"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up." Syr said apologetically.
"No, it's fine..." Shirou realized that his words had caused a misunderstanding but didn't know how to explain, so he fell silent.
The heavy sound of footsteps broke the awkward silence.
"Has the kid woken up?"
The newcomer was a tall, muscular woman—imposing not just in height but also in her sheer physique, exuding an overwhelming sense of power.
Her brown hair was tied up, and both her appearance and physique gave off a bold and hearty vibe.
"Yes, Mama. His name is Shirou Emiya. Shirou-kun, this is Mama Mia, the owner of Hostess of Fertility, the tavern where I work."
The tavern owner? This might just be his imagination, but for some reason, Shirou felt a strange pressure, as if the person in front of him was not a human but a powerful being—like a heroic spirit renowned for their strength.
"Geez, even though we're short on staff, you still cause me more trouble by bringing back people as if they're some sort of abandoned animal." Mia grumbled, Syr quickly moved to her side, gently tugging on the her apron.
"Is something wrong?" Mia asked, puzzled. Syr leaned in and whispered something in her ear.
"Ugh." Mia let out a long sigh, then approached Shirou and placed her large hand on his head.
Wow, such strength... Shirou thought, bewildered by her power.
"Fine, kid, you can stay for now, we're short on staff anyway. For now you'll work as a helper until you can pay off your debt for food, lodging, and the expensive elixir we used on you."
"Understood." Shirou replied.
"Alright, the kid can stay, but you really shouldn't have brought that troublesome elf back." Mia continued to grumbled as she ruffled Shirou's hair.
"But Mama Mia, you agreed to it too, didn't you?" Syr said, smiling, while Mia just kept sighing.
"She may talk tough, but this Mia is a really kind person," Shirou thought to himself.
"Anyway, since you were brought back together with that elf, starting tomorrow, you'll also take responsibility for looking after her too."
"But Mama Mia, Shirou-kun is still injured..." Syr reminded.
"Then you'll just have to bring him to Dian Cecht(medicinal type)familia and have them cast a healing spell on him. Syr, you've already wasted an entire day on this kid and that elf. I expect you back at work asap."
"Ok~"
And so, Shirou Emiya took on the task of caring for the elf girl, meanwhile also learning her name from Mia.
Ryuu Lion
-—————
"My suspicion was right."
For the next two days, Shirou sat by Ryuu's bedside, keeping a close eye on her and slowly gathering information about this world in various ways.
It seemed like he had arrived in a fantasy world—one filled with not only humans but also with elves, beastmen, dwarves, amazons, and a race called the pallums. An example is, the sleeping beauty in front of him, Ryuu, with her elegant features and long, pointed ears, was an elf.
Surprisingly, Mia, the tavern owner, her race was actually a dwarf, despite being taller than most humans and even elves, perhaps she was an anomaly within her race.
Apart from the various races, this world also had "monsters" that posed a threat to humanity. These monsters came from a place called the Dungeon, which lay beneath the city of Orario—the labyrinth city, widely known as the center of the world. It was also the place where most gods who had descended from heaven to live among the mortals gathered.
Those that enter the dungeon to hunt monster were called adventurers. In Orario, there are countless gods who had sealed their divine powers(Arcanum) and descended to the lower world in search of "entertainment." Adventurers can form contracts with these gods through their divine blood, gaining their blessing(Falna), becoming members of their [Familia], which will unlock their potential, granting them extraordinary powers, and allow them to grow at a faster pace.
This was why that one man from the Evilus familia constantly bragged, about how he was a Level 3 high class adventurer, in this world, being a Level 3 adventurer was indeed an impressive feat.
In the Labyrinth City Orario, more than half of the adventurers were at the lowest Level of 1, and across the world, this percentage is even higher. In a regular country outside of Orario, a Level 3 adventurer could easily serve as a "Knight Captain" or become a "Noble."
If that's the case, then, how strong must Ryuu be to decapitate a Level 3 adventurer in a single strike?
"Shirou-kun, if it's awaking the Sleeping Beauty we're talking about, then only that comes to mind, right? You know, the kiss of a prince, meow."
An orange-haired catgirl silently appeared behind Shirou who was in deep thoughts.
"That's just a fairy tale, Miss Anya..."
"You need to call me 'Anya-senpai.' Anya is very strong you know, Shirou-kun should show Anya more respect, meow~" The catgirl puffed up her chest and spook in an exaggerated tone.
Wearing a uniform similar to Miss Syr's, Anya, the tavern free spirit cat, also affectionately called the "dumb cat" by the tavern's owner, Mama Mia, was energetic as always.
"Shirou-kun, you're so young, yet you already don't believe in fairy tales. Where's your childlike innocence~"
"It's Anya-senpai, who still believe in fairy tales at your age who's..."
"Shirou-kun, for girls, saying 'at your age' is a forbidden phrase, meow. But since Anya really is a young and beautiful girl, I can forgive you, however, some older women would really mind-it, you know~"
"...Anya, are you skipping work again?"
Despite the fact that Anya was older and had more seniority in the tavern, it was hard for Shirou to feel any respect for her. Without realizing it, he had dropped the formality and started to call her directly by name, this might be some sort of talent in of itself.
"Obviously! The money you make from working is merely your labor cost, slacking is where the real money is earn, meow."
"Anya, occasionally you can say some pretty wise words, huh?"
"Hehe, I told you, Anya's amazing..."
"Dumb cat! Where the hell did you go again?!"
A thunderous roar left Anya pale with fright. "Oh no, meow, I've been found out, meow. Anya's gotta go! Anya was never here, meow!"
Shirou turned his head and saw that the catgirl had already vanished into thin air, that's fast... The boy smiled and then looked back at Ryuu, suddenly he realized that the elf girl had already unknowingly opened her eyes.
"Miss Ryuu." Shirou tried calling her, but at that moment, Ryuu suddenly reached out her hand and cupped his face.
She pulled him in swiftly, bringing their faces so close that their noses almost touched.
His amber eyes met her sky blue eyes, reflecting each other's image. They gazed deeply into each other's eyes, as if they can see into each other's past.
——————
Image of Anya
https://danmachi.fandom.com/wiki/Anya_Fromel/Image_Gallery?file=Anya_Fromel_Anime_3.png
https://twitter.com/danchro_en/status/1699225931854856219/photo/1