[V15C10] Wriggle Wriggle...

Four individuals were at work in the kitchen of the Roseberg estate’s workshop building, where a sweet scent drifted through the air, but only one of them was human. The remaining three were a white dragon, an ice spirit, and a water spirit.

The sole human was Isaac Walker, a man with a scar above his right eye. He kept an eye on the simmering pot while glancing toward the kitchen counter.

There, he saw a young man with pale bluish-white hair—Wildianu in human form—kneading dough on the counter. However, the spirit was moving his hands with extreme caution, as if brushing the cheek of a newborn baby.

“Wil, you can knead the dough a bit harder.”

“Understood.”

His kneading evolved from a gentle brush to a light massage, earning a chuckle from Isaac.

“You can press even harder,” he advised. “Once the dough starts coming together, gather it up and slap it down on the countertop.”

“…I heard that the yeast for making dough rise is alive. Wouldn’t it die if I pressed too hard?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Though he still looked worried, Wildianu gathered the dough and squished it down a bit.

Isaac decided to step in. After adjusting the armbands on his sleeves, he took the dough and firmly kneaded it against the counter, before slapping the mass down.

“See, like this. You can pretend you’re taking out your daily frustrations on it.”

“Daily frustrations…?”

Wildianu stared at the dough with an expressionless face that somehow seemed troubled. Then, he slowly picked it up.

But when he slapped it down, he did not hold back. The resulting slam reverberated through the kitchen.

“…”

The sheer force left Isaac speechless.

In human form, Wildianu looked like a gentle young man who might even be described as frail.

The sound of him pounding on dough without any facial expression was bizarre and slightly intimidating.

Bang! The sound rang out again, leaving the counter shaking from the impact.

Spirits were physically stronger than humans, even in human form. Their natural strength was likely the reason behind this force, rather than a buildup of daily frustration, or so Isaac hoped.

“…Wil, I think that’s enough for now. Gather the dough into a ball and let it rest.”

“Understood. How long should it rest for?”

“It’s warm today, so about an hour. The dough should double in size. Keep an eye on it.”

“Double…?”

The kneaded dough, now shaped into a neat ball, was placed in a glass bowl and covered with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.

Wildianu stood right next to the bowl and began observing the dough. He remained completely silent and as motionless as a statue.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the counter, a woman with pale blond hair held a different bowl with both hands, as a white-haired young man used a whisk to stir its contents.

They were Cyril’s contracted spirit Pikeh and the white dragon Thule.

“Ike, this is starting to harden,” Thule said, peering happily into the bowl, which contained a dessert made from milk and fresh cream.

“If you let me do it, I could freeze it faster,” Pikeh added, sounding a bit interested despite her expressionless face.

“It’s better to freeze the ice cream while mixing,” Isaac replied. “That way, you air it out and make it smoother on the tongue. Want to try a taste?”

Isaac used two spoons to scoop up a small portion, then offered them to the two.

He had expected them to take the spoons, but Thule and Pikeh simply crouched down to bite the spoons, in complete sync.

(…If Cyril was here, he’d probably scold them for that.)

Unaware of Isaac’s thoughts, Thule put on a bright smile.

“This is delicious. It’s sweet and melts in your mouth.”

“Glad to see you like it.”

“I like it a lot, but… I’m not sure if Mr. Black will agree.”

Mr. Black apparently referred to Nero. As a black dragon, Nero was resistant to heat and almost everything else, but extremely weak to the cold.

Isaac agreed with Thule’s thinking. If Nero ate something this cold, he’d probably shriek “Hongyarabo!” and writhe in agony. Imagining the scene gave him a chuckle.

Meanwhile, Pikeh, who had been silently evaluating the dessert for a while now, gave her solemn opinion as though she was a gourmet critic.

“It tastes like frozen life. This is a good offering for ice spirits.”

Isaac found it a bit difficult to decipher the meaning of her statement, but she seemed to have liked it.

“Maybe I’ll pass that idea to the temple,” Isaac suggested, taking a bite of the ice cream himself.

The richness of the vanilla beans combined with the smooth texture to make for a luxurious flavor.

His plan was to combine this ice cream with the peaches he was simmering as tonight’s dessert.

Raul had provided the peaches, which were somewhat rare in Ridill. Since they felt a bit firm, Isaac had decided to cut them in half, flavor them with white wine and lemon juice, then simmer them in syrup.

(The peaches and ice cream are both pretty sweet… They go well together, but adding a sour flavor might make it better. I’ll try throwing in some raspberry sauce. Sprinkling some thinly sliced almonds also sounds good…)

Isaac pondered tonight’s menu while taking the peaches off the heat, when he heard the sound of the front door opening.

There was only one set of footsteps: the sharp clack of heels. It was probably Melissa.

“Wil.”

Isaac signaled to his partner, and Wildianu paused his monitoring of the dough to transform into a lizard and hide in Isaac’s pocket. The fewer people who knew about his contracted spirit, the better.

After confirming that Wildianu was fully hidden, Isaac headed to the dining room adjacent to the kitchen.

Right as he entered, Melissa also appeared from the hallway door. As always, she was adorned in a gaudy dress and wore heavy makeup.

“Hello there,” she said with a fake smile. “I smell something good. What are you making?”

“Peaches in syrup and ice cream. Would you like a taste?”

“Oh my, how lovely. I’d love to.”

Isaac returned to the kitchen and moved the piping hot peaches to a plate. Then, he called out to Pikeh.

“Can you cool this for me?”

“Do you want it frozen?”

“That sounds like it might be pretty good, but just cool it to room temperature this time.”

While Pikeh was cooling the peaches, Isaac scooped a portion of the ice cream onto a small dish.

Meanwhile, Melissa came into the kitchen and started boiling water.

“Lady Melissa,” Isaac said. “You can always leave the tea preparations to me.”

“Don’t worry about it, I know my way around. This is my home, after all.”

“I see,” Isaac replied, lightly tapping the pocket of his vest. Wildianu shifted slightly in response.

Once Pikeh finished cooling the peaches, Isaac sliced them and arranged them next to the ice cream, adding a sprig of mint as the final touch. Not bad for an improvised snack.

Isaac set the dish on the dining room table, and Melissa followed him with two cups in her hands. She placed one cup next to the dish, and one on the opposite side of the table. Neither of them had saucers.

“You made tea for me as well?” Isaac asked.

“Yeah, so you’d better be grateful.”

Melissa sat down and started digging into the ice cream.

Isaac took the seat opposite her and took a whiff of the sweat fragrance wafting from his cup. The tea seemed to be a blend of dried fruits and several herbs.

“A well-balanced blend,” Isaac said. “Perfect for covering the scent of roses. You are far more practiced than those who simply dump it into black tea.”

“My, whatever are you talking about?”

Melissa, who was already finished with the snack, curled her crimson lips into a grin.

While keeping an eye on the movement of her left hand beneath the table, Isaac continued.

“I must say that this is quite a bold invitation. The sun is still high in the sky.”

His remark caused Melissa’s cheek to twitch slightly.

Isaac was often described as cold and inhospitable, but now, he was deliberately putting on an icy smile.

“I appreciate your interest, but my heart already belongs to another woman.”

“Is that so? …What a boring man you are!”

Melissa lifted the object she had hidden in her left hand under the table. It was a bottle, likely containing perfume, and the lid was off.

Isaac sensed that he needed to run, so he darted into the hallway and was about to jump out the window.

However, he looked out to see rose vines writhing around the entire building. Melissa had apparently laid this trap before coming inside.

(In which case, she must have prepared even more vines at the front door.)

The clacking of heels from behind indicated Melissa’s approach.

“Have you thought about the consequences of using that drug on a grown man like me?” Isaac asked, turning around with a confident smile. “You might be the one in trouble.”

“Sounds like you’ve forgotten where we are and who you’re dealing with.”

Melissa smirked as she poured a few drops of the perfume onto her rose vines.

The suffocating fragrance of roses spread through the air, leaving Isaac slightly dizzy. He quickly covered his nose and mouth to avoid breathing it in. Then, he ignored the front door and dashed up the stairs to the second floor.

From behind, the wicked witch spoke with a condescending sneer.

“In this forest, no one escapes from the Thorn Witch.”

＊　＊　＊

The detached workshop used by Raul and Melissa was a two-story building, with bedrooms and a storage room on the second floor.

Since the storage room was locked, Isaac fled into Raul’s bedroom.

“Master.”

As he shut the door, Wildianu poked his head out from his pocket.

“I know. That tea and perfume are probably drugged with the Witch’s Love Potion… I’ve dealt with the drinkable type before, but this perfume is a first.”

As a water spirit, Wildianu possessed the power to purify potions. However, he could do little about a perfume once it was inhaled.

“…In my experience, a sip of the potion type makes you lose control over yourself for a few minutes. The perfume seems weaker, but who knows what will happen if I continue inhaling it…”

“Excuse me…?”

Wildianu interrupted Isaac, which was very rare.

Realizing his mistake, Isaac clamped his mouth shut as the lizard in his pocket stared up at him.

“…What do you mean by ‘in my experience’?”

That was a slip of the tongue. Perhaps the first whiff of the perfume had dulled his judgment a little.

“Master… When exactly did that happen?”

A while back, a woman named Loletta had tried and failed to drug Isaac with the Witch’s Love Potion. He confiscated her potion and kept it on hand.

Isaac swore not to use it on the girl he liked, but it was possible that the drug may be used on him in the future. While Wildianu wasn’t watching, he tried it on himself to see if he could build up a resistance.

To make a long story short, Isaac reached the conclusion that using the potion enough to build resistance would almost certainly cause him to develop mana poisoning. He had no choice but to give up on the experiment.

“Come on, it’s not a lethal drug… and I didn’t want anyone seeing me in that state.”

As for what the state felt like… overwhelmed by lust for the girl he liked, to the point of wanting to die. Definitely not something Isaac wanted to admit.

“This is the first I’m hearing of it,” Wildianu said.

“…Are you mad?”

“…”

Wildianu slithered out of the pocket and down to the floor, his tail wriggling in an oddly complex motion.

“I am unable to use my powers while Melissa Roseberg-sama is watching.”

“…Right.”

“Thus, I will return to observing the growth of the dough. Please call for me if you need anything.”

With that, Wildianu quietly slipped out through a small gap in the wall.

Isaac wanted to explain himself, but there was not nearly enough time for that. The clacking of Melissa’s heels had already reached the door.

He quickly chanted a spell for conjuring a rope of water, anchored it to the bedpost, and jumped out the window.

View the latest chapters at seeker142.github.io