Chapter 69: Don’t You Think I’m Cool?

“Damn it! How did this b*tch figure it out?!”

The moment the head chef collapsed, the surrounding cooks’ expressions twisted. Their previously normal gazes turned bloodshot, filled with violent killing intent.

Without hesitation, they grabbed whatever was in their hands—kitchen knives, rolling pins, iron pans—and charged at the three of them, letting out beast-like roars.

Ilien reacted even slower than they did.

The Peretti she knew was usually lazy and distant. But now, stained with blood, she looked like a mandrake blooming in a pool of crimson—dangerous… yet mesmerizing.

Ilien stared for a moment too long before snapping back to her senses. A jet-black long blade appeared in her hand, moving as fast as lightning, placing her in front of Peretti in an instant.

“[Spell-Weapon Manifestation: Frost Roar]!”

The black blade was instantly engulfed by surging white waves, like a miniature snowstorm spiraling around it.

With a slight twist of her wrist, the charging chefs—who had been rushing forward with all their strength—became as fragile as paper in the face of that storm.

Wherever the frost touched, their bodies froze instantly—then shattered into tiny ice fragments.

The sheer power of the attack was astonishing.

So strong… Peretti thought.

With a single clean strike, Ilien eliminated all threats. She slowly sheathed her blade as a bleak, chilling wind swept past her. Her high ponytail fluttered, and her profile looked sharp and resolute.

“Good thing I made it in time. By the way, how did you realize something was wrong?”

“Hm?” Peretti glanced at her, suddenly suspicious. “At a noble banquet, food is always freshly prepared on the spot. Why would it be stored in a warehouse? You should know something that basic, right?”

“I—I don’t attend banquets often!” Ilien protested awkwardly. “I spend most of my time working for the Regulation Bureau. Who has time to care about this stuff?”

“You don’t even go home?”

“…No.”

“Oh, a workaholic. I’m intimidated,” Peretti said knowingly.

Ilien opened her mouth to argue—but stopped.

…She couldn’t deny it.

A lot of people had said the same thing about her before. In the end, she just silently accepted Peretti’s judgment.

“Nothing left but ice shards… you’re pretty ruthless,” Peretti muttered as she crouched down, picked up a piece of ice, noticed the faint trace of blood inside, and tossed it aside.

What a waste…

She had thought Feiye was already ruthless enough, but Ilien was no better—killing everyone outright, leaving not a single survivor for interrogation.

That head chef had likely been the strongest among them. Yet Peretti had set him up so thoroughly that he died without even getting a chance to fight back.

“Oh right,” Peretti added, “what was that thing you used just now? That ‘spell-weapon’ thing?”

“You’ll encounter it eventually,” Ilien explained. “Mages often struggle in close combat because their spells can harm themselves at short range. Spell-weapon manifestation allows instant-cast magic to be continuously infused into a weapon, greatly enhancing melee capability. Those who specialize in this are called Arcanists of Arms.”

“Sounds strong, but do you really have to shout the name out loud? Isn’t that… embarrassing?”

“Eh?” Ilien blinked. “Don’t you think it’s cool?”

…Does anyone actually think that’s cool?

To Peretti, shouting your move’s name was basically telling your opponent exactly what you were about to do—giving them time to counter.

She would never make that kind of mistake.

“Mhm, good job.”

Ilien instinctively thought the praise was directed at her—

—but instead, Peretti pulled the little girl beside her into an embrace, gently patting her head.

Feiye had reacted much faster than Ilien. When the chefs charged, she had already prepared her magic to strike—but held back because of Peretti’s earlier command, waiting for Ilien to deal with them.

And now—

Enduring that brief moment had earned her praise and a hug.

Totally worth it!

Watching Feiye’s satisfied expression, Peretti knew—

She was one step closer to completely “taming” her.

She had originally disdained the ideas in that book, but given the circumstances, she had no choice but to treat Feiye this way… while silently apologizing in her heart.

Otherwise, she feared that one day she might wake up locked in a dark room by Feiye.

And if that happened—

Her life would truly be over.

Meanwhile, a strong sense of dissatisfaction rose in Ilien’s chest.

I was the one who did all the work!

So why was the one getting affection… a little girl?!

Was this what they called favoritism?

“Do you know who they were?” Peretti asked, still stroking Feiye’s head.

Ilien took a deep breath, suppressing her frustration, her expression turning serious.

“With poisoning methods like this, who else could it be but the Gluttony Church? They’re all dead now—no survivors, no way to identify the poison.”

“That’s kind of your fault…”

“My lady…”

A weak voice interrupted them.

They turned to see the fox-eared girl standing nearby, holding a silver tray. On it lay a clean white napkin. Her body trembled slightly.

Peretti nodded to her. “Thank you.”

She picked up the napkin, checked it carefully for anything unusual, and only then used it to wipe the blood from her face.

Some of the blood had already dried, leaving faint red streaks on her pale skin.

Rather than making her look disheveled, it gave her an eerie, almost enchanting beauty.

This will have to do for now.

“Not necessarily,” Peretti continued. “If the Gluttony Church replaced everyone in this kitchen, there’s a good chance they’ve planted people elsewhere too.”

“You’re saying… this entire banquet has already become their slaughterhouse?” Ilien’s voice dropped.

“More or less. Everyone here is already dead. It’ll take some time before the others notice something’s wrong here.”

Ilien nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

Feiye, as always, trusted Peretti completely.

“Oh, right,” Peretti suddenly asked as they walked, “what’s your impression of the Gluttony Church?”

“Rats in the walls,” Ilien replied coldly. “You know they’re there, but you can never catch them. Honestly, this is my first direct encounter with them since arriving in Falisa.”

“I see.”

Peretti picked up Feiye and headed toward the door.

From what Ilien said, the Gluttony Church acted cautiously—never taking risks without certainty.

This time was no different.

A poison undetectable by magic… if she weren’t a witch, she might have fallen for it too.

Now that the kitchen staff had been wiped out, once the others found out, they would definitely retreat.

“You stay here,” Peretti instructed. “Don’t let anyone notice anything. If you see suspicious individuals… freeze them. Don’t kill them. Feiye and I will go find Ailberna.”

“Are you two really going to be okay?”

“Relax. They don’t know what happened here yet. Even if we run into them, we can handle it.”

“…Alright. Go and come back quickly. I’ll wait here.”

Peretti took Feiye’s hand and walked straight out of the kitchen.

In the now-empty room, only Ilien and the trembling fox-eared girl remained.