After the other elves had left, Sherlock and Lily came over with the Grey Saintess.
Sherlock saw the heap of fruit in Iver's hands and immediately raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
Although he did not know exactly what had happened, he had already more or less guessed what had just occurred.
Cardinal Matilda carefully picked up a fruit and put it into her mouth.
She chewed slowly and seriously, unconsciously knitting her brows.
"Is it very sour?"
Iver looked at her expression and asked.
For some subtle reason, he was very concerned about what the fruit growing from his body tasted like.
He had never expected that one day he would develop the self-awareness of a laying hen... This was something Iver had never anticipated.
"...It's all right."
Matilda opened her eyes in surprise. "The taste isn't bad... No, it's actually quite good. It's a little sour at first, followed by a slightly astringent sweetness. There's also a strange fragrance... Even after eating it, the aroma lingers between the lips and teeth."
She usually kept her eyes narrowed. Although she looked gentle, as if she were always smiling, Iver had never been able to see what color her eyes were. Only now could he see that they were a brilliant blue, close to the color of her hair.
"I didn't think it would taste bad either."
Iver breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a quiet laugh.
However, this also confirmed something for Iver—the fruit should be usable to trigger the Art of Shepherding. Since it had already triggered the Flesh Dedication entry, it could be considered a sacrifice.
Flesh Dedication (Purple): You have mastered the art of self-sacrifice. Now, you will master it even further.
Calling it a sacrifice was reasonable. After all, when Iver had torn it out