Rows upon rows of delicious food were laid on top of the table, which made Lux subconsciously gulp.
Cai's Grandpa had prepared a feast for them, and even Keane, who didn't usually show much reaction to food, had an eager look in his eyes.
"We are all gathered here today to celebrate Lux's, Cai's, Xander's, and Keane's amazing performance inside the Gate of Conquest," Maximilian said as he raised a wine goblet. "Cheers to the brave new heroes of the world!"
"""Cheers!"""
After everyone drank from their winecups, the feast was officially in full swing.
"Eat a lot, Fei Fei," Cai said as she filled up the baby Golden Slime's plate with pork chops.
"Un!" Fei Fei happily nodded her head as she started to chew on one of the pork chops that were piled up on her plate.
Iris, who was seated beside Cai, also started to hand-feed Eiko with grapes, which the baby slime liked very much.
Lux smiled as he looked at his beautiful fiancee, who acted very differently when surrounded by many people
When it was just the two of them, Iris would act in a very casual manner, unlike now. Her current state was in full "etiquette mode", which she had learned from an early age.
Even the way she fed grapes to Eiko looked so graceful and elegant that Lux was very tempted to tease her. However, he didn't do that.
Lux knew that Iris needed to maintain her image as the daughter of a Saint when she was with other people. Having known this, he wouldn't do anything to distract her and simply enjoyed the food that was in front of him.
He wasn't aware that Maximilian was paying close attention to him as he tried the many delicious dishes that were exclusive to the Rowan Tribe.
Two hours later, a very satisfied Lux patted his belly.
Although he had eaten many delicious foods at Barbatos Academy, all of them were too classy for his taste. The cooking of the Rowan Tribe had a more "homey" feel to it, which he enjoyed very much.
When all the dishes had been cleared up, and refreshments were served, the members of the Rowan Tribe left one by one as if this was a pre-arranged setup.
It didn't take long before the only people remaining inside the dining area were Lux, Iris, Cai, Keane, Gerhart, and Maximilian.
The Chief of the Rowan Tribe calmly sipped tea as he looked at the teenagers who would usher a new era to the world. After emptying his cup, he placed it on top of his table and shifted his gaze to the Boar, whose belly was bulging because she had eaten too much.
Maximilian heaved a helpless sigh before shifting his gaze toward the red-haired Half-Elf, who had a satisfied look on his face. Since everyone seemed to be in a relaxed state, Maximilian decided to break the ice in order to ask some questions.
"Everyone here is not a stranger and is already aware of Cai's true form," Maximilian said with a smile. "Before anything else, I would like to thank everyone for taking good care of her, as well as apologize for the hardships that all of you have suffered whenever she accompanies you for a time."
The Saint gave everyone a brief bow before getting into the crux of what he wanted to say.
"Lux, my granddaughter joined your Guild without stating a proper reason for her departure," Maximilian said. "Since I know that she will not return obediently, can you kick her out of your guild?"
Cai, who was feeling a little drowsy due to how full she was, immediately perked up after hearing her Grandpa's words.
"Grandpa, you can't!" Cai shouted as she walked towards her Grandpa and sat beside him. "I can't leave Lux's Guild right now. It is very important that I stay!"
"Silly girl, you're just making things difficult for everyone," Maximilian replied sternly. "Do you know how everyone in the tribe reacted when you quit Xander's Guild? They thought that someone in the guild offended you."
"Eh? Such a thing happened?" Cai asked back. "Gramps, I'll explain it to everyone later. But, I can't really leave Lux's guild right now. My future depends on it!"
Maximilian arched an eyebrow as he looked at his granddaughter before shifting his gaze to the Half-Elf, who was slowly, but surely, trying to stealthily sneak out of the Dining Area.
"Lux, where are you going?" Maximilian asked in a calm manner.
"A-Actually, I think that I ate too much, Sir Maximilian," Lux replied with a cramped smile on his face. "N-Nature is calling me."
"Well, since Nature is calling you… should I prepare a grave that is six feet deep for you?" Maximilian asked with an amused tone. "I'll be more than happy to send you back to Mother Nature's embrace."
Lux subconsciously shuddered because, although Maximilian's words were said in a calm manner, he felt as if he already had one foot in the grave.
"O-On second thought, I think I'm good," Lux stated as he returned to where he had been sitting a moment ago.
A faint smile appeared on Maximilian's face as he gazed at the Half-Elf, whose smile was twitching every now and then.
"Now, tell me, Lux," Maximilian commented. "What did you feed my granddaughter for her to be so adamant about staying in your guild? If you don't give me a proper explanation, I will be forced to take drastic measures."
Lux was unable to meet Maximilian's stare, so he looked at Cai, who was looking back at him with a hopeful gaze.
The Half-Elf sighed internally because he couldn't possibly kick Cai out of the guild, especially after what she had done for him.
Because of this, he decided to take a stand in order to repay the Boar who had sacrificed her life to save him.
Iris, who understood what Lux was going to do, lowered her head so that her beloved wouldn't be able to see the smirk on her face.
She had known Cai's Grandpa for a few years, and she understood that Maximilian had no bad intentions. The blue-haired beauty was sure that Maximilian was merely curious why his shameless Granddaughter was dead-set on staying in Lux's Guild when he could provide her with anything that she wanted.
Which only led to one answer.
Lux's Guild had something that couldn't be found in Xander's Silver-Ranked Guild.
Maximilian continued to stare at the red-headed teenager for a few minutes without saying a word. He had already assumed that Lux was hiding a secret that he couldn't reveal so easily.
However, for the sake of his granddaughter, he had to know, and this was one of the reasons he invited the Half-Elf to the Rowan Tribe.
A few minutes later, a sigh escaped Lux's lips as he summoned his Soul Book.
He then opened it and went to the page where his Guild Information could be found.
After giving it a long hard look, another sigh escaped his lips before making his Soul Book float towards Maximilian.
Soul Books were private things, and only people who were given permission by their owner could see what was written inside of them.
Maximilian grabbed Lux's Soul Book and held it firmly in his hands. He then read the information that was written in it, so he could better understand what was making Cai unwilling to leave.
Half a minute later, after he had finished reading Lux's Soul Book, the Saint's body stiffened.
He read it a second time to ensure that he didn't misread the words written on it. However, after double-checking, he confirmed that he hadn't made any mistakes.
"Unbelievable…," Maximilian muttered as he raised his head to look at the Half-Elf, who was looking back at him with a steady gaze.
It was at that moment when the Saint finally understood why Cai didn't want to leave Lux's Guild despite the fact that he could provide her with anything that she wanted.
"Lux, we need to talk tonight in private," Maximilian stated. "I have some important things to tell you, so I hope that you will free up your schedule this evening."
Lux nodded his head. "Of course, Your Excellency."
Before leaving Barbatos Academy, Alexander had talked to Lux in private about the possibility of sharing the secret of his Guild with Maximilian.
The Chief of the Rowan Tribe was Alexander's most steadfast ally, so he hoped that Lux would inform the former about the secret of his Guild so that the short-tempered Saint of the Rowan Tribe would become one of Lux's strongest supporters as well.
Maximilian smiled as he looked at the Half-Elf who became more pleasing in his eyes.
Since the red-headed teenager was the Guildmaster of the only Mythical Guild in the world, it was only right to make him a permanent ally of the Rowan Tribe.
'I guess I need to talk to Cai before I talk to Lux in private tonight,' Maximilian thought as he rubbed his chin. 'After all, her future happiness is currently at stake here.'
