In the dining hall at this moment—
“Hey, Baroque, I've got a super explosive recording stone here. Interested?”
Cecil had slipped over to Baroque's side at some point.
A mysterious smile hung on his face, and his tail quietly snuck over to poke Baroque, who was currently busy devouring a loaf of bread in three bites.
“If you're talking about the Demon King, the rooftop, and the Saintess, I suggest you throw that damn recording stone away immediately.”
Baroque paused mid-chew upon hearing Cecil's words.
Without even turning to look at Cecil, he swallowed the bread in his mouth, then picked up another piece and continued eating.
Baroque had no desire to engage in Cecil's topic.
As the sole survivor who hadn't been hung from the clock tower recently, he had to hold his ground.
In times like this, not listening, not looking, and not participating was the only correct way to survive.
“Eh~ Look at you. Am I, Cecil, really that unreliable of a guy?”
Seeing Baroque turn away and continue eating his bread, Cecil took two stumbling steps backward.
He felt as though his heart had suffered a devastating blow.
“Does little Niya also think Big Brother Cecil is super unreliable?”
Clutching his heart, Cecil looked with a face full of grief at Niya, who was nibbling on a steak nearby.
Niya kept her head down, cutting the steak in front of her into small pieces.
When she heard Cecil calling her name, she merely raised her head and gave him a quiet look.
Then, she silently picked up her small plate and scooted a short distance away.
“...”
Cecil's raised hand froze in mid-air.
Watching Niya's reaction, Cecil felt as if an invisible bolt of lightning had just struck him right on the head.
“Hehe, Cecil, even little Niya dislikes you. What a total failure.”
Aliviel happened to be leaning against the dining hall entrance at that moment, her arms crossed.
As she watched Cecil slowly retreat to the corner, she couldn't suppress the mocking expression on her face.
“Little Niya really likes her Big Sister Aliviel, right~”
Aliviel flipped her hair and walked over to Niya's side with absolute confidence.
Having said that, she bent down, reaching out to pat Niya's head.
But just as Aliviel's hand drew close, Niya picked up her small plate once more and scooted closer to Baroque.
She even deliberately sat in a spot further away from Aliviel.
Aliviel's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and the smile on her face stiffened.
With that, another heartbroken succubus was added to the corner of the dining hall.
“Yo, if it isn't our Miss Succubus? What brings you to this lonely corner as well?”
Watching Aliviel squat down next to him, Cecil slowly raised his head.
Even in his dejected state, he didn't forget to mock the succubus.
These words instantly replaced Aliviel's depression with rage, causing a blue vein to pop on her forehead.
“Heh, still better than a certain demon whose mouth has more venom than his tail.”
Aliviel slowly stood up, a dangerous smile spreading across her face.
The tail behind Cecil flicked a few times.
“Do you want to experience the power of the demon race again? Just as well, that person isn't here today.”
As he spoke, he raised his hands and cracked his wrists.
“Hehe, my thoughts exactly.”
Aliviel flipped her shoulder-length hair behind her back.
In the next instant, both of them lunged at each other, instantly brawling in the corner.
Cecil reached out and shoved Aliviel's head.
While Aliviel grabbed Cecil's face in a vice grip.
The two of them rolled around, wrestling in the corner.
Kainster, with a piece of bread hanging from his mouth, watched the two of them engage in close-quarters combat in the corner.
“Is this a mandatory show during meals?”
As he chewed on his bread, he watched their spectacular fight with intense focus.
For some reason, it felt like the bread in his mouth tasted a bit more flavorful this way.
“Hmm... it has indeed been quite frequent lately.”
Baroque stroked his chin, his gaze shifting back and forth between his two brawling colleagues.
Weren't these two colleagues acting a bit too flirtatious lately?
Did they also plan to use the beastkin tradition for courtship?
At this thought, Baroque couldn't help but recall when he first met his wife.
Back then, he had put in an immense amount of effort to finally win over that fiery lioness.
Of course, Samuel had always insisted that the one who got won over was actually Baroque.
As for who won over whom, they still hadn't reached a conclusion to this day.
In the end, Baroque could only shake his head helplessly at his two colleagues, who were still wrestling in the corner.
“Is there really any hope left for this Demon King's Castle...?”
Just as he spoke, the Head Chef walked over, carrying a full glass of Demon Red Wine.
The deep crimson liquid swirled gently in the glass, releasing a rich, aromatic fragrance.
“Lord Baroque has been shaking his head a lot lately. Is something troubling you?”
The Head Chef said as he placed the glass of wine in front of Baroque.
But the instant the Head Chef set the wine down, a white figure drifted past like a ghost, and the wine glass on the table vanished at the exact same moment.
“Who's there?”
Baroque's outstretched hand, which was about to grab the wine, clutched empty air.
He whipped his head up.
Seeing the glass of wine vanish in an instant, Baroque immediately expanded his senses.
However, Cecil and Aliviel were still wrestling in the corner.
The magic radiating from both of them clashed and tangled, severely interfering with Baroque's perception.
By the time he finally pinpointed the culprit through the interference of their brawl, his pupils shrank in shock.
“Lin Ling! Put down that glass!”
Baroque sprang to his feet, shouting at Lin Ling, who was standing by the dining table.
Meanwhile, Lin Ling was squatting there, cradling the glass of wine in her arms.
Her hair was still slightly disheveled, and a lingering blush remained on her cheeks.
Hearing Baroque's voice, Lin Ling's movements paused.
Then, as if she had finally made a monumental decision, she removed a certain item from her body.
“It seems tonight's Miss Saintess absolutely must have a taste of adult things.”
Lin Ling raised the wine glass high.
Her expression was incredibly solemn.
“No, what on earth is this girl talking about?!”
Hearing Lin Ling's words, Baroque was momentarily stunned speechless on the spot.
And it wasn't just Baroque.
Cecil and Aliviel, who had still been wrestling in the corner, stopped their movements at the same time.
Cecil was still holding onto Aliviel's wrist.
While Aliviel's hand was still pressed against Cecil's face.
Everyone's gaze fell upon Lin Ling in unison.
By the time Baroque finally snapped out of it, Lin Ling had already tilted her head back, bringing the glass to her lips.
“Gulp, gulp—”
The entire glass of wine was drained by Lin Ling in an instant.
“Haa~”
Lin Ling set down the empty glass.
A faint watery mist quickly veiled her originally clear blue eyes.
She shook her head slightly.
“Eh, am I already feeling a bit dizzy?”
Lin Ling looked down at the empty glass.
Then, she gave the Head Chef a thumbs-up, showing her approval of the wine.
“This wine... has quite the kick!”
The Head Chef stared at Lin Ling, his mouth hanging open.
For a moment, he didn't know whether he should be happy that his wine had been praised, or worried that Miss Saintess had chugged the entire glass in one go.
Lin Ling still held her thumbs-up pose.
However, her body had already begun to sway from side to side.
In the next instant, Lin Ling's eyes gently closed, and her body tipped straight backward.
“Lin Ling!”
Baroque quickly lunged forward, reaching out to catch her.
But as Lin Ling fell, she was already caught securely by someone else.
A pair of hands gently wrapped around Lin Ling's body.
A familiar purple magic spread through the dining hall immediately after.
“It seems some people just can't stop causing trouble.”
A gentle voice echoed from behind Lin Ling.
Ivelia let out a soft chuckle as she looked at Lin Ling in her arms, whose face was flushed—though whether it was from the alcohol or from her presence remained unclear.
“Alright, the farce is over.”
With those words, the two of them vanished directly from the dining hall.
“...”
“Cecil, it seems our battle ends here for tonight.”
Watching Ivelia's sudden appearance in the dining hall—even if only for an instant—was enough to make the two of them halt their fight for the night.
Rate on N.U.
