Perception

Upon entering the kitchen, the first thing Paul noticed was a variety of different meats dangling from the ceiling. The second thing he noticed was the three-meter tall pig-faced Demon wearing an outfit that was a mix between a chef and a butcher.

Looking towards Paul's group, the pig-faced Demon narrowed his eyes as he asked, "Dinner or diner?"

With the same predatory smile she had revealed earlier, the pig-faced woman answered, "Diner." before looking toward Paul and adding, "For now..."

Nodding his head, the pig-faced man placed down his cooking utensils before using his apron to wipe his hands. At the same time, he turned toward the group and said, "The names Bagura Hagura. Some call me the Plundering King, while others call me the Food God. When feasting at my restaurant, you can refer to me as Lord Bagura or Chef. Now, what're your names, and what is your favorite meat, fish, and vegetable?"

Taking the lead, Paul answered, "Paul Greyrat. My favorite meat is fried chicken, my favorite fish is Springnight Carp, and my favorite vegetable is Cave Celtus."

Following after Paul, Xinyan replied, "The name's Xinyan. As for my three favorites...uh..."

Catching herself before she could say pork, Xinyan's smile twitched at the edges as she stated, "I like chicken, grilled sea bream, and thorn radish..."

Narrowing his eyes, Bagura said, "It's not good to lie..." in a deep, gravelly voice.

While positioning himself before Bagura and Xinyan, Paul's expression was a mask of calm as he said, "She likes pork. Is that going to be an issue?"

Raising his brows, Bagura asked, "Why would it be?" before adding, "We have a meat locker filled with cured pork. Pigs are a hell of a lot easier to raise than cattle."

Without waiting for Paul to respond, Bagura shifted his attention to Eula, asking, "What about you, lass?"

Maintaining a calm and dignified expression, Eula calmly replied, "My name is Eula Lawrence, and I'm not particularly fond of meat. I prefer simple foods and sweets. As for my favorite fish and vegetable, I enjoy arctic char and glacier peas."

"Hoooo...seems your expression and hair color aren't the only icy things about you. Very interesting..."

With Bagura directing his attention toward her, Venti gave a somewhat theatrical bow as she mused, "My name is Venti, Venti Barbatos. As for my favorite meat and fish, I have none. I do not believe in harvesting lives to sustain myself when the bounty of nature is more than enough."

"Hmmm...boring..."

As he wasn't particularly fond of vegetarians, Bagura didn't bother asking Venti for clarification on her favorite foods. Instead, he turned to Lilia and said, "Out with it."

"Oh...I beg your pardon..."

After half a life of servitude, Lilia couldn't help folding her hands across her lap and bowing as she said, "My name is Lilia...my favorites are dried beef, speckled bass, and cave potato..."

"Hmmm...simple tastes, and all from the Central Continent. You must have been a servant or a peasant back in the human Kingdoms..."

Before Lilia could nod her head, Bagura shifted his attention to the final person present, Ghislaine. In response, she flatly replied, "I like meat." as if it was the only thing that mattered.

Adopting a sharp-toothed smile, Bagura slapped his round belly and half-shouted, "I've never met a Beast Person who didn't! Bwahahahaha~!"

Interrupting the Demon Lord's laughter, Paul tossed over the pouch he had been carrying. As even the weaker Demon Lords were around the level of a renowned Saint in terms of capabilities, Bagura effortlessly snatched it out of the air, asking, "What's this...?" despite knowing what it was from the sound and weight.

"A hundred Green Ore Coins. Rather than paying after the fact and risking an incident, I figured I may as well settle the tab in advance. If you could limit the food and drinks to that amount, you'd be doing us both a favor..."

"Hooo...?"

Opening the pouch, Bagura confirmed the contents before slipping the pouch into one of his pockets and saying, "You've come prepared. That's good."

Shifting his attention to his daughter, Bagura added, "Leone, show our guests to table five. Today's service will be complimentary, so don't go overboard."

Nodding her head in understanding, Leone replied, "Understood, Chef." before turning to Paul's group and adding, "Please, follow me."

With Paul and company following behind her, Leone waited until they had departed the kitchen to remark, "It appears you weren't jesting about the strength of your Party. My father wouldn't ordinarily ask us to provide free service..."

Adopting a faint smile, Paul playfully mused, "I guess the rumors about me have yet to reach the Demon Continent. Back in the Asura Kingdom, I was known as the youngest Sword and Water Saint in history. I still have a long way to go, but I'm competent enough to defend myself."

Shaking her head, Leone flatly replied, "Things like that are completely meaningless. You would need to be an Emperor, at the very least, for my father to respect you..."

Shifting her attention to Venti, Leone narrowed her blue eyes despite the former smiling and waving in response.

Understanding what Leone was trying to say, the smile on Paul's face turned wry as he remarked, "You're pretty perceptive..."

Shaking her head a second time, Leone explained, "My father disdains people who arbitrarily restrict their palate and isn't shy about expressing it. If an ordinary person were to show up claiming to be a vegetarian, he would give them a tongue lashing before force-feeding them a variety of meats..."

"Ah..."

"Anyways, this is table five. Your food should be out within thirty minutes to an hour. Drinks are on the house, and appetizers include pretzels, fried potatoes, and pickled plums."

"Sound's good," replied Paul. "So long as it doesn't take us over budget, we'd like to try each of them."

Nodding her head, Leone replied, "Give me a minute or two." before walking off towards a fully stocked bar. As for Paul, he told the girls to be on their guard before making his way towards the entrance, not to leave, per se, but to check if Ei, Jean, and Ganyu were standing outside.

Finding the three girls standing over a trio of severely beaten bodies, a wry smile spread across Paul's face as he remarked, "I figured something like this would happen..."

Adopting a wry smile of her own, Jean explained, "These people possess an ability similar to the Demon Eyes of Affection. As for their strength..."

"They were pushovers, I know. True Vampires don't have black sclera, and they can regenerate from most physical injuries. These idiots are probably just thralls."

Walking over to the male Vampire, Paul picked him up by the hair, staring into the man's severely bruised face as he asked, "Did you just try to lure away my women while I was distracted...?"

"Please...have mercy..."

"..."

Instead of acting based purely on his emotions, Paul looked toward Jean, Ei, and Ganyu to see what they had to say. Under normal circumstances, Jean would have suggested they turn the trio over to the authorities, but the Demon Continent didn't really have a system of law. It was generally left to the reigning Demon Lord to decide the fates of people who made trouble in their territory.

While Jean wasn't quite sure what to do, Ei's expression was icier than the sea beneath them as she said, "Affording mercy to people who attempt to control and manipulate others goes against the natural order. If we spare them now, hundreds, if not thousands of people may suffer in the future..."

Though he nodded his head in affirmation and approval, Paul shifted his attention to Ganyu to see what she had to say. To his surprise, she, very calmly, suggested, "A quick death could be considered a mercy..."

Since she possessed the ability to sense peoples' auras, Ganyu could feel the profound hatred radiating from the trio of Vampires. If their positions were reversed, she had little doubt the Vampires would revel and indulge in their suffering.

With even Ganyu condemning them, Paul looked into the significantly less swollen face of the Vampire and said, "Mercy it is..." before activating the Elemental Burst of his Dendro Vision. He was curious to see how it would work on a floating platform, so he paid close attention as a mist formed of grass-green energy surged out of him before rapidly coalescing beneath the trio of Vampires.

Just as the Vampires sensed the danger they were in, spear-like vines covered in blood-red thorns erupted from the mass of Dendo Energy, piercing their hearts and raising them several meters into the air before rapidly draining their fluids.

Though he felt a sensation of intense heat and adrenaline filling his body, Paul's expression was cold as he watched the trio of Vampires dry up into desiccated corpses. He had no mercy for rapists and people who willfully attempted to manipulate others. Thus, even though he disliked killing, he didn't bat an eye as the dried-up corpses dissolved into ash, followed by the disappearance of his vines. At least not at first...

Turning to Jean, Ei, and Ganyu, Paul's expression softened as he mused, "There goes my appetite..."

Since Jean and Ei didn't really know what to say, Ganyu stepped forward to give Paul a firm hug as she replied, "You didn't do anything wrong..." in a soothing tone.

"Mmm..."

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After convincing Jean to replace him at the table, Paul eventually returned to the kitchen alongside Ei and Ganyu. Leone tried to stop him, but the profoundly deep voice of Bagura promptly called out to let them through.

Without diverting his attention from the food he was preparing, Bagura asked, "Finally decided to get to the point~?" in a gravelly yet sing-song tone of voice.

Nodding his head, Paul replied, "I should have mentioned this sooner, but I'm technically a Special Envoy of the Asura Kingdom. The King has asked me to conduct a survey of the Continent and meet with the ruling Demon Lords."

"Hooooo...that would explain the number of monsters in your entourage. I guess that makes you this generation's Heroes...?"

Though he was tempted to shake his head and refute Bagura's question outright, Paul eventually forced a smile and replied, "Something like that." Demons had a weird obsession with the concept of Heroes, even going as far as to issue challenges to those who wished to become them. Thus, at least for the time being, he didn't mind playing the part.

Noticing Paul's hesitation, Bagura peered back over his shoulder to reveal that his previously red eyes had shifted to icy blue in color. He clearly had a type of Demon Eyes, but Paul had no idea which until he said, "You've a long way to go before you can call yourself a Hero, kid..."

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Paul tilted his head slightly and asked, "Demon Eyes of Power Perception...?"

Adopting a sharp-toothed smile, Bagura replied, "You're well informed." before returning his attention to the stove. Then, before Paul could ask, he revealed, "You have a Power Level of 108 over 309. Just to put that in perspective, my Power Level is 161 over 318, while someone like Laplace, at least during the war, had a Power Level of 666 over 935. If you really want to call yourself a Hero, you still have a long way to go..."

With his leaf-green eyes sparkling with interest, Paul asked, "What do the two numbers mean? I'm guessing current level and latent potential...?"

Unsurprised by Paul's questions, Bagura calmly replied, "The first value is your current Power Level while the latter is what you're capable of when going all out. Potential is impossible to determine as it changes based on an individual's mentality, convictions, and effort..."

Turning back to face Paul, or, more accurately, Ei, Bagura added, "That little monster standing next to you has a Power Level of 519 over 624. So tell me, what is someone with two Gods in their Party doing in the service of another...?"

Understanding that Bagura was referring to both Venti and Ei, the smile on Paul's face turned somewhat wry as he replied, "It's complicated. Let's just say we all have things we want to protect..."

Craning one of his incredibly bush brows, the smile on Bagura's pig-like face broadened as he playfully remarked, "There it is. Your power might be lacking, but you've got that annoying way of speaking down. I wonder how many people this generation of Heroes will slaughter just to protect a few? Bwahahahahaha~!"

Though the content of his words was rather dark, Bagura didn't seem all that concerned by the potential massacre of his people. It had been a few hundred years since the last war between humanity and demonkind, so it was nearing time for another...

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