"Eat everything you like. Today is my treat." Noel smiled, looking at the kids. He brought them to the restaurant since this might be the last time he will see them.
"Woah!!" The kids were surprised because they never went to this kind of place.
Since it was a rare occasion, Noel sold a bit of his Demon Crystals to treat them.
The kids enthusiastically picked up the menu, albeit they couldn't read it. "Uh…"
"Ahaha, should I read the menu for you?" Noel chuckled while picking up the menu.
However, Erica suddenly interrupted him and asked, "Big Brother… This is kind of expensive…"
"You can read, Erica?"
"Yes. I'm probably the only one who understand reading and writing." Erica nodded without hesitation.
"I see. You can pick everything you want. I told you, right? I'm going to treat you today."
Erica bit her lips, hesitating. She recalled when Shale suddenly came back while they were talking in the training ground, mentioning about Noel's graduation.
In other words, Noel would leave this city and might never come back. She was a bit reluctant to order because of it.
But she ended up ordering some in order not to reject Noel's kindness. "Then, eleven corn soups, two fried chickens, three potato salads."
"That's all?" Noel didn't know how to feel. Erica ordered the food enough for them to fill their stomach, but she made sure to consider Noel's money as well so as to not burden him.
He felt gratified for Erica's thoughtfulness and said, "Then, let's add three more chickens and…"
Noel ended up ordering a bit more.
"Big Brother…" Erica wanted to stop him, but Noel had given the order to the waitress, so it would be impossible for her to take back their order.
"It's fine, it's fine. I want you to get something good once in a while." Noel chuckled while patting Erica's head.
"Ugh." Erica looked down, having no words to rebuke him.
"Thank you, Erica…" Noel looked at her with more fondness. "Thank you for taking care of the group. You've worked hard."
"Mmm." She pouted, having no words to say when Noel praised her like that. The others also knew they would be in a mess without Erica.
Eric, her twin brother, was the leader of the group because of his charisma, but the one controlling the group was Erica.
They both did their own parts, allowing them to function.
"What are you planning to do after this?" Noel asked.
"We want to keep dancing." One of the kids raised his hand, answering Noel's question.
"I just want to make sure they're safe." Eric gave an answer befitting his position. Although he was still a kid, he knew his responsibility in this group.
As one would expect from Erica, her answer gave a more concrete idea. "We'll train for a bit more to make sure we don't lose to bandits. Even if we can't defeat a Low Level Demon, we want to be strong enough to escape from them. Only after we have accomplished this requirement that we'll begin our journey.
"We'll continue dancing and become more popular. If Big Brother doesn't mind, if you manage to reclaim your territory, can we go to your place?"
"Of course, why would I reject you? You are free to come." Noel smiled and looked at Erica, warning her. "Still, if you choose this future, you're going to have a lot of hurdles, not only from the bandits or demons, but also from the people with good clothes."
"I know." Erica nodded with a serious expression. "We have seen them many times."
Erica confirmed that people had been approaching them to get them. However, Erica always refused them and made sure that the other kids didn't take anything from them that could be used against them.
They were still safe within the fort because of the laws, but if they moved to another town, the laws that protected them would be no more. So, that was where their true hurdle came.
"Is that so?" Noel thought for a moment. "If you need any help, just tell me about it. I'll help you."
"Mhm, thank you, Big Brother."
The food soon came, ending their conversation. "Alright. Let's stop talking and begin eating."
"Ooh!" The kids cheered up. This was the first time they saw such an appetizing food, so they couldn't help but start devouring them.
Even Erica was impressed after taking a bite, albeit she was a bit more reserved compared to the others.
Noel was smiling the whole time, looking at these cute kids. The dinner felt warm, filling the emptiness in his heart.
He couldn't help but remember when he had dinner with his parents. He never talked too much, so it felt a bit distant to his parents. 'Maybe our family will be in a different situation if I talk more openly to them…'
He kept reminiscing about his family, hoping that they could reunite in the future. At that time, he would surely correct his mistakes.
After half an hour, the kids had finished. All the plates were completely empty, but it was enough for Noel after seeing their blissful expressions.
After paying the bill, Noel took a walk with them before going back to their houses in the slum. Despite being in a bad condition, it seemed that the group was a bit scary to the people around them. They must have fought a lot, Noel thought.
Noel stopped in front of their hut and waved his hand, seeing them off.
"Big Brother Noel. Thank you very much." The kids shouted together.
"No problem. I'm glad that you enjoy it. Bye…" Noel waved his hand while closing the door.
To his surprise, when he was about to walk away, Eric came out of the house and held his shirt.
"Eric?" Noel was confused because Eric's expression completely changed. He seemed to be filled with worry, so he kneeled down and looked into his eyes. "What's wrong?"
Eric hesitated for a moment before sharing his worry. "I'm afraid… Am I a good leader to them? Can I protect them? I'm afraid that they will…"
Eric stopped when Noel suddenly patted his head. His expression was gentle as if he understood all his worries, saying it would be fine.