"Is this all you can do? We've been waiting here for 10 minutes...", said one of the two middle-aged women accompanying the waitress who had just knocked on the bathroom door, her voice full of irritation.
The waitress knew the woman was exaggerating because she had seated them less than 5 minutes ago, but she had no choice but to agree, aware that contradicting the woman would only annoy her further.
"I apologize for the inconvenience. I'll try to resolve this issue as quickly as possible...", the waitress said, trying to calm the two women. However, to their exasperation, she started knocking on the door again, as she couldn't think of a better option in that situation. She couldn't just call someone to break down the door because someone had barricaded themselves in the bathroom for only a few minutes.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
"Is something wrong? Can I help you in any way?", the waitress continued to ask at the door in a polite tone. Despite the pressure, she had no difficulty maintaining her professionalism, clearly showing that the restaurant management had been very careful when hiring staff to interact with customers.
However, her polite words didn't sit well with the two women behind her, who felt they weren't being taken seriously.
"What are you babbling about? Tell them to open the door quickly...", the woman who had just quieted down began to shout again, her voice drawing the attention of all the restaurant patrons towards the corner where the bathroom entrance was.
"This...", the waitress was at a loss for words. Though she didn't know who was in the bathroom at that moment because the two women had hurried her there without giving her a chance to consult her colleagues, she was aware that everyone who could afford to eat at that restaurant were people not to be provoked, so she didn't want to risk upsetting those in the bathroom by being rude.
Luckily for the waitress, before she could think of what to say to calm the two women, someone started unlocking the bathroom door.
"Ladies, it seems the issue is resolved..." the waitress said, feeling relieved, and then stepped aside to allow passage through the door.
"Hmph, it's not like you tried too hard...", the loud woman reproached the waitress, her opinion being that the waitress had treated their issue superficially. Although the other middle-aged woman remained silent, her facial expression made it quite evident that she agreed with her companion.
'What bitches...', the waitress cursed them in her mind, truly hating to deal with such unreasonable customers. The only thing preventing her from voicing these words was not wanting to lose her job, where she earned five times more than at her previous place of employment.
Seeing no change in the waitress's expression, who had developed a skill in cursing in her mind while keeping a smile on her face, the middle-aged woman intended to add more insults. But before she could open her mouth again, the bathroom door opened, and Kara and Ophelia appeared in front of the three, holding hands.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I used a refreshing spell in the wrong way and flooded the floor. I locked the door to prevent anyone from slipping when entering...", Ophelia said without a hint of hesitation in her voice. Probably anyone who heard her and couldn't read minds wouldn't doubt that her words were true.
"It's no problem, misses. It's good that no one got hurt...", the waitress said in a polite tone, breathing a sigh of relief in her mind at the thought that she had been cautious and hadn't taken any action that might have upset the two. Although she managed the tables on the opposite side of where Kara and Ophelia had lunch, she was aware of their antics, including the fact that one of them had thrown two young men out the window who had disturbed them in less than a second, without even getting up from the table.
But that wasn't the case for the two middle-aged women who had just entered the restaurant. After seeing that the ones who made them wait at the bathroom door were two extraordinarily beautiful young women, they became even more irritated out of envy, looking at Kara and Ophelia as their worst enemies.
"Hmph, look how much time we lost because of two sluts. All day they doll themselves up to attract men...", said the woman who had remained silent until then and who was visibly older than her companion, the thick layer of makeup on her face unable to hide her wrinkles. Since Kara and Ophelia were not dressed imposingly and didn't wear expensive jewelry, she was sure in her mind that the reason they were in that restaurant was to seduce a wealthy man.
"Heh, who knows if they're not lying. Maybe someone should check the bathroom, I'm afraid there might be an old man hiding in one of the stalls...", said the other woman, who missed the chance to speak first because she was too busy scrutinizing Ophelia, whose lips seemed a bit too red. Although she noticed nothing else suspicious, her intuition told her that something indecent had definitely happened in the bathroom.
The two didn't stop at that and continued to hurl insults at Kara and Ophelia, each one more original than the last, while Kara and Ophelia looked at them with their mouths agape, not understanding what was happening. They couldn't help but compare their situation to that of two mistresses caught by the wives of the men who maintained them.
"Hey grannies, weren't you in a hurry to use the bathroom? Be careful not to wet yourselves if you delay much longer...", Kara finally interrupted, having lost her patience with the two women. While it might initially seem amusing how some idiots make a spectacle of themselves, after a while, anyone would be annoyed and feel like beating them up.
"What did you say? Have you no shame?..."
"Do you know who my husband is...", the two women started to threaten simultaneously, Kara's words touching their inverse scale. Seeing how agitated they were, Kara could have bet that the blood running through their veins contained a trace of dragon blood.
'Or maybe more likely a trace of harpy blood...' Kara concluded after observing them more. It was impossible for a dragon's descendants to be so stupid.
After letting the two women rant for another minute until their faces turned red like boiled lobsters from all the agitation, Kara decided to end their spectacle. She released a tiny fraction of her killing intent towards them, making both women suddenly go silent as if they had run out of air.
"I told you not to waste time.... Now it seems it's too late...", Kara said in a sympathetic tone, looking at the two women who had fallen to their knees, trembling all over.
While the two middle-aged women were too scared to understand Kara's words, Ophelia and the waitress were not in the same situation, already imagining how the two would soon be surrounded by a puddle.
"Kara, don't you think this is a bit too much? They are just two old women with mental problems...", Ophelia said, feeling a bit guilty just standing by and watching as two so-called grannies were about to be humiliated. Even though their spot was hidden from the view of other customers, she didn't think the two would be any less traumatized, convinced that the shame of soiling themselves in a public place would haunt them for life.
"Well, Ophelia, that wouldn't be fair to others. I don't believe age and gender should grant someone different treatment...", Kara expressed her opinion, for whom notions like respect for elders no longer held any sway. Does a wolf avoid hunting old sheep? The answer is no. So why should she be obliged to spare someone just because they are old? Besides, she always had an aversion to women who couldn't achieve anything in life and just depended on men, and who in old age had nothing better to do than nag the young.
Ophelia didn't continue to plead for the middle-aged women, considering she had done enough to have no remorse. Anyway, she believed deep down that the two deserved what was coming, their behavior being too exaggerated.
The waitress shared the same opinion, barely able to hide her satisfaction at seeing the state the two women were in. She had often hoped to see such disrespectful customers, who enjoyed making her and other restaurant staff's lives difficult, being taught a lesson.
Uninterrupted, Kara continued to press the two women to the floor, maintaining the same intensity of her killing intent as she didn't want them to faint, until she noticed the spot under their multilayered dresses starting to get wet, a sign that her prophecy had come true.
However, not everything went perfectly. Kara felt a bit disappointed that the two women fainted as soon as she withdrew her killing intent, leaving her only a fleeting moment to see the humiliation in their eyes. But how was it her fault that the two were so incompetent? After all, it's not the wolf's job to lead the sheep out to pasture to fatten them up.
"It seems I've caused you some trouble...", Kara addressed the waitress after shifting her gaze from the two unconscious women.
"Don't worry. It's nothing serious.", the waitress said, trying to maintain a professional attitude, but the admiration in her eyes was hard to ignore. Extremely impressed by Kara's strength and her ability to do whatever she wished without fearing any consequences, the waitress began to wonder if it might be a good idea to resume her adventuring career to push her limits once again. Working as a waitress in a luxury restaurant earned her a good living without risking her life, but it was increasingly difficult to endure the malicious comments of customers similar to the two women Kara had put in their place and she was tired of being seen as inferior by most of the restaurant's patrons, who were either high-ranking adventurers or wealthy nobles. It felt like she was losing a part of herself every day, and she feared that soon she wouldn't even be able to curse those who irritated her, even in her mind.
Though the waitress said everything was fine, Kara insisted on giving her 10 gold coins to compensate for putting her in a complicated situation.
Initially, the waitress wanted to refuse, as she didn't believe this incident would cause her many problems. Firstly, she wasn't responsible for cleaning, so she didn't have to pick up the two unconscious women or clean up after them. Secondly, the restaurant's policy was not to get involved in customer conflicts as long as they didn't cause property damage or harass the staff, so no one could hold her accountable for what had happened.
However, seeing Kara's insistence and thinking that if she did resume her adventuring career, she would need as much money as possible to buy quality equipment, she gratefully accepted the 10 gold coins.
'It's like I got free entry to a show I really liked, and at the end, I received a prize for my attendance...', the waitress thought to herself, watching Kara and Ophelia head towards the restaurant exit. She wanted to learn more about the two, but she knew the disparity between their identities was too great for her to initiate a conversation without seeming to have ulterior motives.
"Maybe we'll have a chance to get to know each other better in the future...", the waitress murmured, thinking that if she managed to become a renowned adventurer, she wouldn't feel uncomfortable trying to befriend the two. However, it wasn't the right time to start making future plans as the bracelet on her left wrist indicated she was being called to a table, and she had to put all these thoughts aside for another time.
***Author's Thoughts:
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