“Oh, you’re all so pretty,” I cheered, applauding as my friends walked in, all dressed up for supper.
Tarte wore a cute pastel dress with ribbons at the forefront of its design. The dress hung down to her knees, so her tail peeked out from under the hem. L’lyeh wore a chic lacy fishtail dress. Cocoa had a fashionably demure look going on with a flowy balloon skirt. A ribbon on the back of the skirt hung lower than its hem. Kent was dressed in dark brown formal wear, accented with a scarlet tie. Frey had a bright vermilion dress with an off-shoulder design. Luna was dressed in a mature frock of white lace that made her look like a reserved lady from an old family. Lina’s dress had a simple design that flared into frilly lace at the knee-length hem, which worked well for her. Mio wore a floral dress that added to her delicate beauty. I myself had chosen a simple but elegant mahogany-colored dress layered with white lace.
“I’m happy I get to wear such a cute dress, but I’m a little nervous...” Tarte said, looking fidgety where she sat, though she still looked less nervous than Cocoa and Kent, who were rigid with nerves. L’lyeh, by the way, looked perfectly at ease.
I began introducing the group to my parents, who were also seated at the banquet table. “Father, mother, these are my companions—my friends. First, Tarte, my apprentice; then L’lyeh, whom I am looking after for a while; and Kent and Cocoa, the adventurers I met in Zille. Then these are the members of the Hero’s party, who accompanied us here: Frey, Luna, Lina, and Mio.”
“I am Theodore Cocoriara. On behalf of my dear daughter, thank you for looking after her.”
“How wonderful to meet you all. I am Lottie’s mother, Angela Cocoriara.”
Once introductions had been made, dish after dish was brought in. We’d forgone courses and the stuffy table manners of nobles to serve the food family style. A quick glance at L’lyeh showed the Goddess of Darkness practically drooling at the sight of all that food. I asked the head chef to cook extra just for you, Lulu!
“Let’s dig in. We can always talk while we eat,” I suggested.
“Absolutely. Bon appétit, everyone,” mother said. With that, dinner commenced.
“Sharon, this is amazing. It tastes better than anything I have ever eaten,” L’lyeh crooned with a full mouth and eyes hungrily roving over the other dishes on the table. We’d taken her out to eat plenty of times, but the cooking of a noble house’s private chef was a cut above.
“That’s great,” I said. “The head chef will be happy to hear that.”
“I want to offer my thanks directly.”
“Then I’ll introduce you later,” I offered.
L’lyeh beamed. “Okay.”
“Don’t be shy, everyone. Lulu’s going to eat it all if you don’t get started,” I encouraged them.
“I’d like to say I’m too nervous for it...but who knows when I’ll next have a chance to eat something this nice?” Kent began eating a little rigidly as he maintained proper table manners. I’d been hoping everyone could have a relaxing meal, but that might have been a little too ambitious given the setting.
“I am absolutely enjoying this wonderful meal,” Mio said, gracefully cutting and bringing food to her mouth—a model of perfect etiquette.
“I’m glad you like it, Mio,” I said.
Frey, on the other hand, ate neatly but quickly. Many adventurers apparently developed a habit of eating fast from all the times they had to eat in dungeons.
Once we were well into supper, father cleared his throat dramatically, which made everyone stop eating and turn to him. Haven’t you heard of subtlety, father? I wanted to ask. Still, mother watched him with amusement on her face, so she evidently approved of whatever he was going to say next.
“Well, uh...” Father cleared his throat again. “I would love to hear any tales you have of Lottie’s adventures...!”
“What?” I hadn’t expected that. I should have, knowing how much father liked to gush about me, but I’d let my guard down when he hadn’t brought it up at the start of the meal.
“I would love to describe the time we went into Paradise of Erungoa,” Frey said.
“I remember the first day we met Sharon like it was yesterday,” Kent chimed in.
“I won’t stop anyone, but it’s a little embarrassing to have you all talk about me,” I cut in as the others jumped at the chance to share their stories.
“Sharon is excellent at support and knows so many useful things. More than anything, though, she can be quite the taskmaster,” Frey said.
“What?!” Despite my surprise, the others were nodding along.
“Exactly.”
“Yep.”
“She is quite the taskmeowster.”
This was bizarre because I didn’t remember going on any hunts that were that rigorous... Okay, maybe I was a little gung ho by the standards of this world.
Frey laughed. “And I thank Sharon for it. We’ve defeated Dragons, traversed unseen lands... I thought I’d gone on all manner of adventures before I met her, but the adventures she’s taken us on are something else entirely. They’re thrilling.”
“Frey...” I could see how much it meant to Frey—ever the adventurer—that she’d accompanied me across new horizons.
“I mean, I thought becoming a Dragonrider would only ever be a dream for me,” Kent mused. “To most people, it is. But here I am, all because I leveled up with Sharon.”
“I never thought I’d become a Lyrical Sorcerer either,” Cocoa added. “When I was little, I thought I was going to grow old in Farming Village, taking care of animals all my life.”
My parents—father especially—looked impressed. “You’ve both attained your awakened jobs at such a young age! I can only imagine the tremendous battles you must have fought along the way,” he said.
“Oh, yes...” Kent and Cocoa agreed, after a brief pause—as if they’d had a flashback to the battles we’d fought. Chief among them, perhaps, was the battle at Flaudia’s Memorial.
“What else? What else?!” father asked, a little aggressively.
“I haven’t known Sharon for long,” Mio began, “but her actions never cease to amaze me.” She gestured toward Frey, Lina, and Luna. “I travel with them to offer prayers for peace around the world. Sometimes I go into town and receive confessions. Sharon is well-versed in geography as well, and she’s shown me a different way to travel between cities.”
“Lottie was always studious, so she knows about all sorts of things. I’m glad to see her education came in handy,” father said, referring to the tutoring I’d received growing up. Those studies had been so rigorous that I’d cried alone in my room sometimes. Father must have known how hard it had been on me and seemed relieved to think that what I’d learned was paying off. Even though most of my knowledge of this world came from playing Reas, I couldn’t entirely discount the education I’d received under this roof.
Mio’s working hard as a priestess, I realized. Could I do it—sit there and listen to people’s confessions? Probably not. I might tell them to stop worrying and do something about it. What a blessing for those people that Mio now had the Adventure Bracelet and could travel from city to city by means of Transportation Gates. “You’re going to keep traveling and hearing confessions?” I asked Mio.
“Yes. I believe that’s my purpose,” the Priestess proudly proclaimed. Now that’s dedication.
“Meowster has taught me all about being an Alchemeowst!”
“And Lottie is your...Meowster,” father confirmed. He turned to me. “You know about alchemy too...?”
“Meowster knows about so many jobs. Every time I ask a question, she has the answer, like which ingredients to use for Furmulation... But most of all, I want to tell you that Meowster saved me from an illness.” Her eyes narrowed like she was fondly remembering our first meeting. She smiled. “I could never thank her enough for that.”
“That’s wonderful! That’s my girl!” father declared, booming his praises all over again, which made me blush.
My embarrassment notwithstanding, the stories about my adventures continued deep into the night.