"So first of all, let's think about it. A village got attacked by some bandits who didn't want to steal anything or kill anyone unless they were attacked in self-defense.

Then there's one more thing: if they wanted to just kill Kathleen, they could've done it much more easily. They could've simply attacked the orphanage. There was no need to attack the entire village unless they had no idea where their target might be. And so, they started attacking the village."

"Wait, but—"

"Let me finish first," Barren said angrily, cutting Theo off mid-sentence.

"Then there's the fact that the woman you mentioned specifically stopped the soldiers from attacking anyone in the orphanage by ordering them all to focus on Kathleen. Lastly, we all know how rare sentient magic is. A handful of soldiers and a sentient magic user couldn't manage to kill a single woman? That's way too far-fetched to me," Barren exclaimed, scratching his head.

"The woman who can use blade magic—I think I've heard about her. And because of how rare sentient magic is, we can easily assume we're talking about the same woman."

"But—"

"There's a huge problem with this predicament. When Eddy and I used to go on adventures together, we occasionally heard about a sentient magic user. The problem is, all the rumors we heard at that time described that woman as very kind and gentle—not some kind of psychopath."

"She's telling the truth. I've seen Scarlet. She attacked me as well when I tried to help Kathleen, and I can assure you that woman was most definitely Scarlet Dawnfield," Eddy interjected.

"Okay, then there's no doubt about it. It was actually Scarlet, as confirmed by Eddy," Barren smirked.

Kathleen then noticed that Theo was standing there, staring blankly as if he wasn't even present in the conversation.

"Hi, Sir Barren, can you explain that once again?" Theo said.

"...."

"A village got attacked by bandits but the bandits didn't want to steal or kill anyone. So what did they want? They wanted fear in their target. Secondly, they didn't know who their target was. The reason why I'm saying this is because if they knew where Kathleen was, they could have easily created fear by just attacking the orphanage. You care a lot about that orphanage, am I right, Kathleen?" Barren asked.

"Yes," Kathleen replied.

"As it should be—they were like a family to you. Am I right about that?"

Kathleen looked puzzled at Barren.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm confused again. How do you know that Kathleen cared about the orphanage? You just met her," Theo said, panicking.

Kathleen thought the same thing, but Theo beat her to the question.

"That's very simple. If protecting the orphanage was just an obligation for her, she wouldn't have thought about sacrificing herself over the orphanage that she's only been with for two or three years," Barren explained.

"You aren't actually from Ashfall Village," Barren added as he pointed out a restaurant on the side. "Let's go to this one. The food is quite delicious here."

Kathleen looked absolutely shocked as she tried to think back. When did I mention all of that?

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"You're correct, but how did you know about that? Did I know you before two years ago?" Kathleen asked.

"No, no, I can assure you that this is the first time we've met," Barren said as he looked at Theo.

Theo looked completely empty, as if his soul itself had left his body.

"Come on, cheer up, Theo," Eddy said as they finally entered the restaurant.A sweet bell sound rimmed as they opened the door.

The restaurant was cozy yet elegant. The walls were painted in soft pastel tones, accented by paintings and small hanging plants. Delicate fairy lights were strung along the edges of the ceiling, casting a gentle golden glow that made the space feel welcoming.

The six tables were evenly spaced, each covered with white tablecloths that reached just below the polished wooden tops. At each table were four comfortable chairs with cushioned seats. A small vase of fresh flowers sat in the center of every table, adding a splash of color and a subtle floral scent to the air.

The atmosphere was further elevated by the faint sound of soft music playing in the background, blending seamlessly with the low hum of conversations from the few patrons enjoying their meals.

Moving gracefully between the tables was the restaurant's one and only waitress, a gorgeous figure with fair skin and a pair of adorable fake cat ears that twitched occasionally as she worked. Her uniform was simple—a neat dress in light pastel colors with a fitted apron tied around her waist. Her large, expressive eyes radiated warmth, and her cheerful smile made everyone feel at ease. Her fake cat-like tail swished gently behind her as she expertly balanced trays of food, attending to customers.

"Let's go to that table at the very end so we don't have to use the sound barrier," Barren suggested.

Finally, Kathleen noticed that she could hear the other diners' voices and the sweet melody playing in the background.

"Welcome!"

"Sit anywhere you like, naya. Just give me a call when you're ready to order, naya," the waitress said in a cute, cat-like voice.

With her fake cat ears, tail, and playful talking style, anyone could easily be fooled into thinking she was a real nekomata.

"Let me order right here," Barren said, waving the waitress over.

"Oh sure, let me write it down, naya," she replied cheerfully.

Eddy, Theo, and Kathleen stood there, surprised, as Barren began rattling off his order.

After ordering 20 or so dishes, Barren finally said, "That will be it, thank you," and then turned to the others. "What do you guys want? I recommend their fried omurice—it's the best."

Snapping out of her daze, Kathleen said, "Okay, I'll have one of those."

"Same for us," Eddy said as he began walking toward the back seats.

Finally sitting down, Kathleen noticed one of the paintings hanging on the front wall. It depicted a huge black vehicle of some kind, with massive wheels and two tracks at the front where the wheels rolled. As she stared at it, Kathleen's head began to ache as if she had seen that vehicle somewhere before but couldn't remember where.

"Hey, Kathleen, are you okay? You look pale," Theo asked worriedly.

"I'm okay, but… what is that painting on the wall?" Kathleen asked, pointing at it.

"Oh, that one? That's supposed to be a magic cart," Barren explained. "It was a very cool idea, but alas, magic has its limitations."

"What happened to the magic cart?" Kathleen asked.

"Nothing. The development on that project just stopped. Those things required a ton of mana just to move from one place to another. And don't even get me started on the mastery of wind magic it needed! You'd have to push the cart with wind magic from behind while simultaneously creating negative wind pressure in the front by removing the air so the thing could run. Otherwise, the air resistance would act like a barrier," Barren said, looking around for the waitress.

"Are you really okay, Kathleen? Your face is getting pale," Theo asked again, worried.

"Yes, but this headache… it's like there's something my mind desperately wants me to remember, but I can't," Kathleen said, placing her hand on her forehead.

"My healing magic can cure any wound, but it's useless against any kind of sickness, headache, or cold," Barren said apologetically. "We should visit an apothecary after eating."

As Barren said this, the waitress came to their table and served four freshly made hot fried omurice dishes. As the name suggested, it was fried rice topped with a huge omelet. The waitress carefully poured some sauce over each omelet, then used a knife to cut the omelet open. As she sliced it, a rich yellow liquid spilled out, covering the entire rice dish.

"If you need anything, just call me. As for you, sir, I'll bring the rest of your orders in a bit," the waitress said to Barren with a polite smile.

"Let's dig in!" Barren said as he started eating at a rapid pace.

"You guys eat too. Don't let it get cold. We'll talk after eating," he said between bites.

As they ate, the waitress brought another of Barren's many orders to the table.

.....To be continued