The temperature inside the Church Hall was currently very cool.
Although the scorching summer heat outside was still intense enough to turn a person into a sun-dried corpse, one could experience a chill from head to toe just by stepping inside the Church.
There was no other reason for this; the cooling effect of the ice sculpture was simply too powerful.
Achoo!
Wrapped in one thick wool blanket, Celia curled up on a lounge chair and sneezed.
‘It seems like a bit of an overkill.’
Before, it had been so hot she wanted to die, but now it was so cold she was freezing to death.
“Iris, move this big guy toward the door. It’s too cold.”
Iris, who was mopping the floor in the corner, paused. She glanced at the ice sculpture frozen in a ferocious, roaring pose, then looked at the small rag in her hand.
She was being told to move the Flame Demon General?
Was the Lady Witch joking?
Thud.
Realizing that Iris was not the Hero and could not move the ice sculpture, Celia waved her hand and looked at the glowing Recipe Book on the table.
This broken book, which only “came back to life” under specific conditions, seemed to sense the dense ice elements in its surroundings today.
A new Alchemical Formula was gradually unlocking on its pages.
[Extreme Cold Shaved Ice]
Effect: Strong pain relief, suppresses fever caused by colds.
Note: Excellent taste. Cools the core and lifts the spirit.
‘This recipe book is such a fickle fence-sitter.’
A few days ago, it was teaching her how to make hot pot, but as soon as it saw the Flame Demon had cooled down, it immediately pushed a shaved ice set.
However, pain relief and fever suppression?
Celia touched her forehead, which was still slightly warm, and felt the faint ache in her temples.
‘That’s not bad.’
But could shaved ice really relieve pain? Wouldn’t her head hurt more after eating it? Celia decided to be skeptical first.
“Elent!”
Celia called out, and within a few seconds, Elent came running in.
This guy was probably the only person in the entire Church who didn’t feel cold.
Because he had just finished his morning practice, heat was still radiating from Elent’s body.
When he approached, he felt like a small, mobile heater.
“Priestess, what are your orders?”
Celia stretched one hand out from under the blanket and pointed toward the ice sculpture of Ragner in the center of the hall.
More accurately, she pointed at the horn on the Flame Demon General’s helmet.
“Go, break that horn off for me.”
“A demon horn?” Elent blinked, stunned. “Does the Priestess want to use it to forge a new weapon? A material of this level would indeed be quite suitable for a sword hilt…”
“What weapon?”
Celia shook her head.
“I’m making a dessert.”
……
Although he didn’t quite understand the logical connection between a demon’s horn and dessert, Elent still respected the Priestess’s wishes.
If Ragner were still alive, he would probably be so angry that he would resurrect on the spot just to die again.
“What next, Priestess?”
“Crush it. I want that fine, sandy texture. Don’t turn it into ice cubes that will break my teeth.”
This was a task that required technique.
But for the current Elent, this mission was incredibly simple.
Elent picked up a table knife and activated Microscopic Perception.
‘Right here.’
The frozen demon horn turned into a pile of delicate, crushed ice under Elent’s hands.
‘Good job, Hero.’
Celia couldn’t help but offer a word of praise.
The next steps were much simpler.
Under Celia’s direction, Elent drizzled a spoonful of Red Sun Fruit jam over the crushed ice and finally garnished the top with a few freshly picked berries.
One bowl of shaved ice was complete.
Even just looking at it, one could feel the refreshing chill radiating from it.
In the middle of summer, nothing was better than a bowl of shaved ice to cool the core.
Celia couldn’t wait to pick up the bowl.
But as soon as her hands touched it, Celia gasped.
It was too cold.
This bowl of shaved ice, made from the ice crystals of a Flame Demon Core, felt like holding a block of dry ice.
After only holding it for a few seconds, her hands began to ache from the cold.
She wanted to eat it, but she didn’t want to hold it.
Celia thought for a moment, and her gaze fell upon the “heater” beside her that was still radiating warmth.
“Elent, sit down.”
Celia pointed to the wide armrest of the lounge chair.
Elent sat down obediently. Just as his backside touched the edge, Celia thrust the hand-freezing shaved ice into Elent’s hands.
Then, Celia adjusted her posture, turned over, and leaned her entire back against Elent’s arm and chest.
Feeling the continuous warmth coming from behind her, Celia squinted her eyes in comfort.
Elent’s broad chest served as a perfect backrest, while his sturdy arm became a perfect human armrest.
“P-Priestess?”
Elent stayed as still as a wooden log.
The faint scent from the young girl’s hair lingered at the tip of his nose, and the soft sensation of her back pressed against him made his brain go completely blank.
“Don’t move, let me lean for a bit,” Celia said lazily. “Feed me.”
The young girl opened her mouth like a baby bird waiting to be fed.
Elent swallowed hard. With a trembling hand, he scooped up a spoonful of the red ice crystals and fed it into Celia’s mouth.
the icy, sweet, and sour texture melted on the tip of her tongue.
A chill that seemed capable of freezing the soul slid down her throat, suppressing the internal heat and significantly reducing her headache.
“It’s good.”
One bite followed another.
Soon, after half a bowl of shaved ice, Celia felt as if she had come back to life.
“There’s more…”
Celia pointed at the berry on top of the shaved ice.
“I want to eat that.”
Elent obediently fed the berry to her.
Celia bit into it, her teeth cutting through the skin of the fruit.
The next second, Celia’s delicate little face scrunched into a ball.
‘Sour!’
‘So sour!’
‘Too sour!’
Celia looked at the remaining half of the berry.
The trash can was in the corner, too far away, and she didn’t want to move.
And…
These seeds had been bought with money. It would be such a waste to spit it out.
Celia frowned, holding the half-bitten sour fruit in her mouth.
“Give me your hand,” Celia said unclearly.
Before Elent could react, his wrist was grabbed by a small, cold hand.
Without further explanation, Celia placed the remaining half of the berry directly into Elent’s palm.
“It’s too sour. You eat it.”
Celia let go of his hand and gave the command matter-of-factly.
“Don’t waste it. It’s rich in vitamins.”
Elent’s brain crashed.
The cool sensation of the girl’s fingertips still lingered on his palm, and that berry in his hand was even more…
This was something the Priestess had bitten into.
It still had her…
Saliva on it?
The Hero’s face instantly turned as red as a cooked lobster.
Was it sour?
It did seem very sour.
But why did it feel so sweet that it made him dizzy as it slid down his throat?
“Does it taste good?” Celia asked curiously, looking at his expression, which looked like he had drunk fake wine.
“It… it’s good…” Elent answered haltingly, his voice sounding as if it were drifting down from the clouds.
“As long as it tastes good.” Celia leaned back against his chest again. “Then the rest is yours too.”
In the corner, the rag in Iris’s hand fell to the floor.
Iris stared wide-eyed at the pair in front of her, who were emitting “pink bubbles” without any self-awareness. Her worldview was currently under attack.
‘What am I seeing?’
‘I saw the Witch personally feed her leftovers to that man!’
‘In the ancient records of the abyss, this is a ritual performed only by High Demons to their absolutely obedient familiars.’
‘This is a feeding ritual involving the exchange of bodily fluids that only takes place during total possession and absolute dominance!’
Iris looked at Elent’s expression, which appeared so happy he might ascend to heaven, and she couldn’t help but cover her face.
‘He’s beyond saving.’
‘This man is completely beyond saving.’
‘His body, mind, and even his soul have already become that Witch’s plaything.’
‘How terrifying… this method of picking someone clean while making them feel grateful for it.’
‘Is this what a Witch is?’
Has this been dropped?