Chương 18: The Hostess of Fertility!

Chapter 18 - The Hostess of Fertility!

Clang!

An armadillo-shaped armored monster was knocked to the ground, defeated by Lefiya, who was holding a thin sword.

After the recent guidance, even though Lefiya still trembles at the sight of monsters, she has become able to confront these creatures that previously terrified her.

"Torajirou-san! I've taken care of it!"

Having killed the armadillo-shaped monster, Lefiya ran excitedly to Shiro's side, apparently waiting for his praise.

"Well done, Lefiya."

Come to think of it, has this elf girl's attitude towards him become weird after being swayed by his words?

Shiro removed the magic stone from the monster and stored it inside his Gift card, while Lefiya watched without surprise.

Shiro had already explained the spatial storage function of the item to Lefiya, and she simply marveled at how convenient the magic tools from another world were.

"That's enough for today."

It was already noon, and since Shiro had been dragged out by Lefiya, he hadn't had time to prepare any lunch, so they decided to head back to Orario to eat.

After returning to the surface, Shiro and Lefiya parted ways.

It was a good opportunity for him to take in the sights of a city in another world, as he had previously been spending all his time in the Twilight Manor or the dungeon since his arrival.

After buying a cream-flavored Jagamarukun from a street vendor, Shiro started wandering around the city.

Orario surprisingly matched his imagination of another world, with various beastmen and elves bustling through the streets, a mix of different races' habits and attire creating the city's vibrant atmosphere.

After finishing the last bite of his Jagamarukun, Shiro noticed a tavern on the street corner named 'Hostess of Fertility'.

It reminded him of the elf who had guided him the day before.

"Welcome, nya!"

Upon entering, he was greeted by an orange-haired cat-eared girl wearing the tavern's uniform, energetically welcoming customers.

"Eh? A new face, are you a new adventurer, nya? You're quite handsome."

"Yes, I guess. By the way, is Ryuu here?"

When Shiro asked if Ryuu was working here, the orange-haired catgirl suddenly became excited.

"Wow! Mama Mia! Breaking News! The man Ryuu found outside has come to our doorstep, nya!"

Anya ran over to a tall woman wearing an apron, dancing with excitement.

"Is the black dragon about to emerge, nya?! Even Ryuu, with her rigid-like view of love, knows to keep a man outside!! Is the world about to end, nya!!! I need to enjoy these last moments!"

As Anya was about to run upstairs to pack for her final moments, a hand grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back.

"After all, you're just looking for an excuse to be lazy, aren't you, Anya?"

Mama Mia, who grabbed her, showed a creepy smile.

Anya, realizing her trick to be lazy was seen through, immediately changed the subject.

"No... no, nya! Look at the new guy looking for Ryuu! There can't be any new adventurers in Orario that Ryuu knows. He must be a boy Ryuu's been secretly keeping on the side to fight off loneliness, nya!"

Hearing this, Mama Mia also began to scrutinize Shiro suspiciously.

Anya's words sounded absurd, but Mama Mia wondered if this could really be a romantic debt Ryuu had from the past.

No, no, if this person was related to a romantic debt, he should have directly sought out Ryuu instead of becoming a new adventurer

So... unrequited love?

Joining a familia and becoming an adventurer out of a one-sided pursuit of Ryuu?

'Ryuu, I will bear your sins from now on.'

As Mama Mia fantasized a tragic love story based on her years of experience, Ryuu, who had been washing dishes in the kitchen, heard the commotion and came out.

"Torajirou-san?"

Seeing no escape, Anya decided to stir things up even more.

"Ryuu! I can't believe you've been secretly keeping a man behind our backs, nya! Mama Mia and I are so disappointed in you, nya!"

"Ha ha, young man, you're quite lucky to be favored by the staff of this tavern," said a black-haired beastman nearby with a kind yet teasing tone.

Despite a lightning-like scar on his face, the guy seemed surprisingly friendly, which made Shiro involuntarily compare him to the foul-mouthed werewolf from his own familia.

The surrounding adventurers all laughed together after hearing this.

Mama Mia then shook off Anya.

"I'll take this lazy cat girl away for now, and I'll lend you our Ryuu. Make sure to bleed your wallet and eat plenty, okay?"

After saying that, she dragged Anya by the collar to the back kitchen, and from the catgirl's departing expression, one could guess her upcoming fate would be dire.

"Ahaha, looks like I've been completely misunderstood..."

"Torajirou-san, are you here to eat?"

Ryuu's face turned somewhat red, showing that this elf might unexpectedly be quite innocent and pure-hearted in terms of romance.

"That's part of the reason, yes, and I also wanted to thank you, Ryuu-san. Thanks to you, my exploration the other day went smoothly. Otherwise, just finding the guild would have taken me half a day."

After ordering two plates of fried noodles, Shiro gratefully said to Ryuu.

"Torajirou-san, it was your first time exploring the dungeon, remember to stay safe," Ryuu said, her gaze turning somber.

"Don't think that just because the monsters are weak in the upper floors, you can recklessly go deeper into the dungeon. The dungeon will seize upon the adventurers' weaknesses to deliver a fatal blow at any time."

The atmosphere at the table suddenly became heavy, but this mood was quickly interrupted by the serving of the dishes.

"Your fried noodles are served."

A gray-haired waitress named Syr brought two plates of fried noodles to his table, but the portion, as big as her head, made his mouth twitch.

"Has the portion size of this tavern always been this 'generous'?"

"Mama Mia's exact words were 'Adventurers are already tired from the dungeon, so they must eat a full meal'," She explained, accustomed to such questions.

At the same time, Ryuu snapped out of her reverie.

"Sorry, I was just reminded of something."

Seeing Ryuu's expression, Shiro guessed she might have a sad past and, to divert her attention, brought up the recollection of his first dungeon exploration.

"Speaking of which, the dungeon is a really amazing place, isn't it? Before entering, I couldn't have imagined creatures like War Shadows."

Ryuu caught something from his words.

"You mentioned War Shadows?"

Seeing this approach was effective, Shiro quickly continued the topic, completely ignoring Ryuu's previous safety advice.

"Yes, those shadow-like humanoid monsters. They start with a group attack, totally different from goblins and the like."

"But Torajirou-san, War Shadows are usually found around the 6th floor, right?"

Syr, who overheard his words, realized something was off with Ryuu and subtly hinted at Shiro to stop talking.

"Yes, I was really shocked when I first saw them. I'm really curious about how such creatures live."

Shiro was focused on diverting Ryuu's attention, completely oblivious to Syr's hints.

Thud—

Ryuu slammed the table, drawing the attention of everyone in the tavern.

"Torajirou-san, I mentioned before that adventurers need to stay safe, right?"

Ryuu's gaze was expressionless, and Shiro immediately sensed something wrong.

Even if he told Ryuu he had explored down to the 10th floor, it wouldn't matter unless she believed that a newcomer could have the strength to achieve such a feat.

And under these circumstances, admitting to reaching the 10th floor would be disastrous.

"Ah... that... It was a senior from my familia who took me along. They said it was to familiarize me with the dungeon's monsters so I wouldn't panic upon seeing them later."

Ryuu frowned slightly, seemingly believing the explanation but also appearing somewhat discontent with his familia.

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