Published: August 10, 2026
The day after he completed the Elder Gentleman's request, Lizel was taking it easy over lunch in the inn's dining hall.
The dish of meat, vegetables, and rice simmered in a spicy broth was not something very familiar in Sars.
As expected of a former rank s, the menu was likely the result of his having traveled through many different countries.
His body, which had spent the entire morning focused on reading without moving even an inch, felt as though it were waking up all at once.
"It's delicious."
"I'm glad."
Lizel smiled and thanked the old woman when she brought him a refill of water.
The water poured into the glass was beautifully clear, but when he drank it, it carried a faint citrus fragrance.
There were two such glasses on the table. It seemed the inn's work had calmed down for now, and she was settling in as well.
Sitting across from him and gazing lazily out the window, the old woman was just the right person for Lizel to ask.
"Grandmother, may I ask you about what happened when the attack took place the other day?"
"Yes, what is it?"
Ask me anything, she said with a gentle smile.
No one would guess at first glance that this woman, with her lily-like softness, was actually strong enough to overwhelm Quattro. She carried such a gentle atmosphere that it was hard to imagine.
After finishing the Elder Gentleman's request and returning to the inn, Lizel had immediately gone to greet the old couple.
When he offered his thanks properly, the two of them laughed and insisted that "it was practically nothing at all." Lizel's confrontation with the attackers had been quite a struggle, so he had once again been reminded of just how amazing rank s truly was.
"There was an attack on this inn too. I tried dealing with it by myself."
"My, how diligent."
"Yes. Still, I can't really say I passed with flying colors."
In the end, all of the attackers had been captured, but it certainly hadn't been smooth or elegant.
He had accepted help from Gill and the others, and even had some of the elite help out. He hadn't intended to do it alone no matter what, but he still felt he could have handled it better.
Truthfully, his solo defense had been something of a spur-of-the-moment idea, and he hadn't prepared all that much.
"I'd like to learn from the way you two handled things."
"Oh my, how nice of a young person to say that."
"Then, I'll go make us some tea," the old woman said, standing up.
"Thank you very much."
She also took the opportunity to collect Lizel's empty plate and headed off to the kitchen.
By the way, she already knew how much he ate, so no one would be checking whether he wanted seconds.
Lizel was by no means a small eater, but he also never ate until he was stuffed. There were two reasons for that.
The first was that he didn't want to get sleepy. In his original world, it had been because of the sheer amount of paperwork; here, it was because he wanted to focus on reading. He rarely ever got sleepy while working or reading in the first place, but still, the degree of concentration he could bring to bear felt different.
The second was that he didn't want to end up unable to move. Since becoming an adventurer here, Lizel had learned that if he ran around immediately after eating, his stomach would ache. There had been no way for him to know that before.
Even so, why didn't Gill and Eleven suffer from that? Lizel found it endlessly mysterious.
"Hey, you finished eatin'?"
"Grandfather."
Just as he was thinking that, the old man came in, vigorously drying his wet hair with a towel.
Had he worked up a sweat somewhere? He certainly looked like he'd just gotten out of the shower.
"Grandmother's making tea for us right now."
"That's great. Mind if I ask for something cold?"
"Of course."
"Oy!" the old man called toward the kitchen.
Lizel watched the broad, sturdy back as he went, and then the man returned with the towel draped over one shoulder.
He dropped down into the chair beside Lizel, turning it slightly at an angle.
"How've things been lately? Workin' out all right?"
"In the labyrinth, I recently went to the Land of the Sacred Behemoths."