Although the hateful mosquito bites had subsided, Celia still couldn’t get a good night’s sleep.
Because she had a cold again.
The reckless transmission of Saint Celery in the cave last night, combined with being soaked in the rain for half the night, was more than even a body made of iron could handle — let alone Celia’s naturally pampered and fragile body.
“Achoo!”
Celia was wrapped in a thick quilt, huddled on the bed like a white silkworm cocoon. Her head felt like it was splitting, and her throat was as dry as if she had swallowed razor blades.
‘Damn it.’
Celia sniffled.
This was the price of being a good person. Next time, even if that idiot died outside, she definitely…
Well, she might still save him, but she would definitely charge more interest!
The door was pushed open gently, and Elent walked in carrying a tray.
In sharp contrast to the half-dead Celia, this Hero Candidate was looking excessively energetic at the moment.
Even though he hadn’t slept all night and was still recovering from a serious injury, Elent appeared to be in high spirits.
“Priestess, you’re awake.”
“I saw you coughing, so I made some porridge according to a new Alchemical Formula in The Recipe Book.”
“Porridge?”
Celia poked half of her head out from under the covers and glanced into the bowl.
It was a bowl of white porridge emitting a sweet, light fragrance.
The rice grains had been boiled until they bloomed, and it was garnished with finely chopped vegetables and diced white meat.
“This was made using the leftover Crimson Giant Chicken breast meat and morning dew,” Elent explained. “According to The Recipe Book, it’s called Vitality Recovery Porridge.”
Celia gave Elent a suspicious look.
Since when did that broken book become so thoughtful?
“Help me up.”
“Yes.”
Elent reached out, wanting to help Celia sit up.
Just as Elent’s hand touched the wooden bed rail to brace himself, he crushed a piece of it directly.
“…”
Celia stared at the wooden fragment and then at Elent’s hand.
Elent was also stunned, looking at Celia with an innocent expression.
“I didn’t even use any strength?”
“No strength? Then did this wood just lose the will to live and decide to commit suicide on its own?”
“I’m sorry, I’ll fix it!”
Elent tried to piece the broken wood back together, but as soon as his fingers pinched it, the wood turned into sawdust.
“…”
“Forget it, don’t touch it.” Celia sighed and struggled to sit up on her own.
“It seems last night’s treatment had some side effects.”
To save Elent last night, Celia had poured nearly half of the Saint Celery in her body into him.
As a result, Elent was currently like a battery that had been fully charged and then overcharged; his power was overflowing.
“Come here, let me see,” Celia beckoned.
Elent obediently approached, but this time he kept his hands behind his back, for fear of crushing something else.
Celia placed her hand on Elent’s forehead.
Through the contact, she could feel a surging life force within him. It was like standing next to an erupting volcano.
“Priestess, your hand is so hot.” Elent looked concerned. “Do you still have a fever?”
“No kidding.”
Celia withdrew her hand and spoke testily.
“Feed me.”
“Huh?”
“I said feed me. I want the porridge. I don’t have the strength to hold the spoon.”
Celia ordered him around righteously. Since this guy had an excess of energy anyway, she might as well make use of him.
Elent blinked, and a blush crept onto his face.
He picked up the bowl, scooped a spoonful of porridge, and blew on it.
Once he was sure it wasn’t too hot, he held it to Celia’s lips.
“Aah—”
Celia opened her mouth and took the spoon.
The warm, soft porridge slid down her throat, carrying a faint meat aroma and the sweetness of the vegetables.
The feeling of swallowing razor blades eased considerably.
“It’s good.”
Celia narrowed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.
Looking at the young girl with her eyes narrowed, Elent’s heart began to beat a little fast.
Was this feeding action a bit too intimate?
“Another bite.”
“Oh, oh!”
The bowl of porridge was soon empty. Feeling a bit of warmth in her body, Celia felt half-alive again.
“By the way.” Celia licked the corner of her mouth, still wanting more.
“Besides the Ice Spirit Grass, what else did you see near that Cold Pool deep in the forest?”
Logically speaking, although the Black Forest was dangerous, it shouldn’t have been enough to nearly kill someone with the Hero’s Blessing.
Had some kind of anomaly occurred?
Hearing the Priestess bring this up, Elent’s expression became serious.
“I also thought it was a bit strange. It was very quiet around the Cold Pool; there wasn’t even a single Magical Beast. The water temperature was unnaturally low, as if even the air was being frozen.”
“And…”
Elent hesitated for a moment, as if confirming whether he had seen correctly.
“When I went into the water to gather the herbs, I thought I saw a Dark Rift deep at the bottom of the pool.”
“A rift?”
“Yes, it looked like a wound, seeping with black mist. Those stalks of Ice Spirit Grass were growing right on the edge of the rift.”
“Also, on the way back, I saw a few crows perched in the trees.”
Elent gestured with his hands.
“Their eyes were red, and they had three legs.”
Iris, who was hiding outside the door eavesdropping, was so startled by Elent’s words that the rag in her hand dropped to the floor.
The Three-legged Blood Crow was the familiar of the Demon Realm Inspector, an eye used specifically to search for traitors and fugitives.
Their appearance here carried an implication that went without saying.
‘Has Sister already turned her gaze toward this forest?’
Iris covered her mouth to stop herself from making a sound, her body trembling with fear.
Inside the room, Celia frowned.
A Dark Rift and red-eyed crows? It sounded like nothing but trouble.
As a priestess who only wanted to retire and live like a lazy fish, Celia had a natural aversion to things that clearly looked like a main storyline plot.
“It’s probably just some new species of Magical Beast.”
Celia let out a yawn and decided to adopt ostrich tactics.
“As long as they don’t step on my vegetable garden or wake me up, I’ll act like I didn’t see anything.”
“But Priestess, that aura made me feel very uncomfortable, like something Evil,” Elent said earnestly.
“Evil?” Celia glanced at Elent.
“Your head is full of Saint Celery right now, so everyone looks Evil to you. Last time, you even thought the Dark Cuisine Iris made was some kind of Evil alchemical product.”
“But I think that really was quite Evil.” Elent scratched his head.
“Fine, don’t think so much about it.”
Celia curled back into the covers.
“Since you have so much energy, go wipe all the windows in the Church. Remember to be gentle — don’t crush them.”
“Also, tell Iris to stop trembling at the door. She’s about to shake a hole through the floor.”
Iris outside the door: “!!!”
“Yes!”
Elent left the room.
Celia looked at the sky outside, which was still gloomy.
Even though she said she wouldn’t care, that sense of unease was growing stronger.
Red-eyed crows never sounded like a good thing.
Celia just wanted to drink her Happy Water in peace. Even if she had a cold, she hoped no more unexpected trouble would come her way.
“Achoo!”
Another sneeze.
Celia sniffled and wrapped the quilt even tighter around herself.
‘As expected, I should focus on getting over this cold first.’
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