A few minutes later, the food arrived. Plates of steaming meat, thick stews, and freshly baked bread were set before them, and the trio wasted no time digging in.
"Now that's what I call a meal!" Grimwald grinned, leaning back in his chair as he rubbed his full stomach. "That first round was great. The stew's not half bad either." He let out a satisfied burp.
"This is the best food I've had in weeks," Serephina said, flashing a smile at Valerius before casually pulling him into a side embrace. "Thanks for this, Valerius!"
"You're right," Draven agreed, cutting into his steak. "The meat is well-cooked. I'm impressed."
Meanwhile, Valerius who had the habit of inhaling his food was forcing himself to eat modestly, chewing slowly and keeping his movements controlled.
Then round two arrived.
By this point, the trio was nearly full. Maybe they had just enough room for dessert, but that was it.
Valerius, on the other hand, showed no signs of slowing down.
Then came round three.
Grimwald and Serephina exchanged glances, now watching him with mild curiosity.
Serephina leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm while looking at Valerius. He must've been starving before we met, she thought. Makes sense. He fought a Lycan today, after all if we can call it a fight
Then came round four. Round five. Round six.
Serephina's curiosity turned into genuine concern.
Wait… hold on. Why is he still eating?
How long was he starving?
Even if he hadn't eaten for a week, there's no way a human being can eat this much.
Grimwald finally spoke up. "Oi… brother, how are you able to eat so much?"
Valerius who had been blissfully lost in his meal suddenly froze.
He turned his head toward the trio, cheeks puffed full of food like a guilty child caught stealing sweets. Slowly, he chewed and swallowed before meekly answering, "Uh… three more rounds, I guess?"
"THREE MORE?!" Serephina leaned forward, looking at him in shock. "How is that even possible?! You don't look like someone who eats like this. You're in shape! What are you?!"
Draven, who had known the truth all along, could only smirk to himself. For the first time since they met, Valerius actually looked his age like a younger brother embarrassed by his quirks.
Meanwhile, Valerius's face was rapidly turning red. He gripped his fork a little tighter, clearly uncomfortable.
"W-Well…" he stammered. "I don't have a choice. I have to eat this much just to function. I can't do it all the time, so I just eat what I can, when I can."
Grimwald, oblivious to the tension, tilted his head. "Why do you need to eat so much anyway?"
"Grimwald, drop it," Draven interrupted, sensing Valerius's growing embarrassment. "Serephina, you too. Let him eat in peace."
"No, it's fine," Valerius sighed, "Now that it's out, I guess there's no way around it." He exhaled, regaining his composure.
"I'm… different from you guys."
Serephina leaned in, eyes narrowing with curiosity. "What do you mean by that?"
Valerius met her gaze, while wiping the stew off his mouth.
"You see I have insane mana reserves for a human, and I need a lot of food to sustain that. Even when I'm doing nothing, my body constantly burns energy just to accommodate the amount of mana I have," Valerius said, still chewing, his mouth stuffed with food.
Is he bragging right now? Serephina wondered, narrowing her eyes. But then again… he might be telling the truth. He did say he could use all five elemental attributes. Even among prodigies, that was unheard of. But just how high were his mana reserves for him to need this much food? Her thoughts spiraled, unable to settle on an answer.
Several minutes passed, and Valerius finally leaned back, satisfied. He had been completely oblivious to the way the trio had been watching him throughout the meal, too focused on eating to notice their lingering stares.
"Are you finally done?" Serephina asked, resting her chin on her palm. "If you are, then let's talk. I have a lot of questions for you."
"Yeah, I'm done," Valerius sighed, wiping his mouth. His stomach was full at last. Then, his brows furrowed. "Wait… questions?"
"It's nothing serious," Serephina said with a shrug. "Just a conversation to get to know each other. After all, aside from names, we barely know anything about one another."
"I see." Valerius crossed his arms. "Well, I don't mind telling you a bit about myself."
They stood up from the table, and Valerius washed his hands before heading toward the meeting area where the trio was already seated.
"So? What is it you wanted to ask me?" Valerius said as he sat down, looking directly at Serephina.
Her expression changed. Her usual playfulness was gone, replaced with something sharper. "First and foremost," she said, her tone firm and direct, "who are you?"
Valerius blinked. "Hmm…. How should I answer that…?" He tapped his chin. "Let's see… I'm no one in particular. Just a normal twenty-year-old you happened to find on your way?" He gave a cheeky smile.
"Now's not the time for jokes, Valerius," Serephina cut in, her tone unwavering. "You have insane mana reserves like you said. You can use all elemental attributes something that has never been recorded in human history. You killed a Lycan with your bare hands. You're practically the pinnacle of what a human can be. And…" She narrowed her eyes. "You look like nobility. Your posture, the way you carry yourself it's not something you pick up in a small village.
"And yet, despite all that, we find you sleeping in forests, traveling alone on horseback, and casually dining with commoners while paying for them. If you were me, wouldn't you be curious about you?"
Valerius held her gaze for a moment before exhaling. "Let's see… who am I?" He repeated her question, this time to himself. His eyes softened slightly. "That's hard to answer. As far as I know, I was raised in a small village called Meran, on the outskirts of the Caelumir Kingdom. My parents were commoners. Not royalty, not nobility just ordinary people."
Serephina watched him closely, searching his face for any sign of dishonesty. But there was nothing.
"I see," she said, her voice a little less rigid than before. "Then how did you get this strong? You have to know that you're beyond human at this point."
Valerius leaned back, his expression unreadable. "I trained for a while," he said simply. "And I got lucky during my mana ritual." His tone was casual, but the way he said lucky carried weight. "That's all there is to it."
"That's all?" Serephina frowned, sensing he wasn't telling the full truth. But before she could press further, Valerius suddenly shifted the conversation.
"What about you guys?" he asked. "What's your story? Why were you in the forest?"
Serephina exchanged glances with Draven and Grimwald before shrugging. "Nothing special. We're just ordinary people you could find a hundred others like us in any city," she said. "We grew up in the same orphanage, so we've always stuck together."
"I see," Valerius mused. "So, you're from Caelumir, I assume? What are you doing all the way out here?"
"Yeah, we're from Caelumir," Draven confirmed, stepping in to answer. "We're on our way to Aldoria to the capital, actually. We're looking for jobs. Either in a mercenary company or the military."
"I heard Aldoria is recruiting wielders," Serephina added. "So we figured we'd try our luck there. That's when we ran into you."
Valerius nodded. "I see… but we're still far from the capital. If you don't have money, how do you plan on making it there?"
Grimwald scratched his head. "That's why we were gonna work as temporary hires here in Vihadi. Do some small jobs, make enough money, and then set out again. But fortunately…" He grinned. "We met you."
Valerius smirked slightly. "I see. That makes sense."
Draven tilted his head. "What about you? You said you're from Meran, so what are you doing out here? Where are you headed?"
"Same as you," Valerius replied. "I'm going to the capital."
Draven's eyebrows lifted. "Really? What for?" His expression shifted into a knowing smirk. "Let me guess you want to become a military commander? A royal guard, maybe? With your strength, I wouldn't be surprised if the capital treasures you."
Valerius's gaze lowered slightly. "You're wrong about that."
Draven blinked. "Huh?"
"I'm not going to the capital for something noble like that."
Something about the way he said it sent a small chill down Draven's spine. His instincts told him this was bad.
"Then why are you going?"
Valerius lifted his gaze, his expression blank but there was something unsettling about the way the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.
"I'm going to kill the Queen."
Silence.
Serephina, Grimwald, and Draven froze in place.
Valerius's voice was calm, almost too calm. "Selene Drakaris," he said, her name rolling off his tongue as if he had rehearsed it a thousand times.
Draven's fists clenched. His gut feeling had been right.
Serephina leaned forward slightly, searching his face. "You're joking, right?"
Valerius's smirk remained, but his eyes told a different story.