Although Sak and Ternos had never seen Astartes before, their recent experience told them that these big fellows must hold very high status.
So Ternos lunged forward, threw his arms around the unsuspecting Bars's thigh, and began banging his head against the ground and wailing.
His howls shook heaven and earth, though he barely managed to squeeze out two tears.
In an instant, the sounds of pistols being cocked rose behind Sak, and the soldiers of the Imperialis Militia radiated astonishing bloodlust.
Sak felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar. He could not stop trembling.
"Um... Ternos, we..."
"We really are innocent! I'm just a cook! I came out looking for ingredients and brought that greenhorn along to broaden his horizons!!! What happened here really has nothing to do with us! Please, I'm begging you! Just let us go home! Boo-hoo~~~"
Ternos might not have had many tears, but he had plenty of snot. Tears and snot... well, mostly snot streamed down his face. He looked utterly bereaved, even sadder than a man who had been castrated, lost his wife, and discovered that his children were not his own.
Sak stood dumbstruck for a while. Feeling the chilling drafts at his back, he gritted his teeth, dropped to his knees as well, and began shouting.
Bars finally came to his senses, vaguely catching words like "cook" and "don't kill me."
"A chef? What rank? Are you any good?"
At that, Ternos's expression stiffened, and he became serious. He straightened his back, tidied his face and clothes, and solemnly declared, "I am Ternos, a national special-grade chef of Hongjichi, third-place winner in the first-class division of the World Innovative Cuisine Competition, founder of the Rongkes Cooking School, and Grand Master of the Ingredients Department at the Heavenly Food