Witch's Embrace

Realizing who he was facing, Hawthorne immediately felt a chill rise from his feet and shoot straight to his head!

Damn it, weren't witches generally not supposed to come to the Kitchen?!

Especially not Yuta, who prefers to kill her food before eating it; theoretically, she shouldn't need the Kitchen at all to feed herself!

What is she doing here?!

Hawthorne felt like swearing; it was like playing "Resident Evil," reaching what you thought was a safe room, only to find a tyrant waiting inside—absolutely nerve-wracking!

He cursed inwardly, sweating with anxiety. Meanwhile, Yuta was equally puzzled.

She had come to the Kitchen on a whim to look at the knives. "The blade witch" not only hinted at her combat style but was also related to her true form and origin.

In short, due to personal reasons, she was very interested in sharp metal objects used for cutting, and today decided on a whim to check out the knife styles used in the convent Kitchen.

But she hadn't expected that after not visiting for a few years, the place had completely changed.

And she certainly didn't expect that after being there for only a short while, a human would barge right in.

And moreover...

Still the audacious, irreverent white-haired human who dared to defile a witch's pure form!

Recalling the strong scent of depravity and lust she had sensed in Heidi's room that day, Yuta's anger surged.

"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply, her gaze piercing. But for now, considering Heidi's involvement, she had no immediate intention of acting.

In response, Hawthorne didn't dare be negligent and lowered his head, saying, "Miss Heidi is often busy with her daily work and has no time to look after me, so once I was able to get out of bed, she instructed me to come to the Kitchen daily to make my own meals."

Even though this witch was breathtakingly beautiful, with no need for makeup—her long eyelashes, reddish-purple eyes, delicate nose, and slender lips were so finely crafted they seemed like the lines carved by the most masterful artist; they nearly captivated him.

But he did not dare meet her gaze. How could he ensure that if this witch became slightly upset, her sharp look wouldn't turn his eyes into two heaps of minced flesh?

Fortunately, at least for now, Yuta had no such intention. Looking at the Kitchen, whose size clearly did not match its exterior, a piece of the puzzle in her mind clicked into place.

Oh, so enlarging the Kitchen was Heidi's doing?

But...

Seeing Hawthorne moving freely in the convent, she felt a bit of discontent towards Heidi.

Why is this guy, her captured food, becoming more and more presumptuous?

No, she needs to prepare to eliminate him soon...

She looked at Hawthorne, her eyes flickering for a moment before her expression softened, and she said gently, "Why are you so tense? I won't harm you."

However, upon hearing this, Hawthorne's muscles tensed even more, his hair stood on end, and his heart leapt to his throat!

He knew very well that Yuta always made her target relax and drop their guard right before she killed them!

The goal was to savor the flavor of confusion the souls emitted at the moment of sudden death!

She intended to kill him!

Fear echoed within his chest, and for a moment, Hawthorne's ears rang with near deafness, with only the sound of his pounding heart resounding in his head!

Was this witch going to make a move?

Involuntarily, he clenched his fists, his mind almost blank, nearly losing the ability to think. Yet, driven by instinct, he forced out a few words from his dry, hoarse throat: "Ah... I know, someone like me doesn't belong in the convent…"

"But I have no home, so... I'm very scared…"

He felt like his brain was overheating, frantically thinking and recalling Yuta's habits and the reasons she previously used during their last encounter.

Pressed for time, he could only rely on instinct and intuition to clumsily and disjointedly utter some key phrases, hastily concocting an excuse to navigate the situation.

Yuta frowned slightly again, looking at the tense and fearful Hawthorne. Her tone carried a hint of impatience mixed with authority: "There's no need to be so tense; our convent is here to aid the poor, not to harm or mistreat..."

Her lie slipped out effortlessly, but seeing his current state, her words faltered.

She had realized it was unlikely to calm him down with just a few words in the short term.

To Yuta, people who meet their end in tension and fear have souls with a bitter taste—not worth consuming.

Hence, it would require time to soothe his nerves and allay his fears.

Ugh... what an annoying and troublesome human!

Since that's the case, then...

"Never mind, weren't you going to cook?" she continued, "Go ahead, cook, and let me see just how good your cooking skills are."

With that, she stood silently by the side, like a cold pillar, rooted in place.

Hawthorne couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

Great, it seems this girl is determined to stick around and not leave today!

However...

There really wasn't a good reason to refuse her proposal.

He had no choice but to go for it!

His hands were sweaty, and his steps were shaky, but he had no choice. Under Yuta's sharp gaze, he slowly walked to the stove, picked up a carrot, and then scooped a ladle of water from the bucket to awkwardly wash the vegetables.

He had never washed vegetables like this before. In his previous life, he would simply turn on the faucet and wash the vegetables under running water. In this world, he simply tapped around in the system, letting the Kitchen handle the ingredients, never needing to do it himself!

In front of Yuta, he dared not reveal his true abilities, so he could only muddle through like this.

The more he muddled, the more nervous he became, silently praying, Yuta, please lose interest and leave quickly. I can't keep up this pretense much longer...

Behind him, Yuta maintained her usual icy expression, watching his back, her mind racing with dozens of simulations of swiftly stabbing him in an instant.

No, he's still very tense. I can't kill him now; the taste would be too unpleasant.

I need to gain his trust and help him relax.

But... how can I make him drop his guard?

Perhaps, Heidi is keeping him like this with the intention of making him trust her and lower his defenses?

In that case… I should help him, help him get his food prepared quickly?

Pondering this, she noticed that Hawthorne was clumsily using a kitchen knife to peel the carrot because there wasn't a peeler.

Sweat beaded his forehead, partly due to Yuta's threat and partly due to the fear of accidentally cutting his fingers with the kitchen knife.

At that moment, it seemed Yuta found her opportunity. She suddenly stepped forward, reached out, and simultaneously grasped the carrot and knife in his hands: "Let go, let me handle this."