"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up your sad story…" Seele said.
"No, this..." Realizing that his words had caused a misunderstanding, but not knowing how to explain, Emiya was speechless for a moment.
A deep voice broke the awkward atmosphere.
Has the child woken up?
The newcomer was a tall woman, not only tall, but also very strong, exuding a strong sense of power.
She had her brownish-brown hair tied up, and both her facial features and figure gave off a bold and forthright feeling.
"Yes, Mom, his name is Emiya Shirou. Shirou, this is Mia's mom, she's the owner of the shop where I work."
Was the other person the tavern owner? For some reason, Emiya always had a feeling of unease, as if he were facing a powerful figure, as if a Heroic Spirit known for his strength was standing in front of him... It was probably just his imagination.
"Honestly, we're short-staffed right now, and you're just causing me trouble by picking up all sorts of random people like stray cats and dogs..." Mia sighed and complained. Seele quickly walked over to her and gently tugged at the female boss's apron.
"What's wrong?" Mia asked, puzzled. Seele leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
"…Sigh," Mia sighed deeply, walked to Emiya's side, and pressed his head down with her large hand.
Hmm, such power... Emiya was momentarily bewildered.
"In that case, you can stay here for now. We're short-handed right now, so you can work as a handyman. You'll have to work until you pay off your food and lodging fees and the money for the panacea."
"Okay, okay," Emiya replied.
"Honestly, this kid is one thing, but the main thing is not to pick up those kinds of elves that are obviously a hot potato." Mia complained while rubbing Emiya's head.
"But, didn't you agree back then, Mia's mother?"
Mia just kept sighing, while Seele responded with a smile.
"This Mia boss may be sharp-tongued, but she's really a good person," Emiya thought to himself.
"By the way, since you and that elf are on the same side, you'll be taking care of her starting tomorrow."
"But Mother Mia, Shirou is still injured..."
"Now send him to the Healing Familia and cast a healing spell on him, right? Seele, you've already wasted a whole day on this brat and that elf. Starting tomorrow, you're going back to the shop!"
Yes~
And so, Shirou Emiya took on the job of taking care of the fairy lady, and incidentally learned her name from the shopkeeper, Mia.
Liu Liang.
"So that's how it is..."
For the past two days, Emiya has been taking care of Ryu at her bedside while subtly trying to learn about this world through various means.
This seems to be a fantasy world, in which, besides humans, there are races such as elves, orcs, dwarves, Amazons, and dwarves. For example, the sleeping beauty, Ms. Liu, who is still asleep, is an elf with exquisite features and long, pointed ears.
It's worth mentioning that Boss Mia's race is actually dwarfs, even though she is taller than many humans and elves. She is probably a special individual within her race.
Besides the various races, there are also "monsters" in this world that threaten human life. These monsters come from the dungeons, and above the dungeons is Orario, the labyrinth city known as the center of the world. This is the place he is currently in, and it is also where the gods of the heavens gather after descending to the mortal realm.
The profession that enters dungeons to hunt monsters is called an adventurer. Orario has many gods whose divine power has been sealed and who have descended to the mortal realm to seek "fun". Adventurers can sign a contract with the gods through the power of divine blood, become the gods' "familiars", thereby unleashing their potential, gaining extraordinary power, and even improving their level of life.
The man from the Dark Faction proudly declared, "I am a Lv.3 high-ranking adventurer." This was because Lv.3 was indeed a remarkable level in this world. In the labyrinth city of Orario, more than half of the adventurers were at the lowest level, Lv.1, and the proportion was even greater when viewed from a global perspective.
In a normal country within a labyrinth city, Lv.3 is sufficient to assume positions such as "King of Knights" or "Lord".
So, what level of power does Miss Ryu, who beheaded a Level 3 opponent with a single strike, possess...?
"Shirou-kun, when it comes to ways to wake up Sleeping Beauty, you must be thinking of that, right? It's that, the prince's kiss, meow."
A girl with short orange hair suddenly appeared, walking as silently as a cat and indeed being a cat-person.
"No, that's just a fairy tale, Miss Anya..."
"You should call Anya 'senpai'. Anya is very powerful. Shirou should show more respect to Anya, meow~" The cat-girl puffed out her chest and said in an exaggerated tone.
Wearing a similar shop assistant outfit to Miss Seele, she randomly appears in various parts of the tavern from time to time. The cat-girl who is as swift as the wind, the silly cat in Boss Mia's words, Miss Anya, is full of energy today as well.
"Shirou is so young and doesn't even believe in fairy tales? He's so unambitious!"
"Miss Anya, at your age, still believes in fairy tales... is truly something else..."
"Shirou-kun, 'this age' is a taboo word for girls, meow. Since Anya is a genuine young and beautiful girl, it doesn't matter to her, but some older women will care a lot~"
"...Anya, did you skip work again?"
Despite being older and more experienced than me at the tavern, she always managed to make me feel less respectful and I found myself calling her by her name without even realizing it. In a sense, this was a kind of talent.
"Of course, you get paid for working, but slacking off is where you really make money, meow."
"Ania sometimes says things that are quite philosophical."
"Hehe, I already told you, Anya is amazing..."
"You stupid cat, where have you been?!"
A thunderous roar made Anya pale with fright: "Oh no, meow! I've been found out! Anya's running away first! I wasn't here, meow!"
Emiya turned his head and found that the catgirl had already disappeared. She was incredibly fast...
The boy smiled, turned to look at Ryu, and suddenly realized that the elven girl had opened her eyes.
"Miss Ryu..." Emiya tried to call out to her, but at that moment, Ryu reached out her arms and hugged Emiya's face from both sides.
She suddenly pulled the boy over, until their noses almost touched.
Their amber and jade-colored eyes met, reflecting each other's images. They gazed at their own reflections in each other's eyes, as if they could see illusory images of the past within them.