Chapter 50: Buying Forgiveness

Chapter 50: Buying Forgiveness

Cal could see how hard Seris tried to keep herself from asking to stop on every floor. The first few floors were meant for mortals, while the floors directly after were mostly for ones with access to the interface.

The higher the floors, the more specialized they became. Some runes could be used by mortals on the lower floors, but anything higher was of little to no utility to them.

In fact, the food on the ninth floor would mostly be a waste of Seris. Everything there focused on dishes with the greatest mana density to appease the hunger that came with having an interface.

However, while that didn’t apply to Seris, it should still be some of the best-tasting food she would have in her life. In addition, Cal knew that some mortals beggared themselves with mana-dense food in hopes of increasing their chances of gaining an interface.

As far as he knew, that had never happened. But it confirmed that the food should be safe for Seris to eat.

This senseless splurging can be considered another apology. I shouldn’t be short of money after the deal with the Overseer, so it’s not something I need to be overly watchful about.

Cal led Seris into the ninth floor and saw the Starfruit Custard stand. He considered getting that again, but with the other options available, it would be more of a snack instead of a meal. Besides, he got the custard last time due to a combination of temptation and being in a rush.

He pulled Seris to the side to prevent her from being run over by the others who entered and exited the floor. This was the most popular place to get the required food for people with an interface, and it was also on the cheaper side, not to say it was subpar in quality.

The higher-end eateries were standalone shops that were more for showing off wealth and status than food quality. Cal had never been to one himself in his first life since it had no purpose in his mind.

I believe that will change this time. Fintan will insist on taking me to one the next time we meet.

“What type of food do you like?” Cal interrupted Seris, who looked around like she had never had so many restaurant options. It was probably true since she likely hadn’t traveled far from Mariner’s Rest.

“Sweets,” Seris said as she drooled at the Starfruit Custard stand.

Cal narrowed his eyes in thought. If that’s what she wanted, then he wouldn’t mind it. “We can have that custard, or if you want to eat multiple varieties, you can get it for the same price elsewhere.”

Seris took a sniff of the scent wafting from the custard stand before reluctantly pulling her eyes away. “How many of them can I buy with two silver?”

“Two silver?” Cal blinked in confusion. He quickly remembered precisely how much he had paid her so far. “Did you want to pay for it?”

Seris nodded solemnly. “It’s the least I could do for bringing me here.”

Cal crossed his arms and gave her a skeptical look. He was happy about her offer since it meant she didn’t think about the little episode at the field as a serious matter. Still, she sounded far too generous to be believed. “Who told you to do this?”

“This is what I get for trying to be generous,” Seris sounded putout. When Cal’s look didn’t change, she looked away and muttered, “Well, you seemed to be in a bad mood today. Everyone likes free food, so I figured this might work to fix that.”

“... I appreciate the thought, Seris. However, save the money for yourself. You can treat me in a few years when you’re an adult.” Cal felt a strange sensation he couldn’t quite put a finger on. Whatever it was, it was nice... and warm.

Seris pursed her lips before nodding reluctantly. “As you say, boss.”

Good. I didn’t want to tell her that even a single dish here would cost exponentially more than the money she had. I will need to splurge more than I intended to keep that a secret.

Most of the restaurants here had the prices on the menu. However, there were a few that didn’t list a price since its targeted customers didn’t care much about the cost. That also meant they were priced a little higher than the others.

“Let’s go,” Cal motioned for Seris to follow. “We’re going to a place called Starlit Joy. It’s a full-service restaurant known for the best desserts on the floor.”

He made sure Seris followed closely as they navigated through the tight spaces due to most of the floor being taken up by restaurants. It left smaller-than-ideal walkways which was made worse since this was the most popular place to eat for guild members not part of the core guild.

Starlit Joy was a restaurant located in the middle of the floor. The restaurant itself wasn’t any larger than most others on the floor. Still, there was a significantly larger seating area outside to show its wealth. He heard it was created by the owner of Starlit Joy buying the neighboring shop and tearing it down.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Don’t worry about it,” Cal motioned to himself. “Does it look like I’m dressed up?”

“But you’re an Initiate. I’m not,” Seris looked even more uncomfortable.

“Well, you’re with me, so any exception you think applies to me applies to you.”

“Oh,” Seris was still self-conscious, but at least she straightened up in her chair... slightly.

Cal decided to distract her. “I like the tarts they make here. Some of their cakes come in at a close second, especially their honey cakes.”

“Honey cake? That sounds—”

“I didn’t think you would ever show your face here, Cal. I’m guessing you’re using the last bit of money left to feel special?”

... Really?

Cal looked at the man speaking and couldn’t say he knew who it was. He had noticed the man sitting in a group of four a few tables away but didn’t think it would have been an issue since he didn’t recognize anyone.

“What has you so quiet? Shocked to find me here? Too scared to speak me me?”

“... Who are you?” Cal asked with genuine curiosity.

“Ha!” The man let out a harsh laugh. “Still trying to make yourself look good in front of Tavia! It won’t work a second—”

“Quiet,” Cal snapped at him when his rage spiked. He noticed Seris retreating into her shell again. “First, I have no idea how you know Tavia, but she isn’t even here. And second, I’m being serious. Who the hell are you? And why are you bothering me in a restaurant of all places?”

By this time, one of the people sitting in the same group as the man had walked up to them. Cal was ready to stand and deal with the headache, but the situation fixed itself.

“You’re embarrassing us. Get back to the table and be silent. You can deal with this in your own time!”

Cal was given a last glare before the man left just as abruptly as he arrived. Of course, he still received narrowed looks from the table, but he didn’t care.

“B-Boss? Should we leave?”

Cal shook his head while shifting through his memories to try and find that face. With such hatred towards him, it must be someone significant.

However, he was drawing up a blank. There was nobody he could remember with the man's face. Rather, there was nobody that he cared to remember.

Maybe it’s one of the Trainees I wasn't kind to. I could see some wanting to lord over my supposed failure at the Selection.

He noticed Seris was looking around the dining hall at the eyes that were now on them.

This was supposed to be a simple meal. I definitely shouldn’t have picked this place.

“Here we are!” Karl showed up with the menus, conveniently avoiding the chaos. “Give me a wave when you’re ready to order!”

Cal sighed as Karl practically ran away before focusing on Seris. “Ignore them. We’re here to eat some good food. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

Seris gave him a jerky nod before browsing the menu.

Cal kept his eye on the man that wanted to burn him with his gaze.