Clack Clack Clack

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed throughout the air as the knights and soldiers marched back and forth. With them were the escaped prisoners who were once again bound to new sets of magic cuffs.

All the prisoners have been rounded up neatly with the help of Gustav's knights and the adventurers from the guild. Of course, it was only resolved quickly due to the help of multiple high-rankers who happened to be there for the Labyrinth's opening. These include Grey and company, and three other B-rankers from the guild.

There also weren't any citizens harmed with how quick action was taken. Even the guards who had been beaten up black and blue were now in safe condition and receiving treatment in the hospital.

By the time Grey returns to the mansion, all the prisoners have been sent back to jail and an even tighter security has been placed with the guards being temporarily replaced by Gustav's knights.

"I'm backー Hm...?" ［Grey］

A strange scene greeted Grey as soon as he walked inside the mansion, making him stop on his tracks. It was Eliza who was crying in Yuna's embrace. Kris and Aria were also there, trying to calm her down.

"What happened!?" ［Grey］

Struck by panic, Grey quickly rushed towards Eliza's side as he feared something might have happened to her. But before he could even approach her...

"Uuuu... Elder Brother Grey!" ［Eliza］

"!!!" ［Grey］

... Eliza suddenly rushed towards him, hugging him as she bawled her eyes out, making Grey quite confused as to what just happened.

Grey looked at the three who were previously looking out for her, but there was no immediate answer about Eliza's sudden behaviors. Kris only shook his head as he shrugged his shoulders whilst looking at Grey's dumbfounded face.

While Grey didn't quite understand what was happening, he let the young girl just hug him as she pleased. He also stroked her head gently as to calm her down slowly as she let her tears out.

"Yuna..." ［Grey］

"Hmm... I'm not really sure. She's been like that ever since I came back. But it seems like we made her worry." ［Yuna］

It was only when Grey looked at Yuna with questioning eyes that the former was able to grasp the current situation. He heaved a sigh of relief as he learnt that no harm befell towards Eliza.

"Sorry if we made you worried, Liz... But as you can see, We're safe and sound! So no need to cry, okay?" ［Grey］

Grey said to Elza, gently, as he wiped her tears away. But contrary to what he had expected, Eliza didn't let go, instead, she embraced him even tighter. It was so tight that if it were a normal person, their body would have been crushed.

While Eliza's tears have stopped, Grey was now stuck in an awkward situation. He could easily get out from Eliza's embrace as he pleased but he didn't as it was clearly not the correct option.

"Hm...? What's happening here?" ［Gustav］

Just as their little drama was undertaking, Gustav entered the mansion by chance, and not understanding what was happening, he gave them a confused face, with one of his eyebrows raised like an arch.

Seeing his reaction, the four of them quickly explained the situation to Gustav. They also asked for his assistance and his response...

"I understand, but first.... we should probably eat breakfast. That battle really made me hungry." ［Gustav］

... didn't help at all. It seemed like he was more interested towards breakfast than his niece who only stopped crying recently.

Though, because of what he said, the others remembered that they still haven't eaten breakfast yet. There was only one more fact which made them despair. It was because from the amount of time that had passed, the meal had already gone cold.

They then headed towards the dining room, with Eliza still clinging on Grey's side. Fortunately for Grey, when they arrived there, they finally managed to somehow convince Eliza to let go of him.

Contrary to their expectations, the food that was previously served was still hot, or rather, had been reheated. Rhodes had taken it upon himself to preserve the food and heated it when the recapture was announced, allowing everyone to enjoy a warm and delicious meal.

There was only one problem. It was that even after they finished eating breakfast, Eliza still seemed to be in low spirits, barely making any sounds. It made the others greatly worried about her.

'Haah... I wonder what I could do to cheer her up…' ［Grey］

Grey sighed inwardly as he gazed upon the still dejected Eliza. They were also having a hard time without Fritz as he was still on site, managing the aftermath of the prison break.

"Ahh... That hit the spot! Good food really does cheer people up! Hahaha!" ［Gustav］

Hearing Gustav's words, an idea suddenly popped up inside Grey's mind. It was just like Gustav had said, all one needed to cheer up was a taste of delicious cooking!

"Thank you, Sir Gustav!" ［Grey］

"Ah, sure...?" ［Gustav］

Ignoring the puzzled Gustav's response, Grey started thinking what food he should cook for the dejected Eliza. He was searching for a dish which Eliza had never tasted before but would surely like.

Spaghetti, burgers. Potato snacks... There were many things that went through Grey's mind, but each and everyone of them was too much of a hassle to make or was just too simple.

''Ah, that's it!' ［Grey］

A sudden answer came towards Grey's mind as he recalled the things he enjoyed in his past life. It was food which could be found anywhere, full of variations, cheesy, and most of all, fun to eat. Pizza!

"Hey, Yuna. I have something to tell you." ［Grey］

"Hm...?" ［Yuna］

"You see..." ［Grey］

Since Grey wouldn't be able to pull it off by himself, he lets Yuna in on the plan so that she can distract Eliza while he prepares it. Though, he did not whisper to her too close. He's already learnt his lesson.

"Hmm... I see..." ［Kris］

But while Grey was whispering to Yuna about his plan, Kris suddenly popped out of nowhere and joined in. Neither Grey nor Yuna didn't even notice him approaching them, making the two quite surprised.

"Kris, what do you think you're doing?" ［Aria］

"Eh? Listening...?" ［Kris］

"No, you're eavesdropping." ［Aria］

But of course, his beloved fiancée, Aria, soon followed after him to scold him. Rather than an engaged couple, the two looked like a mother and son, with the mother trying to reprimand her mischievous son.

"Haah... Grey, Yuna. I apologize on behalf of this idiot. He really doesn't know when and when not to meddle into things." ［Aria］

"Aria, why do you always call me an idiot?" ［Kris］

"Because you are one." ［Aria］

Just shortly after they joined in, the two had already gone off to their own world, leaving Grey and Yuna who were supposed to be talking with just the two of them to be dumbfounded by their usual shenanigans.

Yuna and Grey were about to continue what they were talking about once again, but when Kris noticed them, he joined once again. And since the two of them were already there, Grey also let Kris and Aria in on his plan.

It was a simple plan where Grey and Kris will go out to catch fresh ingredients while Yuna and Aria, as fellow women, keep Eliza occupied with their girl talk while also buying ingredients from the market.

"That's a good plan, but I have one question." ［Yuna］

"Hm? What is it?" ［Grey］

"What is pizza?" ［Yuna］

"Yeah, what is it?" ［Kris］

"I've also never heard of it." ［Aria］

There was just one thing Grey forgot to reconsider, it was that neither of the three knew what kind of food pizza was. After all, it was a dish which came from another world, namely, Earth.

"It's... basically dough with toppings on it... Anyway, you'll understand when you have a taste of it later." ［Grey］

"Alright, it better be some good stuff!" ［Kris］

"I'm looking forward to it." ［Aria］

"It's going to be another great dish again!" ［Yuna］

While they didn't quite get it, neither of the three questioned Grey any further. Yuna was especially enthusiastic since she knew full well Grey's cooking capabilities. She knew by heart that it would be a delicious dish.

The reason why Grey wants to go hunting despite the surplus of meat in his possession was mostly because of an interesting fact in the knowledge God had granted him.

One every few years, there's an event where migratory beasts called Bulldeers arrive near Moterno as a part of their migration journey. Other than their spectacular build, Bulldeers are known for their delicious meat. It just so happened that that event is happening right now.

"What are we waiting for, Grey? Let's go hunt some meat!" ［Kris］

"Ah, sorry... Well then, we'll be going now." ［Grey］

After they waved their goodbyes, Kris and Grey then exited the mansion and headed to the Cervidia Plains where the Bulldeers were supposed to be at, whilst the ladies were left behind to take care of Eliza.

When they arrived there, an amazing scene welcomed the two of them. Hundreds of Bulldeers gathering in one place, grazing at the grass peacefully, without a single care in the world.

"Woah...,there sure are a lot of them..." ［Kris］

Kris commented as he scanned the plains. With the number of Bulldeers present, if they were to run wild, it would surely cause a disaster, not just to Moterno, but to the neighboring villages as well.

Thankfully, Bulldeers are docile beasts which would rather run than fight when being attacked. Though they are still G-rank so people are still wary of them.

"So, Grey, how much should we take down?" ［Kris］

"Hmm... Just one should be enough. But if we want to take some too, then we can hunt more of them." ［Grey］

"Nah, I'm good. With the size of those things, you could feed an entire village with just one of them." ［Kris］

Kris shrugged his shoulders as he responded. After all, even if they were called Bulldeers, their size was so big that one couldn't even compare neither a bull nor a deer to them. Their size was only a little smaller than elephants.

"So, how would you like to hunt them?" ［Kris］

"Hmm... With a herd as large as this, I think we should use traps to separate one of them and hunt it down without the others knowing." ［Grey］

"Seems fair. We wouldn't want them to panic and run wild after all." ［Kris］

With a plan in mind, Grey and Kris then went hiding in the perfect position behind the bushes where the Bulldeers would have a hard time noticing the two of them.

Their plan is as follows: First, Grey will use curse magic to lead one of them away from the herd. When it goes far enough, it will be controlled to approach them. When that happens, Kris will take it out in one blow.

"You sure are a talented one, aren't you? To think you'd also know curse magic!" ［Kris］

Kris commented in a surprised voice in which Grey could only nod silently in response. He felt a little guilty when he only learnt it with the help of the knowledge God had provided him.

Burying his guilt, Grey quickly locked on a target located quite a distance away. It was an adolescent Bulldeer whose meat is still tender and juicy, perfect for any kind of dish.

After he locked towards his target, Grey let Kris know with a simple hand signal which the latter responded to with a nod as he readied his trusty hammer.

⟨⟨Hijack⟩⟩ ［Grey］

Even when the Bulldeer was located a couple hundred meters away, with Grey's eyes, the spell landed accurately towards the target's head, taking full control over its will and body.

"Oh, it's really moving towards us..." ［Kris］

Like an excited child, Kris observed carefully as Grey controlled the Bulldeer's movement. His eyes were full of curiosity and amazement as it was his first time seeing curse magic in action.

Slowly, the Bulldeer approached Grey and Kris' location without a smidge of suspicion from its kin. Rather, the other Bulldeers didn't particularly care and just continued grazing on the grass.

"Grey, I have a question." ［Kris］

"Sure, what is it?" ［Grey］

"Do you like Yuna?" ［Kris］

"Eh!?" ［Grey］

A sudden question came hurling from Kris, throwing Grey's concentration off. He was so shocked by the question that he lost control of the Bulldeer which had almost reached them.

As for the bulldeer in question, it just returned back to its herd, confused by how it got far away from it in the first place. Though its contusion only lasted for a short time as it immediately grazed in the grasslands as soon as it returned.

"W-What's with that all of a sudden!?" ［Grey］

"Ah, well, it was just a random thought of mine. But judging by your reaction... looks like I was right." ［Kris］

Hearing Kris's words, Grey immediately started panicking, making Kris confirm that his hypothesis was indeed true. Grey wouldn't be able to deny it now when the answer was already painted all over his face.

Well, to be fair, Grey was also pretty obvious. Even Gil and Hal immediately figured things out just from seeing their reactions a few days ago. It was only Grey who thought that he was hiding it well.

"Was I really that obvious...?" ［Grey］

"Well, if someone like me who doesn't even meet you that often figured it out this quickly... Do I really need to answer that question?" ［Kris］

"Ugh... Do you think Yuna had noticed?" ［Grey］

"I don't know... but probably not. She seems to be acting normally around you." ［Kris］

"Haah... Thank God..." ［Grey］

Grey's body loosened up as soon as he heard Kris' opinion. Well, of course Yuna would still act "normally", after all, she was already in love with Grey when Kris and Aria had met her.

⟨⟨Hijack⟩⟩ ［Grey］

Full of relief, Grey once again attempted to control the same Bulldeer to separate it from its herd. And while this was happening, Kris and Grey continued their talk about Yuna.

"So, Grey, when do you plan on confessing to Yuna?" ［Kris］

"When I have the courage to, I guess...?" ［Grey］

"What are you, a kid? Courage is not something you have to wait for. It's something you have to create for yourself!" ［Kris］

Kris' expression when he stated his words was one full of disbelief and pity towards Grey. And as all his words were also on point so Grey didn't have a way to refute against him.

Grey fully understood what Kris was talking about, but just the thought of losing Yuna was enough to scare him out of his wits. He knew full well he was acting like a spoiled child, but he just couldn't help himself.

The friendship and trust he had built over the time they had been together could easily collapse from a single mistake. It was a scenario Grey wanted to avoid the most from happening.

"Well, I couldn't really blame you. I was also like that at first when I realized my feelings for Aria. But after realizing that I might lose her someday, I braced myself for the worst outcome and confessed to her." ［Kris］

Out of nowhere, Kris suddenly started talking about his love story with Aria. His eyes were looking at a distance as he reminisced about the time he confessed his love to the girl of his dreams.

Hearing Kris' words, Grey felt a sense of reassurance and courage well up inside of his wavering heart.

"But of course, I got rejected... I was so dejected that time that I wasn't able to sleep for two weeks. Ahhh... the memories..." ［Kris］

But such reassurance and courage quickly disappeared when Kris opened his mouth again. Those emotions were now replaced with pity towards the man who was still reminiscing of his past.

"But I still didn't give up after that. Time after time, I confessed to Aria, and time after time I got rejected. It took 73 times before Aria accepted my feelings. At that time, I really felt that all my efforts were not in vain." ［Kris］

That pity also soon changed into disbelief when Kris continued his words. Rather, Grey felt pity towards Aria who was subjected to Kris' persistent confessions. He could only imagine how they went with Kris' personality.

Somewhere deep inside Grey's heart, a feeling of doubt started to brew. Doubt whether Aria really accepted Kris' feelings because she developed feelings for him, or she just gave up because of how persistent and annoying Kris was.

"Anyway, the thing is. It's better to regret something than regret not doing itー Oh, looks like it's here!" ［Kris］

Just as Kris finished giving Grey advice, the Bulldeer had arrived at their location. Without wasting any time, Kris quickly bashed its head with his hammer, killing it in one blow.

There wasn't even any resistance on the Bulldeer's part. Thankfully, Kris held back quite a lot so the Bulldeer's body still remained intact even with the amount of force it had received.

"Anyway, Grey, did you understand what I was getting at?" ［Kris］

As if killing the Bulldeer was nothing, Kris once again shifted the topic back towards their love talk and advising session. Grey also didn't care about the fallen Bulldeer and only reflected on Kris' words.

While Kris seemed like the unreliable type, he was a person who was very good at handing out advice to other people. Grey was in deep thought as he processed his words.

'If I don't confess today, how could I say that I can do it tomorrow... No, will there even be a tomorrow with the two of us together?' ［Grey］

That was the thought process which ran throughout Grey's mind as he reflected on Kris' words. Just thinking of the consequences of his cowardice sent shivers down his spine.

One wouldn't know what the future holds until they've experienced it for themselves. If tomorrow comes and something precious to you finally goes away, then one will surely regret not doing what they could have done.

Grey knew that full well and only needed Kris' words as a wake up call. It was a call which filled his heart with determination and steeled his resolve.

"Mister Kris, thank you... My mind is all clear now." ［Grey］

"Hm? Sure... Just think of it as advice from your senior adventurer. Anyway, we should probably dismantle this thing before the meat goes bad." ［Kris］

"Ah, right!" ［Grey］

With the help of Kris, the large Bulldeer's body was quickly dismantled in just a matter of minutes. They managed to acquire a large amount of meat which could last a family for a few months.

After storing the Bulldeer's dismantled parts on Grey's "Inventory", Kris and Grey then headed to their next hunt location, but on the way there, their topic had derailed once again.

"By the way, Grey, you didn't use "Hijack" on Yuna to fulfill your desires, did you?" ［Kris］

"No, I haven't! I don't even have the slightest idea of doing that!" ［Grey］

"You sure...?" ［Kris］

"Yes! I am sure!" ［Grey］

It was a conversation between two grown men which made the two seem like they were little kids quarreling with one another as they slowly disappeared into the horizon.

CHAPTER 54 END