake's other job now thanks to his most recent conversation with him.
"Your other work is with the Hephaestus Familia." Mia concluded, seeing as she just hired another complicated person.
"You reap what you sow, Mama." Syr stated, she patted her boss's shoulder after finally recovering from her previous shock.
"Speaking of work," she pulled a paper from the bosom. "Your first commission. I need it before the week ends by the way."
"You know I don't work on Sundays you-" he stopped mid sentence as he read the short list given to him. "Bitch." He stated as he noticed that all of the items were of monsters that were located below floor thirty.
"Oh, you did study. Good for you." Tsubaki stated as she May placed a plate of curry. "I brought this knowing tomorrow's your free day," She gave him a mad grin. "Aren't I the best?"
Drake's eye twitched. "You are holding a grudge, aren't you?"
The grin remained. "My, why would you think that?"
Paper work, false declarations, her Goddesses's constant state of worry… he could name another few.
"I will be back later." Drake replied after sighing, to which Tsubaki gave him a katana. "It's a spare one, but that doesn't mean you can overwork it. Are we clear?"
"Crystal." He took it before walking outside of the counter.
"Not an Adventurer my ass." Mia thought out loud with a chuckle as Drake walked past them.
"I am going to work, not to Adventure."
"It's the same thing!" Many replied, to which Tsubaki looked at them blankly.
"Don't bother. His mindset is completely different to ours." Tsubaki said, her mouth full of food, but she didn't care. "Oh, yeah I can feel the love all right. You could be a great househusband, you know that?"
Drake flipped her off as walked out of the Hostess, leaving everyone awestruck at the most bizarre interaction.
"… He never got to introduce himself." Syr muttered as her shoulder slumped a little, to which Tsubaki looked at her curiously as she asked for another serving.
"Oh. He didn't?"
'What do you know? He did keep a low profile.' She thought as everyone shook their heads.
"His name's Drake, Drake Aurion."
AN: And with this, the 'prologue' for the story is officially done. The following chapters are day to day events with the staff of the Hostess, with a story arc that will be developing along it until the knot of it's dealt with.