8 years after.
"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility."
"You look beautiful today, Syr-chan."
"Thank you."
This is a famous tavern in Orario. The three-story stone building gives the impression of a small, tidy inn, larger than it appears from the outside. Its location on West Main Street makes it convenient for customers to come and go. During the day, the clientele is mainly female and mostly ordinary city dwellers, while when it gets dark, the bar and tables are usually packed with adventurers returning from the Dungeon. It manages well for different groups of customers: The menu changes from morning to night, charging adventurers with more money to burn at higher prices. As the dwarf owner of the restaurant, Mia Grand, often says: "After all, we are treating them to our delicious food and drinks. If they can't pay, they won't get anything!" In fact, many adventurers are regulars, many of whom are obsessed with her special fruit liqueur (which is guaranteed to taste great).
"However, the morning would be better, meow..."
"When it gets dark, those beer-hungry adventurers flood in on us...Ugh, how boring, meow."
"Hey, kittens, you're running behind. Mama Mia will scold you."
The former top adventurer Mia has semi-retired and opened The Benevolent Mistress, where a number of women live and work. The cat girls leaning against the counter are Anya and Chloe, while the human who warns them as always is Runoa.
"Two guests are coming!"
The girl with light gray-blue hair guides the two new customers to Syr. She is the only employee who does not check in at the tavern. She is a human girl with a striking appearance; the tavern has used her as a cute salesperson to attract traffic on the streets. Syr treats everyone equally with kindness. She has won the favor of male customers as a straightforward, honest local girl. Even the rowdy adventurers who have had too much to drink calm down when faced with her surprising stubbornness and fearless smile.
"Syr seems to be more positive than usual today, doesn't she, meow..."
"Syr is always so positive, meow.That's why our tavern is so crowded, meow."
"Hey Anya, Chloe stop talking and clean up the table on the second floor!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Syr sighs as she stands outside the door "It seems he's a little late." Silently entering the tavern, she looks around and sees a customer in the corner of the tavern who has not yet ordered. "Ryuu and Lunaire didn't notice him?" With her policy of not letting people down, she immediately walks over to the customer.
The strange customer has white hair and red eyes that are quite similar to the color of the cute boy she met this morning. With his long hair covering part of his face, she can guess that he is about 15 years old. As she approaches, she can see him shiver slightly as he leaves the book he is reading and turns to glance at her.
"Uhm, excuse me, sir, what would you like to order?" she asked politely.
"Black coffee." The customer replies calmly.
"Yes, please wait a moment." Glancing at the table with a few circles drawn in water and a few pieces of magic stone placed randomly inside (it can be seen that this customer is quite messy), she suddenly remembers something.
"Excuse me, sir. Do you have any siblings?"
"When I came to this city, a kid also asked the same thing. The answer is no."
"Thank you, sir, your coffee will be coming soon."
Syr immediately runs into the kitchen. As she leaves, Accelerator returns to the book he is reading. He can't help but remember the shiver he just felt. It was like when he confronted the wizards who were trying to hide their identities in his previous life. Checking the simple shrine he drew on the table, it was unharmed, proving that the waitress is hiding more than she appears to be. It's none of his business, anyway, since the person he wants to see today is in the same situation.
.
.
Syr in the Kitchen
"Please make me a cup of black coffee for the far left corner table outside."
"Yes, right here, meow," May said.
Syr breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the kitchen, the stifling and oppressive atmosphere she had just experienced making her feel uncomfortable.
"Wait, why am I feeling uncomfortable?" She couldn't help but feel that the man she had just met was strange. If Bell's small soul was transparent, the color of his soul swirled between white and black with a small platinum core creating a hazy image of a tree. The image of the tree was etched into her soul, ignoring the world around her. "Hey Anya, Chloe, bring this pile of food out to the tables outside for me. Also, bring this cup of coffee to the far left corner table outside."
"I understand! But which far left corner table?"
"Leave the coffee to me, Anya. You take the food to the other tables."
"Alright."
"Hey, Syr."
'I forgot to ask the name of the person.'
"Hey Syr, what's up?" May had been standing beside her.
"Oh, it's nothing. I made you worry. What about the coffee?"
"I finished making it and asked Chloe to take it away. Can you help me on the second floor?" It seemed that Chloe was already talking to the guest outside. She told herself she would find out about him later.
"Alright, I'm going."
...
"Yo, Chloe! Long time no see."
"What are you doing here, Accelerator?" Chloe said as she placed the cup of coffee on the table.
"I was just looking for a famous restaurant in Orario and I was accidentally introduced to this place. I didn't expect you to be a waitress here, shotacon."
Accelerator took a sip of his coffee. 'Not bad' he thought to himself.
Chloe sighed and sat down in the opposite chair.
"What about your work? It's rush hour."
"Forget it, I want to take a break. Anyway, no one will remember me when I'm here, meow."
"Suit yourself, but who's the gray-blue haired waitress?"
"Huh, that's Syr. She's one of the first waitresses at this tavern. She found you, right, meow?"
"Uh... yeah."
Chloe chuckled in response.
"When I was still investigating this place, she found me too. Everyone here has their own circumstances. For us, Syr is a cute and very perceptive girl. Although sometimes she can be as mean as a witch, meow."
"Oh, I see. That seems right."
He glanced at the girl who was going upstairs but couldn't stop paying attention to this side.
"But it's been over 5 years since you've been back to Orario, I thought you wouldn't come back here anymore... How's the kid?" Chloe lowered her head, her hands clenched and trembling. Seeing that, he sighed.
"The kid is fine. She's sleeping in the shelter after her trip now. And you don't have to feel guilty about leaving us. You wouldn't be any good if you came along anyway, shotacon."
"I'm not a shotacon. Forget about that, is the kid's illness cured yet?"
"The disease was cured about three years ago.You could say she can live like a normal person now. But I need to make money and I can't leave her at home all day. Can I leave her here?"
"Of course you can, our tavern will be more crowded if we have a cute little girl working here. And don't worry, this place is safer than you think."
"That's good. But it looks like someone is looking for you."
"I'll be back." Chloe stood up and took a few magic stones from the table. "Here's the fee for using magic in the tavern. And don't break anything or I'll kick you out."
"Tch... No promises. Can you bring me a few more cups of coffee?"
"No, you bastard, meow."
After a normal conversation with Chloe, a few adventurers were startled by his sudden appearance in the middle of nowhere. Taking another sip of his coffee, he thought about what had happened.
It had been 8 years since he came to this world, and there had been some progress in finding a way to return home. There was nothing on the Tenkai of the gods that could cross the different branches of time, let alone a completely different world. That was also a good thing, his Earth already had enough gods for its own good. The only thing he thought was feasible to cross the veil between worlds was "Chaos". It had more than enough potential to hold back all the gods with their full power. Although "Chaos" was easier for humans, that didn't mean he could cross it easily. It led him back here, this dungeon had something to do with chaos. Moreover, Orario had gods who might have something that could be combined with his Magick to cross the endpoint.
Next was the problem of magic, upon closer examination, this place did not actually use the theory of idolatry. What was accurate was that mythology and magic here were intertwined with mythology in his world. If so, Aeon of Isis magic worked strongest here, but knowledge from the mythologies he knew could potentially have a reverse impact on this world. It had the potential to cause the disasters recorded in mythology, so he switched to studying Magick and the spells of Osiris and Horus.
Orario was the center of the world and the place where many gods gathered. Although he hated the political battles in the gods' game, it was the only way to return to his world. Politics was never his specialty (even though he was the one who controlled the city), manipulating and controlling others was the specialty of that golden duck.
"I won't be able to return to my world soon, at least not until the little girl is safe."
He took another sip of his coffee, but it seemed to be empty.
Accelerator was about to order another cup of coffee when an elf waitress brought him a coffee pot. She spoke to him in a cold voice.
"Chloe told me to give you this." She said as she placed the coffee pot on the table and looked at him with sharp eyes.
"I hope you don't have any bad intentions with Chloe."
"I don't. Don't worry about that."
"How did you just appear out of thin air a moment ago?" A hint of curiosity appeared in her voice.
"You could say it's some magic trick."
He didn't say anything else as he drank the coffee in the cup. It was better than the last time, probably because Chloe made it. The elf seemed to have left the table to give him some time alone. Looking over at the counter, the gray-haired girl was serving some adventurer wannabe. The boy was quite similar to him in his white hair and red eyes. It seemed the boy was the reason for the annoying questions he had encountered.
Stopping his glance at the couple, he continued to read a book about the floors of the dungeon that he had found. Although he had been to Orario once before, this was his first time entering the dungeon.
Tomorrow he planned to register as an adventurer at the Guild. He also had to contact his old connections in the city as soon as possible, many of the tools he used were worn out. Glancing at the sword cane at his feet, it was a sophisticated magical device he had designed to help him use magic. A device that combined science and magic. It had cost him a huge amount of money.
"Drinking coffee all day is not good for your health. Here is a steak. Remember to pay for it, it's not free, meow."
"Chloe, this is unnecessary."
"Necessary or not, your opinion doesn't matter. I'll prepare the food for the little girl later, remember to bring it back, meow."
Sighing, he replied.
"This is not like you at all."
"Everyone changes. You're also a lot nicer than you used to be."
"They call that maturity, kitten."
"To say to someone who is 23 years old but looks like a kid. Should I put you in a dress? It would suit you very well, meow."
"Oh, so this flat-chested lady has also learned how to tease subtly." Chloe immediately replied.
"Don't worry about the chest, it's already at an acceptable size. And with developed intelligence, they call that maturity."
"Tch."
He was about to reply when the door suddenly burst open and a group of about ten new customers flooded into the bar. They must have had a reservation because they were all led to an empty table in the opposite corner of the main hall. The group consisted of people of many different races. He was quite sure that they were all powerful adventurers.
"Hey Chloe, are they the..."
"Uh, they are the Loki Familia. I may have to go back to the kitchen. Remember not to break anything."
As Chloe turned back, he looked at the group that had just entered. He could recognize a few of them: Finn 'Braver', Riviera 'Nine Hell', Gareth 'Elgram' and finally the one who was almost a symbol of the Loki Familia now: Aiz Wallenstein 'Sword Princess'. They were big figures in this city and people he tried to avoid. There was no point in standing out too much, he hoped he wouldn't get into any situation with Loki. It would leave a pain in his ass.
After a moment of peace, he felt many eyes on him. He looked up, turning off the reflection to rejoin the world.
"That white-haired kid is trembling like a rabbit. Hey everyone, look at him! With that frail body, what can he even do?"
He heard a voice that sounded a lot like his own, perhaps a version of himself in this world. Looking around, he saw other adventurers laughing at him. It seemed something had happened, and he was the center of attention. The boy at the counter had a confused and embarrassed look, likely feeling guilty for involving someone unrelated.
"Getting yourself cornered like a rabbit and trembling like one too! That poor kid is about to break down! Then, our Aiz here slashed that Minotaur." The kid was drenched in the foul bull's blood, soaking wet! "So, tomato boy! Gya-ha-ha-ha—Ouch, my ribs!"
It seemed this beastman was drunk and mistook him for the kid at the counter. How unfortunate. The embarrassed boy tried to stand up, probably to take his place. He quickly raised his hand to signal the boy to stop and shook his head. He might not be a good person, but he couldn't let a kid endure this. It wasn't in his nature. The boy seemed somewhat reassured and sat back down. That was good.
"Choa..."
"Aiz, please tell me you're not going to do that! I'm begging you!"
"...No, I'm not."
The beastman laughed so hard he cried. The whole table did too. Everyone around was laughing at him. It was fine as long as the kid didn't have to endure it.
"And also! Tomato boy! He ran away, screaming his lungs out! Gya-ha-ha-ha! Our princess saved his life and he vanished!"
"...Hmph."
"GYA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Priceless! Aizee scared a rookie away! You are truly amazing!"
"Ha-ha-ha... I'm sorry, Aiz, but I can't hold it in anymore!"
"..."
"Uuuuu, don't make those scary eyes! You're ruining your lovely face!"
The whole Loki Familia table burst into laughter.
"But seriously, it's been a long time since I've seen something so pathetic! It's disgusting to the point of tears!"
"...Hmph."
"Look at him, drinking coffee like he's so cool. But when he meets a bull, he cries for his mommy like a baby. Someone like that shouldn't even be an adventurer in the first place."
The laughter in the tavern grew louder. He could hear whispers from everywhere around.
"It's weak adventurers like him that give us a bad name. Just give up already!"
"Shut up, Bete! Letting those Minotaurs escape was our fault! That boy had nothing to do with it! And stop drinking! Learn some respect!"
"Oh-oh! You elves and your pride! But really, what's the point of protecting that trash? Saying it's our fault, you're just lying to yourself! Keep your pride! Trash will always be trash! What's wrong with calling it what it is?"
"Hey, hey! That's enough! Bete, Riviera, calm down! You're ruining the fun!"
Accelerator quietly took out some magic stones and arranged them for a simple ritual.
"Verwischen," he murmured.
"Hey, Aiz! What do you think of him, that pathetic trash trembling in front of you? Do you think he deserves to stand among us, the adventurers?"
"...I don't blame him for acting like that in such situations."
"Why are all of you acting so saintly? Fine then, let me change the question—Him or me, who's more attractive?"
"...Bete, are you drunk?"
"Shut up! Now, Aiz! Choose! As a woman, which type of man makes your heart race? Who makes you fall for them?"
The white-haired kid immediately shivered. That comment must have struck his pride.
"...I have no reason to answer that question, especially not to you, Bete."
"Ridiculous..."
"Shut up, old hag!... So then, if that trash approached you, saying he liked you, would you accept him?"
"...Hmph."
"Of course not! Why would a weak, pathetic, and disgusting little kid like that have the right to be by your side? He could never be on par!"
"A little kid like that could never get Aiz Wallenstein!"
The kid stood up, fists clenched, ready to confront the wolfman. It looked like he was going to end this. Such a brave child. Accelerator signaled the kid to stop and glanced at the door. The boy hesitated, then with a face about to cry, bowed in thanks and immediately left the tavern after carefully paying. No one noticed the boy because of the spell Accelerator had cast, based on the Observer bias effect. Simply put, it made people not recognize Superman when he wore glasses. People only saw what they wanted to see, no matter how inaccurate the information was. Unless someone specifically looked for the kid, they wouldn't be affected by the spell. It seemed the blonde princess had run out too, maybe actually looking for the boy.
As the boy left, Accelerator felt a bit relieved. Now he could comfortably handle this situation.
"Hey, stupid bastard. Don't act like you're ignoring everything I just said as if it doesn't concern you. That doesn't make you any cooler."
"Hey Bete, you've got the wrong person."
Finn replied while staring intently at him. The Pallum must have realized he wasn't the boy they were talking about from the beginning. Even drunk, he didn't lose his vigilance. Truly a top-tier adventurer. His thoughts were interrupted when Bete shouted.
"So what if he's a different person, he's still weak. With his frail body, what can he do? He'll get killed just like that stupid kid when facing a Minotaur."
There was some truth to that. Although he had trained his body to the maximum and maintained a balanced diet, it wasn't much bigger than his previous body. Compared to those blessed by Falna, he was far behind. But that didn't matter now.
"It seems this dog is barking a bit too loudly. If you're drunk on grass, you should go home and sleep, puppy."
The tavern immediately fell silent; everyone seemed to be processing those words. Although he didn't want any trouble, it had come to this. Bete's face turned red instantly.
"What did you just say?" he shouted, spitting everywhere.
"I'm talking to you, stupid dog. Seems you're all bark and no bite."
"Bastard!" He stood up abruptly, ready to come over.
"Bete, stop! Don't cause trouble in the tavern. Mia will get angry."
"I don't care! I need to teach that bastard a lesson. That arrogant weakling ignoring others will never become a real adventurer."
"It seems this little puppy is too drunk to understand words. Besides, why should I listen to a weakling?" Although Accelerator remained calm and composed, he still felt a surge of anger facing a version of himself. Was this how Touma felt when meeting a doppelgänger? Nonetheless, Accelerator subtly altered his voice using vector manipulation so no one around would notice the similarity.
Bete, infuriated, brushed off his teammates' restraining hands and charged at Accelerator. Everyone held their breath, anticipating something terrible. The punch aimed at Accelerator's face, who was calmly reading a book.
Bam. A horrifying sound echoed. But it didn't come from the boy reading the book. A shadow flew across the room and was pinned to the opposite wall, breaking tables and chairs along the way. Bete was the one pinned to the wall. Everyone in the tavern gaped at what had just happened. Bete, a powerful level 5 of the Loki Familia, had been thrown without Accelerator even lifting a finger.
Accelerator calmly took a sip of his coffee.
"If you're so drunk that you can't even walk straight, you should go home as soon as possible, puppy."
"Bastard," Bete growled, clutching his bloody hand, trying to lunge again but was held back by his teammates.
Accelerator was genuinely surprised in that moment. The force of the punch wasn't truly fitting for a level 5. It had been adjusted to suit a lower level, so the recoil was lighter than usual. Despite being drunk, the crazy dog had calibrated his strength to ensure the injuries weren't too severe.
'He's better than I thought.'
Because after all, compared to him, Accelerator was much worse.
'But with such behavior, he'll have many regrets.' This was something he regretted the most now. If he had behaved better with Last Order, he could have made her feel more comfortable and have more beautiful memories with her. Now, he couldn't even meet the child again. He wasn't sure if he could return home either. The homesickness made him sigh. He spoke to the bastard being held back by his teammates.
"Hey puppy, you should learn to behave better."
"What the hell, bastard. I don't need lessons from a weakling."
"Someone just got thrown for talking too much. Aren't you weaker than me?"
"Motherfucker. Damn you."
"Hey, watch your mouth!" Chloe had flicked his head. She was one of the few people he allowed to bypass his barrier if the attack wasn't dangerous.
"You're not collaborating with Loki Familia to interrupt me, are you?"
"I don't understand what you're saying. And didn't I tell you not to cause trouble in the tavern? I just stepped out for a moment and this happens."
"I didn't start it."
"But you could have avoided it. Now the furniture is broken. Here's your meal. Take it, pay, and leave quickly."
He took the lunchbox and handed Chloe a bag of money.
"Here, keep the change. Use it to pay for the damaged items."
"This isn't enough. You need to pay more. The tables and chairs here are made from Elf forest wood, they're not cheap."
The amount he gave her wasn't small, about 500,000 vali, equivalent to an average house in the city. He was sure the tavern's furniture wasn't that expensive.
"So how much do I have to pay?"
"Let's see. About 20,000,000 vali."
That price was too high for the furniture. She was definitely hiking the price to get more money from him. Didn't she know he couldn't earn money for years?
He raised his sword cane and aimed it at the wreckage.
"Water will return to its original state. You exist in Briah. Faigh air ais."
All the debris magically flew up, leaving many people gaping. The wooden chairs were neatly arranged, bowls and plates stacked perfectly, and the dent in the wall restored to its original shape. Only the food and drink flew up and landed on Bete's head. Accelerator didn't hate him but still felt irritated by someone similar to himself. The cursing started again, but he quickly muted the sound from that side.
"That guy's voice is quite similar to yours."
"Don't mind the details. Keep the change. I'm leaving."
"How am I supposed to explain this, meow?"
"Say whatever you want. Just don't be too careless."
He then left the noisy tavern behind and disappeared into the night streets of Orario.
...
'That was a pain in the ass. Leaving me with a mess of everything.' Chloe complained as she quickly moved towards the Loki familia.
"Is everyone alright? Sorry for the trouble earlier," she said.
"We're fine. That guy brought it on himself." Riviera replied while stepping on Bete, who was tightly bound.
"Good to know. I'll get back to my job, meow." Chloe skillfully cleared the dishes from the table and was about to leave when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Turning around, she was surprised to see that it wasn't the leader or a god, but a stammering elf.
"Excuse me. May I ask who that person was just now?" the elf asked.
"He's someone I know."
"The magic he used seemed quite unusual. I could sense it."
"I'm not sure about it either. Isn't it just regular magic?"
"Oh, perhaps I was mistaken. Sorry to bother you."
"It's nothing. I'll be on my way now."
A minute of danger passed as everyone in the tavern watched Chloe for her response. Luckily, the elf didn't ask anything too sensitive, allowing her to quickly retreat into the kitchen.
"What's going on, Chloe? You seem different today."
"Oh, it's just a little something. Nothing to worry about, meow."
"Is it about that guy earlier? Did he do something to you?"
"No, it's nothing like that. It's just that he's connected to my past, meow."
"As long as you're okay. If anything happens, you can talk to us."
"I promise, meow."
The girls here all had different pasts, so no one pried into each other's business. This was fortunate because Chloe needed some time to rest.
"Today was really exhausting, meow."
Soaking in the water, she let it wash away her troubled mind. Meeting Accelerator again was both a surprise and a pain he brought.
'I'll definitely pay him back for today.'
But she couldn't deny that it completely dispelled the torment that had plagued her for so long.
"I hope I get to see her tomorrow."
Chloe lay down on her bed, smiling as she slowly drifted off to sleep.