Dining II

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to indulge in a bit of fine liquor," Willhelm said before pausing mid-sentence. His eyes flicked back to Lupus.

"If you would like~." He hesitated, then suddenly changed his mind. "How rude of me, I should've realised by now that you two are together."

He exchanged polite nods before turning away, his cape billowing elegantly as he strode toward the bar.

Jack sat in stunned silence, completely bewildered.

Meanwhile, Lupus simply smiled at Willhelm's assumption without correction.

"Lupy! We're not together!" Jack blurted, flustered beyond words.

But Lupus merely shook her head, leaving him even more frustrated.

"Well, we're in the same room tonight, so technically, we're together... literally." She played on words, grinning toothily at him.

He sighed deeply before continuing, "But that could make him misunderstand us, especially you!"

"Not that I really care," She replied, waving dismissively.

Then, suddenly, her golden eyes squinted mischievously. "Ho~ho! Why are you trying to set me up with the Lunarius, Jackie?"

Her question caught him slightly off guard. He quickly gathered himself. "...I thought you had a crush on the guy," He said innocently.

"Hahahaha!" She burst into laughter. "Oh, you're so adorable!" She teased, wiping away tears with her finger, leaving him even more dumbfounded.

The food arrived, and Lupus and Jack enjoyed their meals together in bliss. The delicacies at House Tasmania's restaurant were far superior to those at the DebrisX cafeteria. During the meal, their main topic of discussion was the next steps. Jack told her that his hometown, Steinburg, was in Western Germund. To her surprise, Lupus's hometown, Hasenwald, was just 50 kilometres away from Jack's.

Once the main course was finished, Jack noticed that Lupus had indeed managed to eat everything without issue — her appetite was three times larger than his. Then her slice of carrot cake arrived, and she bounced on her seat with joy as she ate it happily.

After dinner, the two retreated back to their room. Lupus held her takeout in her hands, walking closely beside Jack in the hotel corridor. Their room was located further down, near the end of the hallway.

"I almost didn't believe you could finish everything," Jack said as they walked on the dark red carpet floor.

"Well, mana is life itself. Energy and mana are indistinguishable, according to Galileo's observations," Lupus paused as Jack appeared confused. "Well, he was an arcanist who loved to write books over a thousand years ago," She explained patiently.

"That's an interesting take. So, you mages can regenerate mana by resting and consuming nutrients? I wonder if protein and fats would be more efficient, energy-wise since they provide more calories," Jack rambled, his mind wandering.

Lupus's face lit up with excitement. "Wow! You guessed it correctly. You see, as amazing as arcanes are, they still follow the laws of nature. So yes! Protein and fat are the best for mana regeneration in terms of the amount of mana. While..." She paused dramatically, closing one eye to tease him.

Unintentionally, Jack leaned in closer, straining his ears in attention. She noticed how eager he was to learn more about the arcane. Unable to contain his excitement, he asked, "What? While what?" forgetting to blink.

"Fufufu, meanwhile, 'high-absorbing rate' carbs like sugar can temporarily boost mana... and..." She paused again to heighten his curiosity.

Jack grabbed her arm, "And what?" He pressed, eyes glinting as he was overwhelmed by pure curiosity.

She glanced down at his hand on her arm and smiled cunningly. He quickly retracted his hand with a look of shame.

"Sorry," He muttered.

"Arcanite harnessers, we can refill our mana almost indefinitely!" Lupus finally revealed, lifting her index finger triumphantly.

"Ohhh! I've heard of that before. It's like batteries for mages, right?"

"You're right, my esteemed student, Novitcius!" Lupus replied, pleased with his quick wit. She even referred to him as the beginner rank of a mage.

"Hehehe!" He chuckled at her sudden joke.

"You seem intrigued by the art of arcane, Jackie. Would you like to become a mage, hmm?" She asked, nudging his shoulder lightly in a teasing manner.

Jack let out a soft chuckle before answering, "Well, actually, no. But I'd love to learn more about it. It couldn't hurt, right?"

"Righty right!" She replied with glee.

The two entered their room and prepared for bed.

After finishing his evening routine, Jack settled on the sofa, his legs hanging uncomfortably off the edge. But he had grown used to it. His back squeaked in protest as he shifted, feeling the strain of gravity. It had been a long couple of days, and the exhaustion had finally overtaken him. It was better than any sleeping pill. Soon, his mind began to drift off.