Thud!
A dull, heavy impact rang out. The solid wooden bar counter shuddered.
In that instant.
The drunk felt a chill shoot straight from his tailbone to the crown of his skull. The alcoholic haze clouding his brain evaporated on the spot. Whatever scraps of liquid courage he'd been riding vanished without a trace in the face of a killing intent so thick it was almost tangible.
He trembled.
His knees buckled. He nearly hit the floor right then and there.
"S-sorry… I'm sorry…"
"I drank too much… I drank way too much…"
"I'm leaving! I'm out of here!"
He didn't even dare glance at the cat-girl again. He didn't dare pick up his coin pouch off the floor. He scrambled on all fours and made a mad dash for the exit.
As he barreled past Haimer's group, blind with panic, he nearly crashed straight into Kyoubou's legs.
"Grrrh——"
Kyoubou looked down and blew a hot snort of air right in his face.
The drunk let out a shriek, tumbled and crawled his way out the door, and vanished into the night.
The hall fell silent for two full seconds.
Then.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"That's Mama Mia, you idiot! Guy must've been blind!"
The roar of laughter erupted again.
The tavern surged back to its usual chaos, as if the whole spectacle had never happened. Order had been restored. The particular brand of order unique to this establishment — order built upon a foundation of absolute, overwhelming force.
Mama Mia gave a short snort and pulled her gaze away.
She picked up a cleaning rag again.
Then she turned around to face the entrance.
Her eyes swept through the crowd and landed, with unerring precision, on Haimer.
That ferocious, don't-you-dare expression she'd been wearing a moment ago flipped a full hundred and eighty degrees the instant she laid eyes on him.
Somehow, she managed to squeeze a smile onto that weathered, sharp-lined face of hers.
"Well, well."
"If it isn't Lord Haimer."
"What wind blew you in this time?"
Mama Mia slung the rag over her broad shoulder, planted both hands on the bar counter, and leaned forward.
That physique of hers — even with the counter in the way, she towered impressively.
"You've been coming in more often than my supply wagons these days."
"So?"
"Got something worth celebrating again today?"
The question was casual, but it carried the easy familiarity of someone who knew you well. And why wouldn't it — the tab Haimer had been running here lately was, in a word, generous.
From Mama Mia's perspective, this black-haired deity was not only her single biggest patron, but also a thoroughly unreadable enigma.
She had retired, true — stepped away from the bloodshed of the Dungeon long ago.
But.
In a tavern where information flowed faster than ale, her ears had never gone dull.
The miracle of an entire Familia hitting Lv.2 overnight.
And then there was the black-haired woman who had reportedly cut a swathe of carnage through the Dungeon.
Whether she wanted to hear those rumors or not, they came pouring in with every adventurer who opened their mouth.
Haimer smiled, and led the long trail of people behind him inside.
"Can't be helped," he said, spreading his hands with an expression of good-natured helplessness.
"When Mama Mia's cooking is this good, what else can I do?"
"You've completely ruined the palates of me and every little glutton in my household."
"And besides —"
He stepped to the side, clearing the way for the Holy Emperor, Tendou Kisara, and the others behind him.
"Today isn't just about filling our stomachs."
"Mainly, I'm bringing the new kids around to introduce them to Mama Mia."
"They'll be spending a lot of time in this part of town."
"Better to get acquainted early."
"So they know the place."
At those words, Mama Mia's thick black brows twitched slightly upward.
Those brown eyes of hers narrowed a fraction, her gaze passing over Haimer and sweeping slowly across the unfamiliar faces one by one.
The Holy Emperor.
Tendou Kisara.
Aihara Enju.
Hiruko Kohina.
It was only a passing glance. But to someone who had spent decades clawing through the deep floors of the Dungeon, a passing glance was more than enough. She'd already sized up each of them to a fair degree.
The Holy Emperor — dusty hem and travel fatigue aside, the way she stood spoke volumes. Spine straight, shoulders settled low, chin lifted just so. That was a posture forged by years of standing at the top, of having eyes on you at all times. No rich man's daughter ever stood like that.
Tendou Kisara — her palm rested in the air, hovering precisely three inches above the hilt of the blade at her hip. That gap was no accident. It was exactly the right distance for a clean, decisive draw.
And those eyes. Cold. The kind of cold that came from watching too much death — and dealing more than a little of it yourself. There was a razor-sharp edge buried beneath the surface, like a blade half-drawn from its sheath. Get too close and you'd feel it cut before you saw it.
As for the two smaller ones — Aihara Enju and Hiruko Kohina.
Young, no question. Still craning their necks around with wide, curious eyes. But both girls walked with their heels barely touching the ground, all their weight loaded onto the balls of their feet.
That was the posture of someone coiled to sprint at a moment's notice.
And those slender little calves — the muscle definition on them was alarming.
"Hmm…"
Mama Mia sucked air through her teeth.
Every last one of them was dangerous.
Just where in the world had Lord Haimer dug up talent like this?
"New?"
Mama Mia's lips pulled back into a wide grin, showing a row of white teeth, the smile reaching all the way to the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.
"Lord Haimer."
"That's quite the joke you're cracking."
"These girls…"
Mama Mia's gaze paused for a beat on the hand Tendou Kisara kept hovering near her blade.
"None of them look like easy targets to me."
"That one with the blade especially."
"I can smell the bloodlust coming off her from here."
"She's got quite a body count, hasn't she?"
At that, Tendou Kisara stiffened slightly.
Haimer just gave a mild smile, reached over, and gave Tendou Kisara's tense shoulder a gentle pat.
"Kids," he said.
"They're supposed to have an edge to them."
"Too gentle and you won't last a day in this place. It's the ones you don't want to cross who live long, comfortable lives in this man-eating labyrinth city."
"As long as Mama Mia doesn't mind the trouble."
"Trouble?"
Mama Mia let out a short snort and folded those thick arms across her chest, the muscles bunching impressively.
"As long as they pay their tab, they can bring the whole place down around my ears for all I care."
"Obviously," she added.
"Damages cost double."
That statement — shameless, mercenary, and yet utterly magnificent — drew a genuine laugh out of Haimer.
That was Mama Mia. That was the [Benevolent Mistress]. Crude, blunt, and possessed of a charm entirely her own.
Just then.
Aihara Enju — who had been standing quietly beside Hanasaka Warabi, drinking in every detail of her surroundings with unbridled curiosity — suddenly moved.
Swoosh——
In the blink of an eye, she had darted out of the crowd.
She hopped straight up onto one of the tall stools at the bar.
Then.
She grabbed the edge of the thick counter with both hands, strained up onto her tiptoes, and leaned her upper body over the top.
That young, bright little face of hers held not a trace of fear — only pure, unfiltered curiosity.
Because.
Those big eyes of hers were locked, wide and unblinking, on the exposed arm resting on the counter — the one with the clearly defined muscle lines.
Her mouth had dropped into a perfect O.
"Um…"
"That… that's so…"
"So muscly!"
"Your arm is thicker than Kyoubou's thigh!"
Aihara Enju's bright, clear voice rang out in the suddenly quieter bar area.
Crystal clear — and she even turned around to point at the big black bear lounging obediently on the floor behind her, then pointed back at Mama Mia's arm, making the comparison about as explicit as humanly possible.
"Pfft——!!"
At the next table over, an adventurer who had been tipping his head back for a long pull of ale spat the whole mouthful out.
A spray of pale yellow wheat beer plastered his companion directly in the face.
"Cough cough cough!"
"She — what did she just say?!"
"'Big lady'?!"
The companion, beer dripping down his face, didn't even bother wiping it off. He stared at the oblivious little girl with the look of a man watching someone walk off a cliff.
All around them, adventurers who had been pretending to drink while shamelessly eavesdropping froze in place simultaneously.
The atmosphere in the entire hall turned to ice.
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath in unison.
This kid…
Was absolutely fearless.
At the [Benevolent Mistress], there existed two absolute taboos.
First: eating and not paying.
Second: calling Manager Mama Mia "old lady" or "auntie."
The first got you a broken leg.
The second might get you turned into paste.
More than a few people had already instinctively pulled their heads down into their shoulders, bracing against the blast radius of Mama Mia's inevitable explosion.
And yet.
The expected thunderous fury never came.
Mama Mia did not explode.
She looked down.
Down at the little thing who barely reached her chest.
At those big, clear eyes — bright as water, without a single shred of guile, only pure, wholehearted admiration.
And at the small hand reaching over, utterly oblivious to its own danger, clearly intending to poke her muscle and see what happened.
Then.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
A peal of loud, full-bodied laughter tore loose from Mama Mia's throat.
The sound rang out like a bell, loud enough to set the hanging lamps above swaying.
"Now that's what I call an eye for quality, kid!"
Still laughing, Mama Mia extended that same arm — the one that had just been compared to a bear's thigh — and planted it, without the slightest ceremony, on top of Aihara Enju's head.
And ruffled it.
Rough and unsubtle — but without a drop of malice.
Aihara Enju's twin tails were thoroughly wrecked. She didn't pull away, though. Instead she looked up, wide-eyed and beaming. Outside of Kami-sama, this was only the second person who had ever patted her head like that.
"Damn right!"
Mama Mia retracted her hand, flexed her arm with a deliberate flourish, and let the bicep bulge.
"These are the arms that used to unscrew the heads off countless idiots like bottle caps!"
"Compare it to a bear?"
"That tracks!"
"Back in the day, my strength was no joke — forget bears, even those half-orcs built like a wall but dumb as posts had to lie down flat when I was done with them!"
With that, Mama Mia gave her own arm a proud, resounding slap.
Smack smack.
"Wow!"
"That's amazing!"
Stars lit up in Aihara Enju's eyes, her face a picture of open admiration.
"I want muscles like that when I grow up…"
She looked down at her own slender little arms and gave them a wistful squeeze.
"Then you'd better eat plenty of meat."
Mama Mia flashed a wide grin and waved a generous hand.
"Tonight's on me — one dish, whatever you want!"
"Order anything! As long as you can finish it!"
"Yes!!"
Aihara Enju let out a cheer and jumped straight down from the stool.
The adventurers watching nearby looked like they were about to lose their eyes right out of their heads.
This…
This was really the same terrifying Mama Mia they all knew?
She didn't blow up?
She was even buying the kid a dish?
Was the sun rising in the west today?
Just then.
Haimer, who had been quietly watching from the side, finally spoke up.
"Alright, Enju."
"Stop bothering Mama Mia — she's still running a business here."
Haimer stepped forward and took Aihara Enju's hand.
Then he gave Mama Mia a nod.
"Then I'll trouble Mama Mia to set up a big table for us."
"With this many people, we'll probably need to push two together."
"No problem."
Mama Mia agreed without hesitation.
Then she turned and bellowed across the hall.
"Anya! Lunor!"
"Stop slacking!"
"Push those two big tables together in the corner!"
"Move it!"
"Coming~, meow!"
"On my way!"
Two voices answered at once.
Within moments, a long table big enough for a dozen or more had been assembled in the corner.
Everyone settled in.
Haimer took the head of the table.
Hestia moved with lightning speed and planted herself to his left, staking her claim before anyone else could blink. Then she glared around the table with undisguised suspicion, daring anyone to challenge her.
Especially that new silver-haired woman.
The Holy Emperor, however, had no such intentions.
She simply selected a seat a little further from Haimer — directly across from him — and sat down gracefully, smoothing her skirt into place.
Amou Kirukiru, though, was another matter entirely.
She walked calmly to Haimer's right, pulled out the chair, and sat down. Smooth and unhesitating, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Hestia's cheeks puffed up immediately.
She shot Amou Kirukiru a glare.
Amou Kirukiru didn't even look at her.
Once everyone had just settled in and the menus were being passed around.
Haimer didn't reach for his right away.
He handed it off to the others, and let his gaze drift slowly around the hall.
His eyes passed over the busy waitresses one by one.
No grey-blue hair.
No light-green-haired Elf, either.
"What's wrong, Haimer?"
Hestia picked up on his distraction immediately.
She followed his gaze.
All she saw were a few waitresses carrying plates.
"Ogling pretty girls again?"
There was a distinct note of vinegar in Hestia's voice.
"With so many of us right here in front of you."
"Still not enough for you to look at?"
"You absolute lech!"
Haimer came back to himself.
He looked at Hestia's face — which had "I'm annoyed, come and coax me" written all over it — and at the little blue ribbon bobbing with her every indignant movement.
He shook his head with a tired sort of fondness.
"It's nothing."
"Just looking for someone I know."
Haimer looked away and accepted the menu someone passed him.
"Since she's not here…"
"Let's just order."
"Hestia, tell me what you want to eat."
"Really?"
The mention of food was all it took.
Hestia's attention snapped away from her grievance in an instant.
That little flash of jealousy arrived fast and left just as fast.
So easy to please.
"Then I want——!"
"I want the biggest bone-in cut on the menu!"
"And that creamy soup, the one that looks incredible!"
Watching Hestia snap back to her bright, energetic self.
A flicker of warmth crossed Haimer's eyes.
Though inwardly, he let out a quiet sigh.
It seemed.
Freya, once again, was having a day of playing hide-and-seek.
Just as well.
Saved the headache.
Because if they had actually run into each other.
This meal would have been anything but peaceful.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Reborn as Naoya I Really Am Here for Revenge!
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone