The noisy tavern hall hummed like a disturbed beehive. The clatter of wooden mugs, bursts of laughter, and waitresses darting between tables created that unique atmosphere of satiety and safety for which adventurers so loved this place.
At one of the corner tables, contrasting starkly with the general merriment, sat two people.
Leo gloomily picked at his stew with a fork. His shoulders were slumped, and his gaze expressed an extreme degree of youthful frustration.
"...and in the end, we scoured the entire Northwest district, but never found them," he complained yet again, staring at his plate. "This carnival messed everything up. Bell and Carol seem to have fallen off the face of the earth."
The spearman sighed heavily, expecting at least some support, but his only answer was the methodical clinking of cutlery. Leo looked up. His childhood friend, Alice, didn't seem to be listening to his tirade at all. She was completely absorbed in her dinner, thoughtfully chewing her vegetables and staring somewhere through the tabletop.
"Are you even listening to me?" the boy grumbled, accepting that the topic of their lost teammates had exhausted itself. Realizing he needed to change the subject, he set his fork down. "Listen... What Level do you think that guy is?"
This finally snapped Alice out of her daze. She swallowed her food, placed her cutlery on the edge of her plate, and, slightly furrowing her thin brows, looked at her friend.
"No less than Level Two," the archer said quietly but confidently. She replayed the memories of the rescue in her head. "Considering his speed... And the fact that he stopped a Silverback with his bare hands... plus the magic. You know, I wouldn't even be surprised if he turned out to be a Level Three."
Leo hung his head dejectedly again. Conflicting feelings warred within him. On one hand, a colossal relief that they were alive. On the other, a caustic, bitter resentment at his own weakness. That stranger hadn't even broken a sweat, while he and Alice had been preparing to say goodbye to their lives.
"It still pisses me off," the spearman muttered, clenching his fists. "We didn't even get a chance to really say anything. He just told us to run, like we were some kids."
Alice, hearing this genuine resentment in her friend's voice, suddenly felt her own mood creeping upward. A soft, understanding smile touched the girl's lips. Her usual, slightly snarky tone returned.
"Deal with it, Leo. Either way, if we'd stayed there, we'd only have gotten in his way. We still have a long way to grow to reach those heights."
She reached for her mug of ale, intending to take a big gulp. Raising the vessel to her face, the archer cast a casual glance over her friend's shoulder... and froze.
The ale never touched her lips. Alice's eyes widened in surprise.
Right by the massive counter stood that very same black-haired guy. He looked nowhere near as intimidating as he had a little earlier. But that wasn't the most surprising part. He was being held tightly by the arm by a miniature girl in a white dress with a blue ribbon.
Leo, noticing that his friend had literally turned to stone with her mug in her hands, followed her gaze. His jaw slowly dropped.
Holding their breath, they both watched as their savior chatted animatedly with the establishment's owner. The massive, stern dwarf woman, whose wrath even their seniors feared, suddenly erupted in thunderous laughter.
Mama Mia... knows how to smile?! flashed through Alice's shocked mind.
Meanwhile, Mia slapped the guy on the back with such force that a normal person would have definitely coughed up their lungs, after which she cordially pointed them to an empty seat by the far wall.
As soon as the couple headed for the table, Leo practically shot up. He braced his hands on the table, ready to jump to his feet.
"I'm going to go thank him! We have to..."
"Sit!" Alice clamped onto his forearm in a death grip, yanking him forcefully back down onto his chair.
"Hey, what gives?!" the spearman protested.
The archer gifted him with the most expressive "looking at an idiot" glare in her arsenal.
"Are you completely out of your mind? Can't you see he came with a girl?" she hissed, nodding toward the booth. "They're holding hands, you moron. It's a date!"
The meaning of her words finally reached Leo. His face instantly turned the color of a boiled lobster. He coughed awkwardly, settling back down on the bench.
"W-well yeah... Right. Didn't really think of that."
Alice let go of his sleeve, took a small sip of ale, and, stealthily casting a sidelong glance toward the far wall, added in a softer tone:
"...We'll go over a little later."
Leo nodded. Even his thick skull grasped that his friend wanted to talk to this guy just as much as he did.
***
The high wooden backs of the booths created an illusion of privacy, cutting their table off from the main bustle of the tavern.
Hestia, tracking Mama Mia as she walked back to the bar, maintained a polite, charming smile exactly until the dwarf's massive figure disappeared from sight. As soon as they were alone, the mask of affability instantly vanished.
The Goddess leaned forward, practically spilling her chest over the table, and stared at Rane with a demanding, suspicious look.
"How do you know her? And why were you chatting so amicably?" she blurted out, her blue eyes narrowing jealously.
Rane, already accustomed to these emotional rollercoasters, merely chuckled quietly. He propped his cheek on his fist, tilted his head slightly to the side, and looked at his patroness with a soft, indulgent spark.
"Is my Goddess truly that interested in my past?"
Hestia instantly faltered at his tone. Her cheeks flared up; she quickly recoiled, pressing her back against the booth's upholstery, and crossed her arms under her chest.
"I... I just have to know who my only child is associating with!" she squeaked, trying to salvage the remnants of her authority.
Rane didn't tease her any further.
"Bell and I came here a couple of times," he explained calmly, examining the menu. "The prices here certainly bite, but they cook incredibly delicious and hearty food. And the staff... is quite specific, but interesting."
Hearing the boy's name, Hestia calmed down a bit. Her jealousy gave way to a long-gnawing curiosity. She carefully placed her palms on the table, drumming her fingers.
"Listen, Rane... Since you brought him up yourself. I've been wanting to ask for a while, but couldn't bring myself to. Why did you two part ways after all? You seemed so close."
The smile faded from the youth's face. A deep crease formed between his brows, and his dark eyes drifted off into an empty corner of the booth, as if he were trying to discern answers there. The atmosphere at the table instantly grew heavy.
Hestia, frightened by such an abrupt shift, hurriedly waved her hands.
"Oh, I'm sorry! If it's hard for you to talk about it, you don't have to answer! I didn't mean to pry..."
Rane stopped her apologies with a light wave of his hand.
"No, it's nothing like that. I'm not angry," his voice sounded steady and detached. "I'm just trying to find the right words to express this thought."
He leaned back against the booth, crossing his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes.
"Life in this city rarely goes according to plan. The Dungeon is chaos. But even in chaos, there are rules. Minotaurs are creatures of the fifteenth or seventeenth floor. The chance of one of them managing to climb up to the fifth level, breaking away from the strongest faction, ignoring the complexity of the Labyrinth and dozens of other adventurers, is practically zero."
Rane opened his eyes and looked straight at Hestia.
"Nevertheless, it happened. That monster was right in front of us. We were insanely lucky to survive. But, frankly speaking, it disgusts me to realize that I am alive solely due to blind luck and outside intervention."
The Goddess listened with bated breath. She could feel that hiding behind these words was something more than just resentment of circumstances.
"And since such a thing happened..." Rane held a heavy pause. "He should have run."
Hestia blinked uncomprehendingly.
"When I drew the monster's attention, Bell should have turned and run with all his might. It was the only correct decision. But he stayed. He threw himself into a suicidal attack for my sake."
The youth sighed heavily, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"If it had been someone else in my place, someone less close to him, Bell would have acted differently. He would have called for help, assessed the risks. But my overprotectiveness, our friendship... they made him reckless. For him to truly grow, I had to let him go."
Listening to this harsh, unromantic truth, Hestia felt a chill run down her spine. Rane had sacrificed their duo for the sake of this boy's future. The Goddess's mood rapidly plummeted. Her shoulders sagged.
Noticing her state, Rane leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. His face ended up on the same level as Hestia's eyes. The severity vanished, giving way to that familiar warmth.
"You shouldn't be sad, Goddess," he said softly. "The past is given to us so we can learn lessons from it, not to endlessly dwell on how lousy it was."
He spread his hands as if throwing off an invisible weight, and a faint, ironic smirk touched his lips.
"Lady Luck doesn't smile upon us all that often, so relying on her mercy is for fools. You have to build your own strength. Now, as for the Loki Familia..."
Rane's face suddenly contorted into a theatrical, grotesque grimace of anger. He knocked his knuckles against the table with deliberate loudness.
"How dare they even look down on my friend?! Make him feel weak! Oh, believe me, Goddess, it will be incredibly amusing to see their long faces in the future when that boy surpasses them all."
The contrast between his serious philosophy and this sudden, feigned indignation proved so stark that Hestia couldn't hold it in. She snorted into her hands, and then laughed ringingly, genuinely, wiping away a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye. The clouds over their table finally parted.
Right at that moment, a procession approached their booth.
A tall, imperturbable elf with short green hair elegantly unloaded two steaming plates of the dish of the day onto the table. Behind her, clinking dishes and happily purring under her breath, popped up a catgirl.
"Nya! Bon appétit!" she sang, setting down meat appetizers, a huge cheese platter, roasted vegetables, and two large pints of ale in front of the dumbfounded Rane.
The volume of food was about three times what Rane had planned to order. He cast a questioning glance at the elf, but she remained stoically silent.
The answer came from the bar. Mama Mia, resting her hands on her immense hips, boomed across the hall:
"Don't be stingy about coughing up the coin, kid, since you brought your Goddess to my establishment for a holiday! Live it up! Gwa-ha-ha-ha!"
Hestia, seeing this culinary splendor, clapped her hands joyfully. While Rane slowly shifted a completely blank, emotionless gaze to the cheese platter, the cost of which probably exceeded at least 1,000 valis.
He sighed heavily and, looking at the beaming Goddess, stated in an even, lifeless voice:
"Naturally... this wonderful establishment has its significant downsides as well."
***
The crispy crust melted in the mouth, giving way to the tenderest white fish fillet. Rane methodically chewed the hot appetizer, washing it down with cool ale, and internally conceded defeat. No matter how godlessly Mama Mia hiked the prices in her joint, the food here was truly devilishly delicious. It was impossible to find fault with it even if one wanted to.
He looked up from his plate. Hestia, having forgotten her manners and recent worries, was scarfing down roasted vegetables with an absolutely pacified look. A tiny smudge of sauce remained on her cheek, and her blue eyes shone with genuine, simple happiness.
Watching her, Rane felt the remaining tension from the hard day finally dissolve. In this noisy tavern hall, smelling of spices and alcohol, it was surprisingly peaceful.
His peripheral vision caught a hesitant movement to his right.
Rane turned his head. At the edge of their booth, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot, stood two people—the boy and the girl whose lives he had saved that afternoon.
"What a meeting," the youth said calmly, without a drop of surprise, setting down his fork.
"G-good evening!" Leo bowed slightly, blushing furiously. Alice next to him also inclined her head in a sign of respect. "Please forgive us for interrupting your meal. We just wanted to thank you..."
Hestia froze with a piece of meat halfway to her mouth. She blinked her eyelashes in surprise, looking back and forth between the teenagers and her follower.
"Do you know each other?" she asked, not understanding.
Rane leaned in slightly toward her ear, catching the subtle scent of her hair, and quietly explained:
"These are those kids the ape was chasing."
The Goddess's eyes instantly went wide. Leo and Alice, hearing a snippet of the phrase and fully aware that a Deity was sitting before them (Mama Mia had broadcast that fact to the whole room), shrank internally. In the Loki Familia, they were used to gods being eccentric, domineering, and quick to punish. They expected this miniature girl to tear them a new one right now for dragging her child into mortal danger.
But Hestia's face suddenly softened, filling with genuine concern. She set down her cutlery and looked at them worriedly.
"Oh, you poor things!" she exclaimed sympathetically. "Are you hurt?"
Leo and Alice were taken aback. Instead of divine wrath, they were washed over by a wave of almost maternal care.
"N-no! We are perfectly fine," the archer answered hurriedly, losing a bit of her usual snark. "Thank you very much for your concern!"
Watching this scene, Rane felt a slight prick of pride. His Goddess, despite all her quirks and jealousy, possessed an incredibly pure and kind heart. She was worth fighting for.
The old master rose smoothly from the table. With a fluid gesture, he pointed to the vacated sofa.
"Have a seat," he offered.
Before the kids could answer, Rane walked around the table and with absolute composure sank onto the plush seat next to Hestia. The sofa was spacious, but the youth sat close enough for their shoulders to touch slightly.
"I hope you don't mind, Goddess?" he turned his head, gracing her with a warm half-smile.
Hestia instantly flushed to the very tips of her ears. Rane's proximity knocked all thoughts out of her head.
"N-not at all! Not at all!" she squeaked, hastily grabbing her mug of ale to somehow hide her embarrassment.
Leo and Alice, exchanging a look, sat down opposite them with gratitude.
Half an hour later, the initial awkwardness had completely faded. The atmosphere at the table became relaxed, and a pitcher of ale brought over by Ryu loosened their tongues.
"Wait, are you serious?!" Leo stared at Rane in shock, nearly choking on his food. Unfeigned disbelief splashed in his eyes. "Level One?! You must be joking!"
"I completely agree," Alice backed him up, her brown eyes widening in amazement. "The way you stopped that Silverback... We thought you were a Level Two veteran at the very least."
Rane felt not the slightest bit of pride from these compliments. After all, he had used magic against a normal, albeit over-pumped monkey.
"Let's not exaggerate," the youth smiled, slightly embarrassed, scratching his cheek. "Just a lucky confluence of circumstances."
Hestia, still sitting next to him, smiled contentedly as she looked at the teenagers.
"You guys are sweet kids," she admitted sincerely. "To be honest, I didn't expect the Loki Familia to have such polite children."
Leo and Alice synchronously hung their heads with a deep sigh.
"Please forgive our Goddess," they chanted doomedly in unison, as if it were a memorized prayer.
"Our Familia has long developed a habit of apologizing for Loki-sama's antics to everyone else," Alice chuckled nervously.
Rane, picking up the relaxed rhythm of the conversation, casually twirled a spoon in his fingers.
"And how long have you been in her ranks?"
"A little over a year," Leo answered readily, puffing out his chest.
The youth raised an eyebrow slightly. He pointed the end of his spoon toward the guy.
"In that case, allow me to ask a reasonable question," Rane's tone remained calm, but steely notes slipped into it. "Why were two adventurers with a year of experience running from a run-of-the-mill macaque instead of dealing with it themselves?"
Leo deflated, and Alice looked away guiltily.
"Rane!" Hestia bristled, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow. "Don't pressure them!"
"They aren't children, Goddess, they are adventurers. And I'm not scolding them," the youth countered unperturbed, keeping his eyes on his companions. "Just curious."
Hestia, seeing the kids' downcast faces, hurried to defuse the situation. She smiled warmly at them across the table.
"Don't pay him any mind," she winked conspiratorially. "That's just how Rane shows he cares. He's always this serious."
"Yeah, that's almost exactly what I said," the youth scoffed, taking a sip of ale.
Suddenly, Hestia's face brightened. A spark of a brilliant (or so she thought) idea flashed in her eyes. She clapped her hands loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"Listen! I just had a great idea!" the Goddess exclaimed. "You guys, since you're adventurers and Rane is too, why don't you go down into the Dungeon together?! You could show him the middle floors, and he could watch your backs!"
Rane choked on his ale, slightly slanting his eyebrows at his patroness.
The idea was sudden. But Leo and Alice reacted to it with unexpected enthusiasm. The spearman's eyes lit up.
"That's a thought!" he blurted out joyfully. "Learning from a master like you, Rane—it's a dream! Only... there are three others in our squad besides us. And one of them is our main attacking vanguard. We'll have to ask for their permission."
Alice nodded, confirming her friend's words.
"Our commander is very strict about discipline, but I think if we tell her what happened, she won't refuse."
Rane, quickly evaluating the prospects, found no compelling reasons to refuse. Working in a coordinated group would allow him to study the tactics of local squads from the inside, without exposing himself unnecessarily.
"I don't mind," he nodded. "Discuss it with your teammates. We can figure out the details later."
Hestia beamed with joy. The thought that her boy would no longer be wandering the dangerous labyrinths completely alone lifted a huge weight from her soul. She grabbed her mug and thrust it upward.
"Then it's settled! To new acquaintances!" she proclaimed solemnly.
The clink of mugs crossing over the table drowned in the general hum of the "Hostess of Fertility," marking the end of this crazy but incredibly successful day.