SSS-Knight in a Hero World

It was the same as a staring competition, but in this case, Ferris was exempted from the rules.

He wanted to see how Lionheart would react to his outrageous request.

While they both stared at each other, the lone kitchen worker was the first to speak up.

"Drinks? We have a lot of them actually..." The worker ducked down in the makeshift kitchen, trying to find something that matched Ferris's needs.

Now that I'm looking at him closer, it's the same guy that told me that there were no meals left in the mall. Ferris remembered the worker, happy that they got promoted into a better working environment.

After a while of searching, the worker stood back up, holding an unopened bottle of wine. "I guess the villains were partying too hard, they forgot they had wine—

"Don't serve our hero wine that was meant for degenerates."

That voice. Ferris turned around to see the person who cut off the worker.

It was the bartender. Unlike when he last saw him, he looked much happier and exuded a halo-like aura.

"Your shift is finished for the night, I'll be the one taking over," the bartender announced.

Ignoring the sizzling meat waiting to be flipped over, the worker quickly abandoned his station and said his thanks to the bartender.

Without hesitation, the bartender moved to the island kitchen and took control of the grill.

While working, he uncorked a wine bottle and tapped the rim twice with his index finger.

Fwoosh!

In an instant, the entire bottle evaporated into a mist, its sharp scent of grapes sweeping over the room and drowning out even the aroma of sizzling meat.

I still can't get over this guy's blessing... Could he just make a person combust on the inside?

Ferris was probably right with his assessment, the human body was 60% water after all.

"Only the most luxurious wine must be served to you," the bartender said, summoning the so-called luxury wine with his blessing. "And as you requested, it shall be poured by Mister Lionheart himself."

After filling up the bottle he bent down, searching through the shelves for the proper glass. After a moment, his brows knit together. "My apologies... it seems there's no wine glass. I'll return to my bar and fetch it"

"There's no need for that," Ferris cut him off. He had no patience to wait any longer.

The moment those words left his mouth, the bartender's demeanor shifted entirely.

"You either drink wine in a wine glass, or you don't," the bartender informed Ferris. His tone was quite convincing and dangerous.

Hearing this, Ferris changed his mind. After all, someone with a blessing that could shape and manipulate liquids shouldn't find such a request difficult. "...On second thought, I'll take milk. At this hour, it's far more nutritious."

. . .

The bartender went silent, but thankfully, the air around him grew calmer.

"That, I can do!" he said with a cheerful smile.

Tapping the wine bottle a few times, the contents of the liquid changed almost instantly.

Then the bartender grabbed two normal glass cups and placed one in front of Ferris and Lionheart.

And now, it was up to Lionheart to pour the drink.

How will he react? Ferris wondered. Surprisingly, Lionheart didn't seem to be too nerve-wracked or mad.

Sighing a tired breath, Lionheart picked the wine bottle up and poured some fresh dairy into Ferris's glass before pouring one for himself.

"Miss Elizabeth told me a lot about you. Somehow you managed to infiltrate their waterpark base and caused a lot of destruction," he praised somewhat.

"Not to mention, you still kept fighting after losing an entire arm."

In truth, I got quickly snuffed out by Evening and almost died. "You're praising my abilities too much," Ferris smiled at Lionheart, as if what he said was completely and 100% factual.

Nodding to himself in his mind, Ferris was now sure that Lionheart wouldn't disturb him anymore.

Because in his culture as a knight, pouring any drink for someone was the position of a squire.

But I'm not taking in any students, he thought, bringing the glass close to his mouth and drinking nearly half of it.

Dairy was actually a luxury in his old world, so drinking milk made him feel a little guilty because a knight mustn't indulge themselves too much.

Although, in this world, dairy products were common, though he never had the opportunity to buy a carton of milk because the price was simply too much for his starving budget.

He savored the taste then got distracted by another smell.

"Here's a plate for you, but mind that grilling isn't one of my strong suits."

Not one of your strong suits? Ferris thought the bartender was lying, because he devoured the assortment of different meats and other food.

"They're all good though? It's too good," Ferris said.

Hearing Ferris's doubt, Lionheart interjected, "Heroes aren't the only ones with blessings, you know. Some people just remain civilians even if they have incredible blessings," he said, staring at the bartender as a clear example.

He glanced at Ferris and continued, "With enough blessing users, anything is possible."

. . .

Anything is possible huh... Ferris began fidgeting his glass of milk.

He knew that statement was a little too optimistic for his taste.

Nothing's ever enough to do something when you need it the most. The thought of it burned in Ferris's mind, and with it came the fleeting images of days long gone.

While glooming, he heard something surprising from Lionheart. "Sir Ferris."

Ferris, with a sir? Deep inside, Ferris grinned. It had been quite a while since anyone had called him the standard honorifics for a knight.

"What is it?" he said, pretending to not be fazed in the slightest.

There was a deep sense of trouble in Lionheart's eyes. "Miss Elizabeth told me to...

get some pointers from you."

"What was that?" Ferris asked, though it was a bit obvious that he heard it the first time.

"She told me to get some pointers—

"What?"

Slam!

Lionheart calmly slammed his palm on the table, causing the plates and glasses to quake.

"Miss Elizabeth told me to get some pointers from you, because she finds me lacking in strength," he said with a clear and deep tone. There was no way Ferris could tease him with that.

On the outside, Ferris was not taking him seriously, but he did place considerable thought into what this sudden request meant.

Compared to before, I'm already leagues beyond Lionheart. But how could Elizabeth know that I'm a good teacher?

It's not like I'm taking in a student. All she wants from me is to give basic pointers to Lionheart.

But let's test the waters.

"Why do you need pointers from a stranger with no background, and besides, aren't you in the special forces or whatever it is?" Ferris questioned before downing his last bit of milk.

While waiting for a response, he poured himself even more milk from the wine bottle and helped himself with more grilled meat.

Lionheart was clearly ticked off when Ferris degraded his history of combat to simply, 'whatever it is.'

But in a way, Ferris was right.

"I was in the special forces, but enrolling into the military was a bad call," Lionheart said.

Indeed he was right. There were no countries or kingdoms in the supercontinent.

Only the numbered cities existed, and they were all under the same government, aside from the villain-controlled ones of course.

So having a military was pointless because there was no one to fight other than policing the masses.

Even if there was a special mission that required Lionheart to fight, the main goal would've only been completing said mission instead of improving oneself from that said mission.

There was also the increasing popularity of heroes, which was more reliable for fighting villains, so such opportunities that required the special forces became practically nonexistent.

"After being discharged, I picked up a bodyguard gig. That's how I landed a job with the Elizabeth Foundation."

I see... "How did you become a bodyguard for Miss Elizabeth?"

"That?" Lionheart's tone suddenly brightened. "They said my blessing was extremely useful. So, when Miss Elizabeth was still young, I was assigned as her personal bodyguard," he said proudly.

That makes sense. Ferris recalled his previous duel with Lionheart not too long ago.

He said something about the sin of pride, and in that moment, I froze instantly.

So having certain emotions is the key for Lionheart to use his paralyzing ability.

Kidnappers or attackers will always have a hostile intent, so it was practically a no-brainer for the Foundation to select Lionheart as the bodyguard for the company's heiress.

So that's the main issue. "How often do you use your blessing?" Ferris asked, stopping his gluttony for a short while.

"I use it every time, why wouldn't I use it? It's my blessing."

There it is.

Ferris turned to Lionheart and stared at him dead in the eyes.

"I'll keep this short, the reason why you're weak is because...

A boring person like you will never get stronger."

Lionheart blinked at Ferris's answer.

"That's too blunt, even for you, Sir Ferris," the bartender cut in with a mocking smile.