"E-everyone . . ." Nori was at a loss on how to pacify everyone's excitement and hunger.
"Stay back. I won't repeat myself twice." Lorelai was ready to attack if the demons and devils tried anything funny, and Ren doubted he could say something to her at this point.
But the citizens were relentless in their attempt to get hold of Ren and their meats. The hunger made them crazed.
Just as Lorelai and Elena were about to unleash their spells to calm the citizens down, an authoritative voice rang in everyone's ears.
"Stop!" Morgrimm addressed the villagers, a glint sparkling in his eyes that made them stand back.
Ren and the others breathed a sigh of relief when they the villagers were regaining their sanity and slowly back off.
Morgrimm then turned his gaze to Ren and the others. "I'm sorry. Our village hasn't eaten meat in the last years so pardon our poor manners."
"It's fine, old man," Lorelai said. "We have brought enough meat for your entire village that would be sufficient for a month. Ahahaha! No need to thank us! After all, helping the helpless is what I do!"
No. It's the Princess who should be excused of her poor manners. Ren and the others thought.
The demons and devils' faces brightened, and tears welled up in their eyes. It was as if hope had been breathed into the atmosphere with the mere mention of meat.
Lorelai revelled in their reverence for her, flipping her hair with pride. She seemed to be enjoying the spotlight.
Ren thought that maybe it was because of her nature — god's blood coursing through her veins, and gods usually liked it when people worshipped them. Their prayers were like energy to them.
Elena leaned over to Ren and whispered, "Ren, is it alright for her to give away all that food? Shouldn't we leave some for us?"
Ren chuckled a little. "It's fine. It's not like you didn't bring enough food worth years in your storage ring."
Elena beamed. "Heeheehee~ You know me so much. We should definitely get married now."
Evie gave them a dead stare.
Ren found himself in hot waters again, but he was glad that Morgrimm had spoken and stolen all the attention.
Morgrimm addressed Ren and the others. "Though we don't have much here, you're all welcome to stay and join us for a meal."
"We're actually here on a mission, and we won't be staying long," Ren interjected. "Nori mentioned that you might have some answers to our questions."
Morgrimm's single eye almost burst out from all the sagging skin as he tried to see Ren and the others. "I see . . . then get yourselves settled first in Nori's house. I'll be right there with you as soon as I'm done here."
"Great. For taking us in and helping us with our mission here, you can have all of these." Lorelai gave all the Giant Purple Meat she had acquired.
The meat piled up like a tower in the square, and the villagers cried in glee, their stomachs rumbling with tears of joy at the prospect of finally eating meat once more.
Ren could only hope that they wouldn't realize it was the Giant Purple Worm, the beast they revered, that they were about to consume.
He then addressed the people. "Ready the fire. It looks like we will have a feast tonight!"
It wasnight everyday here though. Ren mused to himself.
The citizens yelled in glee, and Morgrimm asked Nori to lead them to her home.
"Come, you can stay with me," Nori said and proceeded to walk a few steps down the stairs. "My house is small, but I think we can all fit in there."
As they walked, Evie asked everyone, "Where's Azazel?"
That was only when they noticed that the boy was missing.
"Where is that brat?" Elena asked, hands over her waist.
Ren scanned the surroundings, but there was no sign of Azazel. The sudden absence of the boy raised a sense of concern among the group.
"Don't tell me he got lost in this labyrinth of a village," Lorelai remarked.
"Maybe he just wandered off. He's probably fine," Ren said.
Elena crossed her arms. "We should find him before he gets into trouble."
"Who cares?" Lorelai said, "I'm sure he's sneaking somewhere where there's food."
Nori sighed. "I hope he wouldn't steal anything. I took him in, so it would be on me if he stole anything." Her expression then dropped into a wry smile. "Though I doubt there's anything to steal here."
The group then decided not to think about Azazel anymore and proceeded forward.
On the way to Nori's house, Evie noticed a stairway that seemed to lead down. Since there were no houses in that direction, her curiosity was piqued. "Where does that lead?"
"Ah, that." Nori skidded to a stop and made a sidestep towards those stairs. "I'll show you. Come on."
"It's not a trap, right? You're not going to kidnap us and eat us, right?" Lorelai asked, like she was eager for it.
One moment she was helping the villagers, and the next she wanted them to kidnap her so she had a reason to kill them. Ren shook his head. The developers really needed to fix her.
Maybe he would email them about it . . . anonymously.
Nori sighed and said with a bored tone like she had enough hearing about those same words from surface dwellers, "Even if we wanted to eat your flesh, drink your blood, and consume your soul, I'm sure we don't stand a chance. There's no one capable of fighting in our village, except for the village elder.
"However, you've seen him, right? Does he pose a threat to you?"
Ren and the others looked at each other, and Lorelai laughed.
"Ahahaha. The number one rule is never to underestimate your enemy."
Though she said that, it didn't feel like she was being humble at all.
"Maybe a good beating would make her fall from her high throne," Elena said.
Though Ren wanted to watch the fight between the champion of the Fey Realm and the champion of the Human Realm, it would have to wait. "Let's not fight and focus on our mission instead."
