"How could grilling meat produce such a wonderful aroma? What kind of eccentric cooking technique is he even using?! More importantly, just what is he making that requires a cauldron?!" John's mouth watered so much that when he gulped, he felt as if he was drinking water straight out of an ocean.

"Damn, I want to taste it so bad. But it is still isn't cooked perfectly. Control! I must control myself! Patience is a virtue. I must remain patient and preserve through this! Only then will I get to taste the best meal of my life." Nevis wrapped his hands around his body, stopping himself from stepping towards the griller by using all the strength in his arms.

"I nearly lost my mind there for a second. I guess it's been a month since I have left the temple and haven't had a good meal ever since. Though, it's surprising to see a young person that can cook as well as my home chef. Even if he is using an artifact to achieve such great results. His proficiency as a chef is not to be ignored. He must have put in a lot of work to gain such skills and knowledge. Ah~It's been so long since I last had such kind of a meal. I wonder how good it will taste" Iris thought in her mind while subconsciously biting her lips, looking very sexy at the moment.

Varth didn't know that even the scent of the meat and spices produced due to the grilling process was enough to make most of his teammates lose their minds.

Even though they recovered after a couple of moments and managed to retain control of themselves, it was still a big deal.

"Buddy, how long is it gonna take?" Nevis asked while standing several steps away from Varth and the griller, not daring to move near them because he feared that breathing in the thick concentration of intoxicating scent near the griller would make him lose his mind, that he would dive headfirst into the griller.

"Although the fire is strong enough to burn animals into ashes, when it comes to demonic and magical beasts, it's still a bit lacking." Varth pointed at the chunks of meat on the grill before saying, "For them to become good enough to be eaten by humans, it is going to take around ten minutes or so."

"What kind of meal are you even making that requires the meat of a demonic beast?" Nevis asked.

"Wizard's Diner, have you never went to such a place even though you're a great royalty?"

To Varth's surprise, Nevis nodded his head, which meant that he hadn't had something like that in his entire life.

"Nope, they never let me go to fancy places like this, so I mostly ate vegetables and sometimes meat."

"You don't even know about it?" Varth found it hard to believe that a great royalty like him hasn't had one such meal in their entire life. So, he asked again, just to make sure of it.

"Nope." Nevis refused once again.

Varth scanned him from head to toe before his right eye reflected a few traces of pity.

No wonder he is so skinny! No wonder why some girls would be ashamed to compare their waist with his! It's all because he hasn't gotten proper nutrients while growing up. Varth instinct as a good chef roused, and he decided to fatten the little pig! Unlike what normally happens, he wouldn't butcher this one once it's all grown up, hopefully.

"Are you going to tell me?" Nevis wanted to know about the wizard's diner, so he asked about it.

"First, answer my question, who are they?" Varth said while looking at him.

"Huh?"

"The ones who didn't let you eat properly."

"My family, I suppose."

Varth remembered that Nevis is the infamous cursed child. But even an idiot would be able to determine that that was just some spread by the novels and royals so that they can keep up with their hypocrisy. Who would have known that his family actually treated him badly because of such unbiased rumors?

"So even he was treated unfairly by his family." Varth felt even more sympathetic for Nevis as he found a reflection of himself in him. He was used as a tool for his family ever since he was little, and he didn't know any better. When he was but a small child, his parents taught him that killing wasn't bad. Instead, they glorified it to his curious and blank mind. Like a sponge absorbing water, his innocent mind took their words as it is. Kept away from the internet and other means of knowledge, his so-called parents brainwashed him to become the best weapon, one who wouldn't feel remorse when taking a life, no matter how innocent!

Truly, humans are no better than beasts as long as one doesn't teach them morals values, and so on. If a person hasn't learned how to speak, then they won't know what to say. The same goes for writing, the proper way of eating, taking a dump, everyday activities, and so on.

Just like him in the past, if a person never tastes freedom, then they would believe that the silence in the darkroom where they are confined is the best place in their life, far better than engaging in combat and getting injured or dirtied by the blood of another.

Thankfully, his parents made the mistake of enlisting him in the top-secret squad, and the leader of that squad pulled him out of the depth of the abyss. He taught him how to be human, guided him to become the man he was today instead of the weapon the hollow family desired for him to be. The same person taught him the joy of cooking. Sadly, the very person who shed light on his life, died protecting him from the creatures of hell.

"Did you say something?" Nevis asked as he didn't quite hear what he said.

"Ah, nope." Varth hurriedly brushed it off.