Clatter, clatter.

    The loud clash of plates and utensils continued without pause.

    The steady rhythm of the noise almost resembled a piece of music performed by an orchestra.

    Cutting, stabbing, tearing, chewing, swallowing...

    Rather than a meal, it was closer to sheer violence against food.

    Amidst the chaotic scene, Reine blinked, looking intrigued as she spoke while holding a fork and knife.

    "It’s amazing that all of that actually fits into your stomach. Could it be that the secret to your strength is just eating well?"

    "Huh? Hmm... Well, more or less. Whether it’s a body or a machine, it needs fuel to keep moving."

    "Typically, the basal metabolic rate of an athlete is about 10% higher than that of an average person. But according to my research, Raven and Alice’s basal metabolic rates are approximately 1.5 times that of an ordinary human. At that level, they could be compared to an adult gorilla—"

    "W-What are you even saying?!"

    Whoosh!

    Alice, suddenly being compared to a gorilla, snapped in anger and hurled a bone at David.

    The thick bone shot through the air like a dart, aiming straight for David’s temple.

    Thud! A resounding impact rang out like a bell struck against his head.

    David bowed his head forward from the sheer force of the blow, naturally falling into silence.

    The weight of an unintended truth was, indeed, heavy.

    Wait a second... Now that I think about it, a question suddenly popped into my head.

    If Alice always eats this much, then just how much does she—

    "Yuria, why did your hand stop? Do you want me to get you something?"

    ...

    Yeah, let’s not think about this.

    It wasn’t that I was scared of Alice smiling at me from right beside me. Not at all.

    Feeling a chill run down my spine, I shook my head once and lowered my gaze to my plate.

    There, resting before me, was a steak larger than both of my hands combined.

    A thick-cut sirloin steak, grilled to a luscious brown.

    Contrasting its charred exterior, the faint pink hue visible at the center was utterly tempting. Just looking at it made my mouth water—it was a perfectly cooked medium-rare.

    ‘French cuisine is nice, but when it comes to meat dishes... Steak is king.’

    Indeed.

    The ultimate way to enjoy meat—filling your mouth with a large bite, savoring its rich texture and juices—steak was the pinnacle of meat dishes.

    Right now, we were at a steakhouse, a place that specialized in grilling massive cuts of beef over an open flame.

    And the piece before me wasn’t just any steak—it was a dry-aged steak.

    Its deep, concentrated flavor, developed over weeks of aging, was on an entirely different level. No ordinary steak could match the depth of its taste.

    Thinking about how much this single slice must cost...

    Whoa. How much is this entire meal? Is the hotel going to go bankrupt at this rate?

    As I focused on the complex, aged flavors flooding my palate, completely absorbed in the experience—

    A suddenly familiar, boisterous male voice rang out from nearby.

    "Hahaha! So this is where you were eating, Raven! You’ve got a good eye—choosing the finest steakhouse in Saint Maria!"

    Ugh... This lively voice—one that triggers my PTSD just by hearing it—

    Chewing my steak, I turned my head, and there he was: Victor, the muscular blonde man.

    But he looked completely different from how he had appeared at the restaurant yesterday.

    One arm was wrapped in a thick cast, and a bandage covered one of his eyes.

    On top of that, his injured leg made it difficult for him to move on his own.

    Beside him, helping him walk, was a boy who radiated a passionate, hot-blooded energy.

    What the hell happened to him in just one day?

    Genuinely stunned, I momentarily stopped eating, staring blankly at him.

    Meanwhile, Raven—who seemed entirely unfazed—merely lifted his head from his plate and greeted him casually.

    "Oh? Victor. You came for steak too?"

    "Yeah! This place’s dry-aged steak is world-famous... And when it comes to recovering from injuries, nothing beats meat!"

    Hahaha!

    Laughing heartily despite looking like a walking mummy, Victor naturally joined our table.

    Unlike last time, when we had to eat quickly and leave in a rush, it seemed he intended to enjoy a leisurely meal today.

    But seriously... What the hell happened to him yesterday?

    Still chewing on my steak, I curiously tugged on Alice’s sleeve.

    In response, Alice—who was effortlessly tearing into a massive tomahawk steak as if it were cotton candy—gave me a simple summary of what had happened.

    "Yesterday, Victor was guarding a warehouse with artifacts when he ended up fighting Morte directly. Ah, Yuria, you might not know who that is. Anyway, he’s an insanely dangerous guy. Victor got wrecked fighting him."

    "Mm! He was an opponent far beyond what I could handle alone. If Raven hadn’t arrived in time, I don’t know what would’ve happened... I can’t thank him enough."

    "Well, I wouldn’t have been able to handle him alone either. We both helped each other out."

    Listening to their conversation, I could picture the situation in my head.

    Victor had been tasked with guarding an artifact set to be auctioned.

    Then, out of nowhere, Morte launched an attack.

    Morte—one of the Seven Sins, a powerhouse among them. And to make matters worse, he had high-ranking undead as his escorts.

    No matter how strong Victor was, there was no way he could handle that alone.

    But retreating wasn’t an option.

    The moment Victor fell, the hotel would have been instantly overrun by the undead.

    So, he had no choice but to fight with everything he had, throwing his body on the line...

    Thanks to Raven’s late arrival, they had somehow managed to drive Morte away.

    ‘So the reason there weren’t any major casualties was because Victor threw himself into the fight without hesitation...’

    I nodded slightly toward Alice in gratitude for her explanation.

    Then, with a complicated feeling brewing inside me, I picked up my fork and stabbed it into the steak on my plate.

    Fortunately, his injuries were the kind that would heal with time.

    But this entire incident at Saint Maria Hotel—this wasn’t in the original story.

    In other words, this situation was a butterfly effect, caused by a disturbance somewhere in the past.

    ‘Maybe the fact that the Liberation Army failed to kidnap the artisan Karen, despite sending two of the Seven Sins, is what caused this shift. They probably need every resource they can spare for their war effort.’

    Logically speaking, I hadn’t done anything wrong.

    I hadn’t leaked intel to the Liberation Army or told them to attack the hotel.

    They were the ones who got impatient and made a reckless move. What was I supposed to do about that?

    And yet... I couldn’t completely deny that I had played some part in causing all of this.

    After all, because of my choices, an entirely different place had suffered the consequences.

    Maybe that’s why my emotions sank lower and lower, regardless of my intent.

    At this point, I truly had no idea what was going to happen next.

    I chewed the steak a little too forcefully, as if trying to vent my frustration. Annoyingly enough, it still tasted incredible.

    As I desperately focused on the food, trying to distract myself from my spiraling thoughts—

    Victor suddenly brought up a topic that made my entire body stiffen.

    "That aside... Still no word? You know, about that missing Cat Saintess?"

    "...!"

    Cat... Saintess?

    My ears pricked up at the combination of words that instinctively made me flinch. I kept my face still, only rolling my eyes as I listened intently.

    Raven, leaning back in his chair with a disinterested expression, continued.

    "Ah, yeah. According to Alice, she excused herself to the restroom, and then... vanished without a trace, as if she had never been there in the first place."

    "Hmm? In this hotel, with dozens of Fixers around? She must be quite skilled."

    "Tsk. I told her not to run... She must’ve had some kind of special method."

    Sweat trickled down my back.

    I had been feeling sluggish just moments ago, but now my body was clammy with cold sweat.

    They’re talking about me, aren’t they?

    I felt nervous. No—more than that, I knew better than anyone that reacting here would only make things worse.

    But I couldn’t help worrying.

    After all, I had openly used divine power—something that no one else on this planet could wield.

    If they figured out my identity... I had no idea how I’d talk my way out of it. I didn’t have a single excuse lined up.

    ‘Stay calm. In this world, there are barely any beastfolk who can hide their ears and tail. That means, as a human without magic, I shouldn’t be suspicious at all.’

    ...But Raven and Victor had fought countless different species and sharpened their instincts through experience.

    What if they considered the possibility that someone might have the ability to alter their appearance?

    A possibility shifting from absolute zero to even the smallest chance of one—that was a massive difference.

    Especially if it was Victor who caught on. Unlike Raven, who had a soft spot for me, Victor might just decide to do something in the name of humanity’s greater good.

    I had to change the subject.

    But my nerves had locked my tongue, and I couldn’t say anything.

    Was I just supposed to sit here and hope the storm passed?

    "Ahem. By the way, Jin, I have a question. That thing Morte took... What exactly was it? It looked like some kind of crown."

    Just as I was internally panicking, Alice cleared her throat lightly and directed a question at Raven.

    It was like a batter hitting a grand slam in the middle of a crisis—

    A perfectly timed escape route.

    "That... You probably know better, Victor."

    "Ah, yeah. That was... the ‘Queen’s Unholy Tiara,’ an artifact. I can’t really go into its abilities here, but it was an incredibly valuable piece. It was supposed to be revealed in the final moments of the auction."

    "Hmm... I see. In that case..."

    "Yeah. To be honest, this is a major emergency. Who knows what they plan to do with it... I already feel a headache coming on."

    Victor deliberately avoided discussing the artifact’s abilities.

    Understandable—this wasn’t the kind of information to carelessly share in a place full of listening ears.

    After all, the tiara was an artifact that allowed instantaneous teleportation to any desired location, just by pouring in mana.

    A power so absurd that replicating it with magic would require an astronomical amount of energy.

    Of course, it had restrictions. There was a cooldown period before it could be used again, and only a limited number of people could be transported at once.

    But even with those drawbacks, it was an artifact that defied all common sense.

    Victor, as if his headache was getting worse, rubbed his forehead, then covered his eyes with his hand and murmured in a grim voice—

    "At this rate... something big might happen very soon."

    It was a statement filled with heavy certainty, as if he already knew disaster was inevitable.