"Shirou-kun, when it comes to waking a sleeping beauty, you must be thinking of that, right? The prince's kiss, nya~"
A girl with cat-like movements—in fact, she was a cat person—with short orange hair suddenly appeared.
"No, that's just a fairy tale, Anya-san..."
"Call me Anya 'senpai.' Anya is very impressive, so Shirou should show more respect, nya~" The cat girl puffed out her chest and spoke in an exaggerated tone.
Dressed in a uniform similar to Syr's, this cat girl who randomly appeared in various parts of the tavern, the "idiot cat" as Mama Mia called her, Anya, was as energetic as ever today.
"Shirou, you're so young and already don't believe in fairy tales? You really have no dreams, nya~"
"Anya-san, at your age, still believing in fairy tales is..."
"Shirou-kun, for girls, 'at your age' is a forbidden phrase, Nya~ Since Anya is a genuine young and beautiful girl, it's fine, but some older women might care a lot, you know~"
"...Anya, did you skip work again?"
Despite her age and seniority at the tavern, it was hard to feel any respect for her. Unconsciously, Shirou had started calling her by her first name. In a way, this was also a kind of talent.
"Of course, Nya~ Working earns you wages, but slacking off is where the real profit lies, Nya~"
"Anya-san occasionally says some profound things."
"Hehe, I told you, Anya is amazing..."
"STUPID CAT, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!"
A thunderous roar made Anya's face pale "Oh no, Nya~, I've been found out, Nya~ Anya's running away now, I was never here, Nya~"
Shirou turned his head and found that the cat girl had already disappeared,'Such speed...'
The boy smiled and turned to look at Ryuu, only to find that the elf girl had already opened her eyes.
"Ryuu-san..." Shirou tried to call out to her, but at that moment, Ryuu reached out her arms and cupped Shirou's face from both sides.
She pulled the boy closer until their noses were almost touching.
Amber and jade-green eyes met, reflecting each other's figures. They gazed at the images of themselves in each other's eyes, as if they could see the illusions of the past.
———
'I succeeded. I accomplished it.'
'I achieved my revenge, wiping out the [Evilus] that took my comrades' lives, along with their accomplices.'
'And, I also saved a child from that place, a child with hair as warm as Alise's.'
'I tried to save other imprisoned children, but the Evilus had planted explosive firestones in the dungeon. Caught off guard, not only did I fail to save anyone else, but I also suffered even more severe injuries.'
'Once again, I accomplished nothing... No, this time, at least I saved one child.'
'Or rather, he saved himself. I don't know how he escaped, but staying in the dungeon would have meant certain death. It was his own courage that saved him.'
'This child deserves to live.'
After completing her revenge, Ryuu felt no sense of accomplishment or satisfaction, only boundless loneliness.
She didn't know where to go or where she belonged.
The once crimson vision had now turned gray. The smiles of her former comrades, or their tragic deaths, were hard to recall.
Tears, laughter, pain, joy—all had vanished. With the completion of her obsession, Ryuu had finally become an empty shell.
She was already enveloped in endless darkness. What once illuminated the darkness was the burning rage in her heart. But now, with the end of her hatred, the flames had burned out, leaving only utter emptiness.
No, in the pure black void, there was still a tiny spark left, a remnant of her obsession.
"Always being saved by them, this time, I must at least save this child, even if it's just him—"
This must be the last shred of justice in her heart, twisted by anger and hatred, seeking self-satisfaction.
Finally, before collapsing, she saw a girl reaching out to her.
'That's good. At least this child can be saved, and I can rest assured, following in their footsteps once more.'
"Alise, you've come to take me—"
———
When Ryuu opened her eyes again, she was sure she had arrived in heaven. The red hair in her vision was as warm as the sun. Ryuu hugged the long-lost figure before her, afraid that she would disappear like a bubble.
"Ryuu-san?"
Wait, something seems off. Aside from the red hair, the age, gender, and appearance don't seem to match.
"Wow, Nya~, Shirou, did you really wake the princess with a true love's kiss, Nya~?"
Anya appeared at the door again, though this time she was being held by Mama Mia.
Syr, peeking out from behind, whispered, "It looks like Shirou-kun was forced."
Mama Mia, however, was focused on another issue, "[Gale] should be over 18 years old...".
As for Shirou, he looked no older than twelve or thirteen.
"Wow—"Anya looked at Ryuu with a gaze that, to put it mildly, was... well um, let's just say it was the look one might give a criminal.
After realizing she had made a huge mistake, Ryuu's brain went into a state of shock. Anya's gaze felt like a sledgehammer to her chest, making her let out a sound like "pfft," as if she were spitting blood.
And so, with steam practically coming out of her face, Ryuu collapsed again.
———
Alise was the leader of the Familia Ryuu Lion once belonged to. Known as [Astraea Familia], she was a red-haired adventurer who had passed away. In her daze, Ryuu had mistaken Shirou's red hair for the illusion of her old friend.
Mama Mia seemed to have seen through Ryuu Lion's identity from the start, but aside from her name, she didn't give Shirou any more information. Over the past two days, Shirou had only been able to gather bits and pieces about this world from Anya. As for Ryuu-san, he only knew her name and that she was strong.
Now, however, was an opportunity to learn more about Ryuu-san.
Ryuu woke up again half an hour later. This time, the tavern's relevant personnel were all present, including the waitress Syr, the owner Mama Mia, the handyman Shirou, and the ever-curious Anya.
However, Ryuu seemed to have shut herself off. She just lay on the bed, silent.
"Why did you save me—",She looked at Syr and asked in a hollow tone.
"Well." Syr showed a very puzzled expression, then smiled gently, "Seeing someone covered in wounds lying in the rain, I couldn't just ignore them."
This was an entirely reasonable justification. Anyone present would undoubtedly have done the same in that situation.
But Ryuu wasn't asking this question to understand Syr's logic. She felt that she had no reason to live or to be saved.
Ryuu then turned her gaze to Shirou, the boy with the warm red hair.
For a moment, she couldn't find her voice.
The relief that the boy had survived, the awkwardness of mistaking him for someone else, and the confusion over whether saving a child was just for self-satisfaction... All of this left Ryuu at a loss for words.
But at this moment, the boy took the initiative and walked over.
"Thank you very much for saving me, Ryuu-san." He took Ryuu's hands and spoke earnestly.
Ryuu didn't push his hands away.
"Eh? Don't elves have a cleanliness obsession? Why... Ow, Nya~"
Strange Nya~s and the sound of a dwarf's fist hitting a cat's head echoed around. Let's treat it as background noise.
"He's the second person..." Ryuu was stunned for a long time.
If someone tried to shake hands with Ryuu upon first meeting, she would reflexively slap their hand away. This wasn't out of personal preference but a racial "cleanliness obsession" of the elves.
The first person was Ryuu's former leader and confidante, Alise Lovell. Before this, she was the first and last person who could naturally touch Ryuu.
The boy before her was the second, and initially, she had been the one to initiate contact. Was it because he resembled Alise, or...
"You know my name?" Ryuu awkwardly changed the subject.
"A quick check of your clothes and belongings was enough. [The Gale] Ryuu Lion, right?" Mama Mia spoke up,"A first-class wanted criminal with an 80 million valis bounty."
Because of Mama Mia's words, the air instantly grew tense.
"What do you plan to do? Turn me in to the Guild?"
Ryuu spoke, her tone less confrontational and more self-destructive, even eager.
To avenge her comrades, Ryuu had taken matters into her own hands, targeting numerous factions and their associates. She had even killed several of the Evilus's informants within the Guild. All of this was her own form of vigilante justice, which led to her being wanted by the Guild.
And because she had killed so many and acted so frequently, the bounty kept increasing until it reached the astronomical figure of 80 million valis.
At 30 valis per fried potato ball, one Ryuu equals 2.6 million potato balls—enough to last a lifetime.
To this, Mama Mia responded with a cold laugh, completely unfazed.
"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I do something so troublesome, you useless elf?"
"Useless... elf?"
"Now that you're awake, what you do next is up to you. But you're not leaving until you've paid for your stay these past few days."
Mama Mia's response left Ryuu dumbfounded.
"Ryuu-san, if you don't mind, why not stay here a bit longer? It's safe here. You can leave once the heat dies down. Shirou will also be working at the tavern." Syr said.
What nonsense were these two spouting? How did they survive in Orario? She was a dangerous first-class wanted criminal, a powerful Level 4 adventurer. The normal thing to do would be to either quickly get rid of this trouble or report her for the reward.
Keeping her here was like inviting a wolf into the house. If she decided to cause trouble, who would protect them? That rude dwarf woman?
Ryuu's mind was in chaos.
"Mama Mia is very strong. I believe she can protect you, Ryuu-san. And I want to get to know you better. Shirou feels the same way—"
'Mama Mia...?' Hearing this name, Ryuu instinctively recalled a piece of information, but she immediately dismissed it as impossible and pushed the thought aside.