Before we go to the chapter, I want to say thank you to everyone who are reading this chapter! You guys made my day. You guys who put this fic in the collection also rocks!
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The bar counter had grown louder since their introductions, the easy chatter of strangers turning into something like camaraderie. Ludwig stood still, hands crossed in front of him across from the woman who was nursing her drink.
"So." Ludwig said lightly, "Head administrator of a city which was once a headquarters of the best mercenary group, huh? That sounds like a lot of headaches."
Claire set the glass down, the faintest curl at the corner of her mouth. "Plenty. Not all of them worth drinking over though, but some… They made me rethink why I took the seat."
He arched his brow. "Ah, so that's why you're already drowning yourself in alcohol in daytime?"
"That's one reason." She tipped the glass, watching the light illuminated the liquid. "The bigger reason? My best friend. She fights everything strong she finds up north. Loses an arm here, a leg there… sometimes worse. But always came back with something out of this world."
Ludwig stilled mid-polish, eyebrow lifting. "Worse?"
"She's lost her head before." Claire said flatly.
His tone dipped low. "…Her head."
Claire didn't even flinch. "And she got better."
Ludwig narrowed his eyes, the words weighing more than he let show. He'd seen limbs restored in Ortus—he'd even gone through it himself. But a head? Not even the saintess of his old party could bring someone back from that.
"You'll forgive me if I don't take that at face value." He said.
"You asked." Claire replied, leaning back on her stool. Her tone didn't invite argument, but it wasn't entirely closed either. "Let's just say… her class makes things complicated."
"Class?" Ludwig asked again.
He knew what a Class was. A label to simplify what someone was capable of. But in Ortus, it was non-existent. But judging from what the woman in front of him just told him, it seemed like the world of Elos ran on a system where everyone get their Class.
And if there's Class, Class rarity always comes like a pair.
"A rare one, then?" Ludwig pressed.
Claire's lips twitched, not quite a smile. "Rare enough that it keeps her alive."
As they talked to ease the silence, the bell on top of the door chimed. From the gap left behind by the swinging door, two people walked in.
No, to be exact, two creatures that looked human.
The first one was quite a short man with androgynous looks with blue long hair reaching his shoulder. The only reason Ludwig could determine his gender was because he knew the identity of the guy—or the slime.
Behind him was a man with a red theme all over him. Hair, eyes, clothes, it was all crimson red. However, what stole Ludwig's attention the most was a pair of horns protruding from his forehead.
The blue haired one, Rimuru Tempest, walked with spring on his steps. But the Kijin behind him was alert. His eyes were scanning relentlessly, body visibly taut even if he didn't let his face show it.
Ludwig stood up from his seat across Claire and adopted his best smile. "Welcome to Checkpoint, can I help you with anything?"
Rimuru Tempest looked at him, his hair moved ever so slightly. "A human opening a store here? I don't think there should be one. Is this restaurant special in any way?"
Ludwig's eyes glimmered in front of the question. With such a question thrown to him before he could even explain about the restaurant, he felt that things would be easier than yesterday. At the same time, he also thanked the Great Sage, one of Rimuru's skills. That thing was probably the one who told Rimuru that this restaurant was out of ordinary.
"Yes." Ludwig started. "This restaurant connects to many worlds. My world's name is Ortus, while the world of the lady over there is called Elos."
To her credit, Claire gave the newcomer a nod before coming back to enjoying her whiskey. Rimuru returned her nod before looking back at him again, "So that's why this place has a high concentration of space energy then."
Rimuru's eyes started to scan the menu board after saying so. But then, his eyes went wide and his mouth fell, "C-chicken and ramen? Y-you sell fried chicken and ramen, here?" He stuttered at first, but the last part of the sentence came out as half shriek.
Ludwig didn't know the timeline in Rimuru's world right now, but looking at how Benimaru had become a Kijin, it meant that it's around the 'Orc Disaster' arc. Another reason why Rimuru was so surprised to see Earth's Cuisine.
"The ramen is instant ramen from South Korea with my own twist. But I assure you it will be delicious. Do you want to order those two dishes?" Ludwig queried, which was answered by a series of violent nods. He then shifted his focus towards the red-haired Kijin. "How about you, Good Sir?"
Benimaru's contemplation was apparent to Ludwig's eyes through how his eyes moved up and down around the menu. But finally, he spoke. "I will get the chicken, then."
"Understood." Ludwig nodded before placing two glasses of cold water in front of them and walked towards the kitchen. He moved quickly across the kitchen, re-frying the chicken, boiling the ramyeon broth, and coating half of the chicken he fried with sauce he had made beforehand.
Once he plated it and dashed every single dish with the garnish, he brought it altogether towards the two customers. "Enjoy.' Ludwig said before walking away back to the kitchen. But it's not for cooking, he was there to wash the dish, the not fun part of opening a restaurant.
As half of the mound in the sink disappeared, the door on top of the door chimed once again, making Ludwig look back towards the door. From the creeping door a man with red hair walked in. His face was stoic, or maybe lazy. When Ludwig walked closer to the bar, he saw the man was wearing fancy clothes that screamed his status.
At that moment, he felt many gazes falling into him. But without him looking for the source of the gaze, he already knew where to look as everything that happened inside the restaurant couldn't escape his gaze.
The first two sources of the gaze were two cats trodding beside the man. The first one was a fluffy cat with greyish fur while the second one was a cat with crimson fur. But in the eyes of the cats, Ludwig could see intelligence. It was apparent it's not the eyes of creatures that were led by their instinct. The playfulness and curiosity were still there, though.
The next source of the gaze came from the air. When Ludwig shifted his gaze there, he couldn't see anything, but his intuition told him that something was there. But when he moved his mana to his eyes, he could see it. A small creature with a pair of wings was hovering there, eyes locking into him. Its body was covered in black scales and its eyes were shining blue.
Rather than exposing the little dragon, Ludwig just returned his gaze towards the man. "Welcome to Checkpoint. Anything I can help you with?"
"Give me your best alcohol and four plates of steak." The man said, tone tinted with arrogance.
Ludwig's face twitched a little at his tone. However, running a restaurant meant he's in the hospitality business. No matter how bad the customer was, a smile should always be present on his face.
Moreover, the restaurant didn't flag the man as someone with ill will towards him and he trusted the judgement of the dragon. After all, they were proud creatures who wouldn't choose a human if they were bad. "I'm sorry customer, we don't have any beef today. Instead, can I offer you something made of fish, chicken, or maybe some spicy noodle soup with seafood toppings?"
"Hmm…" The man moved his hands towards his chin. "Get me two portions of chicken and 2 portions of fish then."
"Understood." Ludwig took their order. But before he could walk back into the kitchen, Rimuru's voice echoed.
"Get me another serving of chicken!"
"Understood." Ludwig nodded.
"Ah, Ludwig. Refill my whiskey first, please." Claire called for him, her hands already moving her glass towards his part of the bar.
Ludwig nodded before moving towards Claire and finished her order. He then moved towards the kitchen to cook for all the orders that came at once. Then, his lips parted into a smile and his throat let out a happy tune. After all, having to cook a big batch of food for the first time in this restaurant meant that it had started to thrive.
Ludwig moved, no movement was wasted. His experience in the communal kitchen in the journey to slay the Demon King guided him. The kitchen came alive with heat, sizzle, and delicious aroma.
Once everything was plated and looked tantalizing, Ludwig served it. He placed one portion of the Half-Half chicken in front of Rimuru who looked so eager to eat another bite and refill the glass of water that had become empty.
With a flick of wrist, the four other dishes as well as a full bottle of whiskey and glass started to float into the air. Ludwig left the kitchen and bar behind and walked to the main dining area—the first time he did so. He walked past the big table and only stopped when he arrived at the table furthest from the bar. "Here's your order sir. Two portions of Half-Half chicken, two portions of fish and chips, and a bottle of 12 year old whiskey. Please enjoy."
Ludwig could see the man flinched a bit when he told him the name of the menu. And just like Rimuru before, It's easy to see the reason. The man probably knew the menu. So, he was either a South Korean or a British. But he didn't look the part, his clothes also tell him that he came from a place far from the modern world. That kind of setting opened up one possibility, a transmigrator. But, that's not his business to meddle with. His only responsibility now was to explain to the man about the restaurant.
"Before you enjoy your food, I have to tell you something Good Sir." Ludwig started, gaining him the attention of the man, the cats, and the invisible dragon that was now slaying on the table. "This restaurant is special. The door of this restaurant connects to many worlds. I came from a world called Ortus and the woman over there came from a world called Elos."
Ludwig proceeded to point towards the window after pointing at Claire. "As you can see, the scenery of the window has changed. This is all evident I can give you to support my claim. Anything you want to ask me?"
The man's mouth opened slightly, but then he closed it back up and shook his head. "No, I believe you. I mean, that horned man over there, I haven't seen anything like him in my world."
"Thank you for accepting it rather easily." Ludwig chuckled. Then his eyes moved towards the cats and the dragon. "By the way, this place is safe. No one will hurt you here. Even if someone bore an ill will towards you or your companion, I will personally step up to stop them. Please don't worry and enjoy the food."
Seeing the cats and dragon's eyes went wide, Ludwig smiled once again and popped back into the kitchen. Even though he didn't really want to do so inside the restaurant, sometimes showing was better than telling.
With the satisfaction brewing in his heart from how smooth the explanation had been as well as his action, Ludwig once again tackled the source of all evil in a restaurant. The mound on top of the drying rack grew bigger and bigger as he cleaned more and more dirty dishes. But with a flick of the wrist, everything in that mound flew back to their shelves. Next, he wiped the countertop clean. Making it even more reflective of the light hanging above the kitchen.
Returning to his seat, Ludwig looked around the restaurant and smiled. A genuine one, not a business smile. His customers were looking happy and satisfied, relaxed too. It seemed like his feeling from earlier that told him that today was going to be a good day was some kind of premonition.