Chapter 223: The Peeping Elf
Dinner was lively, almost like a celebration for Shido’s return. In truth, it wasn’t much of a big deal, he had only been gone for two days, but Tuare and Rumia had gone all out, preparing a sumptuous meal for him. While he felt a little helpless at their overexcitement, he didn’t stop them and simply waited for them to finish.
When the dishes were finally set on the table, Frieren’s eyes lit up, and she almost started drooling. Everything looked so vibrant and delicious. She clearly wanted to dig in right away, but instead, she glanced at Shido first, as if silently asking for permission.
Shido couldn’t help but be amused by her expression. He gave her a small nod, thinking to himself that she looked unexpectedly cute in that moment.
"All right, let’s eat, everyone."
With those words, they all began digging into the dishes. Even Clementine, who had been away on a mission Shido had assigned her, had returned in time to join the festive dinner. Like Rumia and Tuare, she too had missed him, perhaps even more so, since her missions often kept her from seeing him.
While slurping her pasta, Clementine ran her tongue over the sauce staining her lips, all the while keeping her eyes locked intensely on Shido. He could feel the heat of her gaze but chose to ignore it, focusing instead on eating, laughing, and talking with the others.
Still, deep down, Shido knew he wouldn’t be getting much rest tonight as he would have to deal with the temptress known as Clementine.
...
It was the middle of the night, and everyone should have been asleep. However, Frieren walked straight toward Shido’s room, unable to calm the strange feeling that had been bothering her. She needed answers, and to get them, she needed to speak with Shido.
It didn’t take long for Frieren to reach Shido’s room, she held up her hand and was about to knock on his door but she halted her hand in the air as her ears twitched. A faint, unfamiliar sound was coming from within his room. With her keen elven hearing, she could pick it up clearly, yet curiosity still drove her to lean in and press an ear against the door.