Chapter 452
"Please wait just a moment."
After placing his order, Ian nodded at the employee's words. As he did, he let his eyes pass over the menu on the counter one more time.
Just as I thought. Only things I've tried before are listed.
The menu selection felt distinctly unnatural. Then again, that absolutely no one batted an eye at Moro slumped down near the entrance was already unnatural. The beast was lying with its belly flat on the floor, resting its chin there.
Maybe I should have ordered something for Moro. At least some sugar cubes.
Smiling silently at the idea, he looked back toward the table.
Ahead, the sight of Lucia and Yog sitting side-by-side caught his eye.
So there was a reason they seemed to get along, thought Ia.
Yog sat with one leg crossed casually over the other, tapping its foot as it surveyed the cafe. Beside it, Lucia sat rigidly upright, staring intently at the glass Ian had left on the table, likely wondering about the ice and the dubious-colored coffee that had been inside.
They almost looked like friends the same age—even if one of them was merely imitating a human."Your order is ready," the employee called out.
Ian's gaze shifted to the tray on the counter, where two slices of cake, an ice cream waffle, a strawberry smoothie, and a green grape smoothie were neatly arranged.
It was a surprising amount to be ready less than a minute after ordering, but Ian didn't give it a second thought. He picked up the tray and walked back to the table.
"That is coffee. A potion I used to drink like water when I lived here."
Lucia looked up at him, startled, then quickly shifted her gaze down to the tray he placed on the table.
"Goodness, what is all this?" she asked.
"Sweet things," Ian replied, sitting down opposite them.
Looking over the various unfamiliar foods arranged on the tray, Lucia added, "Do people live on things like this here?"
"Like I said, they're snacks. Well, some people occasionally have them instead of a meal," Ian explained, putting straws into the smoothie cups one by one and pushing them toward Lucia and Yog.
As Lucia took her cup, she shivered slightly, seemingly surprised by the cold. Yog eyed its green grape smoothie dubiously.
"It's the color of ground moss."
"Then give it to Lucy," Ian retorted.
"I didn't say I wouldn't drink it."
Complaining even though it's going to drink it anyway, Ian thought, snorting softly as he picked up his coffee again and took a sip.
Lucia awkwardly copied his action with her strawberry smoothie. She held a sip in her mouth for just a moment.
"Goodness," she sighed, her eyes wide. Licking her lips, she quickly put the straw back in her mouth for another taste.
Meanwhile, Yog, having tried its drink, curled one corner of its mouth upward. "An interesting taste."
"Ugh
." It was right after taking a sip that Lucia winced.As Ian, unwrapping the plastic from a slice of cake, looked over, she rubbed the back of her neck and smiled sheepishly.
"My head hurt a little," she explained. "My throat feels really cold too."
"Drink it slowly," Ian chuckled, resuming his unwrapping. "Still, looks like you find it palatable, though."
"It's more than palatable!" Lucia exclaimed. "How on earth is this made? Is it magic?"
"Well, you could say it's something similar."
"The magic of this world is truly amazing," Lucia breathed, "to be used even for food like this. I can't even imagine how it's made."
"I don't really know either, to be honest," Ian admitted with a shrug, pushing the plates with the slice of cake and the ice cream waffle toward Lucia one after the other.
"Is it bread? This one looks about the same color as black bread," Lucia added, glancing around with a curious look and pointing at the chocolate cake with her chin, the straw still held between her lips.
"Comparing it to that trash is an insult," Ian said, holding out a fork.
Lucia, her eyes bright with a mix of curiosity and anticipation, took it and quickly cut off the edge of the cake, popping it into her mouth.
A moment later, her cheeks quivered slightly. "I didn't know it would be this sweet. It's so sweet it almost tastes bitter. You can't even compare it to honey. And it's so soft."
"Different from the black bread, right?" Ian asked.
"Comparing them feels like an insult," Lucia replied, echoing his earlier words as she moved her fork toward the waffle.
Yog, who had grabbed a fork even before Ian offered one, was already digging into the food placed before it. Unlike Lucia, it hacked off large chunks and practically stuffed them into its mouth.
Ian's brow furrowed slightly. "Planning to hog it all yourself?"
"Can't we just order more?"
Well, that's true, but still, Ian thought, pressing his lips together.
Just then, Yog put its fork down. Despite its words, it seemed it had only intended to have a taste.
Looking at Ian, it grinned. "Honestly, it's not as tasty as your blood, my friend."
"Gee, I'm thrilled," Ian replied dryly, cutting off a corner of the chocolate cake and popping it into his mouth.
As Lucia had said, it was so sweet it almost tasted bitter—a taste he hadn't experienced at all since crossing the Black Wall. Besides, this very cake was the dessert he'd eaten the last time he was here, years ago, trying to forget an unpleasant feeling.
But now, it was the opposite.
Look at her go, he thought, smiling silently as he watched Lucia.
Her eyes sparkled as she ate nonstop, chewing happily. For a moment, he felt as if he were really in his original world.
Although it was merely an illusion, the thought didn't spoil his mood this time. After all, none of this would have been possible in the first place if it weren't a dream.
"Sir Ian, your world... it really was an amazing place," Lucia marveled.
As Ian watched, she took a sip from her straw and looked around the cafe again. "It's bright, clean, and cool. And everyone looks so peaceful and happy. If it weren't for you being here, Sir Ian, I would have thought this was heaven."
"Heaven," Ian repeated, his smile turning strange for a moment.
Back when he had lived in this world, he'd rarely ever felt that way. More often than not, it had been the complete opposite.
"Places where people live are all pretty much the same," Ian murmured, almost to himself, as he turned to look out the window again.
His eyes weren't on the rolling waves of the ocean but on distant memories—ones that now felt oddly unreal.
As if reading the complex emotions in his eyes, Lucia didn't say anything more, instead focusing her attention on the cake, waffle, and smoothie before her.
"You do know what situation you guys are in right now, right?" It wasn't long before Yog spoke up casually.
It had been leaning back, looking up at the ceiling with the empty straw still dangling from its mouth.
Lucia's chewing stopped abruptly. The reality she had momentarily forgotten, amidst all the astounding revelations, must have crashed back in.
That thing really is an expert at ruining the mood, Ian thought sourly.
"Not here. Reality, I mean," Yog added, looking forward again.
Meeting its eyes, Ian replied, "Sounds like you heard what happened."
"Roughly, while coming here. Missed another interesting spectacle. Ah, right."
Yog grinned, bobbing the straw in his mouth up and down. "So even though you knew it, you were just taking your time. Well, I guess there's no real need to rush. At least, not for now."
"You'd better have a clear reason for bringing it up first. Otherwise, we'll be having a conversation with our fists instead," Ian said, his voice devoid of any trace of humor.
Yog's straw stopped moving.
"Hearing that right in the middle of your own mental world is pretty terrifying. But you know, my friend..."
It shrugged one shoulder. "To overcome this situation safely, you're going to need my help."
"Oh, yeah?" Ian asked back, clicking his tongue slightly, as if disappointed.
A smile spread across Yog's face again. "Of course. I have an idea. Want to hear it?"
"Later," said Ian.
"Huh?"
As Yog blinked, Ian leaned back against the chair, giving the cup in his hand a slight shake.
"There's still some left. And besides, you said it's not an immediate threat, right?"
"Well, that's just my prediction."
"Good enough," Ian said. "Just so you know, I'm going to take my time finishing this. So..."
His gaze returned to Lucia. "Go ahead and finish it. Who knows when you'll get another chance to taste it again?"
"...Okay," Lucia replied softly, starting to eat again.
"Tell me if it's not enough," Ian added casually.
"No. This is plenty," Lucia said, shaking her head. "Besides, there's still Diana. She got dragged into this because of me. We can't just leave her like that."
"Well, it's a bit late to say this now, but...." Ian shrugged. "She probably couldn't have escaped from there in the first place."
It hadn't been meant as comfort. Moro had been circling the mound of flesh, after all. Unless Diana had been flung completely clear like Hyked, judging by the speed at which the space was collapsing, it was highly unlikely she'd made it out.
By the way... I wonder if he's alright.
Ian took a sip through his straw as Hyked's last image flickered through his mind. He didn't feel like picking up his fork—his appetite had completely vanished.
It seemed the same for Lucia. Unlike moments ago, she was now mechanically forcing the cake and waffle into her mouth, likely trying not to leave anything out of consideration for him.
Ting-a-ling—
It was then that the chime above the cafe door rang out again. As another set of footsteps approached, Ian's brow furrowed slightly.
Is it really an unwelcome guest this time?
Not only Lucia, but Yog too, who had been tapping its foot, looked up toward the entrance behind Ian.
Ian glanced first at Yog, whose expression remained indifferent, then at Lucia, who had frozen in place with her fork still hovering halfway to her mouth. Finally, he turned his head toward the footsteps approaching from the side.
He froze.
It was a woman. Her clothes looked strangely familiar, stirring a distant memory—he remembered how his ex-girlfriend had once returned to the cafe looking like that after one of their fights. But that wasn't why Ian froze.
"Why aren't you answering your phone?"
The voice, like the face staring down at him, belonged to someone entirely different. And yet, it was unmistakably familiar—the red hair, the green eyes, even the scar running along one side of her jaw.
"I called several times. Did you have it on silent?"
Even in her modern clothes and perfectly neat appearance, the woman was unmistakably Mev.
Ian stared blankly, momentarily stunned by the sight of his old girlfriend wearing Mev's face.
To think I'd see her like this, here.
"Looks like you're pretty shocked," Mev looked at him and continued speaking as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Her attitude was perfectly calm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Are you still mad? Should I just go?"
"...No. I'm not mad."
Perhaps this encounter was the original script for this dream, he mused.
Strictly speaking, Lucia and Yog were the real uninvited guests here.
"Really? Hmm. Okay. Got it," Mev replied, narrowing her eyes skeptically. Her gaze then shifted past Ian to the other side of the table.
Taking in Yog's bored expression and Lucia, still frozen with a fork in her mouth, she asked, "But who are these kids? Cousins?"
So it really is just Mev's appearance on someone else, Ian thought.
Glancing briefly at Lucia, he nodded to Mev. "Yeah. Ran into them by chance."
"Aha... Now I get it. This is why you didn't answer your phone." Mev said, nodding as she looked back at him.
A smile finally spread across her lips—the exact smile from Ian's memories, the one that surfaced in his memories from time to time. Maybe that was why he was dreaming of this place—his subconscious had created the perfect setting.
"Alright. I'll let it go this time. You guys talk. I'll step away for a bit. I'll go take a look around the ocean. See you later." With a final pat on his shoulder, Mev turned away, giving Yog and Lucia a quick nod as she left.
Ian watched her retreating figure.
It hadn't ended nearly this neatly back then, he remembered. While they had sat down across from each other, he'd just been stubborn and petty the entire time. Back then, his ego was much more important than her feelings.
I used to be pretty narrow-minded. Not that I'm all that different now.
Musing, Ian turned back around—and blinked in surprise.
Lucia, fork in hand, was staring at him.
Ian casually tilted his head toward her and spoke. "That's not Mev. She's just a character in my dream."
"I figured as much. If she weren't, there's no way she wouldn't recognize me," Lucia said, nodding.
Then, after studying Ian's face a moment longer, she added, "But why does your ex-girlfriend have my sister's face?"
Ian didn't answer right away. He only hesitated for the briefest moment, but that seemed enough for Lucia.
"Lu Enter... oh my god..." Lucia's eyes went wide in realization. "Really?"