Klein looked up at Alice. Alice was looking at him too, her expression unusually serious.
Clearly, they had both remembered that vanished civilization from before the First Epoch.
Klein opened his mouth, Wanted to Say Something, but then he saw Alice lick her lips, frown, and say:
"How did they even mix sweet, salty, and sour flavors together without it feeling strange?"
...What had she been thinking about just now?
Klein began to doubt his own judgment. As he hesitated, Alice noticed his blank look and, after thinking for a moment, asked:
"You're not eating?"
"...All right." He silently stuffed a piece of Smoked White Whale Meat into his mouth and watched Alice Lowered Her Head again and resumed eating heartily.
Sigh, Fate...
Klein felt somewhat melancholy. He soon discovered that the topic of adventure had once again turned into meaningless gossip, making him even more melancholy.
—At least they could have made it clear who had spread that damned rumor!
Klein angrily stuffed a large piece of Smoked Whale Meat into his mouth.
...It really was delicious.
Until they finished lunch, Alice held the bottle of supposedly strongest liquor and stared at it as if it were her mortal enemy. No table of adventurers discussed anything worthwhile, though more and more people were entering the "Lodal" bar.
Suddenly, the heavy door flew open and slammed into the wall with a bang.
A young man in a top hat, with obvious Loen ancestry, rushed inside and shouted nervously:
"Are there any members of the Adventurers Mutual Aid Society here?"
Alice Turned Her Head toward Klein.
Before Klein could react, three adventurers rose from different corners. Alice Turned Her Head to look at the one with the longest shadow and found that he was over Two Meters tall.
...Could there really