The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

Lily walked with rigid steps, her face showing confusion and shock as she walked beside Bahamut on his left. On his right was Exildra, who smiled assuringly at Lily. She didn’t know what went on between Bahamut and Lily the other day, but seeing as she agreed to go with them on a lunch date, it seemed that it had worked.

While Lily and Exildra exchanged glances, Bahamut was silently looking at his system screen. He could understand the quest it had given him this morning, and it didn’t even give details on it.

All it had was...

[New Quest Initiated!]

[Quest is Part of a Big Mission Which is Unknown for Now.]

[Quest:

Go on a Lunch Date with Exildra and Lily

- Don’t try to fail it...

Good Luck!]

That was all it said.

’At least give me a reason.’

[...]

Bahamut sighed for the tenth time that afternoon, making Lily look at him with a slightly disappointed expression. She was thinking that he’d been forced to have a relationship with her. Her head ached as she suddenly felt dizzy.

"Whatever you are thinking... is wrong," Bahamut said, turning to look at her, though his eyes were blindfolded.

"Huh?" His statement was so sudden that she failed to process what he was saying.

"I can tell how you are feeling from just your expression. I am not doing this by force. I like you, and I will continue saying it until you understand," Bahamut said with a gentle smile, making Lily’s heart flutter. A tinge of red appeared on her cheeks as she quickly looked away in embarrassment.

Exildra just watched their interaction with an intrigued gaze. It was cute, to be honest.

"You two look like you are meant for each other..." Exildra commented from the side, making Bahamut shiver.

"Uh... err..." Bahamut couldn’t find the right words because Exildra’s tone screamed of jealousy. It was scary.

"Hahaha! I was just teasing you. You are so cute like this," She laughed hard, patting Bahamut on the back. Lily, on the other hand, couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Bahamut, the crazy guy, was being patted on the back, and worse of all, he was blushing!

Bahamut coughed lightly, trying to regain whatever dignity he had left after being exposed like that.

"Stop hitting me..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

Exildra only grinned wider, clearly enjoying his discomfort.

"Oh? The great Bahamut can’t handle a little affection?" she teased, her golden eye glinting playfully beneath her hair.

"I can handle it just fine. Just not when it’s... unexpected," he replied, trying to sound composed.

"Sure..." she dragged the word out, clearly unconvinced.

Lily walked quietly beside them, her ears twitching every now and then. She kept stealing glances at the two of them, at how natural they looked together, how comfortable they were.

It stung, but not as much as before, because now... she was there too, and that thought alone made her chest feel warm and confusing at the same time.

"We’re here," Bahamut said suddenly.

They stopped in front of a quieter part of the eatery, away from the usual crowd. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a wooden table under a shaded canopy, with a clear view of the courtyard and the distant walls of the sect.

Peaceful.

"Sit," Bahamut said simply as he pulled out a chair.

Lily blinked.

"For... me?"

"Unless there’s someone else here I’m dating," he replied dryly.

Her face flushed instantly.

"Idiot." But she sat.

Exildra chuckled softly and took the seat on Bahamut’s other side, resting her chin on her palm as she watched the two of them.

"This is going to be interesting," she murmured.

"What is?" Bahamut asked.

"You trying to balance both of us without dying."

"I won’t die."

"We’ll see."

Lily couldn’t help it, as a small laugh escaped her. Both of them turned to look at her. She froze.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Nothing," Exildra said with a soft smile. "It’s just nice hearing you laugh without trying to bite someone."

"I don’t bite..." Lily muttered.

"You literally tried to claw his face off."

"That was different."

Bahamut smirked slightly.

"Yeah. That was love."

"SHUT UP!"

Her tail puffed up instantly, swatting lightly against his arm.

This time, he didn’t react aggressively. He just let it happen, and that... didn’t go unnoticed by her. A server came by, placing simple dishes in front of them: grilled meat, flatbread, and a light broth. It was nothing extravagant, but it was warm and comforting.

For a moment, none of them spoke. Then Exildra broke the silence.

"So, Lily," she began casually, picking up her food. "What do you usually do after meals?"

Lily hesitated.

"Train."

"Only train?"

"Mostly."

"That sounds boring."

"It’s not," Lily shot back, then paused. "Okay, it kind of is."

Exildra smiled.

"You should join us sometimes."

Lily blinked.

"Us?"

"Yeah. Me, Bahamut, Sel, Ren... sometimes Senior Apollonia and Rakia too."

Lily’s ears twitched.

"You’re inviting me?"

"Why not?" Exildra shrugged lightly. "You’re already part of this mess."

Bahamut nodded.

"Yeah. You should come."

Lily looked between them, her chest tightening slightly.

"You’re both weird."

"Not denying that," Bahamut said.

"But..." she hesitated. Her fingers tightened around her bowl. "Okay."

The word came out softer than expected, but it was real. Exildra’s smile widened slightly.

"Good."

They ate.

Slowly, the tension faded. Lily found herself talking more, small things at first. Complaints about chores, random thoughts, and even little stories about her training. Exildra listened. Bahamut... occasionally added a comment or two, sometimes teasing, sometimes surprisingly attentive.

At some point, Lily forgot to be guarded. She forgot to measure her words, forgot to compare herself. She just... spoke.

"And then I slipped and fell in front of everyone," she finished, covering her face slightly.

"That explains a lot," Bahamut said.

"Explains what?!"

"Why you’re like this."

"I’m going to stab you."

"You don’t even have a weapon."

"I’ll use my nails!"

"Already tried that. Didn’t work."

Exildra burst out laughing. Lily stared at them, and she laughed too. It was natural, nothing forced. She could really feel that she belonged. The sound lingered in the air, light and warm. As the meal came to an end, the three of them sat there quietly for a moment.

Lily looked down at her hands, then slowly, she spoke.

"This isn’t so bad."

Bahamut leaned back slightly.

"Of course it isn’t."

Exildra tilted her head.

"Are you admitting you enjoyed it?"

Lily huffed, crossing her arms.

"Don’t push it."

But her tail... It swayed gently behind her, and neither of them missed it.