Chapter 108: A Quiet Dinner at the Tavern
The darkness in the room was absolute. Silence, and a... strangely comfortable feeling.
Max slowly opened his eyes.
"...Mm..."
He blinked a couple of times.
He couldn’t see the ceiling. There were no windows. Not a single source of light.
"...How long did I sleep...?"
He stared into nothing for a few seconds, trying to get his bearings. But there was no way.
Was it day?
Night?
Had hours passed... or days?
"...No idea..."
He slowly sat up with a sigh.
And then—
—GRRRRRRLLLL—
His stomach growled shamelessly.
Max looked down.
"...Uh."
He placed a hand on his stomach.
"...I’m really hungry."
He stretched a little, still heavy, but much better than before. The rest had worked. He got out of bed and walked to the door.
"...I should go check on the others..."
He placed his hand on the handle and opened it slightly—
"—Oh."
Abby was on the other side. Her hand raised, about to knock. They both froze for a second.
"...Abby, hey," Max said.
Abby slowly lowered her hand.
"...Hey, little pet."
She looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled.
"...You surprised me."
Max tilted his head.
"...What do you mean?"
Abby crossed her arms.
"...That you risked your life like that for me."
Her expression grew more serious.
"...We haven’t known each other that long."
She paused briefly.
"...I really want to repay you."
She leaned in slightly.
"...In whatever way you want."
Max went blank.
"...Uh..."
He turned red. Took way too long to respond.
Abby looked at him and suddenly let out a mischievous laugh.
"...Don’t take it the wrong way."
She lightly tapped his arm.
Max quickly responded.
"I wasn’t thinking anything weird!"
He looked away.
"...I think..."
He scratched his head.
"...Anyway, you don’t have to repay me."
He looked at her again.
"...You’re my friend."
A small smile.
"...And besides, I promised Sophie... and Elanor."
Abby watched him, and her expression softened.
"...Thanks anyway."
Simple. But sincere.
Then she pointed down the hallway.
"...Sophie’s cooking with Neros."
She smiled faintly.
"...Let’s go see if they need help."
Max gave a thumbs up.
"...Sounds good to me."
And right at that moment—
—GRRRRRRRRRRR—
His stomach growled again. Louder this time. Much louder.
The echo carried through the entire hallway.
Abby covered her mouth and started laughing.
Max turned red to his ears.
"...Okay, yeah, I’m hungry. Really hungry."
They stepped into the hallway and started walking toward the stairs.
The atmosphere was calm and warm.
Very different from the chaos before.
Max yawned slightly.
"...Hey..."
He glanced at Abby.
"Any news about the succubi?"
Abby shook her head.
"...Not much to say."
She shrugged.
"...But Dorian kicked Abel out of the lab."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Abby nodded.
"...Says he wasn’t listening to him."
She rolled her eyes.
"...And Abel came out pretty annoyed."
Max let out a short laugh.
"...I can’t believe it..."
He shook his head.
"...Did he seriously start seeing Abel as a rival over Lamia?"
He sighed.
"...When it’s obvious he’s never going to see her again."
"That’s Dorian."
The voice came out of nowhere. Right behind him.
"...He wants all the women to himself."
Max jumped.
"—HOLY SH—!"
He turned sharply. Neros was standing there. Calm, as if he had been following them the whole time.
"...Don’t do that again..."
He placed a hand on his chest.
"...Please."
Neros tilted his head.
"Do what?"
Abby laughed.
"I already knew he was there."
Max looked at her.
"...How?!"
Abby shrugged.
"...I don’t know... I can feel his presence."
Neros crossed his arms.
"...Sophie sent me."
He pointed upward.
"...Food’s ready."
He turned slightly.
"...If you want, go ahead."
He paused.
"...I’ll go get Moonlight, Varis, and the others."
Max nodded.
"...Perfect."
And then—
"...Hey."
He looked at Abby.
"What about Azael and Elise?"
Abby blinked.
"...Oh..."
She lowered her voice slightly.
"...They already said goodbye and left."
Max froze.
"...Really?"
Abby nodded.
"...A few hours ago."
A small smile.
"...We tried to wake you so you could say goodbye..."
She crossed her arms.
"...But it was impossible."
She looked at him.
"...Seems like the little pet was really tired."
Max let out a small laugh.
"...Yeah, I guess..."
He scratched his head.
"...Reminds me of when I used to skip school."
Abby frowned.
"...Skip what?"
Max kept going like nothing.
"...I’d stay up all night playing video games..."
He shrugged.
"...And not even my mom could wake me up."
Abby looked at him, confused.
"...I didn’t understand any of that."
Max raised a hand.
"...Doesn’t matter."
He smiled faintly and looked ahead.
"...But still..."
A pause.
"...I hope things go well for them."
His tone softened.
"...Wherever they are."
Abby nodded.
"...Same here."
They went up the stairs.
***
As they reached the top step, the smell hit them instantly. Hot oil. Freshly fried fish. And something else... creamy, earthy.
Max took a deep breath.
"...Oh..."
He closed his eyes for a second.
"...This smells amazing."
His eyes lit up.
"...This is exactly what I needed."
Sophie stood behind the counter, focused. With a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other, she carefully flipped a golden fillet. On the side, sliced potatoes and sautéed vegetables sizzled softly. And in a pot, a thick mushroom mash bubbled slowly.
Sophie smiled faintly without stopping.
"...I hope so."
She flipped the fish.
"...It’s one of Bertha’s recipes."
A brief pause.
"...Second time I’ve made it."
Max nodded enthusiastically.
"...You’ve already won just from the smell."
Abby lightly smacked his hand.
"—Less talking, more helping."
She pointed to the table.
"...Go set the plates."
Max raised his hands.
"...Yes, ma’am."
He walked over to the counter. And there he saw him.
Abel.
Drying glasses with a cloth, clearly annoyed.
"...I don’t understand that elf..." he muttered without looking up.
Max grabbed a couple of plates.
"...Dorian?"
Abel snorted.
"...Yeah, who else?"
He set a glass down a bit harder than necessary.
"...Thinks too highly of himself."
Max shrugged.
"...Well..."
He grabbed utensils.
"...When people get blinded by a woman, that happens."
Abel froze. Slowly, he looked up.
"...Huh?"
He frowned.
"...Why would you say that?"
Max froze.
’Uh, maybe he doesn’t know anything.’
He smiled—but it was clearly forced.
"...No, nothing..."
He scratched the back of his neck.
"...Just my thoughts, don’t worry about it."
Abel stared at him for a few more seconds. Then suddenly laughed.
"...You’re a weird guy."
He shook his head.
"...But anyway."
His expression softened slightly.
"...I’m glad my wife is back home."
Max nodded quickly.
"...Yeah... totally."
He grabbed everything and headed straight to the table. He started setting plates. Utensils. Glasses. Everything in place.
The atmosphere was warm. Calm. Normal.
And then—
BOOOOM.
An explosion shook the floor. The wooden boards vibrated under their feet.
"WHAT—?!"
Max almost dropped a plate.
From the hatch, smoke began to rise.
Sophie turned sharply.
Abby stepped back.
And the atmosphere tensed once again.