I have never been as agile as this before, and I probably will never be again. I ducked my body down at lightning speed. As if that wasn't enough I lay flat on the floor, holding my breath. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my mouth. Why did Hunter come? Cain said he refused, and Khan and Alan, came to where I am at the same time. Could it be that the three of them talked about it? A trap that was prepared for me? Am I the only one that doesn't know?
Sweat was seeping from my palms. It felt like the Hunter could leap through the window at any moment. However, even after staying still on the floor for five minutes, the window didn't open, and the Hunter didn't emerge. Still, I didn't dare to stand up. It was like the moment in a horror movie when the main character is at ease, and a ghost appears.
A moment later, Andrea opened my door and walked in. He looked at me lying flat on my stomach on the floor and tilted his head.
"Did you drop money?"
"Am I lying like this because I dropped money just now?"
Surprised, my voice came out sharply.
"Is that so?"
"...I did push-ups."
I couldn't bring myself to say that I saw the Hunter. I didn't want to be caught being scared to this extent. I casually stood up, clapped my hands on my legs, and closed the curtains with a flowing motion, making the room darker. Andrea, standing in the darkened room, spoke cheerfully without realizing.
"Are you hungry? Let's go eat."
"I'm fine. I don't want to eat."
However, as soon as I said that, a growling sound echoed loudly from my stomach. Could the system control my stomach as well?
Andrea laughed loudly and extended his hand to me.
"I'll buy you something delicious. In a secret place where nobody comes."
Reluctantly, I took his hand. Andrea's hand, dry, soft, and warm in contrast to my damp and cold hand due to tension, made me suddenly think that Andrea seemed more comfortable touching me than before. Maybe he was less tense because it's not the real Del Narcissus? As I pondered that, my mood soured a bit, and the surprised feeling at seeing the Hunter gave way to a gloomy feeling.
***
The restaurant Andrea took me to was practically empty. Not only was the restaurant located in a remote alley, but there was also no sign hanging, and the restaurant owner was unbelievably unfriendly. The stern-faced, grumpy owner brought a bottle of wine with a cork as soon as we sat down. There was no menu at all.
"We didn't order any alcohol,"
I said, and the restaurant owner, squinting his eyes, responded rudely.
"Alcohol is a must."
"I want to drink water..."
As I timidly protested, Andrea laughed and poured wine into his glass. The deep red liquid flowed into the transparent glass.
"Give us a bottle of water too, Troy."
Andrea seemed to be on good terms with the restaurant owner. A man called Troy, without saying a word, walked to the kitchen and returned with a wooden cup half-filled with water. Placing it on the table with a thud, he went back inside without taking any further orders.
"Now I understand why there are no customers."
Afraid that Andrea might hear my voice, I spoke quietly. Andrea laughed heartily. He covered his mouth with his hand and then spoke softly
"Still, He is good at cooking."
Andrea raised one eyebrow. I closed my mouth and stared intently at the wine in his glass until the food arrived. No customers came until the food arrived. During that time, Andrea continuously talked, twirling the wine glass between his fingers. He shared trivial stories about magic, like how he is quite good at water magic or how he shared a room on the second floor with other apprentice mages, complaining about someone smelling really bad.
"Did you really stay on the second floor?"
"Apprentice mages usually eat and sleep on the second floor. Del, a disciple of the Magic Tower, had a private room on the top floor."
"...Who would enter the Magic Tower in those terrible conditions...?"
"Well, I had fun. I made many friends and officially learned magic I had never tried before. Do you want to see this?"
Andrea fixed his gaze on the wine glass. Concentrating on the wine, he mumbled a spell.
"[Saliente]."
As he did, a whirlpool formed in the wine in the glass, and a water column gushed upward. The table got soaked with wine, but neither Andrea nor I paid it any mind.
"How did you do that without a wand?"
Surprised, I exclaimed, and Andrea revealed a smirk.
"I'm good at it. I learned it in three weeks."
"How did you do it? I can't do anything without a wand! You learned it for three weeks?"
"I'm not good at other magic. But water magic can be used without a wand. Everyone has their own specialty. Del doesn't have one?"
"I just... take care of plants."
Once I said it, it felt incredibly lame.
What's with Andrea being good at magic too? Is this some kind of protagonist buff? When I looked at Andrea with an unfair expression, he laughed, pressed his lips together as if holding back his laughter, and messed up my hair.
"I heard that plant magicians and potion magicians were interested in Del. You were stuck there for three weeks. If you didn't have talent, would those people have kept you?"
In reality, those people didn't keep me. It was just because of Andrea that I volunteered to take on the job, disturbed by the situation. However, before I could offer any explanation, Troy came with a tray of food.
"Ugh. What's this? It's all spilled."
He looked at the wine-soaked table with a displeased expression. His tone was very rough. As I was feeling disheartened and about to lower my gaze, Andrea calmly said, "Please wipe it. The customer accidentally spilled it."
"Ugh, seriously! Such a hassle."
Troy roughly placed the tray on another table and brought a towel from the kitchen. The annoyance emanated from Troy as he wiped the spilled wine with his hands.
"After today, don't ever come back. Boss."
Troy grumbled. Andrea leaned his head against Troy's arm, extending the conversation.
"Hmm, Troy's cooking is the best in the world, you know."
What? Were they more than just acquaintances?
I opened my mouth in surprise, and Andrea quickly clarified.
"He's our guild member. A friend who loves cooking. He runs a restaurant as a side job, but it's voted as the worst in the neighborhood because of his rudeness. Isn't it amusing?"
Troy didn't seem amused at all. I glanced briefly at his rough appearance, then shot a quick look at Andrea. I felt like I already knew why the locals avoided this place.
However, my thoughts soon changed. The food Troy presented on the now-clean table looked appetizing. There was gratin with thinly sliced potatoes and pumpkins topped with cheese, crispy grilled lamb chops, a spicy mussel dish, and a hot vegetable soup with a steamy aroma. All of them seemed to pair incredibly well with the wine.
"Eat until you're full and never come back. I don't want to see the boss's face even here."
Troy grumbled as he disappeared into the kitchen. His demeanor seemed a bit sullen, but why did it catch my eye?
Andrea, seemingly unfazed by Troy's attitude, served me the dishes with a familiar ease. The food tasted even better than it looked. There was a reason behind an assassin running a restaurant. Wasting such culinary skills felt like sinning.
I ate hurriedly, occasionally saying things like "It's really delicious," and "Wow, have you tried this?" but mostly focused on devouring the food.
Andrea, savoring the wine, enjoyed the meal slowly. Yet, he also seemed to be in high spirits due to the delicious food and drinks. He carefully served my plate to prevent it from being empty, refilled my water and wine, and without intending to, I found myself toasting with Andrea, sharing the wine.
Dining alone with Andrea in the empty restaurant felt like a dream. This place seemed like a completely different world. Andrea and I frequently exchanged smiles and continued praising the chef Troy, who remained in the kitchen, and Troy, although secluded in the kitchen, turned on a radio when we kept sending him compliments. The light and cheerful music filled the restaurant.
"Wow, this feels great..."
Yeah, it felt good. And the fact that it felt good was absurd. In the Magic Tower, there was Khan and Alan, and in this village, there was a Hunter. Any one of them could catch me, leading to a potential loss of physical freedom, yet I felt so happy. The atmosphere was so enjoyable that when Andrea suggested having dessert and another glass of wine at the inn, I eagerly nodded.
I had no idea what would happen after that.