"Everyone, food's ready."
After preparing the phoenix meat and the rest of the dishes, Senshi called up to everyone from downstairs.
"Coming!"
The three emotionally underaged hunters upstairs—each holding a copy of Thistle's novels—immediately dropped their books and shoved each other down the stairs to eat.
Kazuma, squeezed to the rear, couldn't help but feel like he'd been thrown back to his school days…
This sudden domestic atmosphere was seriously weird!
Though he grumbled internally, everyone soon gathered at the dining table, sitting in the laps of the soulless bodies…
While Marcille did loudly complain—just as she had in the original timeline—she still begrudgingly ignored it, for fear the Immortal Bird might revive inside their stomachs.
"The ingredients you brought are excellent."
Senshi stated honestly as he served the food. "I've never seen this kind of meat before, but it's packed with nutrition… Do you normally eat meat like this?"
"We haven't been eating it for long."
Kairo Retsu counted on his fingers. "But the Felynes who help us hunt these creatures are always mindful of ecological balance!"
"After all, the most important thing for a hunter is to coexist with nature. If we destroy the balance, hunters lose all purpose."
As Kairo said this, he pulled out his chopsticks and handed a pair to Tanjiro. "Humans are inherently creatures that operate outside the basic food chain, which is why we're even more responsible for maintaining the ecosystem. It's how we survive."
"So you're from the East? Those are chopsticks, right?" Chilchuck observed Kairo and Tanjiro using them. "Now that I look closer, you guys kind of resemble Kiku… You know him?"
"We've heard of him, but we don't know him." Kairo replied, using his chopsticks to pick up a piece of phoenix meat prepared by Senshi. "Tanjiro and I just aren't used to knives and forks, that's all. Don't mind us."
Kairo's expression sharpened. "Speaking of which… Laois, did you find it downstairs? The place where the Winged Lion is sealed?"
"Ah, right, about that…"
Marcille pulled out an old book with wings embossed on its cover. "I found this! The binding matches the Mad Sorcerer's book exactly! I think this is one of the tomes sealing the Winged Lion!"
"Laois! Here you go!" Marcille handed the ancient book straight to him.
Laois paused briefly as he reached for it—but ultimately accepted the tome containing the Winged Lion's seal.
The moment he took it, an eye on the book's cover opened, its pupil forming the symbol of infinity: ∞.
"Laois, are you ready?" Kairo asked.
"I'm ready." Laois gave the book a glance, saw it wouldn't open, and passed it to Joseph Joestar.
After examining it, Joseph handed it off to the next hunter.
Each hunter took the book, thought deeply about what they desired most, then handed it to the next person.
When the last person, Tanjiro, received it, he reverently passed it to Kairo: "Guildmaster! Here you go!"
"Oh, thanks!"
Kairo stuffed another bite of Senshi's cooking into his mouth as he received the book with one hand. "Senshi's food really is amazing! If we ever get the chance… you have to meet our Granny Felyne!"
"Cooking, after all, shines brightest when chefs from different worlds share their secrets!" Kairo said as he cheerfully devoured his meal, placing the Winged Lion's tome casually on the table.
"Looks like everyone's ready."
Kairo gently tapped the tome's cover with his left index finger as he scanned everyone's faces.
At last, he smiled. "I'm ready too."
"Let's dig in! For hunters, a full stomach is the best prep for a hunt!"
After the meal, the group leaned on the soulless bodies while digesting the Immortal Bird.
Since they couldn't harm the hosts of those bodies, the Immortal Bird couldn't resurrect using fire—and was instead fully digested and destroyed.
Only after this did they begin seriously examining the book sealing the Winged Lion.
"This should be it," Kairo said, twirling the precious tome with his fingertip. "Marcille should be able to unseal it. The real question now is… how to deal with the Mad Sorcerer."
"Once the seal's broken, the Mad Sorcerer will probably notice right away and rush back. And if our 'calculations' are right, the elves should arrive here tomorrow too."
Kairo continued, "As for resolving the Falin situation—Laois already has a plan."
Laois nodded, and explained his ideas to his companions, drawing from what he recalled from the original timeline. He decided not to risk hunting rabbits again.
After all, he had plenty of ingredients—and even brought some Monster Hunter bait items, like Sleepy Meat.
"Feed Falin, give her some booze, and she'll probably fall asleep pretty quickly," Laois said. "But the Mad Sorcerer…"
"That's when we'll need the Winged Lion's help!"
Kairo set the tome down and passed it to Marcille. "Unseal the Winged Lion—and we'll handle Thistle."
"Once we do, Thistle will likely sense it and rush back with Falin in tow." Kairo explained to the Delicious in Dungeon crew, though his gaze remained fixed on Laois. "Are you sure you want to unseal it?"
"Marcille, go ahead. Unseal it now." Laois made his final decision. "Let's meet the Winged Lion."
"Alright."
Marcille accepted the tome, her hands trembling with excitement.
A possible solution to the final barrier of her ancient magic research—was now within her grasp.
She set her personally woven staff atop the book and began draining the magical seals with it.
As her incantation rang out, the staff began to sprout leaves, and the seal on the book gradually faded… until finally, the magical lock was fully unraveled.
The tome of the Winged Lion rose into the air. Giant wings unfurled from within its pages like a butterfly breaking from its cocoon—and from within, a divinely radiant lion's head emerged.
The white lion's face beamed with a human-like smile as it looked over those who had released it.
"What a bunch of desire-filled mortals you are… Hello. Pleased to meet you for the first time."