The aroma of cooked meat entered his nostrils as Adam stood there frozen, staring at the old man who was enjoying the baked flesh like a delicious good meal. After observing Lazarus' surprised expression, Adam's lips twitched.
Dude, you're eating the barbequed meat of a violent beast amidst nowhere. Yet you have the guts to be surprised?
Aaron and Thalia also shared the same thought but in a rather respectful manner.
"Who's he? He looks human, but eats like a demon." Adam probed with a deep knit frown.
"I..." Aaron didn't have an answer and he shrugged helplessly.
Meanwhile, Thalia was drooling at the scent of the cooked meat. Instantly, her stomach promptly let out a loud grumble which startled the duo. At once, her face reddened with embarrassment.
Hearing the noise, the old man raised his eyes and saw three people staring at him. With a delighted smile, he waved at them to come and partake in the meal.
Adam and Aaron hesitated to accept the offer, but Thalia had already paced ahead. As the duo witnessed, she walked to the old man and squatted before the baked corpse and began to chew a piece of tender meat.
"Mmm..."
...
Eventually, Aaron also gave in. In front of hunger, even the strongest ones would cave in and the tallest ones will kneel.
Adam was about to feign hunger when Endevil spoke. [It is a fact that you'll not need food to survive. But the lack of edible intake will lead to weariness and devitalisation which will eventually result in the depletion of your HP. As time goes, you'll become a living corpse, unable to move or speak while suffering eternally. Thus, the frequent intake of food is appreciated.]
The armour's consciousness had completely integrated with Adam's memories and knowledge. That means the earthling just acquired a personal assistant.
'Thank you, Endevil.' Adam sensed the armour's impartial dedication to its master. Realising that it will be with him for all eternity, he treated the consciousness with respect and goodwill.
Following Aaron's lead, Adam sat near the duo and pulled a strip of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
'THE HECK?!?!'
That's the tastiest thing I've ever had!
"..."
Adam abruptly halted chewing and began to savour the flavour with every single tastebud of his tongue. His eyes closed as he concentrated. Unbeknownst to him, the humming he produced unconsciously had attracted the attention of three pairs of eyes.
Aaron nudged the earthling with his elbow and the latter was woken up from his trance. Looking around, Adam saw the lanky old man's amused expression.
Realising something, he immediately swallowed the flesh before asking. "May I ask something?"
The thin elder with sunken eyes replied in a voice brimming with kindness. "Please."
The beanstalk's admirable way of eloquence stole the hearts of the trio.
"Can you tell us who you are?"
The slender elder let out a muffled peal of laughter because of the mouthful of meat. Funnily chewing them, he gulped down the meat paste and responded.
"My name's Lazarus."
Saying this, he rose on his feet and walked to the portal. While pacing towards the gateway, he wiped his lips on his robe, like a careless toddler.
"Want to return home?"
Turning to glance at the three, Lazarus asked. Immediately they sprang up with a realisation.
A blissful smirk appeared on the gangling old man's face as he turned to face the portal.
"Wait..."
A voice rose from behind and paused Lazarus' actions. The twiggy human turned and saw the elf taking a step forward.
"Prove that you're not a fiend."
When Lazarus stood up and walked towards the portal, the trio's conscience reverted to reality. At once, they sensed that they were in a stupor. This awareness sowed seeds of doubt in the hearts of them which triggered Adam to pull out his spear in vigilance.
Lazarus was pleased by their ability to break out of his beguilement. Though their skill was mediocre, he found it pleasantly surprising. Producing an ardent chuckle, he shook his head.
A quick browse through their faces and their mental transactions were revealed to him.
"My name is Lazarus and I'm a human. As for my profession, I'm one of the saints in the Logos Alliance."
Then he raised his hand and pointed his forefinger to the sky. A second later, a majestically beautiful magic circle materialised above his hand.
"If you lot have encountered any Stygain residents who can execute a magic formula, then feel free to suspect that I'm a demon."
As the magical formula dissipated into thin air without leaving even the slightest evidence or disturbance, about two-third of doubts in the minds of the trio had vanished.
"If you're still speculating that I'm a fraudster demon posing as a human, the fact that this human here is actually a zoomorph might be enough to make my stand clear."
Pointing at Adam, Lazarus spoke.
How?
Adam immediately frowned in caution.
How the hell does this man know that I have my race as zoomorph?
A myriad of questions flickered through his mind while his expressions turned grim. Thalia and Aaron can tell that the man is indeed a saint and an overworld resident, but they also sensed the swinging emotions in Adam's heart.
Lazarus saw the grave expression on the face of the man and assumed that he had touched his sore spot. When he noticed the armoured individual's grip tightening around the spear, he immediately rephrased his words.
"I have a skill called 'Race Perception'. With it, I can tell the race of any person with a single glance. When I first saw you, what I sensed was a soul created from innumerable fragments of countless beasts. I sincerely apologise if I touched a sore spot."
Lazarus was a man of kindness and humour. He always saw himself in others. He lived by the motto, what goes around, comes around. Furthermore, he was taught humility, patience, gentleness and selflessness by his parents. When he grew up, they left the world. But their teachings only rooted deep into his soul.
Thus, he apologised with a bow.
Adam was actually shocked to know that there was a skill that can discern the race of another with a mere glance. When he learnt that the skill actually stares into the soul of a person, he felt threatened and surprised simultaneously.
"It's okay. People usually believe that I'm a human due to my appearance. It'll only make matters weird if I revealed my identity as a zoomorph without any distinct traits."
While Adam was stupefied by the old man's confession, Endevil came to the rescue. The trusty sidekick's words were repeated without even the slightest flaw and Adam was truly amazed.
'Endevil, how are you able to come up with solutions for each instance like a pre-programmed intelligence?'
[Every time I integrate with a person, I surf through their memories. The bond deepens with each passing hour. When the master is at the brink of death, I replicate the master's memories and add them to my consciousness. In other words, what that speaks through me is the legacy and knowledge of my masters. This helps me to guide the next owner through the tough times with ease.]
On the outside, Adam remained the same as Lazarus began to imbue mana into the portal. But on the inside, he was totally flabbergasted. Words were insufficient to describe the sensation.
[The portal is opening.]
Dispersing the amazement into thin air, Endevil notified that the portal was coming into action.
Whirr~
The familiar buzzing emerged but it was discernably fluctuating.
"The portal has become highly unstable. Quick, hop in."
Lazarus instructed as his figure disappeared into the gateway. At once, the construct began to sway violently.
Without wasting a moment, the trio leapt in.
Just a second later, the spatial channel exploded with a mighty boom!
***
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The three kings and three saints were eagerly checking the time. It hasn't even been an hour yet it felt like a year for them.
To kill time, the rulers of the nations pulled out some contraptions and began to compete with one another. The mind game stuff like puzzles and anagrams were something the kings kept in their storage rings when the stress peaks. Rather than a change in activity, these sessions proved beneficial for their mental fortitude and quick-wittedness.
"Tsk tsk... I can't believe that the rulers of the Logos Alliance are secretly childish and bickering. They're truly disappointing" Karina expressed her dejection as she noticed the three kings playing games and laughing heartily.
The saint of the Amegoth kingdom was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed when the statement fell in his ears.
"If you find the kings disappointing just because they have a childish side, then how should we address you, someone with all beauty and no brain?"
At once, a killing intent locked onto him.
"Can you repeat what you just said?"