As I walked back to the mansion after leaving the laboratory, my footsteps felt heavy under the weight of despair. I had heard that we wouldn’t be able to defeat the gluttonous witch like this, and both I and Sylvia struggled with the feeling of hopelessness.

I thought it was crucial not to let anyone know about this despondent reality, so I managed to put on a joking expression while walking down the street, but it was nothing more than a façade. The true emotions we were feeling were nothing short of bleak.

“…Sigh, with this mood, nothing is going to work out. I think I should eat something delicious to lift my spirits. Would you like to join me, Miss Scarlet? You haven’t been eating well lately, but you do enjoy tasty food, right? It’ll surely help brighten your mood.”

For heroes who always had to smile to prevent others from feeling uneasy, maintaining mental health was also a crucial task. Perhaps understanding that we shouldn’t linger in such gloomy feelings, Sylvia suggested that we eat something delicious as soon as we arrived at the mansion.

Eating something tasty truly helps improve one’s mood when feeling down; in fact, it was a method I often relied on in the past. However, when Sylvia invited me to dine together, I felt troubled and quietly forced a smile.

To be honest, I wasn’t in the mood for food right now. I thought that putting anything in my mouth might make my already dismal mood worse.

Just as I was about to politely decline, I caught a glimpse of Sylvia’s eyes looking directly at me. It was evident that she noticed my gloom and wanted my spirits to improve, as her eyes reflected her sincere concern.

Seeing that, I decided to forgo my intention to refuse. In a moment where I was barely managing my own emotions, I didn’t want to neglect the kindness of this earnest child, who was worried about me.

So, I nodded my head and accepted Sylvia’s suggestion.

“Sure, then let’s eat together for the first time in a while.”

“Really?!”

Just one phrase of agreement brightened Sylvia’s expression. Seeing her smile made me feel even more convinced that accepting her invitation was a good idea. After all, what was a big deal about not having an appetite when I could dine with a lovely girl like Sylvia?

It was a hundred times better than being pulled into mandatory drinking gatherings with middle-aged men, whom I couldn’t relate to since I can’t even drink.

Still, since I wasn’t confident I could eat much, I made sure to let Sylvia know beforehand.

“Yeah, I don’t think I can eat a lot since I’m not very hungry. Is that alright?”

“That’s fine. I’m not someone who eats a lot either. Oh, is there anything you want to eat? I was thinking of asking the chef to make you something special.”

When she asked if I had any specific cravings, I took a moment to contemplate and replied. I didn’t have a particular craving, but if I had to pick…

“Hmm… I guess anything spicy would work. Something as stimulating as possible.”

“What? Miss Scarlet likes spicy food? No, more importantly, can you handle it?”

Having grown up in a country that thrives on crazy levels of spiciness, I may not seek it out intentionally, but I still have a decent appreciation for it. Instead of answering directly, I offered Sylvia a relaxed smile in response to her curious expression.

In response to my demeanor, Sylvia shyly chuckled and said, “Hehe… Actually, I can’t eat spicy food at all. My favorites are all sweet things. I feel a little embarrassed that I have such a childish palate.”

“It’s perfectly fine not to be able to handle spicy food. And liking sweet things is nothing to be embarrassed about. I like sweets too, so it’s not an issue.”

Listening to this reminded me of my junior who had teased me saying, “Senpai, you have a surprisingly childlike palate. How cute,” after I experienced the sensation of drinking an expensive caramel frappuccino with chips for the first time.

While I agree that being able to drink bitter coffee—similar to espresso—sounds adult and sophisticated, that doesn’t mean you can treat those who enjoy sweet foods like children.

This was a sentiment I should have expressed to my junior back then, but unfortunately, he was the one who bought the coffee, so I couldn’t say anything at the time, which I regretted.

Anyway, as I reflected on those memories while answering, I could see that Sylvia was pleased with my response.

“Hehe, that’s right. There’s nothing embarrassing about liking sweets. Anyway, Miss Scarlet, you’re craving really spicy food, right? I’ll relay that to the chef.”

With that, Sylvia said she would go get the kitchen staff to relay our requests before stepping away for a moment.

Before long, we received the news that dinner was ready, and I headed to the dining room with Sylvia.

“Wow, this looks delicious!”

“Indeed. It’s a feast, isn’t it?”

Just as Sylvia said, the dining table was filled with foods that looked incredibly tasty and carried an appealing aroma. Except for one dish.

What was that? That strikingly noticeable red dish all alone on the table.

Its eye-catching appearance led me to point at the ominous-looking plate and ask Sylvia, “Um, Sylvia… what’s that?”

“Oh, that might be for you, Miss Scarlet. The chef seemed overly enthusiastic after you asked for something really stimulating and spicy. It’s a new dish called ‘Witch’s Fiery Dish’ inspired by your flames. He said it was an honor to showcase it to you directly… It does look incredibly spicy, though.”

Upon hearing Sylvia’s explanation, I felt a wave of dizziness hit me. What? ‘Witch’s Fiery Dish’? Inspired by my flames…?

It was evident just from the name and appearance that it was extremely spicy. Judging by its looks alone, Sylvia, who couldn’t handle spicy food at all, would likely be horrified.

“…Are you sure you’ll be alright with this? Miss Scarlet?”

“Um… I think I’ll be fine? I can usually handle quite a bit of spice.”

As Sylvia looked at me with concern, I shrugged my shoulders and picked up a spoon. It certainly looked spicy, but I couldn’t just ignore food that I had requested to be as stimulating as possible.

Besides, to be honest, I felt a bit confident. If I could handle foods like the crazy spicy Korean fire noodles, which most foreigners couldn’t, how spicy could a dish from this world really be?

Without any further thought, I popped ‘Witch’s Fiery Dish’ into my mouth.

“─────?!!!”

“Gyaaaah! Guwaaaah!!! This is spicy…! Haaah!! It’s so, so spicy!!!”

At that moment, an explosion of intense heat overwhelmed my mouth, and I let out a silent scream. It wasn’t just spicy; it hurt—painfully so. No joke, it felt like I stuffed a fireball in my mouth.

Thoughts whirled in my mind as I faced the unimaginable spiciness. Is this chef even sane…?

Is this even suitable for human consumption…? I thought it would be just slightly spicy, but this crossed the line…!

What do I do now? It’s so spicy I feel like I’m going mad…!

Hick, stop…! I’ll tell you everything…! Our secret base is to the east…! So just stop…!

“Miss S-Scarlet? Are you alright…?”

Just as I felt a moment of delirium from the overwhelming spiciness, Sylvia’s voice broke through my haze, snapping me back to reality.

Oh right, Sylvia was in front of me. I almost forgot, and tears streamed down my face as I gasped for breath.

To be fair, my face was wet, making it hard to distinguish whether it was sweat, tears, or snot…

“It’s j-just, um, a bit too spicy than I expected…”

I nodded my head shakily at Sylvia’s concerned question, though it was a blatant lie. Regardless, I had requested such a dish.

I couldn’t leave behind something I ordered. That would mean punishment later.

Moreover, I wanted to avoid ruining this rare moment of dining with Sylvia.

So I held my breath and picked up my spoon again.

“You’re eating well.”

“I-I do well with spicy food…?”

Of course, I had to continue eating. In a way, spiciness was also a form of heat.

Having endured the pain of burning, I had no reason to complain about spiciness.

After all, how could a mere fiery dish defeat me, the Witch of Fury!?

It was incredibly painful to the point of insanity!

But why just the spice!!! Gyaaaaah!!!

Thanks to me pretending to be fine and eating, I noticed Sylvia grew more reassured as she continued to eat.

While we enjoyed our meal together, Sylvia scooped some of the food she was eating and offered it to me.

“By the way, Miss Scarlet, you said you liked sweets, right? Here, say ‘ahhh~’.”

“Ah, ahhh~”

I reflexively opened my mouth and accepted the food she offered.

“Ah.”

Perhaps due to the intense spiciness messing with my senses, I unconsciously grimaced at the taste.

“…Um, Miss Scarlet? Is something wrong with the flavor?”

Seeing my reaction, Sylvia appeared flustered, so I quickly replied.

“Oh, no! It’s not that! It’s just that since I just had something spicy, I can’t taste anything…”

“Oh, I see… I thought maybe you were lying about liking sweets to accommodate me.”

“Why would I lie about that? Don’t you remember I made you macarons before? How could someone who dislikes sweets make those?”

“True… Hehe, I miss the macarons you made, Miss Scarlet.”

“Should I make some for you again later?”

“R-really? But I can’t want to bother you like that…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Really, it’s no trouble at all. I’ll make them after our meal.”

“…Thank you, Miss Scarlet.”

Seeing Sylvia’s joyful smile at my promise to make her macarons made me smile too.

Part of my smile came from being equally glad for Sylvia’s genuine happiness.

The other half was out of relief that my blunder hadn’t been uncovered.

*

After finishing our meal, to honor my promise to Sylvia, I headed to the kitchen to make macarons.

“Ah, Miss Scarlet!”

“Oh, Chef!”

As I entered the kitchen, the chef I’d come across several times now greeted me with an excited expression.

“How did you find my ‘Witch’s Fiery Dish’? I want to hear your thoughts on it!”

“…Well, it was great, but to be honest, it was a bit too spicy for me, haha… Next time, could we try something a little less spicy?”

“I see…? I sincerely apologize. I must have gotten too carried away thinking you liked spicy food. Honestly, very few people in my spicy food-loving group can finish it.”

I was taken aback by his eagerness to hear my thoughts on the dish.

What surprised me more than anything else was the realization that someone actually enjoyed food like that.

Was this not an assassination tool…?

Anyway, since my purpose in coming to the kitchen was to make macarons, I sought the chef’s permission to use a corner of the kitchen to do so.

It had been quite a while since I’d made them, and due to a few hurdles I faced, I felt worried; however, I managed to come up with a decent batch thanks to my experience.

Once I completed the macarons, I sought the chef one more time for his final taste test before handing them over to Sylvia.

“Um, Chef, would you mind tasting these to see if they are well-made?”

“Macarons? Let me see… Mm, you’ve done a good job. If you ever find yourself without work, you’re welcome to join our mansion staff.”

“Ha, you flatter me.”

I carefully picked one of my macarons and popped it in my mouth, bracing myself.

Then, I grimaced and dashed to the restroom to spit it out.

The macarons I made tasted terrible to me.

They had ‘no taste’ at all.