"What?"

"Do you know where it is?"

Wain, Ern, and Erza were puzzled.

"Yes, that city burning in flames... that's my home... I'm sure of it."

"That was unexpected, but it's great. Isn't it?" Ern grinned.

"Yes, now we have a purpose, and we will accomplish two tasks at once. We'll all go there together, first I'll tour the town with Alice, and then we'll head into the misty forest."

"When do we leave?" Erza asked.

"Depends on Wain, but I would take my time and prepare thoroughly if I were you. We have the map, and hardly anyone else knows how to this secret place. Wain needs Legendary Souls, and Alice needs to get stronger and learn a few tricks."

"Okay." Erza shrugged, "I'll fight in the arenas for now, then. Ern, where's the booze in this mess?"

"Look in the cupboards. There must be something in there, just don't be surprised if the bottle is older than you are."

"Then I'll do the cleaning!" Alice jumped up.

"Urgh..." Suddenly there was a lingering sound, like a growling.

Wain and Ern looked at Alice and then at her stomach.

"Sounds like someone's hungry."

"I just haven't eaten anything in a while..." Alice was embarrassed and covered her face with her hands.

"Well...I could use something to eat, too." Wain said.

"In that case, we should go to the kitchen." Ern smiled and got up from the couch.

Erza didn't follow them, she found an old whiskey bottle covered with dust in the cupboard and immediately opened it.

'If the hall is so dusty and untidy, the kitchen must be a living hell.' Erza thought and took a sip.

"Ah, it's been a hard day today. I need to rest." Erza collapsed on the couch.

She was alone in the room and drank while she thought about what had happened.

'The blood of the Ancient Queen flows in me...but why have I never heard of it? How long has it been?

Erza was more surprised than anyone by her unusual strength and lineage. Now, though, she finally understood why she was different from the others, even though she wasn't happy with everything.

'Damn Wain! If it wasn't for him, none of this would have happened! Maybe I would have fallen in love with someone eventually, but now that there's him... I just don't have a choice!' Erza gripped the bottle tightly and drank half at once.

'Okay, I need something to eat too. I hope I don't get poisoned since apparently not only is the whiskey older than me in this house, but so is all the food.'

Erza headed for the kitchen and finished her whiskey on the way.

She walked to the door, opened it, and a bright glare blinded her.

A crackle.

The bottle fell out of her hands and shattered into many shards.

The kitchen, unlike the hall, was perfectly clean. There were many kitchen utensils on racks and many unusual knives and cutlery. The refrigerator was massive, and many delicious smells oozed from it.

Ern put on a long white apron and filigreed, cutting vegetables into strips and a large piece of meat into cubes.

Hearing the crackling, they turned around.

"Oh, Alice, could you please clean it up? I'm a little busy." Ern said and took pepper, salt and paprika from the spice rack and sprinkled the meat and the vegetables.

"You have quite a collection." Wain said, looking at the shelf that held more than twenty different spices.

"Cooking is just a hobby of mine." Ern shrugged and used the crystal to light a fire and proceeded to roast the meat.

Alice walked over to Erza and started picking up splinters from the floor.

"Erza, is something wrong? Maybe you're not feeling well?"

"No, I'm fine, I just didn't expect the kitchen to look like this."

"Yes, we were surprised too, it seems that besides blacksmithing, Mr. Ern also really likes to cook."

"Well, it's for the best. I was worried that this might would have been the last dinner of my life, but judging by the smell, something incredible is waiting for us."

...

"Done!" Ern declared with a satisfied face and served four dishes to the table.

"Is that stew?" Alice asked.

"Yes, according to my signature recipe. Help yourself, food and wine!" Ern said and pulled out a rare and prized wine bottle and filled the glasses.historical

"This looks delicious." Erza tasted a bite and her eyes sparkled. She silently continued to eat, gradually speeding up.

Ern smiled and took a sip of wine. He didn't need words to know that Erza was delighted.

"This is so good!" Alice exclaimed, "Mr. Ern, where did you learn to cook like this?"

"Oh, you have a good friend of mine to thank. He's obsessed with cooking. It's a life for him, maybe even more."

Half an hour later, the plates were empty, as was the bottle of wine and everyone was satisfied and full.

"Alice, don't you want to try your new weapon?"

"Hmm? Can I?"

"Sure, try to make contact with it. Your weapon, it's alive, and it's very rare. Even I've only seen a few of those weapons."

"Is that why you decided to shell out half your fortune for it?"

"Well, that was one reason I couldn't let such a weapon go to waste. If Alice can make contact, she will definitely reach the heights, and very quickly."

"Okay, in that case, I'll try it right now." Alice nodded, "Do I need to wear gauntlets?"

"No, don't worry. If anything goes wrong, Wain and I will help you. Oh, yes, I have another little gift for you. Wait a minute." Ern said and walked out of the kitchen.

He returned with a wooden box in his hand and handed it to Alice.

She opened it and inside was a blue ring.

"Is it the same ring as yours?" Alice asked quietly.

"Yes. Of course, it has less capacity than mine, but it's more than enough to store your things."

"Thank you..." Alice whispered and put the ring on.