“What’s the point of teaming up with a bunch of trash?”
“Vivian mocked.”
“They’ll only hold us back.”
Lynn turned around in despair and looked at them.
“Then what should I do? This is a mandatory task! If I can’t form a team, I can’t graduate!” he practically shouted.
Vivian carried her sword with an expression that said, “Isn’t it simple?”
“Who said we couldn’t form a team?”
She pointed at herself with her chin, then at Alicia, and finally at Lynn.
“One, two, three.”
“Aren’t the three of us a team?”
Lynn’s brain buzzed.
Teaming up with the two of them?
Going to the geographically complex Howling Wind Cave?
That wasn’t escaping surveillance; it was walking into a trap!
‘Could I even make it out of that Dungeon alive? I’ll probably be dismembered by the two of them in some cave!’
“I object!”
Alicia spoke up immediately.
Lynn’s eyes lit up.
‘Yes, object! Aren’t you rivals?’
“Teaming up with a crude warrior will affect my prayers,” Alicia said with a look of disgust at Vivian.
“Besides, I alone am enough to ensure Lord Lynn’s safety.”
“Ha, with just those few weak Holy Light Spells of yours?”
“Vivian sneered.”
“The Howling Wind Cave is full of monsters that use physical attacks. If you don’t bring a tank, are you planning to use Lynn as a meat shield?”
“God will protect Lord Lynn.”
“My sword will crush anything that gets close to him!”
They started arguing again.
Lynn watched them, but he wasn’t happy at all.
He knew that whatever the result of this argument was, it would be hell for him.
Either team up with Vivian, team up with Alicia, or… team up with both of them.
“There was no fourth option.”
Sure enough, after arguing for a few minutes, the two of them stopped at the same time.
They looked at each other, seemingly reaching another terrifying consensus.
Vivian looked at Lynn and gave a final ultimatum.
“Stop talking. It’s just the three of us. This way, neither of us can ditch the other. It’s perfect.”
Alicia also added with a smile, “This is also the will of God. The three of us will face the trial together. This is a stable, holy triangle.”
Lynn looked at them.
One saw this team as a means to prevent the other from hogging him.
The other saw this team as a sacred Ritual.
No one had asked for his opinion.
His life was once again being arranged for him.
Ultimately, Lynn dragged his leaden legs toward the task registration desk.
When the teacher in charge of registration saw this combination, the quill in their hand dropped in shock.
“…… Who is the leader?” the teacher’s voice trembled.
Vivian and Alicia’s gazes met once more.
“Me.”
“Me.”
The two said in unison.
The air froze again.
The teacher looked at the two of them, sweating profusely, wishing they could faint on the spot.
Finally, Lynn raised his hand weakly.
“…… I’ll register us.”
He picked up the pen and, with a trembling hand, wrote three names on the brand-new team registration form.
“Vivian Croft.”
“Alicia St. Augustine.”
“Lynn.”
He looked at those three names and felt that it wasn’t an adventure team.
It was a death warrant.
And he was the death row prisoner who had signed his own name.
—
“Night fell.”
In a leeward hollow on the outskirts of the Howling Wind Cave, a campfire crackled, dispelling the chill and darkness of the mountains.
Vivian, like a vigilant lioness, patrolled the perimeter of the camp, setting up Alchemy Traps and warning lines.
Her movements were efficient and lethal.
Any monster that tried to approach would pay a blood price.
Alicia, on the other hand, spread out a snow-white tablecloth by the campfire.
A set of shiny silver tableware was neatly arranged on top, as if they weren’t camping in the wild but holding a sacred banquet.
Lynn sat right in the middle of the campfire and the tablecloth, not daring to move.
He was the main course of this banquet.
He looked at the busy Vivienne on the left, then at Alicia, who was preparing something on the right.
He felt that the campfire wasn’t burning wood, but his nerves.
After a day’s journey, he was already being driven crazy by the torment.
The gaze on the left was as sharp as a blade, monitoring him at all times for any intention to escape.
The gaze on the right was as gentle as water, paying attention to any sign of him being “polluted.”
‘This isn’t an adventure; it’s clearly the outdoor break time of a mobile prison.’
“Lord Lynn, you’ve worked hard.”
Alicia finished her preparations and sat kneeling before the tablecloth, looking up at him with a holy, flawless smile.
“After trekking all day, you must be hungry. Leave dinner to me, I will offer you a cuisine filled with divine grace.”
Lynn’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Offer up? That’s a choice word. I feel like I’m about to be offered up myself.’
“No… there’s no need to go to such trouble, is there?”
Lynn gave a dry laugh, trying to decline politely.
“We can just have some dry rations.”
“How can we do that?”
Alicia’s tone left no room for doubt.
“Dry rations are mundane things and cannot wash away your exhaustion. Only cuisine infused with faith and love can nourish your pure soul.”
As she spoke, she took out a small, exquisite silver pot and several sealed crystal bottles from her Spatial Ring.
Lynn watched helplessly as she poured the contents of the bottles into the pot.
One bottle contained a glowing blue liquid.
Another bottle contained several red fruits that were still slightly pulsating, looking like hearts.
There was another bottle of thick, green paste that emitted a cloyingly sweet aroma.
Finally, she added a few brightly colored mushrooms picked from the roadside that looked poisonous at a glance.
She placed the silver pot over the fire and used a small silver spoon to stir gently while humming an ancient hymn.
The singing was ethereal and pleasant, but when paired with the unidentified objects boiling in the pot, which were gradually turning a strange purple, Lynn’s scalp went numb.
**[Danger Perception System]**
**[Warning: A high-concentration energy mixture has appeared ahead. Composition unknown. Potential danger level: Fatal.]**
**[Effects after consumption may include, but are not limited to: nerve paralysis, internal organ dissolution, soul burning, and… immediate ascension.]**
The system’s prompt was simple and blunt.
Lynn’s face turned green.
‘Is this freaking food? This is a biological weapon!’
“Hey, cultist.”
Vivian, who had returned from her patrol, stood nearby with her greatsword on her shoulder, looking at the pot of purple mush with disgust.
“Are you trying to poison him to death?”
“Princess Vivian, please do not use your crude perception to speculate about a creation of divine grace,” Alicia responded without looking back, her voice still gentle.
“This is ‘Holy Light Blessing Soup.’ Every drop contains my blessings and love for Lord Lynn.”
‘Vivian sneered’ and said nothing more.
She just found a rock to sit on and watched Lynn with interest.
Her gaze clearly said, ‘Let’s see how you die today.’
Lynn felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
He would rather go out and fight a bear right now than face this bowl of “loving cuisine” that was about to be served.
A few minutes later, Alicia put out the fire.
She wrapped her hand in a white napkin and carefully took the pot down.
She filled a bowl to the brim and handed it to Lynn with both hands.
“Lord Lynn, please enjoy.”