Freya didn't have a dining table in her small apartment, so the dishes were laid out on her desk.
She sat on the chair that was usually piled with dirty clothes—except now, the clothes were hanging on the balcony after being washed by Ash. Freya stared at the spread in front of her: Spicy Red Lala Fatty Bowl, Sorcerer's Lettuce Salad, and Misty Spinach Quiche. Confused, she asked, "You called me back just to have dinner together?"
String, her cat, was happily munching on its kibble, topped with a layer of spicy Lala Fatty sauce.
"Exactly," Ash replied, taking off his apron. "While I can wear a mask to avoid surveillance cameras, I can't eat with it on. That makes dining out impossible. So, I bought ingredients to cook at home. At noon, I just grabbed a flatbread to eat."
"Then why not have flatbread for dinner too? Why go to all this trouble cooking?"
"To be honest, the meals in prison were pretty decent. A basic lunch is fine, but if dinner isn't a proper meal, it feels…" He trailed off, shrugging.
"So, why drag me into this?"
"Cooking for just one person is difficult, and I can't finish three dishes alone. So, I figured I'd call you back to share."
It made sense, but Freya still found it odd. You're Ash Heath, a cult leader and Blood Moon Sovereign. If you're hungry, shouldn't you be cracking open some random passerby's skull for a fresh taste of brains?
In reality, Ash had only learned to cook thanks to the "Everyday Recipes Mastery" skill from the Sorcerer's Handbook. He hadn't expected it to come in so handy.
"Where did you get the money for the ingredients? You just escaped from prison," Freya suddenly realized.
She wasn't worried he'd stolen from her—she didn't have any money to begin with. She wasn't a sorcerer yet and didn't carry silver coins; all her transactions were made through her chip's digital currency.
"You can earn money in prison," Ash explained, pulling a stack of exquisitely designed bills from his bag. He marveled, "I used a silver coin to buy ingredients, and they gave me back so much change."
Technically, the entire feast cost less than one-twentieth of a silver coin. A single silver coin could feed an ordinary person for twenty days, requiring only eighteen coins to cover food expenses for an entire year. With the exchange rate between gold and silver coins being roughly 1:100, Ash suddenly reevaluated his impression of Medic 222.
Anyone who casually hands out a gold coin isn't just a little rich—they're incredibly wealthy!
As they ate, Ash opened a video on the Veil of Knowledge titled Why Sorcerers Are Great. These educational videos were plentiful on the Veil, mostly targeting ordinary people who couldn't afford to attend university.
To Freya, a prospective sorcerer, the content seemed shallow. But the humorous narration and comedic visuals made it entertaining.
Why is he watching this? she wondered. He's already a full-fledged sorcerer. Does he really need this basic stuff?
Before the video began, a 30-second ad played. The last 10 seconds shifted to a wanted bulletin from the Criminal Hunters' Office.
"Corpse Lover" Archibald Harvey, One-Wing Sorcerer: Dead or Alive, Reward: 10 Gold Coins. Information: 1 Silver Coin.
"Rot Crow" Ronald Wade, One-Wing Sorcerer: Dead or Alive, Reward: 8 Gold Coins. Information: 8 Silver Coins.
"Deceiver" Igula Borgen, Two-Wing Sorcerer: Dead or Alive, Reward: 15 Gold Coins. Information: 2 Silver Coins.
"Death Eater" Rona Kios, Two-Wing Sorcerer: Dead or Alive, Reward: 20 Gold Coins. Information: 2 Silver Coins.
"Demonic Saint" Ash Heath, Power Unknown: Dead or Alive, Reward: 50 Gold Coins. Information: 5 Silver Coins.
"You're worth a fortune," Freya remarked, impressed.
"Thank you. Do you regret it now?"
"Not at all. A Compassion Spell Spirit is hard to come by. Five silver coins wouldn't cover it anyway."
After a moment of thought, Freya glanced at Ash and said, "If Lord Demonic Saint ever decides to return to prison, please allow me to turn you in personally."
"Don't bother. If I wanted to surrender, I'd claim the bounty for myself," Ash replied dryly.
"Stingy."
They continued eating and watching the video. Midway through, Ash turned to Freya. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Could you start wearing clothes to bed?" Ash asked as tactfully as possible. "Given that there's now a member of the opposite sex in your home…"
Having spent his first night on Freya's floor, Ash had barely slept. Even though he was physically separated, the thought of a completely naked Freya lying just a few feet away had kept him wide awake.
Freya blinked at him. "Why should I change just because you're here?"
"Don't you feel awkward being naked around someone else?"
"Not at all. If it weren't against public decency laws, I'd attend classes naked. It's been so warm lately."
She peeked into her top and asked curiously, "Or is it because I'm not attractive enough, and looking at me bothers you?"
"No, you're very attractive," Ash admitted, trying to choose his words carefully. "It's just that… you stir certain feelings in my body…"
"Oh!" Freya's eyes lit up with understanding. She wiped her mouth with a tissue, pulled her tank top off with a quick motion, and declared, "Let's do it then. Once we're done, your body will get used to me. Don't worry, I'll hold back so I don't kill you—"
"Why does your thought process work like this!?" Ash exclaimed, pulling her tank top back down. "This is way too casual!"
"That's rude of you. If we hadn't signed a contract, I'd report you to the Criminal Hunters for harassment," Freya huffed. "I'm not some loose woman. You're a cult leader, you'll give me a spell spirit, and you're not bad-looking. So I figured it's fine—it's part of a siren's courtesy."
"Or are you scared to do it with me? Don't worry, I'll hold back and won't go too hard."
Ash frowned, catching onto something. "What do you mean by 'hold back so I don't kill you'?"
"Don't you know? A siren's bodily fluids have unique properties. They eliminate male refractory periods entirely. And since we really enjoy mating, it's easy for us to… accidentally overdo it," Freya explained matter-of-factly. "But I'll be careful. I'll stop after you've had one go. The contract forbids me from harming you, after all. I promise I'll be extra careful."
She wasn't joking. Freya had no choice but to be cautious. Workers at Mud Cafés were usually modified to control their endurance and recovery times. But unmodified individuals rarely lasted—regardless of how strong their natural physique might be.
News stories about ogres, beastmen, and even elves dying after encounters with sirens were not uncommon. Even the famously resilient Blood Saints sometimes ended up drained to unconsciousness. Only Moonshadow species were immune to a siren's allure.
Suffice it to say, sirens thrived in modern times. A century or two ago, before biological modifications were industrialized, seven out of ten sirens were killers by accident. The other three just hadn't been caught yet.
For Ash, what had started as a refusal based on moral principles quickly turned into an instinct for survival. He clung tightly to Freya's tank top, determined not to let her undress.
Dying that way might be fun, but Ash wasn't about to go out like that.
Freya pouted. "I don't want to get dressed after a shower, but you also don't want your body to adapt to me. So, what now?"
"I'll endure it," Ash said firmly.
Shrugging, Freya resumed eating. "You're such a strange person."
"To me, you're the strange ones," Ash retorted.
He sighed. "I walked around near the university today. I saw three casinos, five or six sugar shops, and even a group of female students entering a place called Snowy Honey Tea Café, changing into ridiculously skimpy outfits, and soliciting customers outside…"
"What's wrong with students doing part-time work?" Freya asked, tilting her head. "Did you support their business?"
"Freya, I'm a fugitive," Ash reminded her.
"That's not a problem. Just wear your mask the whole time and pay in silver coins. Tea cafés don't ask questions. They'll just think you're a customer with peculiar tastes," Freya explained. "If you're feeling pent up, go after dinner. I'll even do the dishes for you."