“You stupid x! After I treated you so well, you dare to treat me like this just because you found some other guy? You bxxxx of a w……”
Thud!
Sylvia smacked the man’s jaw with the bamboo stick.
“Ouch!”
“As I said earlier!”
Smack, smack!
Sylvia continued to beat the man with the bamboo stick, gritting her teeth as she spoke.
“What kind of relationship do we have? You can’t even answer that, you little piece of… saying something about ‘what is this’ and ‘some other guy’?”
Smack, smack, smack.
Using the bamboo stick was an excellent choice. It had a perfect bounce, making each strike satisfying.
“And asking for money from me? Did I entrust money to you?”
Smack, smack!
Though they had entered the house as she had asked, Hubert and Dennis, standing upright and composed like they did at the royal palace, were nervously watching Sylvia as she wielded the bamboo stick.
Finally, Sylvia raised the bamboo stick and inserted it between the man’s legs.
“Ugh!”
“Gasp.”
“Gasp.”
Though only one person was hit, three of them gasped in surprise.
“I’m not holding back just because I feel sorry for you, but because I don’t want to see you sprawled like this. Got it?”
The brown-haired man nodded, tears and mucus streaming down his face. His gaze was fixed on the bamboo stick precariously placed between his legs.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and leave.”
The man, who had cautiously retreated at her gesture, stumbled back as she lightly swung the bamboo stick at him.
“You, you… I’ll never meet you again. Got it? If you stand out, you’ll die!”
Sylvia directed a light strike with the bamboo stick towards the still-dazed man.
“Eek!”
Startled, the man turned his back and started running away.
“Nothing but empty threats. How on earth has he survived until now?”
Sylvia sighed, feeling irritated by the man’s behavior. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy, as she could relate to a life filled with struggles and loneliness.
[Sniff, sniff.]
Eryngium, who had been whimpering and crying lightly against her forehead, let out a loud sob.
[Sniff, sniff.]
She had frozen in place, unable to react, thinking that she might get hit by the horn-like creature that seemed to be charging at them. The fairy, despite being called a fairy, had no special abilities and could only shed tears of sorrow.
Without even considering flying away, the tiny hands were gripping tightly onto the teal-colored hair. Sylvia remained motionless outside the house, gazing at Eryngium, who clung to her, while feeling the gaze of the two men on her, causing her to sigh softly.
She gently wiped the fairy, while pretending to touch her head, from her forehead, trying to soothe the creature as best as she could.
[Sniff, sniff.]
Finally calming down a bit, Sylvia let out a sigh of relief and entered the house. Seeing the two men quickly stepping back as she entered, Sylvia put on a professional smile and spoke.
“It’s almost winter, so things are getting a bit hectic. Have you prepared for hibernation?”
As she looked around the house, she noticed that it was quite messy.
“Oh, I remember now. I was in the middle of making sugar and just left, didn’t I?”
She couldn’t help but sigh. She thought she had finished all the preparations for hibernation, but apparently not. Sylvia took off her robe and gestured for the two men, who were still silent, to take a seat.
“Ahh, my throat is dry. There’s only one sofa, but you can sit on this stool. Please wait for a moment.”
With the whimpering fairy still perched on her head, Sylvia quickly went into the kitchen.
Hubert and Dennis took their seats, each on the sofa and the stool, respectively, and looked around the living room with dazed eyes, observing the peculiar plant shells scattered around. In a hushed voice, Dennis asked.
“Did you buy that mysterious food and fruits from that person? With the same hair and eye color, is that person a magician? Or a knight?”
“Well…”
Hubert thought that person was likely a magician, but the hair and eye color were indeed unique. He wasn’t sure about their specific field, but the fact that a magician was involved in selling things intrigued him.
However…
“Did you see it? The way she swung that stick earlier was not ordinary,” remarked Dennis, the knight, looking intrigued.
“That stick itself is quite an extraordinary one,” he added.
Dennis got up from his seat and walked over to the bamboo leaning against the wall next to the door.
Whiiing, whiiing.
The sound it made as the wind passed through was not typical.
“I think this would make a decent hilt for a sword,” Dennis said with admiration, feeling the bamboo’s unique texture and its bending shape.
Meanwhile, Sylvia was still in the kitchen, using her wind magic to peel the sugar cane and extract its juice.
“Sigh, I need sweetness.”
When she felt her temperature rise, she knew she needed something sweet. During moments like this, eating something sugary was the best remedy. Leaving the two men in the living room for the time being, she continued her magic work while gently comforting the fairy resting in her hand.
“Shh, shh, it’s okay. Everything will be fine.”
[Hoo, hoong. Si-Sylvia, I thought you were going to die, and I…]
“Shh, I’m fine. Do I look like someone who would easily get hurt?”
Hearing Sylvia’s playful tone, the tearful fairy looked up at her and wiped away the remaining tears with its hand.
[No…]
“Look at that. And if it comes to it, I can always blast them away with offensive magic.”
[Hmm.]
No matter how much it had cried before, the tear-soaked palm of Sylvia’s hand was now glimmering. She gently brushed the small lavender head with her index finger and said, “Okay, sigh.”
A considerable amount of juice had gathered.
Using her wind magic, she brought some of the sugar cane juice and lightly dabbed it on the fairy’s adorable lips.
Smack.
The juice on its lips was licked away by its pink tongue.
“Ugh, so cute.”
For the little lavender fairy that shed tears for her sake, Sylvia gazed at it with an affectionate look. Regardless of the initial circumstances, this cute lavender fairy was now like family to her.
She mixed ice, sugar cane juice, and peaches, which the fairy loved, using her wind magic and poured the concoction into a small cup.
“Drink this, alright?”
Nod, nod.
Placing the juice-infused fairy on the kitchen shelf, Sylvia took out some snacks she had prepared earlier from her spatial bag. There were potato chips, sweet potato chips, banana chips, apple chips, dried persimmons, and dried sweet potatoes.
She filled the wooden basket with the refreshing mixture of sugar cane juice, ice, and peaches. Carrying the brimming tray, she headed back to the living room. Dennis was still swinging the bamboo, and Hubert remained in a daze.
“Please have some of this.”
She placed the tray on the table and went back to the kitchen to fetch a chair.
“I’ll do it.”
Dennis quickly approached and took the chair from her hands.
“You can just tell me to do these things.”
If it weren’t for the dangerous incident with the bamboo earlier, Sylvia would have seemed like a delicate woman to anyone. Her eyes lifted slightly at Dennis’ antics, but far from being fierce, it was endearing, resembling that of a cat.
Sylvia sat down on the chair, smiling playfully.
Offering them the drinks, she took a big gulp herself. After all the hustle and bustle of preparing for winter and confronting the strange guy outside, her mouth had been quite dry.
“Ah, that’s refreshing.”
The sweet and tangy drink, cold and refreshing, lifted her spirits.
As she placed the empty glass back on the tray, the expressions on the two men’s faces were quite peculiar. Instead of showing a relieved or satisfied look after drinking, their faces were stiff and stern.
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
At her question, Hubert was taken aback and firmly denied, “No!”
“No, not at all! It’s delicious!” Dennis exclaimed, nodding vigorously.
Hubert also nodded in agreement. “Really… It’s quite tasty. I’ve never tasted anything like this before. It’s like sweetened cold tea with sugar cane.”
I see.
Sylvia nodded in understanding and offered them the dried chips.
“Please have some of these too.”
Upon her offer, Dennis promptly picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth as if he had been waiting for it.
“Oh, this is…”
The first chip he tasted was the banana chip.
“It’s really, really delicious. The sweetness and the slightly crunchy texture are perfect,” Dennis praised.
While munching on the sweet potato chips, Hubert nodded in agreement.
“Thank you for always giving us such fascinating food.”
Smiling in response to his greeting, Sylvia replied, “You’re becoming regular customers, after all. Regulars should be treated differently. You came to buy fruits this time, right?”
With a mouthful of sweet potato chips, Sylvia asked.
“Yes, I wanted to buy a large quantity to last through the winter… Is that okay?”
“Well… It might be a bit difficult for today. It’ll take some time to prepare, and as you can see, the house is in quite a mess right now.”
Sylvia hesitated while putting the last chip into her mouth, considering the current state of her home.
Upon hearing her words, both men agreed.
“It’s alright. We came here to place our order first, after all.”
As expected, Sylvia thought, and then a sudden thought crossed her mind.
“What will you do during the winter? Are you still working as mercenaries?”
“Not exactly. I’m actually considering some options. Last winter, I managed to get by as a homeless person… But the biggest problem was finding food. It was tough, in addition to dealing with the cold.”
Hubert sighed, recalling his previous conversation with the Lord. Dennis, on the other hand, felt uneasy because of Felix, who was labeled a homeless person.
Entering the town and staying at an inn to keep warm would be nice, but all the inns within the castle were already occupied by other mercenary groups.
Carpasinus Castle, located near the ferocious and massive Skyus Alatus Mountains, was famous for the frequent appearance of monsters and particularly fierce and large ones. That’s why it became the most sought-after location for mercenaries. The nearby Cokinus Castle was smaller, so most groups would come here instead.
From his words, Sylvia understood two things. One was that they had nowhere to stay. The other was the state of the protagonist.
“What should I do… It seems like you’ll spend the winter outside… Is that alright?”
Thinking about Eryngium and considering their future, she couldn’t help but worry. Sylvia thought about the fairy who would be in the kitchen and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“If you don’t have a place to stay, how about renting the second floor of my house?”
Sylvia’s house had a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and a small room on the first floor. On the second floor, there were a bedroom, a small living room, another room, and a bathroom connected to the bedroom.
Upon hearing Sylvia’s offer, Hubert and Dennis’ eyes widened as large as dinner plates.
“Well, as you can see, it’s not a fancy house. Please consider that before making a decision.”
What does that matter?
Hubert felt that the woman in front of him was truly noble. Thanks to her, their Lord could have some meals and bring a small joy to the members with the food she provided. For the first time since escaping from the Kingdom of Capitis, he felt a warm and fuzzy feeling from the pure kindness and hospitality shown to them.
“Then, would it be alright if we impose on you?”
Dennis, who was worried that Hubert might decline the offer, felt relieved. Sylvia responded with enthusiasm, as if she had been waiting for a positive answer.
“Yes, of course!”
“You stupid x! After I treated you so well, you dare to treat me like this just because you found some other guy? You bxxxx of a w……”
Thud!
Sylvia smacked the man’s jaw with the bamboo stick.
“Ouch!”
“As I said earlier!”
Smack, smack!
Sylvia continued to beat the man with the bamboo stick, gritting her teeth as she spoke.
“What kind of relationship do we have? You can’t even answer that, you little piece of… saying something about ‘what is this’ and ‘some other guy’?”
Smack, smack, smack.
Using the bamboo stick was an excellent choice. It had a perfect bounce, making each strike satisfying.
“And asking for money from me? Did I entrust money to you?”
Smack, smack!
Though they had entered the house as she had asked, Hubert and Dennis, standing upright and composed like they did at the royal palace, were nervously watching Sylvia as she wielded the bamboo stick.
Finally, Sylvia raised the bamboo stick and inserted it between the man’s legs.
“Ugh!”
“Gasp.”
“Gasp.”
Though only one person was hit, three of them gasped in surprise.
“I’m not holding back just because I feel sorry for you, but because I don’t want to see you sprawled like this. Got it?”
The brown-haired man nodded, tears and mucus streaming down his face. His gaze was fixed on the bamboo stick precariously placed between his legs.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and leave.”
The man, who had cautiously retreated at her gesture, stumbled back as she lightly swung the bamboo stick at him.
“You, you… I’ll never meet you again. Got it? If you stand out, you’ll die!”
Sylvia directed a light strike with the bamboo stick towards the still-dazed man.
“Eek!”
Startled, the man turned his back and started running away.
“Nothing but empty threats. How on earth has he survived until now?”
Sylvia sighed, feeling irritated by the man’s behavior. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy, as she could relate to a life filled with struggles and loneliness.
[Sniff, sniff.]
Eryngium, who had been whimpering and crying lightly against her forehead, let out a loud sob.
[Sniff, sniff.]
She had frozen in place, unable to react, thinking that she might get hit by the horn-like creature that seemed to be charging at them. The fairy, despite being called a fairy, had no special abilities and could only shed tears of sorrow.
Without even considering flying away, the tiny hands were gripping tightly onto the teal-colored hair. Sylvia remained motionless outside the house, gazing at Eryngium, who clung to her, while feeling the gaze of the two men on her, causing her to sigh softly.
She gently wiped the fairy, while pretending to touch her head, from her forehead, trying to soothe the creature as best as she could.
[Sniff, sniff.]
Finally calming down a bit, Sylvia let out a sigh of relief and entered the house. Seeing the two men quickly stepping back as she entered, Sylvia put on a professional smile and spoke.
“It’s almost winter, so things are getting a bit hectic. Have you prepared for hibernation?”
As she looked around the house, she noticed that it was quite messy.
“Oh, I remember now. I was in the middle of making sugar and just left, didn’t I?”
She couldn’t help but sigh. She thought she had finished all the preparations for hibernation, but apparently not. Sylvia took off her robe and gestured for the two men, who were still silent, to take a seat.
“Ahh, my throat is dry. There’s only one sofa, but you can sit on this stool. Please wait for a moment.”
With the whimpering fairy still perched on her head, Sylvia quickly went into the kitchen.
Hubert and Dennis took their seats, each on the sofa and the stool, respectively, and looked around the living room with dazed eyes, observing the peculiar plant shells scattered around. In a hushed voice, Dennis asked.
“Did you buy that mysterious food and fruits from that person? With the same hair and eye color, is that person a magician? Or a knight?”
“Well…”
Hubert thought that person was likely a magician, but the hair and eye color were indeed unique. He wasn’t sure about their specific field, but the fact that a magician was involved in selling things intrigued him.
However…
“Did you see it? The way she swung that stick earlier was not ordinary,” remarked Dennis, the knight, looking intrigued.
“That stick itself is quite an extraordinary one,” he added.
Dennis got up from his seat and walked over to the bamboo leaning against the wall next to the door.
Whiiing, whiiing.
The sound it made as the wind passed through was not typical.
“I think this would make a decent hilt for a sword,” Dennis said with admiration, feeling the bamboo’s unique texture and its bending shape.
Meanwhile, Sylvia was still in the kitchen, using her wind magic to peel the sugar cane and extract its juice.
“Sigh, I need sweetness.”
When she felt her temperature rise, she knew she needed something sweet. During moments like this, eating something sugary was the best remedy. Leaving the two men in the living room for the time being, she continued her magic work while gently comforting the fairy resting in her hand.
“Shh, shh, it’s okay. Everything will be fine.”
[Hoo, hoong. Si-Sylvia, I thought you were going to die, and I…]
“Shh, I’m fine. Do I look like someone who would easily get hurt?”
Hearing Sylvia’s playful tone, the tearful fairy looked up at her and wiped away the remaining tears with its hand.
[No…]
“Look at that. And if it comes to it, I can always blast them away with offensive magic.”
[Hmm.]
No matter how much it had cried before, the tear-soaked palm of Sylvia’s hand was now glimmering. She gently brushed the small lavender head with her index finger and said, “Okay, sigh.”
A considerable amount of juice had gathered.
Using her wind magic, she brought some of the sugar cane juice and lightly dabbed it on the fairy’s adorable lips.
Smack.
The juice on its lips was licked away by its pink tongue.
“Ugh, so cute.”
For the little lavender fairy that shed tears for her sake, Sylvia gazed at it with an affectionate look. Regardless of the initial circumstances, this cute lavender fairy was now like family to her.
She mixed ice, sugar cane juice, and peaches, which the fairy loved, using her wind magic and poured the concoction into a small cup.
“Drink this, alright?”
Nod, nod.
Placing the juice-infused fairy on the kitchen shelf, Sylvia took out some snacks she had prepared earlier from her spatial bag. There were potato chips, sweet potato chips, banana chips, apple chips, dried persimmons, and dried sweet potatoes.
She filled the wooden basket with the refreshing mixture of sugar cane juice, ice, and peaches. Carrying the brimming tray, she headed back to the living room. Dennis was still swinging the bamboo, and Hubert remained in a daze.
“Please have some of this.”
She placed the tray on the table and went back to the kitchen to fetch a chair.
“I’ll do it.”
Dennis quickly approached and took the chair from her hands.
“You can just tell me to do these things.”
If it weren’t for the dangerous incident with the bamboo earlier, Sylvia would have seemed like a delicate woman to anyone. Her eyes lifted slightly at Dennis’ antics, but far from being fierce, it was endearing, resembling that of a cat.
Sylvia sat down on the chair, smiling playfully.
Offering them the drinks, she took a big gulp herself. After all the hustle and bustle of preparing for winter and confronting the strange guy outside, her mouth had been quite dry.
“Ah, that’s refreshing.”
The sweet and tangy drink, cold and refreshing, lifted her spirits.
As she placed the empty glass back on the tray, the expressions on the two men’s faces were quite peculiar. Instead of showing a relieved or satisfied look after drinking, their faces were stiff and stern.
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
At her question, Hubert was taken aback and firmly denied, “No!”
“No, not at all! It’s delicious!” Dennis exclaimed, nodding vigorously.
Hubert also nodded in agreement. “Really… It’s quite tasty. I’ve never tasted anything like this before. It’s like sweetened cold tea with sugar cane.”
I see.
Sylvia nodded in understanding and offered them the dried chips.
“Please have some of these too.”
Upon her offer, Dennis promptly picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth as if he had been waiting for it.
“Oh, this is…”
The first chip he tasted was the banana chip.
“It’s really, really delicious. The sweetness and the slightly crunchy texture are perfect,” Dennis praised.
While munching on the sweet potato chips, Hubert nodded in agreement.
“Thank you for always giving us such fascinating food.”
Smiling in response to his greeting, Sylvia replied, “You’re becoming regular customers, after all. Regulars should be treated differently. You came to buy fruits this time, right?”
With a mouthful of sweet potato chips, Sylvia asked.
“Yes, I wanted to buy a large quantity to last through the winter… Is that okay?”
“Well… It might be a bit difficult for today. It’ll take some time to prepare, and as you can see, the house is in quite a mess right now.”
Sylvia hesitated while putting the last chip into her mouth, considering the current state of her home.
Upon hearing her words, both men agreed.
“It’s alright. We came here to place our order first, after all.”
As expected, Sylvia thought, and then a sudden thought crossed her mind.
“What will you do during the winter? Are you still working as mercenaries?”
“Not exactly. I’m actually considering some options. Last winter, I managed to get by as a homeless person… But the biggest problem was finding food. It was tough, in addition to dealing with the cold.”
Hubert sighed, recalling his previous conversation with the Lord. Dennis, on the other hand, felt uneasy because of Felix, who was labeled a homeless person.
Entering the town and staying at an inn to keep warm would be nice, but all the inns within the castle were already occupied by other mercenary groups.
Carpasinus Castle, located near the ferocious and massive Skyus Alatus Mountains, was famous for the frequent appearance of monsters and particularly fierce and large ones. That’s why it became the most sought-after location for mercenaries. The nearby Cokinus Castle was smaller, so most groups would come here instead.
From his words, Sylvia understood two things. One was that they had nowhere to stay. The other was the state of the protagonist.
“What should I do… It seems like you’ll spend the winter outside… Is that alright?”
Thinking about Eryngium and considering their future, she couldn’t help but worry. Sylvia thought about the fairy who would be in the kitchen and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“If you don’t have a place to stay, how about renting the second floor of my house?”
Sylvia’s house had a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and a small room on the first floor. On the second floor, there were a bedroom, a small living room, another room, and a bathroom connected to the bedroom.
Upon hearing Sylvia’s offer, Hubert and Dennis’ eyes widened as large as dinner plates.
“Well, as you can see, it’s not a fancy house. Please consider that before making a decision.”
What does that matter?
Hubert felt that the woman in front of him was truly noble. Thanks to her, their Lord could have some meals and bring a small joy to the members with the food she provided. For the first time since escaping from the Kingdom of Capitis, he felt a warm and fuzzy feeling from the pure kindness and hospitality shown to them.
“Then, would it be alright if we impose on you?”
Dennis, who was worried that Hubert might decline the offer, felt relieved. Sylvia responded with enthusiasm, as if she had been waiting for a positive answer.
“Yes, of course!”
