Did you hear that, Vivia?
You picked that up, right?
Picked it up perfectly!
What are you doing?!
Welcome...
to the short-term, traveling open-air Adventurer's Restaurant.
Support for the venue preparations and staff by the people of the town.
Food provided by Blacks' Restaurant.
I think I've mentioned everything.
What's going on? Why is everyone here connected to magic in the capital?
H-Hey! Is the conversation we just heard true?
But I'd heard that restaurant held many rare books of magic!
You burned it down? What have you done?
And they said that the highest judge in the land was in on it!
In this kingdom, it's the wizards and sages who carry out the law.
So I won't be the one who to pass judgment on you.
It'll be the laws of this kingdom.
Hooray!
Mission successful! Yeah!
That conversation just now was heard by every single barrister.
Sestavitch-san!
We'll take care of the aftermath of all this.
You've worked hard, haven't you?
They can no longer talk their way out of this.
This is the end.
I don't really like this kind of stuff,
but let me say this anyway.
Serves you right, Vigo!
Dennis, you...
Dennis-san!
Here he comes! Get back!
I always knew that you would interfere with my military rule one day.
It seems that simply casting you out was far too lenient.
Dennis.
I'll kill you.
We were once comrades, so I'll make sure you meet a brutal end!
I'll take that fight, Vigo!
Vigo, let me introduce you!
This is Dennis!
I met him the other day at the tavern.
His stats are seriously hilarious!
What? He's just a cook.
Huh? What d'you mean "just"?
"Just" what?
Now, now.
Come on, Dennis. Don't get so worked up!
And I'm not just being nice for politeness' sake here. His food is super good!
If he joins up with us, I just know it'll get everyone excited!
Very well.
You'd better work hard.
Welcome to Silver Wing!
Yeah.
Thanks for having me.
This thing was pretty strong.
But it wasn't any match for our captain, though.
Steak today, too?
Nope. Hamburger steak!
For real?
For real.
Guys! This is crazy! Great news!
We're having hamburger steak today!
I have no intention of wasting time on a meal.
As soon as we're finished eating, we're moving on.
Judging by the state of this dungeon, there should be something even bigger farther in.
The job was to take this thing out, wasn't it?
What's the point of just doing what we're told?
I'm going to make Silver Wing even bigger.
To do that, I can't afford to stand still for even a single moment.
Huh. You really are a greedy one, aren't you, Captain?
Aren't you?
I've worked desperately hard to rise to where I am now.
And I'm going to keep climbing to a place that's even further and far higher than this.
We aren't the ones who have things taken from us.
We are the ones who take.
Am I wrong?
Well, I don't really know.
Then I ask you this!
Why do you aim to reach level 100?
Huh?
Oh. Well...
Huh?
Oh, no!
Hot!
This one, too?
Wow! These smells great!
They're a little burnt, though.
What are you talking about? That's part of its greatness!
Delicious!
How is it this juicy?
I can feel energy flooding my whole body!
Here, Vigo.
We're setting out right away, right?
In that case, hurry up and eat!
Go on. Dig in before it gets cold!
This is good.
What are you grinning about? It's creepy. Can I have seconds?
You slipped that request for seconds right in there.
It's just so good!
And my number one most favorite food is hamburger steak!
So, can I have two more?
Yeah, sure.
Thank you.
Huh? Why so formal?
I'll make you two, three, or however many hamburgers you want.
Not that.
Thanks to you, Silver Wing is doing really great.
Because of me?
The quiet medicine mixing and alchemy you do for us, too...
All of it is a huge help.
Vigo's grateful, too.
Vigo is?
Not in particular.
You heard him.
You ate that fast, didn't you?
Did I?
I mean, it's just so good!
Can I have another serving?
All right. And don't worry, there's still more!
Yay! I knew it. You're the best, Dennis!
I want a big one, please!
You made an unthinkable mistake.
We have no need of someone as slow-witted as you.
Leave.
What? Wait, please! I beg you, just give me one more chance!
I said, leave. Didn't you hear me?
Hey!
I can't really do much, you know?
But eat this and cheer up a little.
It's rice balls packed with recovery effects.
This place wasn't a good fit for you, that's all.
You just need to find the place where you belong.
Dennis.
Let's go, Katie. And get Dennis, too.
You failed, did you?
I suppose Silver Wing isn't all that impressive after all.
My deepest apologies.
It doesn't matter. This quest was simply meant to stave off boredom.
If one or two of you had died, it would have made for a story at least.
It wouldn't have been a particularly good story.
What did you say?
Don't, Vigo.
Blast it!
You need to calm down already.
Don't you feel frustrated?
Huh?
Not just about today.
Those lazy dimwits lucky enough to be born into a privileged class...
They always look down on us!
Dennis!
We're going to get the better of them and make them grovel at our feet!
We have the capability and talent to do that!
Don't we?
Thank you for waiting!
You say that...
but there's some stuff you just can't do anything about, you know?
His Contact Destruction skill?
If I take hits me straight on, I'll break into pieces.
It's just for my peace of mind, but...
I've enhanced my senses.
That should make things a little better.
Why are you so passionate about this?
You were always more aloof.
You would pretend, but no more than that.
You wouldn't stand against an opponent you couldn't beat.
That's how you always handled things so deftly.
"A change of heart." You babbled something about that, didn't you?
But...
in the end...
you're just a kind, naïve, spoiled, little boy who got taken in by a rich mama!
Is this all you are, Dennis?
He's wearing me down. At this rate...
No matter how much you try to change, you're still just a cook.
I had the wrong idea about you!
You are one of the ones who has things taken from him!
My heart is that of a falcon, and you can do no more than bow before it!
This is a battle between two people at level 99!
The way he uses that broadsword...
He's put way too much into his battle skill, hasn't he?
Yeah, but the boss isn't lettin' himself get beat!
His skills are impressive!
Yes.
Atelier-chan.
Oh.
My sense enhancement skill is still active.
The movement around me looks slow.
Dennis-san!
Boss!
I've got to right myself, or things will get worse.
But... what do I do after that?
That Vigo... It's frustrating, but he really is strong.
What am I even doing here?
Making the food I want to make, having my own restaurant...
helping people out sometimes, acting like a big brother, having people count on me...
Enjoying a fun-filled life like that should have been fine, right?
And I thought that if I did that, I'd reach level 100 really fast, you know?
I won't be able to reach level 100?
What do you mean?
Given who you are, at best, you'll stop at level 99.
What's that mean?
Up until now, my level's gone up at a remarkable speed.
I'll catch up to your level 100 soon enough.
You need something a little different to reach level 100.
A ruffian like you, who only ever does things half-heartedly, will never achieve it.
What? So what do I need, then?
As long as you don't know the answer to that,
no matter what you do, it will remain impossible.
Now that I think about it, why did I become a cook again?
Why did I work so hard making all that food?
Was it because the head chef took me in and I had nowhere else to go?
That day, Head Chef made me the most delicious fried rice in the world.
And then I thought, "I want to be able to make food like this, too!"
No.
That's not it.
The thing I've been chasing after... is that feeling.
The feeling I got from eating that fried rice.
That sense of... more than "deliciousness," it was "warmth."
To be someone who could serve up food packed with something like that...
Instead of being someone who was served, I wanted to be the one serving it.
To people who'd gone through something sad...
To people in harsh situations...
To people with empty stomachs...
To give them the strength to live through tomorrow.
To be able to make someone smile. To be able to protect that smile.
That's right.
That's the kind of food I wanted to make.
That's why I became a cook.
Boss!
Dennis-san!
And yet...
look at the expressions I've put on their faces.
Don't let him beat you!
Dennis-sama!
Dennis!
Level 100 isn't a place you reach.
Huh?
It isn't something you aim for, or something you become.
It's something you are without realizing it.
I don't understand how it feels! That's the problem!
Do you know the story of the bluebird?
No, I don't.
It traveled all over, looking for happiness. But true happiness was always close at hand.
One of those morality tales, then.
Levels work the same way.
There's only a tiny difference between level 99 and level 100.
It's just a matter of whether that which you already possess manifests.
Now, where do you suppose that last piece is buried?
The last piece?
From the very beginning...
it's always been right here.
You just didn't know it, that's all.
Back then, I didn't understand what she was saying.
But now... I understand.
It's over!
What's goin' on?
Look...
Dennis-san!
Just being strong isn't enough.
Just making delicious food isn't enough.
There are a lot of things I didn't do as well as I could have.
But I want to become... No! I will become...
I...
What is...
I will become someone who can protect their smiles, the strongest chef!
The Last Piece?
It was close, but it looks like I managed to get it...
that last piece.
Episode 12 Welcome to the Outcast's Restaurant!
Dennis-sama.
I'm sorry I put that look on your face, Atelier.
But everything's fine now.