Chapter 18: The Woes of Wandering Children
"Pastry Mill Morteln." The little boy answered, blinking innocently up at Ryo. "But my friends call me Pas."
"Three names." Ryo said as he tapped his chin with his quill. "You must be from a minor house then, Pas."
"Yeah, we are one." Pas said. "Countryside bumkins is what the rest of the nobility called us."
"And why did they call you that?"
"Well we are upstart nobility to be honest. My father was awarded land by our king for some good deeds he did before I was born. It was then that we joined the aristocracy, but the land was untilled and we'd only just begun on our cultivation." Pas shrugged his shoulders. "We're little more than peasants in reality."
"And instead of being there at the moment, helping your father develop those lands, you're here applying to be a dessert chef at a restaurant that hasn't even been built yet." Ryo leaned his head on his palm. "Why is that? It's quite an incredulous fairy tale at best."
"...Well uh..." Pas scratched his sideburn. "For starters, no already established place is going to accept a kid as a chef. I just wanted to take a chance...and I was never really cut out to be a noble. I always had other designs."
"You did?"
"Yeah." The boy answered. "A lot of strange things have happened to me recently, which I can't exactly explain...and I know that my word is all I have, since I do not bring any documentation of my experience." Pas clenched his fists. "But I am a self-accomplished confectioner and I can use any ingredient at hand to make delicious desserts the likes of which this world has never seen before! I want to build a new industry! A land of sweets and delights!" The boy had sparks in his eyes. "It's a dream come true!"
"Not yet exactly." Ryo picked his ear and flicked it away, clearly seeming uninterested. "But I suppose my restaurant is a place where you want to start. A stepping stone, to put into simpler words."
"Well yes." Pas flushed a little. "But I wouldn't be so impolite to say such a thing outright."
"I'm not offended." Ryo said. "I can appreciate ambition. I'm quite the ambitious type myself." He pointed his quill at Pas, locking his blood-red eyes with Pastry's gaze. "But step out of line with me, and you will rue the consequences."
Even though Pas was a little taken aback at Ryo's sudden bluntness and hostility, something about the way Ryo said that made him perk up a little.
"So...am I hired?" Pas asked meekly.
"Yes." Ryo's mood did a complete 180 as he ticked Pas's application. "Welcome to the team."
"...Seriously?" Pas raised a brow. "But I am so clearly last choice in any affair. All those other guys at least had some experience to show for it."
"I think you'll do just fine." Ryo smiled as he handed the piece of paper back to the boy. "My intuition tells me I will not regret taking you on at all. Give that to Rehmer, and I will contact you in a couple of days' time."
"I-I can't believe it!" Pas held up his application n front of him, like he couldn't believe it. "I'm actually hired...but aren't you worried at all?"
"I'm sure I won't regret your talent." Ryo murmured as he tidied his hair. "And if your noble family come looking for you since you're clearly a runaway, I have nothing to fear from them. I will deal with them the same way I deal with all of my problems."
"Uh...right." Pas laughed nervously. The undertone of Ryo's last sentence didn't sound all too comfortable and promising. Nevertheless, the little boy who had suddenly gained a spring in his step bounced to the door and looked back at Ryo. "Thank you for this opportunity boss. You won't regret it!"
"Run along and give that thing to the Section Leader." Ryo sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Or you might set the record for the fastest person to be fired ever."
"Yes sir!" Pas saluted before he closed the door behind. "Land of sweets, here I come!" Ryo heard him laughing as the little noble brat skipped away.
The spirit sighed as he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. Pas didn't need to do anything or provide an evidence of sort to land his place in Ryo's soon-to-be restaurant. For he'd recognised the boy upon hearing his full name.
'The MC from Sweet Reincarnation. Did I land in some dimensional intersection or something?'
Ryo then remembered the words of his benefactor.
["...you'll get help...but it will come from the most unexpected places..."]
...A whole lot of things were starting to make sense.
---
(An Abandoned Church)
Bell hurriedly flung open the door to the secret basement and rushed down the stairs, eager to reach the well-lit room at the bottom where he hoped his patron was waiting for him. The boy turned the corner to find exactly them, sitting on the bed with a weary expression as an air of exhaustion hung around them.
At first glance, one would think it was little girl, facial-wise no older than perhaps a pre-teen. That would only be before taking into account her exotic proportions. She was a raven-haired blue-eyed beauty that could make many breathless, and she was dressed in a rather moderate amount of clothing, which was really nothing more than a very long sleeveless shirt that covered her upper body but left long pale legs to be revealed.
Her hair was tied into twin tails and she was quite small. But ever present around her was the sensation of warmth, homeliness and welcome, something Bell had picked up on the moment he'd met this person. And again at first glance, one would assume she was human given her very human-like appearance. But a second longer with the girl, would reveal unto an observer that unmistakable aura that all mortals could sense, that which set a certain class of beings apart from the rest and therefore allowed one to distinguish the exact nature of this girl and her kind.
"Goddess Hestia!" Bell excalimed, pleased to see her. "Are you off of work early?"
"I spent a whole day digging up potatoes!" Hestia moaned as she slumped backwards on the bed. When a person would usually try to imagine what their first patron deity would be like, an overworked pauper was not a thought that often came to mind. "My boss was nice enough to let me off early, but my arms, neck and back are all sore!" Hestia grabbed her pillow and hugged it closer as her voice became muffled. "Woe is me!"
"Hehehe." Bell chuckled nervously as he put his pack down. "You know, my grandpa used to get aches like that whenever he would come back from the field. I used to give him massages to help it settle. I c-could do the same for you if you like."
"Really?!" Hestia sat up all of a sudden, seeming excited for some reason or another. "Will you really help me?"
"Yeah sure." Bell smiled his pure little boy smile, the one that Hestia really liked. "You helped me in my time of need, so I should help you in return...even if it's the smallest of things."
"Great." Hestia dropped her pillow and turned around as she pushed her hair out of the way. "Bell, I permit you to give me a neck massage!"
"S-sure." Bell said as he kicked off his boots and sat on the bed behind her. He gingerly grasped at her shoulders, taking note of how smooth and flawless her skin was, before he began pressing down on her neck muscles as gentle as possible. He began putting more pressure on at her guidance until she was satisfied, and thoroughly enjoying his offered charity. "Why 'permit' though?"
"No man has ever come this close to me and touched me like this before." Hestia opened an eye and peaked at him. "You're my first time."
...
Bell's face became a little red as her words made him feel a bit awkward. He shook his head and began focusing more on his task at hand while Hestia gave him a little smile and looked forwards. They sat there for a few minutes as Bell slowly worked away the knots in her muscles, and they settled into a calm and serene mood.
"So." Hestia began. "How was your second day in the Dungeon?"
"Not too well." Bell admitted as his ears became red out of embarrassment. "I got knocked flat by a goblin from behind in an ambush. I was only able to kill about 3 of them before I got too winded and tired to continue. I haven't even gone past the first floor."
"You can't expect too much since you're only just starting out." Hestia said as soothingly as she could. "I'm sure you'll be a great adventurer someday Bell. These things just take time. And I will be here with you every step of the way. Just you and me." She put her hands on her hips and smirked mock-haughtily. "I the Great Hestia, guarantee it, and I always deliver on my promises."
"I'm sure you do." Bell laughed. "And thanks for the vote of confidence."
"My pleasure." Hestia hummed in satisfaction before looking back at Bell. "So...anything else happen today?"
"Yeah!" Bell brightened up intensely, surprising the goddess a little. "I found my friend today, you know, the one I told you about."
"You mean the one that you said travelled here with you." Hestia pursed her lips. "The one that looks exactly like you."
"Yeah. It is so uncanny. We literally look like brothers." Bell folded his arms. "The only thing that really sets us apart is how big and strong he is. He's so strong, I saw him pick up an orc by the tusk and throw him through seven huge trees...with one hand!"
"Yes Bell, you've already said plenty about your idol." Hestia cocked her head. "Is he really that special to you?"
"H-he's not my idol." Bell twiddled his fingers. "I just...look up to him a lot because of how cool he is. Anyway, guess what. I saw him today and he offered to train me! Not only that, but in return for his training, I will have to work at his restaurant and if I do well enough, I'll also get a salary out of it. So I can bring some extra income home to us, and you won't have to work as hard goddess."
"Aw Bell, you don't need to worry about me so much." Hestia shyly waved away his concern, though genuinely touched at how earnest he was being in his sentiment. "But if he's offered to train you, you have to be sure he's a good teacher. I mean, is he experienced enough in fighting monsters? Fighting people on the surface is one thing Bell, but as I'm sure you realize, fighting monsters is a whole different playing field."
"I know. But get this, he's already reached the 13th Floor in these two weeks. And he killed an Infant Dragon."
Hestia whipped around and stared at him bug-eyed.
"An...Infant Dragon?...on the 13th Floor?" She repeated. "But it takes normal adventurers years to progress that far! You don't just go and kill a Floor Boss level monster like that in two weeks!" Hestia then narrowed her eyes. "You sure he wasn't lying to you?"
"Yes." Bell nodded almost religiously. "I believe him completely. You have to see him to believe it goddess. And you will see him as well, since he's coming to visit tomorrow. He's really powerful both physically and with magic too. He doesn't even need to be near a person to cut them in half."
"Now that's an exaggeration Bell."
"No it isn't. I swear it. I saw him cut a tree in half without even touching it! And he was sitting down too!"
"Hm." Hestia tapped her lips. "He's coming here? What for?"
"To see what my answer is." Bell said. "So what do you think about his offer? I really need that training, goddess."
"Well if what he said was true, about going down to the 13th Floor and whatever, then he definitely sounds like an experienced monster hunter at the very least. Whatever he could teach you would definitely be useful at the stage you're at. But making you work in his restaurant? That seems a little fishy Bell. You can't just be made to do free labour like that. And what's a restaurant manager doing in the Dungeon anyway? What Familia is he from?"
"He isn't part of any Familia actually."
"What? Then he's entering illegally?"
"No. He said he signed onto something called...I think it was 'free-lancer' maybe. Something like that anyway. He said that in return for extra taxes, he can go into the Dungeon without a Familia. Someone who already has powers like he does probably doesn't need a Familia for much in the Upper Floors of the Dungeon, especially if he's just doing it to fund his restaurant. But that's why I want you to meet him." Bell leaned forward excitedly. "If you could convince him to join our Familia Goddess, then we'd be gaining a lot of power really fast and I'd get a permanent mentor. And the restaurant he wants to establish could become a Familia business if he allows it, so we can all invest in it in return for his help. Please, Goddess Hestia. What do you think?"
...
"This is the most I've ever seen you talk about one person." Hestia stared at him dumbfoundedly, though noting the bright glint in his eye when talking about Ryo. "I don't know Bell. I have to see him tomorrow. I'm not just going to hand you over to anybody, even if you've known them longer than you've known me. I also want to know what kind of 'restaurant' he'll be opening." She folded her arms. "It had better not be the kind of place where 'unpleasant women' go to, and you'll be paraded in front of them like a little bunny doll."
"Oh no, nothing like that." Bell said simply. "He's planning on cooking monsters he catches in the Dungeon and making dishes out of them. He's then going to serve it to the people who eat at his restaurant."
"...WHAT?!"
---
'Achoo'
Ryo sneezed violently without covering his mouth, a cloud of his spittle flying into the face of a drunkard that was sat next to him at a bar. The leery man yelped in his drunken haze as he began wiping the stuff off his face in desperation, others laughing at him while Ryo rubbed his nose with the back of his sleeve.
"Well that was unexpected. It came out of nowhere." The spirit grumbled as he checked his sleeve to see if anything had come off on it. "I don't get sick...it can't be that trope where people might be talking about me behind my back could it? Who's talking about me then if that is the case?"
"Excuse me sir." The bartender said as he leaned his palms on the counter in front of Ryo. "You can't just be doing that in this establishment."
CRASH!
The bartender didn't even register his face buried a nanosecond later in the same counter top amidst splintered wood and sawdust. Some tankards and ruddy glasses that happened to be sitting near the point of impact rattled before crashing to the floor in shards of broken wood as murky ale spread out all over the stone paved floor of the rowdy bar Ryo had found himself in.
As for the spirit himself, he took his hand off the back of the bartender's head, before promptly shoving the limp body aside much to the laughter of other patrons who then began grabbing stuff from over the bar now that the bartender was no longer there to mind it. Ryo reached over the counter to the shelf where the drinks were stocked, pulled down the one that looked like it could be strongest and yanked off the cork before taking a huge sip.
He sighed in content before absentmindedly swinging his fist to the side, catching the face of the bargoer whose face he'd accidentally sneezed in. The drunken man was knocked out cold like the bartender and his body collapsed to the ground, limbs splayed out in a sweaty mess as drool seeped out of his mouth. Nothing came of it though as people jeered at the fallen man before going right back to drinking.
Ryo smirked a little as he took another sip of his own drink. He liked coming into places like these sometimes. Because more often than not, with hot-headed drunk men lingering around, it would end up in a bloody brawl even without his instigation. For Ryo, a bar fight was not entertaining if there was not at least three deaths in it, and boy had he started many in his time. Whether it was with knives, machetes or even guns, Ryo enjoyed starting a scuffle and getting some murders on his tab at the end of the day.
Recently, he hadn't been directly involved in the deaths of a few monkeys because he was so busy...and that was not acceptable. So after casting his eyes around for anyway he could cause trouble, he spotted on man at a table reaching for the belt of another very large man standing nearby. Tied to the back of the large man's belt was a money pouch which was quite clearly the target of the first man.
Without further ado, Ryo fired a little pellet of pure cursed energy at the large man's rear end, enough to create a sharp stinging sensation in his butt. The large man yelped as he turned around and stared at the first man who had his hand outstretched towards him and who suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights. Naturally the large man assumed he'd been pinched, so he responded like any self-respecting male would...by slamming a heavy punch into the first man's face and knocking a few teeth out whilst doing so. A friend of the first man from the same table he was sitting at stood up to confront the large man but then found his own tankard smashed on his head.
Pretty soon, an entire brawl broke out with punches and kicks flying everywhere, amidst equally soaring tempers, blood and teeth as some people got up to defend their respective friends while others joined in the fight just for the sake of it. It escalated to a point where chairs and stools started to be smashed over people's heads as the fight started to escalate and even the poor serving girls were getting hurt by the fight.
Ryo laughed as he stayed at the bar enjoying his drink, leisurely kicking away anyone who tried to approach him with the same intentions for a fight. Eyeing up all the squabbling monkeys in the room, he waited till the fighting was at its peak and he could detect bloodlust in the air before he aimed at a random man in the room and fired a Dismantle at him, cleanly decapitating him as the head went rolling.
Everyone froze for a moment as they watched the head roll across the floor, and the body spraying blood out of the neck as it collapsed to its knees before falling to its side, wriggling and spasming about as blood continued to spurt out. It didn't help that a couple of people had already drawn their swords out, marking them as the possible guilty parties.
Then it all became a glorious cacophony of madness as weapons were drawn, from swords to axes to bows to knives and people sprung into a murderous frenzy as they began hacking at people left and right while Ryo flipped backwards and landed behind the counter to bask in all the hateful emotions that was generated in this mess that he'd started. The sensations were euphoric. For as a famous person once said...
'I don't take the sh**s. I just disturb them.'
Ryo had definitely come to appreciate the sheer entertainment of spectacles like these as result of following that notion. Downing the last of his drink, he picked something out of his utility belt and tossed it to the ground before clasping his hands together and warping onto a rooftop across from the bar he'd just been in. A few seconds later, and an explosion accompanied by a cloud of fire completely blew out the doors and windows of the place as the explosive device he'd planted went off, applauded by the screams and shrieks of men and women inside.
He chuckled deeply to himself in maniacal joy. The place had been entertainment to rowdy criminals and lowlifes anyway. Society should really be thanking him as he'd just done them a favour.
Or so was his thought process as he took to walking the street back home, chewing on some gum he'd bought from the system to rid his breath of strong drink. Things had been going well after all recently, so he had to christen his newest success of finding a most assuredly capable dessert chef by ruining the lives of a few people.
Sure some were most likely dead, others badly burned and crippled for the rest of their lives and if some in there were adventurers, then they'd be badly disorientated for a while. Game is game.
...
When Ryo was about a hundred metres away from the Gate Inn, the sun already set and the moon coming up, he was disturbed by a small figure running out of an alleyway. The sound of small bare feet running across the cobbles reached his ears and before he knew it, the person had smashed into his Infinity, coming to a complete stop as they were bared from bumping into him in their hurry. A feminine gasp escaped the lips of the perpetrator before they lost balance and Ryo found himself looking into the face of a confused young girl.
"The hell is your problem?" He muttered at her as he observed her.
The little girl didn't look older than maybe seven or eight, and she was dressed in dirty little rags. Her eyes were teal coloured and her hair a dark grey. As of this moment, her little dirty face was full of panic and those eyes full of terror as they looked up at him. The girl breathed loudly as she looked up in fear and confusion of both having upset him and how she'd come to a mysterious stop before she could collide with him even if she didn't intend to.
The girl then did a double-take as she shook her head and stared at him closely, her eyes squinting as she seemed to examine him a little further before her eyes widened again in surprise, relief and...to his own puzzlement, recognition.
"I-it's you." The girl breathed. "It's really you!"
"Do I know you brat?" Ryo asked her, annoyed and intrigued at how this dirty little street rat seemed to recognise him when he had no idea who she herself was. The girl opened her mouth to say something when shouts of anger began to ring from the same alleyway and the terror from before filled her eyes again.
She got up and ran behind him, trying to pass through his Infinity to try and wrap her arms around his legs. Seeing that it was fruitless, she looked up at him pleadingly, her eyes watering as she gazed helplessly into his cold eyes.
"Your Majesty." She whimpered. "Help me, please!"
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