Chapter 568 The Leisure Tavern
Just when Jack was ready to lead his wives toward the main guild building"s banquet hall, they pulled him aside and led him in a different direction.
"Wait, where are we--"
"The banquet is in the marketplace," Maura explained as they continued past the main building.
"Then where are we going?" asked Jack.
Maura answered with a smile. "While you were gone, the guild decided to open its own restaurant. Before opening to the public next week, we"ll all be feasting there and testing the menu. But I know you"re already going to love it."
"And why is that?"
All three of the women smiled and chuckled. Eliza and Daliea kept quiet as Maura replied, "You"ll see… Just wait."
They continued to question Jack about Earthen Keep and his meeting with Daruun, something that Jack hadn"t explained in detail in front of everyone. Eventually, they got Jack to crack. "How about this? After the banquet, all four of us will spend the night together and I"ll explain Daruun"s larger plans in detail. I don"t want others to know too much yet."
"Deal! So long as you include us, then we"ll happy no matter what!" shouted Eliza, getting the approval of Maura and Daliea as well. "Now, what do you think?"
As Eliza pointed ahead, Jack spotted the restaurant in the distance. He chuckled, reading the sign that said "Leisure Tavern" in giant letters.
"Just wait till we get inside!" Maura shouted, pus.h.i.+ng Jack to go faster.
Finally, they swung the doors open for Jack to almost drop his jaw on the floor.
Plenty of people filled the place, all of which had familiar faces. There were three waitresses. Martha and Marisha were smiling as they served their guests alongside their newest friend.
"Jezelle?"
"Oh, Jack!" Jezelle shouted from across the room. She finished setting some food down and hurried to greet them personally. "A table for four, right? Follow me!"
They were sat in the middle of the giant, open dining room. There were private booths but those were pointless during a banquet. And From the center, Jack was able to better recognize everyone around him.
"Your first round of food will be right out. I"ll bring you some wine!" With that, Jezelle scurried off to handle her other duties.
"This…"
"Nostalgic, right?" Maura nudged Jack with a smile. "Reinolt conceded to Zuran but we helped some of our friends escape before the transition. And Aazoon managed to escape so the king is here too!"
Jack was speechless, taking in his surroundings as he nodded to Maura, Eliza, and Daliea.
At one table, Jack spotted Lunara with Lina and Erina. Though Lina had grown after evolving, something Maura commented on, she was still best friends with the younger-looking girl, who wasn"t shy after seeing Lina"s growth.
Drinking along with Jack"s male party members was Zariff, as well as Tridon, Trevor, and Tomas from Reinolt City. Prince Willim had joined them as well, making himself at home among the other men and showing off his incredible tolerance to alcohol. Of course, King Wilheim sat with Argyle, Hurmot, and Kaldor at the next table over, not letting his son show him up.
And to Jack"s surprise, Zarris was sat alongside Baral and the other auction house managers, talking up a storm. Also, in the back corner, Jack spotted Tarnel arguing with Flint as the loud, outspoken young man released his Two-headed Wolf and let the wolf pounce onto their shared meal.
Having so many of his friends and acquaintances from across the continent gathered in a single pub was a surreal experience.
"Jaaack? At least say something…"
"Oh… Sorry…" Jack chuckled, scratching his head to shake off his embarra.s.sment. "I just… wasn"t expecting all this."
"So, I take it you"re glad to see everyone?" teased Maura.
Nodding, Jack sighed, "Yeah… It"s nice to see everyone again. I"m glad they"re all doing fine."
"You know, they"re all here because of you," added Eliza. "You"ve become the biggest celebrity, and news about Halmut"s defeat is only adding to your fame."
"I didn"t defeat him…"
"But you held him off and forced his retreat. In battle and war, that"s also a victory," Daliea insisted, downing her first mug of liquid courage. "You should be more proud of your strength. That"s why I married you after all…"
"Yeah, you should be proud of your achievements," added Eliza, sipping her wine. "The whole world deserves to know your name. Now, you"re even more famous than you were in the past. I"ve never been more proud to be your wife, the wife of the world"s greatest hero…"
Maura was the third to speak, chugging her drink in one go. She proved her inability to hold her alcohol, losing most inhibitions all at once. "And you"re so kind… You can be naive too but you"re still kind and strong. You should be more forceful at times, like with me…"
Hearing his wives go around sharing their thoughts, Jack knew that he was in for a long night ahead of him. But he was excited.
The moment the food arrived, Jack attacked his meal, instantly recognizing Rayard"s cooking. However, Jack didn"t savor it too much as he wanted to hurry up and leave the banquet. While G.o.ds began to trickle in and find their own tables, Jack paid more attention to his wives with each pa.s.sing second. With each sip of wine, Jack took their unfiltered comments gratefully, committing to do better with those things.
When the four of them finished eating, Jack escorted his wives out of the restaurant, all feeling a little tipsy.
Outside, Jack laughed as he spotted Moranti escorting Dragas to the tavern. "I told you to save it for later."
"Why not before and after the banquet?" Dragas laughed, unafraid of admitting to her and Moranti"s recent actions. "Looking at them, I would suggest teleportation. That way, you"ll have more time and energy to enjoy yourselves."
"Right… Then, good night!"
Jack instantly took his wives to their bedroom, vanis.h.i.+ng in a flash of purple light.