'Haaah—'
With his mind a total mess, Noah decided to step outside for some fresh air.
Walking around aimlessly, he eventually ended up in front of a really lively tavern.
Reading the signboard, he muttered the name out loud without even realizing it.
"The Hostess of Fertility."
This place was shady as hell and ranked super high on his list of places he'd rather not get tangled up with.
Noah facepalmed.
He had somehow wandered over here without even noticing.
Normally, he'd go out of his way to avoid even walking past the front door.
A tavern run by the goddess Freya in disguise and the former captain of her Familia... getting involved with them would definitely drag him into another one of her bullshit "trials."
"My, my, young man, you look like something's bothering you. How about coming in for a drink?"
A girl's sweet voice suddenly reached his ears, making Noah's eyes widen a bit.
He stepped to the side, dodging the pretty girl who was trying to playfully poke his cheek, his eyes instantly locking onto her.
'Damn, she's fine.'
That was Noah's first thought.
Gray hair, gray eyes, and an innocent, maiden-like vibe.
She was wearing a tavern waitress uniform and gave off an air of total youthful innocence.
Syr Flova!
Or rather, she should really be called the Goddess of Love and Beauty, Freya!
The ultimate mastermind who tricked all the gods, dressing up as a human girl just to mess around in the mortal world—someone who wouldn't think twice about charming and brainwashing the entirety of Orario just to get what she wanted.
An ultra, ultra, ultra, ultra, ultra, ultra dangerous person!
"I'm still underage, so..."
"Oh, please don't worry! We just added a super popular children's set meal that's getting great reviews all over the city."
'Tch.'
Noah's eye twitched, and he broke out in a cold sweat without even meaning to.
Speaking of which, today was the day of the Denatus.
Even on a day like today, she was making a substitute go for her?
Just how damn lazy was this goddess?
'Don't screw this up, man.'
If she caught on to anything, he might spend the rest of his life as a brainwashed slave!
"Then... alright."
"Please come right in."
Noah followed Syr inside The Benevolent Mistress.
He glanced around the room.
The place was packed with tough-looking adventurers. Probably no one would be willing to share a table with a kid like him.
So, he just decided to sit right at the counter.
"Mama Mia's cooking is seriously amazing. You'll definitely love it! So, one children's set meal, okay?"
"Hell nah."
Noah casually shot down Syr's suggestion and grabbed the menu to look through it himself.
Making him eat a children's set meal in here would be a literal public execution.
If it came with one of those stupid little flags sticking out of the food, it would be a permanent stain on his life!
"Eh?" Syr looked completely taken aback.
Noah just went ahead and ordered off the menu himself.
"I'll take the yak steak, the vegetable potage, the tomato salad, and an order of swamp frog legs. Oh, and bring me a large mug of ale, too."
Shutting the menu, Noah nodded. "That'll do."
Syr just blinked her big eyes, her brain clearly taking a second to process what just happened.
He had been so hesitant outside, but the second he sat down, he ordered a massive feast.
'What a weird kid.'
"Um, sir, these dishes aren't exactly cheap..."
"Money isn't a problem for me."
"Ah—"
"Got a problem with that?"
Syr stared at him for a second, then smiled brightly. "No, not at all! Coming right up."
The girl hugged the menu to her chest and skipped away.
Every little move she made was overflowing with bubbly, girlish charm.
It was honestly hard to believe she was actually the Goddess of Beauty in disguise!
Well, since he was already sitting here and it was too late to back out, he figured he might as well enjoy the food.
Besides, he really needed a freaking drink right now.
After waiting for about a minute or two, heavy footsteps approached and a massive shadow completely covered Noah.
Noticing the sudden drop in lighting, Noah looked up and jumped at the massive figure looming over him.
"Whoa!"
His reaction earned a loud, annoyed grunt from the giant.
"Tch, is that any way to react when you see a lady, kid?"
Tall—no, 'built like a brick wall' would be way more accurate.
Who the hell would ever think a build like that belonged to a dwarf?
The 170cm half-dwarf Tsubaki was already ridiculous enough, but this pure-blooded dwarf easily hit 180cm!
Noah was seriously starting to question the entire definition of a "dwarf" right now.
He immediately recognized the giant in front of him as the "Mama Mia" Syr had mentioned earlier.
Full name: Mia Grand.
The former captain of the Freya Familia.
Level... 6.
"Sorry, I was actually just spacing out."
For the sake of not getting his head crushed, Noah quickly threw together a lame excuse for his reaction.
This woman was an absolute monster who could literally smash Level 4 adventurers with her bare hands.
"Hmph. Listen up, brat. If you want to eat here, go home and fetch your mom and dad. I don't do tabs," Mia growled, crossing her massive arms over her chest aggressively.
If he were a normal kid, he probably would've wet his pants right then and there.
After all, this was a tavern built for rough adventurers; expecting polite customer service was a joke.
A regular civilian wouldn't even dare step foot in a joint like this.
Noah just sighed.
"I am, for what it's worth, a high-class adventurer," he explained. "Could you please not treat me like a toddler?"
He deliberately shook the heavy metal gauntlet on his hand.
Its dark, dangerous shine was proof enough that it wasn't some cheap kid's toy.
"An adventurer? A snot-nosed brat like you? High-class?" Mia scoffed in total disbelief.
Syr, who was standing off to the side, covered her mouth, looking genuinely surprised.
Of course she believed him.
Being able to sniff out lies was one of the few passive skills gods could freely use down in the lower world.
He wasn't bullshitting.
Since she could see right through him, she knew it was the truth, which was exactly why she looked so shocked.
"Bwahahaha! That kid actually tried to lie to Mama Mia! He's got a death wish!"
"And claiming to be a high-class adventurer on top of it!"
"Pfft."
"Hahaha, who does he think he is? The Sword Princess or something?"
'Man, how annoying.'
Noah sighed again, lifted his hand, channeled his mana and straight-up activated his gauntlet, Raven Feather.
The surface of the metal lit up, flashing a very distinct, glowing emblem.
The rowdy tavern instantly went dead silent.
"That's... the Hephaestus Familia's emblem!"
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