The meal proceeded in silence.
In the stillness, the clink of cutlery rang out clearly. The woman named Arphia, who didn't seem like the type to be noisy in the first place, as well as Hera, Materia, and even the Empress—who gave off a rather boisterous impression—were all eating in solemn silence.
Munch, munch, munch, munch, munch.
Of course, the sheer volume of food being consumed was anything but quiet.
Watching the Empress inhale her meal at such an incredible speed, I finally understood where her earlier composure had come from.
And as for what I was doing...
This is... so hard to eat...!
The steak in front of me was a whole cut. While it was awkward to handle with only one arm, that wasn't the real problem.
I was full. Incredibly full.
With all those snacks already packed into my stomach, I simply couldn't bring myself to touch the food.
I had piled food onto my plate because the pressure of their gazes was so intense that I felt I had to at least take something, but now that it was time to actually eat, I felt a sense of dread.
By nature, I had always been a light eater for an adventurer. Of course, since it was a physically demanding job, I ate more than an ordinary person, but I never exceeded that range.
In other words, I didn't possess the kind of vitality that allowed me to stuff a handful of snacks into my mouth and then keep chewing through meat on top of it.
"Vesta, aren't you eating?"
At that moment, Materia, who was sitting beside me, spoke up, perhaps finding my stillness strange.
I appreciate the concern, but this is exactly the kind of kindness I don't need right now...!
"No... I should eat."
"Ah, if you're struggling because you can't cut it, I can—"
Hera, who had been watching me from the corner of her eye, flinched as if she had just realized something.
She had only now realized she'd chosen the menu poorly, but it wasn't as if she could remake the meal at this point.
Hera looked flustered and unsure of what to do, but unfortunately, Vesta wasn't in a position to be that considerate.
"Ah, no, that's fine."
I picked up the knife and pressed it against the meat.
Ting. With a small sound, the meat split cleanly in two along the bone.
"Hee..."
"Ohh..."
Impressed by the clean technique, the Empress and Hera let out small exclamations. It looked simple, but it was the kind of finesse only those who had reached the level of a master could display, and they offered a small word of praise.
Arphia didn't make a sound, but she also spoke in apparent admiration.
"Nice technique. I thought you were a mage, but I guess you aren't."
"Uh... if you want to put it that way, I suppose so?"
I knew my magic was strong, but if I had to define myself, I was a warrior who used magic.
Not a mage who fought on the front lines, but a front-liner who also used magic. That was the combat style I had established.
"Hmm, I see."
At that, Hera said with satisfaction and resumed eating.
...? No, why is Hera satisfied?
Though I had no idea what was going on, I had already started, so I had to eat.
First, I cut the meat into smaller pieces and took a bite...
Nom.
"...!"
The moment the meat entered my mouth, I felt a tenderness so extreme it practically melted without being chewed, followed by a burst of rich juices.
It was a masterpiece made from excellent ingredients and the skill of a talented chef—something even someone with a crude palate like mine could recognize... but.
Ugh...
Having already overeaten, I couldn't even enjoy the taste.
Glancing over, I saw that the mountain of food had shrunk a little, but there was still an absurd amount left. Could I really finish all of that?
I was already near my limit, but I had to at least finish what I'd taken. I forced myself to keep stuffing bite after bite into my mouth, and by the time I'd eaten about half, a signal finally came.
Wow, I'm really at my limit now.
I had stretched my stomach by force to make room, but even that had reached its breaking point.
If I were a rubber man, maybe I could have stretched my body to fit more in, but my body was made of protein—and my stomach, built from solid muscle, had very little elasticity left.
Half the meat remained. Even if I'd been hungry to begin with, one serving of this would have been enough to fill me up; trying to eat it while already stuffed meant I had reached a limit beyond all limits.
My hand... won't move...!
I knew I had to eat the meat, but my body was refusing.
I tried to force myself to take one more bite, wrestling my body into submission as if it were threatening to expel everything it was currently holding if I dared accept any more "refugees," but in the end, I couldn't even get it into my mouth and had to set it back down.
"Vesta, you look pale. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Ah, um... well..."
I glanced at Hera, and she was looking back at me too.
No, she'd actually been staring at me the whole time. That was why I'd been forcing food down in the first place.
In the end, I'd reached my limit. I'd endured it because I was afraid of provoking Hera's temper, but now it was decision time.
If I ate any more... it would come back up.
It was supposed to come out eventually, but I wanted to avoid it coming out from the top. At all costs.
"I... I'm just too full, so I think I should stop..."
After much agonizing, the conclusion I reached was to simply be honest.
It was better to face Hera's temper than to "overheat" and blow up here. If I did that, I might get scolded several times worse.
"Huh? After eating that much? Didn't you skip lunch too, Vesta?"
"I... I'm sorry..."
"No, there's no need to apologize..."
Listening to Materia, I kept sneaking glances at Hera. She sat in silence with a stern face.
She's probably thinking about how to punish me. My already churning stomach felt even worse.
"Are you okay? You're not sick or anything, are you?"
"Y-yes... I'm fine..."
Under the increasingly heavy gaze, my voice gradually shrank. I didn't know what had made Hera so angry, but under that oppressive pressure, my stomach began to churn even more.
"You..."
Flinch.
Hera opened her mouth.
"..."
"..."
Then came a brief silence. I swallowed hard, breaking into a cold sweat as I waited for the sentence that would come from those lips.
"...Step outside for a moment."
The words I had dreaded came at last, but my insides did not feel any better for it.
What on earth is she planning to do...!
Was she going to throw such a massive fit that I'd need to be moved somewhere else? It was terrifying, but I had no way to resist.
"Yes, understood..."
With a powerless bow like a prisoner awaiting execution, I left the dining room and sat down in a suitable spot to await my fate.
"Um, they said you should go ahead and head back now..."
"Huh...?"
Then, all of a sudden, one of the members of the Hera Familia told me that, and I was sent straight back underground.
"...?"
What is this situation?
*
Immediately after Vesta left the dining room.
"Hera, did you do something to Vesta?"
Materia seemed to be trying to hide it, but she was glancing at Hera far too obviously. Hera was also avoiding her eyes, so it was clear something had happened...
"W-well, it's nothing major..."
"If it's nothing major, then tell us."
Hera kept sneaking looks around and speaking in a small voice. At that sight, everyone else stared at her in surprise.
Hera acting timidly? It was as unbelievable as Zeus being a perfect gentleman; everyone wondered if they were seeing things.
"Good heavens, to think I'd see that old hag looking flustered again..."
Aside from the incident where she'd been caught stealing Materia's snacks in the past, Hera had always been strong and hysterical, so this was impossible to get used to.
People were only fun to tease when they were a little pathetic; if they changed this drastically, one was left speechless.
Meanwhile, Hera was too busy watching Materia's reaction to pay attention to anything else.
"It's just that..."
And so Hera explained everything that had happened. The more she spoke, the more expressions of disbelief flickered across everyone's faces.
"No, after feeding him that much, why would you bring out a meal like this? From the looks of it, he was forcing himself to eat."
"No, I thought since he's an adventurer... he'd be able to eat a lot..."
"Look at that body! There's no way he's built to eat a lot! Just how many snacks did you feed him?!"
Hera raised her right hand and spread all five fingers.
"Five..."
"Bags?"
"Boxes, maybe..."
"..."
Materia was left speechless.
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