This is bad... Last night I saw a video of a playthrough of Teamfight Manager 2. Before I even realized, I already bought the game and have 10+ hours in... This is bad...
Ludwig opened his eyes to a ceiling he saw often this past months with no alarm. And dor a few seconds he stayed where he was. He then sat up. Bed made the moment he rose. Windows cracked just enough to let in the early chill. He rolled his shoulders once, then swung his legs over the side.
The floorboards were cool under his feet. He moved through the motions without rush. Push-ups first. Slow and controlled. No counting out loud. The repetition lived in his muscles. Sit-ups next. A stretch that pulled through his back and down his legs until his breathing deepened.
By the time he stood, the grey outside had lightened a shade.
He entered the bathroom and let the cold water wash all of his sweat. It cleared the last of sleep from his head. He swiped his hair back, buttoned his shirt properly, and adjusted the cuffs. No mirror was needed. If something was crooked, he felt it.
When he stepped into the hallway, the familiar hum of the empty Checkpoint greeted him. He descended the stairs. Each step creaked in the same place it always did. He did not avoid it as the sound belonged there.
When he entered the kitchen, he smiled.
Stoves clean and with no fire. Counters cleared from the previous night. Knives aligned. The faint scent of yesterday's cooking lingered in the air, though softened by soap and wood polish.
Then he began. He tied an apron around his waist out of habit, even though no one was there to see it.
He then walked to the far side of the counter before crouching. The stasis storage door opened with a click, and Ludwig fished out a fresh bread from the inside. He set it on the board and sliced four thick pieces with a single smooth motion per cut.
Eggs followed. Two cracked cleanly against the rim of a bowl. A splash of milk and a pinch of salt followed next before he whisked the concoction without hurry.
Turning the rune in the stove on, he set a pan over it and dropped a small cube of butter. It slid across the surface, melted, and pooled into gold.
While the butter warmed, he prepared the coffee.
Beans measured by feel entered the grinder, or at least a cheap imitation of the modern grinder. The scent rose immediately, darker than the kitchen had been a moment ago.
He poured hot water into the kettle and out it in the free space above the stove.
When the butter began to foam, he dipped the first slice of bread into the egg mixture. Let it rest just long enough before turning it once and lifting it out, excess dripping back into the bowl.
The bread met the pan with a soft hiss.
Two slices first to ensure the space was enough. The edges firmed slowly before the surface shifted from pale to amber.
He watched it happening, but not intently. One hand adjusted the runic fire beneath by a fraction. The other reached for a small jar of sugar and cinnamon, mixing them together in a shallow dish.
Then, the kettle began to murmur.
He flipped the toast, showing the underside that had formed a steady crust. After that, he poured the hot water over the grounds waiting in the countertop in slow circles. When the bloom rose, he moved again.
The second pair of slices entered the pan after the first two came off and rested on a plate. He dusted them lightly with the cinnamon sugar while they were still warm. A small drizzle of syrup followed next.
On the side, he poured some water to the coffee again before waiting for it to drip down. Once everything was done, hepoured it into a thick ceramic mug.
The kitchen now held a different scent. Butter. Toasted bread. Coffee.
He turned off the stove and set the pan aside to cool.
With a plate in one hand and mug in the other, Ludwig moved to where he normally sat down.
Outside, the sky had begun to color properly. Light edged along rooftops and brushed the edge of the courtyard.
Ludwig enjoyed this particular time of the day. Especially today as he had so many things to do. No scratch that, more like he had so many things to discuss and so many things to talk about.
Greito first. Always the minotaur first when it came to talking about the demon settlement. Cold and detached as he was, Greito always had the demon settlement's betterment in mind.
Then after that, Selena.
Ludwig's head throbbed just thinking about the succubus. Unlike most succubus, that one had become more and more like a devout believer. That too in him, not in any other religion. Gods only knew what she would become once she learned that they would have a village full of monsters to live in, far away from all oppression and prejudice they currently live in.
Only once they agreed, not like there's a doubt in him that they would decline that he would move all the demons in the settlement to Tempest, he could moved them all. Of course, his restaurant would be the gate.
So, the schedule needed to be made.
The toast on his plate was finally gone, he washed it down with some water before he enjoyed his coffee.
While the floral taste of the coffee hit his tongue, he hoped that no new customers would walk into the restaurant after Cless and Claire went to Tempest.
Just like the family of four from the ruined Earth.
As he waited for the door to open, he brewed some tea beforehand and cooked some simple breakfast again. Of course not for him, but for Cless, Claire, and his employees. The little girl would need food, that's what he knew as someone who had graduated from long years of education. While Claire, well… she had changed a lot now. She visibly ate more than when she first came here.
And his employees, they were going to be in charge of the restaurant again today. So, breakfast was the least he could do for them.
As he cooked, the door finally opened.
From the door connecting to Ravenhall, Cless, Hedwig, and Claire walked in. They were covered in casual dresses that still had some embroidery and frills, not ordinary casual wear.
"Good morning, Lud!" Cless shouted as the fox sitting on top of her head yipped.
"Good morning to you too." Ludwig smiled. He then put the breakfast and the tea he made on the table. "For you and Claire, Hedwig's breakfast will be ready soon."
"Thank you." Cless giggled before digging in.
Claire took her seat without ceremony. She did not reach for the food immediately. Instead, she removed her gloves and placed them neatly beside her cup.
"So," she said, lifting her eyes to him. "You'll talk to the demons today?"
"Yes."
Cless paused mid-bite, then resumed chewing as if that answer required no further investigation. Hedwig had already hopped off her head and was sniffing at the small plate Ludwig slid onto the floor for her.
Claire wrapped her fingers around the teacup. Steam brushed against her face.
"They are demonkin from the same villages as Vilera and the others," She said. "Correct?"
"Yes."
Claire nodded once before taking a sip.
"Will you need help in convincing them?"
Ludwig looked at Claire at that moment. It's not rare for Claire to offer a hand to him or the other regulars in the restaurant, but when it came to each world affair, the story was different.
"I don't think so." Ludwig shook his head.
But in his head, he had started to think maybe the correct way was to bring Claire to the discussion. One, she was the best in creating lines that people wouldn't think of crossing. Two, she was more politically aware than him, so it would help in making the demons settled faster in Tempest.
But bringing her also had some downsides. First, she was too strict, every deal she struck was like fighting, but with pen and words, not weapon and magic. Second, if either Kushina or Rimuru heard about it, they would stop at nothing to make he brought them to Ortus.
The third…
He started to felt like he was counting on Claire too much for this kind of thing.
Claire tore another piece of toast and waited.
Ludwig kept his eyes on the steam rising from his cup.
Greito would not be persuaded by enthusiasm. The minotaur respected structure. He valued precedent, consequence, long-term balance. A relocation of three thousand demonkin was not a caravan. It was not charity. It was political.
If he went alone, the discussion would lean toward trust. Toward personal assurance. Toward reputation.
That had been enough once. It had also left them isolated.
Selena would agree with whatever he proposed. That was precisely the problem. Devotion was an unstable factor even though it was strong.
He took a slow sip of coffee.
Claire did not inspire devotion. She inspired caution. She would told Greito what Tempest expected in return. She would ask about labor force and their willingness to work hard. She would not let him promise anything vague.
And Greito would respect that.
He leaned back slightly.
If the foundation was solid, the rest of the village would follow without feeling coerced. It would not look like Ludwig moving them again. It would look like an agreement between parties.
He set the cup down.
"I was wrong." He chuckled.
Claire looked up.
"I probably should bring you before I make an error that couldn't be fixed in the future."
She did not smile even after he said that.
"Do you have the time today?"
Claire folded her napkin once before answering.
"I have time." She said. Then, in a proud tone, she added. "Ravenhall will not collapse in my absence."
Cless looked up again. "You're both going somewhere?"
"For a meeting." Ludwig replied.
"Is it boring?"
"Very."
Cless nodded with sympathy and returned to her plate.
Claire lifted her cup. "When will we leave?"
"After she goes to school." Ludwig said.
Claire inclined her head. "Just for record, I will not speak first."
"I know…"
"I will only step in if I sense something not right."
"Oh, you will step in rather quickly then." Ludwig chuckled.
Then, he added. "Just make sure you don't go too hard against them. They are in need of help."
Claire did not answer immediately. Then she nodded once.
"I'll do my best. I've heard enough about them from you and your employees."
That was as close to reassurance as she offered.
Cless wiped her mouth with her sleeve until Claire handed her a napkin without looking.
"So we're going to Tempest now?" Cless asked.
"In a minute." Claire replied.
Ludwig stood and began clearing the plates.
The morning had fully arrived by then. Light settled across the kitchen floor, steady and clear. However, unlike the beauty of it, the conversation ahead should be bleak. But of course, like people said, there's only light in the end of the tunnel.
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