The Final Dinner Before Dawn

Kanna kept her restaurant open while dungeon blood dried on the tables, because her healing hands were the only thing stopping hunters from dying at the door. She could mend real wounds with a prayer, yet every miracle left her wondering what answer was actually listening. That doubt mattered, because people still knelt in front of her when they were desperate, and she hated needing their trust more than she feared the monsters below. Mio stayed close as her server and guide, but Mio could hear everyone’s surface thoughts except Kanna’s, which made every shared meal feel like a test nobody explained. Kanna also carried a hidden camera in her coat and a redacted tablet in her wallet, both tie...