CHAPTER 259: THE MOST LUXURIOUS RESTAURANT IN THE KINGDOM, ALPHOX DRACONIAN

After that, the tension in the room melted away.

The three of them spent the next few hours just talking, about nothing important, but it was peaceful.

Mostly it was Belle and Seraphine sharing stories from their childhoods and their homeworlds, their voices filled with nostalgia and laughter.

Sam listened quietly.

It was strange, hearing about ordinary lives in a universe filled with chaos, monsters, and endless battles.

For a while, it felt... almost normal.

A small piece of calm in a world that had long forgotten what peace even meant.

[Peace will only come once we get rid of the King.]

’Or if he gets rid of us,’ Sam shrugged, ’I wonder if he actually wants peace too.’

Based on the fact he was killing all the rogue primordials, it would seem obvious he was the "nice" guy.

But if the King was the "nice" guy, then did that mean Sam was the "villain"?

[=)]

He didn’t dwell on it much more, and eventually, the time came.

The quiet talk faded, and Sam stood, stretching his arms before looking at the two of them.

"Alright, then," he said, his tone calm but certain. "I guess we should leave for now."

The girls nodded.

They each went to prepare, changing into more fitting attire for what came next.

Sam waited patiently by the doorway, arms crossed, his mind half elsewhere.

When they finally returned — both ready and armed — he gave a faint smile.

Without another word, the three of them stepped outside the mansion together.

The sky shimmered faintly above, dark clouds twisting like ripples of shadow, the air heavy with the promise of what was to come.

And then, without hesitation, they left.

"As I said, it’s one of the best restaurants in the kingdom," Belle said with a grin, her tone full of excitement. "You’ll both be surprised."

"Did you go there before?" Seraphine asked curiously.

"Nope~" Belle replied, still smiling. "I only have you two anyway. Nobody else. So it’s gonna be a first for me too. I just heard people talk about it."

"What about the dragons?" Sam asked. "Since you’re the daughter of the king or whatever."

At that, Belle’s smile faded slightly, and her expression darkened.

"I... just don’t like them," she admitted quietly. "I prefer to be with you guys."

"Agreed," Seraphine said, nodding. "I understand the pressure of being someone important. I’ve felt much more free since I stopped staying around the elves so much."

Sam said nothing.

He kept walking beside them, his expression unreadable.

He couldn’t really relate to what it meant to be "important."

[We are the most important being in the realms.]

’What about the King?’ he thought.

[We are... one of the most important beings in the realms.]

’Heh.’

He didn’t comment further.

Whether important or not, it didn’t matter to him.

He was used to being alone, and if Belle and Seraphine preferred being together, that was fine.

After about an hour of walking — since Belle insisted on not using the [Kingdom Teleporter], claiming it would ruin the "surprise" — they finally reached a luxurious district.

It was packed with people from every race.

"As I said, it’s the best restaurant... and also the most popular," Belle said, grinning proudly. "Let’s go."

Sam glanced at the crowded entrance and tilted his head slightly.

He wasn’t sure how they’d manage to get in, but he didn’t really care.

They had time.

And unless he was fighting, he never really got tired anyway.

[Enjoy yourself, because...]

’Tomorrow we fight, yeah yeah,’ Sam rolled his eyes. ’I know.’

All around them, people gathered near the square — some chatting, others waiting for their turn to enter.

"Don’t worry," Belle said, turning to them. "I already reserved our spot for today. We should be fine."

And indeed, when they reached the entrance, one of the NPC attendants immediately allowed them in.

Their table was ready.

In the kingdom, no real awakeners worked service jobs.

Everything — from restaurants to shops — was handled by NPCs, artificial beings who simply carried out their roles without emotion.

It made everything smoother, easier.

Sam, Belle, and Seraphine took their seats.

Belle was practically glowing with excitement as she scanned the menu.

"Let’s order everything," she said with a grin. "Since we’re not going to come here often, might as well try it all, right?"

"True," Sam nodded, a faint smirk forming.

’Especially since I’m going to the [Seventh Zone] tomorrow,’ he thought.

They placed their order, and soon enough, the NPCs began to bring out the food — one plate after another, until the entire table was covered.

The aroma filled the air, making even Sam’s stomach rumble slightly.

It was the first time in a while that he actually felt hungry.

Once everything was served, they split the dishes evenly into three portions and began to eat.

Belle’s appetite was easily the biggest among them — unsurprising, given her dragon heritage — and she dove into her food immediately.

The meal stretched on, laughter mixing with the sound of clinking utensils.

For a brief while, everything felt normal again.

But as they were about to finish and pay, a voice broke the calm.

"Hah, I see that you’re here."

All three of them turned toward the source.

A towering man approached, his body covered in shimmering dragon scales that reflected the light.

His hair was long and black, streaked with blue and red scales along the sides of his face.

The moment Belle saw him, her expression turned dark.

Her entire body stiffened.

"Wow," the man said with a booming laugh. "Don’t glare at your old man like that. You’ll make me think you hate me."

Belle said nothing.

Her jaw tightened.

"And you’ve been spending your time not with us," he continued, glancing at Sam and Seraphine with disdain, "but with inferior beings."

Sam didn’t react.

Seraphine, however, frowned deeply.

She didn’t like that tone — the arrogance in his voice, the way he dismissed other races like they were nothing.

Even though she was considered a "saintess" among elves, she had long rejected that kind of superiority.

"Come back to us," the man said, extending a clawed hand toward Belle. "We’ll grow stronger together. We’ll rule this realm, even if we can’t complete all the missions."

Sam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

So this was how dragon royalty thought.

Many awakeners knew that completing all seven missions was almost impossible, but clearing the [Sixth Mission] alone rewarded ten million forsaken coins — enough to buy a [Forsaken Coin Generator].

That was wealth beyond measure.

Living comfortably in the kingdom for eternity wouldn’t be a problem.

"We’ll train until we can complete the [Sixth Mission]," the man said confidently, his grin sharp. "And from there... we’ll see."

Belle said nothing at first.

Then she shook her head.

"No," she said firmly, eyes blazing. "I’ll stay with my friends. I live with them."

The man’s expression changed instantly.

His gaze shifted to Seraphine — then to Sam.

And in an instant, his temper snapped.

He slammed his clawed hand down on the table, shattering it to splinters.

"You... live with these people?!" he roared. "I could understand if it was the saintess of the elves, but a male human?"

[=)]

"I’ll do whatever I want," Belle said coldly, standing up. "Let’s go."

She transferred the payment to an NPC, ignoring her father completely, and turned to leave.

Seraphine hesitated but quickly followed, her body tense.

The pressure that radiated from the man was overwhelming — enough to shake the air itself.

He was, after all, the King of the Dragons.

The strongest of their kind.

But just as Sam was about to walk past him, the man’s voice stopped him.

"No," the dragon king said, glaring. "You’re not leaving."

Sam tilted his head slightly.

"...?"

[=)]

In an instant, several dragons appeared from the sides, surrounding Sam.

Clearly, they had been waiting for this.

’Of course,’ Sam thought. ’He can’t hurt Seraphine — not the saintess of the elves — but I’m just a human. So I’m fair game.’

Still, the situation didn’t bother him.

In fact, a smile crept across his face.

Because deep down, he knew the truth — he was much stronger than them.

"You’ve been tricking my daughter, haven’t you?" the dragon king said, his voice rumbling through the hall. "And I, Alphox Draconian, won’t allow it."

[Trash name. Let’s get rid of him quickly.]

"Goddamn it, Dad," Belle muttered, glaring. "Just stop already."

"Worried about your friend?" Alphox sneered. "Don’t worry. Once I’m done with him, I’m sure you’ll come to your senses. You’ll realize that strength is everything."

But that was where Alphox was wrong.

Belle wasn’t worried about Sam.

She was worried about her father.

Sam turned to her, his expression calm but questioning — asking silently, Can I fight back?

It was still her father after all.

Sam could either end him instantly or just knock him out.

It depended on what Belle wanted.

But Belle closed her eyes and gave a small nod.

’I don’t care anymore,’ her expression said. ’These people are sick.’

[Alright, then =)]

Sam’s grin widened, his aura flickering faintly around him as he took a single step forward.

He hadn’t expected his night out to end like this.

But so be it.