"You're almost as bad as me. Our goal was to gather intelligence, did we really end up coming here to eat?" Sullivan finally caught up with Johannes who was about to slip away in the food street of the Beacon City commercial district.
"Eating won't delay our work! Stop dragging me and let me in!" Johannes, under Sullivan's control, was inching his way towards the grand entrance of a stylish restaurant.
If only he could reach that place...
Sullivan couldn't help but sigh, "We could have found food at the harbor. Why are you so obsessed with this?"
"Didn't you see the advertisement outside? They're offering a special today, a 1,200-pound giant tuna! It broke Beacon Harbor's fishing record! Even the freshly caught fish at the docks won't be as massive as this! We can always do the mission tomorrow, but missing out on such a rare delicacy would be a shame!"
Johannes glared.
The holy knight subtly felt defeated.
"Fine...but starting tomorrow, you're collecting intelligence with me. No slacking off," Sullivan demanded.
"Hmph, there's no need to say that. I may be a student of the teacher, but I understand the importance of our mission very well," Johannes confidently smiled.
"Well then, stick to collecting intelligence with me without getting distracted by a 1,200-pound tuna!"
As they were pulled into the restaurant, Sullivan couldn't help but feel a bit weary. Perhaps doing this mission alone would have been easier?
"What's...this?" Sitting at a table beside the window, two members of the clergy faced each other. Sullivan stared at the iron tongs and triangular iron spatula in front of him, feeling baffled.
"It's a self-service teppanyaki grill. Haven't you tried it before?"
Johannes deftly placed grilling paper on the teppanyaki grill and the sizzling sound with rising oil fumes already began to tantalize their taste buds and stomachs.
"Do you think the knight order's logistics would provide such things?" Sullivan sighed.
"Well, they are directly under the clergy's knight order, different from the holy knights stationed around. They serve the Holy Church directly," Johannes regretfully remarked, feeling the heat from the grill with his hand.
While it's normal for holy knights stationed in various church districts to engage in activities like leisure time, the Holy Church's directly affiliated holy knights were mostly rigorous ascetics. Even their leisure activities consisted of etiquette lessons or reading various books in the church archive, shunning worldly desires and pleasures. Honestly, compared to the knight associations that had fallen to a level where even some nobles could gain official knight ranks through donations, the Holy Church's directly affiliated holy knight order might truly inherit the values of classical chivalry.
"But since we're out here on a mission, let's not be too conspicuous," Johannes suggested.
As they conversed, Johannes returned with two perfectly marinated T-bone steaks from a nearby shelf, "The tuna isn't available yet, so let's eat something just to fill our stomachs for now. Even the teacher hasn't tasted what I cook myself."
"Indeed, it's an honor to have the Pontiff taste your cooking," Sullivan hit the nail on the head. But as Johannes expertly flipped the steak on the iron with tongs, evenly sprinkling black pepper, Sullivan's nostrils instinctively twitched, inhaling the aroma of the meat.
"I mean, since we've decided to have a decent meal, can't we relax a bit?"
After slicing the steak open with a knife and making sure it was cooked, Johannes placed a piece on a plate in front of Sullivan.
"So...what do we do about this?"
Objectively speaking, the completion of the mission took a leap forward. The problem was, while skipping the tricky task of finding someone, there was zero opportunity to approach Aya and Tiran, two Holy Rank individuals always by the Queen's side.
"Maybe...we eat first? Keep an eye out and see if there's a chance later?"
Chewing on his overcooked steak, Johannes quietly proposed.
With no other option in sight, Sullivan could only nod silently and cut a piece of meat to eat.
The perfect blend of meat juice and black pepper, along with the exquisite texture and taste, truly reflected Johannes's claimed culinary skills.
As the duo pondered frantically, the other four were having a jolly time. After all, for the Queen, her meals were meticulously planned by palace chefs, focusing on nutritional balance, portions, flavors, and tastes to absolute perfection, but...it lacked joy.
The joy of indulging in whatever one desired was not only unhealthy but also fulfilling—a kind of happiness that couldn't be found in the refined cuisine of the palace.
"Alright, then, I won't hold back." Vivian sat at the table, clasping her hands while muttering to herself earnestly.
