Boss, what do you think?
About what?
Why weren't you listening?
I didn't think you were talking to me.
What I said was—
What are you ordering?
Oh, um... Sorcery ramen!
Coming up.
You were asking if you should hide your gender if you want to keep adventuring, right?
So you were listening!
Why are you worried about that?
Well, because...
I think you should do things the way you want to do them.
The way I want to?
Because, whatever the case, you're you.
Order up! Thanks for waiting!
I'm me.
I'm sorry! I'm going to borrow the back for a minute!
Hey! Is something wrong?
What's all that noise?
When people make mistakes, they start being afraid of making more mistakes,
and sometimes they lose sight of who they really are.
But instead of doing that...
I'm certain that just being your true self...
is far better!
I think that's good.
Atelier-chan!
It's so good!
Boss, when you said, "You're you," that really resonated with me!
A skilled chef's words just carry a different weight, don't they?
By the way...
you're coming here to eat meal...
but you are looking to join another party, aren't you?
Well, you know, not everything can go smoothly.
Once you finish eating that, go out and find a job, then pay off your tab!
What? You're keeping a tab?
Of course I am!
What?
The first one was on me, remember? You need to try harder!
Welcome.
Boss, you're being so mean!
Welcome.
A man? No. A woman?
What a beautiful child!
Let me know when you're ready to order.
What's good here?
Everything's good here!
That sort of answer is the most unhelpful.
Oh, then how about a vritra katsudon?
I'm not in the mood for a rice bowl.
In that case, the pasta here is delicious, too!
You could have a hearty spa-katsu!
That sounds a little heavy.
What about kelpie udon?
Udon is sort of...
Then what do you want, you little jerk?
Boss, calm down!
Everyone's clueless sometimes when they're young.
In times like this... order fried rice.
Um...
Then I'll have the fried rice.
Coming up!
Thanks for waiting!
Ankake fried rice should be pretty easy to eat.
So, did something bad happen?
I'm not sure what you're referring to.
You were sighing, and you seemed like you wanted someone to listen.
There's nothing in particular I want to talk about.
If not, that's fine.
Well, if you insist.
So you are gonna talk.
I suppose the issue is that the level of those around me is too low.
I see. Well, that's... rough.
Do you want to know exactly what I'm referring to?
No, not especially.
Their mindsets are lacking.
And you're telling us anyway.
All they can think about is completing
the quest in front of them and earning paltry amounts.
They have no thought of growing into a top-tier party at all!
You hear that?
What?
You're not even earning money, so maybe you should be six feet under.
Boss, sometimes you're just naturally rude.
Whatever the case, I refuse to stand for it!
For a group of unmotivated louts
to carelessly go and play at being adventurers... It's unforgivable!
And I'm right, right?
We're talking about adventurers!
We're not talking about fully developed, safe lands.
Exploring unknown lands... That's what a true adventurer does, don't you think?
Don't you think?
Y-Yeah.
And, well, when I told them this, my party kicked me out.
You got kicked out?
Hey, is our restaurant sending out outcast-attracting pheromones or something?
How am I supposed to know, Boss?
Well, a party with such a poor mindset is one I'd like to withdraw from anyway!
After all, one day, I will reach that pinnacle of adventurers...
the Silver Wing Battalion, and I am the man who will become their greatest wizard!
Well, you know, just be careful not to get too worked up and end up alone.
When all is said and done, adventurers are adventurers because of their parties.
Well, if there is ever a party that can keep up with me, I'll consider it.
Right.
Thank you. It was delicious. No need for change.
Yes, you paid the exact amount.
My name is Vivia, Vivia Strange.
R-Right. Come again!
Come again.
Next time, I'll come for the shrimp fried rice.
So... he liked the fried rice, then?
Oh, that's right!
I've decided to join the strongest party around here, the Night Mist Troop.
Oh. Congrats.
When you're as great as I am, you find yourself very populous, you see?
I think you probably mean "popular."
They say that, too.
But do your levels match?
The levels will come later.
I have many advanced skills, you see.
All that's left is to put them into practice.
You're young, but you're full of spirit, aren't you?
Apparently, that party chose me because of my future potential.
Really?
Well, if you think it'll work out, there's nothing more to consider.
So I'm joining the Night Mist Troop at last.
Joining the Silver Wing Battalion may not be too far off.
Order up! Thanks for waiting!
Once I join Silver Wing,
do you think I'll get a cool epithet?
Maybe something like... the Stygian Conjurer.
Nickname: Legendary Fried Rice
He's a little too self-involved, but wanting to improve yourself isn't a bad thing.
If he finds a stable party that'll train him up right,
one day, he'll be a dependable adventurer.
When's your first job?
Huh? Oh. Tomorrow.
Really? What kind of request is it?
Gathering rare synthesis materials, so we'll probably head down to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor?
Pardon the intrusion.
Search.
Level 17, huh?
I suppose that's on the high side for his age,
but a level in the high thirties is recommended for the fifth floor.
It's not an area you want to take an adventurer at his level.
Isn't that a little too deep?
What's this? Boss, you can tell?
Well, you know, I can tell that much.
It'll be fine.
Apparently, the most elite of their elite members will provide me with full support.
He said he had a lot of advanced skills,
but he probably just read about them in books and feels like he knows them.
A person's level
is a quantification of the number and quality of the skills they've acquired.
The reason a person's base stats increase with each level
is because the skills they've acquired become more accurate and are almost always active.
If he really has acquired multiple advanced skills,
then it's odd that his level hasn't increased a similar amount.
I suppose it just shows how much they expect from me.
But everyone has limits, right?
What is this? You've never gone into a dungeon, have you?
It's a world that only adventurers can understand, you see.
That's true.
The last time I went in, it was to the thirty-seventh floor.
I'm certain it'll be fine. It's a top-tier party, after all.
Yeah, but...
Next time, I'll come for the crab fried rice.
Eggs and meat. Eggs and meat.
Eggs and meat.
He's probably arrived at the fifth floor by now.
Should I have stopped him, whatever it took?
No. In the world of adventurers, taking personal responsibility is the general rule.
But, that said...
I hope he's safe.
Yes, me too.
But d'you think that kid, Vivia or whatever, will be all right?
That's just the way we do things. Too late to worry now.
But making him go down to the fifth floor just to see if he can make it back alive...
Captain Hopper does some terrifying stuff, you know?
It's like a rite of passage.
Pretty much everyone has died, though.
What'd you do that for?
I wanted to talk to you.
We're members of the Night Mist Troop!
Get 'em!
Atelier! Sorry, but we're gonna close for the day.
For dinner, you'll...
Be careful.
Don't worry.
Stay away! Stay away from me!
Just me, by myself?
It's a test to join the troop.
The captain's got high hopes for you!
I have to at least make it back to the fourth, no, the third floor!
What's that?
What is this?
There's magic running through it! I can't get it off!
If I'm right, then spell-breaking magic...
It's, um... Um...
Huh? My mind's completely blank.
I read all those books so thoroughly.
I wrote it all out on paper over and over.
I thought I had it all memorized, but...
At this rate, they'll find me.
I'll be stabbed over and over with those broken-bladed knives...
and cut to shreds...
And in the end...
No!
No! I don't want this! No!
No! No!
You saved me. Thank you.
This is all thanks to you teaching me the steps for breaking a spell.
It's impressive that you know magic that old.
Yes...
I didn't know about this place. If you hadn't been here...
It's too soon to feel safe yet.
We still need to find a way to escape this place.
Yeah.
I'm Vivia. What's your name?
Cynthia.
Did you get lost and end up down here, too?
My party left me behind.
When we were running from monsters, I got caught in that trap, too.
But no one came to save me.
Everyone left me and ran away.
What a horrible bunch.
It's all right.
No matter what I did, I was never any good at the basics. I caused them a lot of trouble.
I'm so sorry! This has nothing to do with you!
For now, we'll just wait for your party to rescue you.
I'm the same as you.
What?
There's no one who will come and rescue me.
Maybe I've been too pretentious.
No matter what party I join, I get into arguments.
I've just got a terrible personality.
I don't think that's true!
You don't know anything about me, though.
And you don't know anything about me, either.
Well, that tips me off.
I've never talked to a stranger like this before.
How can I put it? It's made me feel a little better.
Then I'm glad.
Hey, I have a plan.
A plan?
I'll act as a decoy and draw off all those goblins.
While I do that, you escape, even if it's without me.
We can't do that! If you don't survive, there's no point!
If you hadn't saved me, I'd be dead right now.
This is the first time I've felt this way.
Now that I think back, I've always lived selfishly.
I looked down on everyone around me.
I kept thinking that I was different from them.
But, Cynthia, you saved my life.
You comforted me.
I want you, at least, to make it out of this. I wish it from the bottom of my heart.
Listen, I'll jump out first.
While I'm distracting them, you run.
No! We'll wait for rescue together.
It's all right.
I want you to be the one who lives!
Wait!
Please, don't go!
All right. Come on!
I'm not supposed to be alive right now anyway!
If it means that Cynthia will survive, then I'm fine with it!
That's an adventurer!
Come on, goblins!
I, Vivia Strange, will fight you!
Palm!
Alchemy!
Steel!
A pot grew out of the rocks?
It's a monster!
Palm! Palm! Palm! Palm! Palm!
Calm down, Vivia!
Palm! Palm! Palm! Palm! Palm!
I said, calm down! It's me! It's me!
That voice... The boss from the restaurant?
What was the point in my hiding my face?
You dolt! Why did you jump out in front of those goblins?
Ow!
Stop making me worry about you.
Let's hurry up and get out of here while we can!
Please, wait! There's one more!
One more?
Yes, the girl who saved me.
She might have run already.
I didn't pass anyone.
Then she's in that hollow!
Hollow?
Cynthia, we've been rescued!
Let's go back together—
Are you talking about...
these skeletal remains?
Cynthia...
Cynthia Dread.
Oh, this is it.
Sixteen years old. Wizard.
Thirteen years ago, she got separated from her party on the fifth floor.
Whereabouts unknown.
She must have died there on that floor.
Are the two of you relatives of hers?
I've heard of this.
The spirits of adventurers who die in dungeons sometimes rescue living adventurers.
Thank you.
I'll come back again.
I'll keep coming back to visit your grave.
I'm going to become the number one wizard in the world, no matter what.
No matter what... I'll become a powerful wizard, and I'll save girls like you.
I will, no matter what!
Man, I'm starving.
You must be hungry, too.
I'll make you some fried rice or something. Come and eat.
I will have some.
Don't be so downhearted!
If you're like that, then Cynthia-chan won't be able to rest in peace!
All right, fine! I understand! But let me be sad for a little while!
In ancient times, any time people experienced something mysterious
that they weren't able to explain
or stirred their hearts, they would call it "magic."
If that's true, then she truly was...
a magic-user, a wizard.
Why...
That's an Adventurer!
did things turn out like this?
Right before we closed up, a customer arrived.
For some reason, I keep thinking about her.
Episode 4 Then, I'll Have the Daily Special
Dennis-sama, I want you to make delicious food for this person.