Gulp First, Out of Respect 1/3

"So, I woke up on Ayu Island, and you, this weakling, are called Circe, the ruler of this place?"

"A weakling? Damn it! I am a great Witch!"

"Witch whose legs tremble with fear at my appearance?"

"Th-th-that was an accident! Who told you to suddenly appear like that! I'm warning you, don't mess around, the Witch is very strong!"

Inside the cave, a soft rustling sound reached his ears. Seeing the eerie Black Shadow closing in, Circe, cowering in a corner with nowhere to retreat, closed his Circe in panic, wildly waving his tin staff and screaming to bolster his courage.

"I am a follower of Moon Goddess Hecate. If you eat me, she will not let you go."

"Hecate? Never seen her before, but I have dined with her cousin Artemis. Speaking of which, with so many followers of that Goddess of the Dark Moon, eating one or two shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"My mother is a sea nymph, and my father is Helios, the Sun God!"

"Well, they must each have quite a few children, right? They haven't contacted you in all these years, so..."

Circe's breath hitched. The moment she opened her eyes to argue with the long serpent, the blood-red vertical pupils, the size of lanterns, loomed before her. When her vision focused, she felt like a frog being stared at by a giant snake. Her hair stood on end, her body stiffened, and cold sweat seeped from her back, soaking through her thin clothes.

"Tsk, you should know that you're usually a little hungry after waking up."

The giant black serpent lowered its head, flicked its tongue, and murmured softly, its face full of malevolent intent.

"I won't eat! I won't eat at all!"

Circe's head shook wildly like a rattle-drum, and his small body, squeezed into the corner, squatted on the ground with his hands covering his head.

"Tch, you're too small, barely any meat on your bones, you'll easily get stuck in my teeth. Actually, it's fine if we don't eat you..."

"Real?"

"Really, but let me make two gurgling sounds first..."

"Ha?"

Feeling like she had just escaped a calamity, the Witch's pointed ears twitched upon hearing this strange request. Her mind was a little confused, and her face was full of astonishment.

"Are you going to skip dinner or not? If you're not, I'm starting to eat."

"Gurgle..."

"Speaking so softly, haven't you eaten?"

"Coo coo..."

"The sound is still too soft, I can't hear it!"

"You clearly..."

"Older students... cough cough... I said I can't hear you, and I really can't hear you!"

"Coo... coo coo coo!"

The giant serpent in the shadows trembled as if it were having an epileptic seizure, its tail slapping the ground repeatedly, causing sand and gravel to fall in a flurry. At times, its mouth stretched into an exaggerated arc, and it came crashing down with a cloud of black mist.

"You... you... you said you wouldn't eat my food, you're breaking your promise..."

Circe screamed, clutching his head, trembling with a sob in his voice.

"Smack!"

Just then, a sharp, sharp tap landed on the Witch's head, causing Circe to clutch her forehead and cry out in pain.

As my vision stabilized, a handsome figure with long, flowing black hair came into view.

"Ya... Ya is beautiful..."

Circe murmured, unconsciously uttering what was on her mind.

"Hahaha! How delightful! What an amusing silly bird."

Samael stared at the Witch before him, who seemed somewhat dazed, and rubbed his lower abdomen, bursting into wild laughter.

He now probably understands where Gilgamesh's perverse sense of humor comes from.

In the long course of life, the soul will lose interest in many things, so finding enjoyment and maintaining a sense of novelty is quite important.

Sure enough, after teasing a future infamous "Feast Witch," the frustration and defeat he left on earth were instantly washed away by this sense of pleasure.

However, it seems that birds have a relatively low overall intelligence.

Just as Samael was rubbing his chin, lost in strange thoughts, the sound of flapping wings came from the cave entrance. The Harpy had rushed in cried out in surprise the moment she saw the familiar figure.

"Black Demon, uh, no, Teacher Samael, you're awake?!"

Harpy, who hurriedly changed his tune, was overjoyed and jumped into the ancient snake's arms, gently nuzzling against it, unable to hide his delight. The blue ahoge on his head twitched lightly as if it were an emotional indicator.

Samael's face darkened at first, then his expression relaxed slightly as he gently stroked the Harpy's head.

You little brat, at least you have a conscience. It wasn't for nothing that I raised you all these years.

"Samael, Samael, you're awake! How about we have a big celebration? Make whatever you have on hand!"

Harpy raised his little head, his eyes blinking rapidly, and glistening drool dripped from his mouth.

"Thu!"

In a good mood, the ancient snake subconsciously agreed and then turned around and called softly.

"Tina, we're going to gather some ingredients for a late-night snack. Do you want to come along?"

"Um... together..."

With a somewhat hesitant response, Tina jogged forward from the darkness.

Then, the man took Harpy and Tina by the hands of each of them and walked into the dense forest.

So you all know each other after all this time?

Left behind, Circe was bewildered by a gust of wind, his lips twitching violently. Frustrated, he squatted down and drew circles, muttering to himself.

Damn you, you snake! How dare you deceive the great Witch! I curse you to turn into a piglet!

Why not secretly feed him some drugged wheat porridge?

Eat, eat, eat! Let this guy eat his fill all day long!

"Um, Circe, right? What kind of food do you want to eat on this island?"

"Anything is fine."

The sudden question sent a chill down Circe, who was brewing malice, and he hurriedly responded, his tongue tied in knots.

In the bushes, Samael looked at the little quail with a beaming smile, its hands clenching the hem of its clothes, its body trembling like a leaf, and stroked his chin, muttering to himself.

That's a bit too much of a joke; look how scared the child is.

For example, increase...

Well, let's have a snack.

The ancient snake coughed, suppressing the inhuman thoughts in its mind, and grinned to reveal eight neat teeth, showing what it thought was a gentle and kind smile to the person opposite it.

Has he found out? Will he eat me up?

Seeing that sinister smile with its teeth showing, Circe a beat, its little face turned pale, and it immediately flapped its wings and fled back to its little nest.

"Don't eat me! I won't eat any of it!"

At this moment, Samael noticed that the gazes on his left and right sides were fixed on him, and he felt slightly embarrassed.

It seems I went too far and scared this silly bird into a psychological state.

A few hours later, the three of them returned to the cabin carrying a large pile of wild vegetables, mushrooms, seasonings, and other ingredients.

Samael used his extensive knowledge to create a unique and flavorful late-night snack.

When it was time to eat, even Circe was shivering under the covers, was attracted by the aroma. He overcame his fear and quietly slipped to the table to enjoy the meal.

After the atmosphere eased and the others finished their explanations, the ancient serpent cast a long, eerie glance at Harpy, who was wolfing down his food.

Okay, I take back what I said earlier. I knew all that fake emotion I felt was just a lie.

In the eyes of a foodie, there are only two kinds of things in the world: edible meat and processed meat. They don't even recognize that, and that applies to people as well.