The Real Stock

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Walter bowed politely and led us.

“I’ll guide you to the banquet hall.”

As we followed Walter downstairs, Cecilia rode on Glacia, floating in the air, and laughed joyfully as she looked around.

“So bangjakbangjak! This is bangjakbangjak too!”

Her bright laughter echoed through the corridor, and even the crystal decorations seemed to sparkle along with it.

Watching Cecilia with a warm smile as we walked, Walter stopped in front of a large door.

“We’re here.”

The moment the door opened, my mouth naturally dropped open.

“Wow!”

The banquet hall was incredibly vast and extravagant, stretching out before my eyes.

The ceiling was high, reaching up to the second floor, and numerous chandeliers hung from it.

Each chandelier was adorned with thousands of crystals, resembling stars from the night sky descending to dance.

The long table at the center of the hall was enormous.

A white tablecloth covered it, with silver candelabras placed at regular intervals and various exquisite ornaments decorating the surface.

The warm glow of the candles harmonized with the crystal decorations, creating an illusion of a fairy-tale palace.

People who had arrived earlier were already seated around the table.

Levi and Ryandel sat quietly, while Nis-nim was elegantly seated across from them.

Ugh…

They look like they’re suffocating…

Both of them were visibly tense.

Levi sat up straight, but her shoulders were stiff, and Ryandel placed his hands on his knees, breathing cautiously.

But…

Is that Rote…?

Nis-nim was holding Rote like a phone.

Rote hung limp and motionless.

Is she… dead…?

As we entered, Nis-nim smiled brightly and greeted us.

“Frostia-nim, receiving such a beautiful castle is truly enviable.”

Nis-nim’s voice was filled with sincere envy.

Her words made my heart swell with pride.

Master nodded and gently stroked my head.

“It’s all thanks to Rico.”

Heh-heh!

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

Being acknowledged by Master is truly the best feeling in the world!

The cool touch of Master’s hand as he gently stroked my hair felt incredibly good.

“I didn’t know humans could build such structures.”

Nis-nim admired the ceiling decorations, marveling at them.

“I think I’ll have to hire humans next time instead of dwarves.”

Dwarves?

Does Nis-nim have a connection with dwarves?

Earlier, there was the story of the dwarven golden wine that Master drank…

Perhaps Nis-nim’s labyrinth was built by dwarves?

Or does Cecilia’s labyrinth transform into something else?

Wait, Cecilia’s labyrinth changes on its own, right?

Does that mean Nis-nim’s labyrinth is also modified?

Or is it a separate building?

Oh, right!

Rote!

“Nis-nim! Is Rote okay?”

Nis-nim was still holding Rote like a phone.

“Oh, Rote? Ah, this is what she’s like now.”

Nis-nim smiled playfully and slightly lifted Rote.

“Heh-heh. It seems Rote can only float in the air and has no other abilities, so I’m infusing her with my energy.”

Oh! She’s being empowered!

Upon closer inspection, a faint black mist seemed to hover around Rote, resembling heat rising.

“Heh-heh. Take good care of her.”

Wait, if Rote receives Nis-nim’s energy…

Could she possibly control the undead like Nis-nim…!

If I command “Rise!” and Rote secretly summons undead from behind…

“Heh-heh.”

The thought alone made me laugh.

This is truly national-level power!

Just wait!

Adventurer’s Guild!

“Hm, what’s with the sudden outburst?”

Cecilia looked at me with a tilted head, confused by my laughter.

Her cute expression made me laugh even more.

“I’m thinking about the Shadow Sovereign.”

“Shadou…? Sovereign? What are you talking about?”

Cecilia shook her head, not understanding.

Miel quickly pulled Cecilia’s hair and began writing in the air.

“Wow! You’re writing with your antennae!”

Cecilia waved her arms wildly, delighted, and Miel, pleased, wrote even more beautifully than usual.

《I see. But it’s not just once; it’s often.》

Damn, you not knowing this story is strange!

Ugh…

Is this the curse of knowledge?

How pitiful it is to be a knowledgeable person…

At that moment, the servants began quietly serving food from the side of the banquet hall.

“Oh!”

Various delicious-looking dishes started being brought out one by one.

The aroma of freshly baked bread, the rich scent of spiced soup, and the savory smell of perfectly roasted meat…

My saliva dripped involuntarily.

The servants placed the food and quietly withdrew.

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

But in front of me was a special dish.

A dish filled with a red liquid.

…?

Isn’t this blood…?

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed blood.

Thick, dark red, and the iron scent filling my nostrils…

Levi and Ryandel turned pale at the sight of my dish.

Looking back, Iris and Clara closed their eyes slightly.

Only Walter maintained his composed posture.

Indeed, the powerful butler!

“Humans know Rico’s tastes… impressive.”

Master spoke with a satisfied expression.

Well…

Since Master was in polymorph form, I hadn’t been drinking blood.

Why wasn’t I eating blood before?

Oh!

The Crimson Bind took all my blood!

That precious blood, all gone, leaving me a useless scrap now!

“Sigh. What a waste…”

Looking at my sword, now just a decoration at my waist, I sighed.

From now on, I’ll drink all the blood myself…

Shaking my head, I looked around and saw Master and Nis-nim tasting various dishes.

Master’s elegant use of fork and knife was truly refined.

Nis-nim, holding Rote in one hand, managed to eat with the other without any difficulty.

Miel was sipping sweet soup through her proboscis.

The sight of her drinking like a butterfly was adorable.

Cecilia was grabbing salad with her hands and shoving it into her mouth.

Her small hands clutching the vegetables and stuffing them in looked almost savage…

Like watching a comrade being devoured by a giant…

Seriously…

“Mash-ssong!”

Ew…

Can’t watch this!

Looking away, I saw Glacia eating meat on the floor, serving as Cecilia’s chair.

What the…?

Wasn’t she supposed to be seated at the table?

And…

Glacia had become a mere beast, unable to even share the table…

Serves her right…!

But seeing her tear into meat on the floor, I felt a bit sorry for her.

She used to be my dining companion, facing me and enjoying meat together…

But this is also part of her education.

Must show her the consequences of rebellion so that other Belez understand as well.

Especially Miel!

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

The sweet desserts were particularly delicious.

Creamy cakes, fruit tarts, and chocolate mousse…

After the meal, I felt full and at peace.

“Powerful Butler!”

“Yes, Lycoris-nim.”

Walter approached politely, bowing deeply.

He seemed indifferent to his new title.

How elite!

“It was really delicious! Absolutely wonderful!”

“Thank you, Lycoris-nim.”

“But what was that blood at the beginning?”

Curiosity got the better of me.

It was the most delicious blood I’ve ever had!

“It’s blood that’s been fermented for a month.”

What!

“Did you kill someone for my meal!?”

I’ve recently studied the aesthetics of murder and killed many humans, but they were all guilty…

“No. It was voluntarily provided by those who cooperated.”

Walter replied calmly.

Ah…

Right…

Drinking blood doesn’t necessarily require killing…

I felt slightly embarrassed.

Had I overreacted?

Iris and Clara looked shocked.

Iris had her eyes wide open in surprise, while Clara sighed in relief.

The two exchanged meaningful glances.

What’s going on…

Do they see me as some kind of man-eating monster?

Or is my reputation somehow distorted?

“Powerful Butler, prepare this kind of meal for me from now on.”

“Yes, I will.”

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

“In the future, I’ll prepare blood at various fermentation stages so you can choose according to your preference, Lycoris-nim.”

Oh!

Indeed elite!

Accepting any request perfectly!

Nodding in satisfaction, I turned to Master.

“Master! I’ll go talk to the maids for a bit!”

Master smiled softly and nodded.

I need to find out how my reputation spread!