Inside the tiny restaurant.
Yuuki sat at a wooden table, staring at the food laid out before him — a forearm-thick loaf of bread, a small plate of cured meat slices, and a bowl of vegetable soup.
The meal was simple, but for someone like Yuuki, who had lived in the impoverished Hage Village, this was without a doubt the most luxurious meal he'd had since crossing over into this world.
"Thank you," Yuuki said, looking at Rebecca across the table, his expression slightly embarrassed.
"This is a restaurant. Serving food to customers is literally the point — and you still have to pay for it," Rebecca said, flicking a lock of her reddish-brown hair away from her forehead and staring at Yuuki seriously.
"Of course!" Yuuki nodded immediately.
Only then did Rebecca look relieved. From the boy's clothes alone, she could tell he wasn't exactly wealthy. If he couldn't pay, she'd take a loss — and the restaurant already had very few customers as it was.
Yuuki didn't remain polite for long. He lowered his head, grabbed the long loaf of bread, and dug in.
The bread was a bit hard, but the cured meat was seasoned just right, and the vegetable soup had a uniquely fresh flavor — probably thanks to a type of mushroom he didn't recognize.
To Yuuki, it was a feast.
In just two or three minutes, he had completely cleared the table. His previously growling stomach finally went quiet.
When Yuuki looked up again, he saw Rebecca staring straight at him without even blinking.
"What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled as he wiped his mouth. He didn't think he had anything on his face.
"How was the food?" Rebecca asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she watched him closely.
"It was great," Yuuki said with a satisfied nod.
Rebecca lit up with joy, though it dimmed again almost immediately. "Then why do so few people come here to eat…?"
"Maybe because the restaurant looks a bit old," Yuuki said gently, gesturing at the decor.
From the storefront outside to the interior tables and chairs, everything felt worn with age. No amount of cleaning could erase that old, dated feeling.
A place like this might keep a few loyal regulars, but it wouldn't attract new customers — especially not in a city like the Royal Capital, and certainly not wealthy ones.
Rebecca froze, her expression dimming further.
Feeding and caring for her younger siblings already cost her a fortune. Renovating the restaurant was far beyond her means.
"How much was the meal?" Yuuki asked, not wanting to dwell on the topic. He already knew her situation from the anime.
"Thirty Yule," Rebecca said softly as she quickly began clearing the plates.
Thirty Yule…
Yuuki took out the payment from his pouch while thinking.
For him, this meal felt extravagant, but from the state of Rebecca's restaurant, it probably wasn't expensive.
It was just one meal.
Three hundred Yulwouldn't last him long. And with a noble like Meath secretly keeping an eye on him, surviving in the capital was proving far more difficult than he'd expected.
"By the way, do you offer lodging here?" Yuuki asked, placing the coins on the table. He suddenly remembered he still hadn't found a place to stay.
"We do, but…" Rebecca paused, her tone hesitant.
Yuuki blinked in confusion, just about to ask more when—
"Waaah—!"
A sudden wail burst through the restaurant.
Rebecca winced apologetically before rushing off.
Yuuki understood immediately.
Just as he was about to leave and find another place to stay, Rebecca's departure was like a signal — several small red-haired children peeked out from behind the counter and instantly darted toward him.
Rebecca's younger siblings.
It took her quite a while to soothe her one-year-old brother back to sleep.
When she finally returned to the dining area, she froze.
Yuuki hadn't left.
Not only that — her younger siblings, who were supposed to be sleeping, were now all gathered around him, listening with full concentration to whatever he was saying.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! They must have bothered you!" Rebecca hurried over, apologizing nonstop before scolding them sharply: "What are you all doing? Go back to sleep, now!"
"Big sis, Snow White is so pitiful!" one of the children protested.
"And there are still seven dwarves left!"
"Let us listen a little longer!"
"Please, big sis, just a little more!"
One childish voice after another chimed in, their wide eyes all fixed pleadingly on Rebecca.
"No." Rebecca refused firmly, her tone righteous and unmoving.
Since their sister wouldn't budge, the little ones immediately shifted their gazes toward Yuuki.
"The story's almost over anyway. Let them listen a bit longer—otherwise they'll be too excited to sleep."
Yuuki smiled gently, his voice warm and soft.
Seeing that Yuuki didn't seem bothered at all—and feeling her siblings' hopeful stares—Rebecca finally sighed and nodded in resignation.
Yuuki picked up the story right where he left off.
At first, Rebecca didn't pay much attention. It was just a bedtime story for kids, after all. But as she listened, she unknowingly became absorbed too.
When Snow White's tale finally reached its perfect ending, the children burst into excited cheers.
Rebecca blinked back to her senses at the sound. Realizing she herself had been completely drawn in, a faint blush rose across her cheeks.
She looked up at Yuuki on reflex, but seeing he hadn't noticed her embarrassment, she quietly exhaled in relief.
"All right, time for bed."
Yuuki spoke to the children in that same gentle tone.
Then—
To Rebecca's astonishment, her siblings actually obeyed him. They lined up and headed back to their rooms without a fuss.
She couldn't help but stare.
Getting them to go to bed usually took a whole battle on its own.
"Are they…?" Yuuki asked.
He already knew they were Rebecca's siblings, but since their parents never appeared in the anime, he was curious.
"They're my younger brothers and sisters. Our father and mother passed away one after another… they're all I have left."
Rebecca's expression dimmed with quiet sadness.
Yuuki murmured, "I'm sorry."
"It's fine."
Rebecca shook her head, then added with a touch of surprise, "I didn't expect you to be so good with kids."
"I grew up in a church. We took care of a lot of younger children there, so… I've picked up a few tricks."
Yuuki chuckled softly.
"Oh—sorry."
Rebecca hadn't expected Yuuki to be an orphan.
Yuuki smiled. "It's okay."
Rebecca froze for a moment.
Why did this exchange feel so familiar…?
"A-anyway… I'll take you to your room."
Her cheeks flushed lightly as she hurried ahead to lead the way.
Click.
Yuuki closed the door behind him and glanced around the small guest room. Then he shut his eyes and walked slowly around the space.
A few moments later, he opened them again.
"No mana disturbance. Looks fine."
It was a small technique for sensing the flow of natural mana.
The mana used by mages and the natural mana in the air were different. Wherever mage-generated mana existed, it would inevitably disturb the natural mana flowing through the surroundings.
Yuuki could feel the natural mana's movement, which let him eliminate certain risks.
But the technique was extremely limited—he could only sense about half a meter around himself.
"Meath… I need to deal with him as soon as possible."
Yuuki sat on the bed. The gentle expression he wore earlier had vanished completely, replaced by a cold, razor-sharp calm.
He also needed to earn money—fast.
He knew that before long, a dungeon would appear. One filled with treasure… and, most importantly, one of the three swords he cared about most: the Demon-Dweller Sword.
That was something he needed to plan for carefully.
(End of Chapter)
⭐ Enjoying the story?You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon!Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects.Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims