As Gale, who had crawled through countless life-and-death situations,
Ryu's sensitivity to gazes even surpassed her perception of killing intent.
Especially when the owner of that gaze was her treasured best friend — Syr.
Ryu stopped wiping the table.
She looked in the direction of Syr's last glance before she disappeared.
At the end of that line of sight,
was that Black-haired Deity, seated at the head of the long table, tilting his head as he chatted and laughed with the black-haired, red-eyed half-dwarf beside him.
Ryu narrowed her eyes slightly.
Her gaze, sharp as a blade, lingered on that deity for a moment.
He seemed completely unaware.
"..."
That deity...
Was he the reason Syr felt unwell and fled with that panicked look in her eyes?
Or did Syr have some weakness he was exploiting?
"..."
Thinking this, Ryu couldn't help but press her lips together.
The cloth in her hand was clenched a little tighter.
She took a deep look at that black-haired figure, etching his appearance into her mind.
"Ryu?"
Suddenly.
Just as Ryu was lost in thought,
a nasal call sounded in her ear.
"..."
Ryu stiffened all over.
She turned her head.
What met her eyes
was a magnified cat face wearing a sly grin.
— Anya Fromel.
Like the tavern's proprietress — Mia,
a former Freya Familia Lv. 4 Adventurer.
Titled 'Chariot's Doppelganger', now a waitress at the tavern The Hostess of Fertility.
This brown-haired, short-haired, foolish cat person was holding an empty tray, tilting her head at Ryu with a puzzled look.
"Meow-ha! Caught you, meow!"
"Slacking off here will get you scolded by Mama Mia, meow!"
"N-nothing."
Ryu shook her head, loosening her grip on the cloth.
"I'm not slacking off."
"I just suddenly remembered there are a few overflowing buckets of kitchen waste in the back alley that need dealing with."
"If we don't dump them now, the smell will be awful by closing time."
"Ehh— that kind of dirty work, meow?"
Anya wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"But Syr is on duty tonight, meow."
"It's fine. Since Syr went back feeling unwell, I have time. I'll handle it."
"Well, okay then. You go, Ryu. We'll handle things here, meow."
"Mm."
Ryu nodded and turned towards the kitchen.
However,
just a second before lifting the curtain,
she couldn't resist glancing once more in that direction out of the corner of her eye.
This time,
it happened to meet that person's gaze, which seemed to glance over, whether intentionally or not.
Ryu's heart skipped a beat. She quickly averted her eyes and hurriedly disappeared behind the curtain.
...
At the long table,
Heimdall set down his wine glass.
He had naturally noticed the gaze Ryu directed his way.
Even retired, this Gale was still Gale.
Impossible to ignore.
However,
Heimdall didn't pay it much mind.
After all, it was no secret that Ryu had an overprotective streak towards Syr — that is, Freya's alias.
Let her be.
Appearing too perceptive would only confirm unnecessary suspicions.
As long as neither he nor Freya took the initiative to reveal anything,
this cautious Miss Elf could rack her brains all she wanted, but she'd never guess the twists and turns here.
Besides,
that wasn't the focus tonight.
Thinking this,
Heimdall refocused his mind, his attention returning to the girls gathered around the table.
From leaving the Dungeon, to negotiating at the Guild, watching those staff members' eyes nearly pop out of their heads, to settling in at this tavern,
along the way, he had been too busy dealing with that chatterbox Tsubaki and wrangling with Shakti.
He seemed to have somewhat neglected his own children.
Thinking of this,
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[email protected]/Rexlent
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"