It was still the same tearoom, yet it was no longer the same tearoom.
Ruger leaned back in his chair and looked around.
After coming up from the Spell Practice Ground, he had been invited here. Mahama and Mona were here too, along with the muscular bald man with blood-red eyes, who sat across from Ruger. Interestingly, the man still carried that stone door-or rather, that shield with its rounded top and square bottom-on his back, as though putting it into his Storage Pocket had never crossed his mind.
On the way here, Ruger had deliberately struck up a conversation with the Mushroom Man leading him. He learned that they were not the only four Wizards visiting the Mushroom Kingdom, but only the four of them had been invited. In other words, this was an exclusive tea party, one only a select few qualified to attend.
The bald man's eyes glimmered red as he smiled amiably at Ruger in greeting from across the table.
Ruger surveyed the tearoom and returned a friendly smile.
Of course, he considered himself friendly enough. At least his canine face had not shifted into demon form.
The tearoom was changing.
Though nothing looked different on the surface, he could vaguely sense that this tearoom, seemingly identical to the one before, had become something entirely different.
The bald man's eyes had not stopped moving since they arrived. He had clearly noticed something unusual too. Presumably, the reason he showed no reaction was that, like them, he had a special contract with Barry Danton.
Suddenly, Ruger looked toward the tearoom's round window.
Following his movement, the other three seated at the table looked over as well. So did Milia, Barry's loyal supporter, who stood to one side without taking a seat.
If there was anything else unusual