Chapter 14

Captain returned from the meeting with a gloomy expression.

As soon as he entered the break room, he let out a heavy sigh.

I was working on a simple task with Garu, crushing chestnuts and other nuts with a stick.

There was no time to listen, so I left him alone.

The only sound in the room was the cracking of the nuts. Then, the captain's sigh echoed again.

Garu and I pounded the nuts into the bag. They were quite hard, having been roasted.

"Mr. Garu, it looks like it's going to rain."

The two of us looked out the window.

We would have to bring in the towels and other laundry.

As I slowly stood up, my eyes met the captain's gloomy face. I couldn't just ignore him.

It seemed Garu would take care of the laundry. We communicated with our eyes, and I asked him to do it.

With no more work to do, I reluctantly spoke to the captain.

"Captain, is something wrong?"

"Starting tomorrow, we have a sudden mission."

"Oh, that's disappointing."

The reason was that tomorrow was supposed to be a day off.

"There's nothing we can do. It's an order from above."

"..."

I tried to encourage him, but the captain's expression remained gloomy, as if he had more to say.

Is there something else bothering you?

"..."

"Huh?"

He mumbled so softly I couldn't hear. I leaned in and asked him to repeat it.

"Captain, I didn't hear you. Could you say it again?"

"Tomorrow is Merina's birthday."

"Wow..."

I immediately had the same expression as the captain.

Merina is the captain's fiancée. She's beautiful but has a strong personality.

Judging by his reaction, she must be quite domineering.

They must have had plans to go out or have a meal. She would probably ask, "Which is more important to you, me or your work?"

Even though it wasn't my business, I shuddered.

"I... what should I do... Lislis, what should I do to make her forgive me?"

"Well, you're asking me..."

In the village, wives support their working husbands with all their might.

They go into the forest to hunt animals and sell the fur and meat to merchants. They also cut down trees for business.

They manage to live by working hard every day.

There's nothing more important than work. We can't survive without working.

So, if someone says they have to work even though they had plans, the only response is, "Oh, okay."

This is the situation for the Forest Elves living in the forest.

However, for people living in the city, especially the captain and Merina, who are nobles, they can live without working.

So, this must be a big deal for the captain.

By the way, the line "Which is more important to you, me or your work?" is a memorable quote from a popular romance novel about a knight and a lady in the village.

For the Forest Elves, "There's nothing more important than work!" But it seems that people in the capital have arguments over such things.

I never thought I'd witness such a scene in front of me. The capital is truly something else.

I gave the captain a little advice.

"Why don't you talk to Zara?"

"Zara?"

"Yes. She's the most feminine, so she might have some good ideas."

The captain crossed his arms and said, "Okay."

Before that, I had a question.

"By the way, what's the mission?"

"We have to search the snowy mountain for a noble who ran away."

"Another tough one, huh?"

It's a mountain climb, so we need to minimize our equipment.

It's also cold, so we need to prepare high-nutrient preserved food.

Being in a cold place consumes a lot of energy just by being there.

By the way, the missing person is the son of a noble family. He ran away with someone and got separated in the snowy mountain.

The woman was rescued early on.

"But why the snowy mountain?"

"They were being chased by family members who opposed the marriage."

"I see."

The expedition team members are taking turns searching.

It's the second day today.

"Is he still alive?"

"Who knows. But we'll keep searching until we find the body."

"Yes, that's... sad."

Our search time on the snowy mountain is half a day.

"If he fell, we wouldn't find him."

"We have no choice. It's an order from above."

I was planning to mix the nuts I crushed with Garu into the biscuit dough, but I had to change my plans.

"Captain, can I go shopping?"

"Yeah, but come back before the end of the day."

"Understood."

I hope I can go and come back before it rains. I borrowed an umbrella just in case and set out.

I hurried and finished my shopping quickly.

I bought grains and dried fruits.

Grains are steamed, crushed, and dried grains.

They are rich in dietary fiber, high in nutrients, and easy to eat, making them popular in the capital.

Using these grains, I made something.

When climbing a mountain, you need "action food" for nutritional supplementation.

It needs to be easy to eat and high in nutrients. Ideally, it should be something you can eat while walking, like something that fits in your pocket.

So, I made a bar-shaped food by roasting grains, dried fruits, and nuts, and solidifying them with honey.

It's usually so sweet it makes me shudder and could make me fat, but when climbing a mountain, you get tired quickly. So, you need something that can easily provide nutrition.

I hurried to finish my shopping, but it was pouring outside.

I put on my hood, held my umbrella, and ran back in the rain.

I reported to the captain that I had returned and immediately started cooking.

First, I mixed the crushed nuts, grains, and dried fruits, sprinkled a little salt, and mixed them.

I roasted them to make them fragrant.

I put them in a container, let them cool, and then mixed in honey.

Once the ingredients were well mixed, I put them in a square iron plate and baked them in the stove.

After baking for a while, they were done.

I cut the baked items into bars and wrapped them in paper once they cooled down.

I made about thirty bars, five per person.

The mission is half a day, so it should be enough. I also plan to bring bread, dried meat, and some baked goods I made earlier.

Liver pâté might also be good for salt intake. It would be delicious spread on biscuits or bread.

We are supposed to leave early in the morning, so I prepared everything.

When I returned to the break room, I saw the captain holding his head and Zara sitting with her legs crossed.

"Hello, everyone."

"Hello, Mel."

The atmosphere was awkward, and I wanted to leave, but Zara patted the seat next to her, so I reluctantly sat down.

"Mel, have you heard? The captain's tragic story."

"Yes, I have."

"Poor guy, isn't he?"

Zara suggested that the captain should give her jewelry.

"But the stores are already closed."

"Oh, the noble son of the Ludtink family will surely be let in."

"But I don't know what women want..."

Zara and the captain looked at me at the same time.

"No, I don't know either. I live in the forest and have never seen jewelry."

I suggested that Zara would know better.

"Going to a jewelry store with Crow would be scary."

"Coincidentally, I feel the same way."

So, the three of us decided to go to the jewelry store together.

"It's raining outside."

"Let's go anyway."

I was not very enthusiastic, but the captain was eager to finish quickly.

Zara seemed a bit excited.

The jewelry store was indeed closed, but we managed to get it opened specially.

Inside, beautiful necklaces, earrings, and brooches were displayed like works of art.

Zara and the captain were seriously choosing, saying, "Not this one, how about that one?"

From behind, they looked like a newly dating couple.

The shop assistant seemed to think the same and watched them with a warm gaze.

After careful selection, they finally chose a necklace with a green gemstone, which was very beautiful.

In the end, I just came along and didn't do anything.

But I felt lucky to have seen the jewelry.

I thought I might get a brooch someday. I would have to work hard to buy one.

As I was looking around, Zara beckoned me.

"Hey, Mel, the captain is going to buy you a brooch."

"Really!?"

I was surprised by the unexpected gift.

I tried to refuse, but Zara was also getting one.

The brooches she showed me were flowers, rabbits, stars, and birds. They were all cute.

"Hey, don't you want the rabbit?"

I ignored the captain's words.

But I was hesitant... I thought it might not be suitable for me, and I didn't need to buy one.

Zara, who was next to me, pointed to a flower brooch.

"Mel, how about this flower? I think it would suit you."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm sure it will."

Hearing our conversation, the captain told the shop assistant to buy the flower brooch.

"Can I choose yours for you?"

That's a big responsibility.

But since he said it, I chose seriously and finally picked a brooch shaped like a bird of prey.

"You chose a cool one."

"It suits you. You're a carnivore."

"Oh, hahaha."

The brothers had a mysterious conversation.

The shop assistant brought the brooches in their packages.

I never thought I would receive such a wonderful gift.

I decided to work hard from tomorrow.