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From Dolce, With Love - Episode 8
⭠ last episode | Episode 8 | next episode ⭢
Akira: Um, excuse me…
No matter what we said, the girl would only respond vaguely. Her large, round eyes were wholly focused on Owen.
Noelle: Noelle has missed Owen so, so much… waiting to meet again for a hundred years, waiting since the day her dear Doctor turned to stone.
Not once has Noelle forgotten about what happened that fateful day.
Did you know, you carved an Owen-shaped hole in her heart, that day you killed Noelle’s precious Doctor?
Her shrill voice quivered from barely-contained excitement.
She directed an intense, worshipful gaze at Owen, and a shiver ran down my spine at that. The atmosphere grew tenser and tenser, but then, Owen sneered with a little huff of scorn.
Owen: Who cares. I bothered to come all the way out here, and all I get for my troubles is to see the face of the person that’s failed to poison me time and time again.
I was walked about in a forest, and shown farces far more pointless than what the two of you showed me that day.
Don't tell me hospitality ends at presenting me this pitiful, insignificant little piece of candy?
Owen plucked the freshly-made deep red chocolat from the air with his fingers as he spoke. Slowly and deliberately, he opened his mouth, his tongue very intentionally extended, on display for what he was about to do.
Shino: Wha— Oi!
Curling his tongue around the chocolat, Owen then sucked the poisoned confection into his mouth for all of us to see.
Owen: ...... Hmmm. It's so-so.
Rustica: A-Are you alright? That sanguine sap had turned completely black...
Akira: Do you feel sick!? Wait, no, this isn't the time for that. I think there was, like, throwing up blood or...
Mithra: He's fine. Owen eats as many weird things as I do.
Figaro: I think he probably won't appreciate hearing it from you especially.
Chloe: Gosh, Northern Wizards even have powerful stomachs too...
From the way he calmly licked the corners of his lips, one couldn't have possibly guessed that Owen had just eaten a confection that was laced with a particularly lethal poison.
Noelle sighed, a soft and tiny sigh.
Noelle: How boorish you are, finishing off the entire special dolce in just one bite.
Also...... You know, Noelle's been gifting you sweets for a hundred years now, but not once did you spare Noelle's poisoned sweets even a second glance.
But that's alright. Now that you've come all the way out here, you can’t leave without making happy memories......
She clutched at herself with both her arms. She looked up at Owen, her eyes heavy-lidded and inviting, and she began to speak.
Noelle: That fateful day...... You turned my Doctor to stone in the Forest of Dreams. Mercilessly, coldly, emotionlessly.
From that moment on, Noelle was a slave to that delightfully sweet thrill she felt then.
Her pale cheeks grew rosy, and her voice trilled sharper than before. She continued to string her words together, like she was sweetly stringing her arms around Owen to cling to him.
Noelle: ...... Hey, Owen, won’t you please kill Noelle? Pretty please?
The Other Wizards (Figaro & Faust & Shino & Nero & Mithra): What......?
[ Event theme song BGM ]
Noelle pleaded, her expression filled with indescribable elation, as if she were dreaming the happiest of dreams.
Everyone else was rather confused, and they ended up tossing question after question her way.
Faust: You bear hatred for Owen, who killed Dr Dolce, and that's why you kept sending him all those poisoned sweets, right?
Akira: And then, when the right moment came along, you invited him here in order to take revenge, am I right......
Noelle: Never. All Noelle wants is for Owen to be the one to kill her.
Her cheeks flushed red. Noelle clutched at them, and focused onto Owen with an impassioned gaze. She was nothing but a picture of complete, utter devotion.
Even though she knew that her feelings would never be reciprocated, she burned with nothing but the desire for the one she loved so much to spare her just one glance.
Akira: (Noelle san sort of gives off the vibe of being an overzealous fan of Owen’s...)
Noelle: Of course, Noelle doesn't mind how the killing goes. It's all up to you. You can strangle, stab, poison, toy around and drag it out, or even do it in an instant.
Noelle's happy with anything, as long as it's all done by your hand. So, pretty please, with a cherry on top...!
Owen: No.
Without even a flicker of change in expression, Owen coldly cut her off.
Even Noelle, who had been gleefully swaying in spot, halted at once.
Figaro: Shot down in one ruthless blow. No mercy.
Shino: Hey, in this situation, that’s actually a pretty good reply, if you think about it.
Mithra: That's a western witch alright...
Owen: Come on, what are you dawdling about now? You're supposed to be a host to your guests.
Serve me sweets or whatever else you’ve got up your sleeve. Try your best to please me, or at least do better than that pathetic joke of a signpost.
Noelle: ...... (pouts)
Owen leaned back against a lab bench with a cruel look in his eyes, and Noelle looked just the slightest bit upset at his attitude.
But then, just as suddenly, she bounced back, and beamed at him.
Noelle: ...... You're right. Noelle has to devote herself to pleasing you.
The pitch of her voice dropped ever so slightly as her beautifully-tinted lips once again parted to speak.
Noelle: Hmm...... You know what they say about Northern Wizards? The more murderous intent you point at them, the more they want to kill you in return.
If that's indeed true, then shouldn’t Noelle do something even more murderous than serving you poison? What do you think?
[ Workshop noises... ]
Akira: ......?
All of a sudden, my skin crawled as the atmosphere of the laboratory changed.
The unknown liquids that filled the glass containers started to bubble and froth.
Shino: What's happening...?
Rustica: Kenja sama, stay behind me.
Everything looked clearly different from earlier when the chocolat was being made. A suspiciously noxious smoke started to fill the room, and I unconsciously braced myself.
[ No BGM ]
Noelle: Just as you wish, you shall be served only the sweetest of sweets that you are sure to love.
Ever since Noelle first felt that merciless sweetness that took her breath away, she was always, always preparing.
FOR THE DAY YOU’D FINALLY COME HERE TO VISIT ME!
[ Shatter! ]
[ Dr Dolce's Residence - Research Lab (Wrecked) ]
Noelle's voice crescendoed into a fever pitch. The various containers littering the entire lab shattered all at once, as if they were reacting in response to her cry. Mysterious liquids started spilling everywhere.
Then the various liquids started bubbling and expanding......
Nero: What now...!?
Faust: Move, it's coming this way!
The puddles of liquid gave birth to freakish creatures that looked like an amalgamation of sponge cake, chocolates, and sweet cream.
Their puffy arms stretched out and whipped around as if they were tentacles. Menacingly, the arms turned on us.
Chloe: Mithra, look ou—!
Mithra: « arsim »
With his arms crossed indifferently, Mithra said aloud his spell-word.
The arm swinging down upon him with full force stopped dead in its tracks. With a loud snap, the creature was repelled and knocked back into the puddles, where it exploded and doused the entire room in cream.
Akira: What...... What on earth is that! A monster made from sweets!?
Noelle: Fufu, these are all dessert golems! These little ones are treasures Noelle's dear Doctor left for her.
He said they'll look after Noelle in his place should anything ever happen to him. He even made sure to make these cute dolls from the sweet treats Noelle loved......
Noelle called out to the sound of chemicals bubbling and boiling all over the lab. From out of the puddles of cream that it’d left behind, the creature that Mithra destroyed started fusing itself back together again.
Noelle: Sadly, he turned to stone partway through his research. So Noelle took it upon herself to see it to fruition.
Every single one of these babies are good babies that obey Noelle, down to the last word.
Their touch is made of tantalisingly sweet poisons, a touch so tender that oops, you’ll die in their sweet embrace.
Noelle looked all of us over with a large golem in her arms. And then, she decisively pointed her finger at Owen.
Noelle: Oh, come on out, my cute dollies~ It's playtime with my beloved Owen and his little friends!
Shino: Huh? We're invited too?
Mithra: I thought we had nothing to do with it.
The golems left us no time to protest as they started moving out. They marched up to us, outstretched arms leaking colourful liquid chocolate.
Shino: « matzah sudipas » !
Shino swung his scythe in a full arc, slicing the arms off the golems in one fell swoop.
He clicked his tongue at the never-ending waves of golems, and shook off the cream stuck on the scythe with a flick of its blade.
Shino: Tch, they just keep rising! Everything's wrong with that girl and her sweet monsters...!
Akira: Shino, they're coming from behind you too! Nooo, they’re coming from behind me too!
Rustica: « amorest viesse »
Rustica stepped in just as I was about to scream in terror. He had his magical tool - a birdcage - in hand, and he elegantly held it up overhead.
Rustica: Kenja sama, are you alright? I've set up a barrier around us, so you're safe and sound now. Chloe, you too, come over here.
Chloe: R-Right!
Akira: T-Thank you very much!
Figaro: I must say... these creations are quite unconventional and far too disorderly. They just keep spawning with no end in sight.
And to top it all off, the colourful chocolate they spray is acidic. Anything that's come into contact with it starts to corrode and melt. If we were to come into contact with it, I don't think we'll get away with just chemical burns.
Mithra: Owen! I've no particular interest in getting drowned by sweets.
Killing her has got to be easy as pie. If she wants it, give her what she wants. Why are you refraining?
Owen: Hunh...... « cur memini »
[ Squelch! ]
His delicate lips formed the syllables to his spell-word. At once, the golems before them melted into indistinguishable puddles of goopy liquid.
Then, Owen coolly looked at Noelle.
Owen: Killing that guy was never a part of my intentions. Neither did I intend on having you tag around bleating for my attention as a result of his death.
And besides... I heard every single word you said to each other then. I know exactly why that guy was on the verge of death.
It's because you poisoned him, didn't you?
Akira: What are you...?
Noelle: ...... Fufu.
Amidst the chaos and confusion, Noelle smiled. She looked like a particularly innocent and sweet little girl in that moment.
A split second later, the large cauldron behind her erupted in chocolate of various colours, creating waves that towered before us.
Nero: « adnodis omnis » !
Faust: « satilliqunart mullcreed »
The wizards met each of the attacks with spells of their own. The golems kept reanimating themselves after they were felled. As the golems rose to their feet again, Noelle hummed:
Noelle: You're completely right...... It's all Noelle's fault that her Doctor is dead, all because of the poisoned chocolat she made.
Episode 9 ⭢
Akira: Um, excuse me…
No matter what we said, the girl would only respond vaguely. Her large, round eyes were wholly focused on Owen.
Noelle: Noelle has missed Owen so, so much… waiting to meet again for a hundred years, waiting since the day her dear Doctor turned to stone.
Not once has Noelle forgotten about what happened that fateful day.
Did you know, you carved an Owen-shaped hole in her heart, that day you killed Noelle’s precious Doctor?
Her shrill voice quivered from barely-contained excitement.
She directed an intense, worshipful gaze at Owen, and a shiver ran down my spine at that. The atmosphere grew tenser and tenser, but then, Owen sneered with a little huff of scorn.
Owen: Who cares. I bothered to come all the way out here, and all I get for my troubles is to see the face of the person that’s failed to poison me time and time again.
I was walked about in a forest, and shown farces far more pointless than what the two of you showed me that day.
Don't tell me hospitality ends at presenting me this pitiful, insignificant little piece of candy?
Owen plucked the freshly-made deep red chocolat from the air with his fingers as he spoke. Slowly and deliberately, he opened his mouth, his tongue very intentionally extended, on display for what he was about to do.
Shino: Wha— Oi!
Curling his tongue around the chocolat, Owen then sucked the poisoned confection into his mouth for all of us to see.
Owen: ...... Hmmm. It's so-so.
Rustica: A-Are you alright? That sanguine sap had turned completely black...
Akira: Do you feel sick!? Wait, no, this isn't the time for that. I think there was, like, throwing up blood or...
Mithra: He's fine. Owen eats as many weird things as I do.
Figaro: I think he probably won't appreciate hearing it from you especially.
Chloe: Gosh, Northern Wizards even have powerful stomachs too...
From the way he calmly licked the corners of his lips, one couldn't have possibly guessed that Owen had just eaten a confection that was laced with a particularly lethal poison.
Noelle sighed, a soft and tiny sigh.
Noelle: How boorish you are, finishing off the entire special dolce in just one bite.
Also...... You know, Noelle's been gifting you sweets for a hundred years now, but not once did you spare Noelle's poisoned sweets even a second glance.
But that's alright. Now that you've come all the way out here, you can’t leave without making happy memories......
She clutched at herself with both her arms. She looked up at Owen, her eyes heavy-lidded and inviting, and she began to speak.
Noelle: That fateful day...... You turned my Doctor to stone in the Forest of Dreams. Mercilessly, coldly, emotionlessly.
From that moment on, Noelle was a slave to that delightfully sweet thrill she felt then.
Her pale cheeks grew rosy, and her voice trilled sharper than before. She continued to string her words together, like she was sweetly stringing her arms around Owen to cling to him.
Noelle: ...... Hey, Owen, won’t you please kill Noelle? Pretty please?
The Other Wizards (Figaro & Faust & Shino & Nero & Mithra): What......?
[ Event theme song BGM ]
Noelle pleaded, her expression filled with indescribable elation, as if she were dreaming the happiest of dreams.
Everyone else was rather confused, and they ended up tossing question after question her way.
Faust: You bear hatred for Owen, who killed Dr Dolce, and that's why you kept sending him all those poisoned sweets, right?
Akira: And then, when the right moment came along, you invited him here in order to take revenge, am I right......
Noelle: Never. All Noelle wants is for Owen to be the one to kill her.
Her cheeks flushed red. Noelle clutched at them, and focused onto Owen with an impassioned gaze. She was nothing but a picture of complete, utter devotion.
Even though she knew that her feelings would never be reciprocated, she burned with nothing but the desire for the one she loved so much to spare her just one glance.
Akira: (Noelle san sort of gives off the vibe of being an overzealous fan of Owen’s...)
Noelle: Of course, Noelle doesn't mind how the killing goes. It's all up to you. You can strangle, stab, poison, toy around and drag it out, or even do it in an instant.
Noelle's happy with anything, as long as it's all done by your hand. So, pretty please, with a cherry on top...!
Owen: No.
Without even a flicker of change in expression, Owen coldly cut her off.
Even Noelle, who had been gleefully swaying in spot, halted at once.
Figaro: Shot down in one ruthless blow. No mercy.
Shino: Hey, in this situation, that’s actually a pretty good reply, if you think about it.
Mithra: That's a western witch alright...
Owen: Come on, what are you dawdling about now? You're supposed to be a host to your guests.
Serve me sweets or whatever else you’ve got up your sleeve. Try your best to please me, or at least do better than that pathetic joke of a signpost.
Noelle: ...... (pouts)
Owen leaned back against a lab bench with a cruel look in his eyes, and Noelle looked just the slightest bit upset at his attitude.
But then, just as suddenly, she bounced back, and beamed at him.
Noelle: ...... You're right. Noelle has to devote herself to pleasing you.
The pitch of her voice dropped ever so slightly as her beautifully-tinted lips once again parted to speak.
Noelle: Hmm...... You know what they say about Northern Wizards? The more murderous intent you point at them, the more they want to kill you in return.
If that's indeed true, then shouldn’t Noelle do something even more murderous than serving you poison? What do you think?
[ Workshop noises... ]
Akira: ......?
All of a sudden, my skin crawled as the atmosphere of the laboratory changed.
The unknown liquids that filled the glass containers started to bubble and froth.
Shino: What's happening...?
Rustica: Kenja sama, stay behind me.
Everything looked clearly different from earlier when the chocolat was being made. A suspiciously noxious smoke started to fill the room, and I unconsciously braced myself.
[ No BGM ]
Noelle: Just as you wish, you shall be served only the sweetest of sweets that you are sure to love.
Ever since Noelle first felt that merciless sweetness that took her breath away, she was always, always preparing.
FOR THE DAY YOU’D FINALLY COME HERE TO VISIT ME!
[ Shatter! ]
[ Dr Dolce's Residence - Research Lab (Wrecked) ]
Noelle's voice crescendoed into a fever pitch. The various containers littering the entire lab shattered all at once, as if they were reacting in response to her cry. Mysterious liquids started spilling everywhere.
Then the various liquids started bubbling and expanding......
Nero: What now...!?
Faust: Move, it's coming this way!
The puddles of liquid gave birth to freakish creatures that looked like an amalgamation of sponge cake, chocolates, and sweet cream.
Their puffy arms stretched out and whipped around as if they were tentacles. Menacingly, the arms turned on us.
Chloe: Mithra, look ou—!
Mithra: « arsim »
With his arms crossed indifferently, Mithra said aloud his spell-word.
The arm swinging down upon him with full force stopped dead in its tracks. With a loud snap, the creature was repelled and knocked back into the puddles, where it exploded and doused the entire room in cream.
Akira: What...... What on earth is that! A monster made from sweets!?
Noelle: Fufu, these are all dessert golems! These little ones are treasures Noelle's dear Doctor left for her.
He said they'll look after Noelle in his place should anything ever happen to him. He even made sure to make these cute dolls from the sweet treats Noelle loved......
Noelle called out to the sound of chemicals bubbling and boiling all over the lab. From out of the puddles of cream that it’d left behind, the creature that Mithra destroyed started fusing itself back together again.
Noelle: Sadly, he turned to stone partway through his research. So Noelle took it upon herself to see it to fruition.
Every single one of these babies are good babies that obey Noelle, down to the last word.
Their touch is made of tantalisingly sweet poisons, a touch so tender that oops, you’ll die in their sweet embrace.
Noelle looked all of us over with a large golem in her arms. And then, she decisively pointed her finger at Owen.
Noelle: Oh, come on out, my cute dollies~ It's playtime with my beloved Owen and his little friends!
Shino: Huh? We're invited too?
Mithra: I thought we had nothing to do with it.
The golems left us no time to protest as they started moving out. They marched up to us, outstretched arms leaking colourful liquid chocolate.
Shino: « matzah sudipas » !
Shino swung his scythe in a full arc, slicing the arms off the golems in one fell swoop.
He clicked his tongue at the never-ending waves of golems, and shook off the cream stuck on the scythe with a flick of its blade.
Shino: Tch, they just keep rising! Everything's wrong with that girl and her sweet monsters...!
Akira: Shino, they're coming from behind you too! Nooo, they’re coming from behind me too!
Rustica: « amorest viesse »
Rustica stepped in just as I was about to scream in terror. He had his magical tool - a birdcage - in hand, and he elegantly held it up overhead.
Rustica: Kenja sama, are you alright? I've set up a barrier around us, so you're safe and sound now. Chloe, you too, come over here.
Chloe: R-Right!
Akira: T-Thank you very much!
Figaro: I must say... these creations are quite unconventional and far too disorderly. They just keep spawning with no end in sight.
And to top it all off, the colourful chocolate they spray is acidic. Anything that's come into contact with it starts to corrode and melt. If we were to come into contact with it, I don't think we'll get away with just chemical burns.
Mithra: Owen! I've no particular interest in getting drowned by sweets.
Killing her has got to be easy as pie. If she wants it, give her what she wants. Why are you refraining?
Owen: Hunh...... « cur memini »
[ Squelch! ]
His delicate lips formed the syllables to his spell-word. At once, the golems before them melted into indistinguishable puddles of goopy liquid.
Then, Owen coolly looked at Noelle.
Owen: Killing that guy was never a part of my intentions. Neither did I intend on having you tag around bleating for my attention as a result of his death.
And besides... I heard every single word you said to each other then. I know exactly why that guy was on the verge of death.
It's because you poisoned him, didn't you?
Akira: What are you...?
Noelle: ...... Fufu.
Amidst the chaos and confusion, Noelle smiled. She looked like a particularly innocent and sweet little girl in that moment.
A split second later, the large cauldron behind her erupted in chocolate of various colours, creating waves that towered before us.
Nero: « adnodis omnis » !
Faust: « satilliqunart mullcreed »
The wizards met each of the attacks with spells of their own. The golems kept reanimating themselves after they were felled. As the golems rose to their feet again, Noelle hummed:
Noelle: You're completely right...... It's all Noelle's fault that her Doctor is dead, all because of the poisoned chocolat she made.
Episode 9 ⭢