Reincarnated Into A Hell Hound - Chapter 138

What now? Should I wait for Cain to show up? Look for him? It is too soon I think, the party hasn’t even properly started, so he might not be in here yet. What was I expecting, to arrive here and see everything up in flames? Well, he did that once, but still…

So of course, when you are at a party that you don’t know anyone; and have no intention of knowing for the record; and yet for some reason needs to stay what is the normal thing to do?

Look really busy and entertained… in the food’s table.

So that’s what we do, searching for the area where the food’s at, which isn’t hard with this nose of mine, and find it further in under a wide roofed circular area, where a line of elves took turns at serving themselves a plate at the very long table in the center, while others stood on the sides talking and waiting for the waitress to bring something towards their group.

That’s what ends up happening to me as one of them approach, one arm at the back and the other keeping the tray steady with mastery.

“Would you like to try some mister?” He offers me, and I take one without giving much thought, thanking him while my eyes go down to whatever I had picked up, a thin orange layer rolled around with some maple syrup at the top and a mix of ingredients filling it up.

I bite the top, and as I chew I try not to offend anyone by keeping a straight face but this… this taste like fruit with sugar and something too healthy and vegan for my taste.

Oh, that’s it! It is vegan food, elves rarely eat meat, how could I forget?

Covering my mouth while I try to chew this thing barely enough to swallow it down I look around for a place to hide the remaining piece, a garbage can or something, but as I look around and find none I start considering throwing it behind a bush, I mean, nobody will check right? Plus is fertilizer, no harm done there…

Before I can turn my plan into practice, however, a hand reaches out and scoops up the remaining food from my hands, and when I look back Leonel has a smirk on his face as he chews the food down.

…Something tells me by the way he is looking at me that he had some idea of what I had in mind for that thing, however with the crisis averted like that he points out at another long table to the side, far emptier than the other, and says:

“I think you might enjoy those more.” I sniff it up and agree when the odor of meat reaches my nose, and as I start walking towards there someone calls out to Leonel, an elf that I do not know but seemly from the north, and as they start chatting about I shrug and keep walking towards the table, no point in staying still there while the food is just a few steps away, though I keep hearing them talk while at it.

“Mister Ereinion, long time no see, how have you being? Last time I heard from you you were going to make a guild down south in human territory, how did that go?”

“Please, no need for formalities, call me Calien by all means. And all seem well, is just a matter of time for it to grow even further and choosing the next cities to expand to, I can only hope that one day I manage to reach the elven cities as well.”

“But truly it was a great idea to expand the services far beyond hunting and chasing bandits around, you manage to communicate the needed with the one to service it in a way that makes the community communicate between themselves and grow together, really fascinating!”

“Haha, you give me too much credit.”

They keep talking about things that do not interest me, such as money and the market, and while I’m circling the table and looking at the steaming pieces of meat arranged around it with a great variety of jerky sticks, meatballs, beef egg rolls, juicy meats and so on and on that almost takes me away from ear dropping once more.

“So how is your family doing? None of your daughters came today?”

“Ah, no, they rather stay away from reunions of old people like us, too young those two, still a couple of centuries to go, though I think they may have changed their mind if they knew you would be coming.” That picks my interest, making my ears turn around as I glace at them over my shoulder, but seeing Leonel eyes laying on me I dodge a bullet and look down at the food again and pick something at random to chew on.

“It would be a pleasure to see them again.” Wait, say that again? ” But I must decline any further invitation.”

“Sigh, I know, and here I was hoping you would have changed your mind. Is hard to find elves with a keen eye for money like yourself, most or fight or play, especially as young as you are.”

“It is a pity really, but I’m already with someone else, and I have no intention of changing partners.”

“Is that so, I would love to meet the lucky one.”

I try to ignore them both and their conversation, but turning my back towards them only makes my wangling tail more visible.

Time passes by as the place gets crowded and the tables are refilled a couple of times, and since I have far more than enough time to keep an eye out and watch for anything odd I take in this main area to the smallest detail, preparing for the upcoming battle too.

On the contrary to the other open areas this one is bigger and has a very high curved ceiling that joints together in pointy ends, with a second open floor to hold even more people in, the railing resembling crooked branches made of bronze.

It was quite impressive, as they always manage to make, pity that such seemly perfect kin is full of prejudice inside…

At the same time that an elder elf starts talking to all present, thanking for their presence, I’m brought back from these thoughts of mine and from the food when a familiar smell stands out from the many elves filling the place up, an odor that makes all my calmness go away as I clench my fists and feel the boiling flames burn inside.

Cain.

I found you.