Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Chapter 146

“I understand that my nephew has caused you great trouble,” Rowland said as he bowed his hand. He held onto his nephew, keeping Joseph’s head low as he continued. “And as a Captain of the [Knight of the Astral Order], I will do whatever is necessary to make amends for his brash actions.”

I stared at the [Knight]— I looked him up and down, taking in the jewels woven into his ornate armor. I glanced back to the rest of the room, seeing all the eyes focused on this little scene. The commotion Rowland and his nephew caused had attracted a lot of attention to us. And certainly, they expected me to accept the apology being given. Maybe even rebuke it.

Or whatever it was, they expected something from me. And while I wanted to give Sir Rowlan Donovan the courtesy of a response, I couldn’t. Because of a very simple problem.

I didn’t recognize his nephew at all.

I narrowed my eyes, studying Joseph's face. He was relatively young compared this uncle, but if I had to guess, he was definitely older than Noele. He had messy black hair, and his face was cut up, covered in some bandages. But those injuries seemed to have mostly healed at this point. He had a few bruise marks too, and those were relatively fresh.

He did look vaguely familiar. However, I was pretty sure I had never heard his name before in my life. I pursed my lips as I looked back to Rowland.

The [Knight] Captain was earnest— very sincere in his apology. I really didn’t want to dismiss him by telling him the truth. So I nodded slowly.

“Uh, right… I forgive you?” I finally said as I scratched my cheek.

Sir Rowland sighed in relief, before raising his head. His nephew tried to follow suit, but he didn’t move his hand. Joseph was forced to remain bowing in place.

“You have my utmost thanks, Ms Amelia,” the [Knight] said as he smiled at me. His grip on his nephew’s head tightened as he continued threateningly. “I will ensure that this boy right here is properly educated to carry the Donovan name with the honor and respect it deserves.”

Joseph yelped as Rowland took a step back.

“Now apologize!” continued Rowland, practically smashing his nephew’s head against the floorboards.

And Joseph sputtered as he winced in pain. “I-I’m sorry!”

Now I knew how he got those marks on his face. I was sympathetic, but apparently he had wronged me in the past, so I wasn’t really sure how to feel anyways. I watched as Rowland dragged his nephew back.

And the third individual who was with them stepped forward. A blond man also dressed in a [Knight]’s armor. Although, he was less well-decorated than Sir Rowland.

He greeted me curtly, “Greetings, Ms Amelia.”

“Now who are you?” I asked with a raised brow.

“My name is Wyn Stefard,” he said as he placed a fist on his breastplate. “I am Sir Rowland’s lieutenant. His second-in-command, if you will.”

“And what do you want?” I peered at him curiously. “Did one of your nephews happen to dishonor his family name by disrespecting me too?”

Wyn’s eyes flickered, before he glanced back at Rowland and Joseph. “So you do not remember. Just as I suspected.”

“Well, you don’t have to out me like that,” I said as I crossed my arms. “I get bothered by annoying idiots all the time. It’s not my fault I can’t remember every single instance where someone shows up and causes trouble for me.”

Especially since some of them were far more memorable than others. I looked back at Arthur who was waiting by the kitchen. The former Lich King winced, and I shook my head.

The [Knight]-lieutenant nodded as he returned to parade rest. “I believe it would ease Sir Rowland’s mind to know that you were unbothered by his nephew’s actions. However, I will be sure to inform him about your feelings on the matter at an appropriate time.”

“Thanks,” I said gratefully.

“But in any case, I tagged along with Sir Rowland for the sole purpose of offering you compensation for what has occurred,” Wyn continued as he produced a small treasure chest. He proffered it to me, fractionally raising the lid to reveal a pile of glittering platinum coins within. “For the inconvenience we have caused.”

My eyes went wide as I caught a glimpse of what was inside. I stared at it for a long moment— it was more money than I had made since opening Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant. And I was being offered it because of… an event which I didn’t even remember.

I raised a hand to accept this gift— and I stopped myself. At one point in time, when I had first arrived in Vacuos, I would have been elated to receive such a large sum of money from anyone. But many things had happened since then.

I realized now that seeking out riches and wealth wouldn’t offer me any sense of fulfillment. While it temporarily placated the emptiness I felt back then, it wasn’t the solution. It did not help me towards my goal— towards living a peaceful life.

Wyn looked at me expectantly, but I pushed the small chest back to him.

“I can’t accept this. Whatever Rowland’s nephew did… it can’t be that bad if I don’t even remember it,” I said as I shook my head.

“Well, it was more than a singular event—” the [Knight]-lieutenant started.

And I gestured vaguely around me. “If you really want to give me your money, you can spend it here at my restaurant. Otherwise, I’m not going to take it.”

Wyn paused. He stared at me for a moment, before lowering the small chest. He tried to work his jaw. “You can’t be serious, right? This is ten platinum coins—”

“And I don’t need it,” I said as I shrugged. “I do appreciate the sentiment, though.”

It was a casual response. And it completely befuddled the [Knight]-lieutenant. He wanted to protest, but at the same time he clearly didn’t want to force the coin onto me. So he just stood there, bobbing his mouth like a fish out of water.

And Rowland laughed.

“A lady of valor, I see.” He strode forward as he left his nephew by the restaurant’s doorway. “As expected, from everything I have heard about you.”

“What have you heard about me?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

“I have heard that you are a fantastic chef, even if you are not a [Chef].” He smirked at me, before glancing towards a nearby empty table. “Very well. We shall try the best dishes your fine establishment has to offer!”

“Alright, Harlan, bring them—” I started.

But Rowland interrupted me. He spread his arms wide as he turned to the rest of the room.

“And for the rest of you, you can eat all you want! I shall personally cover the costs of every single one of your meals for today by the [Knight of the Astral Order]!” the [Knight] Captain declared as the watching customers blinked.

There was a moment of silence where they processed his words. And all at once, they cheered. I watched as the crowd broke out into a ruckus, inundating Harlan, Arthur, and Jax with a deluge of orders.

I pursed my lips, feeling bad for two of them. However, Jax deserved it. Mostly because I was going to have to duel him later on, and I was going to make him work as much as possible to get what he wanted since I really didn’t want to have to fight him again.

I took a step back as Harlan and Arthur rushed around the room. Rowland and Wyn settled into their seats, before Jax began to take their order. I heard the clamoring of voices and nodded to myself.

“Right, I need to get back to work too,” I murmured to myself.

But as I turned around, I spotted a figure standing before me, blocking my way. It was Noele— my apprentice. The Noble Spellsword. She was staring at me as I raised a brow at her.

“What’s up, Noele?” I asked simply.

And the blonde girl just spoke. “You turned down free money.”

“I did.” I nodded. “I don’t really care about money, if I’m being honest.”

She looked me up and down, before biting her lower lip. “Who are you and what have you done to Amelia?”

I rolled my eyes, before getting back to work. Somehow, without doing anything, I had somehow brought more attention to my restaurant. And it was going to be a busy day ahead of me.