Chapter 531: Weigh the pros and cons
"What the hell? Don’t tell me that the chefs of that restaurant are them?" exclaimed Idan to himself, watching the two little girls who hugged Edgar tightly on both sides.
His gaze shifted from the girls to Edgar, who was being hugged by them.
"Hey, boy," — Idan called Edgar, but Edgar didn’t immediately realize that this slightly intimidating guest was addressing him.
"Ahem," the man in black coughed, drawing Idan’s attention to himself.
"May I know who you are, mister?" the man asked Idan.
"Ah, sorry I didn’t introduce myself right away," Idan replied, briefly distracting himself from Edgar.
"I am the Duke of Madness, the most loyal and devoted follower of our Queen," Idan introduced himself a little fanatically, entering the image of a Mad Follower to separate him from his other personalities.
The Ghost Mask on his face, although it looked like an ordinary mask with a wide smile, allowed him to change his voice, and no one would be able to recognize Idan, Ethan, or Ignis in it.
"Hey, boy," — Idan said again after introducing himself.
"Mr...." — the man in black started to speak, but Idan raised his index finger, calling him to silence.
The man in black frowned, but decided to keep quiet and observe what this Kingdom Guild member wanted.
Edgar finally realized that this man, who called himself the Duke of Madness, was addressing him.
"Are you talking to me?" — Edgar asked, pointing at himself.
"Yes, yes, you’re the one being hugged by those two little girls," Idan confirmed, nodding. "Tell me, are you the chef of a restaurant called Moonlit Spoon?"
Hearing the question, Edgar became worried, as did Ashley and Emily, who hugged him tighter.
"Yes, it’s me," Edgar thought for a moment, decided not to hide it and confessed.
"Ahahahaha," Idan burst out laughing, surprising everyone.
"Are you the one who almost drugged the good guy with your food today?" By saying this, Idan was referring to Ignis, another version of himself.
Idan was laughing at himself to some extent.
Back then, in the form of Ignis, he was not enthusiastic about the dish and, perhaps, even felt disappointed. However, looking at the young man and the two silver-ranked girls, Idan decided to reconsider his assessment.
He realized that the three of them didn’t have much experience in cooking, but they managed to create something that at least caught his attention.
"Most likely, the drugging effect is the work of these little succubus girls," Idan thought.
But then his laughter stopped abruptly.
"Tell me, chef boy, are these frightening and mysterious armed men your guards?"—Idan did not dismiss the suspicion that Edgar might be somehow connected with these men in black.
"What? No!" — Edgar quickly shook his head.
"Yes, yes, the smiling scary mister, we are not familiar with them," Ashley confirmed the words of her older brother, and her older sister Emily nodded, confirming her words.
"Well, Mr. Black Suit, it looks like we have a conflict of interest here," Idan said to the man in the black suit.
"You know, our Queen has been showing great interest in cooking lately," Idan began, happily sharing his observations of Arabel’s fascination with cooking in the new world.
"And I must say, the Queen’s cooking is simply amazing," Idan noted with sincere pride, sparing no words to describe Arabel’s culinary talents.
"You’ll just lick your fingers," he added with a slight smile, exaggerating slightly, as befits a fanatic.
"Today, after receiving a message from the Duke of Light Ignis, the chefs from this restaurant caught her attention," Idan continued.
"I don’t know if you are aware of this, but our Kingdom Guild maintains friendly relations with the Queens Guild. Our Queen personally contacted Queen Irene when she learned about the upcoming operation and asked the chefs of this restaurant to be delivered to her when it became known that he was also on their list of targets."
"And as I see it, you’re just as interested in these chefs as our Queen," Idan added.
All this time, the man’s face, hidden behind a demon mask, was frowning. They couldn’t have imagined that things would turn out this way.
They had already come into conflict with the Queens Guild, and now, after hearing about the close connection of another mysterious Guild with this Guild, as well as the fact that this Guild had the same goals as theirs, the man began to weigh the pros and cons.
Should we come into conflict with the Guilds or just abandon the task and retreat? In both cases, their organization will face problems and consequences. He had to choose the option that would cause them the least harm.
Remembering the identity of the initiator of their quest, the man in black did not hesitate for long.
"Let them go," he said, addressing his people, having decided not to enter into conflict with the Guilds.
His instincts, honed in battle, told him not to come into conflict with the Awakened One standing in front of him. Moreover, they have already revealed their existence. The effect of surprise has been lost, and the Awakened Ones, realizing that they have the means to deal with them, will take appropriate measures in the near future, and it is better for them not to conflict with them.
His words were heard without a shadow of doubt, and the guards parted, giving Edgar and the girls the opportunity to leave.
Only Edgar and the girls weren’t thrilled with what was happening.
First they were captured by members of the Queens Guild, then this group was attacked by a mysterious armed group, and now they are in the hands of another, third, and even more mysterious force. And it all happened within a short time.
This did not lessen their anxiety.
"Retreat," the man in black ordered, and the other men began to retreat quickly.
The man himself lingered for a while, looked at the injured girls from the Guild of Queens, and finally looked at Idan in the guise of the Duke of Madness, and left last.
"Eh..." sighed Idan, slightly disappointed as he watched the mysterious group’s rapid retreat.
The desire to fight, caused by the influence of the Energy of Madness, had not disappeared, it still tormented him from the inside. And he had a suspicion that it wouldn’t go away by itself, and he needed to dispel it somehow. And to do this, he needed to find someone who would help him cope with this task.