"Who's talking?" Owen rushed out at the sound of a voice and immediately noticed two people standing outside. One was a burly middle-aged man with a determined gaze, clad in heavy armor, who looked like he had a high spending capacity. The other was a pretty girl, though Owen felt she looked somewhat familiar.
"Ah, are you guests? Welcome, welcome."
Owen greeted them enthusiastically.
Sadie felt increasingly guilty. She had treated Mr. Owen so poorly before, but not only did he not hold a grudge, he had taught her a valuable spell. Now, upon their second meeting, he showed no resentment and was instead so warm and welcoming.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong!" Sadie immediately dropped to her knees and slid forward, performing a knight's salute at Owen's feet. "Mr. Owen, I'm here to thank you."
"Thank you for teaching me Lullaby."
She didn't dare mention the part about driving away the arcane beast, as Lord Kitty had advised her to keep a low profile.
"What the—what are you doing?" Owen was startled. "I'm not some deity; why are you kneeling?"
"Ah, it's Lady Cerdo."
"Apologies, I didn't recognize you without the mustache."
"Mr. Owen, are you more used to seeing me with a mustache?" Sadie took out a fake mustache and stuck it back on. "Does this look more pleasing?"
"This is my teacher, Tier-7 Grand Knight Lord Edward. He heard about Lullaby and came specifically to express his thanks."
"Hello, Mr. Owen," Edward immediately said, "please just call me Edward."
"Wow, a Tier-7 Knight! That's really impressive." Owen smiled. "Since you're already here, why don't you come into my pub and have a drink?"
He started calculating. Flora seemed to be approaching Tier-3, so this Edward Knight was truly a formidable figure. Someone like that must be very wealthy. If they had a good time at the pub, he might bring in a bunch of rich friends in the future.
With that thought, Owen became even more motivated.
After entering the pub, he invited the two to sit down and began preparing two glasses of low-alcohol white lily wine.
In response to their repeated expressions of gratitude, Owen casually said, "It's nothing. Lullaby is just a very basic nursery rhyme spell."
"If you're interested, I could show you another one."
"This spell is called Canción de Aplausos Felices, and it's said to have the effect of eliminating worries. It can supposedly dispel evil and shadows of the past, making people feel energized and happy."
Owen cleared his throat and started singing.
"Si estás feliz y lo sabes, aplaude así~"
"Si estás feliz y lo sabes, da un pisotón~"
This song was faster and more complex than the Lullaby, and with Owen dancing and gesturing as he sang, they both assumed these were necessary gestures for the spell.
Sadie barely managed to remember the first few lines.
Edward, on the other hand, concentrated fully and memorized every word!
Since there was no translation, he didn't know what the lyrics meant. But when Owen sang them, Edward felt his mana boil up inside.
He silently repeated it to himself once more.
The next moment, a wisp of black smoke suddenly shot out from Edward's body, like a fleeing rat, dissipating in all directions. It was instantly swallowed by a golden light.
"My injuries are healed!" Edward stood up excitedly. "The arcane beast's curse inside me has been dispelled."
"Hahaha, that's great! After twenty years of torment, I'm finally free of that daily pain."
As soon as he finished speaking, Edward's body began to tremble.
His feet left the ground, and he floated mid-air.
Golden, illusory giant swords surrounded his body.
Moments later, he landed back on the ground, his eyes filled with joy. "I've broken through—I've finally advanced from mid-Tier 7 to high-Tier 7!"
"Teacher! That's wonderful!" Sadie was ecstatic. "Does that mean you'll reach Tier-8 soon?"
Edward nodded. He looked at Owen with deep gratitude.
Had it not been for Lord Kitty's warning, he would have done what Sadie did earlier and performed a knee slide with a bow.
"Did you level up?" Owen scratched his head, immune to the local people's leveling-up displays.
He even started complaining inwardly. Oh no, is he going to tearfully grab my hand again and say that his breakthrough was all thanks to me?
The next second, Edward excitedly grabbed Owen's hand.
"Mr. Owen, thank you! I could only heal my old wounds and break through myself thanks to your help."
"Your Canción de Aplausos Felices is truly effective."
"Haha, I'm glad you like it." Owen awkwardly withdrew his hand. "Leveling up is a good thing, so let's have a drink to celebrate."
Edward was even more convinced. Only an absolute master would have such a casual attitude towards leveling up!
Perhaps Lord Owen was a human avatar of some deity!
"Very well. I'll savor this drink since it's mixed by your own hands." In his excitement, Edward didn't pay much attention to the glass beside him. He picked it up and drank it in one gulp.
The next second, he gasped.
What's going on?
His mana, which had been completely depleted from the breakthrough, was instantly restored! That glass of wine—it turned out to be made from precious mana liquid.
"Mr. Owen, you..." Edward's eyes welled up. "You truly are a kind-hearted person."
This must have been Lord Owen's way of showing compassion after seeing him struggle through the breakthrough, offering him this extremely replenishing drink!
Such character!
His goodness was practically radiating from his entire being.
"Please, you must accept this gift." Edward solemnly took out a box made of pure gold. When he opened it, there lay a beating heart.
The heart's texture was like a gemstone, and with each beat, it shifted colors.
"It's quite beautiful." Owen nodded and accepted it casually.
Sadie, standing beside him, was in utter shock.
That was the legendary Heart of the Demon King!
Such a priceless treasure—if the current Emperor Caesar of the Azul Kingdom saw it, he definitely wouldn't be as calm as Mr. Owen.
Edward, however, wasn't as surprised as Sadie.
"This is exactly the demeanor a true master should have! Of course, something like the Heart of the Demon King, which would spark a war in the outside world, must appear no different than an ordinary glass bead in Lord Owen's eyes."
Sadie looked at Owen's calm demeanor and couldn't help wanting to say something.
"Don't speak, drink!" Edward pushed the glass in front of her. "Don't waste Mr. Owen's good intentions."
Sadie could only keep quiet and drink.
She picked up the glass and glanced at it, nearly fainting on the spot.
"T-this, is this really for me to drink?" Sadie's voice started to tremble.
"Go ahead, it's low in alcohol content," Owen thought she was worried about getting drunk and explained, "Even though I added a bit of tequila, it's mostly lemon juice and ice, so it tastes great."
Sadie didn't fully understand, but knowing it was meant for her, she drank it all in one go without hesitation.
The next second, her body felt like it was on fire.
"Teacher, I—I leveled up too!"
Sadie felt her constitution and strength had both significantly improved, and she'd unexpectedly gained a small rank.
Edward smiled at her. "Hurry and thank Mr. Owen."
"Thank you, Mr. Owen. Your generosity is something I'll remember forever!" Sadie earnestly said, "I'll write home and have my parents build a red stone statue in your honor."
"Huh? You're exaggerating!" Owen facepalmed helplessly. Seeing that the two were about to start another round of thanks, he quickly interrupted, "Okay, okay. If you really want to thank me, help me make dinner."
"I haven't cooked dinner yet. Lady Cerdo, why don't you help me with the ingredients?"
"No problem!" Grateful Sadie agreed instantly.
Owen, happy that he finally had customers today, decided to make something special.
A few minutes later, a muffled bang came from the kitchen, and something caught fire. Then Sadie's apologetic voice came through.
"Ah, sorry, Mr. Owen! I didn't know that thing shouldn't touch fire!"
"…No, it's my fault," Owen sighed. "How did I forget? You're the type who can't even tell a rooster from a hen, and you've never been in a kitchen in your life. How could you possibly be any help?"
She had just poured oil directly onto the flames—if she stayed any longer, the whole pub might have blown up from her blundering.
Owen immediately kicked her out and took over, banging around busily in the kitchen.
Before long, he brought out a few special dishes.
"Here, here, these are my special dishes!"
"No need to be shy; dig in."
Seeing the dishes Owen brought out, both Sadie and Edward were stunned.
What on earth was this?!
Was this the food Lord Owen usually ate?
It looked terrifying.
Owen saw the two guests frozen in place and assumed they were just being polite, so he enthusiastically started explaining the dishes.
"This is French-baked escargot. These aren't ordinary snails; I raised them myself. The meat is tender and delicious! The insides are sautéed with spices, onions, and butter—absolutely scrumptious."
"This one is orange-flavored foie gras. The main ingredient is, of course, fresh goose liver, seasoned with pepper and salt, then cooked with brandy, apple cider vinegar, spices, and orange. It tastes divine."
"And for dessert, I made bite-sized macarons, paired with oolong tea I grew myself. The combination is rich and flavorful."
Owen thought his presentation was flawless. Anyone who heard it would be drooling.
Sadie and Edward, however, exchanged a glance.
"This food contains extremely strong mana! If I'm not mistaken, this is arcane beast meat!"
"Snail-type arcane beasts are usually highly venomous and live in colonies. They're incredibly fierce. Lord Owen actually managed to capture, raise, and use them as ingredients!"
"And that foie gras… Did he harvest it from a swan arcane beast's liver?"
The two were even more terrified. They had run into someone who ate arcane beast meat regularly.
Owen started to feel puzzled.
Neither of them was eating.
Could they suspect he'd poisoned it?
He simply picked up a snail himself and ate it. It tasted fantastic. Then he tried the foie gras, savoring the delicate texture.
Edward gulped.
Even though he knew it was dangerous, the aroma of the food was just too enticing.
Besides, refusing to eat food personally prepared by Lord Owen would be extremely rude!
If Lord Owen could eat arcane beasts, getting angry and eating two knights probably wouldn't be a problem either.
"Sadie, I'll try it first," Edward whispered, "If I get poisoned, quickly feed me the purple antidote in my bag."
"Understood."
With a resolve to die, Edward closed his eyes and ate the baked escargot.
The next moment, he was stunned.
The flavor.
The texture.
The wonderful sensation of spices blending with the snail meat.
"It's simply delicious!"
Knowing the food was non-toxic, Edward immediately displayed his Tier-7 Knight speed, downing one snail after another. In the blink of an eye, four or five shells were left empty.
"Teacher! Leave some for me!"
Sadie, showing rare initiative, joined the fight for the snails.
But she was still only at apprentice-level, trying to compete with her teacher for snails was like a fairy tale.
Sadie had no choice but to eat the foie gras.
With just one bite, tears started streaming down her face.
"Oh, Mother, what kind of rubbish have you been feeding me for the last eighteen years!"
"Today, I finally know what true delicacy is."
"Today, I feel like I'm truly alive."
Owen was so embarrassed that sweat beaded on his forehead.
This is way too exaggerated!
"If you like it, eat more. Don't be shy." He generously offered, "I made plenty, enough for everyone."
Hearing Sadie's praise, Edward took another piece of foie gras.
He found that Sadie wasn't exaggerating in the least. This kind of supreme delicacy felt like it came from another world entirely.
The two buried their faces in the food, gobbling it down.
By the end, the master and disciple were fighting over the last macaron.
But of course, Sadie ended up getting knocked on the head, and Edward shamelessly used his age and strength to devour the final dessert.
"Ah!!! I'm so mad!!" Sadie suddenly shouted, "I get it now, the weak are always bullied!"
As she spoke, a faint glow emanated from her entire body.
Edward almost dropped the macaron from his mouth.
"You've awakened the Heart of Knight!"
The Heart of Knight was something quite different from tier—it was hard to describe, as everyone's beliefs and experiences were unique, leading to different manifestations of this heart. Some people, despite reaching high levels, were never able to awaken it.
Having the Heart of Knight meant having true conviction! No matter the hardships faced in the future, the more difficult things got, the stronger one's resolve would become.
"Teacher, I feel like I've grown stronger." Sadie looked at her hand. "I feel like I could punch something to death…"
She looked around, trying to find something she could knock out with one punch.
A Tier-7 Knight? Too strong.
A fierce arcane beast rabbit? Nope.
An even fiercer arcane beast cat? Definitely not.
Upon careful inspection, it seemed the only one she could possibly take down was Mr. Owen, who appeared to be an ordinary person.
But Sadie wouldn't dare say that out loud.
"Very good!" Edward nodded in satisfaction, recognizing that Sadie was likely to level up soon.
And it was all thanks to Lord Owen's blessings.
Edward rubbed his belly.
He was way too full.
But he still wanted to finish the remaining food, given how rare it was to find dishes so rich in mana.
Owen was startled to see Edward, hiccupping and holding his waist, still wanting to eat more.
Brother, you're not young anymore. You're at the age where high blood pressure and cholesterol are common problems. This meal is packed with calories. If you get sick from overeating, my reputation will be ruined.
"Mr. Edward, you've eaten quite a lot already," Owen cautioned.
"If you really like it, come again next time."
Edward froze.
Wait a minute.
Was this Lord Owen's way of teaching him that a knight must practice restraint and learn to control desires?
"I understand," Edward said respectfully. "Thank you, Mr. Owen. I'll remember your words."
What did you understand?
It's just a normal suggestion. No need to remember it!
Owen silently complained to himself.
After finishing their meal, the two left behind two chests of gold coins, reluctantly saying their goodbyes.
Owen breathed a sigh of relief.
"Next time, I've got to be more careful and control the portion sizes," he muttered, shaking his head. "Overfeeding my guests wouldn't be good."
He fed the remaining foie gras and snails to his pets.
After cleaning up the kitchen, he took a stroll in the backyard to digest.
The mountaintop night sky sparkled with stars, untainted by the light pollution of his previous world.
After a few laps, Owen sighed.
"Days like this are actually pretty nice."
"Mixing drinks, cooking, hosting guests when they come, playing with the pets when they don't."
"Come to think of it, this otherworld is quite peaceful."
The rabbit and cat, struggling to lick the snails, exchanged glances.
The rabbit, White, muttered under its breath, "Peaceful my foot. If it weren't for us protecting you, with your silly antics, you'd have been sold off long ago!"
The mountain was tranquil and serene.
Down below, in the nearby town, things were lively.
It was the time of the Oak Festival, and even at night, many people were out and about.
But in the shadows, beyond the reach of the firelight, a gray mist-like figure floated eerily, as if it were a ghost.
The light around the gray figure dimmed and grew sinister.
A faint voice echoed.
"What a fine place this is."
A few days later…
Bored on the mountain, Owen decided to take his two pets for a walk down below.
"You've barely walked ten meters and already collapsed?"
Owen looked at his two pets, sprawled on the ground, not moving, and sighed. "One of you is supposed to be good at running, and the other is a natural-born hunting master. Is it really okay for you to be this lazy?"
The chubby cat, Avel, said nothing and simply rolled over, exposing its belly with a look that said, Come on, pet me.
The even chubbier rabbit, White, lay at Owen's feet, panting heavily, as if one more step would be the end of it.
"Fine, fine. You win!"
"Get in the cart!"
Owen picked up the two round pets and placed them in a handmade stroller.
Yes, in his free time, Owen had crafted a baby stroller specifically for the times when his pets refused to walk but were too heavy to carry.
"Rabbit, your fur's getting way too long. Should I take you to a pet shop for a trim?" Owen petted White's ears.
It was strange, though.
He remembered that the rabbit had been pure white when it first appeared.
Lately, however, its fur had turned a very pale blue.
The previously bald patches had grown back, but the fur was getting so long that it had turned from a short-haired rabbit into a fluffy mop!
Owen couldn't figure it out and assumed it must be a special breed of rabbit native to this world.
Pushing the stroller made walking much easier.
Owen happily made his way down the mountain.
But as soon as he reached the town's entrance, he was immediately surrounded by a group of angry townsfolk.