Ch. 122 The Witch and the Black Knight (33)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 122 – The Witch and the Black Knight (33)
Holding Edel’s hand, we wandered for a while before arriving at a high-end restaurant. In the end, we had circled back to eating.
Part of it was because I couldn’t decide where to go, but it was also lunchtime, and despite having already eaten a snack, Edel’s stomach had begun growling like an alarm clock.
Thankfully, the restaurant I had taken a despondent Josie to four years ago was still there—otherwise, we might’ve ended up filling our stomachs with cheap food.
“It’s better than I expected.”
“Eat as much as you want.”
Just like back then, I dropped a pouch of gold coins on the table and ordered the entire menu, so the table was soon piled high with all kinds of dishes.
True to its reputation as a meat-centric restaurant, various cuts of meat, prepared in different ways, disappeared into Edel’s mouth.
I rested my chin on my hand and picked at the few salad options available.
I was hungry, but an inexplicable tension made it hard for the food to go down properly.
Even though this was just an ordinary meal, I couldn’t relax.
I had to be fully prepared—who knew when, where, or how Edel might attack?
‘It was the most delicious thing in the world.’
And… I kept replaying what had happened earlier in my mind. Forget eating—I couldn’t even bring myself to look Edel in the eye.
You perverted bastard… You crazy sex demon… A breast fetishist.
Delicious? What’s so delicious about it? Have you even tasted them? You haven’t, so shut up.
Grumbling internally, I stabbed the innocent salad repeatedly with my fork.
“A date isn’t as special as I thought. This isn’t much different from usual.”
“Not much different from usual?”
“If eating together counts as a date, then haven’t we been dating all along?”
“Ugh…!”
Edel’s indifferent gaze carried a hint of disappointment.
Are you subtly mocking me for never having been on a date before? Is that it?!
If I got angry now, it would just prove that I, a virgin with zero dating experience, was trying to lecture him about romance.
You think I don’t see through your scheme?
“You just don’t get it. Couples on dates do things like feeding each other.”
Even if I had never been on a date, I’d seen plenty of it in communities, dramas, and games.
The one area where I was superior to Edel was indirect experience. What could a guy who’d only read a single book possibly know about dating?
“Here. Say ‘ah~’.”
“……?”
I speared a piece of salad with my fork and held it out to him. Edel stared blankly, not understanding.
“I said, say ‘ah’.”
“What’s ‘ah’?”
“‘Ah’!”
“…Ah.”
Only after I raised my voice did he comply, opening his mouth so I could feed him the salad.
I’d never done this with anyone but Josie. But since this was part of learning how couples date, well… I could indulge him a little.
Edel chewed slowly, his eyes darting around as if trying to process what had just happened.
“This is a must-do during couples’ dates—feeding each other. See? Still think it’s the same as usual?”
“…It’s different.”
“Ehehe. Right?”
Edel kept chewing for an unusually long time before finally lowering his gaze.
His scarred face was flushed red—he must’ve been extremely flustered.
Finally, the sight I wanted to see made me smile.
You think you can keep making me flustered, Edel?
You think this ends here?
I waited for him to swallow before preparing another bite.
“Estelle.”
“Ah.”
Second time.
“That’s enough.”
“Ah~”
Third time.
“Open your mouth.”
“…….”
Fourth time.
And so it went, dozens of times, until Edel was completely at my mercy.
The nervousness that had kept me from even meeting his eyes earlier was now gone, replaced by a smug grin as I covered my mouth with my hand.
“Say ‘ah’ again?”
I was about to spear another piece of salad when an unfamiliar sound reached my ears.
Not the sound of vegetables being pierced—but tink, tink—the sound of a fork hitting an empty plate.
I leaned back slightly to check the plate, which had been hidden under my chest, only to find it completely empty.
“Is that all? You did quite well.”
His sharp voice made me flinch.
“Edel…?”
“Feeding each other. I’d like to try it too. That’s also pure love, isn’t it?”
A neatly sliced piece of meat on Edel’s fork slowly approached me.
…I’m screwed.
No. The more critical the situation, the calmer I had to be.
Edel knew I couldn’t eat meat, so he wouldn’t actually try to feed it to me.
And yet, his hand didn’t stop. He really intended to make me eat it.
“You know I can’t eat meat, right?”
“It might be different if you try it after so long. The texture isn’t bad, and there’s no gamey smell, so you don’t need to worry. You can spit it out immediately if you want. I just really want to feed you right now.”
Just as he said, the scent of the meat nearing my nose wasn’t foul or nauseating—but psychologically, I couldn’t help but recoil.
“You wouldn’t avoid being fed during a couple’s date, would you? If I can’t learn pure lovelike this, then telling you about the other Heavenly Kings’ locations might become… difficult.”
“…….”
I turned my head away like a picky child refusing to eat, but his thinly veiled threat forced me to turn back.
Last time, you said you wouldn’t force me to eat meat, and now you’re pulling this bratty stunt with a shameless threat…?
Typical of a Demon King’s Heavenly King—underhanded and petty.
“Say ‘ah’.”
“…If I throw up, it’s not my fault. I’ll puke all over your clothes.”
If I refused now and he used it as an excuse not to tell me about the Heavenly Kings, I’d be in trouble.
Reluctantly, I opened my mouth.
How wide do I need to open it?
Is my tongue in a weird position?
As pointless worries flitted through my mind, the meat entered my mouth. I squinted my eyes, scrunching my face like someone forced to chew a bug to survive.
I had planned to show him exactly what would happen if he fed me meat, but…
“…Huh?”
Chew, chew.
Far from vomiting, the meat’s juices seeped onto my tongue. The texture was… fine. A rich, non-offensive flavor spread in my mouth. Before I knew it, I swallowed, and the lingering taste settled comfortably.
This shouldn’t be happening…
“How does it taste?”
“…It’s good.”
“It’s because I fed it to you.”
What kind of nonsense is that? Since when does being fed by someone make meat edible?
Before Edel could feed me another bite, I snatched the fork from him and stuffed a piece into my mouth myself.
I wanted to prove how ridiculous his claim was. More than that, I couldn’t stand the slow tease—I wanted to savor the taste again, now.
“Hweh…!?”
Despite being the same meat, the stench of blood hit me like a wave. The texture was revolting, and my tongue screamed at me to spit it out immediately.
“Kgh—! Ugh…!”
“Are you alright?”
I retched the meat onto the empty plate, coughing violently as Edel patted my back.
“…….”
Edel was right.
For some reason, only the meat he fed me tasted normal. The same applied to other cuts—even raw meat lost its foulness when touched by his hand.
Thanks to that, I got to eat plenty of meat I’d only ever been able to look at before… but it left me facing a reality I didn’t want to accept.
It felt like… Edel had cast some kind of spell that rewrote my common sense.
Edel, who only knows how to brute-force things with demonic energy, couldn’t have done something like that. Even if he had, I would’ve noticed.
But if not, then how?
“Fascinating. You can’t eat it on your own.”
After leaving the restaurant, we sat on a secluded bench to rest when Edel, eyeing me carefully, spoke up.
“If you ever want meat, just tell me. I’ll feed you.”
“…How generous. But no thanks. I’m sick of meat now.”
The way he made it sound like he’d be feeding me for the rest of my life was absurd.
But part of me wondered… What if I could still eat meat centuries from now?
Of course, Edel would have to be the one feeding me.
But by then, he’d either be dead by Kyle’s hand… or romancing someone else.
Today will be the last time I taste meat.
I resolved myself. If I got too used to it, I’d only keep craving it after Edel was gone.
“Where to next?”
“Anywhere you want to go?”
“Can I decide?”
Since a date wasn’t something one person should dictate alone, I gave a small nod.
“I want to see the ocean.”
The unexpected answer made me stare at him.
“Why the ocean?”
“Didn’t Sion and Aria go to the ocean too? They swam and had fun there, so that must also count as a date. Doesn’t it?”
Sion and Aria hadn’t gone to the ocean just to have fun. The mid-boss of Part 2 was sleeping there. They did swim and play afterward, but still…
“Then, shall we go to the ocean?”
Venetia was quite far from the sea, so we’d have to teleport. After letting me taste meat for the first time in a century, the least I could do was take him to the beach.
“Wait. We can continue the date later.”
Just as I was about to activate the teleportation magic circle, Edel’s gaze sharpened as he stared into the distance.
“Hm? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me…”
“East.”
Just like when we faced the Cursed Doll, Edel gave a vague direction.
It seemed one of the Heavenly Kings had appeared in the east.
Lucent
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