A thin layer of silver-white spread across the road. Night arrived quietly, and fine snowflakes began to drift down again, accumulating in a thin layer on the stone-paved road.
Sefina walked alone on the way back to the villa. After finishing her work at the Church, she had not chosen to keep living in the dormitory provided by the Church; going home felt a little more reassuring.
The cold wind lifted the hem of her off-white coat, bringing a piercing chill, yet it could not disperse the faint gloom between her brows.
As for the reason… hah, what else could it be.
She had learned of the magic crest’s despair-inducing ‘growth’ trajectory, one that would ultimately lead to endless degeneration, yet she could not find any clue to solve or suppress it.
It was like seeing a Monster struggling at the exit of a dark maze, yet finding no weapon or way out.
‘What difference is there between this and being sentenced to death in advance?’ Sefina mocked herself inwardly.
‘No, perhaps it is worse than death.’
Death at least ended everything, while the third stage of the magic crest… that was living social death, an eternal torture in which dignity and reason were completely burned away. Just imagining it made her shudder.
Sefina let out a long sigh, which melted into the cold night air.
‘Forget it. At least it is not the final stage yet.’
She forced herself to shift her attention and temporarily suppress those depressing thoughts.
The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it; the magic crest that awakened a second time could truly be resolved only by ‘that person’.
‘I should just go home and rest well first. Perhaps… just perhaps, the one who tied the bell must untie it.’ The moment this thought appeared, Sefina ruthlessly snuffed it out.
‘How could she possibly help me resolve it, hey!’
Her current whereabouts were a mystery. Leaving aside whether Ophidoro was now a friend or enemy, just where she was now was already a mystery.
The more she thought, the more depressed she became. Sefina could not help but quicken her pace, almost childishly stamping on the accumulated snow, producing crunching sounds.
Before long, the familiar outline of the villa appeared in view, warm orange-yellow light spilling from the windows. She walked to the door and gently pushed it open.
The expected mouthwatering aroma of food did not come; the house seemed rather quiet.
Sefina was a little surprised. She took off her boots and entered the living room, where she saw the dining table covered with a dazzling array of ingredients–thinly sliced meat, fresh vegetables, neatly arranged mushrooms, and the tofu-like and starch noodle-like items she had mentioned before…
A rich variety; it seemed they had been carefully purchased.
“Teacher Sefina is back!”
The students’ voices came from the stairs, cheerful. Mia, Ellaria, and Kefi came down one after another, each face carrying a trace of expectation.
“Teacher, the ingredients have all been bought according to what you said this morning!”
Mia pointed at the table, her blue eyes sparkling.
“But… that hot pot you mentioned… how do we make it?”
Sefina was stunned for a moment, then she understood.
Right! Before leaving this morning, she had indeed mentioned that winter was suitable for hot pot, and that she would teach them how to make it when she returned in the evening.
As a result, the whole day had been thrown into turmoil by the matter of the ancient records on magic crests, and she had completely pushed this to the back of her mind.
Now, seeing the ingredients the students had prepared and their expectant eyes, the heavy gloom in her heart seemed to be pried open a crack, letting in a bit of warmth.
‘Now that I think about it, winter is exactly the time for hot pot!’
‘Those troublesome matters can all be tossed to the back of my mind for now.’
A relaxed smile appeared on Sefina’s face, and she clapped her hands.
“Very good, the ingredients are all complete. Come, I will teach you how to make it. First, put that specially made pot on the stove…”
She was referring to the copper pot with a chimney in the middle that she had previously had a blacksmith forge after some thought.
“Mia, go light the fire in that small stove, and be careful.”
“Ellaria, Kefi, help me tidy these meat slices and vegetables a little more, arrange them nicely; we will eat around the pot soon.”
“Where are the seasonings? Let me see… mm, almost there. I will mix a dipping sauce too.”
Sefina rolled up her sleeves, her wine-red eyes regaining their usual liveliness, and began directing everyone methodically. The kitchen quickly became lively.
Mia was in charge of lighting the fire. Although she was a bit clumsy and got a bit of ash on the tip of her nose, under Sefina’s guidance she finally lit the portable small stove and steadily set the copper pot on it.
Mia watched the Broth slowly being poured into the pot and rubbed her hands excitedly: “It smells so good! Do we drink this soup directly?”
Ellaria was as meticulous as ever, sorting different ingredients into categories and carefully distributing chopsticks and small bowls to each person’s seat.
Kefi did not talk much, but silently took on the task of washing the last few vegetables and handed Sefina the various seasonings she needed.
Sefina personally prepared nine bowls of dipping sauce–spicy and fragrant, salty and fresh, and rich bone broth dipping sauce–and also specially made a mild one for those who might not be able to eat spicy food.
The rich bone broth gradually came to a boil in the pot, white steam curling upward, filling the entire living room with an enticing aroma and driving away the chill of the winter night.
“It is about ready. Call Flovi and Feliel down; we can start eating,” Sefina announced.
Soon, six people sat around the dining table. The copper pot sat on the small stove in the center, the soup bubbling and rolling, steam rising and softening everyone’s faces.
“Like this, pick up whatever you want to eat with your chopsticks and swish it in the pot. Do not leave it too long; when the meat changes color it is ready, and when the vegetables are soft they are ready. Then dip them in the sauce and eat.”
Sefina demonstrated, putting a thin slice of mutton into the boiling soup, gently swishing it a few times, then taking it out once it changed color, rolling it in the dipping dish, and sending it into her mouth.
“Mm… this is the taste.”
She squinted in satisfaction, temporarily casting all her worries beyond the clouds.
The students all tried to learn.
Mia was impatient. She picked up a large helping of meat slices with her chopsticks and put them all in, and as a result some became overcooked, but after dipping them in spicy sauce she ate with gritted teeth and grimaces, yet called it absolutely satisfying.
Ellaria was much more elegant, tasting in small bites, carefully savoring the layers of the ingredients’ original flavors blending with the dipping sauce, nodding in praise from time to time.
Kefi cautiously swished a piece of green vegetable, dipped it in the mild seasoning, and after eating it her eyes brightened slightly; she silently picked up another piece.
Flovi sat quietly, her golden eyes observing the others’ movements, then imitating them meticulously.
Though no expression could be seen on her face, she chewed frequently, and she was especially partial to the spicy dipping sauce Sefina had prepared; though her nose was slightly sweating from the spice, her chopsticks moved quickly, and she seemed quite satisfied with this novel way of eating.
Feliel still wore that calm look, but the frequency of her chopsticks did not stop either.
***
The dining table was filled with a relaxed and happy atmosphere. Everyone vied to pick the dishes they wanted, discussed which ingredient went best with which dipping sauce, and occasionally let out small laughs and squabbles over the same piece of meat.
The hot pot’s rising steam blurred each other’s faces and softened all boundaries.
Sefina looked at the students’ satisfied smiling faces and listened to their chattering discussion. The corner of her heart frozen by the magic crest seemed to be gradually permeated by this warm affection.
However, just as dinner was drawing to an end, when everyone had eaten about enough and was relaxing and chatting–
Sefina suddenly felt a strange warmth coming from deep in her lower abdomen.
At first the feeling was extremely faint, like an illusion, but soon it became clear and began to slowly spread and heat up.
“What is going on?! Is it the magic crest? Could it be…”