Alioth nodded as he obeyed. Calmly, he opened the doors of the establishment.
All variety of smells suddenly enveloped him. Those delicious fragrances opened the boy's appetite.
It smelled the same as when his mother prepared stew, though stronger and with more variety.
"Smells appetizing," the boy said as he entered.
A current of crimson spirits emerged from the fireplace, rushing toward the exit and enveloping him in the process.
It was a common reaction. Alioth called it thermal reaction.
When a certain amount of fire spirits, also called warm spirits by Alioth, remain in a closed room, they accumulate.
However, they will escape whenever they have the chance, seeking thermal equilibrium.
Something very similar to what happened on Earth.
"How strange," a voice then said, pulling Alioth from his reflections.
It was Lisbeth.
"The atmosphere feels dull, don't you think, Nora?" the girl said, turning toward her.
The blonde snorted listlessly. She seemed to be in a bad mood.
Alioth scanned the tavern with his gaze. The establishment was spacious, made mainly of wood and rock.
On the seats were some people eating lazily. Most of them were fairies and demons.
Alioth noticed a beast-man sitting in a corner. He was intimidating, practically looking like a bear that had been put in armor.
However, the bear had a lost look. He seemed depressed.
In front of him rested an appetizing-looking suckling pig. The skin was golden and crispy, but the inside looked juicy. The white-haired boy's mouth watered just looking at it.
However, that enormous bear, who surely needed to eat ten times more than a normal person to survive, was in front of that delicacy without even being fazed.
'Without a doubt, something strange is happening here.'
The boy deduced.
Then, a door opened.
It was an area on the second floor, which could be accessed through a spiral staircase.
From it came a woman who left the boy quite perplexed.
She was an identical copy of Tata, except for one small detail: that woman was younger, taller, prettier, and had a better body than the market woman.
The rest of the details like eye and hair color, even the mole on her cheek, were completely identical.
She was like a younger, more beautiful version of Tata.
"Aunt Betty!" Lisbeth then exclaimed.
Apparently, just seeing auras didn't prevent her from recognizing people.
"Oh, my children, how good that you returned!" the woman said as she descended the stairs hastily.
Alioth noticed some concern in the woman's voice, which made him a bit tense.
Caligo stuck closer to Alioth upon seeing a woman approaching them hastily, though she passed by to reach Nora and Lisbeth.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" the woman exclaimed while hugging the two forcefully.
Alioth couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.
'I also want to be hugged like that by a woman with great busona— personality, yes, personality.'
The boy thought to himself. No one could deny Betty's charms.
"P-please not so tight," Lisbeth said with a choked voice. "I can't breathe."
Upon hearing those words, Betty moved away from the girls with a nervous giggle.
"I'm sorry, I got carried away," she apologized, then began to inspect them. "You're okay, right? Nothing happened to you? Nora is quieter than usual. Did something happen?"
The woman asked, returning to her frantic attitude. Though she was calmed by Lisbeth.
"Yes, don't worry, aunt. We're fine," the demon responded with a calm attitude. "But what's wrong? You look very agitated."
Upon saying that, Betty's gaze darkened. Which made Lisbeth also become more serious.
"Well... You see. Is my sister here? I need to talk to her," the woman said. Her honey-colored eyes shone with intensity.
Latisha nodded, somewhat confused and worried at the same time.
"She's picking up the things from the market. She'll be back right away," the demon responded calmly.
Betty's gaze directed toward the door and then returned to them. Her brow furrowed slightly. She seemed to be having an internal debate.
'What could be happening?'
Alioth wondered. That whole situation had him very intrigued.
That's when Nora decided to speak.
"Where are Regulus and Ruth?" she asked.
Her voice was subdued, but her gaze sharpened, as if she had noticed something important.
Upon hearing that, Betty made a grimace, as if that topic were delicate.
One didn't need to be too smart to know where the situation was heading.
"They... Mmm, it's complicated," the woman began, as if it were extremely difficult for her to give an answer.
Upon seeing that, Lisbeth delicately took Betty's hand in hers.
"You don't need to worry. If something happened, don't hesitate to tell us," she said with a soft and reassuring voice.
Betty sighed, yielding to the girl's words.
"Alright, come with me," the brown-haired woman said as she began to walk.
Alioth remained still, somewhat uncomfortable with the situation. He was curious to see what was happening, but didn't want to seem nosy.
Fortunately, Lisbeth remembered Alioth.
"By the way, Betty, these are Caligo and Alioth. We met them at the market," the girl explained. "Alioth, Caligo, this is our aunt Betty, Tata's sister."
Alioth relaxed with the demon's words, while bowing slightly forward.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Betty," the boy introduced himself with a polite tone.
The woman looked at him and tried to force a cheerful smile, though it seemed to cost her to do so due to how worried she was.
"It's a pleasure, little one. I'm sorry we're meeting under these conditions," she said with a bitter smile.
Alioth shook his head.
"Don't worry, ma'am. Thank you for receiving us," he responded formally.
'Better to be polite. After all, manners make the man, and I can't make Anansi look bad.'
Betty's smile curved into a more genuine one.
"I see you're a very polite boy. You've been raised well."
Alioth nodded, though before he could respond, Nora interrupted again.
"Aunt, weren't you going to take us to Regulus and Ruth?" she asked dryly. Her sharp gaze hid suspicion and concern in equal parts.
At Nora's insistence, Betty sighed and nodded slowly, leading them all to the upper floor.
"W-well, here it is," the woman said, with clear doubt on her face.
They were in front of a wooden door, which was opened at that very moment, revealing a sleeping room.
It was quite spacious and had several beds, with a chest in front of each one.
That's when they saw it.
"Brother!" Nora exclaimed with concern.
In front of them, still in bed, was a boy a bit younger than Alioth.
He had golden hair and eyes, though what stood out most about his appearance were his lion ears, though one of them was torn.
The poor boy had a bruised face and a bandaged body. Upon seeing them, his eyes filled with tears.
"I-I... I'm sorry," he said with a trembling voice. "I couldn't stop them from taking her... I couldn't stop them from taking Ruth."