There were many things he questioned after making a binding decision. Most of these were skill or trait choices, but this was the first time it involved something as simple as food.
I should have specified that ‘some food’ didn’t mean ‘stuff yourself until you explode.’
“You still have space in your stomach,” Cal commented as he looked on in fascination as Seris ordered more tart, this time in another flavor that he didn’t pay attention to.
“I’ll make some even if there isn’t. I could eat this forever,” Seris’s words were muffled by the piece of cake she had just put in her mouth.
I hope that was an exaggeration.
She finished eating before speaking again. “Tell me when the price gets close to one silver, boss. I don’t want to make you spend more than that.”
… How considerate. It’s too bad my estimate of the cost is already close to one gold.
Cal only consumed half of a fruit tart before he lost the desire for anything else. He wasn’t hungry in the first place and didn’t crave anything that pushed him to keep eating. It meant most of the cost incurred was due to Seris.
“Try to limit yourself to two more,” Cal suggested after a pause. He was more curious about her overeating than worrying about the actual cost. The influx of three guildmarks from the sale of the pickaxes made money the least of his worries.
Seris nodded as she did her best to avoid looking like a glutton while also eating as much as she could at the same time.
I wonder if I could eat this much even if I tried. The mana density in the food would make me almost unwell from the excess. Seris clearly has no problem with this.
Cal knew there would be no effects other than feeling nauseous, so he didn’t bother to stop her at the start. Now, he didn’t stop her due to pure curiosity.
His eyes caught some movement that took his attention away from Seris. The group sitting a few tables away stood up—the one that included the man who randomly decided to pick a fight with him.
Out of the four in the group, only the man who had an issue with him couldn’t stop glaring every few seconds. Cal wouldn’t have cared much if the glares were only at him, but it was sometimes directed at Seris.
Granted, the looks at Seris were more confused than angry—making Cal think the man was wondering why Tavia looked so different—but it changed how he decided to deal with this.
He didn’t want to waste more time on the angry moron, but he was concerned Seris might be targeted when he wasn’t beside her. He would need to shut this down before that became a possibility.
The group of four left the restaurant, with the angry man lagging behind as he kept looking back at Cal.
“I’ll be back. Stay at the table, Seris.” Cal received a confused nod before returning to busying herself with her dessert. He walked up to Karl.
“What’s the tally for what was ordered so far?”
“It’s ninety-one silver,” Karl answered immediately.
Cal offered him a gold coin, which got him a questioning look.“In case she orders more.”
“You are only required to pay the bill at the end,” Karl almost seemed revolted at the thought of taking the coin.
“I have to leave for a bit. If you’re fine with me doing so without the payment, that’s what I’ll do.”
Karl didn’t comment further, and he reluctantly took the gold. Cal found it curious that his attitude had changed so much compared to how they were welcomed into the restaurant.
“Who were the people who just left?” Cal noticed the way Karl’s eyes gained a bit of fear. That told him more than enough. And the way he avoided eye contact almost confirmed it. He patted Karl’s shoulder and said, “I got it. You don’t have to say anything.”
Cal smiled at Seris, who gave him curious looks from her seat, before leaving the restaurant. The group of four was almost assuredly core guild members. The problem was that he had no idea who any of them were.
I suppose that’s a good thing. They would be important from my last life if I remembered them. But I feel like I should know the man with anger issues.
Cal thought the man knew Tavia, so he must be a recent Trainee who had passed the Selection. He caught the group loitering just outside the area the restaurant had cordoned off from the general crowd.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
… Wait, this guy tried to insult me when I ‘underperformed’ in the Selection. What was his name again? Something that starts with ’T.’
One of the men tapped T-something on the shoulder when he saw him coming. If possible, T-something’s eyes would have spewed fire when he saw him.
I think it was Tane… or was it Thrain? No, I’m almost sure it was Tane.
“I’m surprised you didn’t hide in the safety of the restaurant.”
Cal frowned at how aggressive the sentence was. Unnecessarily so. It wasn’t like anyone would be allowed to cause issues in the Great Market. The ones who did would be permanently banned by the city, and no guild member wanted that.
If I sound humble, it would dissuade him from staying aggressive. It would be a far cry from my arrogance as a Trainee.
“You seemed angry,” Cal’s tone was mild and unassuming. “We were Trainees together, and I couldn’t allow our first meeting after the Selection to end like this.”
The peace offer is given. Tane isn’t worth the time it would take to go outside the tower and ‘settle’ this. As long as he calms down, Seris should be—
“Allow? You have no say in how this ends, Cal. Not after how you strutted around, acting like you were better than everyone. You couldn’t hold onto Tavia, so you got yourself a mortal girl who doesn’t know better.”
Anger flashed through Cal before he forcefully crushed it since it wouldn’t help his current goal. With Tane's focus on him, Cal doubted that Seris being a kid was noticed. Still, he had to mention it.
“That kid is my assistant. I would appreciate it if we keep your issues with me between us and only us. Would a sincere apology suffice, Tane?”
A large part of Cal revolted at the thought of having to apologize to a nonfactor like Tane, even if the apology was only lip service. Still, the repetition of being the better man and taking the high road in his mind was helping.
He couldn’t go around crushing anyone that irritated him, not like he did in his first life. He wanted to be a more reasonable, calmer man. Violence was the last resort, not the first.
… Why does he look angrier?
“What do you say, Tane?” It was the shortest of the group that spoke with a mocking tone. “Take the apology. It’s only right since he’s being generous, Tane.”
Cal resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. He had gotten the man’s name wrong.
That doesn’t bode well—
“Tarn. My name is Tarn.”
Not bad. I was close to getting it right. But I need to fix this somehow.
Cal didn’t get the chance.
“You know what I’m going to do to make you remember my name?” Tarn snarled, his eyes spewing hatred. “I hear you live in a filthy hovel in the wastes. And Tavia has been shipping furniture there, making you look all smug and happy. I won’t stand for it! I’ll gather every last person who despises you and turn your miserable, cowardly life into a living hell. I’ll rip apart that pathetic shack you’ve built. I’ll drag Tavia back to the core guild like the Masters demand. And your little friend in the restaurant? She’ll—”
Cal's surroundings began to distort, a high-pitched squeal piercing through the sudden haze as the world blurred. Tarn's rant faded into the background. He knew that the furious words were the wishes of a madman and nothing that would come true, but logical reasoning did not work in the moment.
All Cal could see during the spoken threats were his memories of the Celestial Order being crushed by a far stronger guild. The hopelessness he felt when he was required to fight with the dead bodies of fellow members around him since dying was the only other option.
It didn’t take long for his mind to replace the Celestial Order with his field and the dead guild members with Seris, Nibbles, and Tavia. His own little slice of peace destroyed. The cold determination he possessed before his death flooded back. When there was no room left for mercy.
“—CAL!”
Cal blinked rapidly to see a wizened face far too close to his face. He instinctively tried to move back but realized he was surrounded by Celestial Order Masters on all sides. There was no space for him to move.
“… Master Merrak?” The words had already left Cal’s mouth before he realized he shouldn’t know the Master’s name in this life.
“You know of me,” Master Merrak said warily, though that was not for knowing his name. “I need you to come with me, Apprentice Cal.”
Cal stared at him in shock. He naturally suspected the Overseer for revealing his [Tier] upgrade, but that made little sense.
“Right now?” He asked more as a delay tactic to regain his bearings. There wasn’t much he could do to deter four Masters, but he wanted to understand how this situation came to be.
“Indeed,” Master Merrak stepped aside while keeping him well within arms reach.
Without his entire field of view occupied by Master Merrak’s face, he could focus on other things. The first was his interface.
[Lightning Aura] activated.
[Lightning Aura] deactivated. It will be unavailable for 24 hours.
“Apprentice Cal?”
He looked away from the interface to Master Merrak, even more confused about what was happening. Some faint ideas were forming in his mind, and if that was the case, he hoped that the only thing he used was [Lightning Aura]. It was weak. Very weak.
Cal cleared his throat as he noticed how vacant the floor was. It looked like it had been cleared of all people. “Where’s Tarn?”
Master Merrak looked ready to pounce at him at a moment’s notice. “I think you have done enough damage to the young Initiate. Whatever he has done to attract your ire, we can deal with it in a civil manner.”
What could I have done that would cause four Masters to arrive and restrain me?
“… Will he recover fully?”
“We arrived in time to make that a certainty,” a low voice grumbled beside him. He couldn’t recognize it, so it must have been a Master he was unfamiliar with.
Cal nodded slowly before noticing the state of his clothes. Nothing covered his right arm other than strips of cloth still attached to the shoulder. There were plenty of tears around his stomach and chest, but luckily, they were nowhere near as bad. He could feel the cargo in his inner pocket, safe and sound.
He looked back at the Starlit Joy to see it was also empty. He thought about asking where the customers were sent but figured it would be better to keep attention off Seris if possible.
She has enough silver to hire a carriage if necessary… that is, if the guild hasn’t already discovered she was dining with me. Then I’ll meet her soon anyway.
“Very well, Masters. Lead the way.”