The Real Monster 39 Being Bothered By Small Fries V

I entered Moonreach and to my surprise, it looks awesome inside. The interior is superb with lots good lighting and furniture. The guests are lounging in the lobby reminiscent of modern-day lobbies and the reception at the center of two stairs that flank it made it look like the forehead of a bull. The reception desk looks awesome with its material being made from Trent Wood. That can be harvested only here on Moribor Mountain. The furniture was made from it as well, but the workmanship is superb.

Guests varied from adventurers who wore Jon-like equipment to those who wore plated and even just leather sets. There were also mercenaries who wore typical military wear in this world. Leather set over the Chainmail set and the wearing detachable plate armor. Full-Plate Armor can only be worn by knights of kingdoms, but those nights are n.o.bles so basically they just wear it as a status symbol. They suck at fights. The soldiers can easily beat them in mortal combat if the situation arose I'm sure. They study swordsmanship while the soldiers live by the sword instead of studying it, making the sword as their lifeline instead of a symbol of strength.

Looking at the other patrons of this place, there's also ordinary citizens and also merchants; here for the food and drinks.

After observing for a bit I went to the receptionist and asked about Gunter. They looked at me as if I'm some suspicious person but I told them that Gunter himself wanted me to visit him, so I told them my name and it seems Gunter had instructed them beforehand about me visiting.

They made me wait at the bar just to the back. The bar was located at the back of the stairs and the reception desk. It was a quiet place not befitting a bar's name. The bars I know of on Earth are noisy and full of drunkards just like the image of taverns in this world. But then again, bars have a lot of varieties so who am I to judge. This bar seems to be a coffee bar or lounge so I dig it.

I waited for no longer than a minute before the man I sought to visit came to my sight. It was Gunter, the owner of Moonreach.

[h.e.l.lo friend! It has been so long! Although we are mere acquaintances, I felt the first time we met that we must have some kind of shared fate or something. How have you been since last you visited the city? It has developed even more than that time we met right?] Gunter was still as talkative as when I first met him. This guy is the kind of guy that makes friends rather easily. I like him.

"Oh, after you introduced me to the city I met with my friends and then had to leave again on a journey. I only have gotten back and since I was around already, I remembered that you told me to visit you sometime. I thought you'd have forgotten about me already but I see you have not. I'm relieved." I told Gunter. It was like meeting an old friend the atmosphere between us felt like that maybe it's part of his charm.

[How could I forget someone who seemed so out of place upon reaching this place, as if you just came out of a cave you lived in for years?! Haha! I mean no offense saying that, it's just that that was the impression I got when you grabbed me that time.]

Maybe I should invite him for my son's party? He can be considered a friend now right? I'm going to share a drink with him and get to know him a bit more before I can introduce myself and my world to him. My retainers are all good but they are not friend materials. They serve me and our casualness could be considered as friendship but it's not something like 'real' friendship to me. On the other hand, if I told him about my real ident.i.ty he might change his way of treating me. How troublesome.

"How about a few drinks? I want to hear more about you, you know, make friends, what do you say?" I asked him casually just like I would ask a friend to have drinks previously.

[Yeah, yeah! Let's do that and wait, let it be my treat instead since you just came back from a journey.] He offered. So I agreed after telling him that I cannot stay too long.

"I actually have a prior engagement today, so how about we postpone today and I'll visit again later on. I'll be in the city for quite some time after all. Would that be alright with you? Let's share one drink for now and have a blast another time." I proposed to him and he agreed enthusiastically. I wonder if he's like this to everyone.

Surprisingly, he took out a bottle of alcohol from his coat and poured two gla.s.ses with it then, [Okay! So here's to our friendship and for the success of your journey!] He said as he proposed a toast.

To answer him lifted the gla.s.s he offered me as well and said, "Here's to the prosperity of your business and to your health my friend!"

*Ping*

Hitting out gla.s.ses together, a sound that felt nice to hear resounded and we downed the gla.s.s in one swig. Then I offered my hand in hand shake to him. He accepted it and we shook on it. A friendship was born here.

***

-THIRD PERSON-

While Clay was out shopping and meeting his friend Gunter, the rest of his retainers were stressing over Clay's orders. They had to yet again prepare a feast in just a day, no, not even a day but mere hours. Caltec, Jon and Mor had to go hunt for beasts that would be good for the feast in addition to the already domesticated monsters that they have made a staple food here in the city.

Mad Boars and Deer Horned Bulls were prepared in a flash while they stepped into the wild to hunt for bigger beasts and monsters to eat in the feast. What they wanted to catch were snake monsters that tasted a lot like delicacies when cooked properly after the poison is taken out of their bodies. The snake monsters are called Forest Vipers.

They are hunted not just for their materials to be used in making armor, clothes and accessories but also for their meat and poison. So these snakes are quite valuable for adventurers and merchants.

Running around the forests of Moribor, Caltec, Jon and Mor each went to do their own hunting. A few hours later, they came back to the city and processed their catch and took it to Clay's residence he took to calling the Love Nest.

Inside the Love Nest,

[Hey, Sire still hadn't told us about the woman and child right? I get that they're demons so they probably are strong to some extent but I wonder what circ.u.mstances made it their fate to come with Sire here?] Jon asked his fellow retainers.

[I know right? Although we should hate demons for sharing a border with us and being our enemies, I actually don't feel any hostility for them than I expected. It seems I don't see them as a threat now. Is that weird?] Mor added his opinion on.

[I feel the same. I don't feel hostility towards them and they don't feel dangerous to us, plus it was Sire who brought them so that already vouches to their ident.i.ty here. If Sire says they are guests then they are guests. I don't know what Sire really plans from now on, but it seems those two are part of it.] Caltec realized while Isaac,

[I know this may sound ridiculous but isn't it a big possibility that Sire already has the future in mind and is slowly making us used to having demons around us so that when he opens our borders and welcomes demons and other races into the city, we will be more receptive instead of outright rejecting the idea?

[If what I think is the truth and Sire really plans for that, then as his retainers, we have to help him smooth over the facts and make the people more accepting of the idea, slowly but surely.] Isaac finished his opinion with that and they were nodding their heads in agreement to his suggestion.

[But if he's already thinking about that then does that mean he's already made a move in the demon realm and made a name for him there? Won't he be hunted down by demons if his ident.i.ty is revealed there?] Caltec worried about Clay's well-thought plans being ruined by some irrational thugs and criminals from the demon realm.

[If by chance that happens then we'll just have to show them that we the direct retainers of Sire can take care of them without problem. Even if the rest of all the races swarm and surround us, we will show them what we are made off and give them a slap in the b.u.t.t to make them run away with their tails behind their legs.] Jon said with enthusiasm and energy. This just shows that Clay's men have been itching for battle for a long time already. They want to unleash all the power they have which have gone unused for such a long time already.

Can you imagine a man who has a girlfriend readily naked in front of him but is told to just watch and use his hands to satisfy himself would feel? In the same way, that's how these men are feeling. They want so much to use their strength but they cannot because they have no girlfriend to use it with and no hands to at least temporarily satisfy themselves; this way they have double whammies when it comes to frustrations.

It was said that demons have strength that far surpa.s.sed the humans and that was the reason why the humans take to attacking the demons through sullying their reputation and making them out as evil, when in fact they are merely jealous of that strength and want to also have that kind of strength for themselves. Actually, in this world, that is true towards all the other races. Although the humans are most numerous, they are also the weakest and that does not satisfy them. They want to pursue power to gain everything they ever want by force.

That's how ugly humanity is. They would kill and bite each other just so that they can gain an advantage over the other and any sort of kindness shown to others are but a mask and sadly just façade to cover up the real intention and motive the person hides beneath the smile.

Lucretia was currently working hard on preparing dishes for the feast while Dethy was helping out with the rest of the preparations along with the mother-daughter pair of Asha and Meridith who're imitating Dethy's moves and taking to heart what they observe.

[Dethy, I need more seasonings here. Prepare it in the next thirty seconds and then put it in the soup accordingly. Then also slice this Mad Boar meat to edible pieces and sprinkle it with seasoning as well. You two there, go and get the vegetables that look like this and bring it here, all of it. Please hurry.] Orders came out one after the other and Lucretia made use of everyone she could see inside the kitchen. In the kitchen she was king and no one should disobey her commands. Not even Clay would meddle in her work since she's the professional in cooking after all.

While the kitchen was on fire like that, the rest, meaning Isaac, Caltec, Jon and Mor set out again to gather their families. Isaac, as he had no family, he went to his office and did some more work while also declaring a city-wide holiday and a festival that followed. All the meat shall be bought by the Mayor's office and each household will prepare feasts for everyone that comes to their homes to visit and eat. A city-wide festival this was the second time it happened here but this time, they will make it grander.

Also, he's announced that this day from this point onward will be declared as the Feast of the Son and will be commemorated each year that comes. A city-wide feast will continue to be held every year at the same time as today.

This announcement brought the entire gloom from the invasion disappear like it did not happen at all. The city burst into cheers and the merchants clasped their hands for the opportunity to hold business again.

The taverns and Inns made announcements after the Mayoral Announcements that drinks will be on the house abruptly as well. This trend continued to connect and like wild fire, almost all establishments made consensus that some of their services and items will be on the house for that day, truly a spirit of having a festival.

Of course, while most were positively cheering, some skeptics were looking at this development with worry and doubt. They think that it's a waste of time and that the city government must be up to something for them to declare so suddenly. The other years, there was nothing like this after all.

[It must be that they are just spending the money to cheer us up. We are after all ent.i.tled to it as we are under the protection of the deity who founded this city.]

[Yes. I agree and that must be it. Since the deity have never been seen and the Festival was named Festival of the Son, so it must refer to those that have supported the city since its first inception, like us who have continued to stay here since the day they opened up the city, right? We are sons of this city.]

Some delusional people also chimed in and gave their own explanation as to why the Acting Mayor made this declaration. Maybe it was to celebrate the success of totally repelling the invading Imperial Army or something else but they really just believe that this was all for them. Although they aren't criminals, their minds are dangerous nonetheless, which drove Clay to kill those kind of people later on.

All this happening of course did not escape the ears of the beauty named Elle who owned a merchant company. They are the primary source of fund for the city after all with them buying the potions that they made through giving the city supplies to make more.

[Mik, how has preparations gone so far? I know it's a bit rushed but if we make the Mayor owe us for helping out in the siege, then that would be a big plus for us right?] Elle spoke to Mik who was standing beside her. She had utmost confidence that even if she did not look at Mik's face, she knows that she can trust him.

Elle was looking towards the peak of Moribor and whispered something under her breath, [I wonder if he'll spare me when he sees me, after all, we are connected by a twist of fate somehow.]