Dinner and Questions

The town lay beneath the warm glow of dusk. Inside the tavern, voices filled the air, and the aroma of food mingled with the rich scent of ale, creating a lively, homey atmosphere.

The group sat around a large wooden table in the corner, laden with food. There were steaks sizzling with fat, a mountain of mashed potatoes, fragrant stew, and the particularly conspicuous serving of thick, juicy Hamburg Steak in front of Frieren. She could actually have eaten a mountain of Hamburg Steak, but she couldn't bring herself to fleece Ruby too badly.

"Nom!" Ruby took a fierce bite out of a piece of bread stuffed with steak (a hamburger?), her cheeks bulging. Her green eyes still showed a little pain from spending all that money, but she chewed with determination, as if she meant to eat back every copper she'd spent. "Mmm... delicious! ...But so expensive!"

Heiter and Eisen clinked their mugs, ale foam sliding down the sides. Heiter let out a satisfied breath. "Hahaha! Good wine after a busy day is a real pleasure!" Eisen nodded silently and drained his mug.

Frieren, meanwhile, was completely absorbed in the world of good food. She carefully cut off a piece of Hamburg Steak with her knife and fork, watching the juices slowly seep out. Her eyes narrowed in satisfaction as she put it in her mouth and savored it, her face filled with an almost reverent concentration and happiness, as if everything in the world were contained in that one patty.

Himmel wasn't at the table. On their way into town, he had helped an old woman carry some heavy goods home, and she had enthusiastically drawn him inside for tea.

Lowell ate the vegetable salad on his plate and drank red wine at a leisurely pace. His elegant manner was somewhat out of place amid the feasting around him.

Mina sat quietly in her chair, her large cloak concealing her figure and her enormous horned helmet completely covering her face, making her look like a silent, oddly shaped ornament. She didn't move, showing no reaction to the food covering the table.

After gnawing the meat off a bone, Ruby sucked her fingers. Her gaze happened to pass over Mina, and she suddenly paused. "Uh... Lowell, does she... does she need to eat?" she asked indistinctly, pointing at Mina.

Without lifting his head, Lowell lightly tapped the rim of his salad plate with his fork, producing a crisp sound. At the same time, he raised his eyes and glanced at Mina's horned helmet. "We'll talk about it when we get back," he said calmly.

Ruby immediately understood. She instinctively covered her mouth and looked nervously from side to side. Only after seeing that nobody was paying attention to them did she breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh, right... I almost forgot," she muttered. She turned her attention back to the food, channeling her grief and indignation into her appetite as she resumed tackling the meal in front of her.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group checked into the town's only inn. The rooms were fairly clean, and the town's scattered lights and the hazy outlines of distant mountains could be seen through the windows.

After washing up, Ruby, dressed in a nightgown, dried her wet red curls with a towel. She watched Mina, whose cloak Lowell had unfastened, still wearing her helmet as she stood quietly in the corner of the room. Another question occurred to her.

"Um... Mina," she said, walking up to her and asking curiously, "can you eat our food? I mean... ordinary food."

Mina's helmet moved slightly, seemingly turning toward Ruby. Her calm, unruffled voice came from beneath it. "Yes."

"You can?" Ruby blinked, even more confused. "Then... then why do you still eat... eat people?" Saying the word made her shudder.

Mina's answer was as direct and cold as ever, as if she were stating the most natural fact in the world. "Because they look tastier."

Ruby was stunned by the blunt, horrifying answer. She opened her mouth but couldn't speak for a long moment. Her little face scrunched up, and she felt that even the Hamburg Steak she had just eaten wasn't quite as delicious anymore.

Nearby, Lowell was helping Frieren set her treasured Dragon Skull against the wall. Hearing this, he explained without turning around, "Demons are essentially aggregates made of mana. They rely mainly on mana to maintain their existence, not the nutrients in ordinary food. Even if they don't eat, it doesn't do them much harm. They probably eat ordinary food just to experience its taste. Like humans enjoying good food, it's a sensory experience. Of course, it can also replenish a little mana to some extent, just as humans can restore their strength and get nutrients by eating beef and mutton."

Mina's helmet turned toward Lowell. "You know a lot."

Lowell smiled without confirming or denying it.

Ruby scratched her head, taking in the information, and a naive thought occurred to her. With a trace of hope, she looked at Mina and asked cautiously, "Then... Mina, what do you say? If we gave you beef and mutton, and tasty things like fruit and bread, so you wouldn't have to... eat people anymore, would that be all right? Would you agree? I remember you said you only wanted a peaceful life..."

Mina was silent for a moment, seemingly processing the proposal. Then she answered, "I suppose so."

Her voice was as flat as ever, and it was impossible to tell whether she meant it or was only humoring her.

Ruby immediately turned to look at Lowell, a question and a trace of hope in her eyes.

Lowell brushed nonexistent dust from his hands and walked to the window. Looking out at the heavy darkness of the night, he spoke with the composure of someone who had been through too much. "It's not as if I know any mental magic. I can't see what she really thinks. If she were an adult demon, based on what I know of their nature, I'd say there was a ninety-nine percent chance she couldn't be trusted. It would most likely be a lie told for the sake of survival."

He paused and looked back at Ruby, the light fading from her eyes, then glanced at the small, slender figure in the enormous helmet in the corner.

"But... when it comes to children, who knows? The relationship between a demon's development and their environment is uncharted territory. Perhaps there's a tiny possibility..."

His gaze returned to the window, and his voice grew quieter. "In any case, Ruby, remember this. Without the absolute strength to keep the situation under control, showing simple kindness and trust to a being you can't understand, whose nature is dangerous, is often the most frightening and deadly thing you can do. It can harm not only you, but others as well. At times like that, assuming those who aren't our kind must think differently is the best choice."

Ruby stood in the middle of the room, looking at the tranquil Mina and then at Lowell's back, her little face full of conflict. Her kind nature made her willing to believe in that "tiny possibility," but Lowell's words echoed in her mind like a warning bell.

She lowered her head to look at her toes and silently pondered: trust, danger, possibility... and what was true strength?

The night deepened, and the inn grew quiet. Only the occasional chirping of insects outside the window and the different thoughts on each person's mind in the room flowed slowly through the silence.