A walk after dinner

Before long, the server brought their orders to the table.

Only three people sat at the table for four, yet the food was piled mountain-high. That was because Bruce had become a true competitive eater of the canine world-he could eat a fucking ton!

Before Bruce reached the level where he could change forms, back when they were still leveling in the forest, his beast form had already grown enormous. Apart from the more valuable monster materials, almost all the meat and bones from the monsters Chuan Wenwu killed had gone straight to Bruce, who was still a "growing boy."

You had to understand, when Bruce grew to five or six meters long, not counting his tail, Chuan Wenwu had come close to a breakdown. Feeding a dog that big took an enormous amount of food every day, and he was genuinely afraid he would no longer be able to afford it.

(The original setting was that demi-humans grew as they leveled up, becoming physically larger and developing vastly bigger appetites...)

Fortunately, after reaching Lv. 36, Bruce could shrink himself at will, taking on his beastman form to reduce his consumption and save food-but even then, his appetite was ten times Chuan Wenwu's, or even nine times!

The food was piled mountain-high because that was all the table could hold. If it was not enough for Bruce, they would order more afterward.

Chuan Wenwu had roughly calculated that one meal for Bruce cost about a silver coin... His own meals only cost fifteen copper coins!

"Wow..."

Raphtalia stared blankly at the mountains of food in front of Chuan Wenwu and Bruce, then looked down at her own children's meal. It was generous too, but nowhere near as tall. For a moment, she had no idea where to start.

"Chomp, chomp..."

Bruce could not care less about any of that. He buried his face in his plate and started wolfing down the food.

He had spent so long as a stray dog in the forest that all the bland raw and cooked meat had made him want to puke. Today, he had finally returned to town, only to spend the entire day running all over the place. Only now did he get to eat something with actual flavor. I'm gonna fucking eat, eat, eat, eat!!

"For fuck's sake! Bruce, could you mind your table manners? You're not a fucking dog anymore! Use your hands! Eat with your hands! And stop getting your slobber everywhere! I'm trying to eat too!" Chuan Wenwu swore.

Compared with Bruce, who had yet to shake his animal instincts and went straight at the food with his mouth, Chuan Wenwu ate much more elegantly.

Although he had spent just as long living like a wild man out in the wilderness, he had not forgotten the biggest difference between humans and animals-humans used their hands!

He gripped a honey-glazed roasted ham in one hand and brought it to his mouth for a huge bite, while his other hand reached without pause for another roast chicken on the table.

The dining table was a battlefield, and Chuan Wenwu was fighting Bruce for the "clean" food that had yet to be contaminated by his drool.

Raphtalia was dumbstruck by the sight. Her round raccoon ears twitched as the whispers of the surrounding diners reached them. They all seemed shocked by how "uninhibited" Chuan Wenwu and Bruce were when they ate...

Weren't you supposed to eat with the utensils the server brought?

Raphtalia lowered her head and stared in confusion at the knife, fork, and spoon beside her plate of chicken fried rice.

An hour later, the three left the restaurant with full bellies, leaving nothing but a wrecked table behind.

"Pretty good, wasn't it, Talia?" Chuan Wenwu asked casually as he leisurely picked his teeth with a toothpick, addressing Raphtalia as she walked beside his feet.

"Yes, it was delicious!"

Perhaps because she had finally eaten her fill for the first time in ages, Raphtalia was doing much better than before. She was more energetic and had gradually begun working up the courage to talk to others.

Incidentally, Raphtalia had fit right into their dining atmosphere-meaning the little girl had also grabbed her food with her hands and wolfed it down. She was, after all, a poor child who had endured slavery. With a good meal finally before her, how could she possibly suppress that hunger etched into her soul and eat at a leisurely pace?

"Let's eat here again next time. I saw a seafood platter on someone else's table earlier. I haven't tried the seafood in this world yet, so I wonder what's special about the taste." Rubbing his overstuffed belly, Chuan Wenwu was already thinking of other foods. Unfortunately, he genuinely could not eat another bite, so he would have to come back and try it later.

He said offhandedly, "Still, if the restaurant serves seafood, this world must have an ocean, and it probably isn't too far from town. When we get the chance, let's go have some fun at the seaside. Maybe we can gather shellfish at low tide, or head straight into the water to catch fish..."

"Talia, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, Chuan Wenwu noticed something strange about Raphtalia's expression. She seemed a little sad.

Had something he just said touched a sore spot for the child?

Seafood... the ocean?

"...No... It's nothing." Raphtalia pressed her lips together and gently shook her head.

Seeing that Raphtalia did not want to talk, Chuan Wenwu did not press her. Instead, he changed the subject and asked conversationally, "Then, Talia, what do you want to do from here?"

Having just eaten their fill, they naturally could not return to the inn to rest right away, so they walked along the streets to help digest their meal.

"What I want to do... I don't know. I'll do whatever you say, Sir Hero."

Raphtalia was only ten years old. She knew nothing about such things, much less how to make plans for her future. Just that morning, she had still been on the verge of death in the slave shop, unable to see any hope for the future at all.

"Here's what I'm thinking. Once you're healthy again, I'll take you to have your slave mark removed. That way, you won't be bound to me anymore, and you'll truly be free. Then, if you remember where your parents or any other relatives are, I can help you find your family and reunite you... What about you? What do you think?" As Chuan Wenwu considered what arrangements he could make for this demi-human girl who was so out of place in the Kingdom of Melromarc, he spoke in a tone that invited her opinion.

"...Dad... Mom... everyone..."

Chuan Wenwu's words instantly brought Raphtalia back to the time when disaster struck, before she was taken away and enslaved. Her little body trembled uncontrollably, and a mournful note crept into her voice. "They're all gone... Dad, Mom... everyone... The monsters killed them all... Waaa..."

It was both expected and unexpected. A child Raphtalia's age should have been growing up under her parents' protection. If some terrible upheaval had not occurred, how could she have become merchandise in a slave trader's hands?

Chuan Wenwu crouched down until his eyes were level with the softly sobbing Raphtalia's. He gently patted her shoulders, so thin they felt almost painfully bony, comforting her in silence.

Some passersby gave them strange looks, but Bruce, standing guard beside them with a vicious expression, quickly scared them off. No one came over to bother them.

Only after a long while did Raphtalia stop crying. She silently lowered her head, not daring to meet Chuan Wenwu's eyes.

"Talia, stay strong. We can't change the past, but please, try to come to terms with your loss. Those of us still alive have to look toward the future. You still have a life of your own to live. If your mom and dad are watching over you, I'm sure they wouldn't want their precious child to be so sad every day. Be strong!"

Chuan Wenwu sighed, his gaze turning resolute. "If you don't know where else to go, you can stay with me for now. At least I won't let you go hungry again. But I may be doing some dangerous things later, and staying with me could put you in danger. If you want to leave, you can go whenever you like."

"Okay!"