Lakyus Ariel sat comfortably in her section of a luxurious restaurant, enjoying her fine dining in peace and quiet. She had intentionally bought out this place for an entire day so she would not be interrupted by the other custors.
The attendants in the establishnt stood in different corners, waiting on her for anything she wanted during this ti.
Their constant stares made her slightly uncomfortable, but she didn’t complain.
She understood the reason for their attention.
After all, on her table alone were dozens of als—all of which were yet to be eaten.
Before this, there had been three other rounds of als of similar proportions.
She also planned to have a few more.
Despite eating such an atrocious volu of food, Lakyus had the build of a slender and tall woman. She was close to seven feet tall, with long blond hair and green eyes. She had a noticeable birthmark beneath her left eye, which added to her charms.
She was usually seen in full-plated armor, but today she wore casual clothes. This was why many people didn’t recognize her—the Chief Explorer of the Vampire State!
She had co to the Crimson City due to the Rouge Family’s invitation, and although she had a sowhat pleasant experience, the latter part of it was ruined due to the presence of the Adventurers Guild’s Guildmaster.
She simply could not stand that rude and unpolished man!
A real man had to be considerate but decisive... kind to allies and ruthless to enemies... soft, but also incredibly tough.
This was the duality of man that most males out there were simply lacking.
It was why, even though she was already twenty-five years old, she remained single and had yet to settle down with anyone. She had several suitors—especially among her Explorer colleagues.
After all, Lakyus was an incredibly attractive woman.
However, she fancied none of them.
’I thought I would be able to find a potential suitor in the Ceremony, which is why I attended. In the end, I was fated to be disappointed...’ She shrugged while enjoying her mountain of food with delicate grace.
’Well, whatever. I’ll just chalk it up as another failure.’
Although she indeed wanted to get married, she wasn’t going to act like a desperate woman and simply throw herself at any half-decent man that ca her way. She had high standards for a reason, and until soone showed the kind of qualities she wanted, Lakyus was determined not to settle.
Right as she was enjoying her al, the door to the restaurant was flung open.
A man, noticeably short and portly, entered.
He was very hairy, and he had the disposition of a brute.
How soone like him was adorned with expensive jewelry and the finest linen was seemingly a mystery. Such luxurious things seed ill-suited for soone like him.
He was a barbarian by all definitions.
His robust arms were displayed thanks to his sleeveless garnt, and although he had a potbelly, his muscular fra still shone brilliantly.
"You..." Lakyus instantly frowned when she saw him.
After all, this person was none other than Zarius the Beserker—leader of the Adventurer’s Guild.
He was also the kind of man she detested most of all.
"Yo, glutton!" He raised his hand while beaming a smile at her. "What round of the al is that? I figured the feast at the Rouge residence would not suffice, so I knew I would find you in one of these establishnts."
Lakyus was just about to ask how he found her when she heard the answer.
However, this didn’t make her feel any better.
’It’s because of my Principal Disposition!’ She wanted to scream in her defense, but she knew that would do her no good. Acting agitated in front of him was exactly what this brute wanted, and she would not give him the satisfaction.
Instead, she cald herself and scoffed at his remarks.
"What are those guards doing? I specifically ntioned that no one should be allowed in while I am still eating..."
"Hehe... You can’t really bla them. There aren’t many people who are a match for ."
"Y-you an—?!"
"Hehe! Don’t look so serious. I simply had a ’talk’ with them, and they let in."
Lakyus sighed while shaking her head.
Zarius had certainly beaten one or two of them as an example and then threatened the rest to comply. Why else would professional guards let soone like him in?
Well, what’s done is done.
He was here now, so she might as well let him say what he wanted.
That way, he could leave quickly.
"What do you want? Make it brief and be on your way."
"Hehe... Don’t act so cold. Didn’t we have a pleasant ti at the Rouge residence?" He sat opposite her, with the table and mountain of food separating them. "Ohh, these dishes look nice. As expected of such a fine establishnt. You don’t mind, do you?"
"Help your—"
Before she even finished her statent, the man was already forking down the food like a glutton. This made Lakyus’s annoyed expression deepen.
It wasn’t simply because he was eating her food. Actually, the mont Zarius arrived and sat opposite her, she had already decided not to touch the food.
In fact, the re fact that she looked at her al had disqualified it from entering her stomach.
What vexed her was his audacity.
The way he was also loudly munching on the food and ssing with the table infuriated her.
Still, she held back her feelings.
She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being the reason she lost her cool.
’Never again!’
A lot of disputes between the Explorers Association and Adventurers Guild could be traced to their differences in ideologies and incompatibility in terms of approach, but nearly half of their bad blood was actually due to how much Lakyus detested Zarius.
She hated him so much that it affected the entire organization she supervised.
Yet this man was seated in front of her.
’I would kill him if I could, but it would be a very ssy fight, and there’s no way to determine who would win between us...’ She sighed in silence.
"I actually ca here to talk about the Rouge Family’s proposal." After scarfing down as much food as his large stomach could fit, he finally spoke up.
’Tch! And he calls the glutton...’
At least Lakyus had a justified reason behind her consumption of an obscene quantity of food.
Her physiology demanded it due to the effect of her Principal Disposition.
But what about Zarius?
He was a natural embodint of the sin of gluttony.
—Pathetic!
"There’s nothing to talk about. We won’t be cooperating with the Adventurer’s Guild!"
"Co on... It’ll be beneficial for both sides."
"Tch..."
Lakyus could not argue with Zarius’ logic at all.
She simply refused because she didn’t like this man and didn’t want to work with him.
"It has been three years since the Mountain Range Incident. For the first ti ever, it is finally open to the public, and the Rouge Family—as expected of them—got the exclusive first rights to exploit the land. Their contract is really nice. If we take it and use our Adventurer skills to survey the land, discovering all sorts of amazing things there, and you guys use your in-depth skills to supplent our efforts... we could achieve great things."
Lakyus sighed once again.
She knew all this.
In fact, every part of her Explorer’s instinct was drawn to this case.
For three years, the Special Division had monopolized the Mountain Range due to the sudden explosion that had appeared.
Now that it was available for exploration, but only under the Rouge Family’s contract, it was a gold mine for new discoveries and resources. If the Explorers Association missed out on this, the Adventurer’s Guild would rake in all the profits.
Beyond material gain, there was also the sense of accomplishnt that Explorers had when they dug deeper into special places like this.
Lakyus didn’t want to pass up on this opportunity.
But—
She simply hated Zarius too much!
’The Rouge Family is rather ambitious. Rather than hire one side or the other, to maintain its good relationship with both organizations, it is seeking a collaboration. Granted, it would make the job a lot smoother, as each side can cover for the weakness of the other... but we are too incompatible... Or is it just my bias?’
While she was still having this thought, Zarius went on another tangent.
"Speaking of the dinner at the residence, what did you think? I found it rather uneventful. I was expecting the Blanc Family’s kid to be a bit more interesting..."
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