A Stay-at-home Dad’s Restaurant In An Alternate World

“Let’s go, Amy,” Mag said.

“Yes, Father!” she answered happily. “Ugly Duckling, we’re going out of the city!”

“Meow, meow!” it cried excitedly.

Mag had the system hide the bike, and walked down the black stone road towards the gate.

The gate was not far south of the Chaos Guild. It was about eight meters tall, while the city walls were 15 meters tall. They were not very tall, actually, because this city was a symbol of peace. The walls of Rodu were as tall as 60 meters, and were five meters thick; they could hold for a while against the attack of a 10th-tier dragon.

Still, the walls of Chaos City were not easy to breach. There were numerous magic spells on the walls, and counting. In fact, it was one of the most impregnable cities.

Eight soldiers in black uniforms were guarding the gate, with swords hanging at their waists.

Mag saw the emblem on their chests—a dove bearing an olive branch. It seems the gate is guarded by men from the castle of Chaos City. The emblem of the Gray Temple was a diamond, though details differed among departments. For instance, the emblem of Chaos School was a pencil and ruler.

Adventurers were coming and going through the gate. No non-adventurers could Mag see, as nothing but herbs and fearsome beasts could be found in the swamps and valleys south of the city.

Dangerous as it was, it was a great place for adventurers to make money.

A guard motioned them to stop when they walked to the gate. “Are you going out?” he asked Mag.

Mag nodded. “Yes.”

“I must warn you: you’re walking into beasts’ territories,” the guard, Buddy, said earnestly. “It’s not safe for your kid.”

Never in his 20 years of guarding the gate had he seen an unarmed man with a girl and a cat.

Every day, many adventurers came back injured, mutilated, or dead.

They risked their necks every time they went out there.

The map was updated every day based on the information provided by adventurers, yet they could never prepare themselves for every eventuality.

By then, the other guards and some adventurers had noticed Mag too. They were all gazing at this man in fancy clothes with confusion.

Mag nodded with a smile. “I know that. Thank you for your warning. Can I go now?”

Buddy gave him a long look. “Yes. Good luck.”

“Thank you.” He was grateful that they hadn’t mocked him, but he was also a little disappointed—he couldn’t enjoy the amusement of proving them wrong.

“Will they make it back alive, Boss? The little girl is pretty cute,” a guard said.

“I hope so.” Buddy took his eyes away from Mag and focused on his job again.

…

“It’s so beautiful!” Amy cried in delight.

The mountains far away looked like a painting, and the lingering swathes of fog made them even more attractive. Mag’s eyes also brightened.

Suddenly, something appeared in the sky, and it flew over to the gate in no time.

“A dragon!” a man cried, in excitement or perhaps in fright.

Mag looked up and squinted his eyes.

It cast a huge shadow on the ground with its wings spread wide. Even the air had become cold.

It was a frosty dragon, with white scales and a wingspan of over 30 meters. It was big but not fat, graceful and dignified, its eyes deep blue and freezing cold.

Most people didn’t dare to look up, eager to get away from this chilling beast.

The dragons might not have won the war, but they were unmistakably strong. This one was at least as powerful as a 7th-tier magic caster.

And once they were outside of the city, the rules could bind them no longer.

“Wow, it looks so much like the dragon Master Turtle summoned!” Amy said. “It’s so beautiful!”

Ugly Duckling looked up at the dragon and cried with hostility.

Mag nodded. “Yes, it is beautiful.” It was the first time he had seen a real dragon. It looked like a piece of art. Its frosty wings flapped, bringing about some wind and snow.

The other adventurers stayed well away from Mag and Amy.

The dragon saw Mag too. Frost formed under Mag’s feet. Why am I feeling a sense of… fear? the dragon wondered.