I sat back down. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might crack a rib. I hated confrontation. I really, really hated it.
"Arthur," Sera whispered. She was still standing, running her hands over the smooth, bone-white metal of her new breastplate.
"Sit down," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "The food is coming."
She sat. She didn't look at the menu. She looked at me. Her violet eyes were wide, searching my face for something.
"You… you fixed it," she said softly. "You made it better."
"I optimized it," I corrected, taking a sip of water. "You are the primary asset of this organization. Leaving you in disrepair is bad business."
"Bad business," she repeated. A slow smile spread across her face. It wasn't the arrogant smirk she usually wore. It was genuine. "You rejected the Hero."
"The Hero is a narcissist with zero grasp of supply chain management. Working for him would be a lateral move at best."
The waitress arrived, slamming down two plates of roasted boar and a tankard of ale. The smell was divine.
Sera didn't wait. She attacked the food with the ferocity of a starving wolf, dignity be damned. But after the third bite, she paused.
"Arthur?"
"Yes?"
"I…" She struggled with the words. Her cheeks turned pink. "I approve of your management style. You may… continue to serve me."
I sighed. "You're welcome, Sera."
"But!" she pointed a fork at me. "Don't think this means you can boss me around! I am still the heavy hitter! I am still the star!"
"Eat your broccoli, star."
She grumbled, but she ate the broccoli.
I took a bite of my own meal. It was greasy, salty, and the best thing I had ever tasted. We were alive. We had money. We had gear.
I opened my system interface to check our funds.
But the blue screen wasn't blue anymore. It was flashing a deep, blood red.
[System Update: Party 'Arthur & Sera' Registered.]
[Analyzing Performance…]
[Analysis: Anomalous. Logic constraints violated in Boss Room.]
[Game Master Intervention Triggered.]
I froze, the fork halfway to my mouth.
[Difficulty Adjustment: SCALING UP.]
[New Difficulty: NIGHTMARE.]
[Objective Updated: Survive the Night.]
The candles in the guild hall flickered. The laughter in the room seemed to distort, dropping in pitch.
Sera didn't notice. She was happily chewing on a boar rib.
"Is something wrong, Arthur?" she asked, licking sauce off her thumb. "You look like you forgot to file a report."
I closed the window with a swipe of my hand. I looked at her—my chaotic, overpowered, high-maintenance partner.
"No," I lied, forcing a smile. "Just a system update. Eat up, Seraphina. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day."