YM778.TV Chapter 232: Oh!, he is your husband?
"Please take care of it, HeadMaster" Mariel interrupted Eli and acknowledged the HeadMaster\'s willingness, unaware of his true thoughts.
"Huh? I don\'t th-"
"It\'s best if you don\'t get involved with this brat, Let the elders take care of it" Rock chimed in, again interrupting Eli.
"..." Eli stared at the old man for a second before asking, "First of all, why are you here instead of sleeping in Division 1?"
Rock, with a sly grin, retorted, "Sleeping? Me? Not my style, brat".
"..." Eli\'s eyes twitched.
Ignoring Eli\'s inquiry, Rock turned his gaze at HeadMaster, "HeadMaster, I shall deal with the matter if you allow me"
HeadMaster pondered, \'He belongs to the Theos Kingdom, so there is a possibility he could talk it out\'
He agreed, "Yes, please solve it peacefully. If they refuse, tell them that I, Alden Evergreen, HeadMaster, will personally \'ask\' them why the Guild Master from Theos Kingdom wanted to kill one of my students. If the answer is not to my liking, then..."
Rock simply nodded, understanding the killing intent in the HeadMaster\'s gaze. Rock gazed at his son-in-law.....Pride swelled inside Rock\'s heart when he saw the HeadMaster coming to aid his son-in-law.
"I am so proud of you" Rock patted Eli\'s head, as if appreciating a job well done, and left.
"???" Eli glared at Rock, not understanding his strange gaze, \'Suspicious? Why is he even here?\'
"Mr. Asher Eli, please put the head in this box" HeadMaster said as he took a Red box with lots of sealings and barriers carved around it and put it on the ground before stepping back.
Eli snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, slowly putting it on the box.
\'Thud\'
"SSHHHiiinngggg..."
As soon as Eli closed the box, a chain appeared and wrapped around the box before sealing it tightly as the dark mana stopped seeping out from it.
"It\'s all thanks to Vampire Queen, we can able to store this thing without getting corrupted" HeadMaster said as he picked up the box.
"Well then, I\'m sorry for interfering with your date, Eli" HeadMaster said with a smile.
Before disappearing, he added, "Mariel is a good student of mine. Even though she was a little rebellious, please take care of her..." HeadMaster said with an enigmatic smile, like a good grandfather...totally forgetting something more important than anything.
"W-Wait, It\'s not li---argh.....You Old Man!!!" Mariel shouted at the empty space with a red face.
"..." Eli pinched his nose bridge, "Let\'s go, Mrs. Mariel."
"W-Where?" Mariel asked with hesitation.
"You asked me about the manual, right?" Eli inquired, and Mariel nodded.
"Can you hide our presence?"
"Sure" Mariel said as she caught his hand, and soon,
/Veil of the Ethereal/
Eli looked at his body and felt nothing different.
As the soldiers around the gate started to disperse, Eli walked out, noticing no one looking at him.
As soon as Eli and Mariel left, suddenly,
"W-Wait, N-No, I-I am wrong, Mariel get away from Ashe---ha" An old voice echoed with fear, "T-They le-eft...ah?"
"What Happened, HeadMaster?" One of the passing soldiers asked.
"I hope nothing happens...." HeadMaster muttered lifelessly.
.....
...
..
"Where are you going?" Mariel asked, her eyes glancing at her hand, which was holding Eli\'s hand to maintain the spell over the other person. A subtle red hue appeared on her cheeks.
"I don\'t know. I\'m just trying to cool off" Eli muttered, still vexed by the recent arrest warrant and also he didn\'t want other girls to hear what he and Mariel were talking about.
Mariel shrugged her shoulders, remembering the bustling streets, bringing back memories of when she silently sneaked out of Nex alone to enjoy something she liked.
"Oh? I know a place" Mariel suddenly exclaimed, tugging Eli in a specific direction.
"Huh?" Eli snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a strong pull.
Eli was about to halt her, but upon seeing those glittering eyes, he thought, \'Well, whatever\' and simply allowed her to lead the way.
After a lengthy walk and numerous turns, Eli inwardly sweated, thinking, \'Let\'s not separate from her\' He was convinced that the moment she left him alone.....he wouldn\'t reach his house tonight.
"Here" Mariel declared, standing in front of a small, serene family restaurant named
"COOK-MW"
Eli surveyed the lifeless place with no soul wandering around, "Are you--"
"Let\'s go" Mariel pulled him along without letting him finish his words.
"...."
\'Tirrrnngg\'
Like an old-fashioned restaurant, a bell chimed as Mariel swung the door open.
"Welcome"
An aged voice resonated from the kitchen side.
"Hello, Old Mei, Old Wei" Mariel greeted with a joyful expression as she dispelled her invisibility.
"Huh?" A surprised sound emanated from the kitchen, and soon a bald old man in a white chef\'s outfit and a gray-haired old woman in a simple serving dress looked at Mariel with shock and surprise.
""Mai?"" Both of them squinted their eyes at Mariel.
"Yes, it\'s me, Mai" Mariel said with a gentle smile, and soon she was enveloped in hugs by the two old individuals.
"..." Eli looked on with a surprised expression, \'What a weird name?\' he thought.
After a minute,
"H-How are you, dear?" The old woman asked, looking at Mariel with a soft smile.
"I am fine, Mei" Mariel responded with a smile.
"Look at you, all grown up...ah" the old man said, patting Mariel\'s head.
"I am not a child, Old Wei" Mariel protested, though she was smiling.
"Hahaha...for us, you are just like a little girl who snuck out of school just to eat my dear\'s food" The old man, Wei, said with a heartfelt laugh.
"You still haven\'t changed, have you?" Mariel said, shaking her head and turning to Mei before asking, "How are you?"
"We are fine, dear" Mei said with a soft smile.
"Look at my body; I can still live a hundred more years... I am just waiting for my time to escape from this old lady" Wei said, folding his weak arms and looking at Mei.
"Ouch" Wei suddenly felt a powerful hit on his head.
"You old fool, you can\'t even walk now, and you think you can run away from me?" Mei snorted.
"Hahaha..." Mariel laughed.
"So, Mai, what do you want to eat?" Mei asked with a gentle smile.
"The same as usual but two plates" Mariel said, pointing to Eli, who was observing the curious old couple with a calm expression.
"Oh?"
"Oh? Oh?"
Mei and Wei approached Eli, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
"...." Eli looked at the curious old couple.
Mei and Wei exchanged glances before breaking into smiles directed at Mariel.
A broad grin lit up their faces, and both Eli and Mariel sensed what was coming.
Mariel knew the nonsense they were about to spout; she had grown weary of this \'dating, husband\' charade.
Simultaneously, both Mariel and Mei spoke,
"No, He isn\'t my husban--"
"Oh, You have a handsome son---"
""What?""
Both Mei and Mariel halted, exchanging baffled glances.
And once again, in unison,
"Oh! he is your husband--"
"Yes! he is my stepson--"
Mei stared at Mariel\'s red face.
"..."
"..."
Mei and Wei glanced at each other, unable to comprehend Mariel. They even wondered if their old ears were playing tricks on them.
"Pffftt...ahahaha.." Eli burst into laughter, casting away the tensions of the day he was going through.
Upon hearing his laughter, Mariel\'s face turned bright red as a wave of embarrassment washed over her.
"I\'m sorry, but I\'m just her stepson" Eli answered truthfully, extending his hand for a handshake.
"Oh? I see, I thought so... You are the most handsome man I have ever seen in my life" Mei said, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Hahah... You are the most beautiful woman... after my mother and my wives" Eli replied, returning the flattery and playfully pinching Mei\'s wrinkled cheeks.
"Tsk, young man, are you hitting on my woman?" Wei interrupted, swatting away Eli\'s hand from Mei\'s cheek.
An amused smile played on both Eli and Mei\'s faces.
""Are you jealous?"" they asked simultaneously.
Wei\'s wrinkled eyes twitched, but he snorted and pulled Mei into his embrace, declaring, "She is mine!"
Eli couldn\'t control his laughter, witnessing Wei\'s possessiveness and Mei\'s blushing face.
"Hahahahaha...."
Seeing him laugh heartily, both Mei and Wei joined in, creating a harmonious chorus of laughter.
"Hahahaha..."
"Hehehehe..."
The laughter echoed in the empty restaurant. While Mariel smiled at the sight of Mei and Wei laughing heartily, a hint of sadness lurked behind her mask when she heard \'just her stepson\'.
Unlike Adriana, Mariel understood one thing, \'I took a little, just a little liking to him, didn\'t I?\' She thought with a worried face.
After the laughter settled, Mariel and Eli took their seats across from each other.
"We will prepare the special Stir-Fried Chicken with Green Onions for lovely Mai and her son" Wei announced dramatically before heading into the kitchen with a fiery determination.
"Hahaha... Sorry, Mai, it\'s been so long since we had customers. So, he was a little fired up" Mei apologized with a smile.
"It\'s Okay, Mei" Mariel assured with a smile.
Mei nodded and looked at Eli, asking, "Do you need anything, Youn-"
"My name is Asher Eli" Eli introduced himself.
"Oh? I forgot to introduce, Mr. Asher Eli. My name is Mei Wang" Mei also introduced herself with a teasing smile.
"Oh, what a sweet name you have, Ms. Mei Wang.... anything? you say?" Eli teased, skillfully dodging a knife throw.
"Thud"
"Brat, that\'s Mrs. Mei Wang, and she won\'t give you \'anything\'" an annoyed voice came from the kitchen.
"Hehehe..." Mei giggled before heading to the kitchen, teasing Mariel, "Your son is a dangerous man".
"..." Mariel pinched her eyebrows before looking at Eli and said,
"You sure are flirting with anyone" with an annoyed face.
"..." Eli blinked at her for a few seconds before asking, "Jealous?"
"A-Ah why would I-I jealous about o-other woman?" Mariel suddenly flustered, her emotions momentarily taking control.
"!!!" Eli, noticing her reaction, went on high alert, \'Oh dear, I hope it\'s not what I think it is?\' Eli prayed to himself.
"Mrs. Mariel..."
"What?"
"Do you.....no, nothing?" Eli shook his head, thinking that if he said something and it was a false alarm, it would surely make Mariel aware of him.....potentially leading to unwanted problems.
"You know, having that \'Ancient Resurrection script\' is the same as cursing yourself" Mariel suddenly said with a gloomy face.
"...." Eli looked at Mariel with interest.
"What you have is nothing but a burden that makes you suffer eternally.... one day, you might think that was nothing but a piece of sheet" Mariel said seriously, her expression filled with melancholy.
"So, please give it to me" Mariel pleaded, her eyes searching Eli\'s for a hint of vulnerability.
"...."
"I know you want to resurrect someone" she continued softly, her voice carrying the weight of unspoken understanding.
"..." Eli simply stared not showing any emotion.
"Sigh, don\'t think it\'s going to work, and even in a million chances it does work, the person you resurrect won\'t be the same person you knew" Mariel added, her words laced with a trace of bitterness.