"Ah, but wait, let me check my food stock first to see if there's any left," said Zalvarich. He closed his eyes for a moment, his brows knitting slightly as he checked his pocket dimension inventory.
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and nodded with satisfaction. "Hm hm, enough, enough!"
Click!
Zalvarich snapped his fingers.
Instantly, a thick, luxurious maroon carpet with golden embroidery spread out, covering the green grass atop the hill. The carpet looked starkly contrasting against the wild nature surrounding it. Several large, plush floor cushions also appeared on top of it.
"Sit, sit," he said, waving his hand invitingly.
Salksha looked at the carpet strangely, her eyes narrowing in a mix of awe and bewilderment. "Damn 00, sometimes I wonder what you don't have in there."
She then dropped herself onto the soft cushion, leaning back comfortably while stretching out her sore legs. "Aghh..."
"Smart people are always prepared," said Zalvarich. Slowly, he sat cross-legged on the other side of the carpet, maintaining an upright and elegant posture.
Click.
He snapped his fingers again.
Instantly, tall crystal goblets appeared in his hand and Salksha's hand. The glasses were already filled to the brim with red wine that glistened under the twilight glow.
"Woohoo." Salksha immediately downed the contents of the glass in one large gulp. The red liquid soothed her parched throat. As soon as the glass was empty and she lowered it, the wine inside refilled automatically to the brim.
"Aghh, so good... damn... man, your skill is cool, 00!" praised Salksha while wiping the wine residue from her lips with the back of her hand.
She looked at Zalvarich with sparkling eyes. "Oh right, the food? The meat?" asked Salksha impatiently.
Click!
Instantly, white porcelain plates, a set of gold knives and forks, and a cooking implement in the form of a floating volcanic stone griddle appeared in the center of the carpet. Thin smoke rose from the stone, signaling heat ready for grilling. Small containers filled with spices and herbs were also lined up neatly beside it.
"The meat, hmm, the animal I hunted back then," said Zalvarich.
Zalvarich raised his hand. Thick cuts of steak floated from the air and landed smoothly onto the hot stone griddle. The sound of sizzling burning fat was immediately heard loud and clear.
Sssszzzt.
Zalvarich picked up the knife and fork, then deftly began flipping the meat.
"Ah, wait, let me season it first," said Zalvarich. He sprinkled red chili powder and coarse salt grains onto the meat's surface. His hand movements were fluid and measured. He flipped the meat elegantly and perfectly, ensuring every side was cooked evenly.
Salksha, watching this, seemed unable to contain herself. She leaned forward, her nostrils flaring as she inhaled the savory aroma wafting up. Her wide smile blossomed. "Looks so fucking good, 00."
"Tch tch tch, don't underestimate my taste, tomboy woman," said Zalvarich without averting his gaze from the meat. He smirked with full confidence.
"You know, if I hadn't created this organization, I probably would have become a chef."
"Ah, a chef?" Salksha repeated enthusiastically while propping up her chin. "Hm hm, fits you, fits you. As long as you aren't narcissistic, though. I heard rumors that people who cook in restaurants like to get scolded or yelled at."
"Ah, is that so?" Zalvarich raised one eyebrow, his hand pausing for a moment from flipping the meat.
"Yeah, I don't know where that culture or thing started, but I once had a friend who became a chef."
Salksha played with her wine glass, swirling the red liquid inside. "She was my academy friend; when she graduated, she wasn't interested in becoming a Hero or a Guardian and decided to work on building her own resto," said Salksha.
"And yeah, she said if you want to be good, you have to be yelled at, and you know the result? It worked. That resto serves the most delicious food I've ever tried."
"Hmmm, I see, I see," Zalvarich nodded in understanding. The meat in front of him was now perfectly browned with tantalizing grill marks.
Zalvarich transferred the hot meat to Salksha's plate and his own. "Please."
"Thanks!" said Salksha, smiling broadly. She immediately cut the meat into large chunks and stuffed it into her mouth. Her eyes closed, enjoying the savory flavor exploding on her tongue.
"Hmm, is that so," Zalvarich then cut his meat into small pieces, then chewed slowly with his mouth closed tight. "Well, I would probably kill the person who yelled at me.."
"Well, no problem there."
After sipping his wine a little, Zalvarich asked again, "Oh right, by the way, where is the resto? You said it was the most delicious food you've ever tried?"
After swallowing her food, Salksha answered while pointing east with her fork. "In the Elf kingdom. After she married a human, she took her husband to the Elves and opened a resto there. Why, do you want to drop by?"
"Yes!" Zalvarich nodded enthusiastically. "I will bring my members."
"Ehh? Don't kill or destroy anything, okay? She's my friend and she just cooks," said Salksha in a warning tone, her eyes narrowing sharply.
"Haha, of course not, I'm not that crazy, chill~" said Zalvarich while waving his fork casually.
Salksha went back to devouring her meat. "So after eating, what are we doing? Going back to the human kingdom?" asked Salksha.
"Hmm, we'll stay here for a bit, I have a plan," Zalvarich winked mysteriously.
"A plan?" asked Salksha curiously.
Zalvarich nodded. He set down his empty plate. "I'm also going to summon my members here."
"Well, maybe it's a good idea if we—"
Zalvarich's words stopped. His relaxed face vanished instantly, replaced by a serious and cold expression. His eyes glanced sharply toward the bushes behind them. "Someone is watching us."
"Ah? Really? A dragon?" asked Salksha casually, her mouth still full of meat.
Zalvarich nodded slowly. "Yeah, maybe." He then stood up from his seat.
Whoosh!
Zalvarich's body disappeared from view like smoke blown by the wind.
On the other side, behind thick bushes a few meters from the picnic spot, a woman was crouching and peeking. She had short white hair with two curved red horns on her head. A long, red, scaly tail flicked nervously behind her back. She wore black and red Eastern-style traditional clothing.
"Was I found out? Why did he leave?" The woman was confused, her eyes searching for the missing figure of Zalvarich.
As she turned around.
"Bleh! What are you doing?" Zalvarich appeared right in front of her face with a mocking expression, his tongue sticking out.
"Agh, no, I-I was just—" The woman jumped in shock, stepping back and almost falling. "I was just foo—"
Zalvarich didn't let her speak. His right hand immediately gripped the woman's wrist tightly. His left hand held a silver table knife, its sharp tip now pressed right against the skin of the woman's neck.
"Just so you know, it would be very easy for me to kill you, because my level is quite high now," whispered Zalvarich coldly.
"What is your level, dragon girl? 70? 60? 100?"
Zalvarich narrowed his eyes, as if scanning the girl's body. "Hmm, my mana detection puts you at level 50-60?"
The girl trembled, her eyes widening in fear as she stared into Zalvarich's intimidating purple eyes.
"But hey, I am a wise and intelligent man, of course I wouldn't kill someone without a clear reason, right?"
Zalvarich sighed deeply, pulling the knife away slightly but keeping his grip strong. He brought his face closer to the girl's until their noses almost touched.
"Explain yourself."