Chapter 77: Heavy Thoughts

Via felt a trace of warmth from Sophie’s embrace.

For some reason, she felt relieved.

Perhaps stopping Kurei’s actions back then had been the right choice?

If Kurei had killed Sophie, she wouldn’t be able to see her now.

In her previous life, she had been an orphan. From childhood to adulthood, she had never experienced care from family.

She had always thought that kind of thing would only make people weak.

But after experiencing it, she felt… it was different from what she had imagined.

Gurgle gurgle—

Via’s stomach let out an untimely rumble, making her a little embarrassed.

“Via, are you hungry?”

Sophie asked.

“Mm, I haven’t eaten anything since I got back. What about you, Sister?”

“I was in such a hurry to see you that I haven’t eaten either.”

“Then let’s go get dinner together!”

“To the Avalon Academy cafeteria?”

“There are too many people there. I know a good place—follow me!”

Via thought of the perfect spot.

She had Sophie put her beret back on, chose a quiet path, and slipped out of Avalon Academy through a side gate without drawing attention.

Then, she hailed a carriage outside and headed to Doff City.

Since Doff City was quite close to Avalon Academy, a short carriage ride for a small fee got them there quickly.

Once in the western part of the city, Via led Sophie down a somewhat dirty and cluttered street. She navigated with ease, stopping in front of an unassuming restaurant.

The place wasn’t crowded, and from the decor, it had a distinctly foreign flair.

“Boss, table for two!”

Via pushed open the door and called out loudly.

“Coming right up! Welcome to Dragon’s Breath Inn! This way—plenty of seats!”

A short old man hurried over. Despite his age, he had a remarkably sturdy build.

From his appearance, he was clearly a dwarf.

“Isn’t this Via?”

“I brought someone to eat.”

The Dragon’s Breath Inn boss studied Sophie for a moment, as if something clicked.

“Oh, you’re Sophie, aren’t you? I’ve heard of you—you’re pretty famous among humans.”

“Hello, boss of Dragon’s Breath Inn.”

Sophie replied politely.

“Whoever you are, a customer is a customer!”

The boss was exceedingly warm.

Unlike others, he didn’t treat Via differently because of her status.

“Via, what’ll you have?”

“Same as always—one Flame-Grilled Dragon Meat, Mithril Minecart Fries, Dragon Scale Crispy Potatoes, and finish with a Black Dragon’s Blood!”

“No problem! Coming right up!”

The boss jotted it down, rolled up his sleeves, and headed to the kitchen.

“All these dishes have ‘dragon’ in the name?”

Sophie sounded surprised.

“The boss claims he once slayed dragons, so he named everything after them to boast about his past feats.”

Via lowered her voice.

“In reality, it’s just meat from common animals, but he uses dwarven cooking techniques that make it taste incredible. Whatever you do, don’t call him out on the dragon thing—he’ll get mad.”

“Got it.”

“This is a place I discovered last month. It’s a hidden gem!”

During the time Via worked odd jobs at the Adventurer’s Guild, she often ate at Dragon’s Breath Inn.

Part of it was because the food was genuinely delicious.

The other part was that the dwarven boss didn’t care about human politics. He never discriminated against Via for her “useless” reputation and instead showed rare enthusiasm.

A foreigner could be kind to her, yet her own kind mostly… This always left a bittersweet feeling in her heart.

“Sister, are you on break today?”

“Mm……”

Sophie kept her head down, looking burdened with heavy thoughts. She seemed lost in something, responding half-heartedly.

Via wasn’t sure what was wrong. She figured Sophie was probably just exhausted—unlike herself, Sophie was always running around with the Holy Land clerics.

“Here we go! Flame-Grilled Dragon Meat, Mithril Minecart Fries, Dragon Scale Crispy Potatoes, and a Black Dragon’s Blood! Dragon’s Breath Inn specialties—enjoy!”

The boss carried a huge tray and set the steaming dishes on the sisters’ table.

“Yes!”

Via was starving.

She picked up her knife and fork, ready to dig in and reward herself with a proper meal.

This time, she wouldn’t bring anything back for the little yellow cat.

Bad cats don’t deserve treats.

“Sister, aren’t you eating?”

“I……”

Sophie frowned, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.

She stayed silent for over ten seconds, clearly struggling with something.

“Apologies for interrupting your warm sisterly time, Miss Sophie.”

A cold voice rang out.

Via looked up and saw that, at some point, a girl in golden Holy Knight armor had appeared behind Sophie. She had long golden hair, a frosty expression, and an aura that kept people at arm’s length—like a flower atop a distant peak.

Via was surprised.

Even with her limited knowledge of Holy Knights, she knew the color of their armor indicated rank within the order.

The girl before her wore golden armor, meaning she held an extremely high position—a titled Holy Knight.

“Holy Radiance Knight Ellis?”

Sophie recognized her.

Ellis Luminara—the heir to the Radiant Knight title. In the current era, she was the youngest titled knight in the Holy Knight Order, with a record of solo-slaying a Transcendent-tier magical beast. She hailed from the prestigious Luminara family of Radiant Star and was a rare genius.

“It’s me.”

Ellis replied expressionlessly.

“Archbishop Belon ordered me to bring you back to the Holy Land. His Holiness the Pope wishes to see you.”

“Though the archbishop was quite angry and instructed me to take you by force without asking your opinion, I believe you should at least have time to finish your meal with your sister. Shall I wait?”

“…No need. I’ll go with you now.”

Sophie stood up and glanced at Via with slight apology.

“Sorry, Via. I have to leave. Next time we get the chance, let’s eat together again.”

“Okay, Sister.”

Via felt a little disappointed, but she understood and didn’t make a fuss.

After all, as a saintess candidate, Sophie had little freedom in the Holy Land.

“May you enjoy a pleasant dinner, Miss Via. I won’t disturb you further.”

Ellis gave Via a knightly salute, displaying proper etiquette, then left Dragon’s Breath Inn with Sophie.

“Sophie… she won’t be in trouble, right?”

Via grew worried. Hearing that the Pope of the Holy Land had summoned Sophie filled her with an ominous feeling.