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Holidays have something in common with Fried Chicken.

While both bring happiness during the experience, the more they dwindle, the greater the regret; and once they’re completely gone, the consequences come knocking.

With chicken, that consequence is weight gain, while a holiday means an accumulation of work during the break—as merciless as reality gets.

Of course, most people usually try to finish as much work as possible before leaving for vacation.

Karem and Mary, and even Catherine, who generally puts off work, went ahead and handled their tasks before heading out.

However, it was a bit concerning that Catherine’s position was simply too high to feel completely at ease.

Welcoming her back to the Tower was an overwhelming pile of parchment waiting for her final approval—thanks to none other than Olivier.

While she was away, the second-in-command, Olivier, served as the Chief Magic Consultant, but ultimately, Olivier was merely an acting substitute.

The excuse was that items requiring the Chief Magic Consultant’s verification had to be classified and passed on…but in reality, that meant she could sign off whenever she wanted.

That’s precisely why Olivier was in that position.

However, while Catherine was absent, Olivier retained merely the title of “acting” Chief Magic Consultant.

She could perform the duties of the Chief Magic Consultant but wasn’t obligated to do so. So, Olivier simply opted not to.

She could, but… why bother?

Of course, that didn’t mean Olivier completely ignored Catherine’s responsibilities.

She showcased flexibility by handling significant issues like Alfred’s requests and Alicia’s faulty communication crystal, all while waiting for post-approval in matters that could disrupt the Mage Tower’s operations.

Even if Olivier harbored some resentment towards Catherine due to perceived ingratitude towards her mentor’s teachings and grace, she could distinguish between public and private matters.

However, Olivier let all the trivial tasks slide past her like a Slime.

Naturally, Olivier’s oversight didn’t reach Catherine.

The data table, seemingly lifeless and mundane, was actually the core constituting electronic administration.

With the power to acquire over-technologized dimensional swords in Eurolia, Catherine tackled her work in one swift motion.

People’s laziness doesn’t change easily.

With a shortened work time, she calculated that she could procrastinate even more while still inevitably finishing at the same time.

You could question what happened to the existing documents at the Mage Tower, but Catherine had no reason to fuss over that. That was precisely the kind of annoying work assigned to her graduate students.

However, Mary immediately started cleaning as soon as she arrived and organized her belongings.

While she was away, Narque, the Tower’s sole Necromancer, had been managing the Undead minions, but it still didn’t satisfy Mary, a true cleaning professional.

Dust piled up in the corners, dirty curtains, and a disorganized refrigerator filled with unwashed dishes in the kitchen!

“Why are the dishes piled up like this?”

“I planned to do them all at once later…?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Her pent-up desire to avoid infringing on another House Fairy’s territory exploded!

“I worked hard on my own cleaning, you know.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Mary swiftly dismissed Narque’s grumbling, who had busily commanded the minions to clean the Tower.

Finally back on her home turf, Mary charged toward the sink with sponge and soap in hand like a wild stallion, all in the name of cleanliness.

But she didn’t use magic.

Because that would just reduce her workload.

“So, have you decided on the dish for the sacrifice?”

“…I was thinking about using something I brought from the estate.”

The Divine Nectar of the Snow White Ice Bee.

While it was essentially honey or syrup, it fell short to be the centerpiece of a particular dish—unless it was for dessert.

Dessert.

At that moment, an idea struck her.

“I think Knafeh would be great.”

“Is that a dish from the Kingdom of God?”

“It’s from the desert culture.”

Knafeh is one of the representative desserts of Middle Eastern culture.

Among the desserts of the Kingdom of Adobice, which seems to have consumed all desert cultures outside of Eurolia, Knafeh was also included.

It’s a dessert created by layering thin noodle-like strands called Kadayif with cheese before baking it and drenching it in boiling syrup.

Requiring time and skill to prepare, rivaling that of Baklava, Mary called for a helper.

“Mary, I know you’re busy, but could you make some Kadayif?”

“I was just waiting for you to ask.”

For the main dish, they paired spicy, brined Fried Chicken with waffles.

Chicken and waffles.

It seems like an odd combination, but in fact, waffles have traditionally been on par with bread. It’s just that desserts have taken precedence.

Yet, when pouring the emerald-like translucent light green Divine Nectar of the Snow White Ice Bee over it, the visual was a bit… off.

Catherine, who tasted it along the way, was perplexed by the appearance of chicken and waffles, completely contrasting with their smell and taste.

[That guy! Finally gone and done it! Wait a minute. Why is it this color?]

[Ah, it’s the Divine Nectar… It doesn’t look very appetizing.]

……?

[What’s the fuss about—Eek.]

Naturally, the reactions of the gods receiving the sacrificial dish via the altar weren’t overly positive either.

The sight of thin green slime-like liquid seeping through crispy, freshly-fried chicken skin and pooling on the latticework of the waffles certainly wasn’t appetizing at all.

Drizzling syrup over chicken? However, once chicken cools down, it loses its flavor.

Tutatis resolutely steeled himself and took a gigantic bite of the dripping green nectar chicken.

Crisp!

Just as he was about to think it was excessively sweet…

The ensuing thought was one he himself couldn’t believe.

Why does this taste so good? It’s sweet…but it oddly pairs well?

From the moment it entered his mouth, the sweet nectar could easily be mistaken for bitterness. As the crispy coating melded with the flavor of the meat, everything changed.

The steaming, intense juice preserved by the magic tool.

It was a familiar taste. The abundant juices pooled were savory and oily, yet the saltiness kept it from being tedious.

However, this time, it didn’t end there.

With the nectar’s stickiness still lingering, each time he chewed on the breast meat, the spiciness seeped forth, balancing the nectar’s sweetness, yet pairing with it seamlessly.

And just as the dryness of the meat began to overwhelm him, the remaining crispiness of the coating played its part and harmonized beautifully.

That feeling of each bite of dry meat sticking to his teeth, forcing him to pry it apart.

That sensation of crushing the last resistance of prey near death—the sensation of snuffing out its breath.

[I thought they drizzled some syrup that’s reminiscent of honey over chicken. But this is unexpectedly good.]

…….

The wind carrying the unspoken traveler’s affirmation vibrated through the altar, but the goddesses’ attention was elsewhere.

[Hmm, sweet, crispy, and savory.]

[…This…this is…!]

The many layers of concentrated sweetness from the untouched nectar dripping off the cut piece exploded with flavor as she bit into the Knafeh.

Though thinner than silk, these crispy layers built upon one another shattered, releasing the sweetness of the nectar.

This moment, purged of the initially poising bitterness from the nectar, burst forth in a tantalizing sweetness.

As the rich flavor of goat cheese came into play, the initially misleading bitterness was mercilessly buried under the bombastic flavor without any resistance.

Sweetness, savoriness, sourness.

Finally combined, the three elements of dessert mingled seamlessly, with Skadi murmuring in awe as she twirled her fork.

Meanwhile, Yustitia was a bit different.

No, she was also moving her fork rhythmically, fully immersed in eating.

Though her rapture was similar to Skadi’s.

The difference being, while Skadi was wholly savoring the flavors…

[It’s just right across the neighboring country, one could just take a boat over…!]

This one felt plain wronged.

Founded from the ruins of the Palatino Empire, Servianus was much closer to Adobice than other countries in Eurolia.

How close, you ask? Well, it takes just a matter of roads or a crossing of the Intermediary Sea to arrive at the ports of the Kingdom of Adobice.

However, whether by sea or land, the journey to the Kingdom of Adobice was fraught with peril.

The winds of the Intermediary Sea, which disregarded any notion of regularity, and the waves that came crashing unexpectedly heralded a danger even greater than that found on land, from sea monsters and ferocious beasts alike.

If faced with such dangers, one could just go by land, but even that would mean taking a long detour the size of the Eurolia continent, plus there’s the vast desert acting as an obstacle before any monsters or beasts even come into play.

In fact, these were merely excuses.

Humans take risks for profit.

Despite pride, conservative believers would continue offering the dishes and fresh crops that they deemed distasteful.

Unless the god Himself directly requested a variety of sacrifices aside from the already favored dishes.

Yustitia understood that point but instinctively looked away.

No matter how it is, asking believers for sacrifice hurt her pride.

In that case, even if it was just sneaking a bite from Karem’s offerings, such a thing would utterly trample her pride, but Yustitia successfully looked away from that dilemma as well.

“By the way, Yustitia.”

[What is it?]

“Then shouldn’t you just ask the believers for that—”

[To ask a believer for a sacrifice from their god is a difficult feat, don’t you think?]

Now that she mentioned it, this god had also said it was embarrassing the first time they met.

At first, she’d proclaimed it as novel and refreshing, but now, such thoughts made her wonder if it was rather petty on her part.

[Hmm? What’s the source of that gaze?]

“Oh, just a slip of the mind.”

[You wouldn’t dare affirm that!?]

Catherine, who had difficulty adapting to the situation because of the vanishing aura of the divine, opted to keep her mouth shut.

Karem, who casually engaged with her, turned his attention towards the more reliable Skadi’s altar.

[It seems you want to ask something.]

“Is it that obvious?”

[If you don’t know that, one couldn’t truly call themselves a god.]

Skadi knew well enough that she couldn’t fail to notice her fellow goddesses observing the two lovers’ romance like a weekend soap opera.

[It must be the curse lingering on your two hands.]

“Yes. Given that, could you help with that?”

[Unfortunately, that’s impossible for me as well.]

Even with hearing high chances of rejection from Wales, hearing it directly brought about a whiff of disappointment.

[A curse from the God can only be lifted by the God who cast it. It’s a matter of authority. You knew it already, right?]

“Yes, Wales told me.”

[Even though I am the successor to the god of magic, Olfather, the difference between Olfather and Hecate’s magic is as vast as that between stone and wood.]

“Oh, so there is a god of magic…?]

Whispers of ancient gods passed through Karem’s mind when Catherine subtly added,

“Olfather is a nickname for the god of magic called Botan.”

“Oh, the term successor means—”

“Ah, this one at least has yet to be killed by the Demon King.”

“Then?”

“He was killed by the wolf god he had bound, apparently?”

Karem found himself curious about why the wolf god was tied up, but he decided to shelf that thought for later as he quickly shifted focus back to Skadi’s words.

[To think the person herself has just handled that part… how convenient.]

“So that means lifting it is impossible?”

[Hmm…I heard Hecate’s line remains alive, so if you were to be able to identify her—there might be a route to take.]

“Catherine, did you hear? It’s not impossible…Catherine?”

With no response, Karem turned to see Catherine, swallowing dryly and drenched in cold sweat.

This was the first time he’d seen her like this, so he was a bit flustered.

Suddenly, what’s come over her?

‘Could it be about what that man-eating witch mentioned regarding the High Priest…?’

Debates about whether turning humans into pigs for dinner equated to cannibalism were left for another time.

The more she listened to Skadi’s words, the more Catherine, unable to deny it, had to accept it.

The drought curse on their two hands was indeed a divine curse.

Had it not been for deciphering the magic book presumed to belong to Hecate even slightly, she would’ve never grasped its full extent.

But the culprit was someone she’d killed personally with her own hands.

Catherine could hardly fathom that the embodiment of a self-fulfilling prophecy of the Palatino Empire was none other than herself.

That feeling of emptiness continued through the aftermath of the sacrificial meal while Karem cleared away the altar.

“Well then, that… Hecate’s believer? High Priest? Whatever they were… I’ll need to find that person soon.”

“…That’s true.”

“Are you going to look right away?”

“I can’t do that.”

On the surface, she seemed to have returned before coming back to her senses, but Karem knew.

Catherine was still lamenting the unknown.

Karem, watching her silently, adjusted his grip on the basket with one hand and lifted Catherine in the opposite direction.

“…What’s this?”

“Just a little lift. I thought maybe you could use some energy.”

“…What do you think of me?”

Catherine, frowning, gave an annoyed jab to his shoulder.

But she was, in fact, reenergized.

‘That magic book was definitely a teleportation spell.’

Thanks to that, a lead emerged.

Even though she had personally killed the probably-Hecate believer, the loot that was Hecate’s magic book hadn’t vanished.

It simply was nowhere to be found.

No matter what came to mind, Karem set Catherine down as she insisted amidst kicking him to let her go. It was a bit sore.

“Now, look at today’s special feast!”

During that evening in the Great Hall, as Karem sat at his usual seat to eat, he faced Zigmese, who personally presented the unfamiliar yet recognizable dish.

“…Haggis?”

“That’s right, Haggis. Enjoy it all on your own!”

“Wha… Okay.”

But why did everyone look so pleased?

Why was Catherine on the verge of exploding in anger?

 

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