"Say, do you like this armor?"

Before taking a seat Cranberry turned around and asked Zombie while tilting her head and pointing at the cheastpiece he was wearing.

​​

"Not really. It's completely useless for me anyway, and it's kind of annoying to wear honestly."

The blue undead raised his brow and shrugged his shoulders.

"Good, then let me just..."

The red-haired girl nodded and grabbed onto the armor and...

*RIIIIP*

Split it in half straight from the front turning it into something akin to a rigid jacket.

"Oh, that's making it better!"

Zombie glanced down at his mostly bare torso and smirked.

"Definitely."

Cranberry agreed, looking intently at his muscular torso and even ended up putting her hands on his chiseled stomach.

"Much better."

She nodded to herself completely immersed in the act.

"Pffft...! Khahaha! Aren't you too interested in it? Weren't you the one who said that we should rest for today and pay a visit to the avatar of wrath tomorrow?"

"...!"

Zombie laughed and caressed Cranberry's face making the girl break from the trance and blush heavily.

"True, I did."

The red-haired girl muttered and stepped away.

That allowed the blue undead to take a seat by the table.

"Here."

...and right after he did, he leaned back, put his feet up at the table, and patted his lap looking expectantly at the girl.

"Even when we place our order, they will need some time to prepare it."

The blue undead explained with a bright innocent smile that could even melt an iceberg.

"Ha!"

Cranberry smirked and nodded benevolently, ending up taking the offered seat and leaned back against Zombie's chest and putting her feet up against the undead's legs, closing her eyes with satisfaction.

"...!"

To that sight what was Mary witnessed as she was done with healing the waitress.

The brown-haired heroine slowly walked back towards the table and sat down, unable to hold back from stealing envious glances at the pair on the other side.

"..."

Then she glanced at the black wolf that walked over and sat on the floor by her side - letting the white-haired Corvus slid down his back and fell on the floor like a sack of potatoes - and was obediently waiting, looking like a very polite and proper big dog.

"..."

Mary pouted, reached out her hand, and lightly pushed against him.

"Raor...? (Huh...?) Raor? (What was that about?)"

Arion tilted his head and whimpered in confusion.

"...make that timer go faster..."

Mary looked away and grumbled.

"Raor?! (Huh?!) Raor! (But that is something imposed by the system!) Raor! (You know I don't have any power over it!)"

Arion fidgeted and growled in shock.

"...hmph..."

Mary only scoffed, pouting even harder, and continued looking away from her wolf.

"Raor...! (Mary, don't be like that...!)"

Arion stepped nervously with his from paws and whimpered.

When that didn't have any effect, he put his head on the brown-haired girl's lap and look up at her making puppy-dog's eyes.

"...haa..."

Mary glanced down at him and sighed, unable to stay angry - after all, the timer she was talking about really was out of anyone's control - and started scratching the large wolf behind his ears.

"...raor... (...hehehe...)"

Arion let out a triumphant giggle while his tail was wagging like crazy.

They all placed their orders to the terrified waiter and ended up with some more time on their hands.

"Oh, right, Cranberry."

Mery perked up and looked at the red-haired girl enjoying her pleasantly cool spot to the fullest.

"Mhmm...?"

Cranberry hummed without opening her eyes.

"You seemed a bit off after we left the tower of sloth, are you better now?"

She completely disregarded the comfortable mood and asked a rather heavy question.

"Truth to be told - no. But I will manage. I am a Pride after all."

Cranberry shrugged her shoulders and answered with a weak smile that neither Mary nor Zombie had ever expected to see.

"...eh...? But...!"

"INTRUDERS OCCUPYING THE INN! IF YOU DON'T SURRENDER WE WILL GET YOU OUT BY FORCE!"

Mary's voice got drowned by a threatening shout undoubtedly amplified by some skill.

"The guards...?"

Zombie tilted his head and looked down at the red-haired girl.

"...or some overly helpful adventurers, or maybe even someone from the system's church. That trash did say something about having a brother in a high position or something."

Cranberry shrugged her shoulders with complete indifference.

"Ah. I see."

Zombie nodded and looked toward the entrance.

His whole body began glowing violet and raised his right hand up to his mouth...

"Get inside and let me have a look at you."

His low voice reverberated thorough the whole inn.

"..."

For a second, the was completely no sound coming from the outside.

Until a moment later at least three dozen of people, all pale as freshly fallen snow, entered the building in an orderly line - it was more than obvious that none of them had done it because they wanted to.

"Kneel."

*thump*

At another command all the newly arrived people dropped on the floor with the looks of absolute despair on their faces.

Most of them were obviously members of the city guards, but some were clothed in robes and big pendants that outed them as the priests of the system's faith.

To make things worse - for those new people that is - they all arrived there after learning that someone with control skill appeared in the city and they gathered as a force to get rid of them - everyone present had put many years of hard work to upgrade their MDF exactly for such situation, and that was more true for the priests than to the ex-adventurers guards.

Some of them were even maxed level and did not receive any more stat-boosting quests - clearly shoving that they have maxed out their potential.

How humiliating it was for those people to get their defenses broken through with a single sentence?

No, it wasn't even humiliating, it was straight-up scary - such strength was already on par with the avatars of sin, and now they realized that it was in the hands of a single corpse puppet that looked as if it completely wrapped its corpse puppeteer around its finger.

"Not a single one on Shiv's level? Disappointing."

The corpse puppet clicked its tongue and sighed, then it proceeded to hug its puppeteer - the red-haired girl lying on top of him - and frowned.

"Their life signatures have stagnant energy, some of them are level 99 but are still so disgustingly weak. Pathetic. Worthless. Come on, let me extinguish them."

The corpse puppet nuzzled against the girls and asked in a voice as if he was asking a friend for a handkerchief.

"No, I want to rule the world, but not an empty one, you know? Besides none of them had insulted us."

The red-haired girl shook her head and refused with a smile.

"...fine..."

The undead rolled his eyes and reluctantly agreed.

Then he glared at the kneeling people and frowned.

"If you'll see a group of adventurers with a cute blue girl griffin, don't you even think about stopping them - send them straight here."

He scoffed and shook his head.

"Now get the hell out of my sight and don't try to approach us unless you have a death wish."

He added and shooed them away with a flick of the wrist.

*RUMBLE*

That was enough of the signal to send every terrified human scrambling away fearing for their dear life.

Distinguished members of the church and the veteran guards alike were all pushing and trampling over each other just to get away faster.

Then the food arrived for the Cranberry, Mary, and Arion, and they proceed to eat it as Zombie was observing the red-haired girl with much interest.

When they finished and the trembling waiters and waitresses cleaned up their table - the door to the inn opened.

"Ha! Took you long enough!"

The red-haired Cranberry breathed out and waved her hand towards the entering group.