Before long, Marian arranged a reasonably clean wooden table for the group.
Large mugs of ale, platters heaped high with roasted meat, and an assortment of fruit pies were served to the table.
"Don't hold back, everyone eat your fill!" Gray declared with a grand wave of his hand.
Zelier speared a piece of roast meat and brought it to his mouth. Rich juices burst forth, filling his palate with aroma.
The meat was cooked to perfection, the exterior crispy without being burnt—truly delicious.
Finishing a piece of meat followed by a deep gulp of ale, the word "satisfying" was not enough to describe Zelier's mood.
He even felt a hearty, carefree sense that this was how life was meant to be lived; even the fatigue from battling monsters melted mostly away.
After greeting the tavern keeper, Marian, who was clearly close to Gray, came straight over to his side.
Gray laughed heartily, pulled her into his arms, and snapped his fingers toward another corner of the tavern.
Before long, several more barmaids answered the call, one petite redhead sitting right on Marcus's lap.
Surprisingly, Marcus didn't refuse, even leaning in to banter and laugh softly with her.
"Your chest is so muscular, hehe..." Half of the redhead's hand had already slipped inside Marcus's collar.
Zelier was a little surprised at first, but upon reflection, he understood.
Adventurers lived with their heads on the line, fighting monsters every day. Everyone needed an outlet to blow off steam.
Marcus wasn't one for debauchery, but there was no need to restrain himself either—when it was time to let loose, he let loose.
"Zelier, remember my promise to make a man out of you? Time to make good on it," Vallis said with a mischievous grin, waving a hand.
A slender hand rested on Zelier's shoulder from behind, accompanied by a voice so sweet and seductive it sent a shiver straight to the bone.
"Little master, how about I join you for a few drinks?"
A tingle ran down Zelier's spine.
She was quite sweet-looking, with rosy lips that tempted one to steal a kiss.
Yet Zelier waved his hands in refusal.
"Uh... no thanks, I'm fine on my own."
"Come on, don't be shy."
The girl drew closer, almost whispering in his ear, close enough for Zelier to catch her fragrance. "I'll be very gentle."
"No... I'm really fine on my own," Zelier politely refused again.
In his past life, Zelier hadn't been an inexperienced boy who had never seen a woman; he simply wasn't in the habit of messing around in places like this.
"Alright then."
The girl looked rather regretful. "If you change your mind, come find me."
With that, she pressed a finger to her lips and blew Zelier a kiss.
She couldn't be blamed for lingering; Zelier was genuinely good-looking, far more appealing than the drunken older men around, naturally tempting one to take a bite.
On the other side, Vallis was much the same—maintaining a completely ascetic demeanor, he turned down all advances with stern resolve.
By conventional standards, Vallis was also quite handsome.
His elven blood made his features noticeably more delicate than ordinary people's, and paired with his serious expression, gave him an aloof, ascetic charm.
After several rounds of drinks, most of the roast meat on the table had been devoured.
Gray was already looking a little tipsy. He gulped down another mouthful of ale and let out a burp.
"By the way, Vallis... what happened to you this afternoon? You were almost done for."
"I know, I owe you o—"
Before Vallis could finish, Gray cut him off.
"Forget about who owes who! Did you forget what you said yourself? On an adventure, we have to look out for each other."
Gray waved a hand. "I've just never seen you space out in a fight before. Did something happen?"
"Nothing much... It's just that I was shocked by the giant-winged bat's attack method at the time," Vallis said.
"Those flying bone shards?"
"They were bone spikes wrapped in wind blades," Zelier corrected.
"Right."
Vallis's eyes flickered with thought. "Seeing the giant-winged bat launch bone spikes wrapped in wind blades at high speed somehow made me think of my own class... That's how a mid-rank ranger attacks."
"You mean... a ranger who has mastered battle aura?" Marcus chimed in.
"Yes." Vallis nodded.
Among warriors, rangers, and assassins, the biggest difference between a low rank and a mid rank lay in battle aura.
Without battle aura, one could never advance for the rest of their life.
"Managing to gain insight in the middle of battle—you're way ahead of me. Looks like before long, Blackstone Town will have another mid-rank ranger."
Gray laughed heartily and raised his tankard high. "Consider this an early celebration for your breakthrough! Cheers!"
He drained his ale in one gulp.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone raised their mugs in celebration.
"Also, I want to propose a toast to Zelier!"
Marcus stood up, swaying slightly from the drink.
"Without you, we wouldn't have struck it so rich lately. Here's to keeping up the momentum and fighting even harder in the future!"
Previously, the party Marcus led usually only took on ordinary quests.
Culling wild beasts, doing gathering commissions, or at most eliminating some monsters rated [Easy]. Whenever they encountered a monster rated [Hard], they would have to hesitate and weigh their options for a long time.
Now, they had taken down [Hard] rated monsters one after another, earning over a dozen gold coins across three commissions—something unthinkable in the past.
"To Zelier!"
"To Zelier!"
The group raised their cups together once more.
"You're being too modest. Without your help, I wouldn't have grown this quickly either," Zelier replied with a smile.
Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, a frivolous whistle came from nearby.
"Hey! Marian, don't play favorites! Come over to our table for a few drinks!"
The speaker was a burly, bald man dressed like an adventurer.
His eyes roved over Marian, his grin brazen. "We won't short you on tip money!"
The smile on Marian's face froze for a fraction of a second, but she quickly smoothed it back into charming coquetry.
She raised her glass toward their table from a distance. "Big brother, I really can't get away today. How about I introduce an even prettier girl to you?"
"No way, no way! I want you tonight!"
The bald brute walked straight over to Marian and reached out to grab her, completely ignoring Gray beside her.
"Are you deaf, baldy?"
Gray spoke up. "Didn't you hear what Marian just said?"
Hearing this, the bald man's face instantly darkened with fury.
"Blond brat, who the fuck do you think you're cussing at?"
Tension suddenly gripped the tavern as many patrons turned to watch, eager for entertainment.
Chapter 35