Chapter 32
The road to Eclit, the most famous tourist city in the Amur Empire, was just as lively as expected.
Perea had imagined a few tents in a small roadside market — but the marketplace turned out to be huge.
Many trading companies from Eclit had opened small branch stalls here, each showing off their best products.
There were so many different goods that just walking around to look at everything took quite some time.
Dia, who often traveled between the capital and Eclit, looked very familiar with the place. She led Perea straight to her favorite clothing store.
“Perea, the fabric quality here is excellent! You can even find outfits that are already sold out in Eclit!”
“Oh, really?”
Perea smiled and nodded politely. She didn’t really care about clothes that were famous or hard to find, but she didn’t want to hurt her new friend’s enthusiasm.
Her polite response only made Dia more excited. The shop clerk, who seemed to know Dia well, eagerly began showing Perea various dresses.
They explained at length — how the silk came from a famous region, how the beads were cut, and how the stitching was done.
Dia listened seriously, then suddenly picked up one particular dress.
“Oh my! This one would look perfect on Perea! How about buying it?”
“Eh…? I’m not really used to such fancy clothes…”
“Perea, you’re coming to see my performance in Eclit, right? Of course, your dress now is lovely, but you have to wear a proper gown at the concert hall! You’ll shine the most in this one!”
Hugging the gorgeous dress, Dia spun gracefully in a circle.
Her bright red hair shimmered in the light, like threads of fire floating through the air.
Her smile was so dazzling that the whole store seemed brighter because of it.
But inside Perea’s head — dark clouds gathered.
If she’d known earlier that she needed to wear a dress to attend the performance, she would’ve said no in 0.1 seconds.
She had simply planned to wear her neatest outfit — something modest and tidy — but this kind of glamorous gown… just looking at it made her nervous.
As Perea hesitated, Dia turned to Theo.
“Theo, don’t you think this would look wonderful on Perea?”
“Yup! If Perea wears that, she’s a princess! Then Hero Theo will protect the princess!”
Theo twisted his little body happily, clearly captivated by the sparkling gown.
If a real princess had heard him say that, she probably would’ve been furious — but Theo meant it sincerely.
With Dia and Theo teaming up, the dress was practically forced into Perea’s arms.
The store clerk behind them smiled contentedly at the successful sale.
“D-Do I really have to buy this dress…?” Perea asked weakly.
Her small protest was ignored.
Before she could stop her, Dia had already paid for it, calling it a gift from a friend.
Feeling embarrassed, guilty, and awkward all at once, Perea stamped her feet slightly in frustration.
Dia just laughed softly, as graceful as ever.
“See? Perea never disappoints my expectations.”
“…Huh? What expectations?”
“You’ll find out later,” Dia said mysteriously, looping her arm around Perea’s.
“Now, let’s go have something delicious for lunch!”
Theo grabbed Perea’s other hand, his short legs moving busily, while the wolf beastmen and Ray followed behind.
After passing the area full of fancy clothes, the air soon filled with the smell of delicious food.
“Perea! Theo’s hungry! So, sooo hungry! My tummy’s stuck to my back!”
Theo began singing his “hungry song,” trying to drag Perea into every restaurant they passed.
Thankfully, before his complaints grew louder, Dia led them to a restaurant she recommended.
If they’d been any slower, Theo might’ve just rolled on the ground in protest.
The restaurant’s name was simple and clear — Joseph’s Table.
It served everything from light salads to steak and fish dishes.
The savory smell that had spread through the street seemed to be coming from this very place.
Once seated near a window, Dia opened the menu.
“Theo, what would you like? The chef’s special today is eggplant gratin and carrot-lapé sandwiches.”
“Um? Theo wants this one!”
His short, chubby finger pointed at “Rare Steak made with Fresh Beef.”
Dia tilted her head.
Of course, not all herbivore beastmen were strictly vegetarian — but most preferred well-cooked meat like ham or bacon.
Eating raw or rare meat usually caused stomach problems, especially for children whose digestion wasn’t strong yet.
“Theo, that dish is made of meat,” she warned gently.
“Uh-huh! Theo knows! Theo can read the words!”
Proud of himself, Theo started reading random menu items out loud — every one of them meat dishes like grilled skewers, meatball spaghetti, and barbecue ribs.
Dia looked at Perea, silently asking if this was really okay for a rabbit beastman child.
Perea quickly waved her hands.
“Ah! Theo actually has amazing digestion! I was worried at first too, but even meat doesn’t bother him at all. Not even a little!”
“Yup! Theo likes meat! But Theo eats carrots too!”
Theo added brightly, breaking into a silly “Rabbit Hero Song.”
Thanks to his endless chatter, Dia dropped her suspicion and smiled.
Soon, the table filled with dishes — most of them meat-based.
“It’s so good!” Theo shouted, holding a skewer in each hand.
His golden eyes sparkled like he’d discovered treasure.
Just watching him eat made Perea feel full. She wiped the sauce from his mouth carefully, smiling softly.
He’d eaten such plain food at the shelter before — of course he’d go wild now that he had real choices.
“Still, make sure to chew well. Otherwise, you might need stomach medicine again.”
“Ugh, no! That medicine tastes gross!”
Theo scrunched his nose and made a funny gagging sound.
He even glared at Ray — the cause of his past motion sickness.
Across the table, Ray still hadn’t taken off his cloak. Even inside the restaurant, he looked like a shadowy figure — people probably thought he was some kind of dark wanderer.
When Theo’s glare finally stopped working, Ray stood up abruptly.
His tall, black-cloaked figure drew every eye in the room as he walked away from the table.
“Perea, eat this.”
He placed the untouched eggplant gratin from the corner of the table in front of her.
The noisy restaurant suddenly fell quiet.
The wolf beastmen who’d been devouring chicken, Theo who’d been humming while chewing skewers, and even Dia who was cutting her sandwich — all froze and stared.
But no one was more shocked than Perea.
Blinking in surprise, she stared up at Ray.
Seeing her reaction, Ray pouted slightly.
‘So she really does blink every time she’s confused,’ he realized, finding her green eyes oddly irritating — and yet… endearing.
Instead of walking away immediately, he pressed a fork into her hand.
“Eat,” he said simply.
Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned and left the restaurant.
Even if he usually did whatever he wanted, he still knew that what he’d just done had probably crossed a line.
And more than anything, he couldn’t face the expression she was probably making — that startled, awkward look that always threw him off balance.
‘Why does it bother me so much?’ he wondered.
‘Why do I feel… upset that it’s weird for me to care about her?’
Ray kicked the dusty ground outside lightly with the toe of his boot.
A small cloud of dust rose up teasingly, brushing against his fingers before quietly settling again.
