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From Dolce, With Love - Episode 7
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Shino: You knew all along it wasn't the real Dr Dolce behind that invitation. Why did you come all the way here then?
Chloe: That means... someone pretended to be the Doctor, and sent out that invitation...
Owen? Do you know who that someone is?
Owen: Sort of, I guess. You’ll all find out soon enough.
Mithra: This is turning into something rather troublesome... Can I drag that person out now?
It's fine even if they're the fake Dr Dolce, or Someone Whoever. I'll talk to them about this and that, and make them mine that way.
Owen: I won't stop you if that's what you want to do. But... I think it might be too much for you to handle.
Mithra: What?
[ Thunk. ]
A dull noise sounded. It came from a large mixing bowl being placed onto a lab bench.
In it, lines of chocolate wove themselves into writing.
Figaro: ...... 'Did you enjoy your leisurely stroll through the garden?'
'Today's special is a very special dolce. Please look forward to a taste of the ultimate recipe.' ......
Rustica: Oya.
The milk tea drop that Rustica had earlier obtained from the chocolate noblewoman started gently floating up and away.
Figaro: 'A shard of milk tea drop, a cockatrice egg, a gem with deep blue swirls'...
The chocolate writing continued its sentence.
The other ingredients followed suit, launching themselves into where they belonged: into various lab apparatus attached to strange contraptions, glass containers, and so on.
[ Tinker tinker… ]
Akira: The workshop is coming to life... It sounds like the recipe from the invitation is written in the mixing bowl.
Shino: Then it’s that special dolce thing that’s getting whipped up right now. Sure did take us a while to get this far.
Mithra: We're guests. We're supposed to enjoy hospitality. Why are we, the guests, made to gather ingredients? What are they after?
Faust: It probably means something if they intentionally made us go through all of that. They must be insinuating something, by making us gather all the ingredients ourselves.
Rustica: Our Not Dr Dolce must have wanted to convey something in particular to Owen. I must admit, I didn't mind the hands-on aspect of it. I did have a lot of fun.
The lab was filled with a pleasant smell and the sound of erratic tinkering. Batter and syrups and cream flew in and out of contraptions around the lab to the workbench at dizzying speeds.
Owen leaned on a nearby shelf as he watched the entire process go.
Owen: ...... Maybe it was about a hundred years ago. Two people showed up on the doorstep of the Forest of Dreams.
Our gazes were drawn to Owen.
He had his legs crossed and was toying with the bit of sanguine sap from earlier. He spoke in a quiet, soothing voice, as if he were telling us all a bedtime story.
Owen: One of them was on the verge of death, and the other was in a weakened state.
I'm a kind soul, so for the two of them, I handed over two vividly red crystals.
Those crystals were a sweet salvation, a little morsel that would tempt even the strongest of hearts. But in return for my gesture, one of the crystals was filled with a lethal dose of poison.
Akira: ... Red, sweet, crystal... Were those crystals sanguine sap?
Owen's eyes narrowed at my question. He nodded in a vexingly slow manner, and then his delicate lips parted to say:
Owen: When you’re feeble, when you’re weak, there’s nothing better than the taste of something sweet. A mouthful of sanguine sap might save your life if there’s enough left of you to be saved.
But it was anyone’s guess which crystal had been poisoned. Of the two, one of the crystals would lead only to regret.
The poison would devour you from the inside. You’d die in your own blood, lamenting your choice of taking such a foolish gamble.
Rustica: Why would you do such a thing...
Owen: Do you really have to ask? For my entertainment.
Will the two of them die like dogs together? Or will they leave things up to luck, where only one of them can survive...
Mired in doubt and indecision, the two of them growing colder and colder — who wouldn’t want front row seats to the best show in town?
My breath caught in my throat. Owen laughed. His ashen hair swayed with his movement, and I glimpsed the twisted gaze of his mismatched eyes between his bangs.
It was particularly unsettling in the dim interior lighting.
Shino: I suppose I already knew, but you really do have some sick hobbies.
Mithra: This guy's the guy from the rumours surrounding the Forest of Dreams. He's pretty much always like this.
Faust: Still, that was all a hundred years ago, right? If you're choosing to bring it up right now, that can only mean...
Owen: Yeah. The man on the verge of death said he was Dr Dolce.
It's not like his name was important, not in the least. I wanted a tragedy, a comedy, a love-hate relationship drama, anything would do as long as it sated my boredom.
...... Well, what I had to watch wasn't anything grand like that though.
Owen had been artful and theatric with his storytelling, but at that, he let out a disappointed, unamused sigh.
Owen: That guy merely held on tight to the sanguine sap I had so very kindly given him. He didn't eat any of it, nor did he pass any to his partner.
He was wheezing and choking on his own breath, and I didn't ask, but there he was, going on and on about his life story...
Akira: I-I thought he was on the verge of death.
Owen: He was. He was also, in fact, excited at the fact that he was about to keel over and die right there and then.
He was choking and starting to drown from all the blood he was throwing up, while saying something like, 'What is going to kill me is a mystery filled with evil, and finally, love!' He just wouldn’t shut up.
The sanguine sap Owen was playing with floated into the air, and then, Owen lifelessly went through the motions of his act:
Owen: 'I shall now bring the curtains down upon the stage of my illustrious and accomplished life by sacrificing my life to this sweet, sweet poison.'
'The vicissitudes of life truly do continue until you draw your last breath, and I intend to ride out this last one to the very end! Hooray~! Glorious life~!’
Owen: ... sort of like that.
Figaro: Uh-huh…
Owen: So I killed him then and there.
Entertainment? I didn't care anymore. He was too much of a nuisance.
Chloe: Y-You just...
Figaro: Weeell... It is Northern Country after all. The weak have no chance of surviving against those stronger than them.
Especially in a place like the Forest of Dreams, where the dying go to seek eternal rest. That place is like a graveyard of sorts. I think Dr Dolce must have sensed that his time was up.
Owen: I had no interest in his life story, or anything about him, but it was readily apparent that he was a wizard from the west. He was laughing up until the moment he completely turned to stone and shattered.
Mithra: I don't like it at all... People like him make me go 'ugh' whenever I meet them, even when I'm not in Northern Country.
If you don't kill these people, they won't shut up, and they keep moving, and on top of that, it makes me angry that I have no choice but to kill them.
Nero: You sound like you're talking about bugs…
Suddenly, the sanguine sap that Owen levitated into the air started spiralling higher into the air.
Rustica: 'Now, at long last — a pinch of red'...
Ah, I see we have at last arrived at the final steps of the dolce recipe.
Shino: Yeah. The gem I had and Nero's egg were both taken away to be used too.
Chloe: I wonder what sort of dolce it’ll make...
With measures of doubt and astonishment and perhaps even a smidge of hope, the wizards all focused their gazes upon the crystallised sanguine sap that hovered over the mixing bowl.
It sparkled bright red in the dim lighting of the lab. Faust watched it, and he placed a hand to his chin in thought.
Faust: ... By the way, you said there was someone else with Dr Dolce at the Forest of Dreams.
It's someone who could bring a dying man to the Forest of Dreams all by themself. Was the person with him magical too?
Owen: Mhm. That person was in bad shape, but they had that wizard’s stone right there and ready to eat, so I guess they could have survived.
That’s probably who’s been sending me sweets. The sweets I get always have poisonous ones mixed in.
Chloe: Huh!? I saw you eating the entire lot of them, handful after handful and all... Are you alright?
Owen: I have no problem neutralising that level of poison with my magic. I'm fine.
Nero: Hey, uh, aren't you being super hated on by that person then?
Figaro: You could be right. They've been sending Owen a mix of candy and poison for a hundred years now.
If we assume that the invitation this time around is for the sole purpose of revenge, all the friendliness earlier was likely just an act.
Akira: … Hmm?
Rustica: Kenja sama, what's the matter?
My eyes were transfixed on the floating chunk of sanguine sap.
Something about its brilliance and redness struck me as odd.
Akira: Hey, doesn't the colour of that sanguine sap look a little strange to you?
It looks as if it's cloudier or something compared to when Owen first got it...
Previously, the sanguine sap Owen had had looked as clear as crystal.
Now, something had grown from inside — suspended within were countless black dots.
Faust: That's poiso—!
Nero: It's growing darker by the second!? That's a hell of a—
Owen: ... Haha.
Owen laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Owen: What a gaudy way to tell us that you're adding poison into the mix. How bold of you.
Well, are you satisfied now?
Without aid of his broom, Owen levitated up and snatched the dotted sanguine sap out of the air. He did not hesitate as he then jammed it straight into one of the contraptions.
Akira & Chloe: Ahhh...!
[ No BGM ]
[ Bubbling… ]
The contraption spat out clumps of steam, and a sickly, enticingly sweet scent started to permeate every corner of the room.
And then…… What emerged from the mixing bowl was a beautiful deep red chocolat that had a bewitching shine to it, like a cut of garnet.
???: Fufu……
Is it done? Is it really done, the ultimate dolce...!
Mithra: Oh...... The person watching us has finally shown up..
We heard the pitter-patter of footsteps approaching us in a shimmery wave of hot air. The shimmering gradually coalesced into the shape of a person.
???: Welcome, everyone. Welcome to Dr Dolce's sweets workshop.
[ BGM starts ]
A young girl emerged from the dusky darkness. She was alone.
She looked to be around Chloe's age, or slightly younger than he was. She wore a short dress made out of lots of frills and lace.
Her hair was styled into twin tails, which were springy and curly. She had pale white skin and a pair of shining chocolate-coloured eyes that matched the shine and colour of her hair.
It was her hair and eyes that left the largest impression on me.
Akira: (What a beautiful person... Her skin is just like porcelain, it's just like looking at a doll come to life...)
Owen: Hey, you failure of a corpse. I see you're still alive and kicking.
Noelle: I’m not a failure of a corpse. I’m Noelle.
Her voice had a cute lilt to it, like bells that rang sweetly in the breeze. The girl named Noelle tilted her head as she looked at Owen.
The way her smile was unreadable yet somehow attractive reminded me of the way Owen smiled. To me, it seemed like their smiles had a bit of something in common.
Rustica: My word, aren't you a lovely witch yourself. Was it you who had extended the invitation to Owen?
Figaro: Dr Dolce's fellow scientist, or perhaps, an apprentice... no, that’s not it. Are you his lover, or...?
Noelle: Indeed, t’is Noelle who called Owen here. Noelle's been waiting and waiting and longing.
Faust: Were you the one that set up everything we experienced on the way here? Such as the one-legged sign, or the chocolate ladies.
Nero: Oh, you were the one who modified all the sweets in the garden? Doing all of that all by yourself has gotta be days of back-breaking work.
Noelle: Fufu. Yes, yes, you are right. It is aaaall part of Noelle's hospitality that she has prepared herself......
Episode 8 ⭢
Shino: You knew all along it wasn't the real Dr Dolce behind that invitation. Why did you come all the way here then?
Chloe: That means... someone pretended to be the Doctor, and sent out that invitation...
Owen? Do you know who that someone is?
Owen: Sort of, I guess. You’ll all find out soon enough.
Mithra: This is turning into something rather troublesome... Can I drag that person out now?
It's fine even if they're the fake Dr Dolce, or Someone Whoever. I'll talk to them about this and that, and make them mine that way.
Owen: I won't stop you if that's what you want to do. But... I think it might be too much for you to handle.
Mithra: What?
[ Thunk. ]
A dull noise sounded. It came from a large mixing bowl being placed onto a lab bench.
In it, lines of chocolate wove themselves into writing.
Figaro: ...... 'Did you enjoy your leisurely stroll through the garden?'
'Today's special is a very special dolce. Please look forward to a taste of the ultimate recipe.' ......
Rustica: Oya.
The milk tea drop that Rustica had earlier obtained from the chocolate noblewoman started gently floating up and away.
Figaro: 'A shard of milk tea drop, a cockatrice egg, a gem with deep blue swirls'...
The chocolate writing continued its sentence.
The other ingredients followed suit, launching themselves into where they belonged: into various lab apparatus attached to strange contraptions, glass containers, and so on.
[ Tinker tinker… ]
Akira: The workshop is coming to life... It sounds like the recipe from the invitation is written in the mixing bowl.
Shino: Then it’s that special dolce thing that’s getting whipped up right now. Sure did take us a while to get this far.
Mithra: We're guests. We're supposed to enjoy hospitality. Why are we, the guests, made to gather ingredients? What are they after?
Faust: It probably means something if they intentionally made us go through all of that. They must be insinuating something, by making us gather all the ingredients ourselves.
Rustica: Our Not Dr Dolce must have wanted to convey something in particular to Owen. I must admit, I didn't mind the hands-on aspect of it. I did have a lot of fun.
The lab was filled with a pleasant smell and the sound of erratic tinkering. Batter and syrups and cream flew in and out of contraptions around the lab to the workbench at dizzying speeds.
Owen leaned on a nearby shelf as he watched the entire process go.
Owen: ...... Maybe it was about a hundred years ago. Two people showed up on the doorstep of the Forest of Dreams.
Our gazes were drawn to Owen.
He had his legs crossed and was toying with the bit of sanguine sap from earlier. He spoke in a quiet, soothing voice, as if he were telling us all a bedtime story.
Owen: One of them was on the verge of death, and the other was in a weakened state.
I'm a kind soul, so for the two of them, I handed over two vividly red crystals.
Those crystals were a sweet salvation, a little morsel that would tempt even the strongest of hearts. But in return for my gesture, one of the crystals was filled with a lethal dose of poison.
Akira: ... Red, sweet, crystal... Were those crystals sanguine sap?
Owen's eyes narrowed at my question. He nodded in a vexingly slow manner, and then his delicate lips parted to say:
Owen: When you’re feeble, when you’re weak, there’s nothing better than the taste of something sweet. A mouthful of sanguine sap might save your life if there’s enough left of you to be saved.
But it was anyone’s guess which crystal had been poisoned. Of the two, one of the crystals would lead only to regret.
The poison would devour you from the inside. You’d die in your own blood, lamenting your choice of taking such a foolish gamble.
Rustica: Why would you do such a thing...
Owen: Do you really have to ask? For my entertainment.
Will the two of them die like dogs together? Or will they leave things up to luck, where only one of them can survive...
Mired in doubt and indecision, the two of them growing colder and colder — who wouldn’t want front row seats to the best show in town?
My breath caught in my throat. Owen laughed. His ashen hair swayed with his movement, and I glimpsed the twisted gaze of his mismatched eyes between his bangs.
It was particularly unsettling in the dim interior lighting.
Shino: I suppose I already knew, but you really do have some sick hobbies.
Mithra: This guy's the guy from the rumours surrounding the Forest of Dreams. He's pretty much always like this.
Faust: Still, that was all a hundred years ago, right? If you're choosing to bring it up right now, that can only mean...
Owen: Yeah. The man on the verge of death said he was Dr Dolce.
It's not like his name was important, not in the least. I wanted a tragedy, a comedy, a love-hate relationship drama, anything would do as long as it sated my boredom.
...... Well, what I had to watch wasn't anything grand like that though.
Owen had been artful and theatric with his storytelling, but at that, he let out a disappointed, unamused sigh.
Owen: That guy merely held on tight to the sanguine sap I had so very kindly given him. He didn't eat any of it, nor did he pass any to his partner.
He was wheezing and choking on his own breath, and I didn't ask, but there he was, going on and on about his life story...
Akira: I-I thought he was on the verge of death.
Owen: He was. He was also, in fact, excited at the fact that he was about to keel over and die right there and then.
He was choking and starting to drown from all the blood he was throwing up, while saying something like, 'What is going to kill me is a mystery filled with evil, and finally, love!' He just wouldn’t shut up.
The sanguine sap Owen was playing with floated into the air, and then, Owen lifelessly went through the motions of his act:
Owen: 'I shall now bring the curtains down upon the stage of my illustrious and accomplished life by sacrificing my life to this sweet, sweet poison.'
'The vicissitudes of life truly do continue until you draw your last breath, and I intend to ride out this last one to the very end! Hooray~! Glorious life~!’
Owen: ... sort of like that.
Figaro: Uh-huh…
Owen: So I killed him then and there.
Entertainment? I didn't care anymore. He was too much of a nuisance.
Chloe: Y-You just...
Figaro: Weeell... It is Northern Country after all. The weak have no chance of surviving against those stronger than them.
Especially in a place like the Forest of Dreams, where the dying go to seek eternal rest. That place is like a graveyard of sorts. I think Dr Dolce must have sensed that his time was up.
Owen: I had no interest in his life story, or anything about him, but it was readily apparent that he was a wizard from the west. He was laughing up until the moment he completely turned to stone and shattered.
Mithra: I don't like it at all... People like him make me go 'ugh' whenever I meet them, even when I'm not in Northern Country.
If you don't kill these people, they won't shut up, and they keep moving, and on top of that, it makes me angry that I have no choice but to kill them.
Nero: You sound like you're talking about bugs…
Suddenly, the sanguine sap that Owen levitated into the air started spiralling higher into the air.
Rustica: 'Now, at long last — a pinch of red'...
Ah, I see we have at last arrived at the final steps of the dolce recipe.
Shino: Yeah. The gem I had and Nero's egg were both taken away to be used too.
Chloe: I wonder what sort of dolce it’ll make...
With measures of doubt and astonishment and perhaps even a smidge of hope, the wizards all focused their gazes upon the crystallised sanguine sap that hovered over the mixing bowl.
It sparkled bright red in the dim lighting of the lab. Faust watched it, and he placed a hand to his chin in thought.
Faust: ... By the way, you said there was someone else with Dr Dolce at the Forest of Dreams.
It's someone who could bring a dying man to the Forest of Dreams all by themself. Was the person with him magical too?
Owen: Mhm. That person was in bad shape, but they had that wizard’s stone right there and ready to eat, so I guess they could have survived.
That’s probably who’s been sending me sweets. The sweets I get always have poisonous ones mixed in.
Chloe: Huh!? I saw you eating the entire lot of them, handful after handful and all... Are you alright?
Owen: I have no problem neutralising that level of poison with my magic. I'm fine.
Nero: Hey, uh, aren't you being super hated on by that person then?
Figaro: You could be right. They've been sending Owen a mix of candy and poison for a hundred years now.
If we assume that the invitation this time around is for the sole purpose of revenge, all the friendliness earlier was likely just an act.
Akira: … Hmm?
Rustica: Kenja sama, what's the matter?
My eyes were transfixed on the floating chunk of sanguine sap.
Something about its brilliance and redness struck me as odd.
Akira: Hey, doesn't the colour of that sanguine sap look a little strange to you?
It looks as if it's cloudier or something compared to when Owen first got it...
Previously, the sanguine sap Owen had had looked as clear as crystal.
Now, something had grown from inside — suspended within were countless black dots.
Faust: That's poiso—!
Nero: It's growing darker by the second!? That's a hell of a—
Owen: ... Haha.
Owen laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Owen: What a gaudy way to tell us that you're adding poison into the mix. How bold of you.
Well, are you satisfied now?
Without aid of his broom, Owen levitated up and snatched the dotted sanguine sap out of the air. He did not hesitate as he then jammed it straight into one of the contraptions.
Akira & Chloe: Ahhh...!
[ No BGM ]
[ Bubbling… ]
The contraption spat out clumps of steam, and a sickly, enticingly sweet scent started to permeate every corner of the room.
And then…… What emerged from the mixing bowl was a beautiful deep red chocolat that had a bewitching shine to it, like a cut of garnet.
???: Fufu……
Is it done? Is it really done, the ultimate dolce...!
Mithra: Oh...... The person watching us has finally shown up..
We heard the pitter-patter of footsteps approaching us in a shimmery wave of hot air. The shimmering gradually coalesced into the shape of a person.
???: Welcome, everyone. Welcome to Dr Dolce's sweets workshop.
[ BGM starts ]
A young girl emerged from the dusky darkness. She was alone.
She looked to be around Chloe's age, or slightly younger than he was. She wore a short dress made out of lots of frills and lace.
Her hair was styled into twin tails, which were springy and curly. She had pale white skin and a pair of shining chocolate-coloured eyes that matched the shine and colour of her hair.
It was her hair and eyes that left the largest impression on me.
Akira: (What a beautiful person... Her skin is just like porcelain, it's just like looking at a doll come to life...)
Owen: Hey, you failure of a corpse. I see you're still alive and kicking.
Noelle: I’m not a failure of a corpse. I’m Noelle.
Her voice had a cute lilt to it, like bells that rang sweetly in the breeze. The girl named Noelle tilted her head as she looked at Owen.
The way her smile was unreadable yet somehow attractive reminded me of the way Owen smiled. To me, it seemed like their smiles had a bit of something in common.
Rustica: My word, aren't you a lovely witch yourself. Was it you who had extended the invitation to Owen?
Figaro: Dr Dolce's fellow scientist, or perhaps, an apprentice... no, that’s not it. Are you his lover, or...?
Noelle: Indeed, t’is Noelle who called Owen here. Noelle's been waiting and waiting and longing.
Faust: Were you the one that set up everything we experienced on the way here? Such as the one-legged sign, or the chocolate ladies.
Nero: Oh, you were the one who modified all the sweets in the garden? Doing all of that all by yourself has gotta be days of back-breaking work.
Noelle: Fufu. Yes, yes, you are right. It is aaaall part of Noelle's hospitality that she has prepared herself......
Episode 8 ⭢