Chapter 142: Syr's Curiosity, or the Attention of the Goddess of Beauty?
"Welcome~"
Luke entered the 'Hostess of Fertility' tavern; this time, the person greeting him at the door was not Anya but Syr, the waitress with silver-gray short hair.
Nodding to Syr in response to her greeting, Luke went inside and found an empty seat to sit down.
This girl named Syr Flova is not simple; Luke knows she has a close connection with the goddess of beauty, Freya.
As for what her exact relationship with the goddess of beauty is, he's not sure.
It is even very likely that one of the reasons Mama Mia chose to retire was because of Syr.
This girl, like Freya, also possesses a magical ability.
She can see the color of people's souls and judge their emotions through the changes in color, a skill akin to God's power to detect lies.
And because Syr can use this ability on everyone, it is very similar to the innate ability of Goddess Freya to see through the essence and color of a person's soul.
Knowing Freya's troublesome nature, Luke had no intention of getting involved with Syr.
Fortunately, the souls Freya is interested in are 'pure', 'dazzling', 'heroic', 'brave', which do not include Luke's pure 'sword'.
Having an unknown connection with Freya, Syr has almost perfectly inherited the goddess's interests and hobbies.
Therefore, she had not shown any special attention to Luke before.
However, that was in the past.
"Hello, what would you like to order?"
Luke looked surprised at Syr, who had followed him to his table and was now handing over the menu.
In Luke's memory, this gray-haired girl had never proactively greeted him before; was this the first time?
"Well, I'll have a serving of fried rice."
After the surprise, Luke didn't think too much about it, as it's normal for waitresses to serve customers.
Now ordering food was more important.
"Also, a plate of grilled pork and dry-braised fish."
"Umm... besides, add a vegetable salad, and please bring me a glass of mixed fruit juice."
"That's all for now."
It must be said, as his physical fitness increased, Luke found himself able to eat more and more.
Orario's cooking style is known for large, satisfying portions due to the presence of adventurers, but it's still rare for someone to order as much as he does.
But this was not Luke's first visit, and even Syr, who seldom greeted him, knew his ordering style.
So she wrote down his order without any hesitation.
However, after turning around to place the order, Syr came back to him again.
'Sure enough, I felt strange just now.'
'This is the first time Syr has taken the initiative to take my orders, right?'
Looking at Syr who had approached him again, Luke was sure she had something to ask him.
Although he didn't plan to get involved with Freya, this tavern was his regular spot, and he couldn't just rudely dismiss their waitress.
"Is there something you want to ask me?"
Syr, being asked by Luke, made a wronged expression, speaking to Luke with a slightly sad tone:
"Eh, shouldn't it be Luke-san who doesn't like me?"
"I can clearly sense that you don't want to get involved with me."
"So, to avoid bothering you, I've been trying not to talk to you."
Luke scratched his head in resignation at the gray-haired girl's 'performance'.
Regardless of her reasoning, it was true that Luke didn't want to get involved with her, and Syr saying this wasn't wrong.
"Plus, the color of your mood seems troubled right now."
"You look like you're bothered and wish I would just go away."
"Do you really dislike me so much? Sob, sob~."
Feeling the cold stare from Mama Mia that came with Syr's fake crying, Luke became slightly uneasy and wiped the cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Well, Syr-san, if you have something to ask, just ask directly."
"We both know what's going on between us."
"There's no need for any drama; I won't refuse to answer your questions."
"Oh, that's really great."
Hearing Luke's response, Syr immediately let go of her hands covering her face, revealing a bright smile on her beautiful face.
'So she was faking crying!'
Luke thought secretly.
However, he indeed witnessed her 'special ability'.
This ability is indeed very similar to the goddess of beauty, Freya's.
Syr could clearly see Luke's emotional fluctuations, confirming his earlier suspicions.
Although, it's strange that she seemed to have no intention of hiding her ability, even using the word 'color' in their conversation.
"Actually, I just wanted to ask about that 'nightmare' incident a few months ago."
Leaning closer to Luke, Syr's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"I hope you won't be upset by what I said."
"According to my judgment, Luke-san doesn't seem to be the kind of self-sacrificing 'hero' type."
"So what exactly motivated you to perform such a 'heroic' act?"
This question, which Syr had speculated about privately numerous times, was something she wanted to confirm with the person herself.
A person who is clearly not a hero, yet did what a hero would do.
The 'unknown' contained within completely piqued 'her' curiosity.
Syr's question indeed made Luke pause.
To be honest, he had never thought about this question.
Although he hadn't thought about it, for Luke the answer was more than simple.
"Well, if I must say why..."
"If an enemy appears before you, it's natural to attack, right?"
"Huh?"
Luke's answer not only stunned Syr but also Mama Mia and Anya, who were secretly listening to their conversation from afar.
"But, but..."
"Didn't you ever think of retreating?"
"Didn't you think that you could lose your life?"
"Didn't you... feel even a little bit of fear or cowardice?"
Syr had imagined countless responses from Luke, for love, for honor, for strength, for will, and so on.
But she never expected Luke's answer to be... natural?
"Well... actually, I did retreat, right? After knocking down the monster, I returned to the surface, didn't I?"
"As for death, cowardice, and fear, encountering strong enemies and dangers in the process of becoming stronger is natural, isn't it?"
"Why be afraid of something that's bound to happen?"
"No, no, I didn't mean that... What I meant was... Eh???"
Syr was confused; she couldn't understand Luke's way of thinking.
Because encountering danger is natural, there's no need to feel afraid?
She felt that she and Luke were not on the same wavelength.
Yet, Syr was sure that there was not a bit of falsehood in what Luke said; he really thought this way.
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