Diana's House
The sky was beginning to darken when Neo and Diana finally headed back toward the village.
The small basket they carried was now filled with the berries they had picked.
Diana walked along, gazing at the basket's contents with a satisfied expression.
"Finally done. We got quite a lot today."
Neo nodded.
"Yeah..."
He looked at the berries.
"Thanks for inviting me."
Diana smiled.
"Hehe, you're welcome."
They continued walking until they finally arrived at Diana's house.
Dinner
As soon as they entered the house, Diana handed the basket to her mother.
"Mom, here are the berries."
Elara, Diana's mother, accepted the basket and looked inside.
"Good. Just put them on the table. I'll prepare them for dinner later."
"Okay, Mom."
A little while later, the house began to fill with the aroma of cooking.
Neo, Diana, Aldren, and Elara finally sat together at the dining table.
For the first time since awakening in this unfamiliar world, Neo enjoyed dinner with other people.
He took a small portion of food and tasted it.
His eyes widened slightly at once.
"This food... it's delicious."
Aldren let out a quiet laugh.
"Hahaha... Diana cooked it."
Neo turned toward Diana.
"Really?"
Diana scratched her cheek with an embarrassed smile.
"Hehe... yeah. I'm still learning how to cook."
Neo tasted his food again.
"If this is you still learning, I can't imagine how good it will be once you're an expert."
Diana's face instantly turned red.
"Huh...?"
Elara laughed at her daughter's expression.
"Hahaha, it's not every day someone compliments Diana's cooking."
Diana flushed even more.
"Oh, Mom..."
Quiet laughter filled the dining table.
Neo only smiled.
For some reason, a simple atmosphere like this felt incredibly comforting to him.
He didn't remember where he came from.
He didn't know who his family was.
He didn't even know whether he still had a home in this world.
But for now...
He didn't feel alone.
After dinner was over, they remained seated together in the main room.
Aldren then looked at Neo.
"Neo, what about you? Do you have somewhere to stay yet?"
Neo shook his head.
"Not yet."
Aldren and Elara exchanged glances.
A few moments later, Elara smiled gently.
"In that case, you can stay here for now."
Neo looked surprised.
"Really?"
He quickly shook his head.
"I don't want to be a burden."
Aldren smiled.
"It's no problem."
He looked at Neo calmly.
"You came to this world without knowing anything. The least we can do is help you."
Neo fell silent.
Those simple words made his heart feel warm.
"...Thank you."
Diana, sitting not far away, smiled as she watched Neo.
"Then tomorrow, I can show you around the village."
Neo turned toward her.
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
Diana nodded enthusiastically.
"You need to get to know this place if you want to become an adventurer."
Neo was silent for a moment.
An adventurer.
For some reason, the word intrigued him.
At last, Neo nodded.
"All right."
Diana smiled.
"Then we'll start tomorrow!"
The night grew late.
While Diana's family began preparing for bed, Neo continued thinking about everything that had happened since he opened his eyes.
An unfamiliar world.
Lost memories.
The mysterious figure in his dreams.
And one name that continued to echo in his mind.
The Demon King.
Neo still didn't know what awaited him.
But without realizing it, his new life in Desa Antrika had begun. .. .. .. .. ..