As expected, a gathering among young people did not have that many formalities.
At first, Rias and Sona were both a little worried about whether their etiquette had been proper enough, but seeing how casual Rod's attitude was, they gradually relaxed as well.
To be honest, the two of them were now extremely curious about Rod.
He was strong, yet had no airs about him. He was also around their age, and most importantly, his identity was not sensitive in the slightest. He was neither from the Church nor a fallen angel, just a human whose profession happened to be mercenary. Talking to him required no special caution at all.
His personal habits were just a little strange.
Who wore sunglasses while eating dinner late at night?
Still, most strong people had their own odd quirks. Thinking of how even their own older brother and older sister each had secrets no one knew about, the two of them quickly accepted it.
For tonight's banquet, many of the ingredients Rias had prepared had been specially transported over from the Underworld.
A good number of them were game meats unique to the Underworld.
And even with ordinary chicken, duck, fish, and meat, things raised in the Underworld tasted worlds apart from the fast-grown livestock of the human world.
The only problem was that the appearance of some of the ingredients made them rather unappetizing.
"Can these things really be eaten?"
Asia looked at the bizarre creature in front of her. It resembled some kind of monster that had been genetically altered by a mad scientist in one of the sci-fi horror movies she had watched recently, and her little face was full of hesitation.
"Don't worry. It may not look very appealing, but as long as you cut away the venom sac, the poisonous stinger, and the magical power storage organ inside it, the rest is all edible. Not only does it taste even better than beef, it's also low in fat, while its protein content is ten times that of beef."
Rias said with a smile.
People eating Underworld specialties for the first time always had doubts like this, so she was already used to it.
What was more, every ingredient she had brought over this time was among the finest ingredients in the entire Underworld.
Since they had the very best taste and texture, their appearance was naturally top-tier as well.
The chefs had already done their best to process the appearance of the ingredients. If they worked them any further, it would be easy to ruin the texture.
And in order to dispel everyone's doubts, Rias herself cut off a piece with her knife and fork, put it into her mouth, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed.
A unique meaty fragrance drifted out from the cut surface, slipping into everyone's noses and instantly stirring their appetites.
"Mr. Rod, would you like to try some? It really tastes wonderful."
Actually, Rod was hesitating a little.
If you wanted him to fight bizarre and terrifying-looking devils, then he would definitely agree without a second word, and quite excitedly at that.
But asking him to eat these grotesque-looking magical beasts?
Rod really did feel a bit conflicted.
The aroma was undeniably tempting, but the moment he thought that this stuff might be meat from some kind of "Cthulhu," his appetite immediately weakened.
"Come on, try it. It really is delicious."
Rias strongly recommended it.
"Mr. Rod, when I first saw this kind of ingredient too, I was just like you. I was so startled that I completely lost my appetite. But after trying it by chance once, I accepted it immediately, because it really is delicious. It tastes dozens of times better than the ingredients in even a Michelin three-star restaurant~"
"I'll pass. I'm not that hungry tonight."
Rod's expression was firm. Some things still had to be insist on.
Even if he jumped down from upstairs and died from the fall, he would not take a single bite of this stuff.
"Huh? What is this flavor?! It's really delicious! I didn't expect monster meat to taste this good!"
Irina secretly took a bite, and her eyes lit up at once.
Xenovia followed right behind her, nodding repeatedly.
The two of them had long lived hard lives. The things they ate were not exactly cheap, but they were always the most ordinary kinds of food. On one hand, they did not have much money. On the other, in order to save time while carrying out missions, they could only eat pre-made food prepared in advance. Instant noodles and compressed biscuits were their daily norm.
Earlier, when they came to Rod's house, they had already been deeply moved just from eating a few bites of the simple home-style stir-fry Raynare casually made.
And now, suddenly tasting food superior to any ingredient on Earth, they felt as if their whole bodies were floating.
"Then... I'll try some too..."
Asia was using chopsticks as her utensil.
Although she was European, after spending so much time around Rod, she had also learned how to use chopsticks, an eating utensil that foreigners generally struggled with, and she had picked it up very quickly.
After tasting the delicious food, Asia's eyes immediately lit up as well, and she soon began eating in rather larger bites.
At the same time, she prayed silently in her heart.
The specialties from the Underworld were truly too delicious. She hoped the Lord would forgive her.
"Mmh..."
Asia's prayer made the few devils present feel slightly dizzy for a moment, but since the sensation vanished very quickly, none of them paid it much attention.
Rod glanced at Lavinia, who was sitting beside him.
He discovered that the table in front of her was already piled high with the bones she had finished eating.
Good lord.
No wonder she had not said a word since the meal began. So she had been eating nonstop this entire time!
It was a good thing this was not a gourmet anime, or else quite a few beautiful girls would probably have had their clothes exploding off them on the spot tonight.
"Rod, this one's good, and that one's good too. You should eat some as well. You're so busy all the time, so you definitely need to replenish your fat and protein properly."
Seeing that Rod still had not touched much, Lavinia took the initiative to spear a large piece of meat with her fork and hold it to his lips, clearly giving off the impression that if he did not eat it, she was not taking it away.
"I can just eat something else."
Even after seeing everyone's exaggerated reactions, Rod still did not want to "sink to the same level."
Five minutes later,
"It really is delicious."
Rod had successfully been dragged by Lavinia into the ranks of the converts, and an expression of pure enjoyment appeared on his face.
And since he really had been expending a great deal of energy during this period of time, the pile of bones beside him ended up being the biggest.
When Rias saw how much Rod was eating, she even had the kitchen prepare several more servings for him. When she saw that he still seemed unsatisfied, she even said that if he liked it, he could always come eat here for free.
"After eating this, I feel like my body's getting a little hot?"
Xenovia had eaten quite a lot as well, but when she was nearly full, a puzzled look appeared on her face.
"My body feels like it's full of endless strength. I suddenly really want to take my Holy Sword and go slash some stray devils and vampires."
Hearing that, Rias let out a slight laugh.
"The reason ingredients like this are considered top-tier is not just because of their taste and texture. More importantly, they can replenish the stamina and other nutrients the human body has lost. And if a devil with demonic power inside their body eats them, they can even recover a very tiny amount of magical power."
"So after eating that much, it's perfectly normal for you to feel that way."
And after Rias finished speaking, Akeno glanced at Rod again.
"Actually, aside from all those effects, if the person eating it happens to be male, then it also has an extra special effect~"
After she said that, both Sona and Rias, who knew about that effect, had faint blushes appear on their faces.
Rod: "..."
Why didn't you say so earlier?
If they had said so earlier, he would have eaten even more!
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