Dear, It's Time to Take Your Medicine!

"I heard you seemed pretty good at cooking..." Qin Chu smiled broadly, produced ten one-hundred-Mana bills, and handed them to Angelica. "Could I taste your cooking?"

Angelica's eyes suddenly lit up.

She was skilled at cooking. Though she had always wanted to cook for Qin Chu herself, she had worried that her dishes might not suit her master's palate, so she had bought food from outside these past few days.

Now that she heard her master say this, she was both delighted and nervous.

"Master, I'm afraid what I make won't suit your tastes..." Angelica pinched the hem of her clothes with both little hands and murmured softly.

"Haha, it's fine. I'm sure anything Angelica makes herself will be delicious," Qin Chu said with a smile.

Overjoyed, Angelica beamed as she accepted the bills Qin Chu handed over. "Then I'll go buy groceries right away. Rublenza Market is quite far away, so I might not be back until evening..."

"Why go all the way there? Just buy things nearby..."

Angelica shook her little head fiercely, like a rattle-drum. "That won't do. This is for Master, so naturally I have to use the very best."

The vegetables and meat at Rublenza Market were supplied exclusively to the royal family and nobility. Their prices were more than ten times those in the Commoners' District, but likewise, their quality was the best.

This was the first time her master wanted to taste her cooking. No matter what, Angelica had to do her very best and could not leave a bad impression on him.

After telling Qin Chu to rest well at home, Angelica left, humming a song.

Meanwhile, Qin Chu's smile gradually faded.

This plan would kill two birds with one stone. On one hand, it could test Angelica's loyalty; on the other, it could break the shackles binding her, allowing Angelica to become more than just a maid and turn into powerful fighting strength at his side.

This was Angelica's final test. If she passed it smoothly, he could truly trust this woman.

In Rosweisse's room, Ekaterina listened to the saintess's plan, her brows knitted tightly together.

Not a single member of the Hero's Party would accept a new Hero.

Rosweisse knew even more clearly that it was not just herself. Ekaterina, Athena, Sylph, Eileen, and Aili before her—the six female members of the party—all secretly liked Lord Jello.

Their feelings were not inferior to hers in the slightest.

Not to mention those six women—even Ronald, the aristocratic young swordsman and a man himself, harbored unusual feelings for Lord Jello.

It could not be helped. Lord Jello possessed boundless charm.

It was the kind of charm that made people of the opposite sex, and even the same sex, fall deeply at first sight.

Lord Jello seemed to perfectly match every person's image of perfection.

The remaining three—Benson, the shield guard Immovable as a Mountain; Muse, the mad berserker; and Karthus, the Death Knight—also regarded Lord Jello as their most important friend, comrade, and companion. Their bond ran deeper than that of the closest family, more important than parents or siblings.

That was precisely why, when Rosweisse sent word to the other nine companions that she wished to use Second-Generation Hero Qin Chu's blood to revive Lord Jello, not one of them refused.

There had not even been the slightest hesitation.

Yet Rosweisse was not confident in her own plan. After all, she had devised it in a moment of extreme impulsiveness.

After she finished speaking, Rosweisse looked at Ekaterina uneasily, unsure what kind of evaluation Ekaterina would give.

After a long while, Ekaterina let out a leisurely sigh. "Rosweisse, you've suffered these past days..."

Rosweisse was somewhat bewildered, unable to understand why Ekaterina had responded that way.

"If you hadn't endured too much recently, you would never have made such a crude plan," Ekaterina continued.

"You only thought that if we lured away or killed the guards protecting Qin Chu, we could successfully abduct him..."

"But have you considered that Qin Chu is a Hero? How many eyes are fixed on him? Besides Augustus, which of Wadsworth and Saint Monica does not want to pull Qin Chu into their own camp?"

"The palace Qin Chu lives in appears to have only a few hundred guards, but how many others are there where you cannot see them? Do you know? Would those people simply stand by and watch us abduct Qin Chu?"

Rosweisse fell silent.

She was not stupid. She should have thought of these things—no, she definitely would have thought of them.

But because her mind had been severely shaken, she had not been thorough enough when considering many matters.

"Unless we start a massacre there. But if we do that, we will be completely exposed. Even if Augustus shelters you, what about Wadsworth and Saint Monica? Do you have the ability to face their attacks?"

"How many experts does the royal family have? How many powerhouses does the Earth Mother Church have? Even the Holy Church could not withstand that kind of strength."

Ekaterina's words drained all color from Rosweisse's pretty face. She had only focused on her hatred and had never considered that the consequences could be so severe.

"Also, reviving little brother Jello requires not only Qin Chu's blood and various precious materials, but also little brother Jello's soul. Have you gathered it? Do you know where his soul is scattered? Can you determine how long it will take to collect all of little brother Jello's Soul Fragments?"

"It might take years, decades, even several decades. During that time, without a Hero, what will we use to fight the Demonic Beasts? Have you considered how many people will die?"

Who cared how many people died? As long as Qin Chu could be killed, that was enough.

Rosweisse bit her lip lightly and said nothing.

"The most important issue is that little brother Jello was killed by Nag, the Eternal Monarch. Even if we could revive little brother Jello immediately, Wadsworth and Saint Monica would not say anything once there was a Hero again. After all, all they needed was a Hero to fight the Demonic Beasts. It did not matter who that Hero was. Before Jello, they had no standing to point fingers and give orders..."

"But what happens after Jello is revived? Are you going to let him die at Nag's hands once again?"

"Jello is no match for Nag. We all know that very well."

Rosweisse's face grew even paler, and her body even began to tremble uncontrollably.

"I haven't met Qin Chu yet, so I don't know what sort of person he is. But he stole the title and glory of Hero that belonged to little brother Jello. That makes me furious too. There can only be one Hero, and it absolutely cannot be him."

"But even you must admit that Qin Chu, who possesses two Transcendent Authorities, has greater talent than little brother Jello."

Rosweisse wanted to refute her, but no words came.

Ekaterina spoke the truth. Though Qin Chu was weak now, his future potential exceeded Jello's.

"I do not oppose your desire to kill Qin Chu and revive little brother Jello, because... I miss him very much too..." A faint flush rose to Ekaterina's pretty face.

"But perhaps we can change our approach."

"Since we still need time to gather little brother Jello's soul, why not let Qin Chu live a little longer and first use him to eliminate the Demonic Beasts—especially Nag, the Eternal Monarch..."

"Once the overall situation is settled, we can kill Qin Chu and revive Jello. That way, Jello will not have to face the Demon King again or bear any more risks. Wouldn't that be better?" Ekaterina asked with a gentle smile.

Rosweisse's eyes grew brighter and brighter, but she quickly thought of a problem.

"But if we wait until Qin Chu has grown strong enough to kill Nag, will we still be able to kill Qin Chu?" That was Rosweisse's greatest concern.

"Rosweisse, you must understand that no matter how powerful someone is, they cannot evade a knife thrust from behind!"

No matter how powerful someone was, they could not evade a knife thrust from behind!

Even a Hero would never imagine that his closest comrades and the woman he loved most would stab him in the back.

Gulp!

Rosweisse quietly swallowed.

She looked at Ekaterina as though she were meeting this woman for the first time.

Although they had fought side by side for many years and were as close as sisters, Rosweisse had always thought Ekaterina was merely a carefree big sister with no scheming mind.

But now Rosweisse realized that when Ekaterina was sinister and cruel, she far surpassed Rosweisse herself.

What a terrifying woman.

"There's no need to look at me like that..."

"As long as little brother Jello can come back to life, I don't care even if I have to become a demon," Ekaterina said with a smile.

"I'm not stupid either. I simply do not like using my brain much in ordinary times. Actually, you could think of all this too. If you calmed down, you could even devise a better plan than mine, instead of rashly charging over to kill Qin Chu as you are now."

"You must understand that we are not doing this only for ourselves. We are doing this to revive little brother Jello. Nothing can go wrong with this matter. We absolutely cannot let the hatred and agitation in our hearts affect our judgment."

"It does not matter if we die ourselves, but if it affects Jello's revival, that would be truly troublesome."

Ekaterina's words were like a splash of enlightenment.

Rosweisse took a deep breath. She forcibly suppressed the chaos and hatred in her heart, forcing herself to calm down.

Her eyes closed tightly.

She contemplated Ekaterina's words.

Only after a long time did she open her eyes again. The confusion was gone from those golden pupils, replaced by clarity and brilliance.

Ekaterina knew that Rosweisse had returned to normal.

Though she was only a very young girl, her mind was undoubtedly the most outstanding among the Hero's Party. She was no less capable than old foxes like Wadsworth.

"Big Sister Ekaterina, let's do as you said. The plan you thought of is good. This truly is not the right time to kill Qin Chu."

If the revived Jello died at Nag's hands again, that would be true despair. They did not have the fortune of obtaining a second Hero to revive Lord Jello.

"However, we still need to carefully consider some details."

"First, Lord Jello's Soul Fragments are the most important. No matter when, we must assign at least three people to search for them. Unfortunately, we do not have even the slightest clue right now."

"As for the other materials besides the Soul Fragments and the Hero's blood, they can all be obtained from the Holy Church. That part is simple."

"If things really proceed according to our plan, we will also have to face another difficult problem..."

"The Hero who kills Nag, sweeps away the Demonic Beasts, and brings peace to the Skyvault Continent will receive the treatment of a savior. Every kind of honor will be heaped upon him, and his prestige will reach unprecedented heights..."

"At that time, if we kill the Hero, we will inevitably become targets of public condemnation."

"Moreover, even if we kill Qin Chu and revive Jello, Lord Jello will likely be forced to live forever in Qin Chu's shadow!"

"Therefore, we must think of a suitable way to ruin the Hero's reputation and turn Qin Chu into a bastard despised by everyone. Only then can we possess the righteousness to assassinate the Hero without any misgivings."

Ekaterina nodded slightly. As expected of Rosweisse—this woman thought far ahead.

Do not think this was absurd. Many things had to be planned from a very early stage, so that when the time truly came to act, they would not be tied hand and foot.

"The other important issue is..."

"If we want to assassinate Qin Chu after his strength has fully matured, a direct confrontation will be almost impossible..."

That much was beyond doubt.

Back then, Jello, whose talent was inferior to Qin Chu's, had possessed strength far exceeding Augustus's level. Qin Chu's future would only be more terrifying.

"If we want to assassinate Qin Chu, we can only do so once he has no guard against us."

"Otherwise, it simply cannot be done."

"We must warn the others, especially those with more violent tempers—Benson, Muse, Karthus—and you too, Big Sister Ekaterina..."

"No matter how disgusted we feel inside, we must pretend to treat Qin Chu like family..."

"We must guide him carefully and care for him attentively... We have to make him believe that we are his closest people, his friends, comrades, brothers, even lovers..."

"Lovers?" Ekaterina frowned.

She was a little displeased.

After all, even little brother Jello had never been cared for by her like a lover. When it came to romance, she was actually quite shy.

"That's right, lovers."

"The feelings between lovers are stronger than those between brothers or friends!"

"And they make foolish men lose their heads more easily..."

"Actually, it would not have needed to be this troublesome. With the forged Divine Oracle, I could have rightfully appeared by Qin Chu's side as the Hero's lover. But that damned bastard chose that bitch Angelica instead." At the thought of it, the rage in Rosweisse's chest began to surge again beyond her control.

"So now we must take the initiative and snatch Qin Chu back from Angelica."

"Not only me, but you, Eileen, Aili, Sylph, and Athena as well... No matter who it is, as long as Qin Chu falls in love with any one of us, our future actions will become much easier."

"Men are merely creatures with simple minds. Treat him a little better, have the occasional bit of physical contact, and he will develop the illusion that you might like him. Then he will value you more and more, until he falls hopelessly in love with you."

Ekaterina grew even more displeased. "Isn't that seduction?"

"Seduction? It doesn't matter if that is how you see it."

"You do not even need to do much. Let him grope you once in a while or kiss you, and that should be enough. It is not as though you will lose a piece of flesh."

"You need to understand, this is all for Lord Jello's revival. Endure it, and it will pass."

"Just treat it as being gnawed by a dog..."

Ekaterina's face turned livid. Just imagining herself being held, kissed, and hugged by a strange man she deeply despised made goosebumps rise all over her body.