[Abnormal Resistance].
This Development Ability lets one resist conditions such as poisoning. It may not stand out, but it is extremely practical.
Because the appearance of an ability is tied to experience, most Adventurers encounter [Purple Moth] on the Upper Floors and gain this ability when they level up.
But Bell was an exception.
Even Chloe had fainted. If the boy ate that bento, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Ryuu had never imagined she would one day stand against Syr for the sake of a man.
"Syr, your previous cooking could still be brushed off as a joke, but this time is different."
Ryuu spoke with firm resolve.
Aside from Chloe's "sacrifice," the dangerous aura coming from the wicker basket had also set off alarms in Ryuu's mind.
Most of Syr's past dishes had only suffered from unbalanced seasoning, much like the bento she had brought for the children. They tasted awful, but they had not reached the point of being impossible to swallow.
That was exactly why Chloe and the others had always treated them as a joke.
But before leaving, Ryuu had checked the catgirl's condition. That dish had pierced through a Level 4 Adventurer's [Abnormal Resistance]. In every sense of the word, it was poison.
"I spent a very long time making this dish."
Syr puffed out her cheeks in complaint.
Ryuu was not good at cooking either. She had always gone along with Syr, and this was the first time they had openly discussed the matter of cooking.
Just how did this elf girl see Bell, to go this far for him?
Although the two of them were arguing, Syr felt a faint thrill over it.
"That is exactly the problem, Syr. Your efforts are aimed in the wrong direction."
Ryuu stated the truth without mercy.
She had once shared lunch with Bell and, in her own clumsy way, made several dishes.
Ryuu herself knew perfectly well that aside from her knife work, there had been nothing praiseworthy about her cooking at the time.
After all, she had never cooked for a man before. She was fairly good at cutting salad, but her seasoning, recipes, heat control, and everything else had all failed the test.
That was why Bell had once said that Ryuu's cooking was about on par with Syr's.
But that was in the past.
With her own intelligence, Ryuu was improving little by little. Syr, however, was going in the opposite direction, putting in effort that led nowhere.
"Ryuu has no right to say that, does she? You're the one who put a sandwich over a fire to toast it."
Syr refused to back down and brought up her friend's dark history.
"Ugh... That was only because I didn't know any better at the time."
Ryuu pressed her lips together, unwilling to let Syr dodge the matter. "Syr, you should learn from Chloe and the others. You cannot keep shutting yourself away and figuring everything out alone."
Cooking for the man one loved should have been a happy thing.
But Ryuu simply could not ignore this.
No matter how deep Syr's love for the boy was, the path she had chosen was wrong.
Now that Ryuu had grasped a little of what cooking involved, she could say with certainty that Syr was sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss.
"Those are all my love for Bell. How could I possibly let anyone else interfere?"
Syr spoke with absolute conviction.
"I have no intention of questioning that... Syr, tell me, what did you put in this bento?"
Ryuu asked about the source of that dangerous aura.
As long as her friend used love as a shield, Ryuu had no way to argue.
So she decided to uncover the truth of the dish first, then decide what to do.
"Eh? Does Ryuu want to make this kind of love-filled bento for Bell too?"
Syr was still trying to gloss things over.
If it had been the Ryuu of the past, she would surely have blushed and fled in a panic the moment she heard those words.
But her meeting and bond with the boy dwelled in her heart, supporting her resolute stance.
"Syr, I am serious. Please tell me, what exactly did you put in it?"
Ryuu stared fixedly into her friend's gray eyes.
If the boy were forced to eat [poison] for the sake of his lover, that would be far too sad.
"...."
Syr blinked and stared at that determined face, frozen for a moment.
Even she had not expected that something they had always brushed off as a joke would make Ryuu confront it so seriously.
It was all because of Bell.
Syr was certain that if she kept dodging the question, Ryuu would use her Adventurer skills to forcibly take the wicker basket from the table.
Even if it created a crack in their relationship.
Even if it dimmed the meaning of the words "best friend."
For Bell's sake, Ryuu would act without hesitation.
A faint, unreadable smile appeared on Syr's face. She turned away, hid her expression, and said,
"Fine. I'll make an exception and tell only Ryuu."
Syr's voice was as soft as a little devil's, yet it sank deep into Ryuu's ears.
"Besides ordinary ingredients, I also added Purple Moth scale powder, the liver of a lizard monster, the wings of a Bad Bat, and... what else was there? I cannot quite remember."
"....."
Ryuu's face twisted.
The ingredients Syr had named were all Drop Items from Dungeon monsters. They were absolutely not things meant to be tasted.
What sat on the table was no longer food. It was poison, through and through.
"Why."
Only after the word left her mouth did Ryuu realize just how shaken she was.
No wonder Chloe's lips had gone numb and she had collapsed, wailing.
"It took a lot of work to process the ingredients, Ryuu. You can relax. You cannot tell what anything inside it is anymore."
Syr answered with a smile.
"That is not what I mean... Why would you make something like this?"
Ryuu frowned and questioned her.
She had thought Syr had merely used some uncommon ingredients. She had never imagined it would involve Dungeon monsters.
"Because this dish can not only strengthen the body, but also has beauty benefits."
Syr's smile remained the same, but in Ryuu's eyes, she looked as unfamiliar as a witch from another world.
"A certain Goddess told me about it. She was kind enough to give me the ingredients too. The effects have already been verified by her Familia members, so there is absolutely nothing to worry about."
Syr slowly explained where the dish had come from.
"Which Goddess?!"
Ryuu asked in a rush. She seemed convinced that her friend had been tricked by a god, which was why she had done something so absurd.
"Sorry, that is a secret. Since this dish cannot be made public, I promised that Goddess-sama I would not reveal her identity."
Syr replied softly.
"Ugh..."
Ryuu looked at her innocent friend, thought for a moment, and decided to deal with the wicker basket on the table first.
"In any case, I am confiscating this dish. If Cranel-san asks about it, please put all the blame on me."
"Eh? But I was really looking forward to Bell's reaction. Hmph, Ryuu is such an unreasonable meddler."
Syr pouted as she complained.
"E-even if you say that, I will not change my mind."
Ryuu pushed aside her unnecessary thoughts and walked toward the table.
"Huh...?"
Ryuu froze in place.
In her emerald eyes, the wicker basket that should have been on the table was nowhere to be seen.
Ryuu looked toward the other entrance of the room, and immediately felt that something was terribly wrong.
"Cranel-san!"