That figure was none other than Evan, who had said that he was going on ahead to do some scouting. He was holding the kebab that he had just plucked from the tree, and was sniffing at it with an entranced look. His attention was entirely focused on the kebab, so he didn't notice Mag in the distance.
Do I eat it or not? Is it really as delicious as they say? Evan wore a conflicted expression on his face. After hesitating momentarily, he gave in and bit off a cube of beef, upon which his eyes immediately lit up.
The beef was still slightly warm, and its tender texture had been perfectly preserved by the rich delicious sauce. Beef that was this delicious had gone beyond his realm of imagination.
Is this really beef? This flavor is incredible! How could there be such delicious food in this world? How could such delicious beef exist?! Evan roared internally. He had completely forgotten the fact that this beef had been cooked by the man who had thoroughly humiliated him. He had also forgotten that this kebab had been swatted into a tree by him. Such delicious beef was absolutely unique in this world.
"Does it taste good?" A voice suddenly sounded.
"It's delicious!" Evan nodded with a genuine expression. However, his entire body then immediately stiffened as he turned around to discover Mag looking at with a mocking smile.
Deathly silence ensued as Evan held the half-eaten kebab with an expression akin to that of a deer in headlights while Mag looked back at him.
He had aimed all those insults at Mag and swatted the beef kebab flying. He had vowed that he wouldn't eat Mag's cooking, but now, he had snuck back to taste the kebab that he had swatted into a tree. Furthermore, he had been caught red-handed by Mag, and-most embarrassing of all—he had admitted that the kebab was delicious.
Evan wanted to kill himself or crawl into a crevice in the ground and stay there forever.
"Enjoy your meal, then. I'm off now; they're still waiting for me." Mag had gotten the answer he desired, so he packed up his oven before departing. This feeling was even more satisfying than if he were to slap Evan in the face.
"This bastard..." Evan glowered at Mag's departing figure, and the veins on the back of wand-wielding hand bulged. However, he hesitated momentarily before putting down his wand. In such close quarters, Sivir and the others would definitely be able to detect a battle. Furthermore, they were familiar enough with him to be able to easily identify his magic.
Mag also removed his hand from the hilt of his blade. As he expected, Evan didn't dare to attack him. However, he still quickened his pace a little en route back to the carriage. After all, everyone was still waiting for him.
Thus, Evan was the only one left on the scene. He wanted to throw the kebab away in disgust, but his hand froze in mid-air. After a long period of internal conflict, he finally took another bite.
"I'm so mad! But... it's so delicious! How could this beef be so delicious..." Evan felt as if he were in heaven and hell at the same time as he finished the kebab in his hand. As he tossed aside the empty skewer, he was left wanting more. A conflicted expression reappeared on his face. If that bastard told Sivir about what he had done, he would have no dignity left in front of her.
"What's up, Mr. Mag? Did you pick up some money on the way back? You look very pleased." Dennis looked at the amused expression on Mag's face with curiosity.
"I didn't pick up any money, but I did see a greedy little monkey, which I found to be quite funny." Mag shook his head with a smile, and didn't reveal what had happened. It wasn't that he was trying to protect Evan's dignity; it was just that he simply didn't feel like wasting time on such a trivial matter.
"It wasn't me!" Monkey turned to defend himself with a serious expression, drawing raucous laughter from everyone on the carriage.
Thus, they continued their journey. Sam could see that Mag hadn't given up on his plan to enter the Illusionary Mist Valley, so he gave Mag a detailed introduction of what he had to look out for in the valley, as well as all types of lifesaving methods he could employ in dire situations.
Mag listened carefully and committed everything to memory. Aside from Ironhide Bulls, 5th-tier magic beasts would occasionally appear in the Illusionary Mist Valley. Those were still extremely dangerous, and perhaps even lethal to Mag and Amy as they currently were. After all, Amy was still only a 4th-tier magic caster, and the oracle stone's enhancement effect was far from reliable. Thus, it was a good idea to listen to an experienced hunter like Sam.
Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at the foot of a valley that was shrouded in mist. Sivir turned to Mag, and said, "Mr. Mag, we'll be parking our carriage here. If you need a ride back to Chaos City tonight, you can wait for us here."
"Alright, thank you." Mag helped Amy and Ugly Duckling down from the carriage and nodded with a smile. It had taken them so long to get here, so he really did require a ride back to the city.
The mercenaries got down from the carriage and packed up their equipment before bidding farewell to Mag and Amy. Monkey led the way into the valley, and soon disappeared from view. The rest of the mercenaries went in after him.
That bastard is definitely going to die if he enters the Illusionary Mist Valley! Evan had also joined the group by now, and he glowered at Mag before entering the valley.
Sivir turned to Mag with a serious expression, and said, "If you only require a certain cut of meat from the Ironhide Bull, I can perhaps help you. There's no need for you to take such a risk. Amy is still just a child."
"Everyone has something that they need to do. As a father, I'll be sure to take good care of her." Mag placed a hand on Amy's head as he gave a resolute response.
Sivir couldn't help but recall her memories of the man who liked to place his hand on her head. He had always taken good care of her and struck her with a sense of security and reliability, just as Mag did. She nodded, and said, "I wish you good luck."
Then, she entered the valley after her fellow squad members.
"Bye-bye, Big Sister Sivir." Amy waved farewell to Sivir.
"Goodbye!" Sivir also waved at them before disappearing into the mist.
"Father, are we going to catch a big cow in that valley?" Amy looked up at Mag with excitement in her eyes.
"That's right. That's our most important target for today. We're going to make even more delicious kebabs with the big cow in this valley." Mag nodded with a smile.
"Even more delicious? More than what we had for lunch?" Amy's eyes lit up with disbelief.
"That's right, even better than what we had for lunch." Mag nodded in confirmation as he led Amy toward the valley with her little hand in his. At the same time, he said internally, "System, can you get me a GPS or a compass?"
...
In front of Mamy Restaurant, Ricky sat on the stairs, and yelled, "It's still not open? Just how long is he going to run away from me for? I know that my Ricky's Rotisserie is renowned throughout the entire Aden Square, but I didn't think that this guy would abandon his restaurant just to run away from me!"
"Is this guy actually retarded?" The customers outside were all looking at Ricky as if they were appraising a mentally disabled child.
Ricky was enraged by everyone's condescending looks, and he gritted his teeth as he announced loudly, "If that's the case, then I'm going to up the stakes. I'm going to bet all of my dignity on this contest. If I lose, I'll kowtow to him 10 times and call him daddy three times! If he loses, he has to do the same thing!"
"Oh? That sounds interesting!" The customers that were about to leave were all intrigued upon hearing that.