Morning.
Warm sunlight streamed in through the window and spilled over her, making her feel toasty.
Pansy took a deep breath and sat up from the bed, discovering she was in a small wooden cabin.
She couldn't help it—this child's body was far too fragile. Just a slight fright and she had fainted straight away.
Wait, why did I faint before?
Why is my memory so blurry?
It's like… like all I can recall are two very distinctive pectorals.
Knock, knock, knock…
As she tried to remember, a gentle knock sounded at the door. Pansy had just looked up when a tall figure pushed the door open and stepped in.
It was a straight-backed young man, robed in white as snow, eyes like cold stars, refined in bearing, smiling gently. Bathed in sunlight, he looked like a god descending.
It's him!
Pansy shivered all over, her little heart tightening. She clamped her legs together and covered her chest with both hands, the image of those two pecs flashing through her mind again.
"You're up. Senior brother made you breakfast."
Smiling, the newcomer spoke in a warm, magnetic voice and handed over a tray. On it sat a round yellow item giving off a faint sweet aroma, and beside it a steaming cup of fresh milk.
"Sorry about yesterday," Damian said softly. "I didn't expect to scare you. This is a breakfast I made called pudding. Have it as your morning meal. Here, try it first."
"Th-thank you, senior brother…"
Looking at that handsome face, Pansy felt the vibe didn't quite match.
Her stomach also rumbled, and the pudding's fragrance made her fingers itch. She couldn't help swallowing.
Though she hesitated, she still popped the fragrant pudding into her mouth. A bouncy, sweet delight filled her palate—milky, sugary, and richly aromatic—so much so that she let out a soft whimper. Her eyes lit up, and in a few bites she'd finished it clean.
Delicious!
This pudding was sweeter and tastier than any pastry she'd had; even her family's chefs couldn't make one like this.
"This loli form really is cute and tempting. Who'd have thought the true body is the box-opening ace Pandora."
Watching her gobble away, Damian's thoughts turned a bit roguish.
Pandora's true form was stunning, no less than the goddess Athena; and even in this loli form she was alluring enough to stir protective feelings.
Damian smiled lightly, his tone gentle. "Good, right? I specially made this mystery pudding for you. Here, have some milk too."
"It's good, senior brother, really goo—mm."
Pansy mumbled as she took the cup, then gulped several big mouthfuls of the sweet hot milk and let out a long breath.
The pudding was bouncy, sweet, and smooth, and the milk had an incredibly rich creamy aroma.
Damian smiled, and his eyes suddenly turned dark. "Pansy, actually, I added a little something to the food—a deadly poison called Smiling Half-Step Madness."
"Smiling Half-Step Madness?"
"Poison?"
Pansy's delicate body trembled. She froze, and the wooden cup nearly fell from her hand.
I've been poisoned?
As a woman endowed with divine power she wouldn't be easily poisoned, but right now she was in a powerless child's form. If she had ingested a lethal toxin…
With a pleasant smile, Damian explained, "My Smiling Half-Step Madness is compounded from honey, fritillary, balloonflower, and Tianshan snow lotus. No refrigeration, no preservatives, and besides being fiercely toxic, it tastes great."
"Anyone who eats Smiling Half-Step Madness—just as the name implies—must not take even half a step or show a smile, or they'll explode and die on the spot. Truly a must-have for trips and for killing and silencing people."
"To avoid detection, I put half the ingredients into the pudding and the other half into the milk. Each alone is non-toxic, but once combined they become the deadly Smiling Half-Step Madness!"
"If you don't believe me, you can get out of bed and walk. Or smile."
Hearing this, her pretty face crumpled in dismay. On the verge of tears, she said, "S-senior brother, why would you do this? I don't understand!"
"Because you're so cute, and your smile is so sweet, I just couldn't help feeding you a little Smiling Half-Step Madness."
"Come on, let's go out and see the graveyard. Keep up with me, or no antidote."
With that, Damian pushed the door open and sauntered out.
Staring at that straight, elegant back, Pansy said nothing. She bit down on her lip, her heart cracking into pieces.
Because I'm cute?
Because my smile is sweet?
So you feed me poison?
What even is this logic…
At the same time, she was inwardly astonished. To combine two non-toxic things into a deadly poison no one had ever heard of was not something an ordinary person could do. Even Specters skilled in poison would struggle to pull that off.
This useless gravekeeper actually knows poison?
And she had known nothing about it.
Those intel-gathering Specters deserve to die!
Though she was a hundred times unwilling, Pansy bent her legs and hopped out.
And so, a very amusing scene unfolded in the Sanctuary graveyard.
A handsome youth in white strolled along the rippling lakeshore, followed by a girl wearing a long-suffering scowl, hopping along behind him like a zombie.
Crossing the great graveyard, Damian ambled along and reached a lush area on the far side of the lake.
Plants of all kinds here were in full bloom, vying for beauty. Chickens and ducks clustered, fish swam freely—what a lively scene.
There was a little bridge, flowing water, a waterwheel, and fields—all complete.
He pointed to the green fields. "There's wheat, corn, vegetables, sweet potatoes, and other crops here. There are also chickens, ducks, and fish. I take care of all this on normal days."
Panting between zombie hops, Pansy eyed the fields and indeed saw flocks of chickens and ducks by the lakeshore.
The chickens and ducks were glossy and slick, some pecking at the ground for food, some frolicking in the water, some darting through the fields.
On the crystal-clear lake, big fish flicked their tails as they swam.
So much livestock!
He actually kept this many animals in a graveyard.
The intel was wrong again!
This wasn't a lifeless cemetery at all—it was a ranch.
Ah!
Suddenly, a big, black, burly creature crawled out of the grass nearby.
Pansy was so startled she nearly fell. Luckily, Damian caught her by the waist, or she might have triggered the poison of Smiling Half-Step Madness.
Looking closely, she realized the black creature was actually a pig—a sow.
Pointing at the powerful, hefty hog, Damian asked, "Isn't this sow beautiful—so plump and luscious."
Beautiful?
How could a sow be beautiful?
Pansy's mouth twitched.
Senior brother, have you been single so long that an old sow looks like a beauty to you?
Such a unique aesthetic defied understanding.
With gentle eyes, Damian gazed at the half-man-tall black sow with a look of bliss, murmuring, "This is our graveyard's precious treasure. The milk you drank earlier was actually from this sow."
"What? I just drank pig's milk?"
Pansy was stunned. That cup with such rich dairy flavor had been from this sow?
Damian's next words shocked her even more.
"She also has a name—Pandora."
"It—it's named Pa… Pandora?"
Pansy nearly cried out, the corners of her mouth twitching as if slapped.
Patting the sow's head, Damian then turned and patted Pansy's head, smiling. "That's right. She's my Pandora. Nice name, isn't it?"
Pansy felt like losing it. She was the real Pandora, not the sow in front of her.
Suppressing the urge to explode, she asked instead, "Senior brother, did you bring me here just to admire sows?"
"Of course not."
Damian swished his sleeve, bent down, and took a burlap sack from beside the fence, full of feed pellets.
He handed the sack to Pansy. "I'm too busy, so the job of raising the pigs, chickens, ducks, and fish is yours."
"Huh? You want me to raise pigs? Chickens, ducks, and fish?"
Pansy was incredulous, thinking she'd misheard.
She was a natural prodigy at sensing the Cosmo. No Saint should make her do chores like this. Of all people, why should she be raising pigs?
"Junior sister, where I come from there's a saying: if you want to get rich, raise pigs."
"We gravekeepers are poor. We have to be self-sufficient!"
"Chickens, ducks, fish, and pigs are our economic lifeline. Pandora is our future. Pandora is the broad road ahead. And raising Pandora cultivates the temperament and nourishes the spirit. This glorious and great undertaking will be passed on by you."
As he spoke, Damian stuffed the big sack into her hands.
Raising pigs cultivates one's temperament and nourishes the spirit? A glorious and great undertaking?
Also! Why use my name to name a pig?
I want to die…
At the end of her patience, Pansy squeezed out three words through gritted teeth:
"I don't want to!"
Saints, updates go live at 6 p.m. daily. Barring surprises, I'll keep two chapters a day. Big burst when we go premium!
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