Supreme Magus novel Chapter 3621

Everything had been cleaned, cooked, and seasoned with care, spreading a symphony of delicious smells that filled the Hydra's nostrils and made her stomach rumble in anticipation.

Faluel's mouths salivated at the sight of the food, her body craved nourishment after suffering so much. Yet she couldn't overlook the Drake's care and the implications such a kind gesture had.

"Is this all for me?" One head said with an awkward expression while the other six stared at the plates like kids in a toy shop.

"Yes, but I can keep you company and eat a few things myself, if you want." Ajatar nodded.

"Are you sure?" The head looking at Ajatar blushed a bit. "I mean, we've known each other for a long time, but I've never thought about you that way."

"What way?" He asked in confusion. "Wait, do you think I'm hitting on you?"

Among creatures the size of a Lesser Divine Beast, a home-cooked meal was the human equivalent of a bouquet of roses and a jewel pendant. Just the ingredients were expensive and cooking them took time, effort, and care.

It was something one would do only for the person they loved, a long-lost friend/relative, or to thank a benefactor. Most Emperor Beasts had no time to waste cooking, so most of their meals consisted of raw cattle or trees eaten whole.

It made cooking the most precious gift after a powerful artifact, but gifting one usually meant betrothing. Awakened had laxer social protocols than humans, but dropping to one knee and asking someone for marriage on the first date was deemed no less foolish.

"What's with the disbelief and your mocking tone?" Faluel's seven heads now stared at the Drake, her pupils reduced to angry slits. "I'm quite the catch, and you have no other reason to offer me this feast."

"You a catch?" Ajatar sneered and was about to say even worse before he realized that the friendly mockery they usually exchanged would have offended his host due to the misunderstanding. "I mean, you're not just a catch. You're a Dragon's hoard."

"Nice save." She grunted. "If it's not courtship, to what do I owe your visit?"

"To thank you for including me in the research for Dragonhood." Ajatar gave her a deep nod, the quadrupeds' equivalent of a bow. "There are no evolved Drakes among Thrud's surviving generals.

"Without your recommendation, I wouldn't have been involved in the project until it reached completion."

"Oh, that." She sighed in disappointment. "It's nothing. We've been friends for a long time, and you deserve it. You've helped my disciples countless times and even kept the secret of my Hands of Menadion from the rest of the Council.

"I know I can trust you, and we Hydras can use someone with your brain."

"And you've helped mine and kept the secret of Spirit Fusion." Ajatar dismissed the compliments with a shrug. "I consider us even. By the way, you sound disappointed. Did you want me to hit on you?"

"I'm not disappointed!" She said too angrily and quickly to be believable. "I'm just surprised. I mean, I don't deserve a full-course meal just for including you in a still-fruitless research. Please, share this meal with me."

"If that's what you want." Ajatar dropped the subject and started eating.

Faluel, instead, was facing a conundrum. Eating with all seven heads would have caused the flavors to mix and the food to disappear in the blink of an eye. If only one head ate, the others would snarl in envy and anger, ruining her meal.