Rio got out of the car and started walking towards the restaurant. Once he was out, he could hear what Saisha and the guard were talking about, yet there was no expression on his face.
The security guard from earlier walked forward and opened the door for him.
"Welcome to Dorsia"
Rio entered the restaurant without saying anything and ignored Leon and Saisha, who were looking at him.
"Master" Esme signaled him with her hands, when she saw him enter.
Rio nodded his head and went towards the table and sat on the empty chair where Saisha was sitting earlier and started to talk with Amelia and Becca.
Currently they were all in a cabin like area in the middle, made of glass. These kinds of rooming arrangements were around the high midsection of the Dorsia price range.
[Lower range would be where guests sit in the open hall like area, then the mid sections where they were given a private cabin with little privacy. The higher range would be a private room with all kinds of arrangements and facilities. The high the money paid, the better the arrangement one received.]
Rio didn't know whose idea it was to sit in these mid cabins made of glass walls, when Rebecca and Amelia, both had membership cards for the highest level.
Maybe it was the work of fate so one of these heroines could go and help Leon. Or maybe it was because the restaurant was busy and had no open rooms for now. Or maybe it was someone in his group being stingy. - but he didn't ask them, as he felt it was probably a nonsensical reason which would only hurt his logical brain if he heard it.
"You're so late. And the manager from Angel said you didn't even go there. Were you sleeping all this time?" Amelia said when he sat there and passed him the menu so he could order for himself.
"I was busy with my training and lost track of time." Rio said to Amelia, and passed the menu to the waiter without looking -"Ask Kael'thas to get me the usual." The waiter bowed and left.
"Yeah, definitely sleeping." Rebecca chimed in with a smile. Her words making all of them smile.
"You know the chef." Rubina asked, when Rio talked about the head chef Kael'thas and asked him to prepare his dishes. After all, Dorsia was one of the most famous restaurants, known throughout Arcadia for their quality of food. Not only because of the taste of their various dishes, but also because of the effects it brought on awakeners and whoever ate them.
It has several branches open everywhere, but aside from their main headquarters at Neisah, the branch at laurelia sanctum was the most famous. Mainly because of the talented head chef Kael'thas, also known as the magic chef or the Gourmet Wizard.
Dorsia was a restaurant managed by the Church of Hestia. Its main branch opened in Neisah along with their church house.
Hestia was one of the ancient Greek goddesses, who was also originally part of the 12 Olympian Gods. She's often associated with hearth and home. She's also known as one of the rarest Greek goddess, who was kind and righteous. And someone who didn't use her powers to play or punish others.
She liked peace and calm, and avoided trouble and games of power plays - that's why to maintain peace for herself and her followers, she even gave up her throne of being a part of 12 Olympian Deities of Mount Olympus to Dionysus.
"He's the master of my family's house chef. So we've met a few times." Rio said nonchalantly like it was no big deal.
Ayla and Amelia were fine, while both Rebecca and Rubina made surprised expressions khearing this news. Rebecca took a moment to think and then remembered something and looked at Amelia - "Say was everything you brought made by Kael'thas' disciple?"
"Obviously, do you think mother has that much time to prepare everything herself." Amelia said with a proud expression.
"Who's _ "
"She's a girl and her name's Tanya." Amelia said to Rubina before she even finished her question.
"Brother brought her home a few years ago, and she's his little fan girl now." Amelia meaningfully said to Rebecca and smiled meaningfully.
Hearing that Rebecca raised her eyebrows. She then looked at Rio in surprise, hoping to ask for some confirmation, but seeing him lost in his own world, she couldn't find the right words for her doubts.
-humha- cough- cough
A small chuckle escaped Amelia's mouth, which she covered instantly with a cough. Rebecca galred at Amelia, and Amelia ignored her angry eyes and started looking for the glass of water, while still maintaining her act of fake coughs.
'See how I deal with you back in room' Rebecca said in her heart and ignored everyone. She buried her face in her plate. Acting like nothing happened, yet everyone could hear the subtle clattering of teeth, and how she tightly held the spoon in her hand, almost breaking it in two.
Rubina, who saw this scene, ignored it as passing air. After all, everyone in and around Schilla knew about rumors of engagement between Blake family and Schott family. There were even rumors that once both their children finished their studies, their families would hold a big celebration for their graduation and announce the engagement. Though both families never said anything openly, seeing how every one of these children were always together and were on good terms with each other. The chances were higher that those rumors were true after all.
That's why Rubina didn't even think about that. Her focus on the other hand was on the girl named 'Tanya' who was accepted as the disciple of the gourmet wizard.
'She must be pretty talented to be chosen as his disciple. I wanna meet her.' Rubina thought, as she wanted to make a deal with her. 'Or. Should I ask Amelia or Rio instead. Nah, they don't know me well enough, so why would they help me? Let's hope this Tanya can help me.' Rubina thought with her face bent down, staring at the menu of food and their effects.
Rio looked at Rubina and read her intentions as an open book. There was a reason why he mentioned Tanya in front of her, and looking at her downcast determined look, he could guess she took the bait.
'It's so simple to fool people, if you have what they need in your hands.' Rio thought, and remembered some words Nashi once said to him back on earth -
"Know everyone's desires and wait for their desperation - do that and you'll have no one left you can't control."
'Hate to say it but the bastard always spoke words that matched my thoughts.' He thought, reminiscing about his past.
Ignoring Rubina, Rio looked at Rebecca and a smile came to his face seeing the gloomy vibe she was oozing off.
[Your sister's helping you to get a girl.]
'Shut up.'
[What?]
[You're not planning to stay single all your life, are you? Cause if that's your plan then tell me now, so I can go offline. None of my previous hosts died a virgin. I don't want you to break my record, and let you sully the name of being a system holder.]
'Just shut up.'
[Plus I'm living in your head, I don't wanna see and hear your indecent thoughts and urges all the time.]
'That's it, you're muted for a week.'
[Wait, I was just jok_]
Ignoring system's pleading, Rio muted it. This time totally planning to not let it speak for a whole week.
'Let's see how this chatterbox feels then. Next time, choose your words carefully, you dumb AI.'
His thoughts drifted away thinking about the rumors of his engagement and other things. He knew who was behind those rumors, but he had no way to handle these things yet.
"I'll see you guys at the academy."
Saisha, who saw that Amelia's table was filled and Rio was sitting at her previous place, decided to leave them alone. She wanted to go back to her table, but then she remembered she gave it to Leon and the girl he brought her with. Since she couldn't go and sit at both places, she just decided to go back to the dorms.
But when she was about to turn back, Ayla's voice stopped her. "Where are you going, the food hasn't even arrived yet."
"Yeah, you didn't just come to Dorsia to see the decorations, right. Just stay for dinner. And then we'll all go back together." Rubina also nodded and said.
Amelia didn't say anything but looked at Esme. Esme nodded and was about to ask their manager to prepare another chair, when the fat man David from before brought a waitress who pulled another chair, and placed it in position around the table. While another waitress came with the extra plates and other cutlery.
Looking at Saisha who was standing near the door of their cabin, he felt glad that he already prepared everything beforehand. Otherwise if any rumor spread that the elven princess left empty stomach after coming to Dorsia, it would really be bad for their business. And they might even lose all their elven customers.
"Thank you." Saisha said after she sat down, while the waitress passed her a menu, so she could order.
[Changes in plotline detected.]
[New quest issued.]
[Please ask host to check it as soon as possible, to get better prepared.]
Rio was thinking about how Leon would pop in this room, since Saisha was here now. When suddenly a few automated messages from the system popped up.
'And so it begins. Leon's event to impress 6 heroines at once.'
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢