Chapter 53: The Hero’s Declaration

Three whole plates of freshly baked cream puffs sat on the Church dining table.

A thin layer of powdered sugar was sprinkled over the crispy shells, and the cracks were filled with vanilla cream that was almost overflowing.

This was the masterpiece Elent had completed under Celia’s step-by-step guidance after ruining three bowls and using up two bags of flour.

It looked extremely appetizing and delicious.

Celia picked up a cream puff and took a large bite, and the smooth cream exploded in her mouth.

It was a delicacy that deserved a score of ninety out of 100.

Though the process had been a bit convoluted, the taste was truly undeniable.

The sweetness was moderate, the milky flavor was rich, and the cream—whipped by the idiot Hero’s monstrous strength—was exceptionally delicious.

In her haste to eat, a dollop of cream stuck to the corner of Celia’s mouth, sliding down her chin slightly and leaving an ambiguous trail on her fair skin.

Elent didn’t eat any cream puffs; he just stared at the cream on the corner of Celia’s mouth.

The feeling of her back pressed against his chest in the Kitchen earlier hadn’t seemed to dissipate, and seeing this scene now made his body feel even hotter.

*Bang!*

The Church doors were kicked open, breaking the quiet atmosphere as a wave of heat and dust rolled in, blowing away some of the sweet fragrance.

A burly Adventurer walked in.

The Adventurer wore a suit of leather armor with a notched scimitar hanging at his waist; his face was fleshy, and his thick beard was stained with either wine or grease.

“I was wondering why there wasn’t a Priest in the hall, but it turns out you’re all here!”

“Wait, this smells amazing!”

The Adventurer sniffed deeply, his gaze sweeping across the Church before finally landing on Celia behind the dining table.

The moment he saw the young girl, the Adventurer’s eyes lit up.

At this moment, Celia’s Priestess habit was a bit messy from the previous chaos, and her collar was slightly open.

With cream smeared on the corner of her mouth and a half-eaten dessert in her hand, she looked at the door with a look of bewilderment.

This defenseless posture, combined with that incredibly exquisite face, was lethally attractive to a crude man who lived by the blade and hadn’t seen a woman in a long time.

“Yo, isn’t this a Church? Since when did a shop like this open up?”

The Adventurer grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth.

His eyes roamed shamelessly over Celia’s body before finally fixing on her cream-stained lips.

“I originally planned to find a Priest to treat a minor injury, but I’ve changed my mind now. Besides selling sweets, do you offer any other services?”

As the man spoke, he walked toward the dining table, his large, calloused hand even reaching out toward Celia’s face.

Celia looked at the big guy who had burst in.

From her perspective, he was just a wallet delivered to her door.

Yuna’s Shop was closed, and now the Church was the only place in the entire Village with these exclusive cream puffs.

If she didn’t fleece him in such a monopoly business, she would be failing herself after the suffering she endured in the Kitchen.

“Cream puffs are one silver coin each. No credit.”

Celia swallowed her food, calculating the profit in her head.

As for his outstretched hand?

‘He probably wants to inspect the goods. After all, it’s normal to check the quality before buying.’

Celia took the initiative to hold out the half-eaten cream puff, signaling for him to see how generous the filling was.

“One silver coin?”

The Adventurer sneered, not even looking at the cream puff. Instead, he leaned over the table, his rough hand reaching for Celia’s chin.

“This snack is too cheap. How about this? I’ll pay one gold coin.”

“To buy that bit on your lips, how about it?”

The man’s fingers were less than a palm’s distance from Celia’s cheek.

Celia froze for a moment.

‘One gold coin for the cream on my lips? Is this guy crazy? Or is this some kind of unique rich-person hobby in the Other World?’

Before Celia could figure out if the deal was worth it, a dark shadow blocked the space between her and the Adventurer.

*Slap.*

The dirty hand reaching for Celia stopped in mid-air.

Elent’s hand clamped onto the Adventurer’s wrist like an iron vise.

“Huh?”

The Adventurer tried to pull his hand back, only to find it wouldn’t budge an inch.

He looked up and met a pair of eyes devoid of any emotion.

The Hero, who usually acted like a large golden retriever, was expressionless.

A bone-chilling coldness swirled deep within his black pupils.

There was no violent explosion of Battle Aura, nor any brilliant magic effects.

Just his individual killing intent alone was enough to make the Adventurer—who was a size larger than Elent—stiffen all over, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

“Take your filthy hands off her. That is the holy Priestess.”

Following Elent’s words, his fingers tightened.

“Aaaaaah!!!”

The Adventurer let out a blood-curdling scream, his entire body contorting from the intense pain.

With a casual flick, Elent tossed the man — who weighed nearly 200 pounds — toward the door like a piece of trash.

The Adventurer scrambled to his feet outside the door, not even daring to utter a threat.

He clutched his wrist and fled toward the Village entrance, never once looking back.

Silence returned to the Church, with only the echoes of the distant screams outside the main door still lingering.

Elent then walked back to the dining table. Celia looked at him, wanting to ask something.

But Elent didn’t speak. He braced his hands on the edge of the table, his tall frame blocking the sunlight from the door and casting Celia completely into shadow.

Elent stared at Celia’s face, then reached out and firmly wiped away the cream from the corner of her mouth.

“Mm…”

Celia let out a muffled groan. That groan seemed to act as a switch, and Elent’s fingers froze in mid-air.

The touch of her skin on his fingertip was warm and slightly moist.

The faint, sweet scent of vanilla from the girl lingered in his nose.

Elent blinked, and his vision refocused.

The Priestess was staring at him with wide eyes, her fair lips flushed red from his previous rough movement.

“…?!”

Elent sprang backward, knocking over the stool behind him.

The suffocating pressure from before vanished without a trace.

Elent’s face flushed deep red, even reaching the tips of his ears.

The Hero stood there in a panic, not knowing where to put his hands.

Finally, he tucked them behind his back, his eyes darting around frantically.

“I-I’m sorry, Priestess!” Elent stammered an explanation. “I… the cream… it was just an eyesore! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to offend you!”

“I’ll go chop wood right now! No, I’ll go sweep! I’ll go reflect on my actions!”

With that, Elent fled toward the Backyard in a pathetic state.

Celia sat in her chair and touched the corner of her mouth, which was still burning.

For a moment just now, she really thought this big dog was going to bite someone. Yet, in the next second, he turned back into that coward.

Celia breathed a sigh of relief, then her gaze fell on the plate of unsold cream puffs on the table.

A feeling of heartache welled up.

“That was a whole gold coin! Do you know how many ingredients for Happy Water one gold coin can buy? You just chased away a fat sheep like that?!”

“Elent, get back here! Your dinner is canceled today! You’re going to pay for my mental distress!” Celia shouted toward the Backyard.

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground came from the Backyard, as if someone had tripped, followed by an even more frantic sound of wood being chopped.

Iris watched this scene while hugging her knees.

The killing intent that man had radiated earlier made even her tremble, yet he had fled in terror from a single sentence from that Witch.

‘Is this what they call taming? How terrifying.’

Iris shrank back and looked at the remaining cream puffs on the table.

‘But that cream puff looks really delicious.’

Since that man wasn’t eating dinner anymore, did that mean she could…

Iris swallowed hard, and her stomach let out a timely growl.