Watching Aya run out with a pale face, Vivian tilted her head in confusion, then contentedly continued to devour her quarter of a pancake.

"This is our chance."

Sullivan, who had been keeping an eye on Tiran's situation from two tables over, perked up. He discreetly kicked Johannes under the table, who, at some point, had become engrossed in the barbecue.

"Hmm?"

A certain Theurg answered ambiguously, taking a big gulp from the cup of juice next to him, swallowing the mouthful of barbecue he had crammed into his mouth, and let out a sigh.

"Even after meeting the target, you can still focus on eating like this, which is quite impressive, in a way..."

"You always have to eat," Johannes said as he placed two ribs on the grill. "Moreover, I don't think it's a good idea to make a move now. Let's not forget that His Highness Tiran is not far away, and even with all the people in the restaurant, your powers may not be effective, right?"

"True."

Sullivan pondered as he tapped the table, then stood up. "Even if we can't act, gathering some intel won't hurt."

"You're not planning to just strike up a conversation, are you?"

Johannes smirked, looking skeptical. Given the level at which this guy could be misunderstood even by just talking to a girl, the likelihood of being tricked into revealing information was not small.

Besides, this was still a proper restaurant, not a bar or some other convenient place for chatting. Even though Sullivan was a good-looking guy, would going up to talk to someone while smelling like barbecue be well received? There weren't that many people who could so easily strike up a chat with strangers.

"Good evening, both of you."

"Wow!"

Johannes turned around abruptly and came face to face with Vivian, who was smiling and greeting him.

When did she get over here!

"Good evening, no, um, excuse me..."

Johannes stammered, and Sullivan, sitting across from him, remained expressionless… According to their brief interactions, this guy seemed quite nervous now too.

No, no, the important thing is not their mood, but those things we were talking about earlier weren't heard, right?

"You're also a guest at this restaurant." Having been too nervous earlier to pay attention to what Vivian said, Johannes now noticed that the queen was holding two… pancakes?

"I made some pancakes just now, but it seems none of the others who came with me are interested, so I thought I'd share them with other guests."

Is that so?

Johannes glanced around and realized that almost all the customers were lining up at the window where fresh tuna was about to be served. Only he and Sullivan were the unlucky ones still being watched.

…As long as we weren't exposed.

"Thank you then."

Johannes managed to smile weakly as he accepted the pancakes.

When Vivian returned to her seat, Tiran and Xiao Mo each came back holding two plates of freshly sliced tuna. The thick fish, under the glow of the light, appeared translucent like gelatin, with distinct meat patterns, incredibly enticing.

"It looks amazing!"

"I did see a pretty big piece just now. It should taste good."

Tiran poured some soy sauce into the dipping dish, sneaked a glance at the pancakes on the table, "Huh? is Aya this awesome? She actually finished them all."

“No, Aya only ate one and then went to the bathroom. She seemed a bit unwell. I gave the other two pieces to other guests at the tables.”

The princess fell silent, and just as she was wondering which brave soul was following in Aya's footsteps, she heard a thud behind her, followed by the surprise of the customers.

"Oh, it's the two guys from earlier. How did they suddenly pass out?" Vivian showed an unexpected expression.

Meanwhile, in the restaurant's restroom, a maid who was bearing more than she should at her age lay tiredly on the edge of the sink, feeling despondent.

Dragon's resistances were all at maximum, that's why Aya didn't collapse on the spot like the other two victims. She managed to remain conscious and even struggled to swallow Vivian's pancake, but the feeling of wanting to vomit but not being able to was the most tormenting.

"Ugh… I want to die."

…

The day of shopping in Beacon City finally came to an end after dinner. After bidding farewell to Xiao Mo, who was going back to save his boss, the remaining three transformed. Aya turned into her dragon form again and flew Tiran and Vivian back to the castle through the forest.

The outskirts of the city at night had insufficient lighting, and even though the moon was shining that evening, the guards on the city walls probably wouldn't notice the movements in the forest quite a distance away from the city. Hence, Aya didn't worry too much about being quiet, spread out her huge membrane wings to encase her body, and when she unfolded them again, she had transformed into a majestic and massive form covered in pale scales.

"Although you've seen it once, you still find it beautiful, don't you?"

Vivian affectionately stroked the scales on Aya's body laid on the ground. Particularly, the scales at the end of the tail were smaller and softer compared to the others on Aya's body, each about the size of a palm, and felt as smooth as soft jade, very addicting indeed.

"Don't keep holding onto my tail!"

Aya shook her tail, tossing Vivian up in the air, controlling the force just right for her to adjust her posture mid-air and land gracefully on her back, where she rolled up the numerous shopping bags left on the ground when she transformed.

"Sigh… a bit tired, but very satisfied."

Tiran also climbed onto Aya's broad back. There was a slightly concave area where the neck and torso met, just the right spot for someone to lie down steadily. Moreover, while flying, Aya deliberately released a wind barrier to shield them from the cold air currents at high altitudes, making it the perfect seat.

Vivian settled down beside her, gently lifting Tiran's head to rest on her lap, loosening any hair that might have been compressed, and whispered softly in her daughter's ear:

"Mom is very happy too."

The wind whistled as the pale dragon ascended slowly, breaking through the dark night sky and disappearing.

After the dragon had been gone for quite some time, two figures, supporting each other, made their way to the clearing in the forest where the strong wind caused by the massive dragon wings left a mess. Their steps seemed slightly unsteady.

"Should be around here, right?"

"Looking at the traces… yes… Ugh!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Johannes, covering his mouth, collapsed and fell to the ground again. He propped himself up on his elbows, gasping for air before getting up, his face pale.

"I-I thought I was going to die."

Although Sullivan was in slightly better condition, after devouring a plate of his mother-in-law's pancakes, he wasn't doing much better, his face equally ashen.

Honestly, they had expected the difficulty of the mission to lie in bypassing the two Holy Rank guards and kidnapping Vivian. The last thing they had expected was to almost lose their lives on this journey to defeat the demon king before even leaving the beginner's village...

"However, do you think Princess Vivian saw through our identities and sent those things to us as a warning?" Sullivan speculated, pressing his temple against a tree.

After hearing this, Johannes felt a chill run down his spine.

"It seems… possible? So, was the non-lethal dose of poison we received this time just a warning, telling us to turn back?"