Chapter 23: Taste buds

Millus deactivated the Dome of Darkness as it was not mana efficient, the dome dissipated allowing the sunlight to finally pierce through the lingering gloom. The warmth coming from the sun replaced the cold gloomy atmosphere that permeated the surrounding area.

The disappearance of the barrier caused natural fresh air to flood in, it came from the forest which carried away most of the stench from the blood and the smell of death. 

He stood still for a moment, closing his eyes as he inhaled the fresh air, feeling the life of his surroundings. Then after a moment, he opened his eyes whilst looking back to the newly transformed landscape.

'The remaining members of the Bear Wolf Tribe will eventually notice that something happened.' His mind was calm and thoughtful. 

'They'll be suspicious why none of their warriors, shamans, or even their chieftain returned. And they will come searching, only to find nothing. Not even the lair of their so-called deity.'

His gaze rested on the spot where the cave and the hill once stood earlier, and now, there was nothing but lush flora, as if the land reclaimed what was once disturbed in the natural order of things. 

The forest had reshaped itself naturally, erasing all of the evidence of the battle, and all traces of his earlier presence.

'They'll assume it was their deity's doing… but in truth, it was me.' He thought so while nodding, a satisfied smile appeared on his face as he turned away.

'Should I sweep and eradicate all of them? Hmm, I'll think of it later, for now, I have somewhere else I need to be.' After thinking about it, he vanished in place.

On the mountain, Lina sat quietly, her eyes drifted across the vast expanse of the Ancient Forest below.

Although she did not know the exact events that had unfolded, she had felt the distant tremors, the faint echoes of something immense which gave her an idea of what had happened.

Standing beside her, Kaela, the Lunar Wolf, she also watched the horizon with a knowing look.

"It seems that arrogant, corrupted fool has finally fallen, he focused too much on meddling with mortals that caused his corruption, straying away from his duty was his biggest mistake," Kaela murmured, her golden eyes gleaming.

Lina turned toward her, sensing certainty in her words.

Kaela looked at her and let out a slow exhale. "Don't worry. He'll be back soon."

Lina nodded, but she remained deep in thought. After a moment, she spoke softly in a voice filled with quiet determination.

"Thank you for protecting me, Great Guardian, and I promise… I will thank the saviour for saving me, I will never forget this gratitude."

Kaela's ears twitched in amusement. She looked at Lina for a moment and thought. 'This girl… isn't she amusing, she's not quite like the others of her kind. It's faint, but… something about her feels different, I can't sense any deception in her words, only gratitude, even the minor spirits clung to her.'

Before she could dwell on the thought further, the mana in front of them shifted, the space twisted and someone came out.

In an instant, Millus appeared from seemingly out of nowhere.

Lina flinched slightly at his sudden arrival, her breath hitching. Kaela, however, did not react to him. She had already sensed him long before he arrived, much like when Lina had been sent to her earlier.

At his sudden appearance he looked towards the two familiar faces in front of him.

"Oh? I'm sorry, I didn't intend to appear before you in this manner, I'm still figuring it out," he confessed while rubbing the back of his neck. There was a trace of unusual awkwardness in his tone and behavior. 

He turned his eyes to Lina, examining her closely, searching for any injuries he could have missed. 

Lina noticed his gaze, she became flustered and her body moved fidgety.

Millus being sensitive to even the slightest movements noticed the change in her, he thought that he might've made her uncomfortable so he immediately tried to clear up the situation. 

"Sorry about that, I was just making sure you're okay," he said to her. "Even though I healed your injuries, it wouldn't have restored your energy." Then he added "So, have both of you eaten yet?" he asked them while showing a gentle smile. 

Lina quickly nodded, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Y-yes!?" she said softly, hesitating before adding, "Thank you for saving me."

She looked away, clearly flustered, her fingers fidgeting slightly, and her stomach silently grumbled which seemed to have made her embarrassed.

Millus blinked at her reaction, he was a little taken aback by her.

Kaela on the side however has been observing the exchange between the two, she let out a soft huff. She easily dismissed Lina's shyness as the reaction of a young maiden. Instead, she focused her sharp, golden eyes onto Millus.

"It seems you've changed a bit after going down the mountain."

Millus heard her comment and turned to her to meet her gaze. "What do you mean?"

Kaela slightly narrowed her eyes, then she tilted her head. "You're different from our first exchange. Back then, your eyes were unfocused, as if you were seeing this world for the first time, uncertain of your place in it. But now… ." She paused before adding, "It seems taking a few lives seems to have changed you."

Millus exhaled slowly, his expression became unreadable. "And… does that repulse you in any way?"

Kaela softly shook her head. "No. It is simply the order of nature." Her voice sounded calm and unwavering. "You can trace it in nature, the weak fall so that the strong may thrive. It is the way of all living things, simply the cycle of life… and death. You have only gained understanding of what has always been."

Millus listened carefully, then let out a short chuckle. "I suppose you're right. But there's something else I realized." He met her eyes directly. "You were holding back during our fight, like a lot, weren't you?"

Kaela's gaze didn't waver. "Perhaps..."

Millus raised an eyebrow from her answer. "and why is that?"

Kaela didn't answer his question for a moment before she finally spoke. "It was not hesitation, if that's what you're thinking." 

She stepped forward slightly, her imposing wolf form radiating an atmosphere of authority. 

"The Moon does not make mistakes. It welcomed you, and so, I tested you, to see if you were worthy of the moon's recognition."

Millus stared at her for a moment, trying to make sense of her words.

Then, he smirked. "And? Did I pass?"

Kaela let out a small huff, turning her gaze toward the horizon while replying with the same answer. "Perhaps."

At the side someone had been silently watching their exchange, it was Lina, she glanced between them, unsure whether she should interrupt.

The air between them was different now, something changed, but what, she wasn't sure what it was.

Millus crossed his arms. "Well, if that's your answer, that's good enough for me."

For the first time in a while, he allowed himself to relax, he felt that his actions in the forest were unnecessary killing, as if it was contracting something inside him, but tucked it away for now.

After dismissing his confusion Millus listened to Kaela, then a thought crossed his mind.

'To think she was this sharp. I assumed she was all brawn and no brain, but it turns out she's much more perceptive than she looks.'

Kaela felt her ear itch and scratched it softly, 'why is my suddenly itched? Weird.'

His gaze then shifted towards Lina, who had been quietly listening to them, yet there was something about her expression that caught his attention.

'…And her. Is it just me, or does she know something about the magic formula I used earlier to bring her here?'

Before he could ponder further, Veda's voice chimed in his mind.

'It appears she is analyzing and comprehending the mechanics of the spell you used for spatial transference, and her progress is almost finished.'

Millus's eyes slightly widened.

'What? In that short span of time?'

'Yes. She cannot yet cast it due to her current physical and magical limitations, but her comprehension of magical formulas theoretically surpasses your intelligence stat in magical application. In fact, her base intelligence alone already exceeds yours.'

Millus let out a slow breath, digesting the information.

'So this is what a genius looks like… My build isn't focused on magic, but still, she managed to grasp something that even requires high Intel stats. Well, I guess that makes sense. My main stats are in line with the Duelist build.'

He thought of the passive title attached to his status 'Grand Duelist.' It wasn't just for show. It granted him instinctual combat mastery and tactical insight, but when it came to raw magical knowledge, Lina had him beat, intelligence stats do not increase the overall intelligence but the calculation of formulas.

After a brief moment, he noticed both Lina and Kaela looking at him strangely.

Kaela narrowed her golden eyes, tilting her head. "You're… strange. You just stood there like a statue for a while. Are you sure you aren't injured in the head?"

Millus blinked and let out a small chuckle. "No, I can assure you my head is perfectly fine." He straightened up. "Let's head back to your tent-" He then turned to Lina. "Lina… Can I call you by your name? If you're not comfortable about it-

Before he could even finish his sentence, Lina quickly responded.

"Yes! U-uh, yes! You can call me however you like."

Millus was momentarily caught off guard by her eagerness but soon let out an amused chuckle. "Alright then. You can call me Millus. Let's consider this our second meeting, properly at least. I hope we get along."

He extended his hand toward her.

Lina blinked, staring at his hand in confusion.

Seeing her hesitation, Millus smiled. "Oh, right. This is called a handshake. We shake hands to greet each other."

Lina hesitantly reached out, her fingers brushing against his before she awkwardly gripped his hand and shook it with an almost childlike uncertainty.

Millus couldn't help but smile at her reaction.

'Veda, how come I still remember what a handshake is?'

Veda's response was immediate. 'Basic knowledge appears to be retained, likely due to its ingrained nature in your previous life.'

Millus narrowed his eyes slightly. '…You're starting to sound a little suspicious, you know that?'

'I assure you, I am not.' Veda replied smoothly. 'However, if my answer is inaccurate, I apologize. This is simply my best assessment given our current information. I am also uncertain why some knowledge remains while others are erased.'

Millus sighed internally. 'Yeah, yeah. Alright, just drop it. I don't need another long-winded explanation.'

He tuned Veda out, choosing instead to focus on the present.

Upon reaching Lina's camp, the scent of preserved deer meat lingered in the crisp mountain air. The leftover meat had been frozen by Kaela's magic to prevent spoilage.

Without a word, Lina excused herself to gather the firewood she had collected earlier, before she was abducted.

She glanced at Kaela, who merely let out a small huff, exhaling a faint mist into the air. Almost instantly, a small fire burst to life as if ignited by an unseen hand.

Millus raised an eyebrow. "Did you just-"

Kaela shrugged. "I simply asked a fire elemental to light it. It's faster than waiting for the elemental stones to generate enough heat, don't you think?"

Lina, who had been trying to tear off a chunk of the frozen deer meat with her hands, struggled with the toughness of it.

Millus noticed and stepped in. "Here, let me handle that."

Seemingly out of nowhere, he pulled out a small yet intricately designed dagger, its blade gleaming under the firelight. With a few swift motions, he sliced through the meat effortlessly, as if cutting through butter.

Lina's eyes widened as she watched him work. Her gaze flickered between the perfectly portioned meat and the blade in his hand.

'That item… It's far sharper than the ancestral relic of my tribe… And it looks… more beautiful.'

After portioning the meat according to their respective sizes, Millus looked up. "Do you have any salt?"

Lina blinked in confusion before shaking her head.

Millus frowned slightly. "...So you mean to tell me you only use herbs from the forest? There's no salt? And you eat it as is? Sometimes even raw?"

Lina nodded, looking slightly embarrassed. "Yes. But… what is this 'shalt' you speak of?" She fumbled with the unfamiliar word.

Kaela, who was busy munching on a freshly caught rabbit, glanced over them. "What difference does it make? Just eat to replenish your strength, don't complicate what should be done," she said dismissively.

Millus sighed at their ignorance. 'Seriously I keep forgetting how primitive this world is…'

'Veda, is salt available in the shop? And also pepper?'

'Yes. Would you like to make a purchase? One point is enough for salt, and another point for pepper.'

'Alright, send it to my Spatial Storage.'

'Purchase complete. Two points have been deducted. Your current balance: 75. The salt and pepper have been stored… each in a quantity of ten tons.'

Millus froze. "...What?"

Lina and Kaela both flinched at his sudden outburst, looking at him curiously.

Realizing his mistake, Millus quickly cleared his throat. "Ahem, it's nothing. Just… thinking out loud."

'Ten tons? What the heck?! Isn't that way too much?! I thought you'd give me something like a small portion'

'Points are converted based on the rarity and necessity of an item. Since salt is a trivial commodity, it is only natural for it to be abundant.'

Millus exhaled in exasperation but decided to make use of it. Taking a small handful of salt and pepper, he sprinkled them evenly over the meat. The simple act left both Kaela and Lina watching with mild confusion.

Then he skewered the portions and he placed them over the fire, using fire elemental crystals Lina had gathered previously, he used it to enhance the heat. He infused a bit of mana into the flames, ensuring they burned evenly.

As the meat cooked, an irresistible aroma filled the air.

Kaela's ears perked up. Her golden eyes widened slightly as she sniffed the air. "...Wh-what is that smell? How can meat… smell like that?"

Lina, too, stared at the roasting meat with fascination in her eyes. It was unlike anything she had ever known before.

Millus smirked while crossing his arms. "It's a secret. But if you let me stay in this mountain indefinitely, I'll cook more for you. So how about that? Do we have a deal?"

Kaela huffed, clearly torn between pride and curiosity. "Do you think I can be bribed with mere meat?" She glanced at the meat, then back at Millus.

"...Very well. I shall judge this first to see if it is worthy," she finally said, her pride intact.

She transformed into a more comfortable form and the three of them sat and ate together.

The moment Kaela and Lina took their first bite, their expressions shifted from intrigue to pure bliss. Their eyes widened in disbelief as they tasted the rich, seasoned flavors for the first time.

Lina's hands trembled slightly as she chewed, savoring the taste. "This is… amazing…"

Kaela, who had taken a large bite, froze for a moment before wordlessly devouring the rest.

Millus watched them eat with a satisfied smirk. 'Considering how primitive this world is, it makes sense they'd react like this. I guess salt isn't even a thing yet… Well, this should be fun.'

An image from his memories showed a glimpse of a group of people eating together full of smiles surfaced, he paused for a moment, he looked down and closed his eyes with a soft smile.

End of chapter