After a while, Asuna left.
Although her father was no longer strict about controlling her time, the girl herself still understood that it was not very good for a girl to stay out too late.
After she left, the atmosphere in the restaurant was not affected much.
Only Ainz and Rimuru looked rather emotional.
Their strange reaction made Yuto curious.
"What's wrong with you two?"
He could not help asking.
"I just feel a little bad about accepting Yuuki's headsets for free like this." Ainz spoke with some emotion.
"Then just remember to thank her properly next time, right?"
Yuto smiled lightly.
"Ah, I feel like Yuuki probably won't accept thanks from me and Rimuru."
"Mm, I get that feeling too. Yuuki seems like the kind of girl who doesn't ask for anything in return. She really is a good girl."
"Indeed. Yuuki really is a rare good girl."
Ainz and Rimuru praised Asuna one after another.
From that alone, it was clear how much the two of them acknowledged her.
Of course, that acknowledgment mainly came from the fact that Asuna had brought them the game headsets.
"Then just say thank you."
Yuto's words gained the agreement of both of them.
"I could give her the latest cursed item I've developed. That way, she can freely curse anyone she hates to death."
A calm male voice with a faintly cold edge suddenly sounded.
Yuto, Ainz, and Rimuru all abruptly turned their heads.
"Fafnir, why did you log out too?"
Yuto was rather surprised.
From the moment Fafnir entered the restaurant, he had put on the headset without a word and started playing.
Yuto had thought he planned to keep playing like that the entire time.
"I got some equipment drops and originally wanted to give them to Ainz and Rimuru, but neither of them was online. So I decided to log out temporarily and see what was going on."
Fafnir's expression was very calm and indifferent.
His expression had always been that eternally unchanging, deadpan look.
Everyone was already used to it.
"Really?! Is it amazing equipment?!"
"Ooooh!!! As expected of Fafnir!"
Rimuru and Ainz both looked at him in delight.
Fafnir nodded faintly.
"You need to hurry up and raise your levels. Otherwise, you won't be able to equip the gear I give you in the future."
Fafnir spoke to Ainz and Rimuru with a slightly reproachful tone.
Ainz and Rimuru could only lower their heads helplessly and accept Fafnir's criticism.
"Sorry, we dragged you down..." Rimuru said.
"Don't worry! I'll definitely raise my level quickly!" Ainz declared.
The two of them sounded as if they were making some kind of solemn vow, their tones heavy and extremely serious.
Yuto watched this scene and truly did not know what to say.
At that moment, Fafnir turned his gaze toward Yuto again.
"What do you think of the proposal I mentioned earlier?"
Yuto was a little stunned.
"After my latest development, I've already created a cursed item that can kill someone without needing to write their name. It is an extremely precious item. I'm sure that Yuuki person will be very satisfied with it."
Fafnir crossed his arms, supported his chin with one hand, and spoke very seriously.
Cold sweat nearly formed on Yuto's forehead.
He did not think Asuna would be satisfied if she received such a terrifying thing.
She would probably be frightened instead!
"I think... that probably won't work very well..."
Yuto's words made Fafnir look rather troubled.
He frowned, and a trace of dissatisfaction appeared in his crimson pupils.
"Even my newest cursed item can't satisfy Yuuki? Humans truly are greedy."
Listening to Fafnir mutter to himself, Yuto could not help silently retorting in his heart.
'Just how exactly did dragons view humans?'
"It seems I can only continue researching."
Fafnir sighed softly and spoke with slight helplessness.
Yuto's smile became a little stiff.
Fafnir, the direction of your research has completely gone off course!
"I'm also a little hungry."
Fafnir's gaze turned toward Yuto.
"Hey... give me—"
Thump!
Before Fafnir could finish more than a few words, Tohru's fist came down on him as usual.
"Fafnir! How many times have I told you?! Be more respectful toward Boss!"
The dragon girl sounded rather helpless.
Fafnir calmly pushed up his glasses as if nothing had happened.
If one ignored the large bump on his head, the scene would have looked quite normal.
"Hmph! Boss, please make me something to eat. Grilled meat would be best."
After snorting, Fafnir spoke to Yuto with an attitude much better than before.
Yuto could only smile somewhat helplessly.
He nodded and said, "All right. Please wait a moment."
Then he turned and entered the kitchen to prepare grilled meat for Fafnir.
...
Ever since Lucoa and the others first came to the restaurant, they had always ordered grilled meat.
Perhaps this was because of dragons' eating habits.
After Yuto entered the kitchen, Ainz and Rimuru began asking Fafnir for advice.
For the two of them, Fafnir was a gaming expert.
There were many things they needed to ask him about: which area was best for farming monsters, where the drop rate for equipment was higher, how to fight bosses, and so on.
Unexpectedly, Fafnir answered each question one by one.
Listening to the three of them discuss those topics from the kitchen, Yuto could not help feeling that it was rather strange.
'Perhaps Fafnir should try esports?'
That thought appeared in Yuto's mind for an instant.
The next moment, he felt it was unrealistic.
If Fafnir really played esports...
If he won, that would be fine.
But if he lost...
Wouldn't he perform a live curse kill?
While Yuto was marinating the meat, the restaurant door opened.
It was the girl from last night who had been searching for a dragon—Wendy.
Only tonight, there was another person beside her.
It was an old man dressed in very unusual clothing.
His hair and beard were completely white, and around his head was a decorative headband made from some kind of bird feathers, making him look very much like an elder from a primitive tribe.
At the same time, there was also a white cat on Wendy's shoulder.
However, this white cat was wearing a little dress sized perfectly for her, making her look like a miniature cat girl.
"Boss, I brought Grandpa Roubaul and Carla!"
The slightly excited girl called out.
Along with her voice, Roubaul and Carla also began observing the restaurant.
"I'll be right out. Please wait just a little."
"Mm!"
...
"Grandpa Guild Master, come with me."
Wendy obediently held Roubaul's hand and brought him to sit by the counter.
Roubaul's hand was very old, the skin already wrinkled from the passage of time.
In sharp contrast was Wendy's hand.
Smooth and milky-white, the kind of skin only a young girl would have.
After Wendy and Roubaul sat down, the white cat on Wendy's shoulder also jumped down.
Only, she jumped directly onto the counter.
She was about the same size as an ordinary cat, so sitting on the counter did not get in the way.
If anything, she looked extremely cute.
"What a magical little restaurant."
After sitting down, Roubaul could not help softly sighing in admiration.
He had already lived for a very, very long time, but even he had never seen a place as magical as this restaurant.
"Mm. And Boss is a very good person. Tohru-onee-san and Nakiri-onee-san were also very kind to me."
Wendy spoke about how she had felt after coming to the restaurant last night.
Last night, when the girl had first arrived, she had been trembling because of how timid she was.
But after eating the food, she had gradually lowered the guard in her heart.
Later, chatting with Yuto and the others had made Wendy's impression of everyone in the restaurant even better.
"Hmph. Wendy, you're still too naive... Who knows whether..."
Then something surprising happened.
The white cat named Carla spoke.
When she opened her mouth, her voice was a somewhat childish female voice.
As Carla spoke, she turned her head and swept her gaze across the counter.
The first ones she saw were Tohru, Lucoa, and the others.
And the moment she looked at them, her next words immediately became stuck in her throat.
An indescribable fear suddenly rose in her heart.
It was as if she were facing existences that could not be compared to her in any way.
Every part of her body was telling her how terrifying the people before her were.
This was a kind of suppression from an entirely different level.
It was like how grains of sand on the ground would never amount to anything in front of the bright moon.
Or how, although humans possessed more creativity than animals, animals were far better at sensing unknown danger.
Even though Carla's identity could not be simply described as an animal, she still sensed the invisible dragon aura leaking from Tohru and the others.
Although Tohru and the others had already controlled their presence, it was still inevitable that a tiny trace of their aura would leak out.
That faint aura was extremely obvious to certain special beings with sensitive perception.
'Dragons... Dragons... They're... dragons...'
Carla wanted to speak, but because of the fear she felt at that moment, no sound came out.
Her pupils became extremely narrow, and all the fur on her body faintly stood on end.
"My, little kitty, what's wrong?"
Lucoa looked at Carla in a very dazed and adorable way as she asked.
Her expression was completely natural, with only pure confusion appearing on her face.
Carla took a deep breath and suddenly shook her head.
Everyone was a little confused by why she had done that.
Wendy also looked somewhat worried.
"Carla, are you all right?"
The girl gently stroked Carla's fluffy head, trying to comfort her.
"I'm fine..."
Although Carla forced herself to calm down, her voice still inevitably carried a trace of trembling.
Wendy looked a little troubled, but she still smiled helplessly.
"All right. But if something is wrong, you have to tell me, okay?"
Wendy continued stroking Carla as she spoke.
Carla nodded.
She did not continue observing the others. With a leap, she returned to Wendy's shoulder and quietly sat down.
Roubaul glanced at Carla on Wendy's shoulder, then looked toward Tohru and the other dragon girls.
His pupils widened slightly, but in the next instant, he returned to calm.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Yuto walked out with an apologetic smile.
He had already marinated the meat, so there was no need to keep staying in the kitchen.
"It's all right. Please don't apologize, Boss!" Wendy spoke to Yuto with a serious and obedient expression on her face.
Yuto smiled, then looked toward Roubaul and Carla.
"You must be Guild Master Roubaul. Hello."
Last night, Wendy had told Yuto and the others about Cait Shelter.
Naturally, Yuto also remembered the "Grandpa Guild Master" Wendy had mentioned most often.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Boss. Thank you for taking care of Wendy last night."
Roubaul's words carried sincerity and reverence.
That made Yuto feel a little unused to it for a moment.
"Please don't be so polite. I only did something insignificant."
Just from his appearance, it was clear that Roubaul was extremely old.
Having such an elderly person bow and thank him made Yuto feel a little unable to accept it.
Besides, what he had done last night truly had been nothing much.
"No matter what, I should still thank you."
Roubaul gently shook his head.
When Wendy disappeared last night, he had been extremely anxious.
Although Wendy had returned safely, if the person she had encountered at the time had not been Yuto, then things might have ended very badly.
Roubaul was truly relieved.
Yuto did not continue arguing. He only smiled helplessly.
His gaze shifted to Carla on Wendy's shoulder.
Yuto felt a little strange.
For some reason, he felt as though the white cat was afraid of something.
"Hello, Carla."
Yuto smiled and greeted her.
The little white cat pursed her lips and nodded.
"Hello.... Boss."
Yuto smiled, then looked toward Ainz, Rimuru, and the others beside Wendy.
Ainz and Rimuru seemed very curious about Wendy.
The two of them would occasionally cast glances at her.
Yuto naturally noticed their gazes, so he decided to introduce both sides.
"This is Wendy. She first came to the restaurant last night."
"And these two are Ainz and Rimuru. Wendy, you can just call them by their names."
Yuto introduced them to each other.
Wendy immediately bowed respectfully to Ainz and Rimuru.
"Hello, Ainz-sama, Rimuru-sama."
Perhaps it was only Yuto's imagination, but he felt Wendy's voice trembled a little when she said those words.
"Mm."
Ainz still liked to act a little deep and imposing in front of strangers.
Rimuru, on the other hand, was much livelier.
His personality leaned more toward that of a child, and he had never been particularly fond of hiding his emotions.
"Hello, Wendy!"
As Rimuru spoke, he bounced twice, like a soft ball that could hop around on its own.
Wendy gave Rimuru a well-behaved smile, but when her gaze moved to Ainz, she could not help trembling a little again.
Seeing this, Yuto found it funny.
He knew it.
Ainz's appearance was definitely a powerful tool for scaring children!
"Hey, Wendy, do you know magic? I can feel magical energy from you, and it feels like an attribute I've never seen before!"
That was the reason Rimuru had been curious about Wendy earlier.
Although he did not understand magic very well, the Great Sage inside his body did.
The moment Wendy entered the restaurant, the Great Sage had already reminded Rimuru that Wendy possessed a special magical attribute.
Ainz's curiosity toward Wendy came from the same reason.
"Eh? Um... maybe it's because I'm a Dragon Slayer Mage. Dragon Slayer Magic is indeed a little special..."
Wendy spoke somewhat shyly.
The little girl felt a little awkward.
Saying that the magic she used was special always made her feel like she was indirectly praising herself.
The moment Rimuru heard this, he jumped up in surprise.
"Whoa!!! Dragon Slayer Magic? That sounds amazing! Is it magic that can defeat dragons?!" Rimuru asked with fresh curiosity and excitement.
"Mm... it's only a legend..." Wendy answered hesitantly.
"Hmph. Mere human magic wants to slay dragons? What a joke!"
Fafnir, who had also been listening, frowned. As someone firmly hostile toward humans, he had always refused to acknowledge them.
He turned his head and looked at Wendy.
Behind his glasses, those blood-red eyes stared straight at the girl.
Whether it was an illusion or because of the lighting, those blood-like pupils seemed to glow.
Wendy instantly shivered.
She was already timid to begin with, and being frightened by Fafnir like this only made her even more afraid.
"Hey! Look straight at me, human! Let me see just how strong your Dragon Slayer Magic is. Let us see whether my curse power is stronger or your Dragon Slay—"
Thump! Thump!
Before Fafnir could finish speaking, two dull sounds rang out from the back of his head.
Two bumps instantly swelled up there.
"Fafnir, don't scare Wendy on purpose!"
"Poor Wendy-chan, come here to onee-san. Let onee-san hug you."
Tohru and Lucoa each gave Fafnir a hit.
While Tohru reprimanded Fafnir, Lucoa opened her arms toward Wendy.
Lucoa, who loved humans dearly, was even more willing to spoil a cute little girl like Wendy.
However, Wendy did not go into her arms.
This made Lucoa feel a little disappointed.
"Cough!"
Fafnir coughed once, and his face seemed even paler than before.
But no one cared about him.
Even Kanna merely looked at him in that dazed way before leaving behind the sentence, "Fafnir just likes scaring children," then turning her head away.
"Hmph!"
Fafnir pushed up his glasses and gave a cold snort.
Then he continued maintaining his aloof attitude.
"Eh... Is everyone here... a dragon?"
Wendy looked at Lucoa, Kanna, and Fafnir with curiosity and visible excitement.
The girl had sensed something dragon-like from all three of them.
"Mm, that's right."
Lucoa smiled gently and naturally as she nodded.
Kanna answered with a blank-faced "Mm."
Fafnir, meanwhile, only gave another "hmph."
Wendy's eyes instantly became bright and delighted.
Carla, perched on Wendy's shoulder, was secretly shocked, while even the elderly Roubaul showed surprise on his face.
However, both of them soon accepted this astonishing fact.
"You can chat a little later. Shouldn't you tell me what you want to eat first?"
Yuto smiled as he spoke.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I made you wait too long, Boss."
Wendy looked troubled and apologetic as she spoke to Yuto.
"It's fine."
Yuto smiled and shook his head lightly.
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