8. Even if itâs impossible, You have to make it happen
After seeing the fire stabilize, Ruben cautiously spoke up.
âBut itâs pretty small for breakfast.â
âSir Ceres threw a candlestick in the morning and caught itâŚand thatâs all we have.â
âOh, he caught it. There is a lot of food left, why are you doing this?â
Ruben looked back at the food still piled up in the kitchen.
Dialin shrugged her shoulders at the poisons that took the form of food.
âThe meal prepared for yesterday contained poison.â
âOh, thatâs a pity. You must be shocked. Do you have pain anywhere?â
âNo, fortunately, Sir Ceres ate it first soâŚwhat?â (Dialin)
Ruben didnât even ask, âReally!?â It was an attitude that clearly showed such a thing could happen.
It was a strange behavior.
âYouâre reacting as if youâre used to itâ (Dialin)
âYes, it always happens. Oh, itâs burning.â
âAh.â
Why is one side burning and the other not cooked at all? It was a strange thing.
Rubenâs words remained in the corner of my head as I rescued the bird from becoming charcoal.
âIs it normal to eat poison?â
âItâs not like heâs eating it like an everyday meal, but itâs one of the most common assassination attempts.â
âCommonâŚâŚâ
Dialin felt dizzy before her eyes, she couldnât keep up with him.
This place was more dangerous than a battlefield. It was an extreme task that could lead to poisoning like an everyday meal at the risk of being bitten by a crazy dog at any given time.
Her anger at the Chief Priest who had pushed her here boiled again.
âAre you okay?â
ââŚâŚIt might not be okayâŚâŚâ
Dialin calmed her dizzying head and repeated the spell to bring her peace of mind.
Risk pay, risk payâŚâŚ
Promotion, promotionâŚâŚ
âBut if I die, itâs all over!â
The temptation of promotion and risk pay was great, but you will take them only if you live.
Dialin looked at Ruben with a pitiful expression on her face.
âJust in caseâŚâŚ. if, Iâm either poisoned orâŚâŚ If something like that happens and I may not be able to complete the missionâŚâŚ What happens then?â
I wanted to do my best until the very end, but I asked with an expression on my face, what if I really canât do anything about it?
Ruben replied with such a pitiful look on his face that would make anyone wither in sadness.
âI really hope that doesnât happen. Why is confidentiality confidentialâŚâŚyou will know.â
ââŚâŚâ
I didnât want to know, but I already knew from the gloom of the tone of his voice.
Would it be easier to monitor whether Dialin lived a life of secrets, or would it be easier to kill and destroy an ordinary priest with no presence or influence?
Dialin felt a cool breeze sweeping her back.
âOn second thought, I think itâs okay.â
âWell, Iâm glad to hear that.â
The two looked at each other and smiled as if they couldnât be more friendly than this.
It was a really sad social interaction.
âThen Iâll go feed Sir Ceres breakfast. An empty stomach can make him more sensitive.â
âI will accompany you.â
Ruben naturally followed.
Cares, who can run rampant as the king of sensitivity, and Ruben, who can kill and bury a person with a smile.
The pressure came from both sides.
Dialin moved on with a sullen mood. She arrived at the room, took a small breath, and quietly opened the door.
Anyway, heâll hear the footsteps and know whoâs coming. And if he smells the food, he will know itâs meal time.
âGood morning.â
There was no answer to her morning greeting, but the chair did not fly in her face. There was only a glaring look in his eyes.
Dialin smiled peacefully, turning away from her tense, rattling heart.
It was the ultimate office worker mode.
âYou should have breakfast. Thanks to the bird you caught this morning, we can eat a meal.â
Dialin praised the achievement while looking at the one remaining piece of glass that fell off what was left behind in the broken window.
Ceres just stared at her with an expressionless face.
âLetâs have⌠a meal.â
Dialin felt guilty as she laid the dishes down on the floor.
There was no appetite in his eyes. Everything in the world seemed annoying and noisy, and he seemed like a person who wanted to blow everything away because he was bothered and upset.
Wouldnât that sharpness ease a little if he ate something first?
âEat first.â
Ruben also ordered and Ceres quietly followed the orders.
Like yesterday, he flopped down on the floor and started stuffing the bird into his mouth.
âIs it⌠okay to eat?â
There was also yesterdayâs record, so Dialin had no faith in herself.
Ceres nodded and took the bird meat to his mouth. If he eats without spitting, it means that at least there was no poison in it.
Dialin sneakily grabbed one of legs and brought it to her mouth.
âIâll have a meal then, âŚâŚp-too.â
As soon as Dialin put a piece into her mouth, she spat it out right away at the unexpected smell.
âDid you get poisoned?â
Ruben asked surprised.
âNo, itâs notâŚâŚâ
It was worse than poison.
Poisoned food tasted good when eaten. This wasnât poisonous, but it tastes like you are about to die.
How on earth did I create this taste with just birds and spices? Could it be that she wasnât actually a person, but a vile god of bad taste?
Otherwise, it didnât make sense to be able to create such a creatively terrible taste.
âEwwâŚâŚâ
Dialin tried to take another bite and finally put her hand down. There was no way it could go down her throat.
In the meantime, Ceres ate well.
How could he have a sense sharp enough to detect poison at once, but such a dull palate?
âIs it poison?â
Ruben turned to Ceres this time.
Ceres shook his head and put another slice in his mouth. Looking at it, he was chewing and swallowing the bones without spitting them out.
I should be thankful that heâs eating it well, but why is my heart so complicated?âŚ
Dialin even taught him how to eat carefully.
âYou spit out the bones after you eat the meatâŚâ
ââŚâŚâ
Ceres stopped eating and looked at Dialin. He had a look that didnât know the meaning of her words. Dialin remembered Ceresâs bloody eyes she saw while sleeping last night.
Having that gaze aimed at yourself was scary.
ââŚâŚNo, if you want to eat like that, just eatâŚâŚâ
The pricked Dialin immediately withdrew her opinion.
Ceres resumed his meal, which had been paused. The squeaky chewing sound while eating the bird remained the same, but he mumbled his mouth and spat out only clean bones.
He did listen to her.
Dialin looked at the bones that were piling up and swept her chest half in wonder and half with a happy heart.
âThe food the chef made yesterday was poisonous?â
Ruben, who was watching the scene, then asked a question. Ceres did not stop eating and nodded his head.
âWhat kind?â
âChirancho and Andasan.â
(Note: I couldnât find these, so I guess they are made up?)
âWell.â
Ruben calmly nodded his head, as if he had expected it this time as well.
Seeing that, Dialin was curious.
âDoes he even know what kind?â
âAh, Division 8 members receive poison detection training and poison resistance training. They can detect any kind of poison.â
âHe did all kinds of training.â
Suddenly, I remembered the bizarre aspect of Ceres, who heard people breathing in a distant room.
âIs sensitivity to sound also a result of training?â
âThey would have been added training fitted for their qualities. It was the result of selecting children with qualities from the onset, bringing them in, and training them.â
Even with Rubenâs explanation, Dialin did not immediately understand, because there were limits to what can be developed through training.
Isnât Ceresâs sensitivity level beyond the characteristics of the human species?
âWhat kind of training do they do?â
âI donât know the details, butâŚâŚIâve heard that besides training, various procedures, and enchantments were also combined.â
âI beg your pardon? Enchantments?â
Dialin doubted her ears.
Intangible powers like enchantments were entirely under the jurisdiction of the temple. Everything else was illegal. Besides, with the exception of the battle priests, divine power had to be used only to save people.
Did they use it to turn children into weapons?
âIs the temple involved?â
It was hard to believe that the temple might have used enchantments to turn children into weapons.
Even if the temple was not involved, it was still a problem.
It means that other than the temple, there was a group that used illegal enchantments like that in public.
Not only that but soldiers who were raised by the country itself. If such a group really existed, it was on a scale that only the Temple could address the problem.
Ruben faced Dialin.
âAre you curious?â
Her eyes fluttered.
Oops.
âNo.â
Dialin shook her head as best she could.
âNot at all. I never wondered, and I will never, ever, ever wonder.â
She knew this wonât help with anything in her life.
Well, the temple will take care of it when it becomes known later. Even if she steps up to chase this problem, thereâs only going to be internal division, right?
Dialin neatly quenched her curiosity and sense of duty. Besides, the more she knows, the more her life is at risk.
People only had to do what they were told to do.
âAnyway, with natural talent, training, and illegal things, you mean they have more sensitive nerves and reaction speed above the average person?â
This part was information necessary for treatment.
If I feel like Iâm going to die, Iâll run away anytime, but Iâll try to fix it until where I can.
Dialin suddenly remembered a part that had been overlooked.
âBut what if the child you brought didnât have the talent or couldnât keep up with the training?â
âThere are no failures in Division 8. And no losers either.â
Ruben gave a meaningful smile.
If you fail or fall behind, you die.
Dialin got goosebumps and her mouth went dry.
It was not that there were no people who were left behind, but if they were left behind or lost, they would unconditionally die.
And she could be in the same situation if she failed.
âI can definitely do it!â
âI believe you.â
Dialin made a strong commitment.
Even if it was impossible, she had to make it happen.
Ruben nodded his head as if she was reliable.
âThere may be many such attempts often in the future. But you will have to deal with them like you did this one.â
âWhat.âŚpardon?â
He said a great thing like a passing thought without any hesitation. Dialin came to her senses a beat later and looked at Ruben.
ââŚâŚOften?â
Iâm afraid Iâve heard something I shouldnât have heardâŚâŚ.