"Haa…"
Glenn sighed in frustration while looking at Rector and Yua, who came to collect Raon.
'They are having a party.'
Judging from the story, they seemed to be holding a party to celebrate the Light Wind division's promotion. It was just a small party between the members of the annex building, but the fact that Rector was joining when he wasn't despite being Raon's grandfather was painful.
'However… It's still impossible for me to tell them that I want to join.'
He managed to muster the courage to personally teach Raon, but telling him that he wanted to join the annex building's party with Sylvia was too much for him.
He could never open his mouth for that.
'Glenn, how pathetic of you.'
He was called the Destructive King of the North or the Lightning God, but he was actually just a coward who couldn't even move a finger because he was afraid of the awkward gazes of his daughter and his grandson.
He laughed bitterly over the fact that he was still getting the desire to drink with Raon in the annex building, which made him embarrassed and frustrated at the same time.
Glenn clenched his fist while looking at Rector, who was talking to Raon.
'You will be the one to attend the party, but I won't lose to you when it comes to raising Raon.'
As he was resolving himself while looking at Rector, he heard small footsteps approaching him. They were coming from the girl with the special talent that Raon had brought from Habun Castle, Yua.
"..."
Yua walked up to him and blankly raised her head. Glenn couldn't understand what she was thinking.
Since he was awkward about dealing with a child, he decided to leave—but Yua extended her small hand to grab his finger.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was about to shake her off because of her sudden action, her voice could be heard.
"My lord, would you like to join us?"
Yua pulled on his finger and said that it would be even better if the head of house joined the celebration party with a sweet smile on her face.
"We are having a party!"
"Hmm…"
Glenn couldn't shake her hand off because of the warmth he was feeling from his pinky finger. It was the first time he had felt that way since he held Raon in his arms when he was a baby.
"Yua!"
Raon hurriedly ran up to Yua and grabbed her.
"I'm sorry, she has no manners because she is still a child."
He begged for mercy while saying that it was a child's mistake.
"This…"
Glenn was about to shake his head and tell him it wasn't a big deal but stopped himself. He remembered Rimmer's dying wish upon seeing Raon's eyes.
"You should stay in a cave forever and die from old age before you can have a drink with Raon!"
'Yeah. I should have a drink with my grandson before dying. I need to do it at least once, even if I have to put on an iron mask.'
He raised his gaze to look at Rector. He was leisurely smiling like a victor.
'That geezer…'
He had given up and accepted his defeat just a moment ago, but that mindset disappeared and a new flame of passion was ignited.
"Come over here."
Glenn waved his hand at Yua, who was peeking her eyes out from behind Raon.
"Refusing a lady's invitation would be rude."
His face was flushed and his heart felt like it was being tightened by a wire, but he still grabbed the girl's hand and smiled faintly.
"I'll join that party."
* * *
Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the tableware placed on the table.
'How did it end up like this?'
They were supposed to hold a small party for promotion among the members of the annex building, but there was an uninvited guest who was actually invited.
'This can't be a dream, can it?'
His lips faintly trembled as he turned his head to the right.
Glenn was sitting at the higher seat with a slightly flushed face, and Sylvia was sitting next to him, unable to even breathe as her shoulders trembled.
"Uhh…"
"Sniff…"
Even Helen and the maids standing behind the table were groaning like they were about to die. The only people who were composed were Glenn and Yua, who'd brought him along.
"Hmm…"
Rector was sitting at the edge of the table of his free will because he was joining the party as a guest, and he was looking at Glenn with a jealous and interested gaze at the same time.
Tap tap.
Raon lightly tapped the table with his finger and examined Glenn.
'I didn't expect him to really join the party…'
It was already unexpected that Yua invited Glenn, but he thought Glenn would obviously refuse, considering it a child's mistake.
However, he contemplated it for a moment before saying that he shouldn't refuse a lady's offer and brought some liquor to join the party.
When Sylvia and Helen saw Glenn in front of the annex building's door, their expressions were even more pale than a mouse in front of a cat.
"Erm…"
Sylvia stood up from her chair, her eyes twitching anxiously.
"W-we've thoroughly prepared in order to c-celebrate Raon, Yua, and Yulius's Light Wind squad's promotion into the Light Wind division. Please enjoy it to the fullest!"
She politely declared the words since Glenn and Rector were present and opened her hand. The way her fingers were trembling was pitiful to watch.
"Please start it now."
"Ah, yes!"
"Th-the food is coming."
The maids immediately brought the food into the dining room upon hearing Sylvia's command.
They used to work fluently, but they were creaking like wooden dolls. It was so bad that the huge table was shaking.
Even Judiel dropped one of the forks on the ground because she was shaking despite how composed she usually was.
"..."
Glenn didn't react at all to the maids' mistakes, instead looking at Rector on the opposite side.
Rector also met his gaze with serious eyes. It almost felt like sparks were flying between their gazes.
How pathetic.
Wrath shook his head while looking at Glenn and Rector.
Even though they are old and powerful, they can't stop being so childish.
'Indeed.'
Raon laughed bitterly upon seeing the old men moving into the second round of glaring after what happened in the training ground.
While Glenn and Rector were pointlessly fighting to see whose pupils were stronger, the table was filled with the delicious food that Helen and the maids had prepared in no time. Hot steam was rising from the dishes since they were finished a moment ago.
What are you waiting for?!
Wrath briskly stood up and floundered his round hands.
Stop paying attention to those old men and take up your fork already! You better be ready, since you fed the King of Essence the rubber bread two days in a row!
He licked his lips, saying that he was going to finish all of the food even if his stomach had to burst in the process.
His eyes were red from excitement, and Raon simply pushed him away before looking at Glenn.
'Wait a moment.'
The etiquette of the annex building was just to enjoy the food any way they wanted to, but they couldn't do that since their head of house, Glenn, was with them.
The maids didn't sit down like always after setting up the food, standing straight in the back while glancing at Glenn.
Sylvia remained quiet, probably because she thought she might end up harming the maids on top of herself if she made the wrong move, and Rector was also quietly watching the situation since he was well aware of who the master of that place was.
"Hmm."
Glenn casually raised his gaze after watching the food.
"Why are you standing over there? I heard that everyone eats together in the annex building."
He ordered the maids to take a seat with a calm voice.
"M-my lord."
Sylvia briskly turned her head towards Glenn.
"How do you know that they share the table?"
She asked with round eyes, surprised that Glenn knew about the annex building's situation.
"Ahem!"
Glenn didn't answer immediately, bobbing his finger for a moment before his lips parted reluctantly.
"…Rimmer told me."
"Ah, I see."
Sylvia nodded. She seemed to think that it was understandable since Rimmer often came to the annex building for food whenever he ran out of money.
"Sit down, everyone. The head of house gave his permission."
She waved her hand toward the maids, who were still standing awkwardly, to tell them to take their seats.
"…Yes."
"Th-thank you."
The maids bowed at Glenn before taking their respective seats. However, their faces were even paler than when they were standing, and their shoulders were trembling.
"..."
Everyone was silent, including Glenn, Sylvia, and even Rector. Small footsteps could be heard from the kitchen.
"It's ready!"
Yua brought a large pizza out with Yulius and placed it at the center of the table. It was the pineapple pizza that her grandfather had further improved.
Wow!
Wrath clenched his fist tightly while looking at Yua.
He expected nothing else from Pineapple Girl! She completed that masterpiece in such a short time period. She's truly amazing! Try it out already!
'Be patient.'
He urged Raon to eat the pizza already, but Raon couldn't move his hand since Glenn wasn't doing anything.
"..."
Silence started for the second time. Everyone was trying to read Glenn's countenance.
Growl.
Thunder echoed from Yulius's stomach.
"I-I'm sorry!"
He immediately bowed to apologize, but no one scolded him.
Most people were breathing out sighs of relief because the tension was gone.
"Hmm."
Glenn was the first one to take up his spoon.
"Let's eat before it gets cold."
Once he started eating the soup, Sylvia, Helen, and the maids started spooning up the soup while being as stiff as a machine.
Slurp.
The small noise of the soup entering mouths proved that people in the room weren't actually dolls.
Heeeey!
Raon was awkwardly eating when Wrath started rolling on his head.
Stop with the soup and eat something else already! There is grilled beef, lamb chops, and pizza over there!
'I think I won't be able to digest them if I eat them right now…'
Wrath kept shouting at him to eat various dishes, but Raon couldn't easily move his hand because of Glenn's gaze.
"..."
It was the third moment of silence. The sound of tableware was the only thing that could be heard, and no one was speaking at all.
"Haa."
Glenn put down his spoon with an expressionless face, and Yua energetically stood up.
"My lord! Please try this one! It's the young master Raon's favorite food!"
Yua took a pizza slice from the pineapple pizza she'd brought a moment ago and placed it on the plate in front of Glenn.
"Huah!"
"Y-Yua!"
"Gasp!"
"Uah…"
Sylvia, Helen, and the maids widened their eyes to the point where they could pop out because of Yua's sudden behavior.
No one could even speak properly because of how panicked they were.
However, Glenn didn't even frown, instead putting Yua's pizza in his mouth. He chewed the pizza before swallowing it with his mouth closed, then nodded in satisfaction.
"It's delicious."
"Right? My grandfather made the recipe!"
Yua smiled happily while praising her grandfather to Glenn.
"Your grandfather should be proud."
Glenn took another bite of the pizza while answering Yua.
"Of course! He is the best cook in Habun Castle!"
Yua confidently declared as much while vigorously raising her hand.
The tension engulfing the table drastically faded away from their short yet energetic conversation.
"Yua, can you give one to me as well?"
"Yes!"
Rector waved his hand, and Yua gave him a pizza slice with a sweet smile on her face.
"Huh! It's even better than the manager's."
Glenn and Rector ate the pizza in satisfaction, which made Sylvia and the maids finally stop trembling and start to properly eat the food.
"Huh…"
Raon gasped while looking at Yua, who created a cheerful atmosphere around the table with her smile.
'Is it because she learned the rhythm?'
It looked like Yua had done it to remove the tension and heavy atmosphere filling the table.
'No, she might be just having fun.'
Considering the fact that she was capable of such a friendly approach toward Glenn and Rector, who had such scary faces, it was probably just her nature.
'Anyway, she saved us.'
You bastard…
Raon was smiling at Yua when Wrath barked at him.
The food is disappearing! Please start eating already! He can still taste the rubber from his mouth!
'I get it, I get it.'
Raon nodded upon hearing Wrath's shout and tried out Yua's pizza.
'Wow…'
Just like Rector had described, it was even more delicious than the one made by her grandfather.
The harmony between the various meats, vegetables, and well-baked pineapple created a beautiful mixture of all kinds of tastes. It had earned Glenn's recognition for a good reason.
Wow! This is the one! The rubber sticking to his tongue finally disappeared!
Wrath said that the Nadine bread's taste was finally gone, his eyes full of tears.
Next up is the grilled meats! You must take the lamb chops, too!
'Yes, Sir…'
Raon heeded Wrath's request and took other food on his plate when Rector raised his gaze.
"Head of house."
He was fiddling with the table while looking at the red liquor bottle placed in front of Glenn.
"Did you bring that liquor yourself?"
"Indeed."
Glenn nodded and pushed the bottle ahead.
"I brought whatever I found because I can't be empty-handed upon joining a party."
In fact, it was the highest quality liquor that he'd prepared when Raon had slain the Specter.
It was such an expensive bottle that even platinum of the same weight was cheaper than it, but he took off the cover on purpose to disguise it as a cheap bottle.
'Well, I guess all liquors are pretty much the same.'
Raon nodded in acknowledgment and was about to continue his meal when someone touched his feet from below the table.
He raised his head since Sylvia was the only one in that direction, and she pointed at Glenn with her eyes.
'Is she telling me to pour the liquor for him?'
Judging from her gaze, it looked like she was asking him to pour the liquor into Glenn's glass.
'I guess that's the correct manners.'
He didn't know about it because it was his first time sharing the table with an elder that he had difficulty dealing with, but he could guess that she was right.
"My lord."
Raon stood up from his seat and went next to Glenn.
"Can I pour the liquor?"
"…Do as you wish."
Glenn pushed the glass towards him while looking at the opposite side.
"Thank you."
Raon accepted the bottle and uncorked it. Along with the refreshing sound of it opening, a high-class and sweet fragrance gently brushed his nose.
Even though he'd said that it was a cheap bottle, Raon could tell at a glance that it was the highest quality liquor.
'Hmm?'
He was about to fill Glenn's glass, but his expression changed into an indescribable state.
His eyebrows were slightly trembling, his cheeks were flushed, and the corners of his lips were wavering like a reed under the wind. People could mistake him for being already drunk.
'Is he bad with alcohol? Or does he love it too much?'
Raon couldn't tell whether he already got drunk from the scent alone, or he was just looking forward to the taste.
Raon weakly shook his head and filled Glenn's glass.
"This is enough."
Once the liquor filled half of the glass, Glenn picked it up.
"You should pour it for the others as well."
He raised his glass towards Rector, who was sitting on the opposite side.
Unlike the indescribable expression from a moment ago, he seemed to be blatantly boasting about it.
"Ugh…"
The funny part was that Rector was biting his lip in frustration for some reason.
'What are they even doing?'
Raon thought that they were such strange old men and filled Rector's glass.
He also poured a little bit of it into Sylvia, Helen, and the maids' glasses before returning to his seat.
Sylvia smiled and stood up from her seat. She extended her glass forward and looked at Raon.
"Raon, Yua, Yulius! Congratulations on your promotion! I'll keep looking forward to it in the future!"
She shouted, and the maids also extended their glasses.
"Young master! Congratulations!"
"Congratulations!"
"Congratulations to Yua and Yulis as well!"
"Please just return safely!"
The maids also congratulated them without being careful about Glenn for once.
"Congratulations."
Glenn raised his glass while speaking in a voice that could barely be heard. Raon wasn't too sure, but he seemed to be in an extremely good mood.
"Here we go, clink!"
Sylvia went ahead and made the clinking sound of glasses before looking at Glenn.
"Hmm…"
Glenn understood the meaning behind her gaze and started to drink. The others also drank after him.
Blegh! Disgusting!
Wrath started to blabber at him to eat the pizza and remove the aftertaste since the liquor was disgusting.
'Let's try something else.'
Raon pushed Wrath away, putting some stew into his bowl and glancing at Glenn on the way.
He was drinking very slowly to savor it while looking at the golden liquor with an ecstatic expression on his face.
'Oh, so he likes the liquor a lot.'
Raon could understand the bright expression he'd shown a moment ago.
Glenn slowly savored Yua's pizza and the liquor Raon had poured for him. He emptied the glass until the last drop before standing up from his seat.
"M-my lord?"
Sylvia and the maids were surprised and stood up at the same time.
"I'll be taking my leave."
Glenn shook his head, saying that he'd enjoyed enough.
"Sylvia."
"Ah, yes!"
Sylvia swallowed nervously and briskly stood up.
"It was delicious."
Glenn gently stared at Sylvia and Raon before he nodded.
"And congratulations."
That was the last thing he said before he left the dining room. He quietly murmured at Rector as he passed the end of the table.
"I was first."
"Ugh…"
Rector scowled, and Glenn raised his chin with an arrogant smile on his face.
* * *
"Yaawn."
Rimmer yawned loudly, his mouth looking like it would tear apart as he lay on the bed in his room.
"I'm so bored."
He was still unable to move his body because Glenn had beaten him up too hard. The pain was one thing, but he was being bored to death because he couldn't do anything.
"Ah, I heard they were holding a party."
Yua had invited him to the party, but he had to refuse because it was too difficult to move. When he thought about it, he should've forced himself to participate.
"Shall I ask Raon to fetch m—"
The moment he voiced Raon's name, the room's door was violently opened and Glenn entered.
"M-my lord?"
Rimmer's jaw dropped as he raised his head.
'Wh-what the hell is wrong with him? Is he Raon's stalker or something?'
He'd appeared the moment he talked about Raon. His swiftness was beyond understanding.
"Hey."
"What?"
"When you had a drink with Raon, did he fill your glass?"
"Err…"
Rimmer shook his head while thinking about when he had a drink with Raon.
"No, he just threw the bottle at me and we drank on our own."
"What about the Gambling Monster?"
"I think they gobbled it down separately as well…"
He shook his head once again while thinking about the Promise of Three with the Gambling Monster.
"I see."
Glenn straightened his back and tilted his chin, his lips rolled up into a deep smile.
Rimmer couldn't understand what was happening, but it was an irritating expression that seemed to be saying that he was the winner.
"Erm…"
Rimmer had to frown because his face was too hateful.
'What's wrong with this old man today?'
He swallowed nervously and lowered his gaze slightly because he was being way too different from usual.
"Did something good happen to you?"
"Are you curious?"
"…I-I'm curious."
He wasn't actually that curious about it, but he had to ask because he had the feeling that Glenn wouldn't leave the room until he listened to his story.
"I was invited to the party in the annex building today."
"Eeh? D-did my lord really go to the annex building?"
"Yes. The girl called Yua invited me, and I ended up attending."
"Wow!"
Rimmer clenched his fist while thinking about Yua's twin tails.
"Yua! You've achieved something that no one managed before! It was worth it to raise you all along!'
He didn't actually help raise Yua at all, but he decided to think that way for the moment.
"So, what did you do over there?"
"We simply had a meal. However…"
"However?"
"Well, Raon filled my glass before anyone else's. Mine took priority among them all! The first person to have a drink with isn't actually that important. Whose glass he filled for the first time is the most important…"
"Ah…"
Rimmer's eyes widened as he watched Glenn's sense of solemnity reaching the sky.
'Is that all? Hey, proud grandpa! Is that even something to brag about?!'