"Good for you, Nori. Now you have at to feed your entire village."
"W-wha . . . WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Nori scread at the top of her lungs, her mouth wide open, tears and snot streaming down her face.
"She's so happy that she's crying," Evie comnted at the side while Ren crossed his hand and nodded.
"Solving your food crisis," Princess Lorelai answered Nori with a straight face. "No need to thank ."
"N-n-n-no . . ." Nori stuttered, visibly shaken by the turn of events. "K-killing a giant purple worm is bad enough, but to actually eat them . . ."
Nori took a mouthful of air before she let out another roar of indignation, red veins popping from her eyes.
"Giant Purple Worms," Nori declared with intensity in her voice, her eyes wide with horror and disbelief, "are revered as sacred creatures in these lands, ancient beings woven into the very fabric of this realm. They serve as one of the few sources of air that allowed living in this underworld! Killing one is not just a re act; it is a cri against the natural balance, an offense punishable by the harshest of penalties –– death!
"To consu the flesh of a Giant Purple Worm," she continued, her voice quivering with genuine terror, "is to invite upon a curse, a curse that stretches across generations. It heralds a century of misfortune, a hundred years tainted by the wrath of the very forces that govern our existence in these forsaken lands."
"Oh, I'm surprised that this at tastes delicious despite the ugly appearance of that worm," Elena remarked casually while expertly barbecuing the at on a grill.
"Truly an exotic taste," Princess Lorelai nodded in agreent, savoring each bite with unexpected delight.
Ren and Evie chid in, affirming the unexpected palatability of the Giant Purple Worm at. To their astonishnt, consuming it even granted them a temporary boost in agility, enhancing their speed for the next hour.
"Hoi! Are you even listening to ?!" Nori shouted at them. Her frustration was blowing over the roof. She almost ca out of her skin from indignation. "And where did you even got that grilling pan?!"
Elena smirked. "Ehehehe. You'll be surprised that it's not just a grilling pan I brought. I have plenty more cooking tools. All kinds, really. Want to see?"
Nori's knees weakened, and she slumped onto the ground, realization hitting her hard. "This is impossible . . . surface dwellers really are idiots and shaless . . ."
"How rude," Princess Lorelai spat, a chunk of at flying out from her mouth. She quickly wiped her lips and cleared her throat, regaining so of her poise back.
"Listen here, kid," she said seriously. "I believe that these sacred beings exist to serve their people. They are happy to make you happy, even if it ans sacrificing their lives."
". . . R-really?" Nori stared at Lorelai with tear-strained, trembling eyes.
The Princess nodded and handed Nori a whole chunk of at. "That's right. They want to serve you, and it's best to be served hot."
Nori was silent for a mont before she burst out crying. "WaaAh!"
"Hey, stop making it worse," Elena said and bumped the Princess to the side, taking over. "Allow ."
Elena dangled the piece of at in front of Nori, the enticing aroma quickly capturing the hungry child's attention.
"Do you want it or not? They're tasty, you know. If you don't want it, then it's no problem for us. We'll just eat it all. But don't bla us afterward if you starve to death, mm-kay~?"
When Nori didn't budge, Elena got up and smiled evilly. "More for then."
As Elena was about to leave, Nori grabbed her clothes with shaking hands and ekly said, "J-just . . . a little then."
Elena's lips curved, and her eye turned crescent. "What? I can't hear you?"
Ren gave her a whack. "Stop teasing the child and give it to her. The sooner she's fed, the sooner we leave."
Elena only stuck out her tongue while Ren handed the at to Nori.
"Here. Eat it or throw it. I don't really care."
When the at was finally in Nori's hands, she paused. It felt like a long, long ti since the last ti she ate, and tears welled in her eyes once more.
"Ah, Ren, you made her cry again," Elena said while rubbing her injured head.
Princess Lorelai shook her head and clicked her tongue. "What are you doing, Ren?"
Evie stifled a laugh behind her fingers and teased, "Bully . . ."
"Wha . . ." Ren's face went slightly red, and he was about to open his mouth to say sothing when Nori beat him to it.
"Thank you," she said, tears streaming down her face while she ate every chunk like there was no tomorrow. She was crying, sniffing, and hiccupping while eating, and the words that flowed out of her mouth were choked.
"It's been so long since I had last eaten at. Though this is wrong . . . though this is a sacred creature . . . why does it taste so GoOoOdD?!"
"Really," Ren sighed and crossed his arms. "Make up your mind if you're going to eat or cry."
"For soone who's hungry, you sure are loud and energetic," Evie comnted.
Princess Lorelai laughed. "The most delicious things are often the ones that aren't allowed to eat. Ahahaha."
"I don't think that's right," Ren deadpanned.
"Anyway, you speak like you haven't eaten at in a long ti," Elena chid in.
Nori nodded, "Un . . . about a hundred years now."
. . .
. . .
HUH?!
"Are you kidding ?" Ren bellowed.
"Just how old are you?" Evie asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"That's not important! Rather, how are you even alive without food for so long?!" Elena questioned her hands on her hips.
Princess Lorelai only briefly stared at Nori and shook her head in pity. "Poor child," she said, her voice laced with sympathy. Then, she pointed at the at on the grilling pan. "Are you going to eat that?"
Nori punched her own chest to dislodge the at and gobbled down another piece, talking between bites.
"You surface dwellers probably don't know. Ti here is different than on the surface, and demons and devils have an extrely long lifespan. Plus, we can survive on little food for years, you know?"
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