Chapter 192

Something…….

Something was happening.

The only thing Daria could be sure of was that.

Aila, who had always been her reliable partner and paladin, always protecting her, was now silently focusing solely on eating the food Kurt had made.

This was so shocking because Daria had never imagined such a thing could happen.

It was such an unfamiliar sight of Aila.

As if she had become someone else Daria didn’t know……

“Ah, Aila……”

*Whoosh!*

As Daria called out to Aila with a trembling voice, Aila turned her head sharply, as if she had forgotten something, and looked at Daria.

“…Eek!”

Daria let out a small scream at the sight of Aila turning her head.

“Ah, Sister Daria, you should eat quickly too. The food is incredibly delicious!”

Aila said with an innocent smile, completely unaware of Daria’s concern.

But even with Aila’s attitude, Daria couldn’t let her guard down.

Wasn’t it strange?

No matter how delicious the food was.

Just moments ago, Aila had been determined to check if Kurt had tampered with the food, but now she was eating his food silently, as if enchanted.

‘As if enchanted…?’

At that moment, a thought flashed through Daria’s mind.

At the same time, it felt like all the questions about the current situation were being answered.

‘That’s right. Thinking about it, it was strange from the beginning.’

It was something anyone could figure out with common sense.

The probability that food made by a Lizardman, not even of another race, could be so delicious that even a devout paladin would forget her duty for a moment, versus the probability that Kurt had used a suspicious artifact from the ruins of the Ancient Empire to enchant Aila’s mind.

Which one was more likely?

She should have expected it when she saw Mari and Karina, who were happily smiling even after eating food made with bugs.

They too had already fallen under Kurt’s monster-like influence!

‘No wonder he boldly promised to show the artifact……. In the end, were you just like those who got their hands on other artifacts of the Ancient Empire…?’

Thinking about it, it had always been like that.

Anyone who got their hands on an artifact of the Ancient Empire and gained overwhelming power would inevitably be consumed by that power and bring about their own destruction.

That’s why the Holy Kingdom was wary of the artifacts of the Ancient Empire……

That’s why Aila had always insisted that Daria should never trust those associated with the artifacts of the Ancient Empire, but Daria had always advised Aila that if she started distrusting people like that, she would eventually be unable to trust anyone.

And the result of acting while believing in people’s goodness was this…….

“Why aren’t you eating? Are you not feeling well?”

At that moment, Kurt spoke to her with a disgustingly concerned expression.

*Grit*

Feeling anger rising at his concerned expression, Daria almost shouted but managed to hold it in.

‘Right now, there are three adventurers here who have been brainwashed by Kurt. On the other hand, Aila is enchanted by his cooking. It’s better to give up on the idea that she’ll be any help in combat. In the worst-case scenario, she might even side with Kurt…….’

If that happened, Daria, whose combat ability was significantly inferior to Aila’s, wouldn’t be able to resist.

‘But there’s still a way. Fortunately, Kurt doesn’t seem to want to use force to brainwash me. I need to exploit that opening.’

Daria’s position was that of a Special Holy Maiden of the Holy Kingdom.

As a Special Holy Maiden paired with Aila to carry out the Holy Kingdom’s missions, she was practically a burden in terms of combat, needing Aila’s protection……

But there was a reason the Holy Kingdom sent Special Holy Maidens and paladins in pairs.

Special Holy Maidens were those who had studied the knowledge and countermeasures against threats to this world from a young age.

Their knowledge included understanding the abilities and weaknesses of nearly 90% of the existing vampires and memorizing the personal details of major vampire clans.

In addition, they had knowledge of the ecology of monsters threatening humans, the ecology of other races to mediate conflicts between them.

International relations, history, magic, and various other fields of knowledge.

And among that knowledge was also information about the artifacts of the Ancient Empire, which could cause social chaos if they fell into the wrong hands.

‘It’s the first time I’ve tried to devise a countermeasure while eating food……. But there’s no other way!’

The method Daria came up with was a kind of reverse engineering.

She would eat the food Kurt had made, become a subject of his spell, and before her mind was completely subdued, quickly devise a way to counter the brainwashing spell on the spot.

It was a feat that required her to circulate mana to defend her mind and find a solution before her mental barrier was breached.

It was a gamble that even Daria couldn’t guarantee success……

But there was no other way.

“If you’re not feeling well……”

“No, I’ll eat.”

Having made up her mind, Daria gave Kurt a slight smile and without hesitation, scooped a spoonful of pulled beef into her mouth.

.

.

.

*Haaap*

‘First, the mental barrier is fine……. Then…….’

“Hmm!?”

As Daria put the pulled beef into her mouth.

She tried to calmly analyze the magic applied to the food, but that attempt failed.

‘What, what is this!? This meat…!’

The clearly charred exterior between the torn fibers of the meat suggested it had been cooked at high heat……

‘Why is it so oily yet moist!?’

It melts.

It melts away.

It melted away.

As if the meat was meant to melt like this from the beginning.

The pulled beef melted away in her mouth, leaving only the oil behind.

Even though it had already been shredded once, the moment she put it in her mouth and chewed, it shredded into a thousand pieces again.

But this shredding wasn’t tough and fibrous; it was incredibly soft and natural.

‘By the great Black Tentacle, I’ve never had meat this tender before…! Huh!?’

Before she knew it, instead of countering the Ancient Empire’s magic, Daria was completely absorbed in savoring the taste of the meat.

‘This won’t do…! I need to counter the Ancient Empire’s magic…….’

*Munch munch*

*Chew chew*

But contrary to her thoughts, her body kept eating the pulled beef on its own.

‘This shouldn’t be happening…….’

Somehow, it was unbelievably tender, tearing apart in her mouth along the grain.

It was so tender that she could tear the meat fibers apart with just her tongue, without even needing to use her teeth.

Not only was it tender, but it was also incredibly juicy.

Of course, it was natural for it to be somewhat juicy since the surface had been coated with barbecue sauce……

But this juiciness was beyond that.

No matter how much sauce you coat the surface, it’s impossible for every particle of the meat to be this juicy.

But this pulled beef was so juicy that even without the sauce, it would have been just as juicy.

Of course, that didn’t mean the barbecue sauce on the surface was useless.

The sauce, made with a tomato base, had permeated every surface of the shredded meat, giving it a much larger surface area than a regular steak.

If it were a regular steak, the sauce would only touch one side of the thick meat.

Even if the sauce were served separately or poured over the pulled beef, it would still have a limited surface area.

But by shredding the meat into bite-sized pieces and then repeatedly shredding it thinly, the sauce had evenly coated every surface of the pulled beef.

Every 360-degree surface, and since the meat itself was very thin, the sauce covered more of the meat than not.

And the tomato-based barbecue sauce that had completely coated the pulled beef……

Was both tangy and sweet, with a savory umami that was missing nothing.

The rich tomato flavor of the barbecue sauce insisted that the essence of the dish wasn’t just in the texture, exploding with flavor in her mouth.

But it didn’t stop there.

Just as she was recovering from the intense flavor of the sauce, the taste of the meat itself, infused with pepper and salt, delivered a second blow.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Then, a third wave of subtle sweetness from the meat delivered a finishing blow, leaving her unable to move.

It was the unique aftertaste of the Steel Armored Bison meat, reminiscent of crustaceans.

The flavor of the tomato sauce and pepper was truly satisfying and could be described as ecstatic, but at the same time, it was stimulating in both good and bad ways.

After the stimulating double hit, the subtle sweetness of the Steel Armored Bison meat provided a clean finish, soothing her tongue.

First, she was amazed by the texture, then by the flavor of the barbecue sauce evenly coating every surface, followed by the perfect harmony of pepper and salt infused into the meat for 24 hours, and finally, the unique flavor of the ingredient itself.

In the relentless storm of flavors, Daria, like Aila, forgot about the Ancient Empire’s magic and mindlessly devoured the sous-vide pulled beef.

“Here, have some bread and vegetables. Don’t just eat the meat; try putting it in the bread. It’ll be even more delicious.”

“Wow! Thank you so much!”

*Chew chew*

And so, Daria, with a blissful expression as if she had found happiness in this world, immersed herself in the meal.

Just like Aila had…….