“Wow! There’s so much food, and it looks incredibly delicious!” Xi Meili exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked at the spread before her. The aroma alone was enough to tell her that the food was going to be amazing.
“You can eat as much as you want, Miss Xi Meili. It’s all specially prepared for you,” Ava said with a smile, addressing Xi Meili directly.
“Mr. Yuan and ladies, please enjoy the food while it’s still hot. I’ll be waiting outside, so if you need anything, just call my name,” Ava added before leaving with a slight bow.
“Alright, let’s dig in, shall we?” Yuan said enthusiastically.
Yuan and his wives began indulging in the food, with Yuan, Xi Meili, and Emma displaying particularly voracious appetites. The three of them devoured plate after plate, savoring each bite.
Xi Meili, Yuan, and Emma continued eating even after consuming their fifth plate. However, after the sixth plate, Emma stopped, having reached her limit. Yuan joined her after his eighth plate. Xi Meili, on the other hand, continued eating, and only stopping when every plate on the table was empty. Her stomach appeared slightly puffy from consuming enough food for ten people.
Anna, Grace, and Lily looked on in amazement, wondering how Xi Meili managed to fit so much food into her slim frame.
“Grrrrrr!” Xi Meili let out a satisfied growl, a blissful smile on her face.
“I can’t believe you finished everything on the table, as always, Xi Meili! How can you eat so much with your slender figure?” Lily exclaimed, seemingly in disbelief, even though she had witnessed Xi Meili’s impressive appetite many times before.
Xi Meili blushed and smiled in response to Lily’s comment.
Anna chimed in with a smile, “Our Meili is talented even when it comes to eating!”
Shortly after, Yuan and his wives left the dining hall, their stomachs fully satisfied from the delicious feast.
Just as Yuan and his wives exited the dining hall, two maids dressed in maid outfits entered the room. Their eyes widened in astonishment when they saw the empty plates on the dining table.
“Oh my god! They finished everything! This is unbelievable,” one maid exclaimed in awe. “The food was meant for at least twenty people, and there were only six of them. How did they manage to empty every plate?”
“I can’t believe it. What kind of guests are they? Are they even human?” the other maid wondered, equally amazed by the sight.
Meanwhile, outside the dining hall, Ava noticed Yuan and his wives approaching. A sweet smile appeared on her face as she greeted them.
“Oh, Mr. Yuan… Are you all finished with your meal? I hope the food was to your liking,” Ava said warmly.
“The food was delicious!” Yuan replied with a smile, expressing his satisfaction.
“Indeed! We enjoyed every single bite,” Anna added, nodding with a delighted smile.
Ava’s face lit up with joy upon hearing their praise. She was genuinely pleased that the food they had prepared for Yuan and his wives had been enjoyed so thoroughly.
A few minutes later, Ava led Yuan and his wives back to their resting rooms. To her surprise, she discovered that Yuan’s wives were staying in the same room as him.
‘Don’t tell me they’re going to sleep on the same bed as him!’ Ava thought, her mind racing at the prospect. How could Yuan, with his lean and skinny body, handle five beautiful women at once?
“You can sit down and relax instead of standing there,” Yuan said to Ava, noticing her hesitation. He offered her a kind smile, feeling a bit awkward seeing her standing while they were comfortably seated on the bed.
After a while, Yuan, Anna, Grace, Lily, Emma, Xi Meili, and Ava gathered in the room, taking seats opposite each other.
“Your sister mentioned discussing matters with the hunters and mages. Can you tell us how many have been gathered to help defend the village from the monsters?” Grace inquired, her curiosity piqued.
“Yes, we have gathered 300 C-rank hunters and 100 B-rank hunters. As for the mages, there are 400 of them, with 70 percent being third-circle mages and the remaining 30 percent fourth-circle mages. While it may not be enough to fully defend the village, we are incredibly grateful for everyone’s assistance, especially yourselves, Mr. Yuan, Mrs. Anna, Mr. Grace, Mrs. Lily, Mrs. Emma, and Mrs. Xi Meili,” Ava explained, her face radiant with a beautiful smile.
Yuan silently contemplated the numbers. ‘300 C-rank hunters, 100 B-rank hunters, and 400 mages, with a majority being third-circle mages… It’s not sufficient to fight against a large group of powerful monsters, especially the Wyvern,’ he thought to himself.
“I see… Can you tell us more about this place?” Yuan inquired, his curiosity growing.
“I’m also quite curious to learn more about this village. It seems to be flourishing, and at this rate, it may even develop into a town within five to six months,” Lily added, expressing her own fascination. She had rarely encountered such a rapidly growing village in her travels.
“Our Pinebrook village? We’re just an ordinary village that specializes in winemaking. Compared to Mr. Yuan and the ladies’ backgrounds, we’re not even worth mentioning,” Ava replied with an embarrassed smile.
“Our background?” Yuan raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Ava’s response.
Ava nodded and continued, “Despite being younger than me, you guys are so strong that I can’t even sense any mana within your bodies. Not to mention, you can fly in the sky without wings, unlike the angel race. I have never met individuals as talented as yourselves. Surely, you must come from a very prestigious magic academy or a renowned family.”
However, Yuan and his wives shook their heads in response. Yuan explained, “We’re neither from a powerful magic academy nor a renowned family. In fact, we’re not even mages. That’s why you don’t sense any mana within our bodies because we simply don’t possess any. Mana is useless to us.”
“What?” Ava cried out in disbelief, her voice echoing through the room. How could individuals without mana be so strong that they could fly in the sky? Even the most prominent mages from the Mage’s Tower had tried to find a way to fly, but none had succeeded. Flying was merely a dream for them now.
“So, you’re saying each of you doesn’t possess any mana in your bodies?” Ava asked, hoping she had misunderstood.
Anna, Grace, Lily, Emma, and Xi Meili nodded simultaneously, confirming Ava’s question. Each of them lacked even a trace of mana.
“It’s simply impossible! How can you fly without possessing mana? You know mana is the source of power for every mage. Without mana, mages are nothing, just like a fish without water,” Ava mumbled, unable to comprehend the situation. She stared at Yuan and his wives with a profound look, still trying to process the revelation before her.
“For mages? Yes, but not for us. Even if we explain it to you, you won’t understand, so we should change the topic,” Yuan calmly replied, dismissing Ava’s questions as if they were of no importance to him.
“If that’s the case, then I won’t ask any further,” Ava said with a sigh, realizing that prying into their secrets would be inappropriate behavior towards their guests. However, the question still lingered in her mind—how could they fly despite not having mana in their bodies?
“Well then, Mr. Yuan, can you tell me where you guys are from?” Ava asked, unable to believe that such a handsome person like Yuan and his beautiful wives could come from nowhere.
“We’re from Clover Town, or some people refer to it as the border town. It’s not a well-known place. Not what you expected, right?” Yuan replied with a smile, glancing back at his wives.
“Clover Town?” Ava asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Yes, have you been there before?” Yuan inquired, slightly frowning.
“Not really, but I’ve heard a recent rumor going around that an Orc Lord and its army attacked Clover Town. And a handsome young hero with four beautiful women by his side defeated the Orc Lord effortlessly. Judging from how handsome you are and how beautiful your wives are, and also considering that you said you’re from Clover Town, I assume that you are the hero and those women are your companions, right?” Ava asked, studying each of them closely.
‘Her observation is quite good. I can’t expect any less from the younger sister of the head of the village, who governs over 1500 people,’ Yuan thought, somewhat surprised by Ava’s keen observation skills.
Yuan nodded and confirmed, “Yes, we’re the ones who defeated the Orc Lord. But we’re not heroes as the people speak of us. We simply did what we needed to protect our home within the same town. Those ignorant people mistook my actions as if I were saving their lives!”
“Huh?” Ava was taken aback by the last part of his statement. He spoke as if he didn’t care about the lives of the people within the town, as if their lives meant nothing to him.
Yuan had no intention of risking his life to protect unknown individuals he had no connection with. Even if he knew them, he wouldn’t interfere if he perceived a danger to his own life.
After a while, Ava stood up from the bed and made her way towards the door.
“I will take my leave now. It’s quite late, and you guys must be feeling sleepy. Well, see you tomorrow!” Ava said, bidding them farewell, and then she left the scene.𝙚𝙙𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙚𝙡.𝙤𝙧𝒈