Chapter 24

Finally, I was able to return to the capital city.

I hadn't taken a bath for about three days, but by the time I reached the dormitory, I was at my limit.

I was so exhausted that I didn't feel like doing anything.

I washed my face, hands, and feet, and slept like mud.

I was given a day off after ten days. There's no day I look forward to more than today.

When I woke up in the morning, my whole body ached. It was too painful.

We used the carriage for the injured, and the rest of us, who were in good shape, rode horses back.

It was a combination of an expedition and mountain climbing, so it's no wonder my body was aching.

I slowly got up, opened the lid of the pocket watch I received when I joined the knight squad, and checked the time.

Unfortunately, breakfast time was already over. I felt deeply disappointed.

When I sighed, my stomach growled.

Missing breakfast is the worst. There are still two hours until lunch.

Moreover, there was no emergency food in the room. I had taken and eaten the biscuits and other personal items when we suddenly went on an expedition.

Therefore, there was currently no food in the room at all.

Feeling dejected, I rolled onto the bed.

I'll sleep until noon. I'm still sleepy. But—

My stomach growled pitifully. It seemed that hunger was greater than sleep. I got up reluctantly. Sigh.

There's no choice. I'll go to the town to eat something.

I lit the fireplace and boiled water. I wiped my body and changed clothes.

I put on a gray dress and tied my hair into a bun.

When I opened the window, it was cold, so I put on the coat provided by the Altenburg侯爵家. It turns out I can use it as my personal property. How generous.

However, the gray dress I wore underneath was too plain, which was disappointing.

The other day, I received my salary, so I want to buy some new clothes.

I also want to buy hair accessories and shoes.

While thinking about such things, I remembered the brooch the captain bought for me.

I took out the box and carefully unwrapped it. When I opened the lid, I sighed.

It was a beautiful silver brooch with five petals and a pearl in the center.

I tried to match it with the gray dress, but it didn't quite fit.

It probably only goes well with the nice clothes sold in the capital.

I thought I'd save it for another day and put the brooch back in the box.

I put on the hood of the coat and went outside.

Today, I headed for the shopping district instead of the market.

It was neither morning nor noon. Perhaps because of the time, there were few people around.

I had gone to and from Urgas many times for shopping, but this was the first time I was shopping for personal items.

Part of the reason was that I didn't have money because I hadn't received my salary yet, and on my days off, I often spent my time in the room feeling tired.

My body still wasn't used to the work of the knight squad.

Putting that aside,

My heart raced as I went shopping for the first time, and I saw a familiar figure.

Golden hair tied up high, a straight back, a tall woman in a red coat and a long skirt—

"Hey, Zara?"

Thinking it must be her, I ran over.

"Zara-san~!"

The beautiful woman turned around at the sound of my voice.

"Oh, it's Mel."

"What a coincidence."

Zara seemed to be shopping, carrying items in both hands.

It looked like a week's worth of ingredients.

"Are you shopping too, Mel?"

"Well, not exactly. I actually missed my meal."

"Oh!"

I was about to ask for a recommendation for a good and affordable place to eat when I received an unexpected invitation.

"Then, why don't you come to my house? I've been simmering a stew since this morning."

Apparently, it was a stew made from leftovers. She had gone shopping before eating because she didn't have any bread left.

"Um, but I don't want to be a bother—"

"It's fine. It's lonely to eat alone. Plus, you can see my house, right?"

"See it?"

"We did make a promise to live together, didn't we?"

"Oh!"

I had completely forgotten, but there was a plan for me to stay at Zara's house.

However, no other knights had approached her since then, so I thought it might be okay.

"The knights don't come around because I'm with you."

"Oh, that's true."

Indeed, since that day, Zara has been picking me up at the girls' dormitory gate every morning and going to work together.

If a male knight did this, he would be scolded by the female knight in charge of the dormitory. However, Zara has completely blended into the entrance where the female knights come and go.

Moreover, she is often seen chatting with the female knights.

I felt a bit guilty but was taking advantage of the situation.

Still, Zara, who doesn't stand out even among the female knights, is quite something.

However, going into her house on a day off.

Zara must be tired too.

I thought I should decline, but my stomach growled.

Zara, hearing my stomach, said, "Oh, that's terrible." I blushed so much I thought my face would catch fire.

"Then, let's hurry. I also bought freshly baked bread."

It seemed to be a stew made from leftovers, but she was quite confident about it. After hearing that, I couldn't refuse her invitation.

"Let's go quickly. It's close from here. If we dawdle, the bread will get cold."

"Um, ah... Yes. Thank you."

In the end, I ended up going to Zara's house.

◇◇◇

Zara's house was in a residential area a little away from the shopping district.

It was a place where long, two-story houses lined up, with walls painted in various colors like yellow and red, which were very beautiful.

"This is my house."

"Wow, what a beautiful house."

"It's a rental, though."

Apparently, the rent wasn't that high. Moreover, the knight squad provided a housing allowance, so the amount she paid was minimal.

"By the way, is the person you live with at home?"

"Yes."

"Um, is it okay?"

"It's fine. She's a bit shy with strangers."

Oh, I'm a bit shy with strangers too.

With a pounding heart, I entered Zara's house.

"Blanche, I'm home!"

The person she lived with was apparently named Blanche.

I was looking forward to meeting her when—

"Meow."

"Whoa!?"

Zara turned around and introduced her with a full smile.

"This is Blanche, a mountain cat."

"Y-You mean, a mountain cat?"

A mountain cat is a large cat that only lives in the snowy regions of the north. I had heard that in some areas, they are kept as pets.

There was a mountain cat meowing "meow" at the entrance.

It was as big as an adult man on all fours, larger than my body. I had heard they have a gentle temperament, but up close, they were quite imposing.

Her fur was as white as snow, fluffy, and cute—no, not cute!

"Y-You mean, the person you live with is—!?"

"Yes, Blanche."

"Wh-What!?"

I was tricked. The female roommate turned out to be a female mountain cat.

"Mel, it's a bit messy, but—"

The mountain cat Blanche sat down and stared at me.

Her tail was wagging, so she didn't seem hostile.

"She seems to be observing you."

"Please, don't mind—"

I awkwardly entered the house.

I couldn't help but be nervous. After all, I had never seen such a large cat.

Upon closer inspection, she had a bib-like thing around her neck, frilled and very cute. It was probably handmade by Zara.

"Meow."

"Whoa!"

While I was staring, she lowered her posture and peeked at my face, which startled me.

Zara laughed and said it was okay.

"Please, come in."

"Yes, thank you. I'll come in."

I passed by Blanche and headed to the dining room and kitchen.

The kitchen was clean and tidy, with neatly arranged dishes and spice containers, and a well-maintained stove. It didn't look like a place where a single man lived.

It was a world apart from the kitchen of the bandit brothers.

The woven pattern on the tablecloth was also beautiful. I sighed in admiration.

"This is from my hometown."

"It's so beautiful!"

It was woven with snowflakes, trees, and animals.

In my village, we only did embroidery, so I was impressed by the skill.

"I can't do intricate designs, so I think embroidery is more impressive."

"Not at all. It's very beautiful."

Surprisingly, Zara had woven this fabric herself.

I admired her dexterity.

While we were talking, the stew seemed to have warmed up.

It was a Triangular Cow's Milk Stew.

"Since I was away from home for a while, I didn't tell the milk delivery person I was going on an expedition, so they brought about four days' worth today."

It was difficult to consume it all alone, so she used it as ingredients for the stew.

In my village, dairy products were precious, so we never used them in stews.

"I hope you like it."

"Actually, this is the first time I've made a stew without water."

"Oh, really?"

Usually, the ratio of water to milk is about eight to two. A stew made entirely with milk would be a luxury. I was curious about how it would taste.

At the dining table, freshly baked bread and Triangular Cow's Milk Stew were served.

The aroma of butter wafted through the air. The orange root vegetables and yellow beans made a beautiful color combination.

I swallowed hard at the unexpected feast.

We said a prayer before the meal and began to eat.

"Please, enjoy."

"Thank you, I'll eat."

First, I scooped up a large piece of potato with a spoon.

The potato was fluffy and had a slight sweetness. The smooth and rich flavor of the Triangular Cow's milk had soaked in well.

"Zara, it's delicious!"

"I'm glad to hear that."

The meat was smoked wild boar. The strong saltiness enhanced the flavor of the stew.

I picked up a round bread. It was fluffy, and when I split it, steam rose. The aroma of the wheat was irresistible.

I cut it into bite-sized pieces and dipped it in the stew.

The taste was indescribably delicious.

I thought it was the best stew in the capital.