5. If you don't want to be eaten, you have to feed it.
“Why, why....”
“Whew!”
Ceres spat out the food he had stuffed into his mouth.
And that too on top of the piled up food.
“What? What is it?”
Diarin was dumbfounded by the absurdity of the incident.
Isn't it too much to add 'strange, ill-mannered' to a beast that isn't just any beast?
"Poison."
"... Yes?"
But what Ceres said was even more absurd.
In another direction, Diarin felt as if her soul was being ripped out and crushed.
“...Poison?”
"Yes."
Diarin opened her eyes wide and examined the food carefully.
It looked completely fine. There wasn't even a strange smell.
But, poison?
“Is it really poison? The one that kills you if you eat it?”
"Yes."
“How did you know? Does it taste like poison?”
"Yes."
She don't know about anything else, but this is the assessment of a member of the 8th Division who is skilled at killing.
Since knives aren't the only way to kill people, it's possible that they could also distinguish between poisons.
Diarin quietly put the food back on the tray.
It was a matter that needed to be addressed to Robben to determine whether the cook was the problem or if someone had come in and poisoned the food.
“...I’ll bring something else.”
***
“Tch.”
But so was everything else.
At this point, it was not just food that was poisoned, but food that was made with poison.
“Is there anything I can eat?”
"No."
Although the poisoned area was limited, it was dangerous because the poison could have been present in other areas.
All this while, she was still hungry.
And then came the decisive sound that made Diarin decide.
Gurgling gurgling.
The sound of an empty stomach echoing from Ceres's stomach.
Diarin swallowed dryly.
You can't starve a sensitive animal.
“I will try to do something.”
Diarin stood in the kitchen, not knowing what to do.
In the kitchen, there were some ingredients in addition to the finished dish.
Surely there isn't poison mixed in with potatoes, carrots, and wheat flour.
“Yes. I can do it.”
Diarin encouraged herself in a voice lacking in confidence.
The temple has a dedicated priest in charge of meals. Her only memory of cooking was when she was very young, before she was sent to the temple.
Born into a baronial family, but so poor that they didn't even have a maid.
Her mother and older sister took care of all the cooking, and Diarin would sometimes help out.
Things like stirring the soup continuously or washing vegetables...
She didn't know anything else.
“...Can I do it?”
When she stood in front of the ingredients, her resolve wavered.
But she couldn't delay it any longer.
Even during this time, Ceres's stomach could be rumbling.
If you don't want to be eaten, you have to get food!
Diarin looked down at the ingredients as if she was looking at something terrifying, then finally raised her knife as if she had made up her mind.
If you cut it, cook it, and mix it, it will work out somehow!
Diarin prayed as she poured flour over the chopped carrots.
God, please let me make something to eat for people.
Today, her faith, which had been at rock bottom, came back often.
***
“...I’m not sure... what the difference is between this and poison.”
Diarin handed over the plate without any confidence.
The difference between food and trash waste lies in whether it's edible or not. In that regard, Diarin couldn't be certain of the identity of the material she created.
It would have been better if it had been trash. It smelled so bad that she would have been lucky if she didn't die from eating it.
It is clear that only ingredients suitable for human consumption were used, but God does not know why the result turned out like this.
Ceres began to gulp down the entire bowl without a word. There was no hesitation or rejection.
“?!”
Diarin looked down at the plate she had laid out for herself in surprise.
It still had a musty smell and a musty appearance.
Ceres ate this food quite well, even though just looking at it and smelling it made her lose her appetite.
'It tastes surprisingly good?!'
She was already sick of the way it looked, so she didn't even think about adding seasoning. She just threw in whatever seasoning shd had.
Diarin took a bite, wondering if it was a long one.
“...”
It tasted exactly as expected.
Fortunately, it wasn't bad enough to make her vomit. It was just terribly, terribly tasteless.
It's edible, but it tastes like something that makes you wonder if it's right to eat it.
“Is it edible?”
"Yes."
"...Thank god."
Ceres' plate was already empty.
The person who made the food cannot not eat it if the person eating across from her is eating it.
And she was hungry.
Diarin sighed and put a spoonful into her mouth.
“...Ugh.”
But she couldn't possibly empty the bowl.
How can something taste less and less the more you eat it?
Her expectation that her tongue would become numb while eating was a very wrong one.
She felt bad complaining in front of someone who eats well and saying that it was not tasty.
Especially as the person who made that food.
“I’ll just go to my room and eat.”
Diarin stood up, holding the plate as if running away.
"Good night!"
And ran away.
So much happened today.
The first day they met, she almost got bitten to death, she treated a mad dog that was trying to kill her, she almost died from poison, and she even cooked something she had never cooked in her life.
Doing anything more than this would be disrespectful to yourself.
God said to give love.
Diarin decided to show love to herself first.
“Yes, I’ve done enough.”
The hallway back to the room was long.
She just thoughtlessly chose the prettiest room as her own, and coincidentally, it was the farthest from the room where Ceres was hiding.
As the distance grew longer, her mind became more at ease.
This was the true joy of leaving work!
Diarin washed up, changed into her pajamas, and jumped into bed.
“Wow! It’s a bed even if you stretch out your arms and legs!”
People are so simple.
Lying down on the huge bed she's never used before, she feel like this life is okay.
Diarin was so excited that she flailed her arms and legs and swam on the bed.
Even though she rolled left and right and did gymnastics up and down, there was still plenty of space left in the wide bed.
“Yes, it’s a job that puts your life on the line, so you should get this level of welfare.”
Even on the battlefield, she slept in a bare-bottomed room with only a wall covering the floor. This was considered heavenly comfort.
Because the welfare was good, motivation that she had never had before rose up.
It's not an order to kill a person, it's a matter of compensating for a ruined life.
Let's work hard and make a wonderful young master with our own hands!
It's a world where whales dance and cats jump rope.
Although it may be a bit crazy, it is not impossible for a dog to become human.
'Well then, let's see... Tomorrow, I'll start by treating his body wounds... Ah, I need to contact the staff. Food....'
Diarin, exhausted from fatigue, fell into a deep sleep before she could even gather her thoughts.
It was a heavy sleep, as if if she just closed hdr eyes and opened them, it would be tomorrow morning.
***
“Ugh...”
It was dark for morning.
Diarin rubbed her swollen eyes.
It seems like it's still late at night, so why am I awake?
I thought I just woke up and was about to lie down again, but I saw something at the end of my dim gaze.
Instinctively, I woke up with my eyes wide open.
“...Ce, Lord Ceres?”
Ceres stood in the open doorway.
Diarin jumped up.
What's going on at this hour of the night?
It would be strange if he knocked and asked bsr to open the door, but he opened the door with his own hands and looked at her while she was sleeping.
...Looking... Rather than saying that, it was closer to glaring.
It was only then that Diarin noticed that Ceres's aura was unusual.
There was a lively look in his eyes.
In an instant, the tension was so intense that her mouth went dry.
'This, something is off.'
Diarin instinctively reached out for the whistle she had placed on the bedside table.
Ceres was seen flinching at the sight.
This looks really scary.
She's got a whistle handy just in case, but she plan to use it depending on the situation.
Diarin also felt bad seeing someone get strangled and faint with just one whistle.
“What’s going on?”
“....”
Before speaking, Ceres took a deep breath and glared at the whistle in Diarin's hand.
It didn't look like it, but it was on the verge of a runaway.
After taking a deep breath, Ceres finally spoke in a suppressed voice.
“It’s noisy.”
“...What is it?”
Now I'm just holding the whistle and staying still?
Surely you're not going to say that even the sound of breathing is loud?
"Breath."
...Is that really the sound of breathing?
“Did I ever scream while sleeping?”
“You snore.”
“...”
Diarin lowered her head in embarrassment and regret.
"Sorry..."
This was something to be sorry about, not just for Ceres, but for anyone.
“I don’t usually sleep, but sometimes I sleep when I’m really tired or nervous... I’m really sorry if I woke you up...”
As she was talking, Diarin suddenly noticed something strange.
Ceres's room was so far away that even if she screamed, it wouldn't be heard. And yet, he woke up to snoring and came running?
“Can you hear me snoring from inside the room?”
“I can hear you.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I hear you. It’s so loud.”
...Oh, I’m really, really sorry about that.
But no matter how much she thought about it, she didn't think the sound of snoring could reach that room.
“I wonder if you can even hear breathing...”
"Yes."
“...Can you hear me?”
Ceres, who was already feeling uneasy due to lack of sleep, became even more stern at the repeated questions.
Diarin also became contemplative in line with that.
It really sounds like it.
But how can human hearing be so good?
Was even the ‘dog’ in ‘Crazy Bastard’ real?
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