"Two charcoal-grilled steaks with your secret sauce."
"Garlic butter chicken wings, lemon garlic roasted potato balls, roasted pumpkin and bell pepper soup, vegetable tempura, shrimp and mushroom scrambled eggs, and a yakitori platter. That's all."
"For drinks, one cranberry wine with ice and three cold beers. We'll order more later if we need to."
Ronan finished ordering smoothly.
But after waiting a while without hearing any response, he looked up in confusion.
What he saw left him speechless.
After getting permission, Jeanne was leaning over, carefully rubbing and stroking Anya's tail again and again. The cat person waitress looked completely relaxed.
"..."
Ronan's cheek twitched, and the corner of his eye throbbed.
"Ahem, Miss Anya?" He tapped a finger against the table, trying to get her attention.
"Meow? What is it, meow?" Her eyes were blank. She was clearly so distracted by the tail rubs that she had forgotten she was working.
Ronan stared at her for a moment, then finally gave up in frustration.
"The... the order..."
"Anya! What on earth are you doing!?" Thud! A sharp blow landed right on Anya's cat ears. A large bump instantly rose on her head.
"Meow! Mama Mia!" Anya saw stars from the hit. She crouched down pitifully, clutching her head and trembling.
"Sorry, guest. She delayed your order. I'll teach this stupid girl a lesson." Mama Mia was 180 centimeters tall. She was only a little shorter than Ronan, but much more muscular. Ronan forced out a stiff smile.
"It's... it's fine. It's a small thing. Besides, my girlfriend started it. We disturbed your waitress first. That's our fault," he quickly explained.
Mia said nothing, but she gave Ronan a look of approval. Then she grabbed Anya and headed back toward the counter.
"Don't be so polite. You get a ten percent discount today. Enjoy your meal!"
As they watched the two leave, Jeanne lowered her head, her face red. "Sorry, Ronan. I caused trouble for you."
"That's not trouble." Ronan waved it off and changed the subject. "Anyway, I ordered cranberry wine for you. Is that okay?"
Cranberry wine tasted sweet and a little sour at first, but the fruit flavor became stronger the more you drank. It went down smoothly, so it was popular with many customers in Orario, especially those who liked sweeter drinks.
"Fruit wine? That sounds nice." Jeanne looked interested.
"Of course. I've had it a few times. It tastes great."
...
Not long after, Anya came back with a tray and the bump still on her head.
"Guests, your food and drinks are here! Please enjoy!" She quickly set everything down, gave Jeanne a cheerful greeting, and turned to continue working.
Their table was in the corner. From there, they could see the whole tavern.
As they ate, they quietly watched the room and spoke in low voices.
"Don't let this tavern's plain look fool you," Ronan said. "It's anything but ordinary. Even if you compare it to all the Familias in Orario, the people here are among the strongest in the city."
Seeing Ronan's serious expression, Jeanne became even more curious.
She looked around at the waitresses. When her eyes passed over the cute grey-haired girl, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
A strange feeling she could not explain came over her.
Jeanne put down her fork and knife, picked up her glass, and lightly clinked it against Ronan's. Then she leaned a little closer and whispered,
"Is it... that grey-haired girl?"
"She feels very strange. I can't explain it well, but something about her feels off."
"And the waitresses here all seem unusual."
"Especially the tavern owner. That kind of presence isn't something an ordinary person would have."
Ronan stopped drinking for a moment. He was impressed. As expected of a Saint, she had easily noticed what countless people never did.
Gulp, gulp. He finished the beer in one go and let out a satisfied breath.
"I heard a rumor that many of the waitresses here were adventurers before. They stayed here for different reasons. As for their stories, you can probably guess they aren't simple."
Hearing that background for the first time, Jeanne was surprised. She had not expected this small tavern to hide so many strong people.
"Shh. Do you know why no one dares cause trouble at the Hostess of Fertility? Aside from the fact that several of the waitresses are former adventurers with serious strength, the most important reason is Mama Mia."
Ronan guiltily glanced toward Mia behind the counter, who was cleaning glasses. She seemed to sense it and suddenly looked back at him.
He forced a smile and quickly looked away. Then he leaned closer to Jeanne and whispered,
"That is Mia Grand, also known as Demi Ymir. Among veteran adventurers in Orario, that's practically an open secret."
"Demi Ymir? Is that a title?"
Jeanne was not stupid. She frowned and thought for a moment, immediately realizing how important that title was.
Ronan took a big bite of a garlic butter chicken wing, clearly enjoying Mama Mia's cooking, then whispered into Jeanne's ear,
"Yes. Demi Ymir. She once stood among Orario's strongest adventurers, and she used to be the captain of the Freya Familia. She's Level 6, and one of the strongest people at that level."
"Sss..."
Hearing such shocking news so suddenly, even the calm Saint could not help gasping.
She was no longer a completely new adventurer.
After all the lessons Ronan had given her lately, she now understood very clearly what levels meant.
As far as she knew, although Level 5 and above were all called First-Tier Adventurers and stood at the front lines of the Dungeon, there was still a huge gap between them.
There were quite a few Level 5 adventurers across the Familias of the city. They were strong, but there were still people above them.
Level 6 was different.
In Ronan's way of putting it, reaching Level 6 meant becoming one of Orario's true elites. Every person who could reach that level was someone extraordinary.
Their fame, deeds, and glory spread far and wide. Their names were known far beyond Orario.
And Mama Mia was clearly one of them.
Jeanne quickly sorted through all of that in her mind. The shock on her face was impossible to hide.
"Isn't that too strange? By adventurer standards, Mama Mia is still very young, right? Why would she stop and open a tavern instead?"
Ronan called over a waitress to refill his drink. He took a sip and looked very pleased.
"It's not strange. Everyone has their own goal."
"Every adventurer has their own reason for moving forward. Some chase glory, some fame, some money, and some revenge. Some keep chasing the Dungeon, and some carry dreams big enough to reach the One Eyed Black Dragon. You might not fully understand it, but you should still respect it."
Jeanne took the yakitori skewer Ronan handed her. The moment she tasted it, her eyes lit up.
"It's delicious."
But just as Ronan was about to start talking about food again, someone interrupted him.
"Hey. You just mentioned the One Eyed Black Dragon, didn't you?"
A young voice came from the side. It sounded calm, but there was a trace of hatred hidden inside it.
Ronan and Jeanne both stopped and turned toward the voice.
Their eyes met hers.
A girl was standing there.
Her eyes were steady and stubborn as she spoke each word clearly.
"The Black Dragon... I'm the one who will kill it."
"?"
Blonde hair and golden eyes.
She stood there with a calm, unreadable expression.
That was the first impression Ais Wallenstein gave Ronan and Jeanne.