A Peaceful Evening Before the Storm
Dinner was finally served. Bar and Amon bustled about, helping Rita carry the dishes out with all their might.
Bar hoisted four or five plates at once with his one remaining arm as if it were nothing, while Amon poured his whole heart into the table setting despite his eyes being invisible. Convinced of his own exceptional aesthetic sense, Amon scrutinized everything meticulously—the placemats, the orientation of the silverware, even the placement of the flower vase and candelabra.
It all looked like the behavior of perfectly ordinary servants, but everyone gathered at the table except Rita knew the two men's true identities. They were about to dine under the personal care of the tenth and eleventh-ranked demons of the Demon Realm.
For Bayul, this was more or less familiar daily life, but for the others, it was anything but. Sadad in particular—having just learned that Rayegar and Eli were dragons—was so tormented by indecision that he could hardly tell whether he ought to be eating at all. Whether his stomach would even manage to digest the meal was another worry entirely.
"Phew, it's finally done! If anything's missing or you need something while you eat, just say the word anytime!"
As if to prove how hard she'd worked, beads of sweat dotted Rita's forehead. It had been exhausting, but seeing the beautifully laid-out dishes, she couldn't help feeling proud.
"Rita, sit down and eat with us."
"Indeed, do sit."
She had worked this hard all on her own—it wouldn't do to make her wait on them through the meal as well. Bayul and the Duke gestured to the empty seats, urging her to sit quickly.
"Oh no, there's still so much to do in the kitchen. I'll eat later when everything's finished. I'm not even that hungry right now."
Having nibbled at things as she tasted and adjusted the seasoning, she was already stuffed full without realizing it. Besides, with the mess the cooking had left behind, cleaning the kitchen would take every minute from now until who knew when.
"What about Bar and Amon?"
"They have work they need to do with me too. Isn't that right, you two?"
To the rest of the group, Bar and Amon looked ready to join the meal on the spot. But they alone knew the demonic aura hidden behind Rita's smiling eyes. Nodding helplessly, the two quietly withdrew and followed her out.
"Come to think of it, Death's technically a servant too. Why do you let him be?"
Seating himself, Aidan found it strange and leaned over to whisper the question to Bayul. Bayul lowered his voice to match.
"He's worse than useless in the kitchen. And besides, Death is in charge of cleaning."
He didn't bother mentioning that the moment Death so much as set foot in the kitchen, Rita's shrieking—get out and stay out—would echo through the entire estate. In truth, Death preferred sneaking into the kitchen to grab freshly cooked food with his bare hands over sitting at a dinner table like this anyway. Though it usually ended with Rita smacking the back of his hand.
"Ahh, I see."
"I can hear every word you two are saying, you know? Do you really think nobody at this table can hear you just because you're whispering?"
"Grandpa has sharp ears too."
"Why, you—!"
Eli swung his fist, but fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—a wide expanse of table stood between them.
"This is exactly why I didn't want to make my age public!"
It's all YOUR fault anyway!
The boy's narrowed glare shot toward Rayegar, but the man in question feigned perfect ignorance, neatly spreading his napkin across his lap and finishing his preparations for the meal.
"Rita has prepared this food with such care. I trust everyone will enjoy it."
Duke Randert, master of the estate, was the first to lift his spoon. With that, each person offered a word of their own, and the meal began in earnest.
"Thank you for the food!"
"Thank you for having us!"
"I thought I was going to starve waiting for this."
Death was, naturally, in a league of his own. The food vanished into his mouth at such astonishing speed that empty plates piled up before him alone.
"Bar!"
The moment Death called a name, Bar came sprinting to clear the plate and bring out a fresh dish. What the others didn't know was that at that very moment, Amon was furiously washing dishes in the kitchen.
"Your appetite really is something else, just like I heard. Nobody's chasing you—slow down and eat properly. You'll give yourself indigestion."
Aidan spoke out of genuine concern. It was honestly hard to tell whether the man was chewing his food or just drinking it.
"Don't worry. It's never happened before."
Bayul had once worried about the same thing. But Death was physically incapable of indigestion. And he wasn't eating unusually fast even now—this was simply his normal pace.
"It's better not to talk to him while he eats, anyway. He doesn't like it."
Mealtime was the moment Death was at his happiest and simultaneously at his most temperamental. Aside from Rita, no one was permitted to disturb him.
So that's why he never answers me.
Aidan gave up with a resigned shake of his head.
"Quinn, want some more of this?"
Bayul personally placed a nicely grilled piece of fish onto Quinn's plate. At once, Aidan and Eli chorused 'What about me? Why not me?' and pestered him until his hands were darting back and forth serving everyone.
"Now that I think about it, you clearly play favorites with Quinn."
"Is it because he's your roommate?"
"No, it's because he suffered so much on my account. That's all."
If not for the Eye of the Ocean, Bayul would likely still be drowning in guilt even now. He owed Quinn a debt he could never repay in a lifetime.
"As it happens, there was something I wished to say on that very subject."
Duke Randert, who had been watching the friends banter with a warm gaze, turned to Quinn.
"Is there anything you desire, or anything you need my help with? If so, speak freely—anything at all. I wish to repay you for saving Bayul's life."
"I only did what had to be done. Your words alone are thanks enough."
"Nonsense. If nothing comes to mind right now, you're welcome to tell me later through Bayul. Don't overthink it—just speak comfortably, whenever it suits you."
"The repayment shouldn't go to me—it should go to these two gentlemen."
Setting down his knife and fork, Quinn bowed his head formally to the Duke and Rayegar in a gesture of deep gratitude.
"Because you gave me the Eye of the Ocean, I am alive today. I thank you both, sincerely."
"It was my late wife's keepsake, but to me it was nothing more than a ring. I couldn't compare it to what you did—casting away your very own life."
"And I merely returned something that originally belonged to the Mermaid Kingdom, so there's no need to feel indebted."
Is that why you told me back then that I didn't need to thank you yet?
"Back then? When?"
At his friends' questions, Quinn recounted what Rayegar had said to him alone—back on the day of the festival, when Bayul had defeated Rygan, the previous year's champion, in their chess match.
"I told you to protect Bayul? As interest?"
"So the 'repayment' meant he'd save your life with the Eye of the Ocean?"
"Yes. Though I didn't know it at the time."
"Whoa, dragons can see the future too?! That's so cool!"
Aidan marveled all over again. He acted childish sometimes, but looking at it now, there was nothing Rayegar couldn't do. A dragon really was a dragon.
"When death draws near, one tends to see what truly matters. And do keep in mind—not all dragons can do this. Only a dragon of my caliber."
Rayegar swept his long hair back with exaggerated flair, striking the most arrogant pose he could manage. Because of that display, everyone glossed right over the premise he'd dropped so casually—when death draws near. Only Eli, for a brief moment, turned a shadowed gaze back toward Rayegar.
"Thank you, Chairman."
Even if it hadn't been for Rayegar's words, Quinn would have gladly given his own life to save Bayul. He was the kind of person who had more than enough to spare.
But that didn't mean he felt no gratitude toward Rayegar. Bayul, too, wanted to belatedly express his thanks for the way the man had looked after him ever since that day.
"There's no need to thank me so much. I simply thought that if you died, this entire continent might come to ruin."
"…Ruin?"
The sudden appearance of such a terrifying word caught everyone completely off guard.
"You all knew the kingdom fell into chaos without the spirits, didn't you?"
"Oh—is that what you meant?"
"Senior Ian, what on earth are spirits?"
Judging by the tone of the conversation, this seemed to be something enormously important—and once again, it seemed he was the only one out of the loop. Sadad's expression crumpled.
But Ian was just as much in the dark. Bayul had only revealed everything about the spirits when he was alone with the Duke.
"Bayul, you explain it."
Just how much more often situations like this would arise in the future, Duke Randert had not the faintest inkling.
Spirits—the beings who harmonized nature itself.
And his own son, now a Spirit User who commanded them.
At first, the Duke had been merely dumbfounded. Now, worry had taken the lead.
Not just the Empire—every nation on the continent was suffering enormous damage from the ceaseless chain of natural disasters. And now, just as those disasters threatened everything, a Spirit User capable of stopping them had appeared. It went without saying that the eyes of the entire continent would turn toward Bayul.
It was a blessed gift, yes—but the fear that it might one day place his son in danger would not leave the Duke's mind.
"…Is that truly the truth, my lord?"
He'd been thinking there couldn't possibly be anything more surprising after eating dinner alongside a dragon and demons.
But Sadad and Ian, without question, wore the most astonished faces they had ever worn in their lives. Controlling nature itself was something neither their liege Duke Randert, nor the dragons said to stand at the pinnacle of magic, nor the demons who wielded demonic power at will could accomplish.
Never once had they considered the possibility that a human could do such a thing. They believed it only because Bayul was the one saying it—if they'd heard it from anyone else, they would have dismissed it as outright madness.
"Then could you stop Hamilton's endless rain as well, my lord?"
"Innocent has become an Intermediate Spirit, so I believe I can."
And if he combined that with the power of his other spirits, it would be more than possible.
"Anything else?"
"Pardon?"
"If there's anything you haven't told me yet, tell me all of it right now. I refuse to be the only one left in the dark any longer."
Shock after shock had battered him all day. With earth-shattering revelations erupting one after another, Sadad simply couldn't collect himself. Ian's feelings were much the same—the only difference being that he was at least managing to maintain his composure.
"There's nothing more, so rest easy."
"Are you certain there's truly nothing?"
"Do you distrust me?"
"You're the one who deceived your own sworn knight, Your Grace."
"Deceived? I merely knew a few days before you did."
Even as the Duke spoke the plain truth, Sadad looked distinctly unconvinced. It was a wordless mutiny—how could you, when you work me to the bone?
"Well, at least my workload has shrunk a bit."
Grimacing, Sadad pulled out his notebook and jotted something down. It was an old habit, kept since before he'd earned his knighthood, so that he'd never forget an order.
"First, I'll disband all the chasers we hired to keep surveillance on the Chairman. And I take it I'm relieved from reporting on the Temple of Despair's inner workings as well?"
"If you're curious about anything, you can just ask me."
Death spoke for the first time since the meal had begun. His stomach was finally starting to fill—slow eating seemed acceptable now. Beside him, the empty plates had stacked themselves into a tower.
"Bar!"
Bar, who had been secretly tearing into bread in the kitchen, came bounding at Death's call, cleared the plate, and staggered back with a fresh dish.
Dinner today had clearly been meant for Bayul and Quinn—yet Death was the one reaping the greatest benefit. If Rita ever found out, there would be another explosion. Bayul found himself slowly beginning to worry whether Death could actually survive her wrath.
And so, on the eve of war with the Dwyer Empire, the peaceful dinner hour ripened quietly onward.