Don't move, it's a robbery!

Travel sounds wonderful, but in reality it's a dangerous and difficult chore. It requires enduring loneliness, facing difficulties alone, guarding against the prying eyes of malicious people, and finding ways to meet one's basic needs.

Eve endured many hardships during her travels, but also grew rapidly. She did not regret embarking on the journey, but in the quiet of the night, she would occasionally miss her hometown.

Today's experiment failed again.

After the rabbit was fed the magic potion, its internal magical circuits were indeed rewritten. However, when she tried to forcibly dispel the potion and return the rabbit to its original state, the burst of magic caused the rabbit to spontaneously combust.

If the cause of the magic outburst cannot be found, then one will never be able to change back to their original form.

If, if there's really no way to change back....

Eve quickly raised her head and closed her eyes tightly to prevent tears from falling.

"I miss home so much, I really want to eat the honey-glazed fruit platter from my hometown..."

After a long time, Eve finally adjusted her mood. She would not give up easily, and even if she could not return to her original appearance, she would continue her journey.

However, I'll take a break today; I'm just too tired.

Eve, unusually, didn't go to the library, but instead headed to the guest room, intending to get a good night's sleep in bed.

But as Eve passed through the living room, she suddenly smelled a fragrance.

The food smelled wonderful, and the cooking technique was very sophisticated. If she wasn't mistaken, there also seemed to be a hint of honey.

What's going on? Have some distinguished guests arrived at the city lord's mansion? Someone actually went so far as to use honey in cooking! I remember a while ago two nobles even fought a war over the ownership of a cartload of honey.

Filled with curiosity, Eve pushed open the living room door.

The empty living room was filled with candles, and the dining table was laden with dishes. Although the taste was unknown, the presentation was excellent. Remarkably, several bouquets of blooming flowers were placed in the center of the table.

"What's going on? Who is this prepared for?"

"Of course it was prepared for you, Teacher Eve!"

"what?"

"Dear Teacher Eve, are you tired? These days you've been studying magic and conducting experiments, and you've also taken time out of your busy schedule to teach me. I really don't know how to repay you, so I specially prepared a big meal for you."

Eve was startled and quickly turned to look at me. She seemed to have a lot to say, but her attention was soon drawn to the tray in my hand.

"What is this?"

"Honey-glazed roast pork belly is made by marinating pork belly in egg white and then roasting it. It's seasoned with braised pork sauce, Berliker red wine, and salt, and then topped with fresh honey. One bite and your mouth will be filled with its delicious flavor! Would you like to try some?"

Eve's eyes widened, she swallowed hard, and then began to back away in terror.

Her performance surprised me greatly. Whether it was the honey-glazed roast meat I was holding up now, or the other dishes on the table, they were all carefully prepared by me. Neither the taste nor the appearance had any frightening effect.

Could there be something wrong with my styling?

I looked around but couldn't see anything wrong. To match the atmosphere tonight, I even changed into a noble outfit.

It should be alright, right?

"W-what are you going to do to me? Are you planning to knock me out and sell me to a black market dealer who sells elves?"

"I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless! I'm just afraid to use magic recklessly, not that I can't use magic at all! If you push me too far, I... I'll self-destruct!"

Eve looked genuinely frightened; that expression was definitely not feigned.

That's right, she's just a young woman in her sixties.

However, I felt quite aggrieved, not because Eve suspected me of having a conspiracy, but because she actually thought that I needed to do some fancy preparations before knocking her out.

That's disrespectful! I'm a professional!

After a laborious 10-minute explanation, she was finally convinced that I really had no evil plans.

"I'm sorry, it's not that I doubt you, it's just that your actions today were too sudden."

"Okay, it is a bit abrupt. Actually, I did all this today because I have something I want to ask you for a favor, but I was afraid you would refuse, so I thought I would make something delicious to please you first."

"Really? What do you want to ask me for a favor? Let me make this clear first, anything that's detrimental to me or my friends is out of the question."

"How could I possibly harm you? Really, come on, don't just eat the food, have some wine too. These are all high-end products."

I filled Eve's glass with wine, and the moment I saw her drink it, I held the tray in front of me, simultaneously expressing my own needs.

"I want to learn magic."

"puff!"

Yes, it was correct to cover it with a tray beforehand.

"You want to learn magic? Are you crazy?"

"Didn't you tell me that everyone can become a scholar? I don't expect to become a great mage. I'll be content as long as I can cast one or two spells."

Eve coughed twice, then wiped the wine from her mouth with a handkerchief, and began to dampen my enthusiasm for learning magic.

"30 years. Given your current conditions, it will take you 30 years from now until you can officially cast a spell, starting from learning magic now."

"When I lifted the curse for you before, I checked the magical energy circuits in your body. To be honest, they were terrible. Your talent is extremely poor."

"The ability to cast spells largely depends on one's innate magical energy flow. Many monsters are born with the ability to cast spells because they possess magical energy flow. As for you humans, I apologize, except for spellcaster families who specifically select marriage partners for their offspring to train mages, the innate magical energy flow of others can be described as clumsy."

"And you are even worse than most people."

"I don't know why you suddenly have this urge to learn magic, but I can tell you bluntly that unless a miracle happens, you will never be able to do it in your lifetime."

After saying this, Eve prepared to take a sip of her drink, but then she suddenly remembered something and put the glass down again.

"I'm sorry, what I said just now might have been a bit harsh, but it's really the truth. Your food was delicious, but I'm unable to enjoy it."

She stood up to leave, but I quickly stopped her.

"Stop, stop, stop. If you can't learn, you can't learn. I've already cooked the dishes, and it's a shame to leave them here uneaten. Besides, I didn't cook this meal by myself. Those two little brats have been working with me in the kitchen for half a day. If you don't eat, they'll be sad."

Eve was clearly surprised by my generosity. She wanted to say something more, but then she saw two little heads eavesdropping by the door.

"My apprenticeship is off, so there's no need for any formalities now. You two, stop eavesdropping outside and come in for dinner."

I waved to the two little devils, who had been waiting for a while. When they saw that I agreed, they cheered and rushed into the house. Zack, in particular, was wolfing down his food on the table while he kept mocking me.

"I told you it was impossible. If you had the talent to become a mage, Sister Eve would never have kept it from you. Right, Sister Eve?"

I gave a wry smile, shook my head, and temporarily put aside my worries about not being able to learn magic, and began to enjoy the feast.

I put a lot of effort into making this meal, so I can't let it go to waste!

What was that saying again? "Only good food and certain other things should not be missed!" Although I've forgotten the latter part, I remember the first two words, "good food," very clearly.

After dinner, Zach and Reggie stayed in the living room to clean up, while I packed up the extra food. Eve had nothing to do, so she prepared to go back to her room to rest.

But before she left, she suddenly made a request to me.

"I'd like to have a honey-glazed fruit platter tomorrow, could you make me another one?"

Damn it, they won't teach me magic, yet they make so many demands.

Well, I'm still counting on her to teach me to read and write, so I can't afford to offend her for now.

"Okay, no problem."

"Thanks."

I waved goodbye to Eve, then left the city lord's mansion with the packed food.

What? You're asking me where I'm going? Of course, I'm going to feed my prisoners.

Yes, the Tina I captured earlier, I neither released her nor sent her to exchange for the bounty, but instead locked her up in a house in the no-man's-land.

The reason I kept her alive was because I couldn't get anything out of her through interrogation. I even thought of learning magic to try and uncover her hidden secrets.

Unfortunately, I'm not cut out for magic, so my idea of ​​using magic for interrogation is out of the question.

After a winding and circuitous route, I arrived at a secluded house in the deserted area. After confirming that no one was around, I climbed into the house and opened the door of one of the rooms.

Hearing the door open, Tina quietly peeked out and cautiously looked at me.

"Here, this is the honey-glazed roast meat you wanted, and I also specially prepared some Berlik red wine for you."

"You actually managed to get it?"

"Of course! I always keep my word."

"Then can you let me leave?"

"No, I've already said I always keep my word."

Tina lowered her head in grievance and then silently began to eat, though she ate while tears streamed down her face, looking pitiful. Combined with her innocent temperament and delicate appearance, she truly evoked pity.

"Ah, what a pity. Such a good girl, she'll be sent to those executioners tomorrow. I wonder how they'll treat you. I reckon she'll definitely be subjected to severe torture."

"Hmm~"

"Things like whips dipped in salt water, red-hot branding irons, finely ground spikes used to pierce fingernails, and paintbrushes used to smear oil on the eyes..."

"Waaaaah~"

"Besides, you're so beautiful, all those people will be unable to walk past you. I wonder how many people will be vying to interrogate you."

"Waaaaah~ I don't want this to happen~ Please, don't make me suffer like this."

"I didn't want this either. What a wonderful girl, it's such a waste to see her like this. Here's what we'll do: if you just tell me your secret, I'll let you go."

"Waaaaah~ I really have no secrets anymore~"

"Then there's nothing I can do. Enjoy your last meal."

I pretended to be too lazy to play along with her acting, and left the room directly. Then I quietly climbed onto the roof and listened to the reaction inside.

Yes, it's very quiet. Apart from people secretly cursing me and trying to escape, there's no other sound of value.

What a stubborn guy, but it's not a big deal. Even if I have to stay here all night, I'll dig out his secret!