"Can you two stop hugging so tightly? It’s hard to walk!!!"

I tried to gently push Tia and Aerin away.

"I almost lost my husband back there. I was so scared I needed to hold him for a moment."

"I was just worried you couldn’t support Tia alone, so I came to help."

"Are you calling me heavy???"

"Your fat’s obvious right on your chest."

"It’s because you don’t have any, so you’re jealous!!"

"Who’d be jealous of useless things like that!!!"

Ever since we left the palace, Aerin had been oddly sharp with Tia. Was she jealous this time too…

"Onii-chan!! Can we eat seafood now?? Seafood! Seafood!!!"

Phyllis skipped happily ahead of us.

"It’s nearly dinner time. Let’s go to that Waltz Restaurant Phyllis mentioned."

"Huh?? Really there?? It’s super fancy!!"

Aerin protested, but her eyes already sparkled with bright, eager light.

"We must go!! The travel guide says it’s an absolute must-visit!!!!"

Phyllis pulled Aerin’s travel guide from her tiny pocket and thrust it at me.

After weaving through the bustling downtown, we reached the seaside commercial strip. Strolling here offered gorgeous coastal views along the way. Our restaurant sat right on this stretch.

"How many in your party???"

A waiter greeted us warmly the moment we stepped inside.

"Four!"

"Right this way, please!!"

"Onii-chan! I want the outdoor seat by the sea!!"

Phyllis pointed to the patio tables.

"No problem!"

He guided us to our seats.

"What should we even order??"

I flipped open the menu as soon as I sat.

"I dunno T_T. Never been to a place this fancy before."

Aerin stared at the menu, tears welling in her eyes.

"Seafood!!! Seafood!! Onii-chan!! What seafood should we get!?"

"You rushed here without deciding what to eat??"

"Seafood means giant lobsters, scallops, oysters—stuff like that."

Tia tapped the menu.

"Giant lobster!! I’ve never had it T_T. I’ll get the cheese-baked one!!!"

Aerin’s eyes shimmered with tearful gratitude.

"Lemon oysters for me, thanks!"

Tia handed the menu to the waiter smoothly.

"Huh?? I want both!!! One of each!!!"

Never underestimate Phyllis as a normal little loli—her stomach was basically a bottomless pit.

"Just bring me your house specialty."

Ordering the specialty at a new spot was always the safest bet.

"Yes, sir."

The waiter took the menu and left.

"Ah!!! There you are!!!"

A stranger’s voice cut in suddenly.

I turned to see a lean, brown-haired man behind me.

"Who are you…???"

"Apologies for interrupting, but I must challenge these two ladies to a duel!"

"Huh??? A duel???"

Question marks practically floated over all our heads.

"Ah!! My fault—I’m Wildo, captain of the Azurewing Knights. Couldn’t approach you properly at the palace earlier."

"Wildo!! The!! The!!! Sword Saint Wildo!!!!"

Aerin slammed the table and shot up.

"Sword Saint!???"

I quickly scanned his info.

Name: Wildo

Level: 90

Class: Swordsman (Sword Saint)

Equipment: Azurewing Sword

Level 90??? Only the freakish Dragon Deity and that Demon we just faced were stronger.

"Sign for me now!!!!"

Aerin whipped out a tiny notebook and lunged forward.

"Ah?? Signing’s fine, but could we duel first??"

Wildo bowed politely.

"Onii-chan~~ Someone’s openly flirting with Sister Aerin, wanting a ‘duel’~~~"

"The duel they mean isn’t the one you’re imagining."

"I mean martial combat—not ‘forty-six moves’ or anything like that."

Hey!! Just ignore her! Why spell it out so seriously? And how’d you even think of forty-six moves?

"Martial duel?? I can’t beat the Sword Saint!"

Aerin shook her head fast.

"You two followed the Black Knight to slay a dragon! Please spar with me. Finding the Black Knight himself would be even better."

"The Black Knight……"

Aerin and Tia both stared at me.

"Why look at me?!"

"Pupil should duel him. I’m curious who’s stronger—the Sword Saint or you."

"Of course it’s my husband."

Tia sipped her water calmly.

"A duel between men??"

Phyllis gazed skyward, lost in some fantasy. Ignore her—her brain wasn’t wired like a human’s.

"You jest. A Diamond-rank adventurer fighting a Bronze-rank? I’d be ridiculed."

"Wait—the Sword Saint was one of the four Diamond-rank adventurers before!"

Aerin pulled out an booklet and flipped through it.

"Hey!! Where do you get these weird booklets? Can’t you read proper books like Tia?!"

"But they’re fun."

Aerin adored these gossip pamphlets.

"Got it!! Sword Saint Wildo: ex-Diamond adventurer, now captain of the Azurewing Knights under the Kingdom."

She jabbed the page.

"As Miss Aerin said, it’d shame me to bully a Bronze-rank."

"Don’t act like I’m not even qualified!!!"

He smiled brightly, but it just annoyed me.

"I don’t wanna duel either!! We’re about to eat!"

Aerin’s eyes kept darting toward the kitchen.

"Ah. Poor timing. I’ll leave you to your meal. We’ll duel later—promise me!!"

Wildo bowed and left.

So blunt.

"Guests, your food’s ready. Enjoy."

"Here it is!! Seafood!!!!"

Phyllis danced excitedly, grabbing an oyster and popping it whole into her mouth.

"Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Beside her, Aerin bit into the cheese-baked lobster—her eyes instantly sparkled with heart-shaped stars.

"These lobsters are northern blue-shelled giants. Rare outside these waters."

Tia explained. They looked like Italian blue-shelled lobsters—only found there.

"So good!! How’s it made?? I wanna learn!!!"

Aerin scribbled seasoning ratios in her notebook while chewing.

"Guess I’ll dig in too."

I lifted the lid off my covered dish with knife and fork.

"………………………………………"

"Uh… what did I order?"

"Husband ordered the house specialty."

"Why’s this specialty so… special?"

"It’s a supreme dish! North Sea abalone and premium golden-wrapped mushrooms—top-tier ingredients and cooking!"

"Top-tier my ass!!!! Who invented golden-wrapped mushrooms stewed with abalone!!!!"

This’d be pixelated garbage in public!!!!

"What’s wrong? If you won’t eat it, I will!!!"

Aerin reached her fork toward my plate.

"Hey!!!! It’s indecent for a girl to eat that in broad daylight!!"

"Onii-chan’s noisy!! Just eat! You’re the only one with dirty thoughts here!"

Dirty thoughts my ass!!! I finally thought this was becoming a proper isekai story! And now this again!!!!

"Husband, quiet down. Other guests are staring."

"Sorry. My thoughts are too dirty."