Just Eat Your Meal
Enoch looked down at the man in black sprawled on the ground. The fierce momentum from earlier had vanished without a trace. Just moments ago he had been burning with fighting spirit, yet now all that remained was a deep sense of defeat and crushing despair.
"I might have gone a little overboard. I was too conscious of the game mechanics."
Enoch felt a twinge of self-reproach. Without realizing it, he had been acting based on the difficulty standards from his game days. The Imperial separatists had appeared quite often in Age of Invasion, the original game this world was based on. Given the setting, they had always been enemies, but at least their stats had been high enough to make Enoch tense. Taking that into account, he had deliberately shown off his power—yet reality had fallen far short of his expectations.
"Killing you outright feels like a waste. I'll at least hear your last words. Got anything worth leaving behind?"
"Wait. If you kill me now—"
"Impressive. I'll have it engraved on your tombstone."
—Boom!
The serpent's tail slammed down beside him.
"Aaaaargh!!!"
The man in black rolled frantically to dodge, then crawled across the floor groaning in pain.
"Huff… huff…"
"You actually dodged that. At least your willpower deserves some credit."
The serpent's tail rose again. The man in black shouted desperately.
"Wait, wait! Hold on! There's no benefit in killing me right now!"
"What do you mean?"
"The girl! Think about the girl! Have you forgotten that my subordinates went after her?! It's not too late. If you spare me now—"
—Boom!!
The ground beside the man in black caved in deeply. The tail had grazed past him. He pressed himself flat against the floor, holding his breath. Enoch sighed as he looked down at him.
"I was planning to just kill you, but it seems I need to clear up a misunderstanding first."
"…What? A misunderstanding?"
"That's right. You've been making a huge mistake from the start. You assumed that because your subordinates went after her, my student would be in danger. Why did you think that?"
"What the hell are you trying to say…"
"It means your imagination is lacking. What if my student overpowered them instead? Just like that, for example."
Enoch pointed to the side with his finger. The man in black turned his head in disbelief. The silver-haired girl who had fled earlier—Lakrina—had reappeared, looking hesitant.
"Teacher…? I came back after twenty minutes like you said…"
Lakrina asked cautiously. Enoch gave no reply. The man in black felt an involuntary chill of fear. How could he not, when the young girl before him was dragging his subordinates behind her like trash, blades in hand?
They got overpowered? By a mere girl?
The man in black felt an inexplicable dread. It was true that the subordinates he had sent were relatively weak, but even so, there were limits to common sense. Moreover, the girl showed no signs of fatigue. She had subdued grown adults with ridiculous ease.
"You've gone quiet. You look like you've got a lot on your mind."
"……"
"Well, it's none of my business anyway. Consider this severance pay. Say hello to Charon for me."
Enoch pulled out a bundle of bills and tossed it at the man in black. A wad of fifty thousand krones smacked him across the cheek. Then the serpent's tail came crashing down. A long, peaceful rest awaited him.
@
Enoch brushed the dust from his clothes. At the same time, he deactivated his skill and reverse-summoned the serpents.
—Clatter-clatter
The mechanical snakes returned to their clock forms. Enoch, having finished dusting himself off, hesitated for a moment over whether to pick up the watches lying in the grass. Bending down for something worth only three hundred seventy thousand krones felt like too much trouble.
—Rustle
"Here you are."
Lakrina acted faster. She quickly picked up the watches and offered them to her teacher.
"Thanks. I'm already glad I brought you along."
"Hehe."
Lakrina smiled awkwardly. Enoch watched her for a moment before turning his gaze to the unconscious men in black.
"They look like they're just knocked out. You didn't kill them?"
"Ah, yes. I didn't think it was necessary."
Not necessary. In other words, she could kill them anytime if needed. Enoch once again felt that the education environment in this world was truly terrible. A world where monsters invaded. A world where decent middle-class families could become slum-dwellers overnight. In such a world, it was the children, not the adults, who hardened first. Lakrina was a perfect example. Just this morning he had thought she was mature for her age, yet seeing her now with a blade in hand, she had matured far too quickly.
Come to think of it, there's a slum district near the orphanage too. Maybe Lakrina is more accustomed to surviving in this world than I am.
Enoch smiled bitterly and patted Lakrina's head. She had already killed over a hundred people, yet she still had some compassion left in her heart.
"Um… Did I make a mistake? If you want, I can still—"
"No need. You did exactly what you said you would."
Enoch turned his back. He took two bundles of bills from his coat and tossed them beside the unconscious men.
"Let's go. My friends will take care of the rest."
"Ah, yes!"
Lakrina hurried after him. The carriage carrying the two of them soon disappeared into the distance. A short while later, residents of the slum district emerged from the silence.
—…
—Nod
—Thud!
Several figures quietly vanished. It was late at night. Nothing unusual happened in the slum district.
@
The roads were empty, likely due to the late hour. The carriage carrying the two of them sped along the quiet road and quickly arrived at its destination.
"This is… a pub?"
"It's both a pub and an inn. It's also where I'm staying. Come on, let's go inside."
Enoch pushed Lakrina into the pub. As always, the interior was very quiet. The only noise came from the crackling static of the television. If not for the spicy scent of alcohol, one might have mistaken the place for a church rather than a tavern.
"What, you're back already? You're later than I expected."
"That's how it turned out. Things took longer than I thought."
"Looks like you had some trouble. …Hm? Oh, right. That's the girl you were looking for, isn't it?"
The master behind the counter greeted Enoch. He spotted Lakrina hiding behind Enoch's back and spoke with a smile.
"Nice to meet you, miss. I'm the owner of this pub. Just call me Master."
"Ah, hello. My name is Lakrina. Thank you for always taking care of me…"
"Taking care of you? This is our first meeting, isn't it?"
"I-I'm sorry. It's a habit from greeting people at the orphanage…"
Lakrina apologized hastily. Her face had already turned bright red. Despite wearing fine clothes and expensive accessories, that old habit refused to disappear.
"Haha, I figured as much when Enoch took an interest in you. This girl's got a funny side to her."
"Don't let your guard down. She's the type who can kill people without batting an eye."
"There you go with that nonsense again. How many times have I told you not to joke around like that?"
The master chuckled and shook his head. Enoch silently resolved to show the master what Lakrina was really like the next time she killed someone.
"Anyway, pick something from the menu. You haven't had dinner yet, right?"
"That's true. I'll have the baked meat pie and root soup. Ah, and the herb-roasted trout with oak-smoked ribs as well."
"Got it. Meat and vegetables, then. What about drinks?"
"Hmm. Since it's dinner, I'll go with a light ale."
"Okay. And for the young lady?"
"Huh? Who? Me?"
Lakrina reacted a beat late. The master tilted his head as if to say, "Who else would I be talking to?" Lakrina's mind raced.
Suddenly asking about dinner… All I can think of is bread, boiled cabbage, and potato soup… I probably shouldn't say that.
Potato soup was far too homey to order at a restaurant. Bread and cabbage needed no explanation. Her hesitation dragged on. Seeing this, Enoch handed her the menu.
"Just look and decide for yourself. Don't feel pressured."
"Yes…"
Lakrina bowed deeply as she accepted the menu. Her face had turned crimson again. She was mortified by her own ignorance.
She must think I'm so unsophisticated. What if she thinks I can't even order food properly?
Lakrina's eyes burned with determination. She had already made several mistakes today. Compared to what she had received, she had shown far too little in return. She couldn't afford to disappoint him any further. With that thought, she stared intently at the menu before speaking in a dignified, refined tone.
"Ahem, ahem…"
""…?""
"Hmm, Master? First, I'd like the Parmigiano Reggiano aged in six different ways. Then the cod marinated in tomato, apricot, and saffron rice. And I'll also have the wild mushroom tart."
"…R-Right. What would you like to drink?"
"Um… a drink? Ah! I'll have the Spiced Apple Wine!"
Lakrina spoke confidently without hesitation. A small smile had already formed on her lips, as if proudly declaring that she hadn't made a mistake this time. Enoch and the master were barely holding back their laughter. Her order was simply too bizarre—cheese, cod, mushrooms, and even apple wine. It wasn't some English-style ancestral offering table. What kind of combination was that?
"Lakrina?"
"Ehehe… Ah, yes?"
"I have a question. Do you know what Spiced Apple Wine is made from?"
Lakrina's face stiffened rapidly. About a second passed. Then the frozen girl quickly answered.
"Apples! It's made from apples!"
"Correct. That's surprising."
"Hehe, even I know that much—"
"Then what are the other ingredients?"
Lakrina's face stiffened once more.
Spiced Apple Wine. Spiced Apple Wine. The spelling is Spiced apple wine… Right! Since it has apples, it must have wine and spices next! Meat pie is just meat and pie combined, after all!
Lakrina was about to answer when she stopped midway. On second thought, that didn't seem right. Her eyes began to spin. This was the girl who turned to stone every fifteen seconds.
This is unfair.
She felt unreasonably wronged. Why did all the drinks have such difficult and complicated names? It was beyond her understanding…
"Lakrina?"
"…Yes?"
"So, what's your answer?"
"Well…"
"Well?"
"Well… honey…? Something like that?"
Lakrina answered while sweating profusely. Enoch and the master burst out laughing at the same time.
"Master, cancel the apple wine. Make her a sweet Honeyed Mead instead."
"I figured as much. I was already making it. Here, drink up."
The master placed the Honeyed Mead on the counter. A sweet drink made from honey and spices, low enough in alcohol content for children to enjoy.
"Thank you…"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Um… about my earlier order…"
Lakrina fidgeted and raised her hand. Enoch, who had been drinking his ale, answered casually.
"I'll take care of it. Just eat your meal."
"Yes…"
Lakrina drank the Honeyed Mead with a dejected expression. It tasted wonderful. So delicious that it almost felt sinful. Yet for some reason, tears welled up in her eyes. Was it because the drink was too sweet and tasty? Lakrina couldn't understand why.
"Why am I crying when I ate something delicious?"
"Just eat your meal."
"Yes…"