‘I'm finally back.’
Ogre turned around to look, letting out a sigh of relief after confirming that Macar was nowhere in sight—after all, he couldn't actually go look for Yade.
“I should go grab something to eat first.”
Ogre didn't have much loose change on him, but it was still enough to buy some food.
He planned to have a meal first, then find an inn to get some sleep.
“The nights in the village are pitch black, but the nights in the town are bright.”
Ogre looked toward the city center. No matter how many times he saw it, he would still feel a sense of awe.
Even in the empire's poorest frontier city, the nights were bright—all kinds of magic lamps and oil lamps illuminated more than half of the city.
The closer one got to the city center, the brighter it became.
“What incredible confidence. I wonder what the interior cities look like...” Ogre remarked with emotion.
During nights in the Forest of Monsters, even starting a fire could draw attacks.
“At this hour, Uncle Ba's restaurant should still be open.”
Ogre turned his head and walked back toward the Dawn Cathedral—because Uncle Ba's restaurant was right over there.
His stomach wasn't full yet.
‘With how I look now, Uncle Ba and Sister Nuosi shouldn't be able to recognize me, right?’
Ogre felt that going to eat under a different identity would actually be quite interesting.
Even if he ran into Yade...
Ogre wouldn't be worried, as he didn't think Yade would be able to recognize him anymore.
With a relaxed mood, Ogre quickly arrived at Uncle Ba's restaurant.
‘Why is business so poor today?’
Looking at the sparse crowd around him, Ogre grew a little puzzled.
He remembered that business at Uncle Ba's restaurant used to be quite good, so why were there only a few people today?
‘Where did Uncle Ba go?’ Ogre scanned the place a second time but didn't see the friendly middle-aged man who used to run the shop.
‘Did he retire, leaving the business entirely to his daughter?’ Ogre guessed as he looked at the long-haired beauty standing at the counter.
Whether it was an illusion or not, he could see a trace of melancholy on Nuosi (Uncle Ba's daughter).
“I'll have two servings of sliced mana sheep hind leg, a grilled corn, and a glass of milk,” Ogre said as he walked up to the counter.
Seeing Ogre's arrival, Nuosi was also taken aback for a moment.
“Alright, please wait a moment.” Whether it was an illusion or not, Nuosi felt that the beautiful young man before her seemed somewhat familiar.
After placing his order, Ogre casually found a chair to sit on.
‘I feel like something is off.’ Ogre looked around before casting his gaze toward a nearby customer.
It was a middle-aged man with a long beard.
Ogre remembered him as a regular here. He was usually quite a decent person and an experienced mercenary.
“My friend, may I ask you a question?” Unable to suppress his curiosity, Ogre approached to strike up a conversation.
“Young ranger, are you in some kind of trouble? My hiring fee isn't expensive.” The bearded man put down the Dandelion Daily in his hands and looked at Ogre.
He didn't show any surprise at Ogre's striking beauty—at least, not on the surface.
This was a composure forged by a long career as a mercenary.
“I can buy you a mug of ale.” Ogre fished out a silver coin he had swiped from Macar and slapped it onto the table.
“Generous friend, ask whatever you want, as long as I know the answer.” The bearded man's lazy gaze instantly lit up at the sight of the silver coin.
“I heard from a friend that the original owner of this shop was a middle-aged man with excellent culinary skills. Why is a girl running it now?” Ogre asked curiously.
“My friend, you must have heard those rumors from a while ago,” the bearded man countered.
“Yes,” Ogre nodded slightly.
“Then that explains it. You might not know, but the owner of this restaurant was a hidden ghoul variant. Just a few days ago, he was personally purified by the church priest in the city.”
The bearded man quietly pocketed the silver coin on the table.
“A ghoul?” Ogre's pupils contracted slightly—this answer was completely beyond his expectations.
‘How could Uncle Ba be a ghoul... He was clearly such a good person, why would this happen?’
Ogre could never have imagined that the warm, friendly middle-aged man who always greeted him so cordially would actually be a deeply hidden ghoul.
“Quite a surprise, isn't it? I was very shocked too... Even more shocking is his daughter—the pretty chick at the counter. She was tested and turned out to be a pure human. Quite interesting, don't you think?” the bearded man said with great interest.
“No wonder... there are so few people.”
Ogre hadn't expected that after being gone for just a few days, things would already feel so entirely different.
“If the priest hadn't personally certified it, I wouldn't have believed it myself. In my memory, the old boss was indeed a decent guy, and he had a real knack for making donkey liver... Alas, who could have guessed? This has even scared off a lot of his daughter's suitors. Now, only old regulars like me who are used to coming here and a few persistent suitors still show up.”
As the bearded man spoke, he slid his mug of ale forward. “I think you're quite a decent guy. Want to sit down and have a drink? Consider that piece of news a freebie.”
“No, no need. I don't drink,” Ogre waved his hand in refusal.
The bearded man pulled back his small mug of ale and sighed. “Speaking of which, it really is a pity. Ever since the shop owner passed away, the wine and roast meat haven't been as good as before. Her culinary skills are far too inferior compared to her father's.”
“Then I won't disturb you any longer.” Paying no mind to the bearded man's lament, Ogre immediately prepared to head back to his seat.
Just then, the bearded man called out to Ogre, “Wait, my friend.”
“Is there something else?” Ogre asked, resting his hand on the table.
“You haven't taken a liking to Nuosi, have you?—I mean, the pretty girl at the counter, the former owner's daughter,” the bearded man said.
Ogre shook his head.
Before achieving his goal, he wouldn't consider matters of romance and love.
“That's good. Plenty of young guys are eyeing her, hoping to inherit this tavern... but not a single one has succeeded. Since you're so handsome, don't waste your time here. It won't do you any good other than bringing you trouble.”
After saying this, the bearded man began drinking his ale, paying no more attention to Ogre.
‘How unpredictable life is...’ Ogre returned to his seat.
He still couldn't wrap his head around why Uncle Ba, as a ghoul, would run to a large town.
For ghouls who fed on corpses, the best places to settle down should be villages or the slums.
This kind of intelligent, near-human ghoul basically wouldn't be exposed as long as they didn't encounter a Grand Knight of the Church of Dawn or anyone of a higher level.
‘I don't get it... I really don't get it.’
Ogre shook his head, abandoning his thoughts on this meaningless question—after all, ghouls had no human rights.
‘I might as well read the newspaper.’
Exhaling a sigh, Ogre casually picked up the newspaper beside his table and began to read.
It was a copy of the Dandelion Daily left behind by a previous customer.
...
On the other side of things, Macar was counting the pocket money on him—he still had to buy a demon-blood horse to head back later.
“Strange, I remember my coin purse having more money than this. Did I spend it somewhere?” Macar muttered as he rummaged through his coin purse, looking a bit dazed.
“Forget it. I should just wait for news from the Church of Truth...”
Macar tucked his coin purse away and continued waiting in the hall—the Truth Sorcerer who could handle the handover of the matter had not arrived yet.
“I wonder how the village is doing now...”
...
“Your sliced mana sheep hind leg, grilled corn, and milk.” Nuosi placed the food in front of Ogre.
“Thank you,” Ogre replied politely. He then put down the newspaper in his hand and picked up the utensils on the platter.
“Have we met somewhere before?” Nuosi did not leave. Instead, she sat down directly across from Ogre.
“How could that be? This is my first time here.”
Ogre sliced off a piece of roast meat, dipped it into the chili sauce on the side, popped it into his mouth, and began chewing.
“Then I must be overthinking things.” Even after getting her answer, Nuosi did not choose to leave.
Instead, she propped up both sides of her cheeks with her arms.
She stared straight at Ogre as he ate.
“Why are you staring at me?” Ogre felt a bit uncomfortable under Nuosi's gaze.
“Waiting for you to pay...” Nuosi said listlessly.
Ogre: "..."
“How much is it?” Although Ogre knew how much this meal cost, he still chose to ask.
“Nine silver and twelve copper coins. The price of the mana sheep meat you ordered recently went up.” Nuosi lowered one of her hands from her face and extended her open palm forward.
Ogre took out ten silver coins and placed them in Nuosi's hand. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you for your patronage.” Nuosi pocketed the silver coins, looking somewhat distracted.
“Why haven't you left yet?”
It wasn't that Ogre disliked Nuosi, but with her sitting right in front of him, she had attracted the attention of the few patrons in the shop, all of whom were now looking in their direction.
How was he supposed to enjoy his meal?
“Are you unhappy with my presence?”
Nuosi cheered up slightly; she was still curious about Ogre's identity.
Having just lost her father, she was exceptionally sensitive to the strange sense of familiarity that emanated from Ogre.
“You're really drawing a lot of hostility toward me,” Ogre said, his cheeks bulging as he chewed on the sliced meat.
“Could you tell me your name?” Nuosi asked, not particularly minding his comment.
“My lady, shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking for someone else's name?” Ogre put down his dining knife and picked up his glass of milk.
Nuosi lowered her hand from her chin and lifted her head. “My name is Nuosi. And you?”
“You can call me Lange.” Ogre took a sip of milk.
‘I've never heard of that name...’
Ogre's introduction caused the light in Nuosi's eyes to dim.
‘This kid is actually a master at pick-ups?’ Not far away, the bearded man's eyes went wide.
‘Do women nowadays all like sissies?’ Another bald man nearby felt extremely depressed.
“I'm sorry for bothering you,” Nuosi sighed.
“It's fine.”
Ogre wrapped the grilled corn in a napkin and started gnawing on it—having been starving for nearly two days, it would be a disservice to himself if he didn't eat his fill.
Although wild berries could also replenish his energy, if he had the choice to eat better, Ogre would definitely choose the latter.
After traveling for an entire day with Macar, he was famished.
‘What a kid. With a beauty right next to him, all he cares about is eating...’
The mouths of several onlookers twitched; they couldn't even manage to strike up a conversation with Nuosi.
Truth be told, ever since that incident occurred in the restaurant, who among the patrons willing to visit now wasn't here for Nuosi?
“You...”
After receiving the cold shoulder, Nuosi was prepared to stand up and leave. However, the arrival of a new customer outside the door made her abandon the thought.
“Nuosi!”
A bald man carrying an axe walked into the shop and shouted toward the counter.
After waiting for a moment without receiving a response, his gaze swept over the seating area, quickly spotting his target.
“Nuosi?” What he hadn't expected was that his goddess was actually having dinner with a pretty boy.
“Could you move aside a bit?” The bald man walked over to Ogre, who was currently gnawing on the corn.
“Wait until I'm finished,” Ogre said without even lifting his head. Fighting was not allowed to be initiated inside this area anyway.
He recognized this bald man. Back when Uncle Ba was around, this fellow would often come to the restaurant to pester Nuosi.
He had simply been blocked by Uncle Ba every time.
‘Sister Nuosi, you've changed too...’ Ogre naturally understood that Nuosi was using him as a shield.
However, Ogre didn't really care about this.
Ogre understood the impact of losing a 'father', and he also lamented the change in Nuosi.
At the very least, using someone as a shield was not something the kind-hearted Sister Nuosi of the past would ever have done.
“I'm only giving you one chance. Take your platter and leave, or else...” The bald man placed his hand on Ogre's shoulder.
“Are you provoking, threatening, and attacking me?” Ogre set down the corn and tilted his head to look up.
Ogre's serious demeanor as he spoke each word made the bald man freeze for a moment. He hadn't expected this sissy to dare talk back.
“Very well. You'd better pray that you—”
Before the bald man could finish his sentence, his eyes met Ogre's.
In that split second, he felt a chilling aura of sheer ferocity rise from Ogre—it was the gaze of an apex predator looking at its prey.
In an instant, he felt as though he were looking at an ogre... that wanted to feed!
“Hande, that's enough!”
Nuosi stood up. She hadn't expected the bald man to go this far... Was it simply because the ranger in front of him looked like an easy target?
“Agh! Stay away!”
What no one expected was that, when faced with Nuosi standing up, the bald man Hande actually recoiled.
In fact, "recoiled" was an understatement—it would be more accurate to say he was scared out of his wits.
Because Hande had not only cried out in terror, but he had also fallen backward onto his buttocks on the ground, making an absolute fool of himself.
Only when the sound of laughter washed over him did he snap out of his panic.
Rate on N.U.
