Felix raised an eyebrow as he observed the potted plant and fruits in front of him. A strange feeling began to rise within him.
Even Hubert, who had been with him all this time, didn’t know about the standards he had set.
Food that could never be touched by human hands. No, it wasn’t just about food; it encompassed everything consumable.
If it had a peel that could be removed or if he could pick and wash it himself, it was acceptable. Anything beyond these two criteria was strictly off-limits.
But now, seeing that everything had been thoroughly prepared as though someone knew these standards, he felt uncomfortable.
[Felix, try it anyway. You can eat this.]
Daisy shared her emotions.
[Yeah, Hubert must have requested it. Or maybe that woman somehow found out.]
Ignoring Poppy’s comments, Sylvia continued to listen to their conversation.
[Even so, there were things you could eat, like those purple…]
Quietly collecting information, Sylvia took a bite of the pork and pineapple stir-fry with rice.
“Mmm!”
An involuntary exclamation escaped her lips. It was her first time eating rice since she had arrived here, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Delicious!”
Sylvia spoke with pride as she continued to eat. Hubert and Dennis couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“It’s truly delicious! How can you create such amazing dishes, Magician?”
They praised her enthusiastically.
Dennis was absolutely amazed. He had never seen food like this in his entire life. The flavors were truly unique but clung to his palate. When the various side dishes met the rice in his mouth, it felt like fireworks going off.
Chewing a mouthful of food, he continued to nod in approval.
Felix, for the moment, put aside his discomfort and took out the most familiar fruit, the mangosteen, using his dagger to cut it open. The white flesh looked enticing, and he swallowed with anticipation before placing it in his mouth.
[No matter when you smell it, it’s always so good.]
Clover commented excitedly from beside him.
Having confirmed that he was eating, Sylvia finally relaxed completely and focused on her food. The members, who had been expressing their admiration and praise, began to put down their spoons one by one.
There was a truly substantial amount of food, and even though they had been eating steadily, it seemed never-ending. When their plates were empty, Sylvia immediately filled them up again.
This was an unusual sight, considering their days of scavenging in the wilderness, but they left food behind. Hubert had put down his spoon a while ago, and even Dennis, who had been eating until the end, eventually slumped over, feeling full.
Felix was still crunching away on the remaining fruit, gazing at Sylvia who continued to enjoy her meal with a sense of wonder in his eyes.
He had put aside his discomfort and was now fascinated by her. Despite her petite appearance, she seemed to be eating more than the soldiers could ever imagine. Even after observing her for a while, it still looked insufficient, but she kept eating as if there was no end in sight.
Clatter, clatter.
The sound of the spoon moving caught everyone’s attention.
“Mmm, delicious.”
As Sylvia finished off all the remaining food, she sighed with regret in her voice. Dennis, genuinely curious, asked her.
“Do you want more?”
His voice was filled with genuine curiosity. In response, Sylvia took a sip of water and looked at him. She then replied with a curious expression of her own.
“Is that all you can eat?”
She seemed genuinely curious.
Despite having prepared a generous amount of food, they had leftovers. Of course, they had emptied all the dishes on the table, but there were still side dishes and rice left in the kitchen.
Observing how they all set their utensils down before her, Sylvia decided to reduce her food portion next time.
When she asked the question, the members and Dennis lowered their heads. It felt like they had lost in some way. They hadn’t fought over food, but the sense of defeat weighed heavily on them.
Crunch.
As his jaw moved, the refreshing sound of someone biting into a cucumber filled the air. Felix was still savoring the cucumbers, chewing with relish. Despite having lost most of his sense of taste and smell, his sense of freshness remained intact.
All the discomfort was gone, and he surprisingly found himself focused on his food.
Watching him, Sylvia couldn’t help but admire his perseverance.
‘As expected of the main character.’
She appreciated his ability to eat in large quantities.
★★15. Enoki mushrooms and boiled rice★★
As winter set in, and there was still no sign of Eryngium returning, Sylvia sighed.
“Where is that guy? She can come back now. I’m starting to worry about her.”
She was busy stirring a large pot, the fragrant scent of enoki mushrooms filling the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the members were in the living room, cleaning their weapons and armor. They chatted excitedly as they smelled the enticing aroma.
“I wonder what kind of dish she’ll make today.”
“Yeah, that beef stir-fry we had yesterday was really delicious.”
“True. It was so good with the red chili peppers.”
“How about the fruit jam we had this morning? I’ve never had so much jam on bread before.”
There was fruit jam here too, but it was quite expensive. Fruits were already scarce, and making jam with these rare fruits, combined with expensive sugar, was a luxury.
It was the kind of food you would find in the royal palace.
“I bet even Corporal’s emperor hasn’t tasted bread with so much butter and fruit jam.”
“I totally agree with that.”
Splatter, splatter.
The roaring fire in the fireplace was fueled with a large pile of wood. The faint aroma of sweet potatoes wafted through the air, making everyone’s mouths water.
It was already halfway through winter.
Outside, snow piled up, covering the windows entirely, but the members cleared it every morning, keeping the garden and the front entrance clean.
Felix hadn’t come out after entering a small room on the second floor. It was small but cozy, and he found it quite comfortable. The bed, made of interwoven material like a net, was so snug that he didn’t want to get up.
He remembered the last time he had lain down so comfortably without his armor. It had been a long time.
‘I guess even in the royal palace, I’ve never been this comfortable without my armor.’
Sighing lazily, he closed his eyes again.
[You seem to be in a good mood.]
Lupine said in a warm voice.
[I feel good too. Why does it feel so nice here?]
Even Poppy, who was usually active, lay beside Felix and mumbled.
The fairies found everything here fascinating.
Since their birth, this was the first place where they felt so comfortable. In the royal palace, there was always an unpleasant atmosphere, and Felix was always on edge. He struggled to control his overflowing magic, making it challenging to stay calm.
After leaving the palace, the winds of the world had been harsh. The smell of human blood, the foul odor of magical creatures’ filth – they were all repulsive.
Despite their aversion, the fairies had never once thought of leaving Felix’s side.
“Now I feel like I can finally breathe properly.”
Sharing the cozy sensation with Felix, the fairies were becoming even more intimate with him in the warm, small room.
Sylvia, inside the kitchen, dismantled a large chicken that could only be found in these parts. She had placed it in a pot with enoki mushrooms and water. She added more enoki mushrooms, dried jujubes, green onions, and whole garlic cloves.
Now, all she needed to do was cover the pot and let it simmer until everything was cooked.
She took out the pickles she had made a few days ago, which included radishes, cabbage, and cucumbers. She had tasted one to check if it was ready, and it was perfect.
She cut the radishes into long, rectangular shapes, like sugar canes, and sliced the cabbage and cucumbers into bite-sized pieces.
Instead of vinegar and water, she poured sugar cane juice into a pot and added some sugar and salt. She boiled it vigorously, adding whole peppercorns and bay leaves. Using a glass jar that had been sterilized with hot water, she first placed the cut vegetables inside and then poured the hot pickle brine over them.
Without lifting a finger, Sylvia neatly packed the vegetables in the glass jar and sealed it with a lid. She opened another jar from the ice-cold water and took out a piece of pickle.
“Mmm, delicious.”
It had just the right balance of sweetness and tanginess, and it clung perfectly to the palate. The radishes were sweet and crunchy. She sealed the jar again and placed it back in the icy water.
Next, she prepared the rice. With enoki mushroom broth on hand, there was no need for additional side dishes. Normally, glutinous rice would be added to the enoki mushroom broth, but Sylvia wasn’t particularly fond of glutinous rice. She preferred to cook the tender chicken pieces from the broth first, savoring the rich enoki mushroom aroma, and then later roll the rice with kimchi.
“Oh, truly… it’s such a shame to have no kimchi.”
The kimchi spirit felt like it was dying without kimchi.
She finely grated dried carrots and dried yuzu peel, adding a pinch of coarse salt along the way. While plain salt-dipped pickles were already delicious with enoki mushroom broth, the added salt brought out more flavor and was also good for health.
She had prepared fine salt in addition to the basic black pepper and salt seasoning.
Although dinner preparations were complete for the evening, the dishes needed time to cook. So, Sylvia thought she might find something else to do and headed to the garden.
“Gods, who’s there!”
While others occasionally visited the garden as well, at least no one had ventured out while she was in the kitchen. The mercenaries would come out in the morning to clear the snow, but they weren’t the main focus.
Either he had jumped down from the second floor or entered the garden without passing through the kitchen. He was sitting in a corner of the garden, looking at something with intense concentration. The fairies were fluttering around him as usual.
Seeing him like this, Eryngium came to her mind once again.
Sylvia let out a small sigh. She wasn’t sure if he hadn’t heard her startled exclamation or if he was too absorbed in whatever he was looking at. She wondered what had caught his attention so intensely.
The damp, fluffy snow had piled up silently. It had already reached knee height despite being cleared in the morning. Even so, Sylvia carefully approached, following the path he had created.
“It’s done.”
What was he even saying?
Clover noticed her approaching and rushed down, circling around her. Strangely, Sylvia felt familiar, so Clover didn’t seem to be on guard.
“Why are you out here all alone like this?”
What’s going on? Does he know that she came out here? He really is the protagonist!
“All the other carrots have disappeared, and you’re the only one left, looking so lonely. It’s just like me.”
His voice was filled with a sense of solitude.
Felix reached out and plucked a lone carrot leaf. While Sylvia had grown the necessary vegetables in her garden every morning, they were clearly affected by the weather. This was winter soil, so some of them sprouted late, buried beneath the snow.
The lone carrot he found probably grew late, and then got buried under the snow.
But how did he discover this? Wait, what did he say just now?
Drawing his familiar dagger from its sheath, Felix skillfully peeled the carrot. He then took a bite of the carrot with a content expression.
Wow. He just said those lonely carrots were like him, and now he’s eating them so casually.
Sylvia, baffled by his actions, stopped in her tracks. Felix, who had been staring into the sky with a dreamy expression, suddenly spoke up.
“Ah, I wish I could wander freely like snowfall, disappearing without a trace.”
He said these words with a mellifluous voice that seemed to melt one’s ears.
Sylvia’s ears perked up at his actions and words. She noticed the fairies fluttering around him as well.
“You all seem so free. I envy that.”
Hmm… she wished there was some character backstory or context.
Ah, right.
Felix, who had finished eating the remaining carrot, suddenly stood up. Unaware of Sylvia standing right behind him, he turned around.
“Ah!”
Oh my goodness!
The sweet and refreshing fragrance emanating from him, so close by, made her heart race. It was the strangely aromatic scent of the protagonist.
“What’s with you?”
Sylvia looked at the black eyes that looked at her as if they were going to kill her, like when she was looking at Eryngium.
She felt truly insignificant.
Felix raised an eyebrow as he observed the potted plant and fruits in front of him. A strange feeling began to rise within him.
Even Hubert, who had been with him all this time, didn’t know about the standards he had set.
Food that could never be touched by human hands. No, it wasn’t just about food; it encompassed everything consumable.
If it had a peel that could be removed or if he could pick and wash it himself, it was acceptable. Anything beyond these two criteria was strictly off-limits.
But now, seeing that everything had been thoroughly prepared as though someone knew these standards, he felt uncomfortable.
[Felix, try it anyway. You can eat this.]
Daisy shared her emotions.
[Yeah, Hubert must have requested it. Or maybe that woman somehow found out.]
Ignoring Poppy’s comments, Sylvia continued to listen to their conversation.
[Even so, there were things you could eat, like those purple…]
Quietly collecting information, Sylvia took a bite of the pork and pineapple stir-fry with rice.
“Mmm!”
An involuntary exclamation escaped her lips. It was her first time eating rice since she had arrived here, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Delicious!”
Sylvia spoke with pride as she continued to eat. Hubert and Dennis couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“It’s truly delicious! How can you create such amazing dishes, Magician?”
They praised her enthusiastically.
Dennis was absolutely amazed. He had never seen food like this in his entire life. The flavors were truly unique but clung to his palate. When the various side dishes met the rice in his mouth, it felt like fireworks going off.
Chewing a mouthful of food, he continued to nod in approval.
Felix, for the moment, put aside his discomfort and took out the most familiar fruit, the mangosteen, using his dagger to cut it open. The white flesh looked enticing, and he swallowed with anticipation before placing it in his mouth.
[No matter when you smell it, it’s always so good.]
Clover commented excitedly from beside him.
Having confirmed that he was eating, Sylvia finally relaxed completely and focused on her food. The members, who had been expressing their admiration and praise, began to put down their spoons one by one.
There was a truly substantial amount of food, and even though they had been eating steadily, it seemed never-ending. When their plates were empty, Sylvia immediately filled them up again.
This was an unusual sight, considering their days of scavenging in the wilderness, but they left food behind. Hubert had put down his spoon a while ago, and even Dennis, who had been eating until the end, eventually slumped over, feeling full.
Felix was still crunching away on the remaining fruit, gazing at Sylvia who continued to enjoy her meal with a sense of wonder in his eyes.
He had put aside his discomfort and was now fascinated by her. Despite her petite appearance, she seemed to be eating more than the soldiers could ever imagine. Even after observing her for a while, it still looked insufficient, but she kept eating as if there was no end in sight.
Clatter, clatter.
The sound of the spoon moving caught everyone’s attention.
“Mmm, delicious.”
As Sylvia finished off all the remaining food, she sighed with regret in her voice. Dennis, genuinely curious, asked her.
“Do you want more?”
His voice was filled with genuine curiosity. In response, Sylvia took a sip of water and looked at him. She then replied with a curious expression of her own.
“Is that all you can eat?”
She seemed genuinely curious.
Despite having prepared a generous amount of food, they had leftovers. Of course, they had emptied all the dishes on the table, but there were still side dishes and rice left in the kitchen.
Observing how they all set their utensils down before her, Sylvia decided to reduce her food portion next time.
When she asked the question, the members and Dennis lowered their heads. It felt like they had lost in some way. They hadn’t fought over food, but the sense of defeat weighed heavily on them.
Crunch.
As his jaw moved, the refreshing sound of someone biting into a cucumber filled the air. Felix was still savoring the cucumbers, chewing with relish. Despite having lost most of his sense of taste and smell, his sense of freshness remained intact.
All the discomfort was gone, and he surprisingly found himself focused on his food.
Watching him, Sylvia couldn’t help but admire his perseverance.
‘As expected of the main character.’
She appreciated his ability to eat in large quantities.
★★15. Enoki mushrooms and boiled rice★★
As winter set in, and there was still no sign of Eryngium returning, Sylvia sighed.
“Where is that guy? She can come back now. I’m starting to worry about her.”
She was busy stirring a large pot, the fragrant scent of enoki mushrooms filling the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the members were in the living room, cleaning their weapons and armor. They chatted excitedly as they smelled the enticing aroma.
“I wonder what kind of dish she’ll make today.”
“Yeah, that beef stir-fry we had yesterday was really delicious.”
“True. It was so good with the red chili peppers.”
“How about the fruit jam we had this morning? I’ve never had so much jam on bread before.”
There was fruit jam here too, but it was quite expensive. Fruits were already scarce, and making jam with these rare fruits, combined with expensive sugar, was a luxury.
It was the kind of food you would find in the royal palace.
“I bet even Corporal’s emperor hasn’t tasted bread with so much butter and fruit jam.”
“I totally agree with that.”
Splatter, splatter.
The roaring fire in the fireplace was fueled with a large pile of wood. The faint aroma of sweet potatoes wafted through the air, making everyone’s mouths water.
It was already halfway through winter.
Outside, snow piled up, covering the windows entirely, but the members cleared it every morning, keeping the garden and the front entrance clean.
Felix hadn’t come out after entering a small room on the second floor. It was small but cozy, and he found it quite comfortable. The bed, made of interwoven material like a net, was so snug that he didn’t want to get up.
He remembered the last time he had lain down so comfortably without his armor. It had been a long time.
‘I guess even in the royal palace, I’ve never been this comfortable without my armor.’
Sighing lazily, he closed his eyes again.
[You seem to be in a good mood.]
Lupine said in a warm voice.
[I feel good too. Why does it feel so nice here?]
Even Poppy, who was usually active, lay beside Felix and mumbled.
The fairies found everything here fascinating.
Since their birth, this was the first place where they felt so comfortable. In the royal palace, there was always an unpleasant atmosphere, and Felix was always on edge. He struggled to control his overflowing magic, making it challenging to stay calm.
After leaving the palace, the winds of the world had been harsh. The smell of human blood, the foul odor of magical creatures’ filth – they were all repulsive.
Despite their aversion, the fairies had never once thought of leaving Felix’s side.
“Now I feel like I can finally breathe properly.”
Sharing the cozy sensation with Felix, the fairies were becoming even more intimate with him in the warm, small room.
Sylvia, inside the kitchen, dismantled a large chicken that could only be found in these parts. She had placed it in a pot with enoki mushrooms and water. She added more enoki mushrooms, dried jujubes, green onions, and whole garlic cloves.
Now, all she needed to do was cover the pot and let it simmer until everything was cooked.
She took out the pickles she had made a few days ago, which included radishes, cabbage, and cucumbers. She had tasted one to check if it was ready, and it was perfect.
She cut the radishes into long, rectangular shapes, like sugar canes, and sliced the cabbage and cucumbers into bite-sized pieces.
Instead of vinegar and water, she poured sugar cane juice into a pot and added some sugar and salt. She boiled it vigorously, adding whole peppercorns and bay leaves. Using a glass jar that had been sterilized with hot water, she first placed the cut vegetables inside and then poured the hot pickle brine over them.
Without lifting a finger, Sylvia neatly packed the vegetables in the glass jar and sealed it with a lid. She opened another jar from the ice-cold water and took out a piece of pickle.
“Mmm, delicious.”
It had just the right balance of sweetness and tanginess, and it clung perfectly to the palate. The radishes were sweet and crunchy. She sealed the jar again and placed it back in the icy water.
Next, she prepared the rice. With enoki mushroom broth on hand, there was no need for additional side dishes. Normally, glutinous rice would be added to the enoki mushroom broth, but Sylvia wasn’t particularly fond of glutinous rice. She preferred to cook the tender chicken pieces from the broth first, savoring the rich enoki mushroom aroma, and then later roll the rice with kimchi.
“Oh, truly… it’s such a shame to have no kimchi.”
The kimchi spirit felt like it was dying without kimchi.
She finely grated dried carrots and dried yuzu peel, adding a pinch of coarse salt along the way. While plain salt-dipped pickles were already delicious with enoki mushroom broth, the added salt brought out more flavor and was also good for health.
She had prepared fine salt in addition to the basic black pepper and salt seasoning.
Although dinner preparations were complete for the evening, the dishes needed time to cook. So, Sylvia thought she might find something else to do and headed to the garden.
“Gods, who’s there!”
While others occasionally visited the garden as well, at least no one had ventured out while she was in the kitchen. The mercenaries would come out in the morning to clear the snow, but they weren’t the main focus.
Either he had jumped down from the second floor or entered the garden without passing through the kitchen. He was sitting in a corner of the garden, looking at something with intense concentration. The fairies were fluttering around him as usual.
Seeing him like this, Eryngium came to her mind once again.
Sylvia let out a small sigh. She wasn’t sure if he hadn’t heard her startled exclamation or if he was too absorbed in whatever he was looking at. She wondered what had caught his attention so intensely.
The damp, fluffy snow had piled up silently. It had already reached knee height despite being cleared in the morning. Even so, Sylvia carefully approached, following the path he had created.
“It’s done.”
What was he even saying?
Clover noticed her approaching and rushed down, circling around her. Strangely, Sylvia felt familiar, so Clover didn’t seem to be on guard.
“Why are you out here all alone like this?”
What’s going on? Does he know that she came out here? He really is the protagonist!
“All the other carrots have disappeared, and you’re the only one left, looking so lonely. It’s just like me.”
His voice was filled with a sense of solitude.
Felix reached out and plucked a lone carrot leaf. While Sylvia had grown the necessary vegetables in her garden every morning, they were clearly affected by the weather. This was winter soil, so some of them sprouted late, buried beneath the snow.
The lone carrot he found probably grew late, and then got buried under the snow.
But how did he discover this? Wait, what did he say just now?
Drawing his familiar dagger from its sheath, Felix skillfully peeled the carrot. He then took a bite of the carrot with a content expression.
Wow. He just said those lonely carrots were like him, and now he’s eating them so casually.
Sylvia, baffled by his actions, stopped in her tracks. Felix, who had been staring into the sky with a dreamy expression, suddenly spoke up.
“Ah, I wish I could wander freely like snowfall, disappearing without a trace.”
He said these words with a mellifluous voice that seemed to melt one’s ears.
Sylvia’s ears perked up at his actions and words. She noticed the fairies fluttering around him as well.
“You all seem so free. I envy that.”
Hmm… she wished there was some character backstory or context.
Ah, right.
Felix, who had finished eating the remaining carrot, suddenly stood up. Unaware of Sylvia standing right behind him, he turned around.
“Ah!”
Oh my goodness!
The sweet and refreshing fragrance emanating from him, so close by, made her heart race. It was the strangely aromatic scent of the protagonist.
“What’s with you?”
Sylvia looked at the black eyes that looked at her as if they were going to kill her, like when she was looking at Eryngium.
She felt truly insignificant.
