A Peaceful, Prosperous Age
The restaurant, with its unusual concept of a home-style barbecue buffet, seemed to be located on top of a hill.
We trudged slowly up the slope like grubs.
The sun, just beginning to sink toward the west, stabbed sharply at my eyes.
“It’s hot. Do we really have to wear jackets in this heat?”
“Bear with it. Once the sun goes down, it’ll get a little cooler. And you can take it off when we go inside the restaurant, so keep it on until then. You’re a national hero, and you can’t even endure this much? There’s such a thing as decorum in the world.”
Seeing me grumble and get scolded by Cheon Danbi, Gil shut his mouth and said nothing.
A wise decision. Complaining wouldn’t have changed anything anyway.
Gil and I were wearing the jackets Cheon Danbi had prepared for us. Jackets were overkill in this weather. Sweat was streaming down my back.
Cheon Danbi and Ren were wearing light, fluttering dresses. So of course they couldn’t understand how we felt.
Thinking that, I watched the two women walking ahead, then suddenly felt a prick of guilt.
Ren didn’t necessarily have a reason to hide, but there was no need to reveal her identity either, so she had come in the form of a dwarf.
‘Right. Some people even transform every time, so let’s not complain just because I was told to put on one measly jacket. How much of a hassle must it be for Ren?’
When we arrived at the restaurant, I could understand why Cheon Danbi had insisted on decorum.
What stood before us looked less like a restaurant and more like an elegant mansion. At a glance, you wouldn’t even recognize it as a place to eat.
There wasn’t even a signboard in sight.
Only the wide-open gate, and the cars and people passing in and out through it, suggested that this wasn’t a private residence.
As we approached, a spacious garden came into view beyond the open gate.
“This is the place. Come on, let’s go in.”
Cheon Danbi strode inside first.
When we entered the mansion building, we found ourselves in a space decorated like a castle.
A splendid chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and expensive-looking furniture was arranged here and there with both refinement and comfort.
It truly felt less like we had come to a restaurant and more like we had been invited to the mansion of someone we knew.
Fortunately, it seemed no invitation was required.
“Welcome. Please head this way. The barbecue tables are prepared over there. You may also enjoy the buffet at your leisure.”
A man in a tailcoat appeared and guided us toward the garden.
Despite how finely the interior had been decorated, it seemed it was merely a passageway, while the dining area was set up entirely in the garden.
Then again, it was a barbecue restaurant, so that was only natural.
The employee led us to our seats and then quickly vanished like a shadow.
“Wow! The view here is really amazing!”
“It really is. It’s wide open, and there’s a forest over there, so it feels like we’ve come far out into the countryside.”
Just as Cheon Danbi had recommended, the garden scenery was excellent.
Since the restaurant was situated on a hill, nothing obstructed the view, and across from us stretched the deep green expanse of Neo Forest.
“It’s not just the scenery. The food is excellent too, so everyone look forward to it. Let’s eat already. I’m hungry.”
“But the atmosphere is so fancy that I’m a little nervous.”
Gil whispered while looking around.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. This is just a restaurant. We came here to eat.”
Cheon Danbi said, waving her hand dismissively.
A moment ago, she had said there was such a thing as decorum and that we had to wear jackets even if we were dying from the heat, and now she was saying it was just a restaurant and we didn’t need to care.
Well, she was right, though.
In any case, when it came to Gil, Danbi noona was endlessly benevolent.
“Let’s go get food.”
As expected, Cheon Danbi took the lead, and we followed her awkwardly.
As we crossed the garden toward the barbecue tables, I saw people seated here and there, or gathered in groups of three and five.
There were not only people eating at tables, but also people strolling freely with plates in hand, chatting as they ate.
However, everyone was properly dressed.
‘So this is what she meant by a party atmosphere?’
When I heard the word party, the image I had thought of was one with loud music, dancing, and alcohol, but it seemed the party Cheon Danbi had meant was more like a high-class dinner party.
It was an atmosphere I couldn’t get used to, but I headed straight for the food and nothing else.
Looking toward the source of the savory smell, I saw men wearing tall chef’s hats busily grilling barbecue over charcoal.
All kinds of barbecue were laid out on the table. Beef, pork, chicken, as well as lamb and sausages—there was nothing missing.
On the buffet table beside it, salads and other dishes were spread out in abundance.
“There are so many kinds. They all look delicious.”
“You’ll be even more surprised once you try them. Gil! Eat as much as you want. This is a place where you can eat all you like.”
“Ah, yes……”
Gil hesitated, looking around as if he had no idea what to take first or how.
Cheon Danbi stayed beside him and coached him.
“If you’re curious, try everything. Bring a little of each at first, taste them, and then go back for more of whatever you like best.”
“Ah, I’ll do that.”
Even so, a moment later, Gil’s plate was piled high with meat like a mountain. My plate wasn’t much different.
There were so many kinds of barbecue that even though I thought I had taken only one piece of each, the amount wasn’t small.
And it wasn’t as if we could eat only meat. On another plate, I put various salads and other dishes.
Gil and I returned precariously to our seats, holding plates heaped with food in both hands.
Looking closely, Cheon Danbi, a big eater herself, was also returning with a plate piled like a mountain.
Only Ren was different. Perhaps she didn’t particularly like meat, because there wasn’t much meat visible on her plate; it was filled mostly with greens.
Though she was in the form of a short, stocky dwarf, Ren’s gait and movements were extremely graceful.
She was the one who fit this luxurious restaurant best.
But something was strange.
Gazes were following her. Whenever Ren passed by, the people nearby would noticeably stare at her and whisper among themselves.
‘What is it? Could there be people who recognize Ren? Is there a Vanaheim employee here?’
But that didn’t seem likely.
There was even a bounty on Ren, but the face plastered all over the news had been Ren’s true appearance.
Even if there was a Vanaheim employee here, they wouldn’t recognize her dwarf-transformed form at once.
I quietly rose from my seat and approached Ren.
I passed by the people who were staring fixedly at Ren and saying something.
“Now even dwarves come all the way here.”
“Well, it isn’t illegal, so I suppose they can’t be stopped. There are dwarves who’ve made a lot of money, so I guess they want to try pretending to be human too.”
“But doesn’t seeing that ruin your appetite?”
“A little, yes. Honestly, there are no refined places left these days. This place has gone downhill too. If dwarves are coming and going here, I should stop coming.”
As it turned out, they were just pathetic racial supremacists.
The ladies dressed in what they considered “refined” attire were whispering maliciously.
They weren’t saying it openly for Ren to hear, but their eyes were blatantly fixed on her.
Seeing those looks put me on edge.
Just as I was thinking about how I should respond, someone grabbed my arm.
“Just leave them. It seems the racial supremacists are in a bad mood. Let them live like that until they die. Let’s just enjoy our meal.”
Cheon Danbi whispered.
Holding a plate piled high with food in one hand, she pulled me away with the other.
I didn’t want to start an unnecessary quarrel either, so I turned away from the ladies.
Instead, I deliberately went to Ren’s side and walked alongside her as if escorting her.
‘If they see she’s with a heroic mage, maybe they won’t look down on her?’
Once I stuck close to Ren, the gazes that had been staring openly at her disappeared. That said, the ladies didn’t seem to recognize me either.
As soon as we returned to our seats, Cheon Danbi and Gil began talking indignantly.
“How ridiculous. What’s wrong with a dwarf?”
“If I’d known this would happen, maybe I should have transformed into an elf instead. If I were an elf, those people wouldn’t have looked down on me, would they?”
“I really can’t understand the minds of racial supremacists. Why on earth are elves fine but dwarves aren’t? Refined, my foot. I should’ve transformed into a zombie instead. Really disgust them.”
Of course, even as they fumed, they didn’t raise their voices.
Ren herself said nothing. She merely wore a faint smile.
When it came to racial discrimination, even without suffering it from strangers, she had already experienced it from her family since birth.
On top of that, hadn’t she even been made a test subject because she was a hybrid?
An incident like this was not enough to wound Ren.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry. Everyone, please eat.”
When Ren said that, Cheon Danbi and Gil finally set aside the conversation they had been having.
“Yeah. Let’s just eat already.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Now that the moment of indignation seemed to have passed, I brought up what I had been wondering.
“But those ladies aside, it seems like none of the people in this restaurant recognize me?”
“Hm? What?”
“No, it’s not like I’m hoping they recognize me……”
“Aha! You’re right. Do these people not watch the news? Our team leader has been doing so much great work, and not a single one of them recognizes his face!”
“I know. This place feels like another world, where things like terrorist attacks by black mages are completely unknown and unnecessary to know.”
“A peaceful, prosperous age. A real peaceful, prosperous age.”
Just as Gil said, this place truly felt like another world.
People elegantly enjoying their meals before a beautiful view.
It seemed that even when disaster came upon the world, that disaster was not felt equally by everyone.
For the moment, we too had no need to worry about disaster.
Before our eyes were delicacies piled high, and the evening glow and the darkening forest scenery wrapped gently around us.
“I can take off the jacket now, right?”
“Take it off! From now on, enjoy your meal cool and comfortable.”
“The sun’s gone down too. I finally feel like I can breathe.”
“Wow! All the food is seriously delicious! The meat melts in my mouth.”
“See? I told you. This place is good. Everyone, eat your fill. Today is the day we flex.”
“All right. I’m going to eat to my limit.”
From that moment on, we focused solely on eating.
Without caring about anyone else’s gazes, we enjoyed our own party.
It was only for a short while, but for us, that moment was also a peaceful, prosperous age.
Yes. Even then, I didn’t know.
How peaceful and comfortable it was for a hero to go unrecognized.
It was a little strange that no one recognized me, even though it wasn’t as if I had only pulled off one or two clears, but I wasn’t particularly disappointed.
I had only intended to become a shield so that Ren wouldn’t be treated carelessly, not to enjoy the status of a hero.
Even so, it did make me tilt my head a little.
In any case, my freedom of anonymity ended there.
Before long, fame surged in like a wave and swallowed me whole.