"Hahaha… the food's here!"
Fushe strode over, all four arms occupied with steaming dishes, each plate piled high with exquisite food.
Yingda clutched her chopsticks, hopping in place, drool practically spilling from the corner of her mouth.
"Food! Food! Food!"
Minu stared so intently that his saliva might as well have been a waterfall.
By contrast, Bonanus and Xiao remained composed.
Bonanus was simply gentle by nature—
and Xiao…
Xiao was waiting for something specific.
The moment almond tofu appeared—
Xiao's stoic Adeptus composure instantly shattered.
His eyes lit up, pupils widening as both hands reached out helplessly, waving in the air.
"—Tofu… give me the tofu!"
This was the only moment Xiao ever let himself go.
The others merely watched, expressions filled with long-standing familiarity.
Centuries ago, Cael had ruined Xiao completely—
a cold, aloof warrior on the outside, yet a hopeless almond-tofu addict within.
The Feast
Once everyone was seated, Fushe raised his voice:
"Alright—eat!"
Five hungry Yakshas immediately dove in, devouring the food like starving spirits.
Bonanus and Fushe exchanged helpless smiles.
"Xiao," Bonanus said gently,
"no one's stealing your almond tofu."
"Mm. Delicious."
"..."
Old Times
After eating for a while, conversation naturally began.
Fushe spoke first.
"How have you all been these past few years?"
They rarely gathered like this—
usually too busy, passing each other only briefly day after day.
Moments like this were rare.
"Same old," Yingda sighed, resting her chin on her hand.
"Work, work, work. It's exhausting."
Everyone more or less agreed.
Then Minu paused, remembering something.
"Hey… remember that kid who used to come looking for you every day?
The one who kept saying he wanted to marry you?"
Yingda stiffened.
That boy—
saved during a mission long ago—
had fallen in love with her at first sight, pestering her endlessly with awkward proposals.
She exhaled quietly.
"He joined the Millelith," she said.
"A year ago… his family told me he died in the Chasm."
"…."
Minu internally slapped himself.
"Damn it… my mouth really is cursed."
Xiao spoke calmly.
"I know. The situation was critical.
He gave his escape chance to others."
"…."
The silence deepened.
Xiao tilted his head slightly.
"…Was that wrong to say?"
Bonanus quickly intervened.
"My turn!" she said, forcing a smile.
"I've collected 379 Agarest figurines so far!"
"Oh?" Fushe laughed.
"That's a lot more than before."
Yingda then asked quietly,
"Do you think… the current Lord Agarest is the same as before?"
No one answered immediately.
Without seeing him with their own eyes, there was no way to know.
Bonanus blushed and spoke softly.
"I believe Lord Agarest is still the same…
No matter how he's changed, he's still our savior.
I… I still admire him."
Before Yingda could respond—
A familiar voice echoed from another table.
"Boss! Golden Shrimp Balls and Adeptus' Temptation!"
The tone.
The voice.
The Five Yakshas froze.
They turned as one.
At a distant table sat Cael, casually ordering food.
"…Lord Agarest?"
Shock rippled through them.
Bonanus turned bright red, completely flustered.
Eyes Meet
Cael felt a chill down his spine.
"…Huh? Why do I feel like I'm being stared at?"
He turned.
And froze.
Yingda.
Bonanus.
Minu.
Fushe.
Xiao.
The Five Yakshas—
all alive, all whole, and free of karmic corruption.
Cael immediately understood.
Yeah… this was definitely my past self's doing.
Seeing them hurriedly look away, he couldn't help smiling.
"…That's kind of adorable."
He stood and walked over.
The Yakshas stiffened.
He's coming over—!
Cael stopped in front of their table, hands on his hips.
"So… why is everyone staring at me?"
Yingda panicked instantly.
"Ah—well—uh—that is—no—definitely not—!"
"I may have lost my memories," Cael said calmly,
"but I'm not an idiot."
The Yakshas froze—then stood as one.
"Welcome back—Lord Agarest!"
Cael sighed helplessly.
"No need for that.
Right now, I'm Cael.
If you must, just call me Mr. Cael."
"…Understood!"
Cael looked at them, eyes soft.
"You're the Five Yakshas, right?"
"Seeing all of you alive… makes me happy."
The room went silent.
Those words—
To anyone else, they would sound wrong.
But to them…
Bonanus and Minu remembered the day they nearly killed each other—
their karmic debt raging out of control—
when Cael appeared and erased it all.
His first words then were the same:
"I'm glad you're alive."
Yingda remembered losing herself to madness, ready to self-destruct—
when Cael held her, endured the corruption in her place, and said:
"I'm glad you're alive."
Fushe remembered losing his mind entirely—
and hearing those exact words afterward.
As for Xiao—
When the torment finally ended, when his body collapsed—
Cael had held him and whispered:
"You've suffered enough."
That was the moment Xiao swore eternal loyalty—
to Agarest, and to Morax.
The Five Yakshas said nothing.
They didn't need to.