Ch.206Chapter 206: The Devourer (1)

# Bistro Glory of Morning Night.

Though it might sound like a somewhat strange name.

This establishment was one of the oldest restaurants in the thousand-year-old Empire.

It was famous for providing luxurious feasts at reasonable prices, suitable for knights and laborers who worked hard from morning onward.

While nobles who considered eating only uncooked food for breakfast to be healthy paid little attention to a restaurant that served thick cuts of meat on plates first thing in the morning.

Among imperial knights, who engaged in training so intense that even the most hardened manual laborers couldn’t compare, this place was considered a sanctuary.

Just as its name suggested with “Night,” this restaurant was like holy ground for knights.

Knowing its reputation well.

I had successfully tested whether this place served food suitable for a good time with Shizu for our upcoming date.

I had made a reservation and confidently arrived at the restaurant, imagining Shizu happily eating and smiling brightly.

But now I faced a situation where my plans were going awry from the very beginning.

My mind was becoming increasingly tangled with complications.

“I apologize. Today we are closed due to circumstances that I cannot properly explain.”

The manager, who was the highest authority aside from the owner, was bowing his head in front of the establishment instead of welcoming guests as usual, explaining they couldn’t operate.

Even amid my growing confusion, I recognized how both rare and absurd this sight was.

As my inner turmoil grew and I clearly recalled the fact that our special date was going wrong from the first step.

I felt a passionate anger I hadn’t experienced in recent times welling up inside me, ready to burst forth.

I was about to push through the crowd gathered in front of the restaurant and shout at the manager loudly enough to shake the building.

“…Karl, something’s strange.”

Thanks to Shizu, who grabbed my sleeve to stop me from moving forward while calmly assessing the situation, I was barely able to suppress my anger.

Indeed, when I calmed my rising anger and looked around carefully, there were many strange things.

As the manager said, if they were unable to operate due to issues with the establishment, they would normally close the doors completely, post a large notice about being closed for the day.

And include information about refund procedures and compensation for customers with reservations.

“No! I heard that a hearty feast is served from morning, so I made a reservation a month ago to taste it when visiting the capital! How can you say you can’t operate? Does that make any sense?”

“I have no words to apologize for wasting your long journey. We will reimburse your reservation fee and the transportation costs you incurred to reach the capital. I’m sorry. Truly sorry.”

“Money! Even! So! I!! How much!!! effort do you know I put into this day!!! Do you think a few coins will calm my anger?”

“…Then we’ll pay you double.”

“Ahem. Well, I don’t know what the circumstances are, but it doesn’t seem right to get too heated when the manager is bowing like this, and since he’s offering such a sincere apology, well, I’ll accept it.”

“Thank you. And if fate allows you to visit our establishment again in the future, please present this, and we will provide you with the best service we can offer.”

“Hmm… I suppose I have no choice. Very well.”

That way, they wouldn’t have to pay more than necessary to appease customers who approached with a terrifying momentum, looking ready to boil the manager alive instead of eating food.

Anyway, judging by the manager’s flustered appearance as he apologized to customers, saying they suddenly couldn’t operate instead of posting a closure notice.

It seemed certain that they had been preparing to open as usual when they encountered an unimaginable situation, forcing them to respond with this improvised approach.

While that impressive-looking customer arguing with the manager before us was too busy getting heated in his verbal sparring to observe his surroundings.

“…This is definitely strange.”

Observing the situation from the back and extending my spiritual perception into the restaurant—the same ability I had just used to detect the presence of a demon—I could feel that the atmosphere inside was bizarre.

Why, you ask?

“…They’re operating inside.”

As Shizu, who had noticed the strangeness before me, quietly pointed out.

Despite the manager blocking the entrance and apologizing to customers, saying they couldn’t operate today.

I realized that inside, they were busy with their usual preparations.

In the kitchen, the heat was naturally building as staff members prepared food under the direction of the chef the restaurant boasted about.

And the footsteps of waiters skillfully serving the completed dishes could be heard with remarkable regularity.

All this was possible because my spiritual perception had developed to the point where I could observe the scene beyond as if I were using all five senses right in front of me.

Anyway, after confirming that contrary to the manager’s words, the restaurant was in full preparation inside, my anger began to rise again.

“Everyone inside looks like they’re being pursued by something.”

As Shizu spoke, stopping me from getting angry and making me pay more attention.

“…”

Silently, I focused more on my spiritual perception to observe the details more carefully.

What I saw happening inside made me embarrassed for having used the expression “as usual” earlier.

First, checking the kitchen.

While the kitchen staff was indeed focused on grilling, steaming, and frying ingredients needed for the feast under the chef’s precise instructions and direction without any missteps.

-….

-….

The expressions on the faces of the kitchen staff showed not the weariness of labor but the kind of expression seen when concentrating out of fear of punishment for making a mistake.

The same expression was evident on the faces of the waiters carrying trays of completed dishes.

After spending three years in rigorous training.

My already sturdy body had become incomparably stronger.

And my spiritual perception had grown stronger as well, allowing me to observe such impossible things without difficulty.

Anyway, as I continued my silent observation.

I gradually began to grasp what might be the sudden situation that had caused the manager to bow his head and apologize to customers.

Compared to the amount of food being prepared by the kitchen staff, which would be enough for all the frustrated or dazed customers waiting outside including Shizu and me.

The waiters were all heading to just one spot in the restaurant.

And no matter how much I tried to expand my spiritual perception to identify that one spot, it remained shrouded as if in fog.

“…There seems to be something inside, but I can’t tell what it is.”

If even Shizu, who had detected the anomaly in the restaurant before me, couldn’t properly identify it, there was nothing more to say.

This meant that due to some entity inside the restaurant that was making the manager and employees tremble with fear.

These food service professionals, for whom trust is life, were lying about not being able to operate outside.

While inside, they were working forcibly while suppressing their fear caused by that entity.

By this point, more than the anger at my date with Shizu going wrong from the start.

My mind was becoming dominated by a primal curiosity about what exactly was happening inside the restaurant.

The meaning behind something that neither my nor Shizu’s spiritual perception could identify forcing the restaurant staff’s actions couldn’t possibly be good.

Needless to say, I felt a sense of duty to stop this.

I decided to take action and was about to leave Shizu carefully behind and go alone.

“Imperial Knights here. Something troubling seems to be happening inside. Can you tell us what’s going on?”

Seeing Shizu, who had already gone to the restaurant entrance and was showing her Imperial Knights emblem while talking to the manager, proving faster than me in every aspect.

I let out a helpless laugh and immediately moved to her side.

Despite showing more joy than I did about our date.

Shizu’s unhesitating fulfillment of her duty when faced with a matter concerning the safety of imperial citizens was truly heroic by anyone’s standards.

#

Following Shizu, when I also identified myself as an Imperial Knight and began questioning the manager about the situation.

The manager, who had been wearing a complicated expression that words could hardly describe while dealing with customers, reacted as if he had met a god when on the brink of death.

“Knights, please help us. It’s a demon.”

With those words, spoken very quietly so other customers wouldn’t hear, he confirmed the ominous feeling I had sensed from the beginning and requested our help.

As soon as I heard this, I turned my head toward Shizu.

Our eyes met as she simultaneously turned her head toward me.

We both nodded at each other as if by prior agreement.

“Please lead the way.”

When I, acting as the representative, asked the manager to guide us.

We were able to enter the restaurant following the manager, who seemed to have been waiting for this moment.

As soon as we entered, I could feel it.

The unique presence emanating from the entity the manager had described as a demon.

Though its texture was quite different from the aura of demons, the formidable mages of Obsidian Palace, or demons.

It offered a very distorted sensation to ordinary spiritual perception, making it no different from those cut from the same cloth.

Of course, despite confirming the presence of a demon that ordinary people could never handle, there was one thing to be relieved about.

Despite being powerful enough to reveal its presence so casually within the capital.

It wasn’t causing harm to the restaurant staff providing it with entertainment.

Normally, a demon emitting such distorted energy would pose a risk of distorting the existence of ordinary people who don’t understand the concept of fighting spirit upon encountering them.

But the owner of this energy seemed content to scatter its presence only within a very limited range, perhaps not wanting such a situation.

Naturally, this reduced the need to spend time deducing who this might be.

A demon that spreads impure energy yet.

Causes no significant harm to humans as long as the precondition of enjoying its entertainment is satisfied—when recalling memories from before my regression, there was only one such being.

Though more reasonable than the demons or mages under Desire who were openly struggling to awaken from their long sleep.

Even a rotten croaker is still a fish—this demon had the talent of easily approaching humans through such loose preconditions and then exponentially increasing its power.

“This way. Though it hasn’t caused any particular harm to our employees, if it stays here any longer, the damage to innocent citizens would be immeasurable. Please eliminate this demon.”

Before I could complete my thoughts, I couldn’t help but give a bitter smile when I saw the location we arrived at under the manager’s guidance.

Coincidentally, the demon was in the private dining room for two where Shizu and I would have had breakfast according to the original plan.

Though hidden by the entrance door and walls.

The increasingly skin-piercing distorted energy clearly indicated it was building its power at an absurd rate while enjoying its entertainment.

I gestured for the manager to step back.

Then turned my head toward Shizu to signal that we should enter.

Again, I emphasize that I was about to signal.

“…Heavenly Ascension.”

The sad fact that I couldn’t convey this signal was because Shizu, who had drawn her holy sword as soon as she sensed the impure energy beyond the entrance, roughly kicked open the door with her foot rather than using her hand.

It’s something I occasionally feel, but while she shows a gentle demeanor like a puppy in front of me.

When facing entities related to the demon realm, she often displays the cold-bloodedness from before my regression, creating a paradoxical feeling of both unfamiliarity and familiarity.

“Wait, what? I placed a restriction so that only restaurant employees could enter, so how…? No, that’s not the issue right now.”

…Before sorting out such paradoxical feelings.

“Aaaaargh!! A holy sword!! Save me!!”

I needed to continue the confrontation with that demon beyond the entrance who was panicking at the sight of the holy sword in Shizu’s hand.