Chapter 25: Sera's Culinary
Lily was caught completely off guard by Leo's shameless words. Her face flushed, growing redder by the second as she quickly turned her head away.
"I-idiot… You are also the most precious thing to me. Why would I want you to be in danger?" she muttered under her breath.
And thanks to his enhanced senses, Leo heard every word.
A small smile formed on his lips as he beckoned Shyra to come closer. She obediently brought the core and mana crystal to him before jumping over to Lily and settling comfortably on her shoulder, perching herself around her neck.
Leo's mouth hung open when he saw her.
Such betrayal!!
He had even considered giving the core to her, but clearly, her appetite had already been satisfied. If she really needed it, she would've been drooling by now. Since she was still digesting the boar core, she decided to act all proud and haughty instead.
Shaking his head, Leo tucked the coins, core, and mana crystal into a pouch. Then the two of them made their way toward the site of their collapsed house.
Leo looked at the wrecked house with a calm, unreadable expression. Lily, on the other hand, tightened her grip on the metal box, her eyes filled with sadness. Sending it, Leo gently pulled her closer, letting her lean into him, resting against his shoulder.
They stood there in silence, watching what remained of their home.
A few people approached, recognizing them, and asked about their well-being. But when they saw their bloodied clothes and Leo's scabbed wounds, they naturally assumed the two had barely escaped death after crawling out of the collapsing building.
After a while, Leo decided they should find an inn for the night—at least until they could find a proper place to stay.
But as they walked down the silent, dimly lit street, Leo suddenly staggered.
A translucent system interface appeared before his eyes.
*****
!Warning!
The host's body was subjected to extreme movement beyond its handling capacity, resulting in severe muscle strain and temporary shutdown.
Recommended treatment: Healing magic or potions.
Estimated natural recovery time – 6 Hours
*****
"What—"
Leo lost balance as his legs felt unbearably heavy and his entire body ached.
Lily reacted instantly, quickly catching before he could fall.
"What's happening?" she asked, panic creeping into her voice as she quickly began checking for injuries she might have missed.
Leo just gave a weak, wry smile.
"I think… I am just tired…"
He could barely stand straight, and his weight fell over Lily's shoulder. Surprisingly, Lily held him firmly. When he tried to steady himself, Lily assured him softly that she could handle it and guided him forward.
Without another word, they changed direction.
Their new destination: Sera's Culinary.
_____
It was late, and most restaurants had already closed for the night.
James was outside, busy putting benches back inside the building. His large, bear-like physique made the heavy lifting look effortless. As he turned, he noticed two figures approaching.
His eyes narrowed, and he adjusted his grip on the bench over his shoulder, ready in case they were attacked.
But the moment he got a clear view of the two figures, he dropped the benches and hurried forward.
"Lily—what happened?!"
His voice was deep and intimidating, but to Lily, it was only filled with concern.
She knew that despite his rough appearance and intimidating tone, James was a kind-hearted person.
"Master James, please help Leo. He's injured and tired. Our house… it collapsed after we were attacked by Zolton's Butler."
Leo looked barely conscious, as if he might pass out on the street itself if he were allowed to lie there.
James' eyes quickly examined Leo. He could clearly see that Leo was tired beyond exhausted, but his injuries were healing at an astonishing pace, and he wasn't in any sort of immediate danger.
Then he noticed the blood stains on his and Lily's clothes and also the various cuts on them.
How did he even survive? With that amount of blood loss… he should've already fallen unconscious, maybe even dead.
"Did he awaken?" James asked quietly for confirmation.
Lily just nodded.
"James?"
A woman's voice called from within the building.
Sera stepped out through the door, her gaze instantly locking onto Lily—and the boy she was supporting.
"Oh my God, Lily! What happened? Are you fine? And—who's that? Is that man beside you your brother?" she asked, quickly rushing towards them.
"James! What are you doing? Carry him inside—we need to check him." She quickly instructed.
Without hesitation, James took Leo from Lily's arm, hoisted him onto his back and carried him inside the building before gently placing him on one of the chairs.
"How is he? Will he be fine?" Sera asked James since she wasn't able to judge Leo's condition just by looking at him.
After examining carefully, James frowned and responded with a look of confusion.
"Fine? He is in perfect condition. Even his wounds have completely healed. The only issue is that his body is severely overexerted—it looks like he pushed himself far beyond his limits."
Sera let out a sigh of relief.
"That's good to hear. But are you hurt anywhere, Lily?" she asked, turning to Lily.
"No, Miss Sera, I am fine. It's just… Leo's blood…' Lily replied, glancing down at the blood-smeared dress, the one Leo had gifted her, with a complicated expression.
"What exactly happened? You mentioned something about Zolton's butler attacking you," James asked.
Lily briefly recounted what had transpired with them. As she continued, James' expressions darkened and anger flared within him. It reminded him of the ambush Baron had once orchestrated against him.
"So Leo awakened as a Beast Master?!" Sera ignored the bad things and caught the important ones.
"That's wonderful! Now you won't have to worry about Zolton bothering you anymore," she said, clapping her hands together.
Now that Leo was a Noble, Lily, being his family, would automatically be considered one. That alone would make it difficult for Zolton to use petty excuses of her being a commoner.
"Anyways, it's getting late. And since Leo looks exhausted, you both should rest. We can continue our talk in the morning. There are some empty rooms upstairs for use," James said, pointing towards the staircase as he handed Lily a key.
Alongside the restaurant, they also ran an inn, earning some extra income.
"Ah, right, you will need two rooms…" he added, reaching for another key.
But Lily stopped him.
"No, Master James. One room is enough for both of us. I need to take care of him."
With that, she supported Leo over her shoulder and headed upstairs.
James blinked and turned to Sera with a baffled expression. "Huh? What was that? Did I just see her blush?"
Sera stroked her chin thoughtfully as if she were an old sage. "Hmmm… now that I think about it, they don't really look like siblings. Their faces are quite different and so are their hair color…"
"Wait… do you mean…"
Sera simply giggled and walked off to do her unfinished work, leaving James to his own thoughts.