"We have to eat the fruit, right? Honestly, that god doesn't seem trustworthy to me at all, although it's true that he's generous. Hehe~... affinity for poison, imagine the possibilities."
Well, it was obvious what had to be done. Naelune created a stream of water that flowed toward the pedestals holding the ten fruits, brought them over, and displayed them for closer inspection.
"That's true, but I really can't tell if they're fake or real. The goddess Athena only left an image that was later painted by the person who received it. Even so, I can't make any judgment based on that alone; there's still the risk factor."
Valeriane also took a close look at these fruits that had been talked about in her world for a long time, and without exception, they were definitely a good thing.
It was even known that demons and angels had the same prophecies, so this fruit should be a blessing. Of course, if it was the real thing.
And although she didn't say it like Naelune, she wasn't sure she could trust Plouthys either, even though it was confirmed that he was a god when he gave her the skills.
Despite that and everything he gave them, it was really all too good to be true.
But there was also the point of view that it was a new era proclaimed as such by the gods, and that perhaps things would be different from what was known.
Perhaps receiving skills would become more common.
Perhaps, from now on, weapons and armor like the one I just received will be common and not special treasures.
Perhaps, as he said, it was just a selection for someone he wanted to give his blessing and support to.
And there was also the fact that the fruits, in any legend or prophecy—at least the white one—were said to be as common as normal fruit, just as he said.
So they shouldn't be special. Still, everything was confusing, and she couldn't give a solid opinion.
"Hm... they are an accumulation of very pure mana, to the point of being physical... along with a powerful energy full of vitality. They seem like something alive, but at the same time they don't. In addition, they have strange properties that I have never seen before."
"Oh, can you even see something like that?"
"...Yes."
"I feel like you're being curt with me."
"..."
"Hmm, but Lys, how good is your skill? I mean, what does it do specifically? Have we been relying on it without knowing it? Also, why are you wearing those bandages?"
"Y-yes, I... I can see many things that are normally invisible, such as mana, from the environment and living beings, even through objects... and-and I can do more things (≧﹏ ≦)... but it's exhausting... I don't control it very well, and I use the bandages so my eyes don't hurt... They're special bandages."
"Oh, that's great! Okay, let's do this: I'll eat a fruit, and you watch to see if anything happens to me. If something strange happens, we'll know."
Cassian, honestly, had already considered eating her since he came up with his plan of action. Besides, given the situation, it seemed inevitable, so he thought there was no problem with doing it first.
Besides, if there was something wrong, he was sure that he, of all the people present, had the best chance of surviving.
After all, it seems that his skill is his abnormal body. If something strange happened, Ellys could warn them. He felt that this was the most efficient way, rather than continuing to argue, since no one seemed to be completely sure anyway.
"Wait a moment, Sir Cassian. Don't make such a hasty decision."
"Yes, it could be dangerous... I can examine her further."
"Yes, Cazzy, we need to think this through more carefully. We need to consider it carefully. What if we try Yefi...?"
"Huh? Me!?"
"I mean, don't feel bad if you want to eat her, right?"
"Hmmm, well, I don't feel any danger... but I don't usually feel danger from inanimate things. For example, weapons and things like poison aren't dangerous until someone uses them against me, or something like that. I think that's..."
"Tsk, well, I didn't expect much from you. Hey, little dragon, why don't you try eating it? No one would miss you if something happened to you."
"Hmph, fish woman, stop calling me 'little dragon.' I have a name, and it's Celestine Dracourne."
"Eh!?"
At the small discussion between Naelune and the dragon lady, or as she called herself Celestine, the most surprised was Cassian, who listened to what she said.
"What's the matter, my loyal servant number one? Did my name shock you?"
"No, well, because of the clothes and the horns, I thought..."
"You thought what!?"
"Nothing..."
Cassian decided to remain silent. Saying that her name didn't match her attire at all wouldn't help. He really thought he would hear a name like Yèfēng or Yeling, not one like Celestine.
To Cassian, she was becoming more and more doubtful and suspicious.
"Well, as I was saying! Fish woman, this great me will allow you to be the first to try it. Feel honored."
"What, why me now!? Why don't you do it? Or what, don't you have the courage to do it first?"
"Hmph, insolent, do you think a provocation like—?"
"Hee~, a so-called 'ancestral dragon' who is afraid to eat a fruit. The things one gets to see... Well, it seems the problem isn't the dragons, but that someone is a fraud."
"Who's a fraud! Fine, I'll eat it and—"
"Enough, stop right there. Miss Celestine, don't rise to the provocation. Here, everyone decides for themselves. If you're going to do it, don't do it out of provocation. Although I would recommend thinking about it a little more."
"Hmmm, well. Ria, I'm going to eat it. Decide after you see what happens to me."
Cassian thought this would never end and stuck to his original plan. If he was going to eat it anyway, it didn't matter, did it? Besides, it's not like they could leave without doing it.
Talking seemed like a way to encourage each other in the face of the inevitable, so he simply spared himself that.
With a quick movement, he took the fruit from the stream of water that Naelune was holding and quickly bit into it.
"Mmm!"
It was really soft, the skin seemed edible, and the flesh was, in fact, the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.
He really didn't know what it tasted like, he couldn't associate it with anything; he just knew it was delicious, to the point that, even without swallowing what was in his mouth, he took quick bites of the rest.
Quickly, the fruit—the size of a small melon—disappeared, stored in his mouth, causing his cheeks to puff out like a squirrel's, yet he was still enjoying it.
"Noo!! Spit it out!"
"Hmmpph mghh!"
At that moment, while enjoying the rich flavor, Ellys—who saw that—jumped up and held him by the neck.
Without hesitation, she directed her fingers toward Cassian's mouth to forcefully extract the fruit, which she had not yet decided was safe or not.
She believed that if she removed the bandages, she could get a better look at it.
She was determined to try to take the fruit out, but Cassian wouldn't let her and kept his mouth tightly closed while shaking his head and trying to push her away.
The two began an intense struggle, of course, with Cassian trying to push her away without hurting her.
"..."
Meanwhile, the rest of the group watched them. The first to speak was Naelune, who asked Veleriane, who was standing next to her.
"Hey..."
"What?"
"Those two just met today, didn't they?"
"...As far as I know, yes. Why do you ask?"
"...Hmm, I was just curious, those two seem curious to me... hmm, but I have to say: that little angel... is wilder than she appears, right?"
"Yes."
Veleriane had to admit it. Although she seemed like a shy person, as Naelune said, she could really be wild when the situation required it.
Like when she first met them: it wasn't long ago, but even as time passed, she believed she would never forget the surreal image of a frightened Cassian running away from her.
Now this situation... and seeing how, tenaciously, even though she didn't have much strength, she clung to Cassian—pulling his hair and struggling to pry his mouth open, even going as far as slapping his swollen cheeks to make him spit out the fruit.
but he refused, and in fact he chewed faster and swallowed like a stubborn baby whose mother tries to take away something he shouldn't eat, this too was something Veleriane would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Hey, but if Cazzy decided to eat it despite the risks and warnings, what's the problem? Why does she want him to spit it out?"
"I don't know... but, anyway, with their difference in strength, I don't think she'll be able to avoid it. Now I just hope that god wasn't lying."
"Yes... the only good thing is that by giving us those skills, he confirmed that he was a god, but I don't know if his intentions are really what he said. It would have been better if that little dragon had sacrificed herself. I hope nothing happens to Cazzy."
"Actually, he has a strong body. And not just in strength, he recently resisted jade poison..."
"Ah!, now I understand... that corpse in the room was a royal prince. If he could resist that, there shouldn't be any problems. In my father's family, something similar is sometimes inherited, and they are one of the most powerful clans, but even they cannot resist that damn poisonous skill of the demons. Cazzy is better than I thought."
"Although you also have to consider that there could be worse things in Varnorr... not to mention that he's a god."
"ey! Little knight!! Stop saying such dark things or they might come true... Oh, look: the little angel started strangling him, hee~ but those little hands don't seem to do more than tickle him. Hmm... if Cazzy wrapped her hands around me and used just the right amount of force..."
"..."
"Ahem!, I mean, Little knight, don't you think that little angel is strange? Look, even now that she realizes she can't stop him from eating her, she started casting spells to cure the poison. But if it's a poison worse than jade, wouldn't it be useless?"
"Haah~, how long are you going to call me 'little knght'?"
"Until you call me Luna and drop the 'miss'; I don't like formalities."
"...Haah~ if that's the case, it doesn't matter. And yes, Miss Ellys doesn't seem to be thinking straight right now."
"Right? Although it's a little funny, I wish I had brought an engraving gem. What a pity, wait, something's wrong with Cazzy!"