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The Hostess of Fertility was incredibly loud and full of life.
As soon as they walked through the wooden doors, Elias could smell roasted meat, sweet spices, and fresh bread.
Adventurers from all over the city were sitting at the large tables, laughing, drinking, and telling loud stories about the Dungeon.
A cheerful waitress with light gray hair and a neat green uniform immediately walked up to them.
"Welcome!"
The waitress smiled brightly.
"Do you need a table for four?"
"Yes, please!"
Dee answered happily, pulling Elias by the hand.
They sat down at a large, round wooden table near the back of the lively restaurant.
Bell sat next to Hestia, looking very nervous.
He kept looking around at the loud adventurers and the pretty waitresses, his face completely red.
Dee immediately grabbed the menu.
Her dark eyes sparkled with pure joy.
"I am going to order for everyone!"
Dee announced, raising her hand to call the waitress back.
When the waitress arrived with her notepad, Dee didn't even hesitate.
"We will have the giant roasted boar, the huge seafood pasta platter, four large bowls of your special stew, and a giant basket of sweet bread!"
Dee ordered without stopping for a single breath.
"Oh, and we also want your biggest, sweetest desserts for everyone!"
Bell's face turned completely pale.
Hestia almost fell out of her wooden chair.
"D-Dee-san!"
Bell panicked, waving his hands frantically.
"That is way too much food! And it is going to cost an absolute fortune! We cannot afford all of that!"
"He is right!"
Hestia added, sweating nervously.
"The Hostess of Fertility is famous for having giant portions! We are just poor Familia. We usually only eat cheap potato snacks for dinner!"
Elias just chuckled.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out the heavy bag of Valis, and placed it right in the middle of the table.
"It is completely fine,"
Elias smiled, resting his hand on Dee's shoulder.
"I told you earlier, money is not a problem at all. Let Dee order whatever she wants."
Bell stared at the heavy bag of money and swallowed hard.
"But Elias-san, you earned that money by fighting monsters today. You should keep it for yourself."
"Money is meant to be spent on good things,"
Elias told him.
"And there is nothing better than sharing a great meal with your family. Today is our very first day in the Hestia Familia. We are going to eat until our stomachs are completely full."
Hestia looked at Elias's kind smile, and then at the heavy bag of coins.
Her eyes started to water with happy tears.
"You are such a good man,"
Hestia sniffled, wiping her eyes.
"Thank you. Truly."
Just a few minutes later, the waitresses brought out the food.
Bell and Hestia were absolutely right about the size.
The portions were massive.
The roasted boar was almost as big as a small dog, the bowl of pasta looked like a small mountain, and the sweet bread was steaming hot.
Dee's eyes lit up. She immediately grabbed a piece of bread and took a big bite.
"This is amazing!"
Dee cheered with a full mouth.
Elias laughed and started serving the food onto everyone's plates.
He gave Hestia a huge piece of meat and filled Bell's bowl to the very top with warm stew.
As they started eating, the table went quiet for a moment because everyone was too busy enjoying the delicious food.
Bell ate so fast he almost choked, and Hestia had gravy all over her cheeks.
Elias took a slow bite of the roasted boar.
It really was super delicious.
He looked at the people sitting around the table.
He looked at Bell, who was smiling brightly despite having no money or power just a few hours ago.
He looked at Hestia, a goddess who cared more about her children than fancy temples.
And he looked at Dee, the concept of Death, who was happily eating a sweet pastry like a normal, human girl.
The happy, warm feeling at the table did not last long.
The heavy wooden doors of the restaurant suddenly swung wide open.
A large, loud group of adventurers walked inside.
They were wearing expensive armor and carrying beautiful weapons.
The whole restaurant immediately started whispering respectfully. It was the Loki Familia, one of the strongest groups in the entire city.
They sat down at a large table not too far away.
A tall werewolf with silver hair named Bete put his boots up on the table.
He had a mean, arrogant smirk on his face.
He leaned over and spoke loudly to a beautiful girl with long golden hair sitting next to him.
"Hey, Aiz,"
Bete laughed, making sure his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Did you see that pathetic kid in the Dungeon today? The one with the white hair? He looked like a scared little rabbit! He was so weak, he just ran away crying!"
At Elias's table, Bell completely froze.
The bright, happy smile on Bell's face vanished instantly.
He slowly lowered his spoon.
His hands started to shake, and he looked down at his lap in pure shame.
He looked like his heart had just been crushed into pieces.
Hestia glared at the werewolf, her fists clenching tight.
"That stupid dog..."
She muttered angrily.
Elias watched Bell's face.
Elias did not care about the Loki Familia.
He did not care about their fame or their shiny weapons.
But he deeply hated bullies.
He hated people who looked down on others who were just trying their best.
Elias felt a cold, sharp anger wake up in his chest.
"Bell,"
Elias said quietly.
"Look at me."
Bell slowly looked up, his red eyes filled with embarrassing tears.
"Are you going to let him talk to you like that?"
Elias asked him gently, but with a serious tone.
"He... he is right,"
Bell whispered, his voice cracking.
"I was weak. I was scared. I am nothing compared to them."
Elias let out a slow breath. He reached out and patted Bell's head softly.
"Being scared doesn't make you weak, Bell,"
Elias told him.
"It just means you have room to grow. But no one gets to mock my family."
Elias slowly turned his head to look at the loud Loki Familia table.
Even though the laws of this new universe had locked away most of his magic, Elias was not completely powerless.
His Mystic Eyes of Death Perception were not just magic.
They were tied directly to his soul, his Adaptivity, and to Dee, who was sitting right next to him.
Elias blinked once.
When he opened his eyes, his dark pupils had transformed.
A glowing, terrifying pattern of bright blue and deep red filled his eyes.
Instantly, the loud tavern went completely dead silent.
It was not a normal silence. It was a heavy, suffocating emptiness.
The warm air in the restaurant instantly dropped to freezing cold.
The cheerful music completely stopped.
At the Loki table, Bete's loud laughter died in his throat.
The arrogant werewolf completely froze.
A feeling of absolute, mind-breaking terror crashed down on him.
He felt an invisible, freezing hand wrap tightly around his neck.
When Bete slowly turned his head and looked directly into Elias's glowing eyes, his soul actually screamed.
He didn't see a beginner adventurer.
He saw the end of the world.
He saw the dark, ugly lines of his own death completely covering his body.
Every single cell in Bete's strong body told him that if he breathed too loudly, he would instantly die.
It wasn't just Bete.
Aiz Wallenstein, the strongest swordswoman, gripped her sword tightly, her golden eyes wide with pure shock and fear.
Every adventurer in the room felt the exact same freezing shadow of death hovering over them.
Elias just stared at the werewolf, his voice cutting through the cold silence like a sharp knife.
"You talk too much,"
Elias said. His voice was not loud, but it echoed perfectly in the quiet room.
"Keep your mouth closed when my family is eating, Mongrel."
Bete couldn't say a single word back.
He was sweating completely through his clothes.
He just gave a small, shaking nod, too terrified to even look away.
Elias blinked, and his eyes returned to their normal, warm dark color.
The heavy, freezing pressure vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
The air became warm again, but no one in the restaurant dared to make a sound.
Elias turned back to his table and picked up his wooden mug, completely calm.
Hestia and Bell were staring at him with their mouths wide open.
They had felt the terrifying power, too, but they knew Elias was protecting them.
Dee, however, had not stopped eating for a single second.
She took a happy bite of her sweet cake, completely unaffected by the terrifying aura of death.
To her, it was just her boyfriend being protective, and she didn't think it was a big deal at all.
"Don't stare, Bell-kun,"
Dee giggled sweetly, pointing her fork at the boy.
"Eat your stew before it gets cold! We still have dessert to order!"