Chapter 105 - PARADISE

Paradís Hotel was a five stars hotel in the city. It was the most luxurious hotel in Serein City.

The name itself meant "paradise," and it indeed possessed a heavenly atmosphere. In religion, paradise was a place of exceptional happiness and delight, a land of luxury and fulfillment.

Jan Bruegel the Younger's painting titled "Paradise" showed that paradise was a peaceful and delightful place. A land full of green trees and various animals, and there was also a transpicuous river as the source of life.

A scene where there was no worry, no fear, and only filled with happiness. The colorful animals looked delighted in the painting. They could enjoy the "paradise" without worry.

Paradís Hotel also showed the same atmosphere. The hotel was decorated to copy the paradise in the painting.

The wall was made of glasses, making it possible for the sun rays to penetrate the spacious room. There were trees in every corner. The green trees could live there thanks to the sun that helped them doing photosynthesis.

There were also many animal statues and miniatures to add to the pleasing atmosphere. There was a fountain in the lobby, showcasing a wonderful water show with its natural calming sound. There were also some ponds on the sides, and each pond was full of various fish and turtles.

Those sceneries were amazing, but the real star in the hotel was a giant waterfall on the ground floor. Yeah, it was an indoor waterfall.

The ground floor's ceiling was so high, probably around 8 meters, so it was possible to make an artificial waterfall on the ground floor. That spot was the real attention catcher in the hotel.

The hotel was like a fantasy world that was so different than the real world outside.

Other than those attractions, Paradís Hotel was also famous for its luxurious restaurant. It was Diamante restaurant on the 38th level, a Michelin-recommended restaurant.

Just like the name that meant "diamond," the interior and furniture were so majestic and sumptuous. The restaurant was full of crystal. From its cutlery to its chandelier, all was made of crystal. It was dominated by white and gold colors, adding to the splendid atmosphere inside the restaurant.

The glorious atmosphere was indeed not ordinary, and ordinary people probably wouldn't get the chance to enjoy the opulence.

Yeah, just like four ordinary people, who were invited to have dinner in the luxurious restaurant. They were Kevin Beischel, Kris Allaband, Blue Allaband, and Jack Madris. They wore formal attires, but they seemed uncomfortable in those attires.

"Are you guys not comfortable eating in this restaurant? We can move to another restaurant if you're uncomfortable."

A firm voiced broke the silence. The four people turned to an old man sitting in a wheelchair. He was Derek Dawson, a former General who helped Selena Beischel defeat Joseph Beischel in the war.

It was the last day in 2038, and the war between mankind and werewolves ended ten days ago. After the war ended, the former General invited the four people to have dinner with him. The former General acknowledge those four youngsters as heroes in the war.

"It's okay, Sir. You've booked this whole restaurant for us. It will be a waste if we move to another restaurant," Kevin hastily answered the former General's question.

Yeah, that was right. The elderly man had booked the whole restaurant just for them. He said that he wanted to celebrate the new year together with them since he was no longer had family in this world. The youngsters felt bad for him, so they complied with his wish.

The former General was no longer young, probably the same age as Selena and Joseph Beischel. He had aged, but his big build was still prominent. It was certain that his body was full of muscles when he was young, but now he looked flabby.

He lost all muscles, but he didn't look overweight and was still well-proportioned. He lost all his hair, and now his head was bald, but it didn't lessen his charm at all. His eyes behind the pair of glasses were still looked sharp, and he didn't seem to be weak at all.

The older man smiled when he heard the young scientist answer. He was about to speak again, but two waitresses came to their table and put down some appetizers for them.

There were the popular bruschetta, shrimp scampi, crostini, caprese salad, and also fritto misto. Just by looking at the appetizers, the four youngsters were already full.

"Let's enjoy the appetizers before the main dish comes," Derek kindly suggested. His wrinkled hands slowly grabbed a plated bruschetta. "If it's not because of your spirit and willpower, I wouldn't be able to enjoy this delicious bruschetta now. We're able to live a peaceful life like in paradise thanks to you guys."

Derek's honest praise made the four youngsters smile bashfully.

The four of them had become heroes after the war. The government kept their real identities from the public, but it didn't stop them from becoming heroes.

Some important people in the country contacted them to show their gratitude, including the president of the country. That thing alone made them fluster and couldn't believe what had just happened.

"We just did the right thing, Sir. The world has been in chaos since decades ago, and we can't just stay still seeing that situation."

This time, Kris was the one who responded to the former General's praise.

The elderly man smiled before he grabbed a glass of water, drinking it slowly before speaking again, "Selena and Joseph were my good friends. We were high schoolmates a long time ago. At first, I didn't know what they were up to until Selena told me about all of that when the war had just started in 2021. I was a General at that time, and I was in a dilemma. I was torn between telling the truth to the public or keep it a secret for my good friends' sake."

"And you chose the latter, Sir," Kevin quickly chimed in. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were cold.

Derek turned to Kevin and stared at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Kevin," he sincerely apologized. "I should've reported them to the government to prevent the calamity, but I didn't do that. Your mother begged me not to do it for the sake of your father. She loved your father so much, Kevin. I couldn't bear seeing her tears."

Kevin was silent. His head no longer looked up. He blankly stared at his hands on his laps.

He then flinched a little when he felt a warm feeling engulfed his cold hands. He looked up to his left and found his lover smiling at him.

"You promised me to forget about all of that, didn't you?" The caramel-haired man whispered.

Kevin stared at him with his teary eyes, but then he sighed and muttered back, "I'm sorry."

Kris smiled while shaking his head. He didn't respond to the apology verbally, and he just squeezed Kevin's hands affectionately before turning at the former General.

"We're also thankful for your help, Sir. If you didn't give us support with the army, we surely couldn't end the war that quick. We really appreciate your help."

Hearing Kris' polite words made the former General smiled again. From the corner of his eyes, he could see two waitresses pushing the food cart to their table, but he motioned them to stop.

"Just leave the cart there for now. I have an important thing to discuss with them. Please make sure no one overheard our conversation. You guys have turned off the surveillance camera, haven't you?" He asked the waitresses.

The waitresses gulped nervously when they heard the stern voice of the former General.

"Y-yes, Sir. We have turned off all the cameras, and we will make sure no one overheard your conversation," one of them answered the man's question.

The former General nodded and then he dismissed the waitresses, leaving the food cart idling right beside their table.

"I know it's not polite, but will you mind if we delay our dinner for a moment? I have something to show you, especially to you, Kevin."

Kevin's heart pounded faster after hearing the former General's sentence. He turned to Kris, Jack, and Blue, and it turned out that the three youngsters were also looking at him in confusion.

He then turned to Derek again. "We don't mind, Sir. What thing that you want to show us?" He asked curiously.

The former General didn't answer the young scientist's question. He slowly moved his wrinkled hand to rummage his suit pocket and fished out a thing from the pocket. He then put that thing in the center of the table.

The four youngsters frowned at the mysterious small object. It was a cubicle black box, and the size was similar to a ring box. It was made of velvet materials, just like the ones that used to make ring boxes.

The former General noticed the curious eyes of the four youngsters, so he spoke again, "This is Selena Beischel's last words."