Ellin swore that this stamina potion was the foulest thing she had ever drunk in her life.
"Only thinking about the effects, without a single thought for practicality. Sucrose, should I say this is just like you?"
Ellin pursed her lips. It tasted awful, but she remembered Sucrose's blushing, hopeful face as she pressed the two bottles into her hands, eager to be of help.
Then she thought about saving Venti's strength for the coming battle with the Dragon.
Ellin gritted her teeth.
"Bottoms up!"
With that, Ellin steeled herself, opened both bottles, and gulped them down to the last drop.
"Urgh! Urgh!"
In the end, they tasted so awful that Ellin could not stop dry-heaving while Lumine gently rubbed her back.
"It seems I may need to reconsider delaying approval of Sucrose's funding request for her nutritional stamina potions."
Watching Ellin retch, Jean could not help the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"All right, I'm going to take a short nap so I can recover my strength faster. Until I wake up, I'll leave everything to you."
Having said her piece, Ellin tilted her head and fell asleep in Lumine's arms.
"I'll carry her."
Lumine volunteered and hoisted Ellin onto her back.
But when she felt the astonishing springiness of the two large Slimes against her back, Lumine shivered slightly. Her eyes widened, and her face flushed.
"Hmm? What's this?"
Venti frowned slightly as he examined the bodies of the two Abyss Mages at the entrance to Stormterror's Lair.
"The Abyss Mages seem to have released some kind of energy after they died."
"This energy was what they used to sever the connection between Dvalin and me..."
Venti looked toward the Storm Barrier sealing off the interior of Stormterror's Lair.
"But now I can read