Chapter 11

The second expedition team grew to six members with the arrival of Zara.

Zara may look like a noble prince, but she has a very feminine personality, and the team has become much more lively.

And thanks to Zara, something wonderful happened.

She would remind the captain to trim his beard, brush Gal's fur until it shone, and teach the rough-handed Urgas how to clean more delicately. She also advised Vice-Captain Berry to avoid overexerting himself during training.

To point out things that had been bothering her but were hard to mention, she seemed almost like a goddess.

Every day was fulfilling, but the person who seemed happiest about Zara's enlistment was now looking rather serious. It was Vice-Captain Berry. Apparently, he was planning a welcome party.

He seemed to be struggling with something.

"Vice-Captain Berry, what's wrong?"

"Well, when I asked Zara what she wanted to eat, her request was a bit unusual."

He muttered that he regretted asking the question.

"What did she request?"

"Meatball stew."

"Hmm."

Apparently, meatballs are a home-cooked dish, and it's hard to find them in restaurants.

Even when they are available, they are often served with a sauce, and it's almost impossible to find a meatball stew in the capital.

"Hmm. Should I just settle for regular meatballs... but there's also the pride of the organizer."

Vice-Captain Berry was muttering to himself. I didn't know he was so dedicated to the welcome party.

Even though it might be none of my business, I decided to make a suggestion.

"Would you like me to make it?"

"Eh?"

"I know how to make meatball stew."

"Really?"

"Yes. But, it's just a very ordinary stew and meatballs, and it might be a bit awkward for a welcome party to be my home-cooked meal."

Vice-Captain Berry grabbed my hand.

"Not at all. It would be the best. Everyone will be happy."

"Well, that's a relief."

So, I ended up taking charge of the cooking for Zara's welcome party.

After some discussion, the welcome party was decided to be held at the captain's house.

Apparently, he lives in a detached house.

"The captain will prepare the ingredients if you write them down. If you need more hands, ask the servants."

"Thank you."

I was a bit nervous, thinking he must live in a grand mansion.

The day was set aside for preparing the welcome party at the captain's house.

I wondered if this was appropriate, but it was for the welcome party, so it was a special case.

I was a bit worried about taking on the task so easily. My home-cooked meals are best enjoyed in the wilderness where there's nothing else to eat.

But, I had to do my best for Zara.

The captain would cover the cost of the ingredients, so I tried to think of items that would taste good due to the quality of the ingredients.

Incidentally, that day was treated as a day off. If we had done this during working hours, it would have been a serious abuse of power. The next day was also given off, so there was no problem.

On the day of the welcome party, I headed to the captain's house early in the morning.

I had expected a grand mansion, but the captain's house was a cute two-story red brick house.

There was a small garden with a beautiful flower bed and an arched rose trellis.

I was quite surprised to find out he lived in such a house.

When I knocked on the door, an old lady opened it.

"Oh, what a lovely young lady. You must be Risris."

"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you. I'll be in your care."

"Yes, yes. Please come in."

The old lady's name was Maria. She had apparently been the captain's nanny.

She came with the captain when he moved out on his own.

"The young master invited us, this old couple."

The captain lives with the old couple. I felt a bit emotional hearing her story and thought he should take good care of his nanny.

I was immediately invited for tea, but I had a purpose, which was to cook. Considering the number of items, time was tight.

When I explained this, Maria smiled and offered to help.

I felt a bit guilty, but her offer was very welcome, so I decided to accept her help.

First, we started making the meatballs.

The captain had prepared a special piece of wild boar meat.

"Oh, Risris, that's amazing. Making meatballs from a whole piece of meat?"

"It's better this way."

"True, that's right."

Store-bought ground meat is uniform in size, which can make the texture boring.

While I was chopping the meat with a large knife, Maria prepared the ingredients.

With the amount of meat needed for a large group, it was quite a task.

Midway through, Maria's husband, Tony, came to help.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to do such heavy work."

"I'm a gardener, so I'm quite strong, young lady."

"Thank you so much."

I was truly grateful.

Tony looked like a gentle old man, but he was quite powerful and chopped the meat quickly.

We made coarse and fine ground meat, combining them to create a chewy texture for the meatballs.

Maria measured out a large amount of spices and added them to a big bowl. We also added grated potatoes, breadcrumbs, alcohol, salt, and pepper, and mixed everything thoroughly.

Tony, Maria, and I worked together to shape the meatballs.

"It brings back memories."

Maria's family was large, and they used to make meatballs together.

She smiled fondly as she shaped the meatballs.

However, it was a lot of meat. Considering ten meatballs per person, we probably made about a hundred.

I was a bit worried if we could finish them all.

Once the shaping was done, we moved on to frying the meatballs in hot oil.

The meatballs sizzled and turned a beautiful golden brown.

By the time we finished frying, the noon bell had rung.

It was close, but thanks to Maria and Tony's help, we managed to finish on time.

I thanked them again.

"It's fine. I love preparing for parties."

"Yes, I also enjoyed cooking more than I thought."

That's good. I'm glad they both said that.

Maria suggested we have lunch.

I had prepared some biscuits, but to my surprise, Maria had made sandwiches.

"I thought you might not be able to use the kitchen, so I prepared them this morning. Of course, there's a portion for you, Risris."

"Wow, thank you. I'm so happy."

What a kind person. To share her lunch with me, a stranger.

The colorful sandwiches were truly delicious.

After lunch, we started cooking the stew for about ten people in a large pot.

I was grateful the captain had a large pot.

Apparently, Maria had brought it from her own home.

"Our family had ten people."

"Really?"

"Yes. With six boys, preparing meals was quite a challenge."

I could relate to that.

When it was my turn to cook, preparing meals for the whole family was a daunting task. It was not only difficult but also involved a battle to prevent my younger siblings from sneaking snacks. Just thinking about it made me shudder.

But, life at home was lively and fun.

It would be a lie to say I didn't miss it.

"Risris, is something wrong?"

"N-no!"

I wiped the tears from my eyes. It wasn't the time to be sentimental.

I rolled up my sleeves and finished the rest of the cooking.

Riin, goon, riin, goon.

The clock tower in the city rang, signaling the end of the workday.

The expedition team members would be arriving soon.

Thanks to Maria and Tony, the preparations were miraculously completed.

The dining table was set with butter cake, crispy roasted chicken, citrus salad, potato gratin, steamed fish, and more.

I had made canapés with the biscuits, adding cheese and smoked meat.

The captain had prepared some wine, and the beautiful bottles added color to the table.

With everything ready, the doorbell rang.

Maria and Tony were busy, so I went to answer it.

It was a bit early. The bell had only rung about ten minutes ago.

The distance from the knight's quarters to the captain's house was quite far, so they must have run all the way.

Perhaps they had finished work early. As I opened the door, a beautiful woman with black hair stood there.

"Who are you?"

I wanted to ask the same thing.

She held a bouquet of flowers and wore a red dress with a black fur coat.

"Are you a new servant?"

"Eh?"

"That's good. I told them to fire the old servants quickly."

"No... I'm not..."

She grabbed my wrist tightly.

"Tell me, what's your relationship with Crow?"

"W-Well, I'm—"

Who is this person?

She had spoken badly about Maria and Tony, which made me upset.

"Miss Merina!"

Maria came from behind. The black-haired beauty's name was Merina.

Maria greeted Merina with a warm smile.

"It's been a while. You look well."

"Maria, how is your back?"

"Thanks to you, it's fine."

"Didn't I tell you to hire new servants? You haven't hired anyone yet?"

"Well, let's talk about that later."

"Oh! Your body won't stay strong forever!"

At first, she seemed unpleasant, but it was a misunderstanding. Merina was worried about Maria's health. I was surprised to learn they were close.

"So, who is this Forest Elf?"

"This is a member of the young master's team, Risris. She's a great cook and came to prepare for today's party."

"Oh, I see."

Merina apologized, saying, "I'm sorry." Apparently, she was the captain's fiancée, which explained her strict attitude.

It was good that the misunderstanding was cleared up.

Merina brought beautiful roses as a gift. I decided to put them in a vase and place them on the table.

As I was doing this, the second expedition team arrived.

The party was a surprise for Zara, who was quite surprised.

The captain introduced his fiancée, Merina, who they planned to marry next spring.

Urgas was genuinely envious.

When Zara saw the meatball stew, she was delighted.

"Thank you, Risris. I didn't think I could eat this in the capital."

Zara was from a snowy region in the north.

There, this meatball stew was a special treat once a year.

It made sense that it was hard to find in restaurants. At home, we only made it once a year, if that.

Zara had tears in her eyes.

To see her so happy made it all worth it.

We poured drinks (fruit juice for me, Urgas, and Maria) and toasted.

We started with the main dish, the meatball stew.

The meatballs, made from freshly ground meat, had a fluffy, chewy texture and burst with juice in the mouth. The rich sauce, made with the captain's premium red wine, complemented the meatballs perfectly.

"Zara, how is it?"

"Thank you, it's delicious..."

"I'm glad."

Zara seemed satisfied, and I felt relieved.

Everyone else also said it was delicious.

As the drinks flowed, the atmosphere became lively.

The captain, in a good mood, started singing. Merina, also tipsy, began playing the piano in the dining room, but they were both singing and playing different songs, which was quite chaotic.

Vice-Captain Berry was laughing hard. He seemed to be a light drinker and was enjoying himself.

Gal, wagging his tail, was eating the butter cake with shining eyes. I didn't know he liked sweets. He seemed a bit tipsy and looked like a cute puppy.

Urgas, despite not drinking, was crying while listening to Maria and Tony's stories. He seemed to be a fan of old people.

I could relate to that.

Zara had been hugging me and thanking me repeatedly.

"Risris, thank you so much. I love you."

Zara was a bit annoyingly drunk, so I just nodded and replied casually.

"Sure, sure."

Zara's words prompted everyone to thank me.

The captain stopped singing and said seriously,

"Hey, listen, Risris. There's a lot of poaching in the knight's order. If someone tries to recruit you, don't go."

Vice-Captain Berry agreed.

"Right. If Risris leaves, the team will lose its charm."

Next, Gal came over.

He lowered his head, asking to be petted.

I petted his fluffy fur, and he wagged his tail.

So cute!

Then, Urgas came over.

He knelt down, and I thought he wanted to be petted like Gal, so I ruffled his butter-colored hair.

Urgas blushed and said, "No, that's not it." He had something else in mind.

"Risris, your cooking is delicious. Your treatments are accurate, and my wounds don't hurt when I take a bath. From now on, please take care of me."

As expected, he was sober and said something meaningful.

Finally, Zara said one more thing.

"We're getting married!"

"We're not."

"Really!?"

I brushed off Zara's outrageous statement and thanked everyone.

"I'm not much, but I'll do my best from now on."

Saying that, I felt a weight lifted from my chest.

I was needed here. I felt I belonged, and it made me happy.

I almost cried but held back.

I thought about making delicious meals and making everyone happy.

I'm a medic, but I wanted to assert that.

Everyone has a place where they belong. For me, it wasn't the village where I grew up, but the knight's order in the capital.

Even someone like me, who had been labeled as lacking in many ways, was needed by others. There was nothing more fulfilling.

I decided to do my best from now on.