Silvervein City, having just experienced a great disaster, was completely devoid of travelers.
Sophie and the others had naturally taken over the inn's lobby, pushing several tables together.
The Hero, the Witch, the Lord of the Dark Night, and other heavyweights capable of manipulating the world's destiny sat around the same table, planning and plotting a conspiracy grand enough to overturn the world.
Namely, the momentous topic of what to have for lunch.
An incredibly rich and enticing aroma drifted through the air.
The mellow fragrance resulting from the fusion of spices, heat, and ingredients made one's mouth water.
“Gurgle...”
Sitting at the dining table, Kaila's stomach let out another quiet protest.
It was highly embarrassing.
Kaila faced the situation with her usual expressionless, cold face.
She stared ahead, her gaze penetrating the wall to see the scene inside the kitchen.
Five or six frying pans hovered in midair simultaneously, with golden-brown chunks of meat and vegetables sizzling inside.
Two kitchen knives chopped onions on a cutting board at a dizzying speed.
Various small bottles filled with seasonings flew back and forth in the air, precisely shaking pepper and sea salt into the pans.
And the chef behind all of this was standing on a wooden step-box.
The lids lifted in unison, steam billowed up, and then they closed together again.
Every object in the entire kitchen moved on its own, like a neat and orderly army.
“Would you like to eat something to tide you over first?” Sophie thoughtfully handed over a long cucumber.
“Thank you,” Kaila said, taking the cucumber. “Why did you... have this prepared?”
“Saintess, I want one too, I—” Miaoyue was stuffed with something the moment she opened her mouth.
She wasn't angry either, immediately starting to munch away.
“Well...” Sophie shrugged, hesitating for a moment. “This is actually... an ingredient Little Dino brought. Since it was no longer useful, she gave it to me.”
Terrifying. I almost triggered a defeat CG.
Thankfully, I'm a Galgame master.
I almost let Sister Sophie get a taste of something good.
Sophie still felt a lingering fear over the premium scene that had occurred that morning.
“She... knows how to cook?” Kaila asked indistinctly.
“Why wouldn't she?” Sophie asked in return, rocking back and forth on her chair astride, sounding perfectly justified. “Little Dino is extremely versatile.”
Shironaka Fueno's gentle voice drifted from the kitchen.
“When it comes to daily life skills, I know a little bit of everything.”
“If Elder Sister falls, I even know how to fix chairs.”
“Shouldn't the main point be the fact that I fell?”
“What? Does Little Sophie need Little Dino to give her kisses, hugs, and cuddles before she'll get up from the floor?”
“That... won't be necessary,” Sophie said.
Miaoyue finished the cucumber in her mouth, her gaze lingering reluctantly on Kaila's cucumber, which had only been nibbled twice. Tapping the table, she asked curiously, “My Saintess, are you just going to sit and watch? She is your sister, after all. Not only is she sick, but she also has to cook such a huge table of food. Aren't you going to lend a hand?”
“Since there's already hand-crafted, exquisite food prepared with love and warmth, why are you still thinking about my cold, mechanically synthesized alchemy meals?” Sophie waved her hand. “Besides, I've been fighting all morning. Can't I just enjoy myself for once?”
She didn't know how to cook anyway; she could only throw everything into an alchemy pot and recite a couple of rituals to synthesize food that matched her imagination.
Furthermore, Little Dino didn't like her helping.
Soon, the first plate flew out of the kitchen, supported by silk threads, and landed steadily in front of her. Then came the second and the third. Slabs of steak with slightly charred crusts, stews soaked in rich broth, sliced soft bread, and several plates of brightly colored fruits and vegetables filled the long table in sequence. In the end, even two neighboring tables had to be requisitioned just to fit all the food.
“Wow, there's even a magic show.”
Miaoyue's eyes brightened significantly as the number of dishes increased.
She became positively radiant.
“Suodi,” she said solemnly. “You have my recognition.”
“To receive the recognition of the Goddess Sister is Suodi's honor.” Shironaka Fueno brought a stool over to Sophie's side, squeezing herself between Sophie and the others with a sweet, obedient smile on her face.
Sophie stared at her in silence.
Shironaka Fueno: “Hiss!”
Sophie silently made room.
She chose to endure.
Kaila picked up her utensils, but her movements hesitated. It had been far too long since she had eaten a proper meal, and for a moment, she didn't know where to start.
A silk thread quietly reached out, pushing the plate containing the stew toward her.
“If you've just woken up, it's better to eat this first,” Shironaka Fueno said.
Kaila looked up.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. After all, if Miss Knight starves to death here, Elder Sister will start shedding pearls again.”
“When did I ever cry?”
“Didn't you?”
“Absolutely not.”
Kaila lowered her head, scooping up a spoonful of stew and putting it into her mouth.
The warm broth slid down her throat into her empty stomach.
There was no holy light, nor was there any recovery magic.
Just an incredibly ordinary sense of satiety, slowly spreading from the depths of her body.
She chewed for a moment.
“It's delicious.”
Shironaka Fueno's eyes curved into crescents.
“Thank you. There are also some drinks.”
Guided by several transparent silk threads, four delicate glass cups glided out smoothly, landing at different spots along the long table.
For the Goddess Sister Miaoyue, a cup of warm milk tea.
For Miss Knight Kaila, a glass of perfectly-tempered warm water, crystal clear.
And left for Shironaka Fueno herself was half a cup of black tea.
These three cups were all perfectly normal.
Except for the one placed in front of Sophie.
The liquid inside the cup was a bizarre, highly saturated fluorescent pink. Viscous bubbles rose to the surface from time to time, making soft popping sounds as they burst, releasing a strange aroma that was sweet and cloying to the point of being sickening.
You're not even trying to hide it anymore, are you?
The smile on Sophie's face froze.
She lowered her head to stare at the fluorescent pink liquid, then looked up at Shironaka Fueno, who was sitting next to her, sipping her black tea.
“Little Dino...” Sophie spoke dryly. “Is this cup of mine... some kind of special wellness recipe?”
“Yes.” Shironaka Fueno blinked her innocent purple eyes, the sickly flush on her face seeming to deepen. “Elder Sister has been running around outside for the past two days, so it must have been very hard on you, right? This is a special drink that Little Dino brewed using several precious ingredients specifically to reward Elder Sister. After drinking it, you will surely feel relaxed in body and mind, immersed in... unforgettable happiness.”
Drink up, you'll be totally "fine."
Drink up, this is the fate of an Elder Brother.
“Then why is it glowing?” Sophie said. “Did you add alchemy ingredients?”
“No, no, no, it's because I added love.” Shironaka Fueno tilted her head, her smile growing even more brilliant. “Does Elder Sister not like it? This is the devotion of your seriously ill little sister, who dragged her weak body and endured her coughing to prepare this for you in the kitchen without stopping for a single second.”
“Cough, cough...” After speaking, she very cooperatively covered her mouth and let out two weak coughs.
“What a heavy display of sisterly love, it's so beautiful.” Sitting opposite them, Miaoyue, whose mouth was already stuffed full, immediately gave a thumbs-up and said indistinctly, “I am shipping you guys!”
Aren't you worried about getting a toothache?
Kaila held her water glass, looking hesitantly at the fluorescent pink liquid in Sophie's cup.
With her instincts as a formerly powerful Hero, she naturally sensed that the cup contained dangerous components. However, seeing Shironaka Fueno's weak, obedient appearance and how she had taken care of her, she found it hard to say anything.
This is a fresh account, can you not ruin it?
Sophie took a deep breath, picked up the bubbling liquid, tilted her head back, and downed it in one go.
“To my sister's love, cheers.”
The texture of the liquid was unexpectedly viscous. As it slid down her throat, the system began to make its presence known.
【Log: You have consumed an Abyssal Legendary Potion. Performing check...】
【Log: Affected by the [Succubus's Pitch] effect, your Sanity +50%, Carnal Desires Oppression -200%, and nerve ending sensitivity increased by 500%.】
【Log: Affected by the [Water of Depravity] effect, your Depravity -200%】
【Log: Affected by the [Fluttering Heart] effect, your heart rate -200%】
【Log: ...】
“Burp.” Sophie let out a full burp.
Shironaka Fueno looked at her expectantly.
She had already calculated the dosage. A compound potion of this level was enough to turn her elder brother—who was always flirting around—into a tiny toy in the palm of her hand, acting solely on instinct for the next few hours.
Elder Brother no longer has his former poison immunity. The chances this time are very high.
Just thinking about it makes me feel regret. If only my first dosage back then had been larger. Because I only added a tiny bit each time, Elder Brother eventually developed poison immunity and became completely resistant to all toxins.
What a pity.
“Elder Sister, do you feel hot? Do you want Little Dino to help you to your room to rest?” Shironaka Fueno stretched out her fair, delicate hand, seemingly wanting to support Sophie out of concern.
However, the very instant her fingertips were about to touch the corner of Sophie's clothes...
Sophie's retina froze on the red warning box.
Immediately following that...
Sophie grabbed Shironaka Fueno's hand in a reverse grip.
“Elder... Sister?” Shironaka Fueno said in surprise.
Sophie straightened her back.
Her movements became slow and elegant, and an aura of sacred inviolability emanated from her.
“Whew—”
Sophie gently exhaled.
It was actually a white icy mist.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees at this moment.
“Thank you for your special drink, Little Dino,” Sophie said calmly. “The taste is sweet and cloying, and the ingredients include extracts of twelve aphrodisiac herbs as well as three mental hallucinogens. From a nutritional standpoint, not only is it completely useless, but it also causes irreversible damage to the user's central nervous system.”
“But considering that I am already an undead central nervous system, if it's broken, then so be it.”
Shironaka Fueno was stunned. “El... Elder Brother?”
“I am fine. Better than ever before.”
Sophie slowly picked up her napkin and gently wiped the corner of her mouth.
“In this world full of disorder and chaos, we should pursue inner peace and clarity of mind even more,” Sophie said. “Carnal desires are nothing more than a dopamine secretion error generated by carbon-based organisms for reproduction. Before this sumptuous lunch, we should not be bound by such low-level impulses. Instead, we should savor the wonderful reactions occurring between these proteins and carbohydrates with a heart of reverence.”
Kaila: “...”
Miaoyue: “...”
Shironaka Fueno: “...”
A dead silence fell over the dining table.
The milk tea in Miaoyue's hand had gone cold. She stared blankly at Sophie, forgetting to put down her cup. “My Saintess, did you... did you become a nun?”
“Becoming a nun? That is a relatively narrow concept, Goddess,” Sophie replied without a ripple of emotion. “I have merely attained enlightenment regarding the true meaning of life under the stimulation of the potion. Those obsessions with love, possessiveness, or lingering trauma are less than a speck of dust in the face of the vast cosmic scale.”
“Where is the dispel? Dispel, Goddess, cast a dispel...”
“I don't know how.”
“I do.”
“Miss Knight, you're a lifesaver! Hurry, hurry!”
“Why is a golden halo starting to shine behind My Saintess's head?”
“Oh no, Elder Sister is about to achieve Buddhahood! Quick, pin her down! Where's the dispel? Dispel her to save her!”
“I'm... already dispelling her.”
...
Rate on N.U.
