Early the next morning, Celia woke up with a splitting headache.
The last thing she remembered was drinking that oddly flavored mushroom soup.
After that, everything blurred into fragmented pieces.
It seemed like she’d had a dream, where she was back in her bedroom from her previous life, and the FUFU plushie she’d spent so much money on had come to life—and even started talking.
Even more absurdly, the FUFU plushie in her dream had to go to work, looking utterly crushed by the weight of daily life.
Such is the helplessness of a corporate drone.
Celia sat up and found herself lying comfortably in bed, covered by a blanket.
“Ah, I have to thank Lynn for this.”
It must have been Lynn who carried her back to bed.
“Priestess, you’re awake?”
Elent’s voice came from the doorway. He looked a bit odd today, avoiding her gaze, clearly embarrassed.
Celia checked her clothes to make sure nothing was out of place.
But then, considering that Elent also drank that soup yesterday…
Celia immediately understood everything.
Hero must have been affected by the mushroom soup too. Once the effects wore off, he’d be back to normal.
“Right, The Recipe Book!”
Celia suddenly remembered the main thing. She’d passed out right after drinking the soup and hadn’t checked to see if any new recipes had been unlocked.
Celia ran to the kitchen and opened The Recipe Book.
But the pages were blank.
“Why?!”
Elent had followed her over, standing behind her with a heavy tone.
“Priestess, I have two pieces of news for you.”
“Tell me the good news first,” Celia said, clinging to a shred of hope.
“There is no good news.”
“Huh? Don’t tell me both are bad.”
“That’s right.” Elent’s voice grew even heavier.
“First bad news: The Recipe Book didn’t unlock any new recipes. The reason is unknown.”
“Second bad news: The Wolf Meat you brought yesterday contains Evil Energy. We need to dispel the Evil Energy before we can cook it. Also, Demon Wolf meat is very tough, and it’s hard to get flavor into it with normal methods.”
“That’s really as bad as it gets.”
Just then, a clear, cheerful call came from outside the chapel.
“Celia—are you there—”
That voice belonged to Grandpa Bagla’s granddaughter, Yuna. She must be here to deliver new desserts.
“I’m coming!”
Celia went to the church entrance and, sure enough, saw Yuna standing there with a basket filled with freshly baked treats.
“I can’t wait to taste Grandpa Bagla’s handiwork!”
Celia’s eyes fell on what Yuna was wearing today.
“Also, Yuna, you look so fashionable today.”
Yuna’s outfit didn’t look like a village girl’s at all. Even on the streets of the Capital, she would fit right in.
“Thanks for the compliment. The Kingdom’s Fashion Festival is in half a month, so I’m dressing up a bit in advance to prepare.”
Fashion Festival? Celia had heard of that holiday. On the day of the celebration, everyone wore what they thought was their most stylish outfit.
Just thinking about it sounded exhausting.
Thankfully, as a Priestess, she only needed to wear a robe—no need to stuff herself into corsets or hoop skirts like those noble ladies.
No way she’d ever wear a skirt that looked like a birdcage.
Yuna handed the basket to Celia.
“These are Linfuit Custard Tarts made by my grandpa. You’ll definitely like them, Celia.”
A sweet aroma wafted over.
But compared to the things in The Recipe Book, this scent was still lacking.
Celia even suspected that The Recipe Book secretly added something to its dishes—it was just too addictive.
Celia carried the basket back inside the church. Lynn was still asleep.
“Lynn was even more drunk last night,” Elent explained.
Wait, if Lynn was even more drunk, then who carried her to bed last night?
Celia realized she’d overlooked something, then turned her gaze toward the Hero, whose eyes were wandering suspiciously.
“Hero, you didn’t do anything to me last night, did you?”
“O-of course not!” Elent reflexively covered his right arm, looking like he had something to say but stopped short.
He couldn’t possibly tell the Priestess the truth. Elent felt like if he told the truth, Celia might physically erase his memory.
Besides, he hadn’t done anything to Celia—it was the other way around; Celia was the one who got a bit handsy with him.
“Oh?” Celia narrowed her eyes, her gaze landing on the right arm he was trying to hide behind his back.
“Your expression right now looks just like those believers who got caught stealing offerings.”
“My arm just cramped up!” Elent’s eyes darted around, his ears turning visibly red.
Damn it, the feeling of being hugged tightly all night as her pillow still seemed to linger on his skin.
“Really?” Celia stepped a little closer.
A pleasant scent of milk instantly invaded Elent’s personal space.
Celia’s mind was working fast. Last night, she dreamed that her FUFU plushie became sentient and was wonderfully soft and springy to hug. Could it be—?!
Celia looked at her own hands, then at Elent’s horrified expression.
Could it be that after she blacked out last night, she used him as a punching bag and practiced boxing all night?
Thinking of this, Celia instantly felt a little guilty.
“Ahem, it’s nothing.” Celia quickly took a step back and pretended to straighten her collar as if nothing happened.
“I trust the Hero’s character, just as I trust my own drinking habits.”
The two exchanged a glance, then looked away with tacit understanding.
“Let’s eat the Linfuit Custard Tart! Save some for Lynn.” Celia forced a change of subject.
The sweets Yuna brought were still warm. If they cooled down, even reheating them with fire wouldn’t bring back the original taste.
Celia picked up a tart and examined it.
The crust was baked golden and crispy, looking absolutely delicious.
“Aahm.”
With one bite, the aroma of grains mixed with the sweet and sour jam filled her mouth, creating a combination greater than the sum of its parts.
Delicious!
Celia ate the treat like a little hamster, one bite after another, not even leaving a bit of jam at the corner of her lips—she scraped it clean with her finger and popped it into her mouth.
Seeing Celia’s cheeks puffed out as she blissfully licked her fingers clean of jam, Elent quietly pushed his share toward her.
“I don’t really like sweets,” Elent said, using a clumsy excuse.
“Really?” Celia’s eyes lit up, her spoon already reaching over. “Then I won’t be shy about helping you out with this suffering!”
…
“Thank you for the treat.” Even though Grandpa Bagla couldn’t hear, Celia still thanked him silently in her heart.
After finishing the dessert, Celia was completely free.
No new recipes had been unlocked, Wolf Meat couldn’t be used yet, and there were no injured people needing healing in the church. For the moment, she had nothing to do.
“Is the Priestess feeling bored?”
Elent sidled over.
“Yeah.”
“Then come train with me!”
“No.”
“Sword practice?”
“No.”
“Fine, I’ll go on my own then.”
Elent walked out into the yard and began his daily training.
Celia thought for a moment, then decided to go bask in the sun for a while.
She moved a chair outside, sitting there while watching Elent train. Her gaze drifted over the recently cultivated patch of land.
Right, there was still some fertilizer left. By the way, would the Saint Celery power inside dissipate over time?
Celia wasn’t sure, but just in case, she figured she should use up the rest of the fertilizer as soon as possible.
“Hero.”
“What?” Elent paused mid-swing.
“Don’t you think it’s a waste for someone as radiant as you to just swing a sword at empty air?”
Celia pointed at the freshly tilled land nearby.
“So?” Elent felt a foreboding sense of doom.
“Please put that strength to more meaningful use! For example—”
“Let’s undergo a trial of cultivation called ‘Life Genesis’!”
Celia drew a cross over her chest, her expression solemn as if presiding over a coronation—if you ignored the sly smile at the corner of her lips.
Seeing the girl’s shaman-like demeanor, Elent couldn’t help but feel he was about to become the tragic Hero who only knew how to farm, once again.
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Oh dear.