Chapter 25 – Revenge is a Dish…

After our little bonding session, we take a good half hour to recharge before Lulu says what we were all thinking,

“Well, we’re not letting this bastard get away with what he did to Alice, are we? I say we go and ask around town if anyone knows where those cultists are staying.”

Mina raises her hand at this,

“Actually, I believe they’re staying in the mansion near Armistead Graupin’s mansion. I told you before we did… that… So, you probably don’t remember.”

Oh, she’s right. Geez, it already feels like it’s been a month since she said that… Weird… I speak up next,

“Alright. So we check the mansion next door to this Armistead person, and if there’s any cultist there we first politely ask for Sanctity Orion. If they refuse to bring him out, then we start slaughtering. I don’t know about you guys, but after my recent run-in and the stuff I’ve heard, I won’t really feel bad about killing them all.”

Alice shakes her head and takes my hand,

“No, Lily. The people of the cult may be misguided, but not all of them are as hostile as the ones you’ve met. The ones who are are the ones who everyone talks about. While I may hate the cult, I don’t want every one of their members dead just because they were born to be brainwashed.”

She looks at me with a bit of a begging look. Her eyes are big and beautiful. Emerald seas that make me question myself. I sigh and nod my head, putting my hand over hers,

“Alright. If it can be avoided, I won’t kill anyone. But Sanctity Orion dies tonight.”

Alice smiles at this and kisses me,

“I absolutely agree. If any of them try to hurt one of us, I won’t hesitate to kill them. I just don’t want to hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”

Lulu walks behind Alice and wraps her arms around her waist in a hug.

“We don't either, Alice. We’re just still a bit shaken up by what happened to you. If Lily hadn’t found a way to change you… We’d be burying you…”

I nod my head and catch Mina out of the corner of my eye, looking like she feels a bit out of place. I take her hand and pull her into the hug with the three of us.

“Before we go, how about a quick meal prepared by Mina here, hmm?”

Mina blushes at the sudden closeness, before she gives us a confident smile,

“Leave it to me! I’ll make you something absolutely delicious!”

Mina pulls some kind of meat out of her inventory, along with herbs and spices. She also pulls out some potatoes, onions, carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini. She brings out a pan and a metal rack, setting the rack over the fire without caring about the fire licking her hand. I didn’t think about that, but regular fire probably won’t hurt any of us anymore. We’re just too high level.

She pours some oil into the pan before taking out a cutting board and cutting the meat into thin slices.

“Alright! I’m gonna be making a stir fry! I’m using the meat of a Greater Bison this time! It’s got a similar texture to beef, but is a bit more fatty and muscular. When it cooks, the fat melts quickly and the meat tenderizes itself. Mainly due to the magic in it dissipating slightly. It’ll still be tougher than normal beef, but with our stats it shouldn’t feel much different.”

I smile and pump my fist,

“Hell yeah. I love stir fry! Especially with potatoes and onions!”

What can I say, I’m a simple girl. Add potatoes and onions to a dish and I’m happy. Throw in garlic too and I’ll wanna marry you.

“And, I’ll also add some red garlic as well!”

…

I suddenly kneel beside Mina, mocking holding a ring in my hand,

“Mina. Marry me.”

Alice chuckles while Mina’s face gets bright red. I feel a chill run down my spine from behind me as I turn around to see Lulu staring at me with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes,

“Lily… Honey… I believe you may have made a bad joke. Correct?”

I hurriedly stand up and salute her like a soldier,

“Ma’am, yes ma’am! I shall reflect on my actions post-haste!”

Lulu’s cold facade cracks at this, and she starts chuckling loudly. I join her right after, knowing she wasn’t seriously mad at me for saying that. After all, she knows that she’ll be the first girl I ever marry.

The other two, feeling the faux tension disappear, join in on our laughter. Mina goes back to her cooking while Alice takes out a journal from her torn dress and starts to write in it. I decide that it’s probably a bit too personal for me to look at and just sit down beside Lulu on the couch, laying my head on her lap. She starts running her fingers through my hair, gently scratching my scalp as she does so. I lean into her fingers a bit, trying to get her to scratch a bit harder.

After a few minutes, with the sound of cooking meat, scratching pens, and Lulu’s heartbeat, I feel myself drifting off to sleep. Until Mina announces that she’s finished cooking. I instantly hop up and grab a plate. Mina chuckles at my enthusiasm,

“Calm down! There’s enough for everyone to have seconds!”

I nod my head and slow down a bit, scooping out a generous portion onto my plate before excitedly sitting on the couch. I take a set of chopsticks nearby and scoop up a strip of meat, bell pepper, and onion. The carrot I tried to get slipped out before I could eat it, sadly. Instantly, the flavors punch me in the mouth deliciously. The sweetness of the bell pepper and onion paired with the savory goodness of the seasoned beef makes a beautiful melting pot of pure deliciousness in my mouth.

I grab a potato slice and eat it after a few chews. The starch combined with the juice from the beef and onions fully coats my tongue with the flavor, making me audibly moan in pleasure. I can’t help but compliment Mina,

“Mina… You take the saying ‘the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach’ to the extreme.”

Lulu’s voice barely registers in my foodgasming mind,

“You can say that again…”

Alice speaks through mouthfuls of food and choked back tears of pleasure,

“How the fug can food tasht sho good? Aa you a goddesh?”

Mina blushes and rubs the back of her neck cutely,

“Geez… It’s not that good… If I had fresh materials, this would have tasted incredible, but I haven’t hunted in a while…”

I finish my plate as she finishes talking and walk over to the pan, scooping up another plateful of food.

“Mina. If this is what you can do with low-quality ingredients, then I’m afraid you may turn us into the sin of gluttony with high quality stuff.”