Chapter 12

Yesterday, I got a large amount of forest apples during a shopping trip. They are in season now, sweet and tangy, and delicious.

I cooked two-thirds of them with sugar to make fruit preserves.

I also made forest apple candies, thinly sliced and baked forest apple chips, and forest apples cooked in alcohol and honey.

Once completed, I stored them in sterilized jars and kept them in the storage room.

I didn’t throw away the peels either; I used them to make alcohol.

First, I put water, forest apple peels, sugar, and citrus juice into a jar and added yeast.

Then I left it alone. The alcohol would be ready in about two weeks.

The forest apple wine would accompany the cooking and the captain during the expedition.

I managed to make about ten bottles, so I was looking forward to it.

In the afternoon, I made baked goods using the forest apple candies and fruit preserves. I made ten in total. These are excellent preserved foods that can last for about three months.

Before I knew it, I had produced a large amount of sweet treats.

The storage room was filled with a sweet aroma.

The captain frowned and said,

"Isn't the smell going to transfer to the dried meat?"

"That's...!"

I had gotten carried away and made too many sweet treats because I wanted them during the expedition.

I needed to reflect on this.

While I was thinking about what to do, Zara, who had been listening behind me, made a wonderful suggestion.

"Why don't you put them in the wine cellar in Crow's office?"

"Huh? How do you know about that?"

"There were traces of a carpet being rolled up."

"..."

The captain insisted he wasn't drinking during work hours.

However, why is he so fond of alcohol at such a young age?

"Yeah, you smell like an old man."

"Exactly!"

The captain recently shaved his beard to leave the bandit life behind, but it's meaningless if his inner self is still a bandit.

I thought he should behave and work in an environment befitting a knight.

"But if the audit department finds out there's alcohol in the office, Crow, you'll get a bad reputation again."

"..."

So (?), part of the captain's alcohol was moved to the storage room, and the rest was taken home.

It was a peaceful resolution.

After work, Zara invited me to go to the street stalls and do some food walking.

Urgas and Gar were also coming. Deputy Captain Berry was having dinner with his fiancée.

"Really, Deputy Captain Berry has a fiancée."

I felt a strange, bittersweet feeling.

It was similar to how I felt when a beloved older cousin got married.

Urgas, a young man, also had a bittersweet expression.

"Deputy Captain Berry, really?"

"Urgas, you just found out?"

"Yes..."

Zara, who was behind us, hugged us both with slightly teary eyes.

"Don't be sad! I'll treat you to some delicious food today!"

"Really?"

"Yay!"

Urgas and I miraculously recovered from our sad mode.

Gar, with his tail wagging leisurely, watched our pointless exchange.

◇◇◇

There is a street stall area in the capital that only operates at night.

It's said to be crowded with people returning from work.

Since it's awkward to wander around in knight uniforms outside of working hours, we agreed to meet in civilian clothes.

I let down my braids and tied my hair up high.

I wore a shirt with a ribbon tied around the collar, which Deputy Captain Berry had given me, and a long navy skirt I made myself.

I checked my appearance in the full-length mirror.

--- Hmm, still not stylish.

I couldn't get rid of the tourist-like vibe. I immediately gave up on trying to be fashionable.

It might be chilly, so I put on the knight team's coat.

It was almost time to meet, so I rushed out of the room. Of course, I didn't forget my shoulder bag with my wallet.

In front of the knight team's gate, there were three noticeable figures.

The tall wolf beastman, Gar, in a black leather jacket, looking cool.

Urgas, who looked more like a dog, in a navy blazer and black pants. Despite his name, he was quite stylish.

Finally, Zara, perfectly dressed as a woman. Her hair was braided and tied up at the back, and she wore a long dress and a fluffy coat. She was, of course, beautiful and stylish.

On the other hand, my lack of style.

I couldn't help it. I hadn't received my salary yet, so I couldn't afford to buy new clothes.

As soon as I stepped out, Zara noticed me.

"Mel, you're here. I thought you might have been picked up somewhere."

"Haha"

That's impossible. I laughed it off.

Zara not only worried but also complimented my hairstyle.

"Are you cold?"

"No, I'm fine."

"If you get cold, let me know. I'll hug you to warm you up."

"No, I'm fine."

We chatted like this as we moved towards the street stall area.

We walked straight down the quiet street, passed through the central street, and the number of people gradually increased.

The street, bathed in the orange light of the street lamps, was the famous night market of the capital.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

"Isn't it?"

To avoid getting lost, Zara held my hand. She looked like a perfect beauty, but her hands were rough, which was hard to understand. I was a bit, rather, quite embarrassed.

Putting that aside, the street stalls were emitting a wonderful aroma.

Fried bread, meat buns, baked sweet potatoes, grilled skewers of triangular beef, white scallion pancakes, herb meat, meat cakes, sweet and spicy sweet potatoes, and more. Just reading the signs made my mouth water.

Everyone was eating while walking. In the village, it would be considered improper, but here it seemed to be the norm.

"Amazing... amazing..."

I was overwhelmed and my vocabulary died. I could only say "amazing" as I looked at the stalls.

"Mel, what do you want to eat?"

"Any recommendations?"

"Hmm, maybe the white scallion pancakes?"

"I've never heard of them."

White scallion pancakes are made by spreading thin dough, adding shredded white scallions and minced meat sauce, and rolling them up.

"Wow, they sound delicious."

Urgas and Gar (a wolf beastman, but apparently fine with scallions) also decided to order the same thing.

They are made to order. We watched the iron griddle.

First, the dough is spread thinly with the back of a spoon. Then, eggs are added and mixed. The white scallions are sautéed in the empty space, and once lightly cooked, the minced meat sauce is added and cooked.

Finally, the cooked scallions are placed on the dough and rolled up. It was completed in no time.

There were four griddles, and four staff members quickly made them.

We received the white scallion pancakes wrapped in paper. Zara paid for everything.

"Here, the money."

"It's fine, it's fine. I'll treat you to everything today."

"Thank you."

We couldn't stop to eat, so we walked while eating.

I silently prayed to God and took a bite of the white scallion pancake.

"--- Wow, delicious!"

The dough was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The white scallions were crunchy, and the texture was great. The minced meat was coarsely ground, giving a satisfying feel. The slightly spicy sauce went well with the dough and scallions.

It was very delicious. I thought Zara's recommendation was spot on.

Next, we had meat buns. Zara and I shared one.

"Wow, the meat juice is amazing."

The dough was fluffy. When we split it in half, the meat juice overflowed, dripping onto our hands. The steam was also impressive. It must have been freshly steamed and hot.

The meat was glistening with the meat juice. What a situation.

I opened my mouth wide and bit into it.

As expected, it was delicious. I wanted more. I thought it was a demonic food.

While I was wiping my hands with a handkerchief, Zara noticed something.

"Oh!"

"What's wrong?"

"We've lost Urgas and Gar."

"Ah, really."

The last time I saw them, they were seriously discussing how many meat buns to eat.

"This is a problem."

"I told them to disband on the spot if they got lost."

"Is that so?"

So, I thought we would disband here, but...

"Shall we move on to dessert?"

"Wow!"

Unexpectedly, there was dessert! There seemed to be a stall selling sweet treats nearby.

We bought fried bread sprinkled with sugar and fruit lollipops and ate them.

Sweet treats are a separate stomach. Finally, she bought us bread filled with cream, which was also delicious.

After eating our fill, we headed home.

We met Urgas and Gar at the knight team's gate.

There were only a few minutes left until curfew, so we hurriedly disbanded.

It was very fun.

Next time, I want to invite Deputy Captain Berry and the captain as well.