“As you can see, Sister Litt,” his voice was low and magnetic, his face wearing a mocking smile, “this cute little thing… in essence, is an unstable catalyst that can twist ordinary people into demons.”
“I already know what this stuff does, so why don’t you just tell me its real purpose?”
“The real purpose is to turn people into demons.”
Otto’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he said, “It’s a potion made from blood extracted from a demon. As for whose blood… I think you already have the answer in your heart, don’t you?”
“…Tessaia?”
In Nightbright Town, there weren’t many demons to begin with, and the only one who had ever been kidnapped by the Black Church was Tessaia.
Thinking of this, Litt once again scrutinized the bottle of potion in her hand.
“Does it have something to do with Demonization?”
“It’s rare to see you finally put that rusty brain of yours to work, Sister Litt,” Otto nodded.
“As you guessed, this thing is indeed related to Demonization. More precisely, it’s a product of Demonization Plan B, which was derived after the failure of Plan A.”
Otto’s casual yet bombshell confession made Litt narrow her eyes.
She looked at Otto again, questioning him slowly.
“How do you know all this?”
Faced with Litt’s intense gaze, Otto only responded with an innocuous smile.
“On this land, I… know everything.”
Litt’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
She had come to understand one thing.
Otto was definitely involved behind the scenes, or at least he knew about it but chose to turn a blind eye.
Combined with his status in the White Church… it was hard not to suspect he had dealings with the Black Church as well.
Just as Litt was about to drop the pretense and press him for more information—
Thud… thud… thud…
A steady, powerful, and familiar rhythm of footsteps approached, growing clearer to her keen ears.
These were Red’s footsteps.
Almost by instinct, Litt swiftly slipped the crimson potion bottle she’d been holding tightly into her nun’s robe, the movement so smooth and natural it looked like she was just straightening her clothes.
At the same time, the gentle smile unique to Litt bloomed once more on her face, as if the tension from before had never happened.
Just as she finished all these motions, Red’s figure turned the corner of the house.
When he saw Otto and Litt together, he was momentarily taken aback before asking in puzzlement,
“Bishop Otto, is there something you need?”
Faced with Red’s direct inquiry, Otto’s smile seamlessly shifted to the mild, caring look befitting a Bishop—perfect and without flaw.
Two foxes, one big and one small, both top-notch when it came to changing faces.
“Ah, Red, no need to worry. I was just passing by and thought I’d check in on Sister Litt. Although she was unharmed in the Open Day Incident, I’m still concerned there might be some hidden aftereffects. As a Bishop, it is my duty to care for the health of every member of the Church.”
“I see.”
Red didn’t suspect much, but then something seemed to come to mind.
He bowed slightly, his tone respectful but tinged with a determined resolve.
“Bishop, I have a rather presumptuous request.”
“Oh?”
Otto raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by Red’s seriousness, but still kept his perfect gentle smile.
He raised his hand elegantly, gesturing:
“There’s no need to be so formal, Red. You are a valued ally and friend of our White Church. If you need anything, please speak freely.”
Even so, Red continued with a very earnest tone, sounding somewhat tentative.
“My little shop will be opening in the next few days. I want… no, I hope I can ask you to grant Sister Litt a week’s leave, so she can come help me out.”
Helping out was an excuse; keeping Litt by his side for protection was his true intention.
Given the complex situation within the White Church right now, Red didn’t trust that they could protect the defenseless Litt if there was a traitor among them.
“Ah…”
Otto put on a slightly troubled expression, “Sister Litt is a very important member of the White Church, you know…”
Hearing this, Red’s heart sank.
Just as he thought his request would be rejected, Otto’s expression shifted as he smiled, “But since you are our ally, Red, we trust you greatly. I may not know your true reasons, but if you want Litt to help you for a week, I can allow it.”
The words at the start made Red’s heart fill with joy, but the words at the end made him jolt with surprise.
Could it be… that Otto saw through his plan?
“Feels like nothing can be hidden from you, Bishop Otto…”
“Not at all,” Otto chuckled, waving a hand.
“It’s just that your concern for Litt is a little too obvious, Red… But I think Litt will be happy about it.”
Of course, Litt, who was supposed to play along with Otto’s act, wouldn’t ignore her cue.
She immediately put on an overly shy act, pushing at Otto while blushing and saying,
“Go on, go on, go on!”
After pushing Otto out and closing the door, Litt finally let out a long breath.
She shot Red a sidelong glance, a faint blush spreading on her face.
“You don’t need to mind what Bishop Otto said.”
“Mhm.”
Red nodded, truly happy from the bottom of his heart.
“But Red…”
At this moment, Litt turned her head, her little face blooming with an angelic smile.
“For the coming week, I’ll be in your care!”
Seeing Litt like this, Red felt his heart skip a beat.
There was no denying it… this smile really could heal the soul.
Even the exhaustion he’d felt after dealing with Letia before faded away without a trace.
“By the way, Litt, what would you like to eat tonight?”
Since Litt’s fall from the stage the other day, even though she hadn’t been hurt, Red had insisted on taking charge of all her meals.
This sense of busyness around the kitchen brought back the familiar rhythm of being the logistics support in Dawnblade.
Though it was hectic, it was a reassuring feeling.
To be honest…
Litt was actually better at household chores than he was.
Every time he wanted to help, he’d find she’d already cleaned everything up, leaving him only the dishes to wash.
That sense of defeat was really hard to bear.
Litt raised her head, her silver hair catching the soft glow of sunset by the window.
Facing Red, her smile was pure and sincere.
“As long as you’re the one cooking, Red… anything is fine.”
Hearing this, Red couldn’t help but show a wry yet nostalgic smile.
He shook his head and teased softly, “Isn’t that the same as saying ‘anything is fine’?”
Back in Dawnblade, whenever he’d asked what people wanted to eat, the answer he heard the most was “whatever’s fine.”
So in this kind of situation, Red actually knew what to do.
But unexpectedly, Litt didn’t give the vague answer his old teammates always had.
“No, Red.”
Litt’s gentle smile didn’t waver.
“I mean… rather than you asking me what I want to eat,” she paused, her eyes reflecting a faint trace of expectation and curiosity, “I actually want to know, Red… what do you like to eat?”
This answer left Red standing there in a daze for a long, long time.
But Litt seemed to realize she’d said something embarrassing, and quickly darted into the bathroom.
By the time Red recovered, he scratched his head in embarrassment.
“If you’re going to get shy, you shouldn’t say stuff like that…”
Muttering this, Red headed into the kitchen and got busy.
Though he was a man, his skills and techniques in the kitchen were quite refined.
After a little time, he looked over the array of fragrant, delicious dishes on the table and couldn’t help but wipe sweat from his brow.
There was no denying it—though he often complained about Letia’s personality, when it came to cooking, Red genuinely admired her.
If she hadn’t taught him back then, maybe he wouldn’t be able to make dishes he could be proud of now.
Especially compared to Litt’s skills—if he served up something truly inedible, he really wouldn’t know where to hide his face.
“Too bad that girl is so lazy. If she’d been willing to help with the cooking, life in Dawnblade wouldn’t have been so tight.”
As Red sighed, Litt finished her bath and came out of the bathroom.
She seemed to have caught his words and asked curiously,
“Who were you just talking about?”
“Ah… nothing, just mumbling about the person who taught me to cook. Even though she’s as lazy as a salted fish, her skills are really something.”
Red spoke honestly, but Litt seemed to think of something, muttering under her breath,
“The one who’s like a salted fish… could it be Letia?”
“No, no.”
Red shook his head vigorously.
He didn’t expect Litt to be so sharp about this.
He’d once sworn to Letia that he’d never tell anyone she’d taught him to cook.
As someone who kept his word, even to Litt, Red didn’t plan on revealing this secret.
“Really?”
Litt eyed Red suspiciously.
“Really, I swear,” Red nodded again.
For some reason, he thought he smelled a faint scent of jealousy.
For safety’s sake, he decided not to linger on this topic and quickly said,
“It’s getting late, let’s eat.”
He pulled out a chair and sat down.
Litt seemed to drop the questioning as well, and the two sat facing each other, savoring this rare, peaceful moment.
“Mmm… delicious!”
Litt’s face was radiant with happiness.
Food really does taste best when you don’t have to make it yourself.
It would be funny if she ends up envious of herself.