World's Last Hope-Chapter 80: Moments of Peace Before the Storm

Eric could not stop the tears from falling down his face as he stuffed his mouth with food.

It had been so long since he tasted real food, not the rotten meat of some monster.

This was real food, and not only that, it was clear that it had been made by a master chef.

Eric didn’t pay attention to his surroundings as he ate, unwilling to let anything—not even the gods themselves—disrupt his meal.

The texture of the turkey skin, the vegetables that had been cooked under perfect conditions for just the right amount of time—this feast was simply out of this world.

The aroma in the air made Eric’s already starving body somehow even hungrier. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

And seeing Aria, who was sitting next to him, devouring her food with the same kind of intensity, maybe even more so, it was clear that he wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

In just a dozen minutes, the turkey was gone, not even bones were left from the masterfully cooked animal.

The plates that had held the vegetables and cheese were licked so clean that they almost looked like they had already been washed.

The apple pie was almost gone too, but it seemed Aria and Eric had finally reached their limit, unable to finish the entire pie.

Both of them leaned back in their chairs with satisfied looks on their faces.

’I feel like I’ve been reborn,’ Eric thought.

After the three days’ worth of sleep and the large amount of food he had eaten, while it didn’t completely fix his aching body, it certainly helped significantly.

It was nice having a moment or two without having to worry constantly that something was going to jump you and attack you from the back, living in the city was certainly more favourable than living in the death zone.

This began to motivate Eric even more, after all, he knew that if the city fell, then there wouldn’t be another place like this for him to rest and recharge, so he would protect it at any cost.

Even if some people would consider this a selfish reason, it wasn’t bothering him as he believed the end justified the means, especially in a situation like this.

Seeing that the youngsters had finally managed to eat their fill—enough food for about a dozen people—Gryndor coughed awkwardly to get their attention.

The next moment, he found himself pierced by their gazes.

Eric’s eyes suddenly widened as he realized that he probably didn’t make a good impression on Aria’s grandfather, seeing as how much he had stuffed his face.

’Well, making a good first impression on the family of my girlfriend is certainly out of the window now,’ he thought in regret.

Even if he had met the man before, it was different now, as before he wasn’t dating Aria, but now... it was different.

Gryndor took a deep breath, calming his aching old heart, and spoke while trying to hide his raging emotions.

"First of all, congratulations on returning from the expedition alive and well." He bowed slightly as he addressed them.

"Truthfully, Aria, when I saw that your pillar was gone, I feared the worst... I feared that I had lost my only family. I hope you can forgive me for not believing in you until the end."

The next second, Gryndor felt the embrace of his granddaughter.

"Grandpa, do not worry. We came back, and we are stronger than ever. I know that this time, we’ll be able to resist the corruption. After so long, we’ll finally be able to fight back."

Aria’s face was drenched in tears as she spoke.

Gryndor comforted his crying granddaughter, patting her head, before shifting his gaze to Eric.

"I also want to express my utmost gratitude for your actions. Not only for liberating the cathedrals but also for your speech when the Masters and Grandmasters had been gathered. You may not know it, but before you came, it felt like many of our people were on the verge of giving up. That all changed with your arrival."

Truthfully, Eric wasn’t sure how to respond, and he doubted there was even a right answer in the first place.

"I mean, it’s not like I have much choice, you know? I was sent to this world on the brink of collapse, and if it collapses, I’m gone too. So, I’ll do everything in my power to prevent that from happening."

Gryndor scoffed. "It’s good you’re honest, kid. That’s a rarity in this world. Even more impressive is that you can think far ahead. Most people just think about themselves and don’t realize that if they don’t contribute more to the city’s development, it will soon fall."

"Well, with Aria and Olivia becoming Grandmasters, I hope we’ll be able to prevent that from happening. No—we will prevent it. We won’t rely on blind hope anymore."

Gryndor smiled a little. "Huh. Spoken like a true leader, kid."

Aria, finally calm, looked at her grandfather. "So, can I take it that you’re seeing Eric in a new light, Grandfather?"

Gryndor raised an eyebrow as he replied, "Yes, sure. Why?"

Eric’s eyes widened as he suddenly sensed danger.

’Wait... she isn’t going to—’

"That’s good," Aria interrupted his thoughts, "because we’re actually dating!"

Gryndor seemed to need a second or two to process this information. Then, a moment later, he shouted in disbelief, "YOU WHAT?!"

*****

After getting up and taking a long, hot shower, Olivia stuffed her face with as much food as she could and was now staring at her uncle.

"...I’m back."

Aldemar was looking at his niece in disbelief, still struggling to process the fact that she was alive.

"...You... have gotten stronger," he said softly.

Olivia smiled at his words, then rushed in and hugged him.

Aldemar was startled for a moment—he knew his niece had always avoided physical contact with men.

Shifting his gaze, he noticed that she was slightly trembling, but even so, she didn’t let go.

"I’ve seen that there are men I don’t have to be afraid of, so... I can’t let my trauma hold me back anymore, can I?"

Aldemar couldn’t stop the tears falling from his eyes. He placed a hand on her head and smiled weakly.

’You really are strong... just like your mother...’

In that moment, nothing else mattered to Aldemar. The only thing that mattered was that his niece was alive. Everything else could wait.

In these rare moments of peace, he wanted to enjoy the feeling of being proud as an uncle.

After their heartfelt moment was over, they sat across from one another, chatting about nothing in particular. But these moments couldn’t last forever.

"After you, Aria, and Eric recover, we’ll have to gather all the Grandmasters and come up with a plan. Those are the Saints’ orders."

"So no Masters will be present, except for Eric?" she asked.

Aldemar sighed. "Yes. It seems your friend is... special."

Olivia suddenly grinned. "Oh, he’s special, all right."

Now that the moment of rest was over, it was time to have the talk about the future of the city.

As the strongest individuals in the last city, they were the ones who would decide its fate with their actions.