Chapter 9: A Fortuitous Encounter

Luke combed a hand through his hair as he pushed those thoughts to the corner to focus on his current situation.

Now that his original plan to listen in on everyone’s conversations at the bar failed, he would have to think up another way to gather intel. The problem was that there weren’t many other ways that might expose him.

He couldn’t exactly go around asking around town about current events with his current appearance.

While no one had commented on the large cloak draped over him, he didn’t exactly look friendly. He would undoubtedly make people uneasy if he approached them, and removing the hood would defeat the purpose of the cloak.

Would he have to resort to finding criminals to pry the information out of them?

Luke stepped out of the corner he was hiding as he mulled over the idea. He walked down the long streets and kept his ears open, hoping he might learn something from the idle chatter of the passersby so he wouldn’t have to resort to his earlier idea.

Most people ignored his presence, walking past him. A few did spare him a glance before looking away, either from disinterest or uneasiness.

From the conversations he happened to hear, it was mostly about normal everyday things like gossip about a neighbor or what they planned to get for dinner. The rare snippets about the state of the country were so brief he could barely make anything of it.

After walking for some time with nothing to show for it, he stopped in front of a restaurant.

The fragrant smell of the food wafted into his nose, making his mouth water. He unconsciously swallowed as he stared at the entrance.

Ever since his escape, he hadn’t eaten anything for several reasons.

One had obviously been because of money. Another had been because he had never gone to any of the towns and cities before now. He also hadn’t been carrying food on him before he had been sealed. Even if he had, he doubted they would have been edible anyway.

The thought of foraging for food hadn’t crossed his mind. Besides, it wasn’t like he would have known what was safe to eat.

The only reason he hadn’t been anxious about getting food was because the evil god had explained to Luke that he would no longer need to eat or drink to survive, meaning he didn’t have to worry about dying of hunger or thirst.

Unfortunately, he would still experience hunger and thirst like any human which was both annoying and unpleasant.

Just as he was about to turn away, the front doors swung open, and someone was thrown out.

The person crashed heavily to the ground and cursed up a storm, drawing a crowd who wanted to see what the commotion was about.

Another person who Luke assumed was the owner of the restaurant stepped out and said with a sneer, “If you don’t like the food, don’t come here to make a fuss. There are plenty of paying customers who enjoy the food just fine.”

“They must be blind to pay for such trash,” the person on the floor said, pointing a finger at the owner.

Suddenly, a boy pushed past the owner and stood between the two.

He pointed at the person on the ground and said, “You say it’s trash, but you wolfed down everything on the plate. I think you’re just trying to get away with not having to pay for your food.”

The person on the ground rushed to their feet and raised a hand to strike the boy. The boy flinched and closed his eyes, but before the blow could land, Luke caught the person’s wrist.

“You shouldn’t hit a child,” Luke said as the person tried to pull their hand free.

“Why don’t you mind your own business?” the person snapped, unable to break free.

At that moment, the crowd parted, allowing two guards to step forward.

One demanded, “Alright, what’s going on here?”

As the blood drained from the face of the person Luke was holding, he noted that the fact they arrived so fast meant someone must have called for the guards.

“Officers, this man was trying to dine and dash, causing a commotion in my restaurant. I’m an honest man. I would never let my customers eat subpar food. I demand you uphold justice for me,” the owner said, earning the crowd’s approval.

“Is that so?” the guard said, eyeing the person who frantically shook his head.

“It’s not like that at all. Don’t listen to him,” the person said, his eyes blown wide and full of fear.

“He’s lying. We have proof. Arrest him, officers,” the boy chimed in, causing several people in the crowd to outwardly agree.

“I’ll take a look,” one of the guards said, following the owner inside to review surveillance footage.

It didn’t take long for them to return with a stern expression on their face.

“You’re coming with us,” the guard said, reaching out to grab the man.

Luke released his grip before being asked, and the guards dragged the man away. The crowd dispersed now that the show was over, leaving just Luke, the boy, and the owner left standing outside.

The boy walked up to Luke and said, “Thank you for saving me there. I really thought he was going to hit me.”

“It’s no problem. A grown man shouldn’t take it out on a child for the wrongs he committed,” Luke said, waving the boy off.

As he was about to walk away, his stomach rumbled and growled so loud that several people glanced his way with strange looks on their faces. Luke stood there awkwardly, unsure how to react.

He had never experienced such a cringeworthy situation before.

Even when he and his comrades had been stuck in the middle of nowhere fighting monsters, they always had provisions tucked away in their bags, so he had never experienced his stomach rumbling and growling in hunger before.

How could he have fallen so low?

All of a sudden, a booming laugh escaped the owner who slapped his thigh.

“That’s quite a stomach you got there. You must be hungry. How about I offer you a plate as thanks for protecting this kid here?” the owner said, pointing a thumb at the restaurant.

“I couldn’t possibly impose,” Luke said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Come on. The food here is really great. It’ll knock your socks off,” the boy said, grabbing Luke’s wrist and tugging him towards the restaurant.

Luke hesitated for a moment before allowing himself to be dragged inside.