Chapter 110: A Warm Family Dinner

The Guild Master could not exactly pressure them, since there were no other adventurers willing to accept the request. Besides, the contract had been written under conditions that were extremely favorable to Viktor, and the Guild Master had knowingly accepted those terms when he made the request. He was essentially stuck with no choice. Even Qiu Nuoya eventually found it too much to watch and had to persuade Viktor.

"That won’t do."

And so, the four of them had initially set out together to clear the fortieth floor. However, as mentioned before, Qiu Nuoya had been little more than a burden to the others.

That naturally led to the conclusion that Igor and Viktor should handle the deeper floors themselves and, of course, Viktor immediately objected again.

"If something happens to you while I am away, I will never be able to rest in peace, even in death!"

That was what Viktor had said.

Qiu Nuoya could not imagine anything happening to him under their current circumstances, but Viktor’s overprotectiveness had reached an entirely new level.

They had argued back and forth for quite some time, and after a heated discussion, they eventually settled on the current arrangement.

Having a magical mark on his back did not cause Qiu Nuoya any inconvenience in his daily life. If the protective seal helped Viktor feel more at ease, then Qiu Nuoya had no problem with it.

That was why he had agreed to let Viktor place the protective seal on him.

"Nothing has changed, right?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

With that, Viktor traced a finger along the back of Qiu Nuoya’s neck.

"Ah!"

An involuntary, startled sound escaped Qiu Nuoya, and he quickly covered the back of his neck with his hand.

"Why would you do that!?"

"Isn’t this just a little harmless teasing? Or are you saying that it is fine when he does it, but not when I do?"

Ah... Viktor was definitely angry.

Come to think of it, Qiu Nuoya had been hugged and grabbed by the shoulders by Warren just moments ago. But that kind of casual physical affection was perfectly normal between friends. Qiu Nuoya wished Viktor would not get so worked up over something so trivial.

"I never said that. It’s just the way you touch me..."

There was nothing particularly unusual about the way Warren interacted with him. It was simply the kind of casual physical affection friends showed one another. However, with Viktor, it felt a little different. Somehow, the way Viktor touched him felt suggestive.

Qiu Nuoya had never been particularly good at socializing in the first place. He was especially bad at judging the appropriate distance between people.

Still, perhaps he was simply overreacting. That was why he could not bring himself to reject Viktor too strongly.

This was not the first time Viktor had teased him like this. Ever since Viktor had declared that he intended to court him, he had subjected Qiu Nuoya to countless little gestures like this. Qiu Nuoya genuinely had no idea how he was supposed to respond.

If Qiu Nuoya had been a woman, he felt that Viktor’s behavior would probably have been enough to get him accused of sexual harassment.

However, whenever Viktor pointed out that his behavior was no different from the casual physical affection Qiu Nuoya received from Warren or Igor, Qiu Nuoya could not help wondering if perhaps that was true.

"Anyway, the protective seal is fine, right!? I’m going to make dinner!"

Was Qiu Nuoya only bothered by it because he was becoming overly conscious of Viktor?

Unable to figure out the difference between the distance friends maintained and the distance someone who had feelings for him would maintain, Qiu Nuoya gave a vague answer and hurried away.

If it were not for this, Viktor would be such a reliable and wonderful companion.

Why did he like him so much?

Even if Qiu Nuoya’s appearance resembled Qiu Tailang’s, after spending this many years together, surely Viktor should have come to his senses by now. Yet Viktor remained exactly the same as ever.

The dinner table was lively with all four of them gathered around it for the first time in a while. They were also celebrating Warren passing his Rank D promotion test, so Qiu Nuoya had gone all out and prepared Behemoth steaks.

Behemoths were enormous monsters, but they were herbivores, and their meat did not have the unpleasant smell that many monster meats did. To Qiu Nuoya, it tasted quite similar to beef.

There was also Naku Weed and river fish baked in foil, a Golden Fern and Sea Grass salad, Cockatrice egg soup, and several other dishes. Qiu Nuoya’s cooking repertoire had expanded considerably over the years.

"Ahh, just as I thought. Nuoya’s cooking is the best! Freshly made food really is the most delicious! I appreciate all the meals you prepare for us, but preserved food just doesn’t have the same flavor."

Whenever Igor and Viktor stayed in the dungeon, Qiu Nuoya prepared large quantities of packed meals, or rather, dishes that could be stored and eaten later.

Both of them had magic bags, though their sizes differed, so the food would not spoil while stored inside. Qiu Nuoya could therefore send them off with plenty of meals without worrying about them going bad.

Still, compared to freshly prepared food, preserved meals naturally lacked something.

"There’s still plenty left, so please eat as much as you like."

"I can’t imagine living without Nuoya’s cooking anymore. Why don’t you just come marry me?"

"Haha, you’re saying things like that again. Igor, you’re really good with words. Is that how you won over your wife too?"

"Pretty much." Igor smiled even when the subject of his wife came up. At first, Qiu Nuoya had thought talking about Igor’s wife might be a sensitive subject. However, over the past few years, Igor seemed to have come to terms with it.

He now freely told Qiu Nuoya various stories about the past, so Qiu Nuoya had gradually learned quite a lot about his wife.