---

..........

.......

.....

...

I had awoken, yet I sealed my eyes shut.

Upon regaining my consciousness, something struck me as odd. Something aside from the absence of my training mask.

My head was elevated and secure, but the floor beneath my body was cold and solid. I wasn't in a bed though.

There was only one explanation for this strange dissonance.

This is a lap pillow! It has to be! I can sense a person directly beside me!

But the question was, who was providing it?

The most obvious possibility would be Lia, but given her attitude towards indolence, I found it highly improbable she'd pamper me this much.

Melyn was a more likely candidate, but even then she was supposed to be in bed. Not to mention, the thighs I lay on were wider than the thief girl's scrawny legs.

They're also firm as hell! The back of my head is sore and my neck is killing me!

I braced myself for the truth only to see...

「Ah—Rysef's kid! Yer awake! Thought ya bit th' dust haha!」

Asthos was the last person I'd expected to see. I rubbed my eyes and sighed.

「Why am I lying on your lap?」

「I found ya passed out and thought ya needed a pillow! Aren't I great?! Hahaha!」

「I'D BE BETTER OFF ON THE FLOOR!」

My neck was killing me.

I hastily sat up and surveyed my surroundings. We were the only ones in the training chamber—Lia was nowhere to be seen.

I had a myriad of questions in my mind, but the foremost one was...

「Why is the leader of the hunting team here? Shouldn't you be out... you know... hunting?」

「Don't be a stranger kiddo! I came here t' bring ya lunch, and catch a glance o' th' beautiful Lia! Also, it's already past noon so...」

「I don't get what you see in that devil trainer—wait. P-past noon? How long was I out?」

Asthos crossed his legs and stroked his chin as he ruminated. The hunter was a spitting image of the Ashen Thief.

Ergo, I dreaded speaking with him.

「Uh... I dunno how long ya were out but... it's 'round four o'clock already...」

「F-four?! That's more than seven hours! Dammit, and I was serious about training!」

The butch and hulking figure placed his big hand on my head and tousled my hair. I swiftly retreated from him in surprise.

「W-what are you doing?!」

「I thought 'bout comforting ya since ya seemed so bummed out. I never really dealt with brats like you, so I just did what that Mel girl would do y'know..?」

No... he's different than Rysef...

Although the Ashen Thief acted carefree and dumb, he was actually smarter than the average Joe.

His false display of carefree naivety was unnatural to those who personally knew him.

「D-did I scare ya? I didn't mean t' but... Sorry..?」

Asthos on the other hand... was carefree and dumb. There was no façade he was hiding behind. Everything from him was 100% genuine.

It put me at ease once I realized it was his true nature. The walls around my heart crumble, granting me the confidence to sit facing him.

「Oh... no it's alright. I was just startled. You don't need to worry.」

「Ahh is that so?! C'mon kid don't spook me like that, I thought I made ya hate me forever hahaha!」

He was still maddeningly obnoxious though.

「Now what's this about lunch? Caught something worthwhile?」

「Oooh yeah, we got a decent haul this mornin'! Check this out!」

What he brought out both astonished and terrified me. A huge purple steak with a mushy black sauce.

I know I asked for larger portions but...

「W-what in God's name is this abomination?!」

「Never took ya fer a fussy eater! It's high on protein, give it a try!」

「ANSWER THE QUESTION YOU FAILED HUNTSMAN!」

It smelled as horrifying as it looked. The odor was unbearable.

「It's Therobyx meat! Monsters are rare 'round these parts, so we really lucked out! I whipped up a sauce out o' its blood with Jazgan blackberries but...」

「M-monsters? Like... magical beasts..?」

Another fantasy term had shown up this late into my fantasy adventure. It was an important one at that.

I'd always wondered about the unique Velatyan wildlife.

「Magical? Dunno nothin' 'bout that magic stuff, but I do know these monsters taste amazin'!」

I eyed the abnormal purple meat, trying not to vomit. I couldn't see it as food. The black sauce only further tainted the presentation.

Then again, food is food...

「If I finish this off... you owe me a proper steak next time...」

「Hahaha, I'll try me best!」

I took the plate and grabbed a stone fork and knife. An intense gamey stench violated my nostrils. But with a genuine beef steak on the line, I bolstered my resolve.

As I fervently cut a piece out, however, an idea popped up in my head.

If I slowed my breathing... the reek won't come through as strongly.

I remembered my lesson on the breathing techniques and began cautiously respiring. Asthos raised his eyebrows as I proceeded with my plan.

「Usin' the Hu breathin' technique to counteract the smell eh? Never thought it could be used that way! Swell thinkin' kiddo!」

It took every ounce of my concentration to slowly breathe and dine on the tender slab of meat. Multitasking was tough.

If five minutes was my limit, I'd have to clean the plate in under that time. Given the outrageous size though, it would be an intimidating feat.

With all of my willpower, I pressed on and consumed every morsel I shoved into my mouth. As I chewed, the oily juices greeted my taste buds.

The sweetness from the sauce, saltiness from the seasoning, and umami from the flesh... this would be one delicious-ass meal had Asthos used real meat...

But I didn't let that trick me. Had I caught even a whiff of what I was eating, I'd undoubtedly spew the contents of my stomach onto the floor.

I wouldn't let my training go to waste.

Maybe it was a way of coping with my failure to go through with my promise yesterday or maybe I was up for some self-harm.

Either way by the time my respiration system reverted to autopilot, I'd already ingested the last chunk of steak and licked the plate clean.

The aftertaste isn't so bad after all...

Asthos stared at me, mouth agape. He was speechless.

I puffed out my chest and burped in victory. I'd finally used the breathing techniques to my benefit, for lack of a better term.

「Oi oi, kiddo, did you really just devour an entire Therobyx steak..? In less than five minutes?!」

「How does a sirloin sound? Think you can procure that for me?」

I proudly grinned and rubbed my belly. It had expanded from the sheer volume of meat I gobbled up. I resembled a stuffed turkey.

The hunter still wore a pale face. He couldn't believe it.

「I offered ya the Therobyx steak as a joke... slum dweller humor and all y'know..? Your actual lunch is waiting upstairs, hehehe...」

My expression gloomed upon hearing those words.

If Asthos was going to sit there and chuckle remorselessly over his unnecessary prank, he had another thing coming...

「Quit...」

「What was that kiddo? Speak up!」

「QUIT MESSING WITH ME GORILLA NUMBER TWO!!!」

Using the last of my strength, I rebuked him.

I dropped to the ground and lay with my arms stretched. The sunless training chamber was quick to calm me down.

I'm surrounded by idiots... left and right...

「S-sorry... My bad...」

Unlike Rysef, Asthos would acknowledge his wrongdoings and apologize properly. The more I spoke with him, the more I realized how different the two muscle men were.

As I went further down that line of thinking, a haunting premonition crept up from the depths of my mind.

Rysef's thoughts on the Church are one thing... but what about Asthos'..?

From his purple hair and amber eyes, I inferred that Asthos was a native Jazgan—a deduction made possible by that damned Viridescent Queen's trivia.

Knowing that in addition to the Church's appearance in Jazga intrigued me to his opinion. Did all Jazgans fear the spread of Velism?

「Say... Asthos... Can I ask you a question?」

「Aah, sure. T' make up fer th' prank, ask away! I'll answer if I know.」

「This is less of a knowledge question and more of an inquiry into your thoughts...」

Asthos gawked at me as though my intentions were as clear as mud. But he decided to lie down beside me and give in to my unreasonable demand.

「What do you think of the Church?」

「Th'Church eh..?」

Anticipating him to deflect the question, I was prepared to steer the conversation elsewhere but...

「They're an evil bunch o' bastards aren't they?」

I pivoted myself towards him, stunned by his response.

「Dunno if y'know this, but th' reason we Lakua District slum dwellers are split between th' village and th' city is all 'cuz of them Church bastards.」

「T-the Church? What did they do?」

He paused before going through with an answer. Perhaps he knew Rysef would disapprove of him telling me all this.

The stirred-up rage in his heart, however, disregarded the Ashen Thief's wishes.

「Back when Master Lakua ruled over us... them spineless fools put out a bounty on 'im. Forced t' leave town, he came across an abandoned village far south and established th' slum dweller sanctuary. T' this day they haven't found us...」

「And the other residents? What are their stories?」

「No different than Lakua! Everyone here's unwelcome in Church territory and Yarzon just happens to house th' most Velists! Frustratin' as hell!」

He slammed the ground beside him and stood up.

「Aaargh!!! Talkin' 'bout those religious bastards will never stop pissin' me off! I came here t 'prank ya and make a move on Lia, and now I'm in th' mood to kick some ass!」

Asthos turned to me with puckered brows and gritted teeth.

「D-don't take it out on me! Go find Rysef and arm-wrestle him or something!」

「Rysef?! Oooooh now that bastard reeeaaally pisses me off! He ain't that outlawed or anythin' yet he still tells us to avoid pickin' fights with the Church! Once I beat 'im in arm-wrestlin' he'll have no choice but t' let us take back our place in the city!」

Asthos marched out of the training chamber with his sleeves raised. He unexpectedly shared the same convictions as Seyna.

The more I heard about Rysef, the less confident I felt about him as our leader. If anything, he sounded like a massive pushover.

Of course, I suppressed my thoughts to avoid getting lectured by the Ashen Thief.

Last thing I want is him kicking me out...

Left with my scrambled thoughts and a replete stomach, I too exited the training chamber. I learned a lot, yet still knew so little.

And I had a gut feeling it would stay this way for a while.

Well... the next day that gut feeling turned out to be explosive diarrhea, but let's not delve into that.

The wheels of fate were beginning to spin.

---