Soon was time for dinner. The food was served by an incredibly large lady. She was not tall, but wide and an incredibly odd sight. In this world, where food has to come through blood and sweat in the dungeon, it is incredibly rare to see someone chubby, let alone this fat.

“Here you are” She said as she carried four plates on one arm with ease, which she gently put down one after another.

“Thanks, Big Mother!” Yasia confirms the identity I had already guessed.

“Hmph, my husband told me you would help out anyway because of that dull thing” She said as she pointed towards my tag or me, hard to tell which.

“Ah, no, I would be honored to help out anyway, if that is okay.” She replied.

“And I trust it is no skin off your back?” She turned in my direction.

“Ah, I don’t really think it’s any of my business.”

“Good.” She says curtly before turning around and leaving our table. I can’t help but feel some hostility from her. What did I do?

The food is extremely delicious, perhaps the best I have tasted since I ate at the capital in the mansion of the leader. It was rich in meat, as this world’s food often was, but the broth it was submerged in was so thick and creamy, it left a wonderful sensation. I was immersed in slurping it down, when I suddenly noticed Yasia staring.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. She looked down.

“Is it really that good?”

“It’s amazing! The best I have tasted in a long time!” Patir smacked his forehead at my comment, as if I had just done something incredibly stupid.

I look back to Yasia. She almost looks like she is crying. Shit, what now? I look to Patir for help, but he simply shakes his head.

“Umm, Yasia?” I try to say carefully.

“It’s nothing” She says as she runs a finger over her eyes and quickly takes a spoonful herself.

“It really is good…” She says solemnly, while looking like she was about to burst into tears. But they don’t come and she starts eating it as if she is forcing it down her own throat.

Luckily I see Kassa is just as clueless as I am, so I feel a bit relieved. After dinner, we go to our rooms. I plan to leave with Dixy immediately, but Yasia is there.

“What are you doing?” She asks me as I pick up the backpack.

“Ah, I am going outside the city to train magic with Dixy.”

“But… Can’t you stay a little first?” As I look at her pretty face colored in sadness, I can’t decide whether to feel sorry or annoyed. I am not in a hurry and decide to stay for a while.

“Thank you” she says while running in to hug me. I pet her head a little. Eugh, I can’t help but feel like a creep.

We end up on one of the beds, my head being on her lap as she invited, and I indulged her. We spoke for hours in this position about much of nothing. I was constantly tempted to pry into her strange behavior earlier, but left it alone in fear of triggering a cry.

It was actually kind of nice, albeit a bit melancholic as most of the topics revolved around things that happened in the village. If I think about it, it makes sense for the girl to be this troublesome. She has left her home and everybody she knew in order to stay with me, and I have maybe been neglecting her a little bit, or at least tried to. I swear in my heart to try a little harder, but that is quickly pushed beyond its limit.

“Should… Should we push the beds together?” Is that an innuendo? I turn my head to look at hers and it is very flushed. I sigh inwardly.

“Leave that till after marriage.” She looks a little sad as I reject her, and it makes me feel guilty. What the hell is with this damned if I do, damned if I don’t situation, where I have to feel guilty no matter what?

I decide to run away.

“I should get going. Dixy might be pissed that I didn’t spend any time her yesterday.”

“ah… okay.” Yasia replies in a quiet voice. “I should also look to Big Mother to see if she has any work for me.”

She leaves first, almost running out of the room, while I locate my backpack again, make sure Dixy is inside and set off.

I go back to the gate we entered from yesterday, in the hopes of the sleeping guard still being there, but it seems another, more awake variant, but he quickly backs off after seeing my tag from the Loffreq.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why does sir leave town at this time of day?” The sky had already darkened considerably, as it had become evening.

“I do mind you asking.” I replied. He immediately straightened himself.

“Very well, sir. Forgive my curiosity, sir.” Seems like I won’t run into any lack of respect, wearing this thing, huh?

As I run a little away and hide behind a hill, I fish Dixy up from the backpack before something occurred to me. I was about to conduct a little experiment, but could I simply not ask her, if she has a monster repelling effect.

I opened her up.

“Evening, Dixy!”

“Why did you leave me alone last night?” She cried out.

“Ah, I was in a bit of trouble, where other people might find out about you.”

“Is that an issue?” She sounds pissed.

“Would just be inviting trouble.”

“Are you not strong enough to simply beat anyone, who would give you trouble, up?” A sigh escapes me. With how antagonistic and cold Dixy is, I should have expected such a response.

“Just… Leave it be. By the way, Dixy?”

“yeah?”

“Are you the reason monsters don’t really appear near me?”

“Wha? Ah, errr… That is…. I….” She acts surprisingly flustered.

“Yes… I forgot about that…” She ends up saying.

“Dixy…. Are you hiding something from me?”