Leon's hand paused mid-turn over the skewers, then went right back to focusing on his work without batting an eye.
He shrugged, putting on an utterly indifferent air.
"Margaret, you're beautiful."
Margaret: "..."
Laurier, beside her: "..."
Both of them parted their lips slightly in unison, eyes glazing over. They never imagined this man could be so shameless!
Margaret had literally just been calling him a "scumbag"!
Faced with that fastball of a cheesy line, Margaret went red in the face on the spot, flustered.
"Y-y-y-you... what are you spouting in front of Laurier! And, and and and! Don't, don't think I can't tell that's some hick country pickup line, hmph!"
She flung the bundle of firewood in her arms off to the side and, with hurried steps and a racing heart, fled toward where Rose and the others were, leaving only a flustered retreating figure behind.
Watching Margaret cling tightly to Iri's arm and whisper to her, sneaking glances at him now and then only to dart her eyes away the instant they met his, her whole face flushed with embarrassment and irritation, Leon's lips curved into a meaningful little arc.
"Leon, that smile of yours is really scary right now!"
"What would a little brat like you know! You still want grilled skewers or not?"
"Ngh...!"
...
Time drifted slowly by amid everyone's laughter and chatter.
As Leon poured his soul into them, the aroma of the skewers finally spread out!
At the same time, the various dishes Rose had carefully prepared came to the table one after another, a dazzling spread covering the long table.
At her call, everyone gathered around the blazing bonfire. Some chatted excitedly, some studied each dish with curiosity, every face written over with eager anticipation.
At that point Leon stood up together with Jeanne and Rose, raised the chilled orange fruit wine in his cup, and spoke with a smile.
"Everyone!"
"To welcome Margaret into this big family of ours, cheers!"
"Cheers!" the rest echoed.
...
"Here, Margaret!"
"The way you joined the Familia was a little unusual, but I've gotta say... it might be a shortcut! A toast to you!"
...
"Margaret, try this! Icy white grape wine brewed by Goddess Demeter herself, you can't find it on the market for love or money!"
"One sip isn't nearly enough. Come on, bottoms up!"
...
"That's right, just like that, Margaret!"
"With strong liquor like this you should mix in some juice to cut it, makes the whole thing smoother going down!"
"Here, cheers!"
...
Glug, glug, glug...
As all sorts of assorted drinks went down her throat, Margaret's eyes shifted, without her noticing, from clear to a faintly tipsy state, cheeks flushed and gaze hazy. By the time she'd drunk herself fuzzy-headed, she simply let her reserve go and reverted to her true nature, nestling into Leon's arms, draping herself around his neck and acting coy while tossing back cup after cup.
Watching the wine slip from the corner of her lips, run down her pale slender neck past those delicate collarbones, and finally vanish into the valley below, Leon's arm around her waist tightened a fraction, a glint of interested heat in his eyes.
"Wouldn't have guessed it, Margaret, you can really hold your drink."
"Hmph, hmph! D-d-don't go... looking down on people~~!"
On the other side of the bonfire.
Rose watched the two of them pressed together, a meaningful little smile rising at the corner of her mouth.
By contrast, there sat Jeanne, eyelids lowered, quietly off to the side, the wine cup in her hand creaking under her grip.
"Bastard, scumbag...!"
Rose: "..."
...
...
The bonfire party in the snow was a roaring success.
Both the array of refined dishes Rose had prepared and the skewers Leon grilled himself earned full marks from everyone.
Strange to say, ever since Leon mastered the Monster Hunter Special recipe, his skill at making food had inexplicably started to climb, and by now, while the pure flavor wasn't much different from before, the odd thing was... the food he made seemed able to cross the boundaries of race.
Humans, and even the perpetually picky elf Aura, couldn't stop praising his cooking. Even spicy fare like grilled skewers, which elves usually didn't care for, was unexpectedly well received.
As everyone knows, elves have always favored vegetarian food, mountain spring water, and light flavors.
But with Leon, all of that changed.
More precisely, this change had only started to gradually show itself recently.
He sat beside the leaping bonfire, sipping the orange fruit wine Persephone had sent over, brewed by Goddess Demeter's own hand. His gaze drifted slowly after the figures of Iri and Margaret, woozily clinging to each other and swaying on their feet, but his mind was on the strange change in his cooking.
Is the Falna's effect starting to kick in? When I hit Lv.5, odds are there'll be a cooking ability among the Development Abilities I get... otherwise there's no real way to explain that strange sense that flows naturally through the cooking process.
Only some strange Development Ability could account for it.
"Leon~~~~, carry me!"
Looking at Iri and Margaret reaching out both hands toward him, faces flushed, eyes alluring and hazy, little tongues flicking out to lick their red lips, Leon's throat bobbed.
He shot a glance at Jeanne, who was being pulled away by a beaming Rose but still had her cold eyes locked dead on him.
Leon stopped hesitating.
He stepped forward, and didn't even bother carrying them properly.
He just hauled the two beauties roughly over his shoulders like sacks of grain.
"Hah... let, let me go, carry me!"
Leon held on to the two pairs of legs kicking and struggling against him, and grinned at the dumbstruck Laurier.
"Girl, that idea of yours to throw a party, not bad!"
"I'll mark that down as a job well done!"
With that, he strode off toward the second-floor bedroom.
Leaving Laurier alone, a mess in the wind and snow.
"Heh heh."
Aura, who was clearing away the aftermath, noticed her stunned friend and gave two cold chuckles.
"Quit spacing out, get over here and work!"
"O-oh, oh oh oh..."
...
On the other side.
Jeanne, "burning with jealousy," was being clamped down tight by Rose and Kureha, who at the same time kept her mouth firmly covered. They were terrified she'd act on impulse and throw herself into the heated battlefield of Leon and his two companions.
Of course, it wasn't that they feared Jeanne joining in would spoil Leon's fun. It was that they feared Jeanne would be like a meat bun thrown at a dog, gone and never coming back!
Having personally experienced Leon's terrifying stamina, Rose and Kureha knew full well that never mind two flying wing to wing, even with a three-pronged assault, the final victor would still be Leon!
All that can be said is...
The Demon Lord's Crest just keeps proving its worth!
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