"Yep, that's me." A deep voice spoke from behind them, causing goosebumps to spring all over his body.
"Speak of the devil, there he is." Dmitri unhesitantly extended his hand and Hellspawn shook it without thinking twice.
Lev couldn't believe that he was face-to-face with one of the most notorious criminals to ever exist in the known universe. But if what Dmitri said was true and he was horribly framed, then does that mean he had justifiable reasons for all the killings he did? Lev had read his file and the number of people that Hellspawn killed are too many to count. Nonetheless, Dmitri doesn't seem like the type of person to lie. As such, Lev decided to disregard what he said for now and see for himself whether Hellspawn is a good person or not.
"Long time no see, Pietrus Lev, how are you doing?" Hellspawn approached Lev and gave him a tight hug, much to Lev's surprise. "You were off-radar for a few years, we didn't know what happened to you. We thought you were dead, or the Council's got you. Who'd have thought we'd meet on this out-of-nowhere planet." He continued.
Lev was taken aback, just like what Dmitri informed him, the two of them were actually best friends— well, at the very least, they were close enough for Hellspawn to give him a hug. Since there was nothing he could do but reciprocate the embrace, Lev did so as he softly patted Hellspawn on the back. A steady clang of metal resounded since Hellspawn was wearing armor as well.
"Are they your friends?" A familiar voice called out to them, causing all of them to turn around. As it turned out, Helena was actually right on their tail, heading back to the Inn since she was done for the day— thanks to a certain someone who bought all the skewers she was selling.
"Yes," Hellspawn simply nodded.
"Great! Are you all heading back to the Inn? We can eat together! You should've told me you were friends with him." Helena cheerily said, addressing Dmitri.
"Oh, ah yes," It was obvious that Dmitri was still flustered. "What did she mean by the Inn?" He then whispered towards Hellspawn.
"She works there. I'm staying there." Hellspawn whispered back.
"You still on the lookout for General Flangour? Have you found him already?"
"No, not yet."
"What are you two whispering for? Let's go." Lev signaled since he and Titania were already following Helena to the Inn.
The group, except for Dmitri who was still riding the rover, trudged side by side the stalls neatly lined up beside the road. Just like the meat skewers shop, the other stalls sell different kinds of food. It was basically a goldmine for a hefty eater such as Dmitri. It didn't take long before the rover was filled with all sorts of food and snacks.
The Inn stood near the center of the settlement. These were the deeper parts of the settlement and the living quarters of most. While the Inn stuck like a sore thumb due to its futuristic appearance, Lev could feel the homey area the place radiated and he didn't hesitate to enter, following Helena who led the way. Titania, on the other hand, wasn't used to entering an Inn so she nervously clung to Lev, as usual. As for Dmitri, he was personally escorted by one of the security men who stood in front of the Inn. Just like the other personnel who could recognize the model of the rover at a glance, they wondered why such an esteemed person is visiting the settlement. Long story short, they treated Dmitri with respect, even when they were directing him to the parking lot.
"Welcome!" Helena greeted everyone once again, directing them to a table by the corner of the diner. The lady who was stationed behind the counter nodded toward Helena with a satisfied expression on her face. She could always rely on Helena to bring some additional customers even though the Inn was doing well enough as it is. The lady by the counter was none other than Helena's aunt. She was surprised to see that the armored man came back along with his friends even after he just checked out.
"What will you be having?" Helena asked, bringing the menu to their table and giving them a few drinks on the house. She owed a lot to the guy who bought all the skewers so she thought that buying them a few drinks would repay some of the favor. But little did she know that that kind gesture would actually bring about another blessing, not only to her but to the entire Inn.
Even though Dmitri had already bought more food than he could handle (he left all of them by the rover where they are preserved in some type of cooling machine— a refrigerator, for the lack of a better term.) he was still willing to buy more, the glutton he was. Raising his hand as if he was in a good mood, he relayed his order to Helena. It seemed like he was doing all he can to impress the lovely lady. "I'll buy everything on the menu. My friend here says that your food here tastes good and he personally recommended it to us." Dmitri continued, nudging Hellspawn even though he didn't say anything of the sort.
"A-a-are you sure, young sir? That might be quite expensive since we have a Tomahawk Steak on the menu as well." Helena leaned in to whisper at Dmitri so he wouldn't be embarrassed if he retracted his order. Tomahawk steak could be quite expensive, especially in a remote place like Planet Ylbrughz. And that's why Helena just had to say it so Dmitri would change his mind.
After all, usually, people who order the Tomahawk Steak are rich, and they only order that for their dinner. Helena had never seen anyone order everything on the menu along with the Tomahawk Steak.
However, Dmitri was unfazed. There were no signs of embarrassment in his actions. As usual, he exuded great confidence as he leaned forward and shook his hand. "Nothing's too expensive for me." He said. "We'll order everything on the menu." He repeated.
"As you wish, young sir." Helena bowed towards him before rushing to the kitchen, relaying the ridiculous order that Dmitri surprised them with.
With all that said and done, Dmitri then leaned forward once again and glanced at each and every one of them. "Now we're back in business." He uttered. "Once again, welcome back to the team." He was careful not to mention Hellspawn's nickname since that might stir panic in the Inn.
Hellspawn, on the other hand, didn't respond to Dmitri. Instead, he raised his hand and pointed to Titania. "Who's the girl?" He asked, wondering if there ever was a girl in their team. Because as far as he could remember, there was no sign of the opposite gender in their team.