"But they seemed to take pride in it." Varin looked at the dish wafting with the scent of mushrooms and spoke softly.
"Yes, and they were very stubborn, despite being so tiny."
Barry shrugged. As the master of this place—the so-called king—he often seemed to be troubled by these little things as well.
Seeing that they were still stunned, Barry displayed the bearing of a king and made an inviting gesture.
Mona hesitated almost not at all. She had done so deliberately. Though they had not discussed it beforehand, they still shared a basic understanding, just as with the mushroom tea earlier.
By taking the initiative to eat those dishes, she was tacitly approving them for consumption. It meant there was no danger that would trigger a reaction from her, a prophecy-oriented wizard.
Ruger was the first to taste the mushroom person that had turned itself into meat soup. It was both the soup's ingredient and, in a sense, its container. Having been specially cultivated, it had raised itself quite well. The taste was genuinely good—not the imagined sort of deliciousness, but distinctive enough.
"Such a complex and ever-changing extraordinary item—its price must have been immense—"
Ruger spoke softly as he ate.
Barry Danton paused with his spoon, then smiled.
"This is the price of power, Lord Ruger. Everything is worth it. Just like now, just like those Bearers," Barry Danton said unhurriedly. "That was a necessary price. Otherwise, how could I fight them? How could I be qualified to sit down and negotiate with all of you? I am different from you. I have no decent talent, no teacher, and I never even entered a Wizard Academy—a true Wild Wizard—"
Slurp—
Barry drank the soup filled with mushrooms and minced meat, wearing an expression of enjoyment.
Ruger raised a