Chapter 281: Armed and dangerous
The sound of a knife whacking away at a cutting board in rapid succession marked Lillia’s presence in the kitchen when Arwin arrived in the Devil’s Den. The common room was empty, everyone having vacated it in their preparations to find a way to deal with Twelve.
Arwin made his way over to the back, moving quietly as he pushed the door open and peered into the hall leading to Lillia’s room. If she was busy, he didn’t want to disturb her. He could always hunt around for Olive himself.
Lillia was, unsurprisingly, hard at work when the door opened. She held a pan full of sautéing vegetables in one hand and a metal spoon in the other. The chopping sounds made no signs of stopping, even though both of her hands were full.
It took Arwin a moment to realize that her Cursed knife, the Chef’s Kiss, was cutting things for her. That was a rather embarrassing revelation considering he had been the one to give her the blade in the first place.
“Is everything okay?” Lillia asked, setting the pan down on the stove and stirring the vegetables in it. She made no move to look in his direction — she was too concentrated on her work. The shadows stretched and warped unnaturally around her as she worked, flowing down her arms and into the food. Prickles of energy pressed into Arwin’s skin like the entire area had a faint electric charge.
“All fine,” Arwin confirmed. “Don’t let me bother you. I was just wondering if you’d seen Olive anywhere. I made something for her.”
Lillia glanced over at him. Her eyes nearly doubled in size and she drew in a sharp breath as she spotted the wooden arm cradled in his hands. She didn’t move for a moment as her eyes, enhanced by the powers she had while within the Inn, delved into the abilities of the Cursed item.
“You didn’t,” Lillia said.
“I definitely did.”