The stools Elent had knocked over in the church hall still lay on the floor, looking rather out of place.
Celia sat at the table, her eyes fixed on the remaining cream puffs on the plate.
The cream, exposed to the warm air for too long, had begun to collapse slightly, losing the plump, upright shape it had when fresh from the oven.
“What a shame,” Celia sighed.
She wasn’t mourning the sucker who had just fled, but rather these desserts that were destined to lose their flavor.
While cream puffs tasted decent enough when chilled in an Alchemical Freezer, once the pastry became damp and soft, they lost half of their soul.
Grumble—
The sound came from the corner of the room.
Iris was huddled there, and upon hearing her stomach’s protest, her entire body trembled.
She buried her face even deeper, the tips of her cat-ear headband nearly touching the floor.
Celia turned her head toward her new employee.
“Come here,” Celia beckoned.
Iris looked up, glancing toward the backyard where the rhythmic sound of wood being chopped echoed, then looked back at the cream puffs on the table.
Although the terrifying man was gone, the Witch remained.
“I said, come here.” Celia’s tone sharpened.
“Don’t make me say it a third time. Unless you want to go to the backyard and keep that wood-chopping lunatic company.”
Iris shuddered. She scrambled up on all replaces and shuffled over to the dining table.
Celia pushed the plate of cream puffs forward.
“Eat.”
“Eh?” Iris froze.
“These won’t taste good if they sit out much longer. It’s a waste to throw them away. Since Elent isn’t eating them, they’re yours.”
Celia picked up her unfinished Happy Water and gave it a swirl.
“Consider this your employee meal for working as a Mascot all afternoon.”
Iris stared at the cream puffs.
They had golden, crispy shells and creamy white vanilla filling, and the air was thick with their sweet, heavy aroma.
‘Is this so-called “leftover food”?’
In the Demon Realm, only the highest-ranking nobles could enjoy such delicate desserts.
And here, these were just scraps the Witch tossed to her pet?
“Is it… really okay?” Iris swallowed hard and asked in a small voice.
“You don’t want them? Fine, I’ll go throw them out.” Celia made a move to pick up the plate.
“I’ll eat! I’ll eat!”
Iris no longer hesitated. She reached out, grabbed a cream puff, and stuffed it into her mouth.
The pastry shattered, followed by the richness of the cream and the fragrance of vanilla, the two flavors exploding in her mouth together.
It was so sweet.
It was an entirely different kind of sweetness from the low-quality desserts in the Demon Realm.
The deliciousness rushed from the tip of her tongue straight to her brain, causing Iris’s nerves, which had been tight with fear and hunger, to relax.
“Mmmph!”
It was too good.
‘Is this what food in the Human World is like?’
Even as leftovers, it was more delicious than anything she had ever eaten in the Demon Realm.
“Eat slower. No one is going to snatch it from you.”
Celia watched Iris wolfing down the food, feeling somewhat speechless.
Just how hungry was this girl? She had eaten a massive bowl of organs at lunch.
“Thank you… thank you, Lady Witch.” Iris’s mouth was full of cream as she mumbled her thanks.
At this moment, her dignity as the Demon King and the humiliation of the maid outfit seemed utterly insignificant in the face of absolute sugar.
‘If I can eat stuff like this every day, being a Mascot doesn’t seem so bad after all…’
The moment the thought surfaced, Iris startled herself.
‘Iris, oh Iris, how can you fall so quickly! This is just the Witch’s sugar-coated bullet—a poison meant to erode your will!’
While Iris was busy scolding herself for her weakness, her hand honestly reached for a second cream puff.
Celia ignored Iris’s intense internal struggle and stood up to walk toward the backyard.
The wood that had been neatly stacked earlier had now turned into a small mountain.
Elent was shirtless, his axe falling with mechanical precision.
“Hah!”
With every swing, a log split apart.
But this was more than just chopping wood. Celia could feel that every time the axe blade fell, the Fire Elements in the air vibrated slightly.
‘Is this guy still riled up?’
Celia stopped a few steps away from Elent.
“Hero.”
Elent’s movements paused, his axe hanging in mid-air.
“That’s enough firewood to last a month,” Celia said, looking at the small mountain. “If you keep chopping, we won’t even have room to walk.”
Elent was silent for a moment before lowering his axe.
“I’m sorry, Priestess.” He kept his head down, not daring to look Celia in the eye. “I lost my composure just now.”
“That Adventurer might be badly injured, and I… I didn’t control my strength well.” Elent looked at his palms, his gaze dimming.
As a Hero, he was supposed to protect the weak, not strike someone down with such heavy hands just because of a petty grudge.
The violent killing intent he felt earlier had even frightened him.
“Stretch out your hand,” Celia said suddenly.
“Huh?”
“Stretch it out.”
Elent hesitated for a moment before extending his hand.
Celia pulled a handkerchief from her pocket; it carried a faint scent of soap.
Then, the girl stepped forward and lightly wiped Elent’s palm.
“Wipe off your sweat. It’s filthy.” Celia wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“If you ask me, that Adventurer got what he deserved.”
“He tried to lay a hand on the Church’s property, and that was the result. You did nothing wrong.”
Celia put her hands behind her back and looked up at the tall man who stood significantly higher than her.
“But don’t make it so bloody next time. It’s not good to scare the customers.”
“Also, don’t just turn red and run away all the time.” Celia pointed at Elent’s ears, where the flush still hadn’t fully faded.
“People who don’t know better would think I did something to you.”
“Besides, I’m the one who was taken advantage of, okay?”
Celia said the last part very softly, as if she were talking to herself.
But Elent heard it.
With a *whoosh*, the Hero’s face, which had just cooled down, began to heat up again.
“I—I’m going to take a shower!”
Clutching the handkerchief, Elent scrambled out of the backyard, even stumbling slightly in his haste.
Celia watched his departing back, the corners of her mouth curving upward.
‘What an idiot.’
However, having a strong idiot to watch over the house did feel quite reassuring.
Celia stretched, preparing to head back inside for a nap.
“Iris, wash the plate once you’re finished. Remember to get it clean, or I’m docking your pay.”
“Yes, Lady Witch!” Iris’s energetic response drifted from the restaurant.
Not bad. Celia had originally thought Iris wouldn’t blend into the Church so quickly, but it seemed the new employee was adapting quite well.
With a new employee, she didn’t have to do anything herself anymore.
This was exactly the Retirement Life Celia wanted.
There might be the occasional hiccup, but overall—everything was under control.
WEll thats a flag.