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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“I know this place! It’s the restaurant you were talking about!”
“Yeah. I heard it’s really popular.”
[My, what a fancy-looking establishment.]
Viola led us to a brightly lit restaurant.
The interior looked expensive, and I felt a bit out of place. It seemed like the kind of place with strict dining etiquette. I wasn’t familiar with those.
I had learned a bit from Renny, but at Yeomyeong-gwan, we could eat comfortably without worrying about formalities.
I hadn’t expected to come to such a high-class place.
“Let’s go to the second floor! I want to see the view!”
“Alright, alright.”
Viola, seemingly familiar with the place, led us to the second floor.
Perhaps because it was an off-peak hour, the second floor was relatively empty, and we were able to get a table on the balcony.
Viola and I sat facing each other, with Milia and Elisa on either side of me, a somewhat unbalanced arrangement.
I started to say something, but then stopped. There was no point in arguing with Milia, she wouldn’t change her mind unless I threatened her.
With the two kids flanking me, I asked Viola,
“Viola, what’s the specialty here?”
“They’re famous for their steak course. The chef here grills steak perfectly. You can choose between medium or rare.”
I didn’t really know the difference between medium and rare, but I would probably go with medium, the more well-done option.
I glanced at the menu, which was filled with unfamiliar terms, and handed it to Milia, who was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
Milia, as if faced with a life-altering decision, started studying the menu with utmost seriousness.
“Milia, have you decided?”
“Hmm~ Just a minute. I’m thinking really hard.”
Was there anything to think about? There were only two options, the steak course and the seafood course.
I wasn’t sure how much the courses would differ, but was it worth agonizing over?
“How about the seafood course?”
“Huh? Seafood?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll have the seafood!”
“S-Seafood for me too…”
“I’ll have the steak. I’ll try rare today.”
Two steak courses, one rare and one medium, and two seafood courses.
I raised my hand to call the waiter.
The waiter, noticing me, looked around nervously, then sighed and approached our table.
“W-Would you like to order…?”
Why was he so nervous? I hadn’t done anything.
“One steak course, rare, and one medium. Two seafood courses.”
“Certainly. We’ll bring out the appetizers. Please enjoy.”
I watched the waiter hurry away and rubbed my forehead. Everyone was staring at us.
Should I be grateful that the restaurant wasn’t crowded?
[Your face is quite the weapon, Contractor.]
‘Shut up.’
“Mister, you must have it rough.”
“But I like Johann!”
“A-Are you alright?”
Three voices coming at me from all directions was making me dizzy.
I mumbled a reply and looked out at the sunlit street. People were bustling about.
It was an ordinary scene, but it was strangely entertaining to watch the colorful crowd.
Elves, dwarves, beastkin, humans, and countless other races mingled on the streets. It was a unique sight, rarely seen in other cities.
Not only was there little reason for different races to interact, but non-humans often avoided human settlements.
It wasn’t necessarily discrimination, but more due to racial characteristics.
Dwarves and elves, for example, preferred different environments.
“I’m fine, so don’t worry. I’m so used to it by now.”
“Usually, when someone talks a lot, it means they’re upset.”
“You just have to learn to ignore it.”
“Mister, you’re surprisingly… normal. You even make sullen expressions.”
What was with that look of surprise?
I was a normal person. I could cry, get angry, and laugh.
“Johann is fun!”
“I-I think you’re a wonderful person…”
Was this the academy’s version of the Bermuda Triangle?
I hadn’t realized how exhausting it was to be surrounded by three girls.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and nodded along to their conversation, trying to keep up.
Most of their conversation revolved around Kalon Academy or me. Since I was their common acquaintance, it was unavoidable.
I didn’t mind being the topic of conversation, but it was still awkward to have three pairs of eyes staring at me.
It was hard to know where to focus.
“…When we went to the …Dungeon, you just stood there at the entrance of the maze with your shovel and started digging through the wall. I couldn’t believe it. Who would think of digging through the walls of a maze to go straight through?”
“Walls are meant to be broken.”
“No, they’re not.”
“Johann is always digging and crafting! I bet no one in the continent is better with a shovel than him.”
“I-I agree…”
I wasn’t sure how we arrived at the conclusion of “Johann is amazing!”
This wasn’t even another world.
…Wait, it was.
I took a spoonful of the appetizer soup, ignoring the barrage of compliments.
It tasted healthy, unlike my makeshift cooking. In other words, it was bland.
I hadn’t eaten many course meals, so I wasn’t sure if this was normal or if the food here was just bland.
“It’s kind of bland!”
“Isn’t that how appetizers are supposed to be? I’ve never had one anywhere else, so I don’t really know…”
“The food Johann makes is really flavorful.”
“Don’t compare my cooking to this.”
My cooking was makeshift, so I just threw in whatever seasonings I could find. They should compare it to the food at Yeomyeong-gwan.
Even compared to that, this was still bland.
“But the main dish is delicious, so look forward to it.”
As Viola promised, the steak was worth the price.
The savory juices, the texture, the flavor, everything was impressive. Though I still preferred the steak at Yeomyeong-gwan.
They cooked it to my liking, after all.
“Delicious!”
“Don’t eat too fast. You’ll choke.”
I wiped a piece of shrimp shell from Milia’s mouth with a napkin.
She giggled and leaned towards me.
“Is there anything on the other side?”
“No, so finish your food.”
“Um, w-well, I… um…”
You too?
I sighed, looking at Elisa, who was tugging on my sleeve. She didn’t seem to have anything on her face. But she had made the effort, so I pretended to wipe her cheek.
“Mister, you’re popular…”
Why did she look so annoyed? She was sitting across from me, out of reach.
I avoided Viola’s complicated gaze and took a bite of my steak.
The savory juices tickled my tongue.
This was what steak should taste like. They knew how to cook steak, at least.
Well, it was the main dish, so it should be good.
“Johann, ah~”
“…Thank you.”
I ate the piece of lobster Milia offered me.
Hmm, it’s cooked in butter? The buttery flavor combined with the lobster’s texture was quite good.
I wasn’t sure if it was amazing, but it was decent.
“Delicious, right?”
“Indeed.”
“H-Hawa… S-So bold…!”
Elisa gasped softly beside me, her voice barely audible.
This was getting awkward. I fed Milia the last piece of my steak and stood up.
“I’m going to the restroom.”
[Contractor, are you running away?]
‘Shut up.’
Annoyed by Rue’s disappointed voice in my head, I flicked its body, which was attached to my belt.
“Okay~ See you later~”
“S-See you later!”
“The restroom is on the first floor, so hurry back.”
I wasn’t in a hurry, but I needed a break.
It was better to excuse myself and take a breather than to suffer in this awkward situation.
I patted Milia’s head and left the table.
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“Viola! Is rare steak delicious?”
Viola smiled wryly at Milia’s curious gaze.
They were the same age, but Milia looked much younger.
Her figure was that of a young woman, but her face made her seem like a little sister.
‘She’s the type that’s popular with men, though.’
“Haven’t you tried it before?”
“No. They always cook it medium at Yeomyeong-gwan…”
Viola chuckled and cut a piece of her steak, placing it on Milia’s plate.
The five-gold-coin delicacy, seared on the outside and rare on the inside, slid down a piece of lobster and landed on Milia’s plate.
Milia watched with interest, then poked it with her fork and took a bite.
“Yummy!”
“Really?”
Milia nodded, then suddenly grabbed her head as her vision tilted.
She rarely lifted her head these days, so she often forgot, but her head was attached to her body by a thin band that seemed barely able to support its weight.
Any sudden movements could detach it.
Milia smiled awkwardly and swallowed the chewed-up steak.
“Hee hee. I’ll order steak next time.”
“Hey, cripple. What are you doing here?”
‘Ugh, what’s this goblin doing here?’
The timing couldn’t be worse.
Viola frowned, hearing the approaching footsteps. Her expression clearly indicated that she had encountered someone she disliked.
Milia tilted her head, following Viola’s gaze to the group of men approaching their table.
“Bucktooth?”
“What did you say?!”
The man with prominent buckteeth, clearly offended by Milia’s casual remark, strode towards the table where the three girls were seated.
“Insulting people right off the bat, just like the company you keep.”
“Well, I have money now.”
Viola shrugged and scoffed.
They were both Alchemy students, but they were practically sworn enemies. He had always been jealous of her excellent grades and spread rumors behind her back.
After she lost her arm, he had become even more openly hostile, so Viola glared at him with annoyance.
‘Witches? Birds of a feather.’
Bucktooth, with his sleazy grin, scanned the group.
As a nobleman who valued connections, he knew the names and faces of most first-year students, but he didn’t recognize the red-haired girl in the school uniform.
‘She’s eating with that commoner Viola, so she must be a commoner too.’
“Your highness, if you’re here to eat, why don’t you just eat and leave?”
“Ha, just because we’re in the same academy doesn’t mean we’re equals. Losing an arm must have made you delusional.”
“Bratton, she has an arm.”
“What?”
“Yeah, she really does.”
One of the students standing behind Bratton pointed at Viola’s arm.
Bratton, startled, looked at Viola’s prosthetic arm.
The arm, which hadn’t been there at the end of the first semester, had reappeared.
Confused, he asked,
“What? How did you get your arm back?”
“Do I have to tell you? If you’re here to eat, then eat and get lost.”
Viola’s prosthetic arm, as if understanding her command, flipped Bratton the bird. Bratton’s face turned red as a beet.
“You bitch…”
“Bratton, b-behind you…”
“What? Speak clearly!”
“Behind you… There’s someone…”
Bratton finally turned around, prompted by his lackeys.
A large shadow loomed over him, and he instinctively looked up.
“…Bedwetter?”
“What?”
A hulking figure, with an expression that could break a man in half, stared down at Bratton.
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[Your Text Here]
Lol his name is BRATton, how fitting. He is a ton worth of brat alright 😂