The Dimensional Tavern of the Mefilas Alien

What he said made perfect sense, and Homura Akemi couldn't refute it.

"Alright, you can go back now. Remember, starting tomorrow, come here every day after school to work part-time as the shop's mascot. The cost of repairing the shop will be deducted from your wages!"

Homura Akemi felt like she was dreaming.

My wish was fulfilled so easily?

Such immense power, and it can be obtained simply by working? And why was only the money for repairing the shop mentioned?

"Um, how many days of work would it take me to pay off the debt for Gaci Niang's power?"

"Why do I have to pay it back?" Murphy asked, puzzled. "That's your basic equipment for the job. I'm not the kind of heartless boss who would make you pay to work. Of course, as my number two subordinate, you'll definitely be working for my shop for life! But once you've paid off the shop repair costs, I'll start paying you normally."

Homura Akemi was so moved that she couldn't speak.

Since becoming a magical girl, she hadn't received this kind of help without any malice.

"Manager, you're a good person!"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Although he couldn't remember the reason, Murphy instinctively felt uncomfortable being called a good person.

"Great!"

This child is so young, yet she carries such a heavy burden of fate. Now that she has gained the power to change her destiny, Jamila is also happy for Homura Akemi.

Just as the three were enjoying themselves, the door to the bar creaked open again.

"Demons? Humans? Or perhaps the organization's experimental subjects?"

A tall, elegant blonde woman with silver eyes walked in.

She wore light armor and carried a striking greatsword on her back. Despite her smile, Murphy sensed the aura of a battle-hardened warrior emanating from her.

Denise gripped the hilt of the sword with one hand.

She couldn't sense any demonic aura from the girl in front of her or the two creatures behind her that she couldn't quite define as human.

However, she still dared not relax.

Her intuition told her that these three beings were incredibly powerful, perhaps the strongest she had ever encountered.

However, Denise remained relatively calm.

Because she is the smiling Teresa. Since becoming a warrior, she has never encountered an enemy that required her to give her all. Not even those Awakened Ones who were awakened from the ranks of the organization's warriors.

More importantly, she intuitively sensed that the three powerful beings in front of her did not actually harbor any hostility—even though her hand was already on her sword.

After thinking for a moment, Denise lowered her arm.

"It seems I misunderstood. This is a bar, isn't it?" She smiled at the three of them.

Before Denise entered, she saw the sign on the door. Although she didn't quite understand it, since the people in front of her weren't enemies, she decided to stick to her initial plan and fill her stomach first.

“That’s right.” Murphy snapped his fingers, using his telekinesis to toss the broken tables and chairs into a corner, then pointed to the menu on the wall: “Welcome! What would you like to order? We have a wide variety of drinks and food. If I can cook it, even if it’s not on the menu, you can order it!”

Denise was surprised to hear the voice ring out directly in her mind. But her body relaxed even more.

This strange person in front of me is definitely not a member of the organization; they wouldn't waste their energy unlocking such an ability.

Denise pulled a timid little girl out from behind her and sat her down nearby.

She looked closely at the menu on the wall. Although she didn't recognize the characters, she somehow managed to understand it. However, she didn't quite grasp the meaning behind it.

Denise looked at the little girl sitting next to her: "Claire, what would you like to eat?"

The little girl named Claire smiled sweetly at Teresa, then shook her head. She was illiterate, even less so than Teresa.

"Hmm, forget it, just order two of the recommended dishes!" Denise simply gave up.

"No problem." Murphy was delighted. He knew his bar would be a hit! Look, there are more customers now!

……

Homura Akemi is from

The smiling Denise is from

That's why I said I'm a pure veteran anime fan; the ones I've watched and want to write about are all older, less popular anime.

Chapter Eleven: The Subjective Initiative of Employee No. 2

Murphy went back to the kitchen to cook, while Jamila ran to the bar to prepare drinks.

Homura Akemi stood there, at a loss for what to do.

Having just gained the power of the monster girl, she originally wanted to go back immediately, kill her way from the Herb Garden to the Three Flavors Bookstore, from the Snack Witch to Witch Night, and eliminate all the guys who might harm Madoka.

But she had just agreed to be the bar hostess, and now that guests had arrived, it would seem rather ungrateful to just leave like that. However, Homura Akemi had absolutely no experience working in a bar and had no idea what she should do.

Teresa noticed Homura Akemi's embarrassment.

In the past, she probably would have ignored it. As a greatsword slayer, avoiding too much involvement with ordinary people was their principle. But looking at Claire beside her, Denise smiled.

She has now betrayed the organization and no longer needs to adhere to past rules.

"Could you tell me about this bar?"

Besides helping Homura Akemi out of a tight spot, Teresa was indeed very curious about this bar.

After betraying the organization, she fled with Claire. Although she was strong enough to not fear the organization's pursuers and was confident she could protect Claire even with her as a burden, both she and Claire preferred a peaceful life if possible. Therefore, they wandered the continent, searching for a suitable place to live.

This time, they encountered the Monster Tavern while heading to the next town.

Denise remembered clearly that there were no buildings in that area before. More importantly, it was absolutely impossible for anyone to open a tavern in the middle of a completely undeveloped forest.

But when the doors of the bar came into view, Denise and Claire couldn't help but go inside.

"This is the Monster Tavern that leads to all dimensions. Those with strong desires will be guided here."

Homura Akemi recounted what Murphy had said, combined with her own personal experience.

She was actually quite curious too. Her own wish was to save Xiaoyuan, so what were the wishes of the two people in front of her, one big and one small?

Although she had no idea about the other person's past, she intuitively felt that the relationship between the two was very similar to that between her and Xiaoyuan.

"A wish?"

Denise looked at the well-behaved Claire and seemed to understand.

Claire was already quite hungry before they encountered the bar. So she thought it would be nice if there was a place where they could eat.

But is that level of desire really that strong, and would it really lead them both here?

"What is a dimension...?" Claire, who looked like a doll next to Teresa, asked in a somewhat unclear voice.

"Dimensions refer to different worlds."

Homura Akemi tried to explain to the two of them. However, Teresa and Claire lived in a medieval-like environment, and although the former had received some education while in the organization, she still had some difficulty understanding the concept of "dimensionality."

As for Claire, the illiterate girl, she immediately became round-eyed.

"Is it perhaps like the relationship between the human world and the divine realm?" In the end, Denise understood the term in her own way.

In mythology, gods reside in a realm inaccessible to humans. Perhaps this is what different dimensions are like.

"You could say that!" Homura Akemi was also exhausted.

"Your drinks and hot towels." Just then, Jamila returned carrying a tray.

This was the first time Denise had ever seen such attentive service. But what surprised her even more was the tableware at the bar.

She'd been thinking about it before—everything at this bar was way too luxurious! Even the glassware for the guests was glass. Denise suddenly felt a pang of panic. Although she'd earned a considerable amount of money slaying demons for people after adopting Claire and leaving the organization, was that really enough to cover her expenses here? She didn't want to be the one dine and dash!

However, seeing Claire's smiling face as she drank juice through a straw under Homura Akemi's tutelage, Teresa could only smile helplessly in the end.

If she can't afford it, so be it. She can just leave this greatsword as collateral. Or, she could simply stay here and work to pay off the debt. If this really is a different dimension from her original world, then if she and Claire stay here, they shouldn't have to worry about being hunted down by the organization anymore, right?

Denise picked up the crystal-clear glass and took a small sip.

Compared to the inferior wines I've had before, this wine, though a bit strange in taste, is much more pleasant to drink.

"Thank you!"

Claire, sipping her juice, thanked Homura Akemi slowly and deliberately.

Homura Akemi shook her head: "I'm the mascot here, it's what I should do."

"What is this world like?" Teresa asked Homura Akemi, who was considering staying.

"I am not from this world, and I don't know much about it."

Homura Akemi shook her head.

"Actually, I only arrived a little earlier than you guys," Homura Akemi briefly explained her situation.

Upon hearing this, Dinisa's heart skipped a beat. But thanks to her excellent facial expression control, she maintained a smile, revealing not a single flaw.

"What is the world like in your life?"

"Our world, on the surface, appears to be a planet without any superpowers, but in reality, magical girls and witches exist..."

After listening, Dinisa exclaimed, "I never imagined you'd gone through so much too."

However, compared to her world, Homura Akemi's world was much more peaceful and happy. At least their world was rich in resources, and technology... well, that was a word Homura Akemi had just taught her, was also very advanced. They also didn't have to worry about demons disguising themselves as family members.

"Flame...it's been so tough!"

Claire, holding the juice, had tears in her eyes.

Homura Akemi's heart, which had been frozen for so long, softened a little.

She wasn't actually heartless; it was just that she became too desperate in each cycle of reincarnation, which led her to shut herself off.

But after gaining the power of Guts-niang, he saw hope, and his frozen heart naturally melted little by little.

"What is your world like?"

Looking at Claire's innocent face, Homura Akemi asked a question.

She wasn't actually that curious; she just felt it was a rare opportunity. Homura Akemi thought that since these two had come to the tavern, they should seize this historic chance. Besides, the woman carrying the greatsword looked very powerful, and if she could make her the tavern's third employee, she would at least repay Murphy's kindness. Furthermore, after becoming Guts-chan, Homura Akemi's ambition had swelled: originally, she only wanted to eliminate Witch Night and at most try to expel Kyubey. But now, she felt that it might be possible to completely eliminate the Incubators.

But the Incubators are, after all, a cosmic civilization, and the power of one monster girl might not be enough. However, if she makes enough contributions to the bar, such as recruiting more people, Murphy might grant her more and stronger monster girl powers.

Murphy never expected that his newly hired second employee would be so proactive.

He's still in the kitchen, studying recipes and figuring out how to cook the dishes.

As a new store manager, Murphy's culinary and bartending skills were entirely learned on the spot. The fact that he didn't make anything particularly delicious is a testament to the brilliant intellect of the Mefilas aliens.

Chapter Twelve: The Demon's Lies

“In our world, there has always been a kind of creature called demons.”

Denise then began to recount her story.

Demons feed on human entrails. They possess strength far exceeding that of humans and can even disguise themselves as humans.

With humanity completely helpless against demons, the organization created warriors to fight them by transplanting demon flesh and blood into women's bodies.

Because they were infused with the flesh and blood of demons, humans, while relying on these warriors, also feared and rejected them, so they named them after the weapons they used in battle, calling them greatswords.

The greatswordsmen need to use demonic power to fight demons. However, demonic power is not a force that can be used indiscriminately.

The more demonic power the greatswords unleash, the closer they become to demons. Finally, when they completely cross a certain threshold, the greatswords will lose control and become something even more terrifying than demons.

"Those are the Awakened. Like demons, Awakened feed on human organs. Although they still have reason, their way of thinking has completely shifted to that of demons. In terms of power, they are far beyond the reach of demons."

Homura Akemi and Jamila both felt the name was familiar; it sounded so much like a magical girl and a witch relationship.

"Could it be that only women can be greatsword users?"

"It exists now, but there used to be male greatswords. It's just that male greatswords were too easy to awaken, so the organization stopped manufacturing them later."

Although the gender distinction wasn't strictly enforced, Homura Akemi still harbored the utmost suspicion towards the organization.

"The demons might have been deliberately created by the organization!" Homura Akemi said without any hesitation, expressing her conjecture.

“How could that be!” Denise laughed.

She didn't have a good impression of the organization, but at least it did protect the mainland. Besides, demons are a species that has existed since ancient times.

Jamila hesitated for a moment: "That's not necessarily true."