"Warm" Family Dinner

The entire manor began bustling over Miss Nancy's "ambition," while Eagle Territory continued operating in orderly fashion.

Only two days had passed before the newly arrived residents threw themselves into construction, repairing roads and building warehouses.

Although the original residents of Eagle Town formed the main workforce, the newcomers also played a considerable role. Their vitality was astonishing.

The men handled odd jobs and provided technical or practical assistance, while the women cooked and mended clothes. Even the children were sent out to gather wild fruits and vegetables.

Though they could not earn much money, they could at least guarantee three filling meals a day.

That same day, Fili brought the five tanners Raven needed, and production of Monster Hide Armor was officially put on the agenda.

According to the craftsmen, after half a month of tanning, they would be able to mass-produce three to five sets per day.

Along with the craftsmen came this month's First-tier Demon Cores, twenty-eight in total.

Thus, Raven's afternoon horsemanship training turned into research on Demon Cores in the dungeon.

During the process, Raven repeatedly tested and confirmed that the strange purple-black aura inside the Demon Cores—the "Corrupt Soul Essence" mentioned in Path of the Mage—could be separated out solely through his Spiritual Power with the help of the Eye of Truth.

Although around seventy percent of the Corrupt Soul Essence could not be completely filtered at first, after two days of practice and the sacrifice of fourteen domestic pigs, that figure had fallen to forty-five percent.

It would not be long before the energy within the Demon Cores could be safely used on living people.

The Corrupt Soul Essence was not wasted either. Following the method provided by Path of the Mage, Raven stored it in a small bottle made of natural crystal.

Normally, mages used it as an enchanting material for items involving curse magic.

Raven, however, valued another one of its uses more...

It was now the fourth day after the residents had been received—in other words, October 2.

Raven and Denise sat in the dining room, waiting for dinner to begin.

Today, Denise wore a rather homely cyan gauze dress. Her makeup was light and exquisite, and a smile hung at the corners of her lips.

Ever since taking control of Eagle Territory's finances, she had more and more affairs to handle, yet her spirits improved by the day. She was practically a born workaholic.

Even before the meal, she did not forget to discuss some details with Raven. "The invitations are nearly prepared. I'm planning to include a few samples with the letters. What do you think?"

"Not a bad idea." Raven's gaze fell on her fair collarbone. "Angel's Embrace and Angel's Tear are easy enough, but Angel's Kiss..."

Denise tugged up her clothes to cover her neckline. "What, can't we keep up with the production?"

"Partly." Raven nodded. "Another problem is that we don't have suitable packaging."

"Angel's Kiss is a true high-end luxury product. We can't give away as much in a sample as we would in a finished product, but with our current glassmaking techniques, we can't make the little bottles I want."

At those words, a strange smile appeared on Denise's face.

Raven asked in surprise, "What are you laughing at?"

The smile on Denise's face deepened. "I'm laughing at you, Lord Baron! You're clearly so clever most of the time, yet you make blunders over these trivial details."

"What do you mean?" Raven still had not caught on.

"Why go to such trouble over the samples? Just use Angel's Kiss's actual bottle and put a single drop inside. Wouldn't that work?" Denise explained.

"Of course..." After saying only three words, realization dawned on Raven's face. He then laughed self-deprecatingly.

Yes. Why wouldn't it work?

The idea that cosmetic samples had to come in small bottles was merely a fixed impression left by his memories of his previous life.

But on the Middle Continent, perfume was his exclusive invention. Wasn't he the one who got to decide what to put the samples in?

With that thought, Raven said, "Then the gifts included with the invitations will be one bottle of Angel's Tear in new packaging, plus one drop of Angel's Kiss."

"A whole bottle? Is that really necessary?" Denise was somewhat puzzled. "And what about Angel's Embrace?"

Raven smiled smugly and coaxed her along. "Everyone knows Angel's Tear is expensive, yet the sample delivered with it contains only one drop. What does that tell them?"

"Oh..." Denise slowly nodded. "That this is meant to highlight the preciousness of Angel's Kiss!"

As she spoke, her eyes grew brighter. "And mentioning Angel's Embrace in the invitation without giving it away would make potential customers curious and eager to find out more."

"Exactly!" Raven nodded emphatically, then lowered his voice. One hand quietly reached toward the back of Denise's hand. "How about you set aside some time tonight so we can decide on the invitation design together?"

Denise was immersed in her own thoughts and completely failed to notice Raven's movement. Just as he was about to succeed, a maid hurried in.

"Lord Baron, Lady Denise."

"Young Master Weston has returned."

Denise immediately came to herself and asked in surprise, "Really?"

Raven, meanwhile, rubbed his nose ruefully.

He had not expected this cheap little brother of his to come back, much less dare to return.

And at a time like this!

Judging by Denise's reaction, this did not seem to be something she had arranged. So what was the reason?

"Hmm..." Raven pondered briefly before saying, "Since he's back, have him come over and eat something with us."

Soon, accompanied by somewhat heavy footsteps, Weston appeared in the dining room.

Raven carefully sized up this "younger brother."

Weston had never been short, and after three months, his height had surpassed 1.75 meters. His formerly round body had slimmed down considerably. Although he was still fat, he looked much more energetic overall.

His round face had not changed much, but his expression was far more proper and no longer so flippant.

What most caught Raven's attention was his right hand. The arm that bandits had chopped off had now been replaced by an Alchemical Prosthetic Limb, hanging casually beside his waist.

Without knowing the truth, one would think at first glance that it was his real arm.

But a closer look revealed that the arm did not move. Its skin was stiff like that of a corpse and lacked any sense of texture.

Although it was not a magical item, achieving such a lifelike appearance could not have cost less than three hundred Gold Coins.

It seemed that despite what had happened last time, Denise still cared deeply for her son.

With a smile on his face, Weston entered and bowed. "Mother!"

Then he turned his gaze to Raven. A trace of fear and resistance flashed through his eyes, but he forced himself to maintain his tone, swallowed, and bowed. "...Lord Baron."

"Mm-hmm." Raven returned the greeting with a nod and pointed to the empty seat on his right. "Sit."

Weston sat beside Raven somewhat awkwardly. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the corner of Raven's mouth curl into a wicked smile before immediately becoming serious again. In a low voice, Raven said:

"It's rare for us to have the chance to eat together. How about we have a pre-meal prayer?"

As he spoke, he raised both hands.

This was a tradition left over from the founding of the Empire.

Families gathered together, held hands, and prayed before eating, expressing their devotion to the Lord of Light while symbolizing that the family was one body, unbreakable.

And the person who initiated the prayer could only be—and had to be—the "head of the household."

Weston was instantly at a loss.

He knew what the gesture meant and had participated in such ceremonies before.

But back then, Donald had led them!

Now, everything was still the same—the place and most of the people.

Only the person leading the ceremony had changed from Donald to Raven.

What... what was this supposed to mean!?

He really did not want to suffer this humiliation. He cast a pleading look at his mother, but Denise had already placed her hand in Raven's.

It was not that Denise did not understand the implications. It was simply that Raven was now the head of the Griffith Family.

She had no reason to refuse.

Weston had no choice but to grit his teeth, lower his head, and place his hand on top.

"Then let's close our eyes and begin praying." As Raven spoke, he was the first to shut his eyes.

A low prayer echoed through the dining room.

"Our Lord who dwells high in Heaven, great God of Light."

"May Your kingdom come, and may Your will be done on earth and in the heavens."

"You give us our daily bread and deliver us from evil."

"For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever."

With Weston feeling thoroughly aggrieved, the recitation finally ended. He was just about to speak when a clear voice, crisp as wind chimes, rang out. "How enviable."

Turning around, they saw a beautiful girl with golden hair and emerald eyes standing at the doorway. Even in the Holy See's standard Priest robes, she still looked dazzling and refreshing.

Weston's mood improved considerably.

But the next sentence sent his heart straight to the bottom of a valley.

"What a harmonious, loving, and close-knit family!"

Weston's vision went black.

A family!? Who was family with Raven!?

At first, he had only felt that something was slightly off. But now, Laxus had settled the matter with a single sentence.

The three of them—his mother, himself, and Raven—were a family?

Then Raven had become... become...

"You arrived at just the right time." Raven was in an excellent mood. "Would you like to stay and eat something with us?"

"No need." Laxus seemed tempted, but still shook her head. "I only came to say that the herbs at the construction site are running low. I hope Eagle Fortress can provide more."

"No problem. I'll send someone to notify Fili to purchase them tonight." Raven nodded.

Laxus took her leave, and Raven accompanied her a short distance.

After he returned, dinner officially began.

Perhaps because they had not seen each other for so long, Denise and Weston chatted back and forth about nothing more than everyday trivialities, leaving Raven out of the conversation and making him rather bored.

Watching Denise's red lips open and close, Raven smiled lightly as an idea came to him.

"...Angel's Tear is a rare commodity. Among my classmates, some are eldest sons of viscounts, some hold baronial titles themselves, and some are landed knights. They spend all day fawning over me just for a bottle of Angel's Tear..."

Weston was boasting enthusiastically when he suddenly noticed Denise's expression stiffen. A flush crept across her cheeks, and he could not help asking, "What's wrong, Mother? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No..." Denise clenched her teeth and tried to keep her voice calm. "I may have had too much wine. I'm a little... drunk."

Under the table, Raven had already slipped off one shoe and climbed it up Denise's ankle.

Denise's skirt fell only an inch below her knees. Her calves were wrapped in snug, thin, flesh-colored stockings.

Through that flimsy barrier, Raven could clearly feel the smooth, slippery touch and the astonishing elasticity of the skin beneath.

Although Denise had seen plenty of things, that experience was limited to business and dealing with people. When had she ever encountered this sort of game?

A tingling itch spread upward from the top of her foot. A different kind of stimulation surged through her, making her heart pound.

There were maids nearby, as well as Weston. What would happen if someone noticed?

She wanted to kick Raven's foot away, but feared making too much noise and attracting attention. She could only shoot him a resentful glance before reaching beneath the tablecloth and pinching him hard at the root of his thigh.

Raven, however, acted as though he felt nothing. He even picked up the thread of conversation. "It sounds like you've been enjoying yourself at the academy lately. Did you come back specially to visit your mother this time?"

Following Raven's lead, Weston said, "Yes. It's been so long since I last saw her, so I missed her very much. Of course, I missed you too!"

"That's good." Raven spoke with concern. "But you're still young, after all. You can't neglect your studies. If you want to become a proper noble, you need sufficient knowledge."

"How about this? Stay for two days. The morning after tomorrow, I'll have someone escort you back to Monen City. How does that sound?"

At those words, Weston's face alternated between white and red. Clearly, he did not want to leave. "Well... besides visiting Mother, I also wanted... wanted... Oh, right, I wanted to take more Angel's Tear back with me!"

Raven immediately nodded. "Sure. The workshop's production has been good lately. I'll give you five boxes to take back, and they can go right into your carriage."

"Ah! And... yes, there's also..." Weston was growing anxious. He turned to his mother for help, only to find her sitting rigidly, staring motionlessly at her plate. Her eyelids trembled slightly, and she seemed lost in thought.

Denise was both embarrassed and anxious. She had pinched Raven six times, yet he showed no reaction at all, as if the leg did not even belong to him.

"What else?" Raven's calm, indulgent voice drew Weston's gaze back to him. "Don't worry. As a proper elder brother, I'll prepare whatever you want. I absolutely won't delay your studies."

"This..." Weston opened his mouth several times, but could not say a word. His face was puckered like a bitter melon. He could only lower his head and prod at his food with his fork while cursing Raven inwardly.

You damn bastard! Taking advantage of me is one thing, but you're even forcing me to leave so openly. How outrageous!

What made Weston feel even worse was that Denise seemed not to be on his side anymore.

Could something have happened between the two of them during the three months I was gone?

Thinking of what Laxus had said earlier, then looking at Denise's current behavior, Weston's thoughts grew increasingly chaotic.

It was as if Denise would take Raven's hand the next moment and say to him, "Come on, meet Uncle Raven."

Please, not that!

No, Mother would never fall for someone like Raven. She must still be upset because I betrayed her last time. It has to be that!

"Actually... actually, I didn't tell the truth..." After exhausting every idea for staying, Weston could only confess. "The real reason I came back this time was to... escape trouble."

"Ah!" A short, high-pitched cry escaped Denise's mouth. She then glared resentfully at Raven and asked in a slightly altered voice, "What happened?"

Weston kept his head lowered and failed to notice anything strange about Denise. "Twenty days ago, there was a murder in the embassy district."

"A Third-tier Transcendent was drinking at the Montero Hotel when, all of a sudden, all the flesh on his body disappeared, leaving only a skeleton. He drew his sword and began hacking at people, cutting dozens of them to death!"

His body trembled. "I was there at the time. I was terrified. Fortunately, the patrol arrived and destroyed the skeleton."

"But after that, the three people who survived alongside me all began meeting with misfortune. On the first day, one jumped off a building and died. On the second, another stabbed himself to death with a wooden stick. On the third, the last one went mad!"

"I... I really didn't dare stay in Monen City any longer, so... so..."

He looked at Denise pleadingly. "Mother, please let me stay. I promise I'll behave!"

Denise's thoughts were in turmoil, and not merely because of Raven's "little move."

From a mother's perspective, of course she wanted Weston to stay.

But she had only just taken control of Eagle Fortress's finances.

Without confirmation of Weston's account, if she spoke up rashly, people would only suspect that she was using this opportunity to let Weston continue competing for the Griffith Family's Nobility Title.

Unfortunately, this was not something that could be openly debated.

Denise thought rapidly, trying to figure out how to make Raven relent.

Weston, however, could not hold out any longer.

He had now realized that to stay, he first needed Raven's consent.

Forget it. Endure!

As long as I get through today, I'll find a way to reclaim what I've suffered at Raven's hands sooner or later.

With that thought, he shot to his feet, inhaled deeply, and shouted, "I was wrong!!!"

At the same time, Raven also spoke. "Then you can stay for now..."

Their voices stopped simultaneously. Raven paused, then looked at Weston with interest. "You go first."

Weston nearly spat blood.

Raven's words had clearly meant to let him stay. How could he have been so impatient!?

But at this point, he could not back down. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "I was wrong... I shouldn't have opposed you, shouldn't have interfered with your troop training, and shouldn't have injured Simon..."

"I can't hear you," Raven said.

Swallowing his grief and indignation, Weston straightened his chest and shouted, "I was wrong! Baron Raven! I shouldn't have interfered with your troop training! I shouldn't have injured Simon!"

That voice was incredibly loud!

"Mm, that's more like it." Raven slowly put a piece of beef shoulder into his mouth. "Since that's settled, you can stay for now."

With a thud, Weston dropped back into his chair.

Denise also breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Raven with a trace of gratitude.

Of course, if Raven's foot had behaved itself, she might have been even more grateful.

After dinner, Raven ordered the servants to prepare a room for Weston on the second floor. Weston hurriedly bowed and fled as though running for his life.

Looking at Denise, who was still sitting in her chair, Raven asked with a smile, "Beautiful lady, would you like me to escort you back to your room?"

"No need." Denise shot him an annoyed glance. "Angie, let's go back."

Supported by Angie, Denise exercised her legs, which had grown somewhat stiff from excessive tension, and slowly walked out of the dining hall.

Raven watched with a broad grin until Denise's back disappeared from sight. Only then did the smile fade from his face, and he began rubbing his thigh furiously.

He was human too. Being pinched naturally hurt; he had merely endured it earlier.

"Good grief, she pinched me seven times! She's ruthless. It's probably bruised." As the pain gradually faded, Raven's gaze cleared, and he began considering what Weston had said.

Although Weston had concealed some details, Raven could still roughly piece together the full picture.

The embassy district was located in the northwest of Monen City. It belonged to the upper city and was also its most prosperous area. Anyone who could afford to spend money there was either rich or powerful.

The boundary between nobles and commoners was clearly drawn. Those who had sat with Weston and witnessed the murders had certainly all been of noble birth.

Yet even so, they had still encountered one "accident" after another.

A noble's life was not as cheap as a commoner's. Under ordinary circumstances, every noble's death would attract attention from numerous parties. Three nobles dying or going mad in succession would be explosive news.

Yet nearly twenty days had passed, and Raven had not heard the slightest bit of news.

There was no doubt that someone had deliberately suppressed it.

There were two possibilities.

The first was that the authorities of Monen City wanted to silence them. The second was that the Hand of Death Cult was secretly stirring up trouble.

Raven leaned more toward the former, because he had not sensed any trace of magical power or a curse on Weston.

But the Slate Family had actually allowed Weston to return to Eagle Fortress. This indicated that their control over Monen City was rapidly weakening.

The murders themselves were further evidence.

For such a vicious incident to occur even in the embassy district was enough to prove just how badly Monen City's public security had deteriorated.

Judging by this, the turmoil that would soon erupt in Nord Province would certainly be no small matter!

The more chaotic things became, the sooner the conference had to be held—he had to make a hefty profit before the unrest broke out and the market contracted!

The next day, Raven continued going about his routine as usual, while Weston behaved very obediently.

At least on the surface.

That afternoon, Raven and Denise discussed and finalized the format of the invitations.

That evening, Raven hurriedly finished dinner, then took two thick books and went alone to the Church in Eagle Town.

He knocked on the side door in a rhythmic pattern. Soon, a voice came from inside. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Raven."

"Wait a moment!"

Footsteps thudded away. A few minutes later, they approached again with another series of thuds.

The door opened, and Laxus's face appeared in the gap. "It's so late. What is it?"

"Of course I'm here to ask you to teach me Elvish." Raven blinked and raised the Holy Word Record in his hand.

Laxus's scrutinizing gaze lingered on the Holy Word Record for a moment before settling on Raven's face.

"Come in."