Chapter 120: The Brave Hero Sheds Tears of Humiliation!

At this moment, Hanaya Natsuki had already begun tasting the dishes in front of her.

To be honest, when she first saw the bowl of Dinuguan, she felt hesitant. As a refined young woman, the thought of eating pig blood made her a bit uncomfortable—she found it somewhat repulsive and couldn't shake the idea that it was, well, a little eerie.

But out of trust in Sui, she gave it a try.

To her surprise, the taste was incredible. Normally, pig blood carries a faintly fishy smell that most people—aside from those accustomed to it, like the Filipino—find off-putting. However, this bowl of Dinuguan was completely different. It had no trace of that unpleasant smell, replaced instead with a light, fragrant aroma that made it wonderfully delicious.

"This pig blood is amazing!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Next, she tried the pork skewers. These skewers had been roasted over Tohru's dragon fire, making the exterior crisp while keeping the inside juicy and tender. Coated with a bit of honey brewed by Sui's Combees, the flavor was simply out of this world.

The moment Natsuki took a bite, sweet juices burst forth, and the pork was so tender that she almost bit her tongue.

"This is incredible!" she declared, her eyes widening in delight.

The accompanying bone broth was just as satisfying, rich and flavorful.

Seeing how much Natsuki was enjoying her meal, the other guests grew impatient.

"Boss, give me the same order!" one called out.

"Me too!" another quickly followed.

"Alright, please wait a moment," Sui said with a smile.

Tohru was quick on the grill, and with a puff of her dragon fire, the pork skewers were ready in no time.

"Sui, I want some too!" Kanna chimed in eagerly, her eyes wide.

"Here you go," Sui said, handing her two skewers.

Kanna immediately calmed down once she had something to eat. After finishing her meal, she curled up on the front counter and dozed off, looking just like one of those lucky cats you'd see in shops.

Tohru served the guests their meals while the store buzzed with excitement.

"This pig blood is out of this world!" one customer exclaimed.

"And this pork! I've never had pork this good before!" another added, his mouth full.

As the customers devoured their meals, they could hardly contain their delight. It was as if the flavors were so delicious that they could swallow their tongues.

"Boss, what kind of pork is this? Where did you get it?" one of the guests asked, looking at Sui curiously.

Seeing someone ask, the rest of the customers turned their attention to Sui as well. Most of them had seen their fair share of pork in the market and could tell this wasn't ordinary pork. In fact, it was better than even the finest pork in the world. Such high-quality meat was not easy to come by.

Up until now, many customers had thought Sui was just a young man with extraordinary cooking skills, but now they realized that he must have access to some truly rare and precious ingredients. Otherwise, how could he serve such amazing food?

In response to their questions, Sui simply smiled. He couldn't exactly tell them that this pork had come from another world.

Soon, the day's limited stock of dishes sold out completely, with the newly introduced Dinuguan and pork skewers receiving rave reviews. They were gone almost as soon as they were put on the menu.

As Sui escorted the last customer to the door, he noticed a red-haired girl standing there, trying to blend into the shadows.

"Hey, aren't you... you know, that person?" Sui asked, recognizing her. "What are you doing here?"

Emi, startled at being caught, froze for a moment.

"Y-Yes, it's me!" she stammered before regaining her composure. "Didn't I tell you? I'll always be watching you," she said with a forced sneer, trying to make it seem like she'd wanted him to notice her.

However, her stomach had other plans. It growled loudly, betraying her cool demeanor.

The once proud and dignified hero suddenly found herself blushing with embarrassment. She had been lurking outside all evening, smelling the delicious food while enduring the chilly autumn wind. Now her stomach was grumbling loudly from hunger.

Sui sighed, looking at the persistent hero. "I've told you before, I'm not the Demon King."

"You're still denying it! You reek of the same evil as that dragon next to you! You must be part of the dragon clan!" Emi snapped back, clearly unconvinced.

Sui was left speechless. He could only assume that the lingering dragon scent came from his having absorbed dragon cells. And in their world, Tohru was indeed considered part of the evil dragon clan.

"Alright, forget it. Why don't you come inside and sit for a while? You've been standing outside all night—you must be freezing."

Sui's offer was genuine. It was late autumn, and Emi was still wearing her thin uniform and high heels, visibly shivering in the cold.

"My body is strong, and I don't need your pity," Emi replied, trying to sound tough, though another cold gust made her tremble, and she sneezed involuntarily.

"...Well, if you insist. Excuse me for intruding," she finally mumbled, giving in.

Sui: "…"

"Not that I'm accepting your charity!" she added hastily. "But if I catch a cold, I won't be able to work tomorrow."

The once heroic figure had now been reduced to a regular employee concerned about missing work.

"I see," Sui said, shaking his head with a chuckle.

He headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner for himself and Tohru. Tonight's meal was especially hearty: three large plates of steaming pork fried rice, a big platter of pork skewers, a bowl of bone broth, and juice for everyone—a truly lavish feast.

"Do you want to join us for dinner?" Sui asked, glancing at Emi.

"Hmph! As a hero, I refuse to accept food from the Demon King!" Emi declared, though her eyes betrayed her hunger. Pulling out a cold piece of bread she'd bought earlier, she began nibbling on it, trying to ignore the mouthwatering smells around her.

"Oh well," Sui said with a shrug as he sat down to eat with Tohru and Kanna.

"Kanna, over here!" Sui called, tossing a piece of meat across the room. Kanna darted over and swallowed it in one gulp.

"Kanna, catch this!" he called again, throwing another piece, which she quickly caught.

Emi watched them in silence, biting into her stale bread. Suddenly, the bread tasted especially bitter.

'Why is my life worse than a pet's? No, even worse than a dragon's!' she thought angrily.

"I'm serious. You really don't want to eat with us?" Sui asked again. "Can you honestly say that bread is enough to fill you up?"

"None of your business!" Emi snapped, but deep inside, a voice was urging her to give in. 'If I just surrendered, I could have a hot, delicious meal...'

'No! I'm a hero! I can't surrender to the Demon King!' she mentally resisted, though the aroma wafting from the table next to her was incredibly tempting.

Ultimately, Emi couldn't resist. Tears of humiliation welled up in her eyes.

'I'm sorry, Mom. I gave in to the devil.'

_____

[A-N: I can't write explicit scenes, but I can share some adult images of the girls, and you can let your imagination fill in the rest.

It's on my discord so you can join me if you want. https://discord.com/invite/98tt3ygY

I will also post the images of the dishes there for better quality.

Ps; The girls I mention are about the girls in the story.]