Chapter 106: Real Stocks

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Walter bowed politely and guided us.

“I will guide you to the banquet hall.”

As we followed Walter down to the first floor, Cecilia rode on Glacia, looking around from the air and laughing excitedly.

“That’s sparkly! This is sparkly too!”

Her clear laughter echoed throughout the corridor, seeming to make the crystal decorations sparkle along with it.

As I walked, watching Cecilia with a warm heart, Walter stopped in front of a large door.

“This is the place.”

The moment the door opened, my jaw dropped on its own.

“Ooooh!”

An incredibly vast and splendid banquet hall unfolded before my eyes.

The ceiling was open all the way to the second floor, making it incredibly high, and dozens of huge chandeliers hung from it.

Each chandelier was adorned with thousands of crystals, making it look as if the stars from the night sky had descended to dance.

The dining table in the center of the banquet hall was astonishingly long.

Silver candlesticks were placed at regular intervals on the white tablecloth, and various exquisite crafts decorated it beautifully.

The warm light from the candles blended with the crystal decorations, creating a fantastical atmosphere like a fairy’s palace.

There were others already around the table.

Leivi and Ryandel sat as quiet as dead mice, and on the opposite side, Lady Nis was seated gracefully.

‘Aigoo…’

‘They must be suffocating…’

The tension on both of them was palpable.

Leivi sat with her back straight, but her shoulders were stiff, and Ryandel had his hands politely placed on his knees, even breathing cautiously.

‘But… is that Lotte…?’

In one of Lady Nis’s hands, Lotte was held tightly.

Lotte was completely limp, not moving at all.

‘D-Don’t tell me it’s dead…?’

When Lady Nis saw us enter, her eyes sparkled, and she gave a bright smile.

“Lady Frostia, to be gifted such a beautiful castle… I’m truly envious.”

Her voice was filled with genuine envy.

Her words made my heart swell with pride.

The Master nodded and gently stroked my head.

“It’s all thanks to Lyco.”

‘Hehe!’

The Master’s praise made my whole body feel tingly and warm.

‘Being acknowledged by the Master is the best feeling in the world!’

The feeling of her cool hand gently caressing my hair was so wonderful.

“But I never knew humans could build such a structure.”

Lady Nis said in admiration, looking up at the splendid decorations on the ceiling.

“I should try using humans instead of dwarves next time.”

‘Dwarves?’

‘Does Lady Nis have a connection with dwarves?’

‘Come to think of it, there was that story about the dwarven golden liquor she drank with the Master…’

‘Could it be that Lady Nis’s Great Labyrinth was built by dwarves?’

‘Hmm…’

‘Cecilia’s Great Labyrinth changes on its own.’

‘Is there a separate building? Or was the Great Labyrinth modified, like Lotte?’

‘Oh, right! Lotte!’

“Lady Nis! Is Lotte alright?”

Lady Nis was still gripping Lotte tightly, like a cellphone.

“Hm? Lotte? Ah, because of this?”

Lady Nis lifted Lotte slightly with a mischievous smile.

“It seemed Lotte had no special abilities other than floating, so I’m infusing it with a bit of my energy.”

‘Oh! It was being enhanced!’

Now that she mentioned it, I could see a faint black haze shimmering around Lotte’s body.

It was like a faint black energy, like heat rising, enveloping Lotte.

“Hehe. Then I’ll leave it in your care!”

‘Wait, if Lotte receives Lady Nis’s energy… does that mean it might be able to command undead like her…!’

‘If I shout ‘Arise,’ and Lotte secretly summons the undead from behind me…!’

“Heeheehee…”

A laugh escaped my lips.

‘This is truly on a national power level!’

‘Just you wait, Adventurers’ Guild!’

“Mommy, what aw you finking?”

Cecilia tilted her head and asked, seeing me laugh.

Her cute expression made me laugh even more.

“I’m thinking about the Shadow Monarch who saved the world.”

“Eawf…? Shadow Monawk? Mommy always says stwange fings!”

Cecilia shook her head with a clueless expression.

Just then, Miel quickly plucked one of Cecilia’s hairs and began to write in the air.

“Wow! Wettews wif my haiw!”

As Cecilia waved her arms around in delight, Miel, also seeming pleased, inscribed even more elegant letters than usual.

[Agreed. But it’s not just sometimes, it’s often.]

‘Seriously, you guys are the weird ones for not knowing this story!’

‘Hah…’

‘Is this that curse of knowledge or whatever…?’

‘It’s tough being an intellectual…’

Just then, servants began to quietly bring out food from one side of the hall.

“Oh!”

A variety of delicious-looking foods began to be served one by one.

The savory smell of freshly baked bread, the rich aroma of a spice-filled soup, the scent of juices spreading from perfectly roasted meat…

I gulped down my saliva.

The servants politely served the food and then quietly withdrew.

Only Iris, Clara, and Walter remained on standby at the back of the banquet hall.

But a special plate was placed in front of me.

It was a plate full of red liquid.

‘…? Wait, isn’t this blood…?’

Looking closer, it was definitely blood.

The thick, deep red color, and the scent of iron that tickled my nose…

Ryandel and Leivi turned pale when they saw my plate.

I looked back and saw Iris and Clara had their eyes slightly closed.

Only Walter maintained an unwavering posture.

‘As expected of the power-hiding butler… I’ll have to call him the Power-Hiding Butler.’

“So the humans know Lyco’s tastes. I like it.”

The Master said with a satisfied expression.

‘Huh…?’

‘Ah, come to think of it, I only ever drank blood in my flower form in front of the Master.’

‘Why haven’t I been drinking blood since I polymorphed?’

‘This was my staple food.’

Thinking that, I looked at the plate again, and the blood looked truly delicious.

‘Can the color red be this beautiful?’

‘It’s like molten ruby, or maybe the light of a sunset…’

‘Should I try it after so long?’

I lifted the spoon and ate the thick blood.

“Mmm…!”

‘This is so f*cking good!’

It felt like every cell in my body was cheering.

Tasting blood after so long, I felt my instincts as a flower reawakening.

‘Yes, I really need to drink blood.’

‘The first thing I ever ate was the blood given to me by Lord Mikel!’

I hurriedly kept eating the blood.

One spoonful, two spoonfuls…

The rich flavor filling my mouth was so good.

“Lady Lycoris… do you normally drink blood?”

Leivi asked cautiously in a small voice.

Her voice was trembling slightly.

“Yeah, this is my staple food.”

I answered without stopping my spoon.

“I-I see…”

Leivi nodded, her voice trailing off.

Ryandel was looking at me with a similar expression.

‘Hmm… why didn’t I drink blood when I was with them?’

‘Ah! Crimson Bind took all the blood!’

‘To think it ate all that precious blood and is now just a useless piece of scrap metal!’

“Sigh. What a waste…”

A sigh escaped me as I looked at the sword, which had become nothing more than a decoration on my hip.

‘From now on, I should be the one to drink all the blood…’

I shook my head and looked around, seeing the Master and Lady Nis tasting the various dishes one by one.

The way they used their forks and knives with elegant hand movements was truly refined.

Lady Nis was even eating with only one hand since she was holding Lotte, yet she didn’t seem uncomfortable at all.

Miel was sipping a sweet soup.

The sight of it sucking up the soup with its butterfly proboscis was cute.

Cecilia was gobbling up salad with her hands.

The way she grabbed the vegetables with her small hands and shoved them into her mouth was so brutal.

‘It’s like watching a comrade get eaten by a giant…’

‘Shinzou…’

“Dewicious!”

‘Ugh… I can’t watch!’

My gaze naturally shifted downwards, and I saw Glacia, serving as Cecilia’s chair, eating meat on the floor.

‘What…? She wasn’t sitting on a chair?’

‘And… Glacia has now become livestock that can’t even share the table.’

‘Suffer your punishment…!’

But seeing her hastily tearing at the meat on the bare floor did make me feel a little pity.

‘She used to be my meal buddy, enjoying meat together face to face…’

‘But this is also a lesson.’

‘I have to show the price of rebellion clearly so the other bugs will be wary.’

‘Especially Miel!’

After finishing the blood, I also tasted a fragrant herb steak and a tender fish dish.

The sweet desserts were especially delicious.

Cream-filled cake, fruit tarts, and even chocolate mousse…

After the meal, I felt full and my heart was at peace.

“Power-Hiding Butler!”

“Yes, Lady Lycoris.”

Walter approached politely and bowed deeply.

He didn’t seem to mind his new title at all.

‘He’s a true elite!’

“That was really delicious! I absolutely loved it!”

“Thank you, Lady Lycoris.”

“By the way, what kind of blood was that first one?”

I asked out of curiosity.

‘It was incredibly delicious, even among all the blood I’ve tasted!’

“It is the blood of a virgin, fermented for one month.”

‘What!’

“You killed someone for my meal!?”

‘I may have learned the aesthetics of murder recently and have killed many humans so far…’

‘But they were all guilty ones!’

“No, that is not the case. It is blood obtained from those who cooperated voluntarily.”

Walter replied calmly.

‘Aha… Right… You don’t necessarily have to kill someone to draw their blood…’

I felt a little awkward.

‘Did I make a fuss for nothing?’

But Iris and Clara had surprised expressions on their faces.

Iris’s eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly agape, while Clara let out a small sigh as if in relief.

I could see the two of them exchange a meaningful glance.

‘What’s with that reaction… It’s as if they’re thinking, ‘So the cannibalistic murderer is actually a kind vampire’…’

‘Have strange rumors about me spread?’

‘Don’t tell me that bullsh*t about being Abraxas’s best friend has spread too…?’

“Power-Hiding Butler, please prepare it like this from now on.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“But do you only have fermented? Fresh is delicious too.”

“From now on, I will prepare blood at various stages of fermentation. You will be able to choose whichever you desire at the time, Lady Lycoris.”

‘Oh! An elite, indeed!’

‘He perfectly accommodates any request!’

I nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the Master.

“Master! I’m going to go have a little talk with my personal maids!”

The Master smiled gently and nodded.

‘I have to find out what kind of rumors have been spreading about me!’