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The night was harmonious as the moon illuminated the starry sky, and the noise of many people celebrating their survival could be heard resonating within the mountain.
?
After an arduous battle against the hordes of Undead and the young bear-kin and harpy kids that we're obeying the Necromancer that had appeared within the dungeon at the bottom of the mountain, the bear-kin were healed and rescued by Veronica and Ervas' group.
And just after everything was settled down, the group decided to relieve everyone's stress with a nice feast, bringing forth many large monsters, such as Demon Boars, Giant Lizards, and a few endemic monsters of the mountains, such as Rock Gorillas and Windstorm Birds.
Due to the bear-kin being big, they naturally ate a lot of food, to the point that many of them had even acquired Skills such as Digestion, which helped them in storing energy (Mana) by overeating.
The requirements for the acquisition of Digestion were rather loose, but monsters that usually did not possess stomach were the ones that often got the Skill. However, those that had stomachs could still get it, such as Ervas. This was because the requirements were not to have or not a stomach, but to eat so much that your body begins to convert excess food into stored energy (Mana).
Monsters without stomachs that can extract nutrients from other living beings can acquire this Skill almost automatically, however, those with stomachs already have to learn how to properly convert food into stored energy (Mana), some figure it out on their own, while others take a lot of time or never realize it.
The Bear-kin had enormous bodies and were strong warriors with an incredibly fast metabolism, they needed a lot of energy for their bodies to move and exert all of their strength, and the acquisition of the Digestion Skill was widely spread across their culture, as it was an essential skill for warriors.
Due to having a whole tribe of beast-people with the ability to eat almost limitlessly, the food needed to satiate their hunger was exceptionally large, so even up to this point, Veronica and Ervas used their Clones to hunt more beasts and to bring them over. While also producing large amounts of meat through Anir's Bone Marrow and Nyarlathotep.
"This meat… what is this?! WUOOOO! I CAN'T STOP EATING!" roared Ragdaz, as he was served a hamburger cooked by his son Gaius, using Nyarlathotep, Anir's Bone Marrow, and Dragon Meat int the burger.
The bread was also soft and fluffy, the burger juicy and flavorful, and there were also thin slices of cheese made with the milk of female Demon Ox, rank 2-3 Monsters that were domesticated as cattle, found in the dungeons nearby the Igni Kingdom.
"It's a special recipe, there are over four different types of meat in those burgers, I've found the perfect flavor by using those in combination. I think it might be the most flavorful burger in the whole Igni Kingdom," said Gaius with a gentle smile.
Ragdaz cried tears of happiness as he dug in on the delicious hamburger, its flavor was entailing to his tastebuds, and the juice made the experience way too good. Everything was also accompanied by a cold and refreshing beer produced in the Igni Kingdom.
"There you go, another, and another, and another, and another- Just how many are you going to eat, old man?!" asked Gaius as he continuously gave hamburgers to his father, as he devoured them in one bite.
"Haah, Gaius, my son! You're… such a talented man! I am so proud of you!" said Ragdaz, as he continued crying.
"I guess the fastest way to earn the heart of a man is through his stomach!" said Ismene.
"That was quite the quick shift from what Gaius presented our father to be… Was he lying?" wondered Anna.
"I wasn't! He was actually quite an asshole! But he has gotten better now, so that is fine," said Gaius, he honestly did not want to hold a grudge on his father any longer, and after seeing how he truly had changed, he easily accepted his apology. Such admiration from Ragdaz to Gaius just keep increasing as he kept eating the food he prepared.
Regarding Gaius' limbs, Ragdaz was rather shocked after hearing the story behind how he lost them and even felt guilty by it because he knew that if he has not been aggressive towards his son, he would have never left the tribe, to begin with.
However, Gaius showed him how strong he was even without limbs, using Phantom Form to materialize his limbs and without even using his prosthetic limbs, he defeated his father at full strength in few minutes.
Ragdaz could not help but admire his son, even more, seeing him as someone both talented and overall impressive. He was both incredibly strong even with the handicap of not possessing limbs, while also being an exceptional chef that made everyone fascinated with his cooking.
"My son… I still feel like I don't deserve your forgiveness… But thanks… I will make sure to make up for it!" said Ragdaz.
"How about you make up for it by not eating everything?!" asked Gaius.
"Ah, that's impossible…" said Ragdaz with a serious tone, as everyone present released a chuckle over the comical interactions between father and son.
Ervas and Veronica glanced at the harmonious atmosphere with happy smiles, as they enjoyed the feast with their family.
"I wonder if our relationship is like that?" wondered Jason.
"Not at all, father. But I have to admit that you are rather clumsy," said Ervas.
"E-Ervas! …Is that so…?" asked Jason with a saddened expression.
"Gah…! Wait, I didn't mean to say that!" said Ervas.
"Haahh…" sighed Jason.
"Jason, I think that Ervas-sama didn't mean it in a bad way, but in how clumsy you are… due to your admirable strength!" said Lilith, backing up for Ervas.
"Is… that so? Do you know? I am aware that I am quite stupid, so I always try to make up for it by being strong… I guess I am slowly becoming smarter as I experience many other things, I was raised in a village, so it is hard for me to develop outside of what I knew for so long…" said Jason.
"Clumsy doesn't necessarily mean being stupid," said Anna.
"Yeah! That is right, Jason, I think aside from strong, you are a genuinely nice person, so cheer up!" said Veronica.
"Yeah, father, don't mind my stupid remark, I often say things without thinking, despite the impression I give," said Ervas.
"Okay, okay, don't apologize any longer, let's keep enjoying dinner," said Jason.
The night continued as the group kept celebrating until Veronica and Ervas decided to change Jobs. However, Veronica was too entailed in eating, so she had to be reminded by Shade and Anna.
"Haah, I know I can't get drunk, but the flavor of the beer is very refreshing! I kind of just want to pretend to be drunk at least…!" said Veronica with a wide smile as she laughed.
"Wouldn't it be time to change Jobs though, Veronica?" asked Shade.
"When will you change Jobs though? It is often very important for you," said Anna.
"Oh! Right… If it wasn't for you two, my dears, I would have forgotten… Even with Memory Retention, I cannot simply recall all things I must do…!" said Veronica.
As she went to change Jobs for a few minutes, Shade and Veronica were left within the party, although Anna was blushing a bit.
"S-She called me 'my dear'?!" she said.
"Oh? It seems that you two are calling each other with fluffy names now?" asked Ismene teasingly.
"Ah, don't say that!" said Anna.
"Fuhehe… You try to shut her up, but your face is red like a tomato!" said Alesia.
"T-That's…" muttered Anna.
"That's what…?" asked Ismene.
"Ah, geez, just cut it off…!" said Anna as she crossed her arms. Veronica's personality was always warm and overly clingy at times, while sometimes getting too carried away.
However, she still was not getting used to being called by names her… Although 'Anna-chan' was common, she never expected to be called 'My dear'…
Meanwhile, Shade seemed rather happy.
"Haha, she called me dear…" he laughed.
"Hm~? Shade-san, are you happy?" asked Gaia.
"Ah, yes… Well, it's nothing…" said Shade.
"Tell us the details!" said Jason's Gnome.
"W-Wait, no…" muttered Shade.
"Come on, we know you're into Veronica, gyahaha!" laughed Amelia's Salamander.
"Quite the forbidden love…" said Amelia's Gnome.
"I think I am also experiencing similar things for Ervas! But he says that we are too young and that we should leave those things for later in life!" said Gaia innocently.
"Eh?! You too?!" asked the Spirits in awe.
"Hm? What is wrong? Don't you fall in love with your masters too?" asked Gaia.
"…Well, every so often, no," said Amelia's Gnome.
"Jason is a guy, and I don't like guys, but nice and sturdy stones," said Jason's Gnome.
"I am into burning things out," said Amelia's Salamander.
"Honestly, it seems as if you guys are quite unique. Us Spirits often do not develop romantic interests nor feelings such as those, perhaps the influence of your masters had brought new mindsets and natures upon you… How amusing," said Rose, Ismene's Life Attribute Spirit.
"Is that… so?" wondered Shade.
"Hehehe, Ervas is nice, so of course I love him!" said Gaia with a gentle smile.
It seemed that Shade and Gaia were quite the oddballs amongst Spirits, developing emotions and minds that were more humane than any other spirit.
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