The building where the children lived had been converted from a church.
Like the labyrinth of Daedalus Street, most of its rooms had several entrances and exits.
Bell used that to slip past Ryuu and Syr's line of sight and take the wicker basket from the table.
The argument between the two girls had started because of him. No matter whose side he took, he would hurt the other.
So Bell decided to act first and deal with the root of the problem.
"Thanks for the food..."
Bell looked at the black dish on the table and took a deep breath.
The boy was not being reckless.
He had already prepared a detoxifying potion.
And the lover he had always trusted would never truly harm him.
So Bell picked up the spoon in his hand, wielded it like a sharp dagger, and drove it into the heart of the terrifying monster.
...
"Cranel-san!"
Ryuu pushed the door open in a panic, her dignified, beautiful face shaken.
In her jewel-like sapphire-blue eyes, the boy resolutely swallowed the black, sticky dish.
"Cranel-san!"
Ryuu called Bell's name again and rushed to his side.
Unexpectedly, the boy did not stop eating at all.
"Hm...?"
Ryuu could not help frowning.
By all rights, Bell should have collapsed already.
Could love have overcome the poison?
No, that was impossible...
"Ryuu-san, I understand why you're worried, but so far, I don't feel anything wrong."
Bell answered.
Aside from the strange texture and terrible taste, the dish seemed to have no other effect on him.
As for those two problems, Bell could overcome them easily enough with willpower.
In the blink of an eye, the black dish disappeared without a trace.
"Cranel-san, are you really all right...?"
Ryuu looked at the boy's handsome face, still unable to hide her concern.
Perhaps the toxins were merely building up and had not taken effect yet.
"Oh? Bell really did finish it."
Syr arrived a step later, her lips lifting into a delighted smile.
"I could feel how much care Syr put into it. It was a very unique dish."
Bell smiled lightly and stood up with his usual refreshing air.
"I'm glad you liked it. I can make it for you every day from now on."
Syr made no attempt to hide her joy. Right in front of Ryuu, she hugged Bell's right arm.
"How strange..."
Ryuu studied the boy.
She pushed the two's somewhat overly sweet conversation to the back of her mind.
Ryuu truly could not understand it. How could a boy without [Abnormal Resistance] withstand this poison?
Bell and Chloe should have eaten the same dish.
Was there some secret hidden on the boy?
No. If Bell knew he had an extraordinary resistance to poison, he would have said so right away to keep Ryuu from worrying.
Then even the boy himself did not know...
As she listened to Syr and Bell talk, Ryuu began observing the things on Bell's body.
"Cranel-san, what is that on your chest?"
Ryuu had sharply noticed that something inside Bell's clothes seemed to be glowing.
"Syr gave it to me when she came to visit."
Bell pulled out the red cord around his neck. Hanging from it was a teardrop-shaped gemstone.
Its pure white color seemed to have been affected by something, and it was giving off a faint pale-blue glow.
"My previous pendant broke, so I replaced it with something smaller and easier to carry."
Syr smiled gently and asked with innocent cheer, "Ryuu, what do you think? It suits Bell, doesn't it?"
"....."
Ryuu examined it for a while, then said, "Sorry, Syr. I'd like to speak with Cranel-san alone. Is that all right?"
"Of course. So Ryuu has those thoughts too."
Syr gave her a meaningful look.
"Ugh..."
With the matter at hand taking priority, Ryuu could only force herself to ignore her embarrassment and not argue back.
She led Bell into the room next door.
"Cranel-san, I'll get straight to the point. This pendant Syr gave you is very likely a special magic item."
Ryuu quickly got to the main issue.
On the way here, Ryuu had already noticed the red cord around Bell's neck and knew he was wearing something.
But the pendant had not been glowing then.
Only after Bell ate Syr's dish did the gemstone react.
"Yes, Ryuu-san. I think the same."
Bell answered honestly.
He knew his own condition very well. He had even prepared for detoxification, yet the result had still surpassed his expectations.
Syr would not do anything meaningless.
If they assumed the pendant could resist abnormalities, then Syr's series of actions made sense.
It also became reasonable that this dish could genuinely pierce through Level 4 [Abnormal Resistance].
Of course, Ryuu would not know any of that.
In her eyes, all of this was coincidence.
"A certain Goddess-sama told Syr the recipe. I suspect she happened to obtain this magic item at that time..."
Ryuu gave her analysis.
An item this far beyond the norm could not have been made by simply polishing a mineral. It had to have been created through a complex process.
A unicorn's horn had detoxifying properties.
There were also strange minerals in the world, such as [Lunatic Light].
Ryuu was not especially surprised by the item itself.
The pendant surpassing a Level 4 Adventurer's [Abnormal Resistance] was unusual, but only to that extent.
There were all kinds of magic items in the world. What interested Ryuu more was the item's origin.
After all, most Adventurers gained [Abnormal Resistance] after leveling up. Even if this item were sold, it would not be something first-tier Adventurers would seriously consider.
If so, who would go through so much trouble to make such a redundant item? And how had it ended up in Syr's hands?
Ryuu stood there, lost in thought.
"Ryuu-san, I think even if we ask Syr, all we'll get is, 'It's a secret.'"
Bell spoke softly.
"You're right... Let's just call it the blessing of [Luck]."
Ryuu smiled, letting the matter go.
Syr was an incredible person. Perhaps that was exactly why the three of them had ended up with the relationship they had now.
After thinking for a moment, Ryuu added, "Cranel-san, this magic item is at least comparable to a Level 5 Adventurer's [Abnormal Resistance]. Judging by the glow, it may be far beyond that."
Although the boy had leveled up, for some reason, he had not gained the Development Ability [Abnormal Resistance].
On their way to and from the Pantry, Ryuu had noticed that Bell kept avoiding the poison mist from the mushroom monsters. Clearly, his lack of resistance was affecting both combat and exploration.
The teardrop-shaped magic item perfectly covered that weakness.
"Cranel-san, you should put it away. If you wear it as a necklace, someone might notice it."
Ryuu offered the reminder with care.
Just as Ryuu had discovered the pendant, the red cord around the boy's neck would certainly reveal the magic item's existence.
"Yes, thank you for reminding me."
Bell nodded and removed the teardrop-shaped gem.
"Ugh..."
Ryuu stared blankly at the boy.
Before her eyes, Bell threaded the crystal-clear gemstone onto his bracelet.
Was it luck, or was it fate?
The bracelet Ryuu had woven with her own hands and the beautiful teardrop-shaped gemstone fit together perfectly.
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