Dungeon of Niflheim

As the ship pulled away from the dock and moved into the open sea Khione led Frost hand in hand to their private viewing dock so he could see this magnificent sight.

Frost for the first time in his life was setting sail upon the ocean, an experience he found immensely thrilling. He smiled from ear to ear as a ship that must weigh thousands of tonnes glided atop the water's surface with ease and great speed, causing no small amount of waves as the bow pushed the water aside. Fish monsters could be seen flipping out the water in its wake, stunned by the sudden and forceful passing of the SS. Gwienfieldal.

"Holy shit!" It only took a few tens of second for the ship to reach open water and really enter its stride. They were moving faster than Kiba could run and yet there wasn't even the slightest rumble let along shaking.

"It gets better the deeper we go; it's quite the experience to be on this class of ship when a typhoon or a tsunami hits." Khione wasn't looking at the scenery but at Frost and his handsome appearance finding it to be much more appealing.

"A typhoon, seriously?" That fear that had been tampered down resurfaced upon hearing Khione's words.

"Yeah it's fucking awesome and a experience that was all but foreign to those below mid-stage S-rank before ships like the SS. Gwienfieldal were commissioned. Aboard this vessel even if the ocean was cleaved in twain and fell from the heavens like a waterfall this ship would remain afloat, and all its passengers would still be safe and protected." Khione was full of confidence towards their vessel, not even balking in the slightest at the thought of encountering typhoons and tsunamis.

"…Well if you put it like that then I kind of have to trust you." Though he struggled to imagine the ship surviving the wrath of nature he trusted the words of his date, her words akin to gold in his ears.

The two lovebirds stood in close proximity against the ship's railings, their hands intertwined as they sipped their drinks, allowing the alcohol to fill their systems and make this scene even more enjoyable.

Eventually the waitress from earlier came up to them nervously. "Princess, Sir the sashimi you've ordered has been prepared. Would you like to eat it now?" A message was spread throughout the staff to vacate the area involving Khione and Frost for a period of time and she drew the short straw when it came to breaking that order. She just hoped that she didn't end up drawing the Princess' ire, she was quite fond of having her head attached to her neck after all.

Luckily for her however Khione had calmed down an awful lot. Frost's intimate behaviour really mellowed her out, making her smile from ear to ear in giddy joy.

"Oh that's perfect timing I was just thinking that some sashimi would really hit the spot right now." Khione answered in a tone so bubbly that the waitress nearly cringed, her natural jealously from seeing a woman with that expression almost breaking her mask.

"I haven't eaten sashimi before; you'll have to show me the proper methods Khione." Frost was also feeling at little peckish, especially for fish given the endless ocean that surrounded them.

"Hehehehe don't worry I have a special plan in mind for that." She giggled, her eyes almost forming hearts as she pictured the romantic gestured she had in mind.

"Hoh that sounds fun, I'll look forward to it." Frost responded by looking into her eyes and tightening his grip on her hand, a subtle form of praise and encouragement.

The waitress returned a couple minutes later carrying two black plates in her hands, upon which were thinly cuts of prime fish arranged in the shape of a rose flower. The cuts were so precise, so effortless in their division that the flesh appeared to still be alive, the freshness was unbeatable.

The smell was rich, deep yet at the same time somewhat subtle, lightly teasing the senses rather than overpowering them.

Three small dipping pots filled with different sauces allowed the eater to experience a vast range of flavour turning this dish into an extravagance available to only the most affluent.

When the plate was presented before Frost his stomach instinctively rumbled and saliva dripped down his lips. A primal hunger threatened to overtake him, to turn him into a ravenous beast.

The life energy held within the meat was brimming, as though it could burst forth with a vengeance and attempt to devour him in turn. Eating this would surely grant him a large boon in strength.

"We have prepared fresh cuts of a Landoon tuna that was caught this afternoon as well as a selection of Nalefic green bream and cloud cuttlefish that were also caught this afternoon." The waitress described the different types of fish as well as the different cuts before gesturing towards the three dipping pots.

"On the left is a light soy sauce that enhances the natural umami of the fish. On the right we have a paste derived from a spicy horseradish grown locally by the Munaro gardens coalition and finally in the centre we have grated and pureed ginger also grown by the Munro garden coalition, our most trusted supplier when it comes to vegetables and herbs." Being the professional that she was the waitress didn't forget to praise the ship's long standing supplier.

Unfortunately her efforts to promote primarily fell on deaf ears. Khione who had grown up dining on the best of the best felt little in the way of awe towards the Munro garden coalition. It was a large and respected company, but they weren't at the level of being able to provided produce for the palace. Whereas Frost had literally no concept of the companies based in Niflheim, he was merely a visitor after all.

However despite this it didn't detract from the glory of what was presented before the two of them. Even without a brand name the food spoke volumes by itself, drawing the full attention of the young couple.

"Looks absolutely fantastic, you can tell the chef they have some impressive knife skills." Khione praised through a hungry smile, her hands twitching as she resisted the urge to start digging in immediately.

"I'll relay your words to him personally Princess." The waitress bowed her head respectfully before leaving them Frost and Khione to their meal, knowing full well that her continued presence would be nothing more than a third wheel.

'I'm sure Sandros will be over the moon when I tell him Princess Khione praised his knife skills.' She made a beeline straight for the kitchen with a bounce in her step.

"So how do we go about eating this Khione?" Frost was eager to start filling his belly, but he hold off because Khione had something interesting planned.

His words made the hulking muscle beauty tremble slightly as a tinge of nervous floundered in her heart. Although she had something in mind the idea of actually doing it gave her jitters.

Before meeting Frost she didn't have a single romantic bone in her body yet now she was planning to dive into the deep end of cringe.

She glanced at Frost's face, saw the patience and expectation in his eyes and found her courage.

She picked up her chopsticks, spun them around her fingers like a trained master before picking up a piece of prime Landoon tuna.

"Say ahhh." She then held it up to Frost's lips and asked him to open wide. A move that caught him by surprise, causing his eyes to open wide before he replied with a wide smile and did as asked.

"Ahhh~" He opened his jaw, showing his long red tongue and immaculate white teeth to his date, allowing her easy access.

With an obviously nervous heart Khione tentatively placed the fish on his tongue, her cheeks turning pure pink as she did it before she quickly pulled back her hand and attempted to steady her breathing. Frost looked very alluring, so much so that she struggled to resist making an even bolder move.

The Landoon tuna practically melted the moment it touched Frost's tongue, barely any chewing was needed but the instant it started to dissolve he was hit by a powerful wave of flavour, coupled with a bountiful depth of life energy that nearly made him bounce up from his chair. As the flavour grew more and more pronounced so did the degree of life energy as though they were working in perfect tandem.

His face lit up in pure bliss, reddening like a tomato as his energy levels skyrocketed. He was close to having a nosebleed but stubbornly resisted so as to not ruin the romantic atmosphere that Khione so painstakingly established.

"So delicious." He practically cooed, his inner foodie becoming cemented with every dish he partook.

'No wonder Uncle Shivali's so defensive when it comes to his chefs.'

"I can see that…" Mumbled Khione, her heart thumping a mile a minute before she said her next words.

"Now do me~"