They walked along the streets in the more elevated noble region of Aldoria. There weren't raging advertisers shoving their product into his face, there were no speeding adventurers running across the city, nor was the sound any louder. Everything here seemed more collected and civilized. The people moved with a clear mind, not stopping by to harass any of the women or start an open fight in the middle of the day. Apart from their distinguished hair, their attire was totally different from what Michael had seen. He would be lying if he said he dressed the same as he noticed the belittling stares from the nobles across the street.
Michael wasn't wearing some fancy clothes like everyone else nor did he bear any resemblance to any noble family. He was just holding the hand of a girl.
Evelyn swung his hand around. "These people make me sick."
Michael didn't even care if they heard her. Watching them stroll by with a disgusted look on his face as he passed beside them was something he didn't enjoy either. Of course, he already felt out of place being here. The carriages that rode down the streets were completely different from what he was used to. He didn't even know horses came with their own set of uniforms nor did carriages have their own roofs and windows. It was almost as if they were making fun of him just by gazing upon their wealth.
But no matter how much money they had, none of them could rival the worth of the person that held his hand.
"Why are we up here anyways?" she asked. "Didn't you say this place was too expensive for no reason?"
"Yeah," he snorted. "I remember saying that."
"Then why do you wanna eat here?"
"I just thought I could take you somewhere nicer. The stalls and taverns in the lower Aldoria felt like I wasn't treating you the same. You deserve better than that."
Evelyn frowned. "I told you that ego swords don't get hungry."
"I know, it's for the—" Michael hesitated. "It's for the thought, you know? Even if the food you eat gets transported somewhere magical, at least it's good food that you can enjoy."
She pulled her hand and punched his shoulder.
"Hey—ow! It's a genuine thought!"
"Keep talking like that," she punched him again. "And I'll give you something worse."
He rubbed his shoulder. "Sorry."
She sighed and grabbed his hand again. "Are you sure you have enough money for the both of us?"
Michael felt the weight of his coin pouch. "I think so."
"Do we have to run away again just like last time?"
"You sound like you want to."
"Oh, do I?" she grinned. "It's not like this was your first time."
Michael groaned against the thought. "We'll find a way."
They kept walking through the district trying to find a restaurant that was good enough to eat. Even the structure of the buildings were different. There weren't as many buildings like armories, libraries, or sports that served the public. There were more places like private properties that swarmed with guards. The people here weren't even armed either, nor were there any adventurers walking around. It was like Michael was moving through two different worlds.
Aldoria was the capital of Wilmere, which sort of explained how high Michael could walk. He assumed the tallest point was where the castle stood though he was smart enough to not tread too far. He's never seen the king of Wilmere nor any royals but he imagined none of them would casually stroll on the streets for some attention.
They settled for this restaurant, a place that read for special seafood from the south and was less empty than the others. Evelyn said that she would've changed into a sword the longer they walked so Michael decided seafood sounded pretty fancy. The skies were turning night and the lamps even glowed brighter with their mellow night.
Once they entered and asked for a table, the waiter was confused if Michael was serious or lost.
And when Michael showed him the money, the waiter asked how he'd earn the money as if that wasn't disrespectful enough. Michael said he was an adventurer and a distasteful look washed over the waiter's face. But they were seated at a table anyways.
The place was quiet, just a few people sitting afar and murmuring along to the sounds of utensils. Michael was still amazed by the setting of everything. From the texture of the tablecloth, how shiny his spoon was, and how rich everything looked. He turned to Evelyn and she looked to think the same.
Michael wondered why the people would be separated by some dumb system of nobles and commoners. It was brutal knowing someone's worth was decided the moment you were born. What if a random infant could have been destined for greatness but was raised into a poor family that couldn't afford proper care? It was the money that defined everything.
Evelyn took the approach to order food for the both of them. The waiter came out with a colorful assortment of vegetables and platters of a bright-red shellfish. It was already conveniently cracked open, revealing the plump and steaming meat out of its shell. They were also served with plates of stewed clams in noodles and scallops stacked neatly on each other. The rich and fragrant smell was what caught them completely off guard because they never knew this type of cuisine existed. The serving size though was definitely smaller compared to what he was used to but he couldn't complain about how appetizing everything looked.
He neatly grabbed the food off its platter, considering they were around nobles that judged them from the moment they walked inside. But after watching Evelyn picking them off by her bare hands, he couldn't even care anymore.
She ripped the meat from its shell with her teeth. She picked another scallop with her fingers and popped them into her mouth. If anyone was watching her, they would probably steer away from the flinging drops of sauce.
"Is it good?" Michael watched her eat. "You ordered a lot."
Evelyn happily nodded, too stuffed to sound any words. She scooted her chair to sit beside him instead of sitting across.
Michael noticed her sudden eagerness. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she wiped her mouth. "I just thought we were sitting too far."
He was eating at his own pace while Evelyn was scarfing down all the food by the minute. Even the waiter was nervous to hand out the complimentary bread that came with their meal.
"Michael," she cleared her throat. "You're sweet for thinking something like this. But you shouldn't go so far just for me."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm happy with whatever we eat," she laughed. "I'm an ego sword, food like this just disappears when I transform."
Michael thought that didn't really answer his question about her magical stomach.
"You don't have to impress me everyday. I know because I can hear you when I'm a sword, remember? It's really cute."
He picked at his food, trying to hide his flustered face. It's been hard trying to think about anything else besides her.
Evelyn bumped his shoulder. "I'm an ego sword, Michael, I'm fine with anything you do."
"I know, but," Michael found it hard to turn towards her. "To me, you don't feel like a sword. I really like you Evelyn, I really do."
"That sounds different here than it does in your head."
"Yeah…" he felt a little flustered. "I guess it does."
He hated it whenever Evelyn would call herself a sword, especially when her face looked so unbothered. An ego sword was basically a magical artifact used to empower the user. To Michael, that wasn't who she was. She was the prettiest girl he's ever seen, she had the best smile to look at, and she treated him like nobody else would in the world. He loved holding her hand and every second she spent with him. She was the reason why he's given another chance at life. And the best he could do was repay her with some expensive meal for all of that. It's what pained him for the longest, knowing he wouldn't be good enough for her.
Then she kissed him on the cheek.