The morning cicadas chirped piercingly through the stagnant, hot air.
Celia opened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for three seconds before realizing she had been woken up by the heat.
The Young Girl rolled out of bed, her skin feeling sticky with sweat.
She walked to the wardrobe and pulled open the doors, intending to find a change of clothes.
But the closet was empty.
The clothes that usually hung inside had vanished, leaving only a few empty hangers swaying in the light breeze.
‘What is the situation?’
Celia scratched her messy hair and scanned the room.
Finally, she dug out a white linen shirt from an old chest in the corner.
This was a leftover from the old priest.
For a muscular giant who was nearly 6.5 feet tall, this was just an undershirt; however, for Celia, it was as big as a sack.
‘This will have to do.’
She didn’t think much of it and pulled it on.
The wide collar slumped to one side, exposing most of her shoulder and collarbone.
The hem hung low, reaching mid-thigh, covering the vital areas while leaving her smooth legs completely exposed.
This style was common during summers in her previous life.
To Celia, who just wanted to stay cool, there was no psychological burden.
Celia walked out barefoot and pushed the door open.
In the Backyard, Iris was hanging wet clothes on a line.
Hearing the door open, the Former Demon Lord Candidate turned around, and the wet garment in her hand fell to the ground with a wet thud.
“L — Lady Witch?!”
Iris stared at Celia with wide eyes.
The sunlight filtered through the oversized white shirt, outlining the silhouette of her slender body beneath.
As Celia raised her hands to rub her eyes, the hem lifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of the Absolute Territory.
This look was even more shameless than a Maid Outfit!
‘Is this what the Witch is like in private?’
Elent, who was watering the vegetable patch in the corner, also turned around.
Pshh!
The stream of water from the watering can suddenly went out of control, spraying all over Iris’s face.
Elent froze in place as if turned to stone, his gaze flickering between Celia’s legs and her dangerous neckline.
“What’s all the fuss about?”
Celia let out a yawn, walked over to a chair, and sat down with her legs crossed.
“Elent, where are my clothes?”
“Iris said that to repay you for taking her in, she would wash all your clothes,” Elent said with his back to her, his voice sounding tense.
Celia glanced at the courtyard full of hanging clothes, then at the shivering Iris.
Fine. Although the girl’s logic was a bit skewed, at least she was working.
“I’m dying of heat.” Celia tugged at her collar, trying to let some air in.
“I want to eat an Ice Cream Puff. Like the ones from Yuna’s Place — crispy on the outside with vanilla ice cream inside.”
“Now?” Elent adjusted his breathing and turned around.
He looked only at the Priestess from the neck up, refusing to let his gaze drop even an inch.
“Yes, now. I have a feeling that if I don’t eat something cold, I’ll melt right here.”
“Fine, Priestess, but put on your Priestess Habit.”
……
At the front of the Shop.
Celia stood before the closed door in her half-dry Priestess Habit. A note was stuck to the door:
[The owner has gone out to find the legendary dream ingredient (crossed out) and is getting supplies in the next town with Grandpa Bagla. Return date uncertain. Don’t miss me.]
Celia tore the paper off with an expressionless face and crumpled it into a ball.
No puffs, no ice cream — only the scorching sun.
“Priestess.” Elent saw her mood drop and asked tentatively, “How about we go back and make them ourselves?”
“Do you know how?”
“I saw Miss Yuna make them a few times. The principle is similar to that fried chicken; it should work, right?”
“I hope so.”
The two returned to the Kitchen.
Although they had an Alchemical Freezer, the Magic Stove had to be turned to its highest setting to bake the puff pastry.
“Take it easy! That’s flour, not the man who killed your father!”
Celia pointed a rolling pin at him.
Sweat poured down Elent’s forehead. He was trying to whip the cream in a bowl.
For a Hero used to swinging a Broad Sword, this kind of task requiring delicate strength was harder than subjugating a Demon King.
“Faster. You need to get air into it.”
“Yes!”
Elent’s movements became a blur.
However, due to the centrifugal force from the speed and his uncontrolled monstrous strength, the bowl exploded.
White cream splattered everywhere.
Elent’s face and hair were covered in cream.
Celia wasn’t spared either. Although she was further away, a large dollop of cream flew over and smeared across her cheek.
The Kitchen fell into silence.
Elent looked at the cream-covered Priestess and frantically tried to wipe it off.
But his hands were also sticky, so he didn’t know where to start.
“Sorry, Priestess! I didn’t mean to!”
Celia took a deep breath, calmed herself, and then stuck out her tongue to lick a bit of cream from the corner of her lips.
Sweet.
It seemed the Alchemical Formula was fine; the problem was the person.
“So stupid.”
Celia hopped off her stool, wiped the cream from her face, and walked behind Elent.
“Move aside. I’ll teach you.”
As a veteran “cloud-chef” who had read countless Recipe Books, she might not be great at cooking, but giving instructions on desserts was simple.
“But Priestess, it’s messy here.”
“Shut up. Give me your hands.”
Celia ignored his protest. She didn’t want to get her hands dirty by touching the bowl directly, so she grabbed Elent’s wrists from behind.
Due to the height difference, Celia had to stand on her tiptoes.
To stabilize herself, her chest inevitably pressed against Elent’s back.
Through the thin fabric of the Priestess Habit, she could feel the hardness of the boy’s back muscles.
‘This is just a lesson. This is a hard-core lesson in every sense of the word.’
Celia quickly made an excuse for herself, forcing herself to ignore the dangerous distance between them.
She even lowered her voice, trying to channel the aura of a technical director giving a lecture:
“Do you feel it? This resistance.”
But Celia didn’t realize that her soft, sweet voice combined with her warm breath on the boy’s sensitive neck sounded less like a lecture and more like flirting.
“Insert it gently, then stir along the texture.”
“Yes, like that. There needs to be a rhythm.”
Elent’s brain short-circuited.
The soft sensation behind him traveled through his entire body.
The faint fragrance of the girl drifted into his nose.
Plus those strange instructions…
Insert… stir… rhythm…
The Hero felt his sanity evaporating.
“Priestess… you… you’re too close.”
“Close? How else am I supposed to help you with the leverage?”
Celia didn’t care at all. To her, this was just like teaching a new intern how to write code — guiding their hands through a few lines.
They were both men, so what was the harm in a little contact?
Wait.
“Why are you getting hotter? Do you have a fever?”
Celia felt the skin beneath her touch burning, as if she were pressing against a furnace.
Could it be that the Hero was also suffering from the heat?
“N — No!” Elent desperately suppressed the fire raging inside him, staring intently at the cream in the bowl as if it were a terrifying Magical Creature.
“Focus. If it explodes again, you’re licking this bowl clean.”
Celia patted his arm and spoke with dissatisfaction.
That pat caused Elent’s hand to twitch, and his movements immediately sped up.
The cream, which should have taken several minutes to whip, thickened rapidly under his frantic power.
“Okay, stop!”
Celia let go, looking satisfied at the perfectly stiff peaks of the cream.
“There we go. Even if your comprehension is lacking, you’ve got the feel for it.”
Celia wiped the cream from her hands.
“Alright, squeeze the rest in. I don’t need to teach you that, do I?”
“Yes!”
Elent felt as if he had been granted a pardon.
He grabbed the bowl of cream and retreated to the corner, his back looking rather pathetic.
At the Kitchen door, Iris, who had intended to sneak in for some scraps, watched the scene in shock.
Although she couldn’t hear the specific conversation, that posture, the movements, and the way the man’s face was beet-red…
‘Is this the Witch’s way of teaching?’
‘To do such shameless things in the Kitchen!’
Iris looked at her Maid Outfit and remembered the oversized white shirt the Witch had been wearing earlier.
‘Could it be… is it my turn next?’
‘Am I going to be humiliated by the Witch in front of that man?!’
At that thought, Iris’s body trembled.
She silently backed away and thoughtfully closed the Kitchen door behind them.
She is impressively oblivious.