The Guardian Chef

***(Shael's POV)***

“Godslayer?” I asked slightly incredulous

“As I said before…” Lord Graeval broke in “there is much to tell.”

after getting up with difficulty despite Lady Bassilla's help, he offered his arm to his wife who accepted it and accompanied her to the free chair I had indicated making her sit down. Almost immediately, another chair that was levitating nearby landed beside it and Graeval sat down, while the tray was placed in the center of the table. The golden eyes returned to that original ice shade, showing a slightly sore expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lady Bassilla asked worriedly, who had returned to her seat

"Don't worry. It's nothing."

"Sure, you're having a hard time with all these side effects." said lady Ishgat taking a sip of tea "Was it that strong?"

“Well… he was.”

“Even stronger than me?”

"Taking you as an example for a comparison would be like comparing heaven and earth." interjected Lady Lilith taking the cup in front of her which had been filled with herbal tea due to her pregnancy "After all, my husband faced and killed a God of War."

technically it's the middle of summer, but right now, the temperature in this room had dropped terribly. As Lady Lilith and Lord Graeval sipped their drinks, we all shivered after that composed statement. I mean, who wouldn't tremble at such a statement. Not only does he have the strength to kill a spirit and a Mornfiend, but a deity too?!... no wait, first of all-

“But is it possible? I mean, the only goddess who exists is Lady Aphy..”

“It's…complicated so to speak.” Graeval stated before continuing “Apparently, Aphy isn't the only deity that exists in this universe. Her role is that of the guardian deity of this world, but all other worlds have their guardian deities. Because of this, it is believed that only Aphy exists."

“......Do you know that what you just said could be very... dangerous?” asked Lady Ishgat

She's not entirely wrong in making such a statement. Even if there are more or less religious countries, making such an affirmation to a person who does not know his connection with the divine Aphy, would treat such an affirmation as heretical, since it would undermine the foundations of a religion that believes only the divine Aphy exist and that our planet, in addition to the one from which the Hero was summoned, is the only one with intelligent life forms.

“It is precise because there is only us here that I took the liberty of making such a statement.” he affirmed taking another sip of tea "By killing that son of a bitch I was able to learn something more about the gods, who even gave me the surname used by my wife, but at the same time I got into an annoying mess that I can't avoid." he finished with a grave expression and taking his wife's hand

"What happened?" I asked

Both his and Lady Lilith's expressions showed their discontent and reluctance to say what had happened. It is so bad that even he hesitates. Seeing him like this, various theories came to my mind, some of which can only be applied if the Gods have a civil system similar to the one I know, but the one I probably think is more possible is...

“Are there gods who want to avenge the death of the god you killed?” I asked carefully

“If it were that, it still wouldn't make things easy for me…but it probably would have been slightly better.”

“Even... worse?” I asked with my heart in my throat

“......*Sigh* To avoid what you just hypothesized, I was forced to make a… serious decision.” he stated after a heavy sigh

"Serious?"

my heart was beating too fast and sweat started pouring down my forehead, while Bassilla, Ishgat, and my niece were in the same line as me. Lord Graeval was about to open his mouth to give us the possible answer, but at that moment a beam of light entered the window and a beautiful woman appeared beside Graeval. A woman I had met in Cuding that fateful night and whom the whole world reveres.

“““Divine Aphy?!!””” we exclaimed and immediately we all got ready to kneel down

“You don't need to bow~” the divine affirmed with a happy expression; she then turned to lord Graeval and hugged him sinking his shoulder into her very well-developed bosom "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back here my love~?"

“...I didn't think it was necessary.”

The expression of Graeval was that of someone who was trying in every way to refrain from hitting someone more annoying than a fly and you could see the veins on his forehead getting bigger, while Lady Lilith was taking her face as if it were exhausted. I, on the other hand, could not comprehend what was happening in front of me. Even the others were incredulous like me at that sight. No, wait... what did she call him?!

“Forgive my rudeness, Lord Graeval but… what is the relationship between you and Lady Aphy?”

“.........”

he remained silent and did not want to answer. But Lady Aphy did not hesitate for a moment to enlighten me on their situation

“We're engaged~” she stated with a beaming smile

Silence had fallen and only the cicadas could be heard cawing outside in the oncoming summer heat. Time had stopped, and in front of me the divine Aphy with a radiant smile, Lord Graeval with an exhausted and irritated expression, and Lady Lilith's face was neutral but behind that expression, I could read annoyance and bloodlust. My niece, Lady Bassilla, and Lady Ishgat wore what was probably my expression: eyes wide with astonishment.

*BAM!* ““““HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH?!!!!!!””””

As if something had clicked in all of us at the same time, slapping our hands on the table, we made that exclamation that expressed without any doubt our disbelief and surprise.

“W-w-w-w-w-what do you mean boyfriends?!!!” stammered Lady Bassilla in amazement

“*Siiiiiiigh*” Lord Graeval sighed heavily “As I said before, it's the annoying mess I was referring to earlier.”

Although Graeval's statement generated a shocked expression on the divine's face, he explained to us how he arrived at that situation, making me understand that in the end, the society of the gods is indeed similar to ours and that the divine Aphy would be the equivalent of a princess to us. Too much information and events in a short time! W-what did I do to deserve this?!! I screamed inside as I tried to reform and maintain a calm expression. Not only Lady Torkian... now this too!

“So... we’ll have to start worshipping you if you marry her too?” Ishgat asked

While there was a certain note of sarcasm mixed with jokes, it felt more like a statement than asking an actual question. But… I noticed Graeval's left eyebrow twitch. Lady Aphy instead took her face reddened with happiness

“Oh~ Ishgat you are a joy. Let's proceed immediately--” ““Ouch! Ouch!! OUCH!!!”

both the divine and lady Ishgat were holding their heads in pain. Most likely, Lord Graeval is doing something to punish them

"Be careful what you say next time, or I assure you I will shut your mouth for a few months." Graeval stated coldly, opening his golden eyes as he released a slight bloodlust

““OUCH! OUCH!!! WE UNDERSTAND, FORGIVE US!!!!””

"Honey, I think it's time you let them go."

“Hmpf.”

after making that grimace, the irises returned to their original color while the two victims were rubbing their faces.

“Anyway, I heard you guys had your little adventure, too.” Lord Graeval said with a small smile

"Yeah. Bigger than I ever imagined.” said Lady Bassilla scratching her cheek

“To put it mildly, Bassilla.” sighed Ishgat, while she was still intent on rubbing her face "Finding ourselves on an unexplored floor and with the traps still active was nothing short of lethal."

"Good thing you’re tough." said Lord Graeval with a slight sarcasm

“Who knows whose fault it is?” asked lady Ishgat returning the sarcasm "However, the real surprise was lady Torkian at the end of the whole trip."

“Hmm. The Avatar of the Rulers…huh…” he stated thoughtfully “Aphy, do you know the Spirit Kings?”

“All guardian gods know the Spirit Kings of their respective worlds~. After all, every single planet possesses elemental spirits to sustain the life of living beings~. Those who don't have them are rare, but they always keep the cycle of a world's nature under control~.”

"Have there ever been precedents for them to interfere with the affairs of mortals?"

“Of course~.”

“Hmmm. Your Majesty." he called me “How is the court reacting to the appearance of this avatar?”

“The court itself welcomed the news. After all, we assume that Lady Torkian might have strength at least equal to that of the hero.” I said looking towards the divine Aphy

“Hmm~. Certainly, the Spirit Kings are powerful, but they will never be able to show their full power through the body of a mortal~. So~...yes, she could rival dear Jack~”

“Although the divine Aphy has just given me the confirmation, my husband and I have decided to keep the situation under control and prevent nobles who are too... 'extroverted' from making any antics. Although, at the moment Lady Torkian seems more interested in deepening her ties whit the rulers."

"I see."

His expression was thoughtful as he rubbed his chin, but I could read understanding in his eyes, almost expecting such a development. Well, in the end, it is not so different from the situation of Jack Lingxin in Thirus where the nobles are competing to curry favor with the Hero summoned by the divine Aphy. But I better not tell him that my son Ehrendil keeps her in a tight check.

Ehrendil had been shaken by the school trip, especially after the confrontation he had with Arryn, leaving him slightly… 'desperate', though that's not quite the right word. However, trying to reconnect his old bond with Arryn is very difficult to succeed. From the information I've found, it's not uncommon for him to stay with Lady Torkian, indeed, it seems that lately, he is closer to her than to Arryn... almost as if he had given up.

“Now, I'd say we sweeten the mood.” he stated after finishing his thought

his irises turned golden again and as the tray was opened, a white mist came out. Once removed, seven glass cups appeared on the tray containing respectively three balls of three different colors: white, yellow, and pink, with what looks like white foam on top. The cups levitated and positioned themselves in front of us along with the spoons.

“I made you some ice cream. A cold dessert ideal for cooling off in hot weather. The flavors are fior di latte, vanilla and strawberry, garnished with whipped cream. I hope you like them."

I, like the others, felt attracted by that dessert which generated a very pleasant cold breeze around me. When I picked up the spoon, I felt the metal was cool to the touch. I started with the cream and tasted it, noting that it was slightly sour and not very sweet but light and airy. Then I took some ice cream, and each time from the respective colored balls I could taste the taste of milk, vanilla and strawberry, all soft and very sweet. But when I combined the ice cream with the whipped cream, I understood why it was a little bitter. The ice cream, already sweet, sweetened the whipped cream which at the same time mitigated the sweetness of the ice cream. They complemented each other.

"Delightful!" Bassilla exclaimed smiling

"Glad you like it, but don't eat it too quickly without the help of the cream otherwise-"

"My head!!!" Ishgat exclaimed at that moment, grabbing her forehead

“Otherwise you will have a headache for at least ten seconds.”

"You could have said that before!" Ishgat exclaimed as she rubbed her head

We all giggled at that exchange and accompanied by the sweetness of ice cream cups, we resumed talking about this and that,

"Anyway..." my niece began at one point "why are you here Lilith? I thought you would stay in Fago.”

“Before the battle with the God of War, that was the intention. But not wanting to risk another tragedy like the one that happened on the battlefield we have decided, as well as at Aphy's express request, that I always stand by my husband's side."

“Well… I'm sorry.” apologized Lord Graeval

"Don't worry." said sweetly Lady Lilith kissing the back of his hand "I do it gladly."

From the way she answered, it seems that Lady Lilith is the only one able to… “control” her husband? Or is it more correct to “calm down”?

“What happened to the battlefield?” Ishgat asked

"You don't want to know." said Lady Lilith eating another bit of ice cream

"But if I asked why-"

“You-don't-want-to-know.”

Lady Lilith's smile was terrifying as she spoke those words…and it seemed that the battlefield subject was very sensitive to her as Lord Graeval was looking away in a cold sweat. To think that the ex-Demon Lady is the only one capable of making the supposedly most powerful man in the world tremble in fear… Well, as you’d expect from a woman with wife status. Come to think of it, even my husband would often much rather fill out and sign paperwork non-stop than see me upset over one of his tasteless pranks.

“You have my support lady Lilith.”

“Fufu. I greatly appreciate it, your majesty.” she chuckled “However, now we don't know which seaside resort to go to given the recent events. I loved that little island.” she finished by turning to her husband

“I-I couldn't help it. I-I went to the first isolated place that came to my mind-”

“And of all places, that little island... how romantic you are~”

Already her smile was terrifying, but if you now add those non-smiling eyes and the slow release of her mana... Yeah. She's pissed as hell......?! Wait up! Mana?!!

“Lady Lilith! You're releasing mana!" I warned her immediately

“Oh, no need to worry, your majesty.” she stated without taking her eyes off her husband and raising her left arm where there was a golden bracelet "The bracelet I'm wearing is a divine artifact capable of camouflaging my mana making it look like human mana, so there's no way I can be discovered. I've already experimented with it."

“True~” supported Lady Aphy “After all, I was the one who got it for her~. An award for stopping our beloved Graeval~”

“I-I see.” Now that I notice it, it doesn't look like a demon's mana at all

“Ahem…Lilith.”

"Tell me Arryn." she replied, returning with a normal expression

“If you like. You could come to my family's summer house." suggested my niece “It is located in a seaside town and has a private beach. I was planning to invite Bassilla and Ishgat for the summer break which will begin shortly, to extend the invitation to Graeval and you as well.”

"My! You are such a sweetheart Arryn!” said lady Lilith smiling "A summer house with a private beach... as one would expect from a noble house."

“Fufufu. It will surprise you to learn that it is very modest.” I broke in giggling "After all, my sister-in-law Enania, despite being an authority on what concerns fashion, has never gone crazy for unbridled luxury and this can be seen in that house,"

"True." my niece smiled slightly "If I remember correctly, my mother said that the sea in front of the villa was the real luxury of that home."

“Then it must be splendid! I can't wait--?!!"

Lady Lilith was all smiles as we spoke of the sea but she didn't finish the sentence as her expression changed to surprise and... bewilderment.

“Lady Lilith?”

she didn't answer me and this immediately worried Lord Graeval who turned to her. Lady Lilith turned to him and her puzzled expression changed to embarrassment.

“Lilith?!” Graeval called worriedly

“I think… my water broke…”

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