Chapter 121 - 120: Roasted Meat Patty

Chapter 121: Chapter 120: Roasted Meat Patty

Back under the cool moonlight, the gentle night breeze refreshed Hesia’s spirit.

Recalling his earlier confusion, Hesia asked, "Captain, you didn’t know Zande was a follower of the Night Goddess?"

Hulk nodded.

"Then why bring him here directly? In terms of pure healing effectiveness, aren’t the Priests who have Faith in the Saint Sun God more renowned?"

Hulk stopped and sighed softly.

"Yes, the Saint Sun Divine Hall’s ’Light of Healing’ might be stronger. But their light isn’t always willing to shine upon a Beastman of unknown origin."

Hesia was taken aback for a moment, but then he understood.

The Saint Sun God, Lucis, who presided over the sun, order, law, contracts, and justice, often based His justice on strict order.

For an Alien Race who was not one of his followers, the gates of a Saint Sun Church were perhaps far harder to open than the ajar wooden door of the Night Goddess’s sanctuary.

Captain Hulk had considered this, which was why he had brought Zande here.

He just hadn’t expected Zande to actually be a follower of the Night Goddess...

"Galen, are you free tomorrow?" Hulk’s steady voice pulled Hesia from his thoughts.

Hesia had originally planned to find the Female Half-Elf, but figuring he could get it done in the morning, he replied, "I’m free in the afternoon."

"Good. I’ll go to the guild in the morning to submit the commission, and you can join me in the afternoon to handle the materials we acquired."

The experienced captain was exceptionally cautious and shrewd when it came to distributing rewards.

Even though he knew his team trusted him, he never skipped the step of selling the loot together.

’It used to be Belte and Laila’s responsibility. Laila must be unwell, and Belte needs to take care of her, which is why he specifically invited me.’

"No problem."

Hulk clapped him on the shoulder. "See you at the Rocknock Stone House tomorrow afternoon."

With that, he mounted his Land Bird and disappeared into the night.

Hesia watched the captain leave, then turned to look at the fence by the cemetery across the street.

Zoya was standing there quietly, staring blankly at the moonlit tombstones.

The evening wind brushed through her silver hair. Her dark figure seemed particularly lonely in the moonlight, as if shrouded in some inscrutable sorrow.

Hesia felt he wasn’t good at offering comfort, and he hadn’t fully pulled himself out of his earlier thoughts in the church.

But in his opinion, after an arduous journey, a good night’s sleep could probably solve most problems.

So he called out to the figure with her back to him:

"Let’s go. Time to go home."

Zoya’s shoulders trembled slightly.

She slowly turned around. Her purple eyes, reflecting the moonlight, said nothing, but she gave Hesia a firm nod.

[Moon-eyed Elf... +10]

’Weirdo. I just told her it was time to go home. Is that something to be so happy about?’

...

On the moon-drenched flagstone road, a bizarre "walking race" was underway.

Maybe it was from being cooped up in the church for too long, or maybe it was the thought of finally eating some long-awaited meat pies, but Bruce was so excited he didn’t know what to do with his four legs.

He was currently holding his legs stick-straight, hopping forward in a bouncy gait—his way of expressing pure joy.

Perhaps hoping his happiness would be contagious, he extended an invitation to Zoya:

"Zoya, let’s race! Let’s see who can walk faster with legs that don’t bend!"

And so, Hesia witnessed the comical scene before him:

An Elf and a dog, both with their legs held out straight, were mechanically taking huge strides down the silent street like two clumsy compasses.

A cold wind blew past, and Hesia, who was watching the race, instinctively pulled his soft, warm wool liner tighter.

The warmth against his skin made him suddenly remember that he hadn’t yet thanked the person who had given him this warm gift.

"Zoya."

Hearing Hesia’s call, the "compass" contestant who was falling behind on the racetrack suddenly froze.

Her long left leg was still frozen mid-air, and her whole body looked like a marionette that had been paused.

She spun around half a circle before managing to steady herself. Fortunately, her high agility kept her from falling on the spot.

Her purple eyes, reflecting the moonlight, were filled with confusion as she looked at Hesia.

Bruce also stopped at the sound, his tongue lolling out. As the leading "compass," he had to ensure the race was fair.

"I almost forgot. Thank you for buying me this liner. I really like it."

[Moon-eyed Elf... +10]

Zoya’s confused eyes blinked rapidly several times.

Then, she abruptly spun back around, seemingly having completely forgotten the rules of the race, and how to walk normally.

The rhythm of her alternating legs became chaotic as she stumbled and sprinted away.

She left behind only Hesia and a dumbfounded Bruce, who stood there with his head tilted in confusion.

A moment later, Bruce finally reacted, barking indignantly, "WOOF! You cheated! You tricked me into stopping! This round doesn’t count!"

...

The moment they stepped through the gate of 122 Feipu Lane,

Lady Cassandra’s warm voice called out from inside the house.

"Galen, Zoya, and Bruce, is that you back?"

"Yes, it’s been a while, Lady Cassandra."

"Come in, quick! You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?"

Hesia nodded.

"Go on and sit down. I’ll go heat up some food for you."

Soon, meat pies with an enticing aroma were placed on the dining table.

Hesia took a bite and almost sighed in satisfaction.

Some things were like that. You might not appreciate them when you had them every day, but once you went a long time without, you’d find yourself inexplicably missing them.

Especially after chewing on bread for half a month.

Hearing the commotion, Thomas burst out of his room like a gust of wind.

He spotted Hesia at once, his face breaking into a brilliant smile as he greeted him warmly, "Big Brother Galen!"

Then, his gaze shifted to the other side.

The boy seemed to have made some sort of resolution. He took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension with the powerful and mysterious Silver Level Adventurer he so admired.

He mustered his courage and called out timidly, his voice several tones lower than usual:

"Sister Zoya..."

However, his greeting was met with complete silence.

The hooded Stalker currently had her head bowed so low it was almost touching the plate in front of her.

Thomas’s courage instantly deflated like a popped balloon.

’Last time... last time I at least got a one-word reply...’

Fortunately, the boy quickly convinced himself: ’The dignity of the strong must not be so easily offended!’

So, he wisely decided not to test the great figure’s patience any further and instead began chattering excitedly around Hesia:

"You guys left so early the other day! My mom didn’t even wake me up. I wanted to see you off!"

"How was the adventure this time? Did you go deep into the Gray Mist Forest?"

Before Hesia could swallow the food in his mouth and answer, he eagerly started sharing what he’d been up to:

"Mr. Jonathan has started giving me private lessons!"

"That guy Blair thought Mr. Jonathan was just picking on me, haha!"

"But his brother apparently took care of a few more goblins, and now that guy’s gotten so cocky, he brags about it to everyone he meets!"

"Tom! Should I take a frying pan to that wagging tongue of yours?"

Lady Cassandra emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of pea puree, promptly interrupting her son’s "continuous Spellcasting."

"Don’t buzz around our guests like a chattering sparrow! Let Galen and Zoya eat in peace. They need to rest."

She placed the pea puree on the table and said kindly to Hesia, "There are plenty of meat pies. I know you like them, so I timed it right and made extra today. Before you left, you said you’d be back in about half a month, and I figured that would be today."

Ignored off to the side, Thomas muttered indignantly under his breath, "But you make meat pies almost every day..."

"Tom!" Lady Cassandra glared at him. "I’m going to count to three. If your butt isn’t off that chair and back in the bed where it belongs, I guarantee it’ll be swollen like an over-proofed loaf of bread tomorrow morning! One..."

The boy shot up like a startled rabbit and scurried back to his room.

Swallowing the last bite of his meat pie, Hesia quickly said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Cassandra. I’m full."

"Oh, is that so..."

Lady Cassandra looked at the few remaining meat pies on the plate, appearing a little disappointed.

She didn’t want her signature masterpiece to be left over until the next day.

Just then—

"WOOF!"

Having just finished his own portion, Bruce let out a timely bark, his tail thumping an expectant rhythm on the floor as he stared intently at the plate.

"Oh, listen to me. I almost forgot to ask you, you little glutton."