Chapter 384: The Elf at the Banquet

Taking advantage of the chaos that had yet to fully subside, the Pollution Worm Demon and the Ghost Witch swiftly left Rose City. With their departure, the Shapeshifters who had been posing as a merchant caravan scattered to every corner of the city. Under the organization of Quest and a few of the more influential Shapeshifters, they would evacuate in waves, doing their best to avoid causing any more harm to the common people.

The rescued Daniel Couple returned to their tavern, Hendrix and his butler went back to their estate, and the injured, unconscious Half-Elf Martial Monk Malak was carried away by his colleagues, leaving the city far behind. The Bishop he had been assigned to protect had turned out to be a devil; who knew what judgment his superiors would pass on him.

As for Ron, he first headed to the Rose Council to meet with Old Feibo and his family, and to lift the confinement placed upon the esteemed council members.

The two guards at the main gate bowed and stepped aside the moment they saw Ron. That’s right—they were also Shapeshifters from Delusional Land. Because they had blocked the entrance, no one in the city yet knew that the councilors they had elected had done absolutely nothing throughout the entire ordeal.

"This will give them something to boast about later," one of the Shapeshifters said with a chuckle. "I’ve lived here for many years; I know their type all too well."

"The council members and the Speaker will thank you for it."

The conflict may have seemed severe, but in reality, it wasn’t so. Aside from the Priests acting under the Molten Iron Barrier’s orders, the only other casualties were from stampedes caused by the chaos. And even those injuries, along with the damage to buildings, would simply become fuel for the Council to trumpet its own accomplishments.

"Lord Ron!"

When Ron pushed open the door and entered the council chamber, the Zor standing behind the Speaker sheathed his blade. The Speaker shot to his feet, planting his hands on the desk and staring excitedly at his belated savior. "It has been too long since we last met! It is only thanks to your aid that peace has been restored to Rose City!"

"Mr. Speaker, there are no outsiders here, let’s dispense with the pleasantries," Ron said with a small smile. But instead of approaching the man, he walked over to Old Feibo’s seat first. "Uncle Feibo, thank you for all your hard work. Please come by Night Wind Tavern later, so I may express my gratitude more formally."

"Heh, no need for that. You and old brother Seymour have helped that boy, Carlos, mature so much. I’m the one who should be repaying you," Old Feibo said with a cheerful laugh. Although he looked old enough to be Seymour’s grandfather, Seymour was a Zor Elf—and still an Elf—so calling him ’old brother’ was already a stretch of seniority.

"The three of us are having our own gathering tonight, and I’m sure you’ll have a lively celebration of your own, so we won’t impose. In fact, I should be thanking you! Ever since the fall of House Feibo, none of us have had the chance to play a part like this in generations. This old man finally got to scratch that itch!"

Old Feibo’s words were somewhat tactless, but the other council members’ sidelong glances were all directed at the Speaker. If he hadn’t been so intimidated by the power of the Molten Iron Barrier, they wouldn’t have been put in such an awkward position.

’We could have played along and gotten a reward for it too!’

Of course, Ron wasn’t so unreasonable. After chatting with Old Feibo, he gave everyone present a gift to soothe their nerves. While Delusional Land, which supported several Casters, couldn’t spare many Gold Coins, Magic Scrolls and Alchemy Potions were easy to obtain. To these council members, who could at best perform a few simple tricks, these were lavish gifts.

Sent off by the council members, who were clutching their gifts and effusively expressing their gratitude, Ron and his group left and headed straight for Aive’s home: the Night Wind Tavern. The moment she stepped inside, Aiksuuri was captivated by the aroma of food and wine wafting from the kitchen, so much so that she nearly lost her human form. "Aive, I knew you were hiding the good stuff! I’ve never smelled anything this good in all of Delusional Land!"

"Of course. I blend all the spices for the Night Wind Tavern myself. How could a reckless girl who’s always running off on adventures ever learn?" said Liya, who had already returned and changed into a set of proper clothes. She emerged from the kitchen and cheerfully dragged the little dragon inside. "Come, come! Being kidnapped for the last couple of days left me with too much time on my hands, so I came up with a few new dishes. You can be my taste-tester!"

"I heard from Ron about your true form. I thought you Black Dragons only liked to eat rotten food!"

"I’m no ordinary Black Dragon!" Aiksuuri squirmed, twisting her neck to try and escape Liya’s grip. But in the end, overcome by both Liya’s strength and the allure of good food, she let the Elf lead her into the kitchen. A moment later, the sounds of the dragon enthusiastically chowing down echoed from within.

"De-delicious!"

"How could Delusional Land possibly have the same variety of spices as Rose City..." Aive pressed a hand to her forehead and gestured for the others to sit. "Everyone, please find a seat. Those two are going to be busy in there for quite a while."

"I thought they’d be a bit more... panicked. That it would take them a good while to recover," Sera commented, removing the Grip of the Vast Wave and leaning it against the wall. "Back in my tribe, someone was once dragged away by a monster to be used as emergency rations. When we got him back, he was in a total daze!"

"My mom’s a former soldier, so a little kidnapping barely counts as a big deal to her," Aive said with a shrug. "And as for my dad... well, for my mom to have picked him, you can just imagine what kind of experiences he’s had."

"Don’t worry, those two don’t need us worrying about them!"

"What’s that supposed to mean, young lady?" Daniel happened to walk out just in time to hear her, and he wasn’t pleased. "The night those Messengers barged in, I was scared out of my wits! They—"

"Why don’t you save your thrilling story for later, after everyone’s had a few drinks?" Aive laughed. "If you were really so scared, how did you manage to leave a clue for Baka?"

The Half-Elf turned to her companions. "But with that said, you should all look forward to my dad’s stories. I guarantee they’re nothing at all like what we went through today!"

"Speaking of which, why aren’t Connie and Mr. Hendrix here?" Daniel asked, looking around at the assembled friends but failing to spot his niece and her adoptive father. "I heard that no-good brother of the butler dismissed all the servants at the estate. They won’t even have anything to eat if they go back there."

"They probably can’t bounce back as quickly as you two," Aive sighed. "Mr. Hendrix won’t admit it, but he was terrified. Connie is surely staying to comfort him."

"Well, she can’t just sit there comforting him! Look at Mr. Hendrix’s physique! After an ordeal like that, a man needs his nutrition!" Daniel glanced toward the entrance and happened to see a woman with long, black hair and pointed ears standing just outside the door. "Well, speak of the devil! Isn’t that her now?"

"Please, come—" Daniel paused. He studied the black-haired woman as she entered. Although her hairstyle was very similar to Constance’s, Daniel—whose own family was a mix of three different races—was able to discern the newcomer’s true heritage. Unlike the Half-Elves Constance and Aive, this person was actually a full Elf!