The meal was thoroughly enjoyable, and Hilda and Britney finally witnessed firsthand just how much Caius could eat.

  He wasn’t joking about his appetite.

  A lamb leg longer than his forearm? Caius polished off three of them by himself.

  And the guy knew how to eat.

  "Dig out the marrow, spread it on bread, add a slice of seared foie gras, some crispy lamb skin, a dab of butter, then sprinkle on a bit of rose salt and minced garlic…" Caius narrated while assembling an extravagant sandwich before taking a hearty bite.

  His face lit up with bliss.

  "That… actually looks really good," Hilda swallowed hard before immediately declaring, "I want to try it too!"

  "Since when do you eat offal?" Britney raised an eyebrow.

  "But it looks delicious!" Hilda grinned, mimicking Caius’s method to craft her own sandwich. One bite later—

  "It’s amazing!" She covered her mouth, cheeks stuffed, words muffled but eyes sparkling.

  The adorable sight drew a chuckle even from Britney.

  Normally, Hilda dined with impeccable elegance—never speaking with food in her mouth. Only around close friends would she reveal this unrestrained side.

  Grace had its merits, but it was exhausting. This carefree indulgence suited her far better.

  "Britney, you have to try this!" Hilda held out her half-eaten sandwich toward Britney, who hesitated.

  Hilda avoided offal mainly for dietary discipline, but Britney genuinely disliked organ meats—she found them off-putting.

  Many nobles shared the sentiment.

  Then she noticed Caius’s eager expression and glanced at the sandwich’s bitten edge.

  Oh, I see.

  She shot Caius a glare before decisively taking a bite—right next to Hilda’s teeth marks.

  …Huh.

  It was good. None of the grossness she’d expected.

  Chewing smugly, she tilted her chin up at Caius in silent victory.

  Caius raised an eyebrow, then picked up a milk ice custard.

  "Sweet things pair surprisingly well with salty flavors. Try dipping these crinkle-cut fries in this custard—next-level combo."

  "Really? Let me try!" Hilda eagerly followed his suggestion.

  "Wow! Sweet and savory—it’s totally different!" She lit up like she’d discovered a new continent. "Caius, it’s a crime you’re not a food critic. You’ve got such a palate!"

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  "Hah, guess that makes me a Gourmet Mercenary," Caius laughed.

  His culinary ingenuity? Born from wasteland survival.

  When your diet consists of barely edible scraps, you learn to mix flavors just to make things palatable.

  Years of practice honed his instincts.

  (That, or Old Man’s cooking had been so atrocious that developing this skill was a matter of preserving his taste buds before age fourteen.)

  Watching Caius and Hilda bond over food yet again, Britney felt that familiar twinge of irritation.

  Time to derail this before the big oaf whipped out another trick to make Hilda giggle.

  No one made Hilda laugh this often. In Britney’s books, Caius was the first.

  So she steered the conversation: "Hey, big guy. Hilda mentioned you’re based in Ocean City?"

  "Yep. Where my merc career began," Caius nodded. "Even as an official Hydis dispatcher now, I’ll keep my focus there."

  "Got a hunch that city’s still hiding plenty of wild, fascinating secrets to uncover."

  Hilda propped her chin on one hand, munching custard-dipped fries, listening intently.

  Britney side-eyed her before pressing on: "Ever explored my boutique there?"

  "You own a shop in Ocean City?" Caius blinked, then it clicked. "Wait—[Britney] Couture?"

  "Mmhm." Britney’s smile turned sly. "My staff told me a certain hulk bought two matching dresses—my masterpieces."

  "Guess I’ve got good taste," Caius grinned.

  "Debatable," Britney sniffed, though her pride peeked through. "Took me six months to finish those. But… you gave one to Hilda. So where’s the other one?"

  Her eyes narrowed playfully. "Gifted to another girl, perhaps?"

  Caius’s heart skipped a beat.

  Shit. Spot on. Is this women’s intuition?!

  Even Hilda’s fry-dipping hand froze mid-air.

  But Caius recovered lightning-fast, nodding calmly.

  "Yep."

  Britney: "…?"

  Hilda: "…!"

  Kiki: "…Meow?!"

  He… admitted it?!

  For some reason, Hilda suddenly found her beloved fries tasteless.

  Britney’s brows shot up—

  But before she could interrogate him, Caius chuckled and summoned [Angel]—his warhammer—with a flash from his spatial ring.

  "Meet the lucky lady. Stunning, isn’t she?" He patted the hammer affectionately.

  "My favorite girl."

  Instantly, Hilda’s fries regained their flavor.

  Britney stared blankly. "You… gave my dress… to a hammer?"

  "Mhm." Caius beamed. "Your design was inspired. After deconstructing it, I engineered the perfect lightweight female armor."

  "Great art deserves a great muse. Consider it my tribute to [Angel]."

  "You dismantled my dress?!" Britney nearly launched across the table.

  Hilda quickly tugged her sleeve. "Britney, you promised no getting mad~"

  Britney deflated. Hearing her masterpiece had been reverse-engineered still stung.

  "Fine. Only for you, Hilda." She pointed accusingly at Caius. "But if you ever buy my dresses just to tear them apart again, every [Britney] Couture will blacklist you!"

  Caius raised his hands in surrender. "Deal. No more dress-icide."

  Britney’s glare softened marginally.

  "Speaking of," Caius segued smoothly, "why open shop in Ocean City instead of somewhere like Grilla City?"

  Britney’s expression darkened. "Ugh. Don’t get me started."

  "I wanted to launch in Grilla, but a certain Chamber of Commerce there has beef with my family."

  "They’ve monopolized the market. As an outsider, I stood no chance competing."

  "If I’d forced it, they’d have crushed my business within months—"

  "What?" Hilda gasped. "Britney, why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped!"

  "I know you could." Britney smiled gently. "But this is my dream. I won’t let you fight my battles."

  "But we’re friends!" Hilda insisted. "Helping each other is what friends do!"

  Britney’s eyes softened. She cupped Hilda’s cheek.

  "Exactly why I can’t lean on you."

  "That Chamber has deep roots. My family’s clashed with them for years. Even you would struggle to uproot them alone—it’d just drag you into unnecessary strife."

  "You’ve got enough on your plate coming here solo. I won’t add to your burdens."

  "Britney…" Hilda’s eyes shimmered.

  Britney squeezed her hand. "I’ll find my own way."

  "Respectable," Caius cut in. "But y’know, knowing when to call in backup is also a skill."

  Britney frowned at him, puzzled—

  Until he leaned forward with a mercenary’s grin.

  "Remember? I’m for hire. Issue a contract, and no problem stays unsolved."