Unholy Player - Chapter 468

Chapter 468: A Peaceful Meal
The meal started a little stiff.

Marielle and the others had already eaten their fill earlier, so now they only lifted their forks occasionally, taking small, polite bites from their plates purely as a gesture of respect. They moved in a controlled, almost ceremonial way, just so that Zephan and his people wouldn’t feel weird about being the only ones eating.

On the other hand, Zephan and his Elders were careful with every move. They cut their meat into small, even pieces, chewed slowly, and held themselves with calm grace. They knew how they looked in front of a powerful Lady from the Central Region and the Humans who ruled this place so well that even something as simple as lifting a fork became part of the image they had to keep.

Adyr was the only exception at the table.

He simply ate.

He did not shovel food like a starving beast, but he did not bother to pretend either.

His movements were quick and effective, but they still had a natural grace, like how he turned his wrist and sat straight and calm while he ate with steady bites. When he finished, he did not hesitate to ask for more, letting the servants refill his plate as he aimed to satisfy his evolved stomach and fully meet his body’s nutritional and protein needs.

Since his 3rd evolution, he had noticed a strange change. He did not feel hunger gnawing at him as often as before; the sharp emptiness that once came after long hours of not eating rarely appeared now.

Yet when he did sit down to eat, his body demanded large quantities of food to keep functioning at full capacity, as if a furnace inside him needed to be kept constantly supplied to maintain its peak output.

His bloodline talents only made this burden heavier.

They placed constant strain on his body, draining stamina whenever he used them. Malice and Grace were not simple tricks or passive blessings; they were forces that bent his flesh and energy in ways normal Practitioners never experienced.

Even Grace, which is known for its healing and calming glow, quietly used up his reserves in the background.

Because of that, regular meals alone were not enough.

He had to consume high-nutritional-value capsules on a schedule, dense pellets of compressed sustenance that the Researchers had recently developed for those like him—Practitioners, or ‘Players’ as Humans called them—who pushed their bodies far beyond ordinary limits.

They were not delicious, but they were efficient, and they ensured that his body stayed supplied even when he had no time to sit at a table like this.

After eating and finishing his 11th serving, Adyr finally slowed down. His shoulders loosened a little, his gaze softened by a fraction, and for the first time since the meal began, he looked genuinely satisfied.

“How is it? We may not be known for our cuisine, but it should be quite to your taste, no? ” Adyr asked, turning his attention toward Zephan.

Zephan finished chewing the last piece of tender, seasoned meat in his mouth. He swallowed, took a brief breath, and then spoke with clear appreciation.

“I must admit, the taste is foreign, not like any dishes from our culture, but at the same time fascinating and magical.”

His praise was not empty politeness.

The meal in front of him truly was the best the Humans could currently offer. They had gathered their finest chefs, moved them to the Beyond, and even created a specialized division of Researchers whose only responsibility was to design and prepare meals worthy of their honored guests.

Every dish on the table was the result of careful trial, adjustment, and experimentation meant to accommodate non-human physiology while still displaying Human culinary skill.

The variety of spices alone was something almost alien to Zephan. For him and any Lunari, their usual food was simple and clean. They ate their meals plain, with even salt used rarely and lightly.

Their culture valued the purity of the ingredient itself, so their palates had been shaped by centuries of subtle, almost bare flavors. Now, each bite here had layers of flavor that came out on his tongue: heat, sharpness, warmth, a hint of bitterness, and a faint sweetness that stayed with him. It felt less like eating a simple meal and more like doing some harmless form of alchemy.

Even with such a difference, they still found themselves genuinely enjoying this foreign taste.

“I’m glad you liked it.” Adyr smiled, then raised his hand slightly.

Seeing his signal, Henry called the servants. They entered quietly, trained not to interrupt the conversation, and quickly cleared the empty plates before replacing them with new ones.

Once again, in a matter of seconds, the atmosphere of the table shifted.

Now the table was covered with a spread of colorful sweet and salty snacks: neatly cut bite-sized pastries, crisp crackers, small glazed pieces of dried fruit, and unfamiliar shapes made from Beyond ingredients adjusted to Human recipes.

Alongside them, steaming cups of fragrant tea were placed in front of each guest. A soft, calming aroma began to permeate the room, a blend of earthy leaves and faint floral notes, quietly washing over everyone and easing any tension that remained.

When the last glass was set down and the final servant stepped out, closing the door behind him, the room finally felt sealed and private. The sounds from outside faded until only the quiet clink of porcelain and the soft rustle of clothing remained.

Adyr lifted his cup, took a slow sip, and then spoke. “This Blood Path, can I ask how much you know about it? ”

His tone was casual, almost light, like he was asking about the weather or some minor Lunari custom. However, the effect was immediate. Zephan’s face tightened, the muscles around his eyes narrowing slightly, and his Elders responded similarly, their expressions becoming slightly heavier.

Across the table, Henry and Rhys both widened their eyes.

They were not ignorant of what “Path” meant in this world, and the way Adyr brought up something called the Blood Path at a moment like this made their thoughts race. They did not yet know the details, but they understood enough to feel that the topic was dangerous.

Before answering, Zephan’s first instinct was to check on Marielle.

He shifted his gaze slightly, watching her from the corner of his eye.

She sat perfectly still, holding her cup with one hand and sipping her tea as if the conversation had nothing to do with her. There was no change in her expression, she didn’t tense up, and she didn’t even show the slightest bit of interest. That simple indifference relaxed Zephan more than any spoken reassurance could have.

If she was not alarmed or started looking down on them, then at least this conversation would not immediately spiral into a political disaster.

Even so, it was a matter that should have remained a secret. If anyone in the Outer Region learned that the Lunari were cursed because of a blasphemous act in their past and that their ancestors had followed an unknown and taboo Path, it would stain their royal line and shake their entire race’s reputation. It would be a scandal, a disgrace, and a weapon in the hands of their enemies.