A bundle of sunshine and rainbow appeared on the side of the anxious little demon, waist bent to make her eyes sit on the same level as her.
"Hey, little one. Nice to meet you." Valerie's honey-dripping voice echoed around the corner.
"H-hello." Contrary to Valerie's cheery and flowery tone, the little demon's voice was dripping with anxiety. She clenched onto her own hand harder, eyes locking into the table, as if she was a scientist finding a new element.
At that moment, Valerie's obsidian iris locked into him.
Knowing the unspoken words behind those eyes, Ludwig opened his mouth, but he let no sound come out. "Name."
With a nod, Valerie once again opened her mouth, her left hands cutting through air before landing on the girl's head. "My name is Valerie. The demon over there is Vilera, my twin sister. And the human over the counter is Ludwig. What's your name, little one?"
The little demon finally lifted her eyesight up. She looked at Valerie on her right, Vilera on her left before looking at Ludwig. But then, her head folded down again. At the same time, a voice so faint it was almost drowned by the hum of the restaurant traveled to his ears. "M-my name is Latina."
"Oh, hi Latina. Nice to meet you." Valerie injected more happiness into her voice. At the same time, her eyes drifted towards Ludwig.
Ludwig opened his mouth again. "Last time she ate something."
Giving him another nod, Valerie said. "Are you hungry Latina?"
The moment she said that, a deep growl came over from the little body of the demon girl. Her head folded deeper, and he could see her face was tinted with crimson. But rather than smiling on the cute display, Ludwig felt his face hardened.
Her stomach growls as soon as food is mentioned? That can't be good. Ludwig whipped his head towards the door, then with his will, the scenery of the dark sky with countless stars twinkling through the fog changed into dark forest with almost no light.
Ludwig creased his eyebrows as his eyes took the information in. With such a place appearing on the windows, it meant Latina was not a demon who stumbled her way into his restaurant through a door in a city.
But that also paints another picture. A rather grim picture. A little demon alone in a forest.
If it's just a human in a forest, there's a fifty-fifty chance that the only danger they faced was wild animals. But with her being a demon, alone in the forest meant she was in danger from both animals and monsters.
Ludwig sighed, those thoughts shelved into the back of his mind. For now, he had to focus on feeding her first.
"That's the answer as far as I'm concerned." Valerie chuckled, hands kept patting her head. "Have you eaten anything today, Latina?"
The little demon flinched at that question, her hands clenched the bottom hem of her clothes. Then, she gave them her answer through the shaking of her head.
"I see." Valerie's voice was still like before. If she was affected by her answer, she really did a good job from showing it. "How about yesterday?"
Another shake of a head.
"How about the day before yesterday?"
Yet another shake.
At that moment, even the ever shining Valerie couldn't help but get cloudy. Her obsidian eyes were shaking and glistening, her voice choked.
Using that moment as his cue, Ludwig opened his mouth. "You two should keep her company for now. I'll cook something." He walked away from the bar, thoughts swirling. But then, he twisted her upper body towards the three demons. "Don't give her any cold water. Either give her warm water or a room temperature one."
Without waiting for an answer, he continued to walk. For someone who had starved for that long, the only thing they needed was nutrition rather than food. However, it couldn't be too hard on seasoning, couldn't be something with too much fat and fibers, and couldn't be something with too much portion.
Several foods crossed through his mind as he thought about the prohibition. Soups, steamed sweet potato, just plain old gruel of oats, and porridge. But one menu spoke louder than the other to him.
Porridge.
A warm healthy meal for an empty stomach. With a tiny bit of wyvern meat, it should have all the necessary nutrients for those who hadn't eaten anything for three days.
"Bilo, get me the rice from the storage." Ludwig gave the faun his order, legs moving to the Stasis Storage to take the lean cut of wyvern meat.
He cut a tiny bit from the chunk, a little tiny bit. Then, he finely diced them, treating it like it was onions.
Setting those aside as soon as he finished, he took the rice Bilo had rinsed clean and put it into a pot. He filled the pot with water, letting his experience guide him for the perfect amount.
The runic engraving beneath the pot came alive, bringing the rice swirling inside the pot into a slow cook. Unlike usual, he kept the fire weak, stirring the rice inside now and then. Just enough to make the rice break down and become its liquid form.
Once the rice reached that point, Ludwig put the meat in. He let the mixture boiled longer, turning the finely sliced meat to be even more tender.
When he felt that the mixture had been cooked enough, he gave it one last stir. Then, he pulled a spoon into his hand before dipping it into the mixture to scoop some into his mouth. It was mild, soothing, with none of the heaviness that might have troubled an empty stomach.
He ladled the porridge into a bowl, steam curling upward. He then moved to minced some scallion before sprinkling it into the bowl. Bright green against white, just enough to lift the scent. The rest he left bare—no spice, no sharpness, nothing to overwhelm.
When he carried it over, the little girl sat upright, her hands limp in her lap. He set the bowl down before her, the steam drifting into her face. Her nose twitched, and slowly, she raised her head.
"Eat slowly," he said, his voice low.
With another encouragement from Valerie, she reached for the spoon with shaking fingers, dipped it into the porridge in a quick and small movement. She brought it to her lips and swallowed it. No reaction. Then another spoonful, slower this time.
Ludwig leaned back against the counter behind him, arms folded, watching without speaking. Hunger did strange things to people. It made them doubt the simplest comforts.
Around the restaurant, conversation picked up again. However, the girl kept eating in silence. Each movement of the spoon was deliberate, cautious, as though she feared she might spill or draw attention. When she stopped halfway, her hand curled protectively around the bowl, pulling it close to her chest.
Seeing that, Valerie patted the little demon's head. "It's all yours. Take your time."
Her eyes flicked up to her, quick and wary, before darting back down. She nodded once, barely visible, and continued. Small, careful bites, the way someone eats when they're still not certain the food will last.
The porridge cooled as she ate, but she didn't seem to mind. With every swallow, a little more color crept into her cheeks, though she kept her posture tight, shoulders hunched as if to make herself small.
No one disturbed her anymore. The room moved on around her, voices rising again, glasses being refilled. She sat there, reserved and silent, spoon lifting and lowering in steady rhythm, slowly stitching herself back into the world one mouthful at a time.
Once the bowl was empty of everything, not even a scattered amount of the mushy rice, the little demon froze. Her eyes were still looking at the container of the porridge, spoon hovering on top of it.
His eyes and Vilera met at that moment. With no spoken words, she bent her waist and moved her head closer towards the little demon. "Don't worry about the food. If you are hungry again later, we can make you another one."
Latina's body shook at that moment, she then whipped her head towards Valerie. Her eyes looked at her, so many feelings entangled in them. Knowing she wouldn't be able to voice it for them to understand, Ludwig joined the conversation.
"Little one, can I ask you something?"
Latina moved her eyes from Valerie towards him. For a few seconds, nothing cut through the white noise in the restaurant, but then she nodded her head.
"Do you live alone, little one?" Ludwig's voice was as soft as it could be.
Latina clenched the hem of her clothes. Her eyes shook and became moist, then it drifted towards the door. But Ludwig knew better. She was not looking at the door, but what was beyond it—The place Ludwig had seen before.
But then, Latina shook her head. Her hands rose to the air, four fingers curling while the remaining one pointed at the door.
Ludwig's brows shot to his forehead as he saw her gesture. Valerie and Vilera did the same, with the only difference being their eyes. They opened their eyes, and looked back and forth between the little girl and the door.
"You have someone out there?" Ludwig asked again.
Latina's eyes shook even more, then she nodded ever so slightly.
Ludwig crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes locked into the little demon. At the same time, his sense once again peered towards the forest outside–the place the little demon came from.
His vision was limited, his sense couldn't stretch past the wall of his restaurant. However, his eyes still could see mana when he wanted it. Looking at the forest through his Mana Sight, he could see a dissipating mana from behind the bushes.
It was a sticky and crimson mana, so unlike the bluish and refreshing mana of a human. Putting the two and two together, it was obvious that the owner of the dissipating mana was a demon. Probably the supposed guardian of the little demon who was sitting on his bar table.
From how the Mana looked, it was obvious that the owner of the mana had passed away pretty recently.
Thinking that the little demon still pointed outside when he asked him whether she lived alone or not, Ludwig realized he should step in. The question of where she would live the rest of her life should wait for now. What's important was giving a burial to the demon outside.
"Outside? Can you take us there?" Ludwig came out from his own thoughts and focused on what was in front of him.
The little girl froze. Through the window of her mind, he could see so many thoughts flashing by.
But before Ludwig could peeled through and see the reason behind her hesitation, Latina opened her mouth. "I-It's dangerous. H-he told me to move away from him because monsters will soon come because of him."
"Don't worry." Ludwig smiled. "I am strong, you know. And I won't be alone. I'll take some of my friends with me too."
Even after he said that, Latina still visibly hesitating. But Ludwig didn't rush her. One it was rude, and two, her current state was far away from a state where he could push for an answer.
The silence stretched between them, but no one spoke through the quiet bustle of the restaurant at its peak hours. Then, Latina gave another small nod, almost impossible to perceive if it was not for his sense and his eyes that were glued into her.
"I-I'll take you there."
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