The Hero Took Everything from Me, So I Partied with the Hero’s Mother!

Chapter 64: Misunderstanding

Somehow I'm hungry.

But Shizuko and the others are sleeping exhausted...

Maybe I'll go have breakfast alone...

"Welcome, Ceres-san. I see your wives are not here today."

"Well, they're resting today... Can you make me the usual... or if you can, a steak from Mino's..."

"You're a bold man this morning... of course, I can."

"Well then... two steaks, please."

"Yes... two servings."

I'm surprised I eat as much as I do.

Perhaps worn out from yesterday's battle... and the rest of the day, I was hungry and craving meat.

And here come two juicy steaks.

This place is popular among adventurers and mercenaries.

Simply put, the taste is average, but the portions are generous.

In my previous life, this steak would have weighed well over 500 grams (~1 pound), and a normal person would have been satisfied with just one.

"Ceres-san, I grilled two steaks for you... As far as I know, only Orcman eats several steaks in my restaurant... So, can you eat these?"

"Yeah, no problem."

After all, I'm very hungry.

Probably two steaks won't be enough...

But for now, I take a bite of one steak and start on the second one.

"Old man, four more steaks."

"Hey... Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm eating it..."

"...Alright, I'll cook them now."

When I had finished the second piece, four steaks arrived.

As expected, I'm not satisfied with this...

"Ten more steaks."

"Hey, come on, are you kidding me? There are hardly any customers in this restaurant who have eaten 6 steaks... If you can eat 16 steaks, you are surely the gluttonous champion of the capital."

"I'll be fine."

"Okay, okay... even if Ceres-san is a hero (Eiyuu)... this restaurant doesn't allow leftovers... I'll get mad if you do..."

"Don't worry... I know that. I'll get down on my knees or whatever."

"Really? If you can't, I'll make you get down on your knees, okay? After all, I hate wasting food. But if you eat it, you get it for free... and after that, you can eat as much as you can."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, a man's got to speak his mind."

Now, 10 steaks are cooked, but I'm not quite full yet.

"Hmm~, looks pretty tasty..."

I easily finish all 10 steaks...

"But, let's get another 20..."

"Okay, okay... if you eat it, it's free, but if you leave any, I'll make you get down on your knees!"

And I easily eat it again.

"30 more..."

"Hey..."

"30 delicious refills."

"..."

However, when I had eaten a hundred pieces, the restaurant started to make noises.

"...Hahahahaha, this is all my meat. I'm done for the day... Give me a break... I lose."

"I'm sorry, I had no intention of eating for free, but I was hungry, and I wanted a hearty steak here... so here..."

I put down two gold coins.

I probably ate the equivalent of three gold coins... But, I feel awkward about eating free even though I won, and I won't be able to come here again if I don't pay.

"I'm always grateful for your hospitality... So, I'll pay you two gold coins because free food is awkward... But the general told me, you can cry for the rest..."

"Yeah... I'm sorry for complaining when you can really eat. I'm sorry for making you feel bad."

After that, everybody around makes a noise...

And I left the place as fast as I could.

* * *

Now, I walked toward the forest.

And thinking about it again, that was the first time I was very hungry... But I'm not hungry anymore.

Instead, I feel steam coming from my body.

Even though I usually don't sweat much... now I'm sweating like a waterfall, and I'm breathing steam.

My body is overheated... but I feel great.

But now, I need to dip in a small spring nearby to cool down... And after a while, the sweating stops... However, when I look at my body, it looks toned.

I thought I had been working out perfectly... but I guess I can get even tighter from here.

When I got out of the fountain and swung my sword, it felt so natural.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I felt much lighter.

I feel a little stronger than before... but that's all.

However, there is one strange thing... my body doesn't get tired.

I did some swinging to test it out, and usually, I get tired after a thousand times, but no matter how many times I swing, I don't get tired.

I don't know what's going on, but I feel like I can move for a month without resting or sleeping, as I felt when working with Shizuko and others.

I don't know what happened, but I seem to have gained extraordinary endurance.

* * *

Now it's time for the real battle...

For a moment, I thought of hunting a dragon... but I'm afraid the Black Dragon will kill me again.

So I was looking for an ogre to hunt... however, why am I meeting a rock dragon only at a time like this...? But let's assume it was self-defence... which the Black Dragon will not approve of.

Huh?

'It is an honor for me to meet the great... our royalty... and protector...'

Is this the rock dragon speaking?

I can hear his voice directly in my head.

'Are you talking about me? I'm human.'

I guess it's telepathic, not pronunciation conversion... After all, it was successful when I tried it with my mind.

'Hahahaha, Even if it was a Wyvern, they can clearly see that you're the great Black Dragon... There must be some reason why you've been humanized... So, excuse me, O Dragon Lord.'

I was so stunned... that the rock dragon just walked away.

Surely, by the time I got here... something must have happened.

When I thought I died fighting the Black Dragon... something may have happened that I don't know about.

I think the key is in the Dragon...

But what is this?

This time I came to the rocky area looking for the Dragon's species... and I found a wyvern.

I couldn't talk to him like I did with the rock dragon... but as soon as it got close to me and our eyes met... I noticed it had gotten down and sat by me like a dog.

I touched it, and I think it looked happy.

I don't know why... it didn't attack me.

However, I knew instantly.

I'll never hunt dragons again.

After all, I'm not so heartless as to kill a being who loves me and can talk to me.

Maybe this is the Black Dragon's mercy.

As I recall, he also said, 'You've slain countless dragons while being a human... I admire you.'

And perhaps the Black Dragon had something in mind. He gave me some kind of curse that would prevent me from fighting dragons in exchange for saving my life.