Chapter 204 Where’s Ford?

[Lancelot's POV]

Yun's face tightened. "That bastard! And here we are, so worried about him. But it turns out that he is enjoying himself!"

"I was being an idiot for even worrying about him," hissed Francine.

"I'll definitely slap him left and right if I see him again," chimed in Alexa.

While Nanally stayed close to me and whispered in my ears. "L-Lance . . . D-don't you think that she's suspicious?"

"Ah . . ." I know. That's why I wanted to ask Alice. "I heard that there's an old hag living in the forest."

I wanted to know what her reaction was. Alice paused, and there was tense silence descended between us.

"H-hoi." Yun elbowed me and hid his uneasy behind a nervous laugh. "D-don't mind him. We're just cautious and all."

He then whispered in my ears. "Come on, man. Does she look like an old hag to you?"

"You do know that the old hag is rumored to change her appearance to lure in travelers, right?"

Alice laughed, and she faced us with a smile, her eyes turning crescent. "It's fine. I know that you're wary."

She then sighed and made this cute gesture with her hands. "Actually, I made up the story about the Old Hag."

Our eyes widened, and we were clearly surprised by her revelation.

"You did?" Francine frowned. "Why?"

Alice palmed her cheeks and shied away. "Well, it's because my house is situated in here, and I'm living alone. So a woman got to protect herself, you know?"

"Right. Right. I get you." Yun readily agreed. His head nodding back and forth like a chicken picking grains.

And the women all agreed as well, each conveying their sympathy to the NPC.

I felt no ill intent from her, but this suspicious feeling I had wouldn't go away. Still, this was once in a lifetime opportunity if ever this was a quest or mission, and besides, she knew where Ford was.

Alice led us deeper into the forest to a small cottage that was hidden among the trees.

As we approached a hut, we were struck by its cozy, wooden exterior. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, with its thatched roof and crooked chimneys, and we couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and comfort as we approached.

But as we drew closer, we realized that the hut was not made of wood at all. Instead, it seemed to be woven from a strange, magical material that glowed softly in the light.

"What is this place?" Nanally asked. "It doesn't look like any hut I've ever seen."

"It's like it's made of magic. I've never seen anything like it," Alexa exclaimed.

"We should be careful. It could be a trap," I whispered to the others.

But as we drew closer, we realized that the hut was not just an illusion. It was solid and real, with a sturdy front door that creaked open as we approached.

Inside, the walls were adorned with beautiful tapestries and trinkets, and the furniture was soft and comfortable. The air was filled with the warm, comforting scent of cooking food, and we couldn't help but feel at ease.

"Welcome, to my home, everyone," Alice said with a smile. "Come in, come in. I have a warm meal and a cozy seat waiting for you."

Her voice was soft and soothing, and for a moment, we forgot about our fears. The others were quick to sit on the sofa and sighed at the soft feel of the cotton against their skin.

I couldn't blame them. It felt like ages since we last sat on a sofa.

While the others were chatting about Alice's cozy house, I asked about Ford.

"Where's our friend?"

There was an eerie silence before all of it dispersed with Alice's smile.

"I'll go and get him. For the time being, make yourself at home."

Before I could say my piece, Alice had already gone away and disappeared into a corner.

I sighed and looked at the others, wanted to warn them not to touch anything when I was surprised when I noticed that they were already munching some cupcakes into their mouths.

"W-what the . . . why are you eating those?!" I asked, surprised.

"Ah. Sorry." Yun pummelled his chest to dislodge the cupcake in his throat. "I was so hungry that the smell and sight of cupcakes made me lose my mind.

"This is so good," said Francine, eyes at the back of her head from the euphoria of eating good food again.

"Right," agreed Alexa. "It seemed like it's been a long time since I ate something this delicious."

They should have been more cautious, but they were all tired and hungry, and the thought of a warm meal and a place to rest was too tempting to resist.

I was shocked when Nanally was also eating the cupcakes. "Nanally . . ." I could only say.

Nanally guiltily looked at me and smiled awkwardly. "S-sorry . . . I couldn't resist."

"Don't be so uptight." Yun gulped his food and slapped my shoulder. "On a good note. It's not poisoned. As you can see, we're still fine."

At least my worries lessened.

Still . . . This unsettling feeling wouldn't go away.

"Come on. Try it. It's very delicious," Yun urged and shoved a cupcake into my hand.

I held the cupcake in my hand, and my mouth watered at the sight of it. The frosting was perfectly swirled, and the scent of vanilla and chocolate wafted up to my nose.

My stomach grumbled, and tried as I might, I couldn't resist tasting good food again. As I took a bite, my eyes automatically closed, and I savored the sweet, buttery flavor. It was delicious, and I couldn't help but take another bite.

But something about the texture tasted off. It was tough and stringy, and the flavor was strange, too – but tasty nonetheless.

And as I opened my eyes, I saw Alice standing in front of us with a sweet smile on her face, holding a tray in hand full of cookies and tea.

When she bent to place the tray on the table, her enormous rack almost slipped out from the low hem of her robe.

Yun's saliva dripped from the side of his mouth while I looked away and cleared my throat.

"Where's Ford?" I asked when I didn't see anyone on Alice's back. She was alone, and at first, I didn't find it odd.

Alice beamed. "Oh. You just ate him."

The cupcakes fell from our hands as we stared at Alice in horror.

My vision blurred, and my unsteady eyes went to the scattered crumbs of cakes on the floor. I didn't know why, but I seemed to be seeing a piece of skin inside the cake. That skin had a heart tattoo that I knew was on Ford's left thumb.

"What?" Francine laughed a little, treating Alice's words as a bad joke. "What are you talking about?"

"Ara. I thought you wanted to see your friend. I went back and got his other half for you," she said, eyeing the platter of newly arrived cookies. "You just had a taste of your friend's flesh. Isn't he delicious? My lovely sons had a feast."

Alice laughed, and I felt sick to my stomach.

Nanally was hyperventilating while Alexa and Francine were shouting at the top of their lungs when the cupcakes and cookies turned into flesh, eyes, ears, fingers, and limbs.

Yun was too stunned to even react. He looked pale and sick, and I could see the horror in his eyes while I shouted at Alice.

"What have you done to Ford?!" My sword appeared in my hand, and I pointed the edge of it at her throat.

Alice waved her hands and giggled. "Oh, don't be so overly dramatic. You'll soon join your friend here."

As she cackled, I knew that we had to find a way to escape. But it was hard to focus on anything else with the taste of Ford's flesh still fresh in my mouth. I wanted to fight and to throw up at the same time.

And as I looked again, I realized that something was not right. The walls seemed to pulsate with a strange energy, and the furniture shimmered with a magical glow.

"What's going on?"

"W-what happening?!"

"I think it's magic. She's using it to trap us."

Alice just laughed, and we knew that we were trapped.

As we looked around the room, we knew that things were only going to get worse. Alice had shown her true colors, and there was no telling what she was capable of.

We knew that we had to find a way out. But it was hard to resist the temptation of sleepiness.

It was probably those cupcakes. Alice, or whatever her name was, had definitely put something in those cupcakes. This wasn't just a normal status effect that I could resist using my class. This was something else.

Something that couldn't be cured or immune to.

And before we knew it, we were all fast asleep.

When we woke up, we found ourselves in a dark room with no windows. Alice had tricked us, and we were now her prisoners.