Chapter 10: The Priestess Tasted the Delicious Dish

[Holy Carrot Cake]

Beneath the name of the new recipe was a series of detailed cooking instructions.

Fortunately, aside from that giant carrot, the other ingredients for this dish were all commonly found in the kitchen.

“Shall we give it a try?” Mrs. Martha was in high spirits, reminded of the times she and her husband used to experiment with The Recipe Book when they were young.

The kitchen soon rang with the sounds of clattering once more.

Elent naturally became the head chef. His movements as he handled the ingredients were clean and efficient.

He shredded the carrot into fine threads and mixed the flour and water into a batter without any unnecessary motions.

Celia wanted to lend a hand too. She considered herself quite knowledgeable in theory—surely she could at least be a decent assistant.

“I’ll help you chop the ingredients.” Celia grabbed a small knife and aimed it at the mushrooms on the cutting board.

“Miss Celia, um, maybe I should do that?”

Celia lowered her head. The mushrooms under her knife were now a mangled mess, twisted and uneven, while Elent’s side already had neatly diced mushrooms arranged in order.

She wisely put the knife down.

Fine.

Celia sidled up to Mrs. Martha, who was mixing the flour.

“Madam, is there any trick to mixing this? Should it be stirred in just one direction?”

“Yes, yes, that’s the way—”

Before she could finish, Celia had already snatched the wooden spoon and began to stir enthusiastically.

At first, things went smoothly, but after a few stirs, the batter started flying out of the bowl, splattering all over her face.

The kitchen descended into chaos.

In the end, Celia was “invited” out and made to sit on a chair in the dining room, staring at that mysterious Recipe Book.

Alright, it seemed she really didn’t have the talent for this.

Before long, a delicious aroma drifted out from the kitchen. When Elent emerged with a freshly baked ceramic dish, the scent grew even stronger.

The dish held neatly sliced cakes, golden in color and trembling slightly on the surface.

This was the Holy Carrot Cake.

“The Recipe Book says, the first person to eat it will have their strength enhanced.”

Both Elent and Mrs. Martha fixed their gazes on Celia. After all, it was her miraculous find that had led to this.

But Celia shook her head and said to Elent:

“You take the first bite.”

“Eh, me?” Elent was a bit flustered.

Seeing his startled expression, Celia felt utterly unmoved.

Let her eat a buff? What a joke.

The greater the power, the greater the responsibility.

If she got stronger, she’d have to fight even more powerful Magical Creatures, solve even trickier problems, and shoulder responsibilities to match her strength.

More responsibilities meant more tasks. More tasks inevitably meant overtime.

In her previous life, that was exactly how she ended up dying from overwork—praised for being capable, saddled with projects that “only you can handle,” and finally collapsing at her desk at three in the morning.

The same mistake couldn’t be made twice.

Getting stronger was out of the question—never in this life. All Celia wanted was to lie low and enjoy a leisurely Retirement Life.

Let the blessings of power be enjoyed by the young.

Mr. Hero, the organization has decided: the duty of maintaining World Peace is yours!

“You’re a Hero Candidate. Becoming stronger is your responsibility.” Celia packaged her personal reasons in grand words.

Elent looked at the carrot cake on the plate, then at Celia’s serious face, and stopped refusing. He took the first bite.

The moment the cake entered his mouth, a dazzling golden light exploded from Elent’s body.

A complex crest flashed briefly on his chest—the mark of the Hero’s Blessing.

“Delicious!” Elent exclaimed in amazement, his expression immediately becoming astonished.

“And I think I can feel it.”

“Feel what?”

“The wind, and the flame.”

Elent stretched out his hand as if trying to touch the invisible things in the air.

“The flame from the kitchen stove, the wind blowing in from the window. I can vaguely sense all these elements now.”

Elent turned to look at Celia. In his eyes, Celia was radiating a gentle light, like a small sun—warm and dazzling.

So this was the Priestess’s power? Before, he could only vaguely sense the holiness—now, he could see it so clearly.

“Amazing!”

Celia ignored his astonishment, picked up a piece of carrot cake with her fork, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Then, she froze as if the world had stopped.

The cake melted on her tongue.

First was the soft, glutinous texture, then the fresh aroma of carrot burst in her mouth. It wasn’t the ordinary sweetness of a carrot, but a divine sweetness, as if purified by holy light.

It wasn’t as direct as sugar, but it was even more addictive.

As for the texture—it was impossibly delicate, like tasting a cloud condensed from morning dew and sunlight.

After swallowing, a warm current slid down her throat into her stomach and spread through her whole body. Every pore relaxed, as if she were soaking in warm water—light, lazy, and so happy she felt like she could melt away.

Celia slumped in her chair, eyes half-closed, a satisfied smile on her lips—just like a Sunbeam Hakimi basking in the sun.

This flavor was something only the heavens should have. How many times can mortals taste such a thing?

For a taste like this, never mind searching the Black Forest for Glowing Mushrooms—even slaying a dragon didn’t sound impossible.

No, no, calm down.

Slaying dragons was way too dangerous.

But this flavor—was simply too delicious.

If this world had China on the Tip of the Tongue, Celia was sure the Holy Carrot Cake would be the star of at least one episode.

Everyone was immersed in the shock of the carrot cake’s flavor, when suddenly the Recipe Book on the table changed again.

On the page with the Holy Carrot Cake, light swirled, the recipe faded away, and a new word slowly appeared.

[Glowing Mushroom]

“Glowing Mushroom?” Elent read aloud, and then recalled something.

“I know this! It’s in the Black Forest east of your village!”

“But, it’s hard to find. And deep in the Black Forest is dangerous—you can easily get lost and end up wandering into the even scarier Endless Forest.”

So that was why Mr. Hero looked so battered last time—he must have escaped from that forest after running into a Magical Creature he couldn’t handle.

“As long as we’re careful, it’ll be fine.”

If before, becoming a Hero was just a vague goal—a promise to his father—now, after personally experiencing the thrill of gaining strength, that goal had never felt so clear.

Elent wanted to become stronger.

Mrs. Martha, watching the change in her son’s expression, turned to Celia with a solemn look.

“Miss Celia, you are someone blessed with Divine Favor. This child may be a bit slow, but he has a good heart.”

Mrs. Martha pushed The Recipe Book toward Celia.

“His father’s relic is in his hands—perhaps that’s where it truly belongs. Please take him with you.”

“Mother!” Elent’s face flushed red.

“Pfft.”

Celia looked at the mother and son—one eager to send her son off, the other so embarrassed he could crawl under the table—and finally couldn’t hold back her laughter.

But realizing her slip, she quickly coughed to cover it up and forced a straight face.

“I will.”

Since things had come to this, Celia couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Besides, to keep unlocking more delicious recipes, bringing along a free helper and bodyguard didn’t sound so bad.

“Well then, my good son is in your hands, Miss Celia.” Mrs. Martha said with a wide grin.

“Alright.”

Celia nodded again, though something about the words sounded off to her.

What did she mean, “in your hands”?

Oh well, it didn’t matter. As long as her Retirement Life wasn’t disturbed, raising another Great Dog was nothing.

“It’s getting late, everyone should rest. Celia, your room is right next to Elent’s—I’ve already tidied it up.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Martha.”