655,
After Onigashima left, Little Dragon asked Yuna in a quiet voice.
“It’s the same kind of thing as alluring incense, isn’t it, Yuna? Do you know what that means?”
“Alluring incense is a poison that can excite people and make their bodies heat up. It has an aphrodisiac effect.”
Yuna’s answer didn’t mention the infant corpse ghoul. She was simply describing alluring incense.
After all, Yuna wasn’t a hunter. Even if she had hunted men before, her experience was limited to men, not monsters.
But if the description Onigashima had given was the easiest for Yuna to understand, then the infant corpse ghoul’s curse must have some kind of power that made people suffer and feel physically ill.
To take it a step further, alluring incense could also create illusions and exert limited mental control over men with weak wills.
In other words, if the infant corpse ghoul had a similar ability to control minds, it would be extremely dangerous for Elyse right now.
Yuna had never worried about Cyclone’s willpower.
But after everything that had happened, even Yuna couldn’t help worrying now.
If Elyse did something foolish, even Cyclone, with his strong will, might be pushed to the brink of a breakdown.
Onigashima might not have considered how either of them felt, but Yuna could understand his sense of urgency.
Yuna thought it over. It would be best to leave this matter to Onigashima—and to do it quickly.
If so, the most important thing to do now was convince Cyclone to hear Onigashima’s advice.
“Little Dragon, let’s get lunch ready together.”
“Sure!”
An hour later, lunch was ready.
The table was covered with light dishes, mostly porridge and snacks—simple fare for an ordinary day.
They’d taken Elyse’s health into consideration. The meal was plentiful, but they’d avoided colorful dishes that might affect her mood.
As usual, Cyclone sat at the head of the table, with Yuna and Eileen on his left, and Elyse and Little Dragon on his right.
Hilmirya was working at the church, so she wouldn’t be here for lunch.
“Go ahead and eat…”
Cyclone picked up his utensils. First, he ate the little snacks Little Dragon had carefully prepared, then he had a few spoonfuls of porridge.
When he noticed Elyse had eaten only one spoonful of porridge and seemed unwilling to eat more, Cyclone picked up her plain porridge and fed her himself.
After this meal, Cyclone would accompany Elyse to bed so she could keep resting and recovering.
At this rate, there’d be only one day left before Onigashima left.
Yuna didn’t want that. No one knew what harm the infant corpse ghoul might cause them, and if it posed a danger, the sooner they dealt with it, the better.
But how should she bring it up?
Yuna said nothing at first, quietly eating lunch with the others.
She had to choose her words carefully. Yuna knew she wasn’t as tactful as Cyclone, but she still had to mind the details.
The topic she was about to raise would surely upset Elyse.
It was rare for the little girl to sit at the table and eat with them. For the sake of her health, Yuna wanted her to finish her food first.
So Yuna decided to wait a little and let her finish eating before bringing it up.
As for Cyclone, Yuna wasn’t worried about him.
Even if she said something as blunt as Onigashima had, Cyclone wouldn’t take offense like he had earlier.
Yuna trusted Cyclone completely. In a situation like this, he’d be able to keep at least a shred of reason and listen to the concern she was voicing from the heart.
When Elyse had nearly finished her porridge, Yuna put down her utensils and looked at Cyclone.
She didn’t say anything at first. Instead, she let Cyclone know with a look that it was her turn to speak.
Cyclone looked back at Yuna. From her eyes, he understood something.
Then Cyclone looked at Little Dragon, and then at Eileen.
Once Cyclone understood how everyone felt, he looked back at Elyse.
He thought for a few seconds, but still said nothing.
But among all the things Yuna could have said, she chose the first words Cyclone had once taught her.
“Don’t run away.”
At Yuna’s words, Cyclone swallowed.
