'Holy Mythic holder? She's a Holy Mythic holder…?'
Nightingale's eyes flickered first with confusion, then realization, and finally settling on an expression that bordered on horror.
'Tsk. Of course, she's a Holy Mythic Holder.'
'Not only is she the daughter of Humanity's strongest, she's a Holy Mythic wielder and on top of that, a prodigy with the great sword talent. And she also has a True name too!'
It hardly seemed possible. Most people were never that fortunate. In fact, her father was the only person with a Transcendent Mythic!
On top of that, she possessed a True Name. Normally, Espers were granted such a name by the Black Spire only after conquering the Tenth Floor, though even then, it was far from guaranteed. In truth, receiving a True Name was an exceedingly rare honor reserved solely for those whom the Mire itself deemed truly exceptional and significant.
Now Nightingale finally understood why Uriel was considered such an extraordinary existence.
At first glance, she was the kind of person who seemed favored by the heavens. Exceptional physique, flawless beauty, prodigious talent and, most importantly, a prestigious heritage. It was as if the Gods had devoted seventy percent of their attention to her, leaving only the remainder for the rest of the world.
She was perfection incarnate and everyone else had to deal with the scraps.
'Wouldn't someone like that become a spoiled princess? Wait, why did he think she was spoiled?'
Nightingale blinked, suddenly startled by his own thoughts.
"Yo! Everyone, order up! Everything's on me, so don't hold a grudge, okay?" a voice called out cheerfully.
It was the woman named Nellibel. To his surprise, her voice sounded sweet and far softer than her rough appearance suggested.
Why was it always people like this that had most lovely voices?
The group erupted into conversation. Glasses clinked, cutlery struck plates, and mouths worked in hurried unison. Yet Uriel had only a small plate before her, eating slowly, taking her time.
As if their toast had served as a signal, the other patrons remembered their own drinks and meals. The room seemed to flip a switch, and suddenly everything had returned to normal.
Marcus beckoned the female attendant from earlier, effortlessly turning on the charm of a seasoned womanizer. Within moments, she was seated with them, a glass of whiskey in hand, with her cheeks flushed deep crimson.
Just like that, she was drunk.
Normally, attendants weren't allowed to sit with customers, but she had asked Madame Ross, who was behind the counter, and received a thumbs-up in approval.
"Are you enjoying yourself, Tyr?" Marcus asked with a smile, leaning slightly forward. He made sure to use the girl's name, skillfully obtained through their earlier interactions.
It was a unique name.
Tyr looked down at her drink like she had become shy.
"…I'm a bit overwhelmed, actually."
"Is it because of your job?"
She shook her head.
"Not really. The kitchen is busy, but the others have everything else covered. Only a few people come here, but we usually do get Espers, given how reserved we are."
Marcus nodded, intrigued.
"Oh… you mean like those people over there?"
She turned her head, and a flash of recognition crossed her eyes.
"Ah, yes… yes! Necessarium! They're regulars. Twilight Star, in particular, seems to like it here."
Nightingale raised an eyebrow. They actually enjoyed dining at a former strip club? How curious. He couldn't help but feel he'd just scored a bit of juicy information and all without lifting a finger. Marcus had done all the work.
Good job! Even a pervert has his ways… or is it precisely because he's a pervert that he has those ways?
What was the point of that line of thinking? He shook his head and shoved the thought aside.
"Hmm... that does sound interesting, but forget about them. Tell me more about your," Marcus said simply without much consideration. In response, the girl said she thought this was a nice place to work at the time.
"Like I said earlier, we have gotten popular with Espers recently, so money keeps coming in. The pay is good."
"Are you one of those people who's in love with money?"
Hearing that, Tyr looked a bit offended and shook her head vigorously.
"No, that's not it at all. Pfff–! Who am I kidding? Who in this world doesn't like money? I don't know anyone that pure hearted. But it's not just about that… it's… hard to explain."
She turned her head, surveying the main floor of the bar.
A waitress leaned slightly to take a male customer's order. Patrons stared at their food with hungry eyes, while a group of prums on the other side of the room were living it up.
Glasses clinked everywhere, and people drank until their faces were flushed red.
"More people means more possibilities. I get really excited just thinking about what I might discover on any given day."
Her eyes sparkled.
She hiccupped the moment she noticed the two of them watching her. Her cheeks burned a vivid red, too.
"Anyway, that's how it is. I guess meeting new people is fun… my heart just yearns for it."
"That's quite the hobby you've got there. So, you're the adventurous type, huh? How awesome."
"Guess you could say that."
"In that case, how about you and I go upstairs for a little adventure of our own? If you know what I mean," Marcus said and winked at her.
Tyr's eyes widened, her cheeks heating like a furnace.
"I… I—" she stammered and hiccuped again. Her hands gripped the edge of the table as if it were a lifeline.
"Relax, I'm just teasing," he said smoothly. "Unless… you're up for it?"
Her face turned an even deeper shade of red. She glanced around nervously at the other patrons, then back at him, struggling to find the right words.
"I—um… that's… not really…" l
"Not really?" Marcus tilted his head, feigning disappointment. "Wow, that's a shame. I thought you'd be more adventurous, given how much you love meeting new people."
Observing silently, Nightingale felt his eyebrow twitch.
Does he always do this? More importantly, why hadn't she snapped back at him? Maybe she did not want to appear rude to a customer.
Whichever the case, it didn't matter.
Lu Song quickly lost interest and shifted his attention back to the group known as Necessarie. He adjusted his posture, careful not to make it obvious that he was observing them.
Soon, their voices drifted to his ears.
"Hey, I heard you guys came out of the Tower looking… a little rough," Nellibel began the conversation.
"Oh, wow. News sure travels fast. I wonder why no one cared when we cleared the Tenth Floor," one of them replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"Ugh, it can't be helped. Our group seems to be getting quite popular lately," Sky added with a bright smile that showed his pristine white teeth.
"Yeah, yeah, forget about that! Just tell me what happened in there. C'mon, c'mon, spill it! Aren't you going to tell me?" Nellibel pressed and fixed her eyes on Uriel with eager anticipation.
Noticing her stare, Uriel frowned and chewed thoughtfully on a lone strand of spaghetti that wriggled like a tiny, defiant worm in her mouth.
After a moment, she exhaled a resigned sigh.
"Where should I start? I guess it all happened when we killed the last monster on the Seventeenth Floor."