STEP
STEP
STEP
CLAANK
The sound of footsteps and the clanking of iron pots and covers rang out through a place that could have only been reserved for the best of kings.
It was shaped like a large hall, and there was an extremely long dining table, its surface covered with the most supple, mouthwatering dishes—delicacies that only the greatest of kings would ever dream of tasting in their lifetimes.
Bottles of fine wines were arranged all over the table, drinks everywhere, along with golden plates that held various fruits.
Ladies dressed in maid uniforms moved about the area, serving the various dishes onto the golden plates. Some brought in more food on trays, while others wheeled in additional bottles of wine.
Two people were seated at the table.
One was MadWhite himself, and the other was Ryuk, who sat by the table's side, closer to MadWhite rather than at the far end.
The table was so long that he simply didn't feel like sitting that far away.
The various maids came in and out, bowing slightly to MadWhite as they passed.
Meanwhile, they couldn't help but have their cheeks blaze red as they stole glances at Ryuk, who sat meekly at the side, his eyes looking at the enormous table in disbelief.
Occasionally, his gaze drifted around the room, marveling at its beauty.
Golden!
Everything was gold!
The chair he was sitting on, the table itself, the marbled floor beneath them, and even above their heads—there was a golden chandelier, raining down speckles of golden-white light upon them.
"Why aren't you diving in yet, Ryuk? Need an invitation? Hahahahahaha!" MadWhite said with a boisterous laugh.
Ryuk watched as half of MadWhite's mouth was filled to the brim with food.
The man grabbed a bottle of wine from the side, popped open the cover, and poured it into the empty cup beside Ryuk.
"Here, drink up!" MadWhite cajoled.
Ryuk looked at the dark liquid before shaking his head, drawing the gazes of the pretty maids around.
"What's wrong?" MadWhite asked.
"Um…" Ryuk mused, lowering his voice to a whisper, even though the maids in the room all had their eyes on him and, no doubt, could hear everything he was saying.
"I'm still underage, MadWhite..." Ryuk whispered back.
MadWhite's eyes furrowed as he leaned toward Ryuk before whispering,
"How many years?"
"Seventeen," Ryuk whispered back.
Some of the maids giggled among themselves as MadWhite's nose wriggled.
"Tch, and here I thought I would have the best drink of my life with you," he said, taking Ryuk's cup and downing the contents himself. Then, with a button press, he ordered,
"Celiphine!?"
His loud voice echoed throughout the hall, and an older woman soon appeared out of nowhere.
"Yes, young lord?"
"Get me the best wine there is for the best seventeen-year-old human kid remaining on Endearth!" he commanded.
The lady instantly disappeared into thin air, and less than five seconds later, she was back, holding a golden basket filled to the brim with various bottles.
"Here, my lord. This is one of the best wines available on Endearth, all free of alcohol!" she said.
MadWhite smiled proudly, took the basket, grabbed a random bottle, and popped it open before filling another cup.
"Here. Now, drink up!"
With all these gazes on him, Ryuk had no reason to avoid it anymore.
He grabbed the cup and took a small sip.
The moment he did, his eyes widened into balls as a sweet taste—something Ryuk had never experienced before—rushed into his brain, causing it to momentarily halt.
A moment of silence.
Then, another moment—one that sent cute giggles across the dinner table.
But Ryuk had no attention to spare for that. He instantly drank up the cup in a single gulp, a bright light in his eyes.
"The taste! I've never tasted anything so good!" Ryuk exclaimed in surprise.
MadWhite laughed out boisterously once more before leaning toward Ryuk with a sinister smirk and asking,
"Should I tell you what tastes even better?"
Ryuk raised an eyebrow, and then he watched as MadWhite's eyes glazed over the maids.
The maids' faces completely turned crimson red.
They blushed heavily, but their eyes flashed in surprise when they saw Ryuk's face almost completely covered in a deeper shade of red—just like theirs.
"MADWHITE!!!!"
Ryuk screamed shrilly, causing the maids to burst into loud laughter, along with Celiphine, who stood behind MadWhite, covering her lips and trying to stop herself from an outburst.
The little boy was, without a doubt, the best guest their young lord must have ever received.
It was rare to see MadWhite gush over someone so much. But when the person was foolishly cute and naive, it definitely made for quite the scene.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
MadWhite's laughter was unrestrained as he looked at Ryuk, who had turned into a red watermelon, snickering sinisterly to himself.
"Seems like you're not as dumb and innocent as I thought. You understand a thing or two about life, huh?" MadWhite teased.
"F*ck off!!" Ryuk shot back.
But all he got was MadWhite's taunting laughter.
As the serving ended and the maids slowly disappeared, only Celiphine remained in the room. Ryuk watched her disappear into space once more, but then, his eyebrows furrowed.
He looked carefully at the space where she had vanished and found Celiphine seemingly hiding within a void.
Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Ryuk staring dead straight at her pupils before he smirked.
"How interesting…"
"He! He can see me!?" Celiphine's voice echoed from the blank space.
MadWhite giggled.
"Don't be shocked, Celiphine. He's quite an abnormal one…"
Then, with a mischievous grin, he continued,
"And anyway, let me do a proper introduction. Meet Ryuk. My personal intern…"
As Celiphine came out of the space, now that she had been sighted, she saw no sense in trying to hide away any longer.
"Ryuk, meet Celiphine. My protector guardian."
MadWhite introduced.
Ryuk bowed his head.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am."
"The pleasure is mine," she responded.
MadWhite slowly raised his hand and issued a command, causing Celiphine to bow her head to him before exiting the dining room, leaving only Ryuk and MadWhite behind.
The golden table, with its entire length of fifteen meters, remained covered in various dishes, waiting to be devoured.