Chapter 18: Party Chapter 18: Party "It’s still evening and Lily might be working, I should probably buy something for her..." Leo thought as he changed his direction towards the market, completely nonchalant to the bloodshed he had made just a while ago. He sent Shyra back to the Beast Summoning space, "I wonder where beasts go into the Beast Master’s bodies" --- At a restaurant. A woman with black braided hair, and looks of mid 30’s is cooking some food over the grill. After a while, her gaze goes to a young girl with pink hair. "Lily, you should go home early today. I heard that your brother was seriously hurt and you even asked James for some medicines." The woman, Sera, restaurant owner James’ wife, told Lily. Lily, who was cutting slices of meat with a sleek knife, looked up surprised. Yesterday, she had noticed that Leo was hiding his internal injuries from her, probably not wanting her to worry. So she decided to ask James for some medicine. James heard her story and gave her a pill that elevates the pain and boosts the healing of internal injuries. It was already nearing late evening, and the moon was already above the horizon. Ideally, Lily leaving this early would not have been a problem, but today was a special day. The Awakening Trials. The day had been very busy; people who failed, came to drink and share their woes, some people that awakened, came to celebrate. And finally, the grand celebration of Baron’s son’s awakening. James’ restaurant, Sera’s Culinary, though not the best, was among the top restaurants in terms of taste and service. And near the evening, they got news that Zolton’s awakening celebration will be held in their restaurant. They even received fresh orc meat from the messenger so that they could cook it for the celebration. When James inquired who hunted the orc, the messenger said it was some high-level Beast Master who killed it single-handedly. James was fully aware of why Zolton was celebrating in their restaurant. Lily. That was the reason he had instructed Sera to send Lily back home early; otherwise, who knew what would happen during the celebration. "Be careful on the way, and don’t take shortcuts on your way back. I heard 3 people died while fighting each other, and an unknown culprit looted them while also making their faces unrecognisable," Sera warned as she saw Lily off from the restaurant. Most preparations were already completed. And they were waiting for the guests to arrive. Lily just nodded and walked off. As Lily disappeared in the crowd, James appeared behind Sera. "She is a hard worker and a good girl." He said in relaxed tone. "Yeah, she is. It’s her bad luck that Baron’s eyes caught sight of her family, especially that scum son of his." She said as her voice turned sharp. "That human waste even awakened, tsk. It’s going to be more difficult to deal with them now." "Hm. It’s indeed bad, if only I were not injured when my Bull died..." James’ voice trailed off. Sera turned and hugged him from the side. The other workers saw them and then got busy with their own work. They all knew their boss’s lovey-dovey nature and even appreciated it. "It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself for it." She said, "Everyone knows it was the ploy by the Baron to kill you; be thankful that you survived. I am thankful." Her voice softened as she looked in his eyes. James just sighed. "Well, anyway I heard that today was her brother’s awakening trail. I hope he succeeded." --- Lily already knew why Sera had sent her home early. "Zolton... " She muttered, venom behind her words. She still clearly remembered the day when he had arrived in the restaurant completely wasted and looked all over her body with lust-driven eyes. It was thanks to James that she easily came out of the situation. But from that day onwards, he regularly bothered her; he even sent men to follow her home to know the location, but she avoided them skillfully. She wasn’t worried for herself, as due to her rare-ranked soul, she was stronger than regular individuals and knew some basic self-defence techniques. She had even saved money to buy a sword so she could become a hunter and earn more. She was only worried about Leo. He was her only family, and she loved him dearly. Even though Leo wasn’t her real brother, she never felt uncomfortable around him, as he would try his best to act gentlemanly around her, making her laugh. Even yesterday, when he was clearly injured, he tried to act tough and even refused to let her bathe him. "Hehe, I wonder if he will sleep with me again... " Her cheeks turned a bit pink but quickly vanished. "Tomorrow, I will ask master James to employ Leo as a waiter; that will be for the best. Even if I need to beg for him, I will make sure Leo works in a safe environment." She steeled her decision. Lily reached the house and saw it locked. "Hm? Has he not returned yet? I think he is sad about the trial result. Well, I guess I should give him some space..." Her thoughts ran here and there as she entered the house. --- Leo was walking down the street holding a few bags in his hand. He had walked into many shops buying some things for Lily, himself and items for celebration. The total cost had come near 1 silver coin, but he didn’t regret it. "New clothes for Lily and me, some candles, boar meat, bathing soap." Then he looked at his back. "Firewood, fhew... I guess I don’t need to sleep with her again." He exhaled, as if a huge burden was lifted off. "Its not that I don’t want a girl to hug me, not to mention a pink baddie, its just that I don’t trust myself. Not when our relationship is still in fog." He reached the house and saw it open. "Looks like she arrived early, thats more better." He hummed a song from Earth as he walked in.