Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Aftermath in St. Maria (4)
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Clatter, clatter.
The loud clatter of plates and cutlery was incessant.
The noise, with its steady beat and rhythm, was like a piece of music played by an orchestra.
Cutting, piercing, tearing, chewing, swallowing…
In the midst of a commotion that was less a meal and more an act of violence against food.
Reine, holding a fork and knife, blinked in amazement and said,
“It's amazing that all of that can fit in your stomachs. Is the secret to your strength eating well?”
“Huh? Hmm… Pretty much. Whether it's a body or a machine, it needs fuel to run.”
“It is generally known that the basal metabolic rate of an athlete is about 10% higher than that of an average person. However, our research shows that Mr. Raven's and Alice's basal metabolic rates are approximately 1.5 times that of an average person. This is comparable to an adult gorilla…”
“Wh-What in the world are you talking about!”
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly likened to a gorilla, an angry Alice threw a bone at David.
The blunt bone flew as if sucked toward David's temple, like a dart.
*Thwack!* A critical hit that rang his head like a bell.
David, reeling from the immense impact, bowed his head forward and naturally fell silent.
The sin of inadvertently speaking the truth was a heavy one indeed.
Oh, now that I think about it. A question suddenly popped into my head.
If she always eats that much, then Alice's weight must be…
“Yuria, why'd you stop eating? Want me to get you something?”
“…”
Yep, let's not think about this.
It definitely wasn't because Alice, smiling with her eyes right next to me, was scary. Really.
Shaking my head to dispel the chill running down my spine, I looked down at my plate.
There lay a piece of steak larger than both of my palms put together.
A beef sirloin steak, cooked to a luscious deep brown.
In contrast, the pink flesh peeking from the cross-section was so alluring it could tempt anyone, a perfectly charming medium rare that made my mouth water just by looking at it.
*'French cuisine is nice, but when it comes to meat dishes... steak is the best.'*
That was right.
Steak, the essence of meat cuisine, where one stuffs their mouth full of meat to savor the rich texture and juices.
We were now in a steakhouse that grilled large cuts of beef.
What's more, the one on my plate was a dry-aged steak.
The deep flavor from the meat, aged for dozens of days, had an overwhelming presence that an ordinary steak could never match.
Considering the price of the piece I was now cutting into…
Wow, how much does all this cost? Is the hotel going to go bankrupt?
As I closed my eyes, focusing on the deep flavor washing over me from the uniquely aged meat,
a very familiar man's voice suddenly came from not too far away.
“Hahaha! So you were eating here, Raven! To find the best steakhouse in all of St. Maria. You've got a good eye!”
Ugh, this cheerful voice that could trigger my PTSD is…
As I chewed on my steak and turned my head, I saw the blond, muscular man, Victor.
However, he looked completely different from how he'd been in the restaurant yesterday.
One of his arms was in a thick cast, and a bandage covering one eye was wrapped around his head.
On top of that, had he injured his leg, making it difficult to move on his own?
A boy who looked somewhat hot-blooded was supporting him.
What on earth could have happened to change his appearance so drastically in a single day?
Genuinely surprised, I inadvertently stopped eating and stared blankly at him.
Raven, however, seemed already accustomed to the sight and simply lifted his head from his plate to greet him.
“Huh? It's Victor. You here for steak too?”
“That's right. This place's dry-aged steak is famous worldwide… and there's nothing better than meat for recovery!”
Hahahaha!
Looking like a mummy, Victor let out a cheerful laugh and naturally joined our table.
It seemed he planned to eat at a leisurely pace this time, unlike before when he had to leave in a hurry after finishing.
But what in the world happened yesterday to get him that injured?
Quietly chewing my meat, I tugged on Alice's sleeve out of curiosity.
Alice, who was deftly tearing into a large tomahawk steak held lightly in one hand like it was cotton candy, briefly summarized what had happened yesterday.
“Yesterday, Mr. Victor was guarding the warehouse with the artifacts and fought Morte directly. Ah, Yuria might not know who that is. Anyway, he got like that fighting someone incredibly dangerous.”
“Hmph! He was a formidable foe, far too much for me to handle alone. Who knows what would have happened if Raven hadn't arrived in time… I can't thank him enough.”
“Well, I couldn't have handled him alone either. We helped each other out.”
Listening to their conversation, a picture of what had happened formed in my mind.
So, Victor was guarding the artifacts to be presented at the auction when he was suddenly attacked by Morte.
Morte is one of the strongest among the Seven Extremes. And he apparently had high-ranking undead guarding him, too.
Even for Victor, it must have been more than he could handle alone.
But he couldn't back down. The moment Victor stopped holding Morte back, the hotel would have been instantly overrun with undead.
So, he fought the enemy with all his might, disregarding his own safety…
and with Raven's help, who joined the fight later, he somehow managed to drive Morte away.
*'So the lack of major casualties is thanks to Victor fighting without regard for his own safety…'*
I bowed my head to Alice as if to thank her for the explanation.
With a complicated mix of feelings, I lifted my fork and stabbed the steak on my plate.
Fortunately, his injuries were the kind that would heal over time.
But this incident at the St. Maria Hotel was definitely not in the original story.
In other words, this event was a butterfly effect, born from a distortion in the flow of events somewhere in the past.
*'Perhaps it was influenced by the Metahuman Liberation Army failing to kidnap the artisan Karen, even after mobilizing two of the Seven Extremes. They need all the resources they can get for the war.'*
Thinking rationally, I hadn't done anything wrong.
It's not like I leaked information to the Liberation Army and told them to attack the hotel.
They were the ones who got antsy and suddenly went on a rampage. What did I do wrong?
But if I were to say I had some stake in the cause of this event, it would be hard to deny it completely.
After all, it was true that my choice had caused damage in an unexpected place.
Perhaps that's why. Regardless of my intentions, my mood slowly sank.
I really can't predict what will happen from now on.
I chewed on the steak with my molars as if to vent my frustration. Annoyingly, it was still delicious.
Just as I was trying to forcibly focus on the food to lift my sunken mood,
a topic that made my body tremble inadvertently slipped from Victor's lips.
“By the way. Still no news? About that… cat saintess who suddenly disappeared.”
“…!”
Cat… saintess?
At the combination of words that made me flinch, I quietly rolled my eyes and pricked up my ears.
Raven leaned back in his chair with a bored expression and continued,
“Ah, Alice said she left to go to the restroom and then vanished without a trace, as if she was never there to begin with.”
“Hmm? In this hotel, with dozens of Fixers? She must be quite skilled.”
“Tsk, I told her specifically not to run away… She must have some special method.”
Beads of sweat formed.
Just moments ago I'd been feeling down, but now I felt a cold sweat trickling down my back.
This topic of conversation… no matter how I think about it, they're talking about me, right?
I was nervous. No, I knew better than anyone that showing it here would be a bad idea.
But I was incredibly worried they might find me out.
After all, I'd blatantly used Holy Magic, something no one on Earth can wield.
If my identity were to be exposed, I couldn't think of any excuse or way out.
*'C-calm down. In this world, metahumans who can hide their ears and tail are extremely rare. So, as a pure human with no magic, I'll never be suspected.'*
…But what if it's Raven and Victor, whose instincts have been honed by fighting all sorts of metahumans.
Wouldn't they consider the possibility that someone could change their appearance through some method?
The difference between a closed possibility of zero and even a slightly open one is huge.
And unlike Raven, who cares for me in many ways, if Victor were to find out…
things could get very complicated. He might do something terrible, like force me to work for humanity?!
Somehow, I had to change the subject.
But, powerless and unable to speak, there was nothing I could do.
Does that mean I just have to wait for this storm to pass…!
“Uh, ahem. Jin, now that I think about it, there's something I'm curious about. Th-that thing Morte took… what was it? It looked like some kind of crown.”
Just as I was tearing my hair out in my mind, writhing in agony,
Alice suddenly cleared her throat lightly and asked Raven a question.
It was like a batter hitting a grand slam in a crisis to turn the game around.
It was a brilliant escape route that changed the topic.
“That… you know more about it, don't you, Victor?”
“Ah, yes. That… is an artifact called the Queen's Unholy Tiara. It's a bit much to reveal its detailed abilities in a place like this, but. It's an artifact of considerable value, so it was scheduled to appear at the very end of the auction.”
“I see… Is that so. In that case…”
“Yes. To be honest, this is quite an emergency. What kind of schemes they'll pull with that thing… I'm already getting a headache just thinking about it.”
Victor was tight-lipped, as if to conceal the abilities of the Queen's Unholy Tiara.
Indeed, it wasn't a story to be told carelessly in a place with so many listening ears.
An artifact that allows spatial teleportation to any desired location just by pouring magic into it.
It was a truly absurd function, one that would require an enormous expenditure to replicate with magic.
Well, it requires a cooldown period after one use,
and there's a limit to the number of targets that can be teleported at once… but even considering that, its ability is truly exceptional.
Victor pressed a hand to his forehead as if he had a headache, then slowly covered his eyes and muttered,
“Perhaps… a major incident will occur in the near future.”
It was a statement made with an extremely serious air, as if speaking of something already fated to happen.