The Deceiver's Path - Chapter 140 - A Bitter Feast (Patreon)

Piper arrived at the villa with her escorts long after the sun had dipped behind the mountains. In the darkness, the cluster of buildings perched at the base of the foothills appeared as nothing more than dark outlines. A single fire burned in the main courtyard, sending flames dancing across the facades of weathered stone buildings.

Her lips twitched up into a smile when she spotted two familiar figures waiting near the doorway, one with a war hammer slung over his shoulder. She cantered into the main courtyard and jumped down from her mount. As a stable hand hurried over to take the reins, Ophelia barrelled into her, nearly knocking her over.

The young woman crushed her in a bear hug until Piper let out a yelp.

“You’re going to break my ribs!” Piper gasped. “Not so hard.”

“Oh, sorry,” Ophelia said, loosening her grip slightly. “I’m still getting used to my new strength.”

“Tell me about it.” Piper winced as she rubbed her side. Since her friend had dumped all her attribute points into Strength, she’d grown incredibly strong. Outside of her berserker spell, she wasn’t very durable, but she could probably punch through a wooden wall now.

Ophelia stepped back and hit her lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t ever do that to me again. I was so worried about you!”

“Apparently,” Piper said with a smile. “I seem to recall you saying that you were never stepping outside again, and then I find you waiting in the cold. You must have been really worried about me.”

“I was!” her friend exclaimed. “When the wagon arrived without you, I thought you were in serious trouble.”

Zenos stepped forward. “I was worried, too. But you seem to have come through the ordeal unharmed.”

“Unharmed?” Lysander leaped down from his horse and pressed on his lower back. “She somehow managed to survive a raiding party of redcaps. Granted, she probably scurried away, hidden by an illusion. But I won’t hold that against her.”

Piper glared at the man. “Is that what you think of illusionists?”

Lysander shrugged. “They have their uses, but they’re not exactly frontline fighters.”

“See!” Ophelia said. “That’s what I keep telling her. A spellcaster could never win against a warrior.”

Fighting down the urge to roll her eyes, she gazed over at the building with the kitchen. She wondered if she could scrounge up a meal before she turned in for the night. After hiking for hours through the cold, she was hungry enough to even eat honeyed eels.

“Is the kitchen still open?”

Lysander grinned. “I think I can coax one or two of the servants to fire up the stoves. The rest of us missed dinner during the search for you.”

As the others marched toward the kitchen, some of them shaking snow off their cloaks, Lysander held out his hand to stop Piper. “I want to talk to you.”

Piper motioned for Ophelia to go on without her. With a glare at Lysander, her friend stomped off with Zenos at her side. A moment later, they stood alone in the courtyard.

“I received good news today,” Lysander said. “Your real training begins next week.”

“My real training?”

“Please tell me you didn’t think this was your real training.” When Piper stared blankly at him, he guffawed. “Don’t feel too bad—I wasn’t told until the other day either. The guild leader has grand plans for you, and a high-level illusionist is on her way here. There’re also a weapons master and tutor accompanying them.”

“A tutor?”

“There is nothing more important than knowledge for a high-level caster,” Lysander said, turning serious. “The tutor will teach you everything you need to know about this world and spell-casting theory. It might help you unlock new spells for your class.”

“That’s…wonderful!” she exclaimed. The tutor might finally answer some of her burning questions about this world. And an experienced illusionist could teach her tricks she’d never thought of before. As for the weapons master, she thought her time being beaten with a padded sword at the villa was over. But apparently she’d been wrong.

Still, gaining experience with weapons would only help in the future. And with how often she ended up in hand-to-hand combat, she knew she had to keep trying to improve her skills.

“Niko must really like you,” Lysander mused. “Not everyone gets this treatment.”

“I… sort of helped him out in Kalmyros,” she said. “That’s probably why.”

“Either that or you’re hiding a legendary class behind that ring.” The man raised his brow slightly. “Before you deny it, I’m not stupid, gravebait. There’s no way someone at your level should have survived everything thrown at you so far.”

Piper could only shrug in reply.

“Just as I thought. For all the heartburn you’ve given me, you better join my group when this is all over. We’ll both make adventurer in a month based on your record so far. Oh, and don’t forget...”

“Forget what?”

“Don’t die.”

Trying to hide her smile, she shook her head and followed the tall man through the snow toward the kitchen. When they reached the doors, Lysander held one open for her. She stepped inside and stamped her feet, trying to dislodge some of the ice coating her boots.

I really hope they give me the day off tomorrow, she thought to herself. I want to stay in my bed until noon.

She walked down the silent hallway with Lysander at her side until they reached the dining room. The others had already taken their seats around tables. Ophelia and Zenos were seated in their normal spots in the corner, while the adventurers and wayfarers who had rescued her were clustered around a table in the center.

Piper moved through the nearly empty room until she reached her group mates. Once she arrived at the table, Zenos kicked out a chair for her to sit in.

She settled down and watched Lysander disappear through a door on the far side of the room. A minute later, he returned with a gaggle of servants in tow. One of them set about lighting the fireplaces scattered around the room, while the rest headed into the kitchen. Before long, the fires would make the room nice and toasty, and she could begin to thaw out.

Ophelia eyed the kitchen. “Do you think they’ll make honeyed eels?”

“I doubt it,” Piper said. “Most likely they’ll cook something fast. And what is it with you and the eels?”

“It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. What’s with you not liking it?”

“I still stand by my belief that meat shouldn’t be sweet.”

“You’re such a barbarian,” Ophelia retorted. “It’s easy to see you were raised on a backwater mountain farm.”

“You were raised on the same farm!”

“That’s beside the point.”

Piper rolled her eyes as Ophelia grinned at her.

“I’m so glad you’re alright, Pip.”

“Me too.”

Zenos leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “How do you keep getting yourself into these situations?”

Piper shrugged. “Bad luck?”

“If you say so.”

Ophelia practically drooled as a servant brought over a plate with a loaf of bread and a bowl of butter. “You know, we wanted to go with them to find you.”

“I can’t believe they were able to stop you.” Piper watched as Zenos drew his knife and sliced the bread. He handed the first piece to her.

“They threatened to kick me out of the guild if I didn’t listen.” Ophelia scowled and crossed her arms. “I was about to go anyway, but Zenos and Lysander held me down until I agreed to stay. And they wouldn’t give me a horse to ride!”

“I’m glad they were able to stop you.”

“I thought you were in trouble! I bet you’d do the same for me.”

Piper frowned slightly. Her friend was probably right. Not that she was going to admit that to Ophelia, as that would only fuel future reckless behavior. “I would trust the guild to save you,” she said, trying to keep a straight face. “That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

“I know you’re lying.”

“I am not!” Piper said, feigning indignation.

“Your eyes always give it away. I can tell immediately when you’re not telling the truth.”

At Ophelia’s words, Zenos leaned forward to peer into Piper’s eyes. “That’s good knowledge to have for the future.”

Piper fought down a sigh. The last thing she needed was for Zenos to learn her tells. Still, she doubted that the gangly man suspected her true nature. Most likely, he just thought that she had a false class. Which still wasn’t great, but it was better than the alternative.

Piper leaned back and yawned, the weight of her day descending on her like a crushing mountain. Not only was she physically exhausted, but mentally as well. A lot of things had happened today, and more than once she’d thought she was in serious trouble.

The yawn was taken up by the others at the table, and Ophelia leaned across the table to playfully slap her arm. “Don’t do that. You’re making me yawn.”

“What?” Piper replied grumpily. “I’m tired.”

Zenos reached over to spin his war hammer by the handle. “Did you find your friend in town?”

Piper shook her head. “She left a note that something had come up.”

“That’s too bad. Hopefully, you’ll manage to meet up with her in the future.”

“I hope so, too.” A vague worry crossed her mind as she wondered what had been important enough to take Selene away from their meeting. She assumed it had something to do with the infernal cult, but she couldn’t be certain. Hopefully, her friend wasn’t in trouble.

“Come on,” Ophelia said, drumming her fingers against the worn wooden tabletop. “Where’s the food already?”

“They have to cook it,” Piper said. “Most likely, we’re not going to eat for at least a quarter hour.”

“A quarter hour! I’m going to starve to death.”

“Did you miss dinner while you were waiting for me?”

Ophelia shook her head, strands of loose golden hair falling over her face. “No, we ate dinner.”

“Then why are you starving?” Piper cried out. “You just ate a few hours ago.”

“Worry makes me hungry,” her friend said defensively. “And I was really worried.”

Smiling at her friend’s words, she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The fires had begun to warm the room, and the ice was melting on her clothing. That left her cold and wet.

Maybe I should head back to my room to change.

But any thought of changing disappeared as the aroma of herbs and spices wafted through the air. As her stomach rumbled, she took the opportunity to slather some butter on the bread that Zenos had offered.

As she bit into it, she barely noticed that it was stale. Instead, she wolfed down the entire piece and then took a second one. Her group mates were nibbling on the bread, most likely awaiting the main course.

But Piper had had her lunch interrupted and had missed dinner. She was starving, especially after using so much mana.

After her third piece of bread, she forced herself to stop eating. She should leave some room for whatever delicious dish the servants brought out to their table.

Nearly a quarter of an hour later, two servants emerged with steaming bowls in their hands. They brought the first round to the adventurers and wayfarers. Then one approached their table with a single bowl. The woman placed it down in front of Piper.

“Where’s mine?” Ophelia asked plaintively.

Lysander looked up from his meal at the neighboring table. “Wait your turn, gravebait. We’ve all been out riding in the cold while you’ve been sitting around here like a mountain ape in a hot spring.”

The servant gave Ophelia a gentle smile. “I’ll bring yours out next.”

Piper shrugged at her friend and picked up a wooden spoon. Normally, she would wait for the others, but she was really starving. And the pottage in the bowl, a mix of spices, bacon, and oats, looked too appetizing to resist.

She spooned a heaping portion into her mouth and gasped with pleasure at the wonderful taste. Ignoring any pretense of manners, she quickly shoveled down more. This had to be one of the best meals she’d ever eaten.

A twinge in her chest made her sit up straight. Something was wrong. Another twinge followed, more painful than the last.

Behind her, she could hear cries of alarm and the sound of crashing chairs. Her vision went blurry, and she swooned to the side. Instinctively, she used [Demonic Blood], and then the floor rushed up to meet her. The last thing she heard was Ophelia screaming before she was claimed by the darkness.