"Please don't litter around our shop! We had enough."
A young lady from the feline-type Beastman tribe approached him. Her sharp green eyes glared angrily, her tail held high, and the bright orange fur on her hands, face, and legs standing on end. For a feline-type Beastman, she was tall but noticeably slimmer than others of the same cheetah form. At first glance, people might mistake her for a hyena-form Beastman, but her height didn't match theirs at all.
From her appearance, it seemed she was the owner of the shop she was now protecting. She wore a white outfit covered by a green apron, her long hair tied back with a red bow, and she had on sky-blue trousers. She certainly looked like a cook, making it clear that she ran a small restaurant inside the shop.
A fascinating person he encounters, this young feline Beastman lady showed neither fear nor trembling in Schordinger's presence. He assumed it was due to the ring he wore to conceal his mana flux, allowing him to blend in with others. Not expecting anyone to approach him, he was even more surprised when she attacked him with the crumpled paper he had discarded earlier.
Schordinger approached the young feline Beastman lady slowly, his brow furrowed in an attempt to assert dominance. However, the young lady didn't yield; she stood tall, puffing out her chest to display her own dominance. They locked eyes in a tense standoff until Schordinger finally realized the situation.
"Don't you know, who I am?" ask Schordinger in threatening tone.
"No, I don't. But that won't make me turn my head after what you have done to my shop!"
As he suspected, the young feline Beastman lady had no idea who she was dealing with, yet she was angry nonetheless. To Schordinger, she appeared to be nothing more than an innocent young woman trying to protect her shop. It was indeed a noble act, one he couldn't help but respect. He took a step back, understanding her sense of loyalty—hers to her shop, just as he knew loyalty himself. However, he had no time to engage with others at that moment.
Schordinger picked up the crumpled paper and tossed it into the trash bin provided by the shop owner, likely the young feline Beastman lady. She was shocked; she hadn't expected him to comply and correct his mistake. To her, Schordinger seemed like a delinquent who did as he pleased. But as she took a closer look, she found him oddly attractive.
"With that, everyone's happy, right?" Schordinger then turn his back and walk away, "I'll take my leave then."
Schordinger took his leave, leaving the young feline Beastman lady in disbelief. The man's words suggested that she didn't know who he was, which she interpreted as him being a famous figure, perhaps an idol from Arcaeloria. Seeing this idol heading towards the cursed place where people sought power in their despair—the casino—the young lady felt a pang of unease, her emotions complicated by the situation.
His expression was so gloomy that he looked as if he had just been fired from his job or divorced from his wife, standing in the rain. The young feline Beastman lady felt a pang of guilt for her treatment of him. Seeing him leave her shop, drenched by the rain and with nowhere to go, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was somehow responsible.
"Wait!" the young feline-beastman lady call him.
Schordinger turned around, seeing the young feline Beastman lady calling out to him once more. Despite his desire to leave, as instructed by his lord, he couldn't ignore her pleading expression. The pity in the young lady's eyes was something he didn't need, and it seemed she was directing it at the wrong person.
Unless...
"What do you want?" Schordinger asked, standing in the rain.
"Well, um... please don't stand out there in the rain," the young feline Beastman lady replied hesitantly.
"What's your business?"
"I just... um, dammit just come inside!"
Unexpectedly, Schordinger accepted her invitation. After hanging up his wet winter jacket, he sat down and was served hot ginger drinks by the young feline Beastman lady. He gratefully accepted her hospitality.
The young feline Beastman lady runs a small restaurant specializing in a variety of meat, bone, and other carnivorous dishes. Inside, the cozy, minimalist shop features four stalls for personal or group dining. The decor showcases natural wood tones, soft lighting, and an atmosphere that feels both intimate and tranquil. She manages the shop on her own and it seems she might close soon.
The sky grew dark, and the rain showed no sign of letting up. The weather was oddly calming, with the soothing sound of raindrops falling on rooftops throughout the district. People lit lamps outside their shops and houses, including the one where Schordinger was seated. As he looked out at the rain and the soft glow of lights around the shopping district, Schordinger found himself contemplating a question for which he had no answer.
"Sorry for the wait. Here, enjoy the meal," the young feline Beastman lady said, serving a soup with unknown ribs standing upright from the bottom of the bowl.
Typical of Beastman tribe cuisine, the dishes were rich in meat and bones, reflecting their love for gnawing on bones to extract every bit of essence with their strong teeth. Fortunately for Schordinger, his meal featured ribs with plenty of meat still attached. However, due to his origins, Schordinger lacked the appetite to enjoy any food and likely never would. Thus, he looked at the food, appreciating the aroma without it sparking his appetite.
Despite having no appetite, Schordinger still tasted the food with a spoon and fork and sipped the hot ginger drink she had served. "It's good, but why? Why did you serve me all of this?"
The young feline Beastman lady took a seat in front of him, removed her apron, and introduced herself properly. "Felicia Tigris, that's my name."
Realizing he had overlooked an important social formality, Schordinger immediately straightened his posture and introduced himself. However, to protect his own presence, he concealed his identity. "Jerome Valentine."
Felicia was immediately shocked. She recognized the surname and knew well the significance of anyone using that name. The trouble she was trying to involve herself with was actually much greater than she had anticipated. However, Felicia couldn't accept such a claim without verification, especially when it concerned something of this magnitude. She needed to double-check whether Schordinger was telling the truth.
"V-Valentine? Are you that super infamous Valentine bloodline?" ask Felicia with trembling voices.
"Well, yes." Schordinger answer calmly.
With his calm and confident response, Schordinger managed to convince her of his claim to the Valentine name. Felicia immediately stood up, reacting impulsively as she often did by nature. However, she soon regained her composure and resolved to take the situation seriously.
She hopes so.
"F-Fo-For real? V-Va-Valentine is in my shops! I hope this not a crime or something when disrupting Valentine movement." Felicia panicked.
Schordinger honestly had no idea who the Valentines were that Felicia was referring to. It was either the girl who was so excited that she couldn't think straight, or Schordinger, who always seemed convincing regardless of the situation he faced. Both were confused in their own ways, though they displayed their bewilderment with different expressions.
Schordinger continued with his meal to show respect for her hospitality. Meanwhile, as he ate, Felicia became even more excited than before, thrilled that a member of the family she admired was enjoying the food.
However, it wasn't long before she became exhausted. Felicia finally calmed down and explained the meaning behind her actions.
"Whatever happened to you, don't go to that place. I repeat, don't go to that place!"
Confused, Felicia suddenly forbade him from going any further into the casino. He put his fork down just as he was about to eat the meat. Schordinger then realized that everything was going according to plan, even if his plan had only been to gather information about the casino. He resumed eating his meal and listened to her story.
"I don't know what had happened to you Mr. Valentine. I know I'm not in the position to giving you a lecture, but. But don't go to that forbidden place!" Felicia then bowed to Schordinger, pleading for him to heed her warnings. "That place is evil. Once you played their games, there's no going back."
"What happened?"
"My father was a knight, a full-fledged knight. He was loyal to the kingdom and embodied everything you'd expect from a knight. But then, he was lured by that place, tempted with promises of money, power, and all those sweet lies. And I... I don't want you to fall into the same trap." Felicia then lifted her head and looked Schordinger in the face. "There's evil in there, a former Evil King Warlord resides."
Schordinger finally confirmed his suspicions from Felicia's story and realized he was on the right track. However, according to her account, the man once known as The Bloodthirst was scheming something within the casino. Schordinger remembered that he had once done the same while still under The Evil King's command.
"I am not afraid of evil, but I can't deny that I still want to go there."
"Are you even listening to me? That place will ruin your life. If my father were to return, it would be a different story. But now-"
Schordinger then finished his meal, placing the fork on the rib bone and cutting off Felicia's sentence. At that moment, Felicia looked at Schordinger as if he were a different person. Her dream of seeing a descendant of the Valentines seemed to come to life through Schordinger's deceptive actions.
"Then it's settled. I'll save your father and proceed with my own matters," Schordinger said, extending his arm to make a deal with her. "But with one condition."