Birds big and small flew joyfully in the sky without araints, free as one be. They chirped, they tweeted, and they sang harmonious melodies. Yet apanying such melodies were grunts and groans full of hardships and pain.

  The one who was grunting and groaning so early in the m was her than Zeke who was currently struggling and trembliically just so he could keep standing, doing his best to keep up with the one before him, both senses and body as sharp as he could muster.

  After the hunt a few days ago, he requested to be taught under Grey and Yuna's tutege and the two agreed easily. It was not that they eeag that much, but rather, they had nothing else to do. It could kill their boredom whilst also training Zeke, two birds with oone.

  Currently, Zeke is sparring with Grey, both using swords to the former's sake. But Grey, being the demonic teacher that he is, showed little to no mercy towards Zeke. For the past few days, he beat him bd blue and the same thing is happening today once again.

  Of course, Grey held back just so that he was just a little bit strohan Zeke. Even then, with restraints so heavy pced on himself, the tter did not stand a ce against him. His strikes were just as heavy and fast as one would expect, honed from years of experience.

  "Huff... Huff... Huff..." ［Zeke］

  Rugged breathing rang throughout the air as Zeke held his sword tightly, his hands were numbing and trembling but he didn't let go. Rather, he gripped even tighter, looking for an opening to strike.

  "I like that look in your eyes, Zeke, butー" ［Grey］

  Grey suddenly disappeared from Zeke's sight as if he vanished into thin air. Zeke's eyes zoomed here and there in search of the former, sharpening his senses and making sure he didn't miss even a single beat.

  ggg

  Metallic sounds boomed as two swords cshed with one anrey had attacked Zeke from his fnk, but with great desperation, the tter mao block the strike with what ounces of strength he had left. Unfortunately for him, his determination and efforts weren't enough.

  "... You're too focused on me!" ［Grey］

  Before Zeke could even notice, a pilr of stone sprouted from the ground and struck his other fnk. The strike was very heavy, and bined with Zeke's exhaustion, it was even more effective. He was bsted a couple meters away.

  Grey didn't even intend for his sword to reach Zeke. It was his iion from the very start to distract Zeke and nd a surprise attack from his blind spot. It worked just like he had anticipated. Zeke was still too inexperienced.

  "Alright, that's enough for now." ［Grey］

  "Ughh... I... Huff... I still... Huff... go on..." ［Zeke］

  "Say that only after your body stops trembling. As ht now, your body is in no dition to tinue any further." ［Grey］

  His words as sharp as daggers, pierced Zeke's heart mercilessly. But the young man didn't refute nor retaliate. No matter where one looked at it, Grey's words were full of truth. Zeke couldn't even stand up, let alone hold his sword once again.

  He had already seen the gap before them days ago, but now, Zeke was once again reminded he the gap really was. Eveheir strength was about the same, he still lost secutively, not even nding a sirike against his Grey.

  "Alright, stop sulking already. Your progress is already good enough as it is. I'm sure you'll surpass any other peers ye." ［Grey］

  "But... I couldn't even touch you..." ［Zeke］

  "Hahahaha, is that what you're worried about? You're just w about something silly. Hahahaha!" ［Grey］

  Grey ughed himself off as soon as he heard Zeke's . While it felt bad ughing in front of an injured person, Grey just couldn't help himself. He found it cute that Zeke was w about such a thing. Of course, not the same "cute" he sees Yuna as.

  "Zeke, let me tell you something. Amongst the people I've fought against, there's only been a single person which mao graze me." ［Grey］

  "And that person is...?" ［Zeke］

  "Well..." ［Grey］

  There wasn't a direswer to be heard. Grey just simply looked at a certain dire, a dire where a certain elf, sitting on a certain bench, humming to herself as she munched on some fries. Her face was as happy as one could be, not giving a care about the world.

  As soon as Yuna noticed Grey and Zeke's gazes nding on her, she simply smiled and waved her hand ily then tinued mung on some fries. Swinging her legs bader the bend forth as she enjoyed her time merrily.

  "Well, as you see, there really is nothing to worry about. For someone ye, you're already doing excellent. Just do things at your own pace, alright?" ［Grey］

  "Haah... Fine... But Big Bro Grey, I request something?" ［Zeke］

  "Hm? What is it?" ［Grey］

  "Umm... Healing magic. I 't move a single musy body..." ［Zeke］

  "Ah, right..." ［Grey］

  It was only when Zeke reminded him that Grey remembered Zeke was still sprawling on the ground, the only thing he could move were his eyes and mouth. As for the others, they scream in pain as soon as he tries to. He was in a dire predit.

  With haste, Grey quickly casted both "Heal" and "Recuperate" on him. With warm light embrag his body, the pain and fatigue whice swallowed him quickly faded away as if it was merely a dream.

  "Hup! I'm pletely healed!" ［Zeke］

  As soon as his body felt better, he quickly did a front flip to gain back his footing and stand up. He was now back to his old eid cheerful self, pletely different from the warrior whose eyes and mind were sharper than spears, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

  "Do you feel better now?" ［Grey］

  "Yes! I feel like I could take on everyht now!" ［Zeke］

  "I see... Then I guess it's time to tinue your training, huh... I think Yuna's also itg to bond with you." ［Grey］

  "Eh?" ［Zeke］

  Zeke couldn't even enjoy what little time he had after his recovery. He was now frozen in shock at Grey's short annou. His mood which was o cloud nine was now shot down, even lower than the ground. It has thrusted towards the dark and endless abyss.

  As frey, he was smiling ever shtly as if he said nothing wrong, all the while calling Yuna over by waving his hand bad forth. It was a plete trast pared to Zeke's which was heading deeper and deeper into despair.

  "Uh... Umm... Big Bro Grey... I think my shoulder still hurts... Why don't we tihe training tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be fine by then!" ［Zeke］

  "Hm? Didn't you just say you felt like you could take on anyone just a moment ago? I'm sure you handle just a single oppo, right?" ［Grey］

  "N-No... Th-That was... I was just joking..." ［Zeke］

  "Oh, don't worry about it too much. I'm sure everything will be alright!" ［Grey］

  Zeke tried to vince Grey otherwise, but all his efforts were for naught. No matter what excuses he gave, Grey's stand was firm. He was determio train Zeke as much as possible, just like how they did with Eliza.

  The reason why Zeke fights Grey and Yuna oer another was so that he could get used to the differences between fighting men and women. It was bound to be a good learning experiehough the same couldn't be said for the sanity of the one receiving the said training.

  "Then, Yuna, I'll leave this all to you. I'll head towards the wedding venue first to see how the others are doing." ［Grey］

  "Un! I'll make sure Zeke learns thhly!" ［Yuna］

  Yuna announced excitedly as she punched her first towards the blue sky. It was only then that Zeke knew his fate had already been sealed. He could only smile wryly as he lifted his sword once again, gloom painted in his eyes.

  "Okay～ Zeke, are you ready?" ［Yuna］

  "Y... Yes..." ［Zeke］

  Without much choices left, Zeke tinued his training once again, with the only difference being his oppo. Well, even if his oppo was different, he knew full well he was going to get another beating. It's going to be another painful experience.

  As Zeke and Yuna started g swords, Grey headed away from the training ground and into the wedding vehe wedding was only more than a week away and it went without saying that everyone was busy with st-minute preparations.

  The moment he arrived, the sound of carpentry filled his ear. The saws cutting wood, the hammers hitting nails, and chisels carving out ead every tiail. People were busy all over the pce.

  Even with the help of magic, the progress couldn't be sped up any further. After all, most of the carpenters present don't know much about it. The only ones capable were Kris, members of Aria's family and a few others.

  "Oh, Grey! What brings you here? Are you doh your Zeke's training?" ［Aria］

  "No, not yet. Yuna's just started sparring with him... Anyway, Miss Aria, is there any way I could help? I may not be experienced in carpentry, but I'm sure my magic could be of use." ［Grey］

  "Fufufu, I appreciate the offer, but trary to how busy it looks, we're actually ahead of schedule. Everything's just fine." ［Aria］

  Grey couldn't deny Aria's words. While the pce looked busy and chaotic, they are mostly due to the scaffolding present. If they are removed, the pce would look much tidier and more polished. Evear was only missing a few carviails.

  "Oh, but if you insist... Could I request you of something, Grey?" ［Aria］

  "As long as it's within reach, I'll do my best." ［Grey］

  "Then, I'd love it if you could cook lunch for everyone. You see, our hands are really full right now. The people here are just too stubborn that they refuse to eat until the day's over. I'm sure with your skills, they would be eo have them." ［Aria］

  At Aria's words, Grey once again looked at the people w. At a single ghey looked like they were just doing fine, smiling so happily as they chatted with one another. And well, they are.

  It's just that they are too occupied with their chat and work that they fet to eat. While their vitality is good due to the Tree of Life, it would still be best to work on a full stomach. It would be a problem if they suddenly colpsed, after all.

  Of course, Aria and the others have tried to vihem multiple times, but they were just too hard-headed. Especially the men, they always go on about how they o give their best for their little Aria whom they treat like their daughter and little sister.

  "I'm really sorry for suddenly springing this up on you," ［Aria］

  "No, it's alright. I have nothing else to do anyway... Then, I'll be heading to the kit now. I'll be ba an hour or two." ［Grey］

  "Yes. Good luck, and thank you!" ［Aria］

  Everythiled, Grey simply turned around and headed back to Falroe's house. While the house they were staying at also has a kit, the one in Falroe's was much bigger and has more things. He found it more fortable.

  Upon his arrival at the house, what greeted him was a messy living room. And in that messy living room was a certain blonde elf with simirly messy hair, writing, drawing, and trashing things oer another. It was Reina.

  She had her own room but with how small and cramped it was, she finds it hard to work there. Since her family were out outside, she took the opportunity to use the living room and make it her workpce.

  While the dress for the bride and the suit for the groom has already been finished, her work in making dresses is still not finished. Apart from his father and little brother, she still o make a dress for their mother and herself. Si was a big occasion, she couldn't afford to just go willy-nilly.

  Of course, the dress o stand out less pared to the bride's gown. After all, she is the star of the day. Oher hand, it still o be presentable aiful. Such tradiade it hard for her to make the designs.

  "You sure are busy, aren't you, Reina?" ［Grey］

  "A-Ah! Grey, sorry for the mess! I-I-I promise I'll up ter!" ［Reina］

  "Why are you apologizing? This is your house, not mine. I'm just a guest, you know?" ［Grey］

  "Ah, right..." ［Reina］

  Reina only realized how silly she was after hearing Grey's words. Because of it, the tension in the air decreased a little and she mao catch her breath, resting her hands and brain for a little while.

  "Are these the designs you are w on?" ［Grey］

  Asked Grey as he sed apers were atop the table. He was not an expert, but he could tell that a lot of thought ut into ead every one of them. Not only that, all the tached were precise and easy to uand. It was obvious she has been doing it for such a long time.

  As for the designs themselves, many were novel in Grey's eyes. They were those inspired by elven styles and simir styles uo Merusia. Some were simple while some were plex, but there was ohing in on. All of them were beautiful.

  "Y-Yes. Though they're still a work in progress so they might look a little messy," ［Reina］

  "Hmm... I think they're pretty hough. I quite like your style." ［Grey］

  "Th-Thank you...! I'll work hard to fulfill your expectations!" ［Reina］

  "Hahaha, what's with that? There's o be so serious... Anyway, I'll be heading to the kit now. Just give me a call if you need something." ［Grey］

  "Y-Yes!" ［Reina］

  Leaving Reina to her own, Grey headed to the kit to start his task. There was only a couple of hours before lund so, he o cook something quick. And a ton of them at that. He o feed a couple dozen people.

  Something filling, delicious, and o their eyes. Those were the requirements Grey thought of as he thought of a dish to cook. There were a lot of things to choose from, but a certain thing stood out in his mind.

  'I want to eat ramen!' ［Grey］

  Such a decration echoed inside Grey's mind as he thought of what dish to cook. It was not that it erfect for the season or weather or something of the sort. He just simply wao eat some. And now that he has decided, there was no stopping him.

  Hastily, Grey took out a ridiculous amount of ingredients from his "Iory' and some from the house's pantry. There was flour, meat, eggs, chives, broth prepared beforehand and many more. A plethora of beautiful ingredients could be seen atop the table, almost overflowing.

  The first to be made were the noodles. Using flour, salt, wheat gluten, salt, and a couple more ingredients, Grey made dough with them. Following which, he khe dough, ftte into sheets, folding then cutting it until he made the noodles.

  With the noodles made, Grey brought the broth to a simmer, added some mushrooms and a little bit of spices. It would have beeer if there were dried kelp and bonito fkes avaible, but with them missing, Grey had to make do with what he had.

  Thankfully, there were still some marinades left from Grey and Yuna's previous cooking session and so, some time was saved. With it already prepared, all that was left to do was marihe meat and use magic to speed up the process, letting the marinade seep into the meat.

  After the meat was done marinating, the up were the eggs. It retty simple. Al Grey had to do was boil the eggs to cook them, peel the shells, and have them marinate in the same marinade used for the meat.

  Up was the plimenting oil. Grey made sure to make a few varieties to suit everyoaste. There was garlic oil, one spid o, some sesame oil, and some type of oil full of umami from meat fats.

  The preparations were now done and finished, all that was left was to do the actual cooking. The ramen was cooked in salted water before it was draihe meat was cooked lightly. Of course, the stock was also heated up until it simmered.

  Preparing the serving bowls, the stock oured into them, followed by the ramen noodles, the meat, eggs, mushrooms, chives, and a couple more things. Grey put on hold the adding of oil and chili as he didn't know what everyone preferred. With it, the first batch was done.

  If Grey had a single regret, it was that he did not have access to Japanese ingredients. There was no dried kelp nor bonito fkes present in the market nor did he know where to find them. It just wasn't the same without them.

  "Waah～! It's ramen!" ［Yuna］

  And just in time Grey fihe first batch, a familiar face walked in. She was wearing a rge smile on her face as she approached Grey. Of course, it was Yuna whose eyes were now fully drawn to the ramen.

  Zeke was o be seen. While he arrived at the house with Yuna, he only stayed in the living room with his older sister, eyes as lifeless as one could be, totally void of color. Needless to say, he was exhausted.

  "Are we eating ramen for lunch?!" ［Yuna］

  "Well, yeah. But I'm not finished yet. There is still a lot more to cook. Care to help?" ［Grey］

  "Un! Sure!" ［Yuna］

  Glee was evident on Yuna's face as she took up on Grey's request. With her help, it was much easier and the ramen bowls quickly filled up the table. Grey quickly stored them inside his "Iory" to keep them hot and steamy and also save up space at the same time.

  All the time, Yuna was humming to herself as she looked forward to eating them. It didn't take long before they fihankfully, the house has a lot of flour in stock. They were able to make more than 6s of ramen.

  With everything finally done, Grey and Yuna ed up the kit and headed out the kit. The first to greet them were two familiar figures. One was fidgeting with a pencil and making sketches, Reina, while the other was slumped oable, Zeke.

  One doesn't o say any more. It was evident from his empty expressions how much difficulties he had gohrough in the past hour. While he finally finished his training, there was no trace of happiness in his face, only gloom.

  "Reina, Zeke, here, have some." ［Grey］

  "Hmm... This is...?" ［Zeke］

  "It's ramen! I'm sure you'll like it." ［Yuna］

  With a happy remark from Yuna, the two stopped on whatever they were doing and ed the table so that Grey could pce down the ramen bowls on it. The table which was once full of sketch papers and drawing tools was now and tidy after a quick work.

  Both Reina and Zeke looked at the ramen with curious eyes, but si was one made by Grey and Yuna, they only did so for a short while. As soon as they took a bite, their reas were what one would expect.

  "D-Delicious! It's a little salty, but it's delicious!" ［Reina］

  "Big Bro, Big Sis, this is amazing! I want seds!" ［Zeke］

  The two whose faces were painted with stress and gloomy expressions were now beaming brightly. Even Zeke who was down in the dumps after experieng hell has bee lively ahusiastice again, asking for seds when he hasn't even finished his first meal.

  Of course, Grey was happy that they were enjoying it. It's just that looking at them eating with a simple spoon and fork felt a little wrong. After all, it would look much more natural if it was doh chopsticks and a soup spoon.

  "Alright, we'll give you another serving." ［Grey］

  "Thanks, Big Bro!" ［Zeke］

  "Then, we'll be going to the wedding venue now, the others must already be hungry. Enjoy your lunch!" ［Grey］

  "See you ter, Reina, Zeke!" ［Yuna］

  After heading out of the house, Grey and Yuna directly headed towards the wedding venue where they were weled by Aria with a happy and thankful smile. She then helped set up the tables for the ramen to be served on.

  While Aria doesn't know what manner of dish ramen was, she has full trust iwo's cooking skills and khey would be great dishes. Even her appetite was already aroused by the inviting, aromatic smell of the ramen wafting the air.

  "Hm? What's that smell?"

  "Did someone cook something?"

  It wasn't only Aria. The workers who were nearby were also drawn in. Seeing them approach the table, the other workers also followed suit, and soon, a crowd of wathered he table, all curious what was being served.

  "Please have some." ［Yuna］

  "A-Ah, yeah. Thanks..."

  The man couldn't turn down Yuna's invitation. While he didn't know what the strange dish before him was, his eyes and nose were already drawn to it. Of course, it went without saying his tongue is already excited to have a taste of the peculiar dish the young dy hao him.

  "S-So good! This is amazing, Missy!"

  At the man's remarks, the others' is were quickly hooked. Oer ahe workers lined up to receive their share, having the same rea as the man from before. A cmor of satisfied voices filled the air as if a little feast was ongoing.

  Of course, Grey and Yuna didn't just simply stand there. They also participated itle feast, shog everyone once again with their voracious appetite. They alone mao eat five bowls each, bowls which were extra rge at that. They were the champions when it came to eating.

  "Hooh～! That was a good meal!"

  "Hahaha, you said it! I've asted something like it!"

  "That's right! That was a great treat!"

  Voices of satisfaixed in the air after lunch fihe workers who looked a bit exhausted before were now full of energy, feeling like newfound strengths were flowing in their bodies now that their stomachs are full.

  "Alright, me's get this thing over with and finish the wedding venue! Let's give Little Aria the best wedding possible!"

  """Ooohhh!!"""

  Fmes of passion burst forth ihe worker's eyes as they shouted their battle cries. For some reason, they looked much faster and strohan before, being able to finish work at a much faster rate as if they were supercharged.

  Grey doesn't know if it was the effect of the ramen or if they really are like that if they are full. He was worried a little, but with their spirits at an all-time high, he couldn't really do anything about it. At the very least, they were w much better than before.

  "All's well that ends well, I guess...?" ［Grey］

  CHAPTER 143 END