Chapter 55

The Second Expeditionary Unit, which distinguished itself in the previous slime incident, was awarded the 'Merit One Star Medal'.

This was not a badge but a shoulder patch to be worn on the knight's uniform.

It featured a silver star embroidered on a golden cord. Since the shoulder patches had previously been plain, I thought they looked quite cool now.

By the way, to my surprise, there was also a medal for Amelia.

It was a leather strap with a silver star embroidered on it, in the form of a bracelet. She was delighted when I put it on her.

Later, I learned that the captain had spoken to his superiors on her behalf.

I apologized for thinking, in my heart, that he looked scary and like a villain the last time.

During the morning assembly, when I looked at the captain with respect, he suddenly looked startled and started rummaging through his papers.

"Captain, is something wrong~?"

When Urgas asked, the captain dug out a piece of paper from the pile.

It read, 'Knight Squad Charity Bazaar'. The main purpose was to promote interaction between citizens and knights, and all proceeds would be donated to orphanages and the like.

I was taken aback when I saw the date. The event was scheduled for tomorrow!?

Urgas seemed to have noticed too and asked in a flustered manner.

"Wow, Captain, this, could it be—"

"Yes, our squad has to set up a stall."

Oh no. That's a bit of a surprise.

However, apparently, the notification had been sent eight months ago.

"After receiving the documents, we were suddenly assigned a mission, so there was nothing we could do."

In other words, after returning from the expedition, they had completely forgotten about it.

It was an annual event, and it seemed that different units took turns setting up stalls. This year, it was the Second Unit's turn.

"Captain, what are we going to do?"

The deputy captain, Berry, asked the captain in a stern voice. The captain groaned in agony.

Zara snatched the plan from the captain's hand.

"Oh, it says here that the items for sale must be handmade, and the budget for the unit will be used to cover the costs."

"What! Last time—"

The notification sent eight months ago seemed to have been too early for a reason.

Garu brought out the unit's ledger from the desk. As he flipped through the pages, the captain's frown deepened.

It seemed that the budget was tight.

"The budget is always tight, but what... is this high repair cost?"

Garu explained. The repair cost was for the door the captain had broken recently.

He had tried to open a locked door without realizing it, twisting the handle and ramming into it, which destroyed the hinges. The wooden door had cracked and warped, making it unusable.

The captain received cold stares from the unit members and flinched.

"Well, I'm sorry..."

At this point, Zara made a suggestion. They could perform something that didn't require material costs.

"What kind of performance?"

"For example, playing an instrument?"

The captain asked in a low voice if anyone knew how to play an instrument.

The room fell silent.

Risette thought she could do something, but apparently, she wasn't interested.

"So, it's just me, huh?"

Surprisingly, the captain could play an instrument.

No way. I can't imagine him playing at all. It seems that many noble children learn to play instruments from a young age as a refined hobby.

"Then, it's settled. The captain will perform solo tomorrow."

The problem was solved, and everyone was relieved, but the captain shouted, "That's not good!"

"I haven't touched an instrument in over ten years, so it will be a disaster."

But if he tried his best, maybe someone kind would put some coins in the collection.

The members of the Second Unit promised to watch from a distance with warm eyes.

"You guys... what a cruel thing to do..."

After teasing the captain enough, they decided to get serious.

"Speaking of easy things to make, there were cookies, but in front of the girls' dormitory, there was a really sweet smell this morning."

"Oh, that's right."

The female knights were probably baking cookies for the bazaar.

The cookies sold by the female knights and the cookies sold by the captain. If I had to choose, I'd go for the former.

"Is it decided that I'll be the one manning the stall?"

"Unless the captain can cook, that's a different story."

The captain was taken aback by Zara's comment.

Risette, unable to bear it, made a suggestion.

"Then, how about getting the confectioner from the marquis's house to make something?"

"No, if we put out too good-looking sweets, it will look like we cheated."

"That's true, but—"

Then, she remembered. It was time to rotate the rations.

She proposed an idea.

"How about selling bread with ingredients like jam and cured meat that are approaching their expiration dates?"

They were still perfectly edible and hadn't gone bad, but they had a set shelf life.

"Bread...?"

"Yes. Using the rations we eat on expeditions could be a novel idea."

"Alright, let's do that."

Once the food to be sold was decided, the tasks were divided.

Zara, Urgas, and I, along with Deputy Captain Berry, would make the bread. Amelia would be in charge of support.

Garu and Risette would make the sign for the stall.

The captain had to attend a meeting. It was decided unanimously that he would man the stall on the day of the event.

Then, they discussed what to name the stall.

I suggested a name that popped into my head.

"Bandit Workshop"

"Why!?"

The captain immediately rejected it. I thought it was perfect for a bandit selling bandit food.

"Then, how about Eagle Lion Hall?"

This was Risette's suggestion.

"It might attract the幻兽保护局, so it's rejected."

"You're so picky!"

The captain asked Urgas if he had any ideas.

"Hmm, bandit, no... hmm, bandit"

"Get away from bandits."

It seemed that Urgas's mind was also full of bandits.

This wasn't getting anywhere.

In the end, they relied on Garu for a solution.

He was wagging his tail, apparently thinking.

After a few dozen seconds, he wrote something on a piece of paper, which the captain immediately adopted.

--- Enoch Second Unit Expeditionary Meals

Since we would be making bread with the rations we usually eat on expeditions, I thought it was perfect.

As expected, Garu.

◇◇◇

It seemed that everyone had the same idea, as all the stoves and cooking areas in the kitchens were in use.

Various items were being prepared for the charity bazaar the next day.

It was a rare sight to see knights, who usually don't cook, wearing aprons and preparing food.

So, our bread-making team moved to the captain's house, where we would use the large stove.

Maria, the captain's former wet nurse, and Tony, the gardener, warmly welcomed us. There was one more servant, a tall young man. The captain's fiancée, Merina, had recommended his hiring.

"Would you like to help us?"

"Oh, thank you."

So, Maria joined me, Zara, Urgas, and Deputy Captain Berry in making the bread.

We bought regular yeast since natural yeast takes a long time to ferment.

We measured the ingredients and kneaded the dough.

During the first and second fermentation, we all cleaned the captain's house.

Once the dough was ready, we flattened it and added the remaining jam, roasted nuts, and cured pork. We then rolled the dough to enclose the fillings.

The filled dough was cut into rounds and placed on a metal sheet, then baked for about twenty minutes.

The bread came out one after another, and the house was filled with a fragrant aroma.

Just to be safe, we all tasted the bread.

First, the bread with jam.

"The forest apples are crunchy and delicious."

"Yes, this should be popular with children."

Deputy Captain Berry gave it a thumbs up.

Next, the bread with roasted nuts.

"The nuts are a bit hard."

"It's good for jaw exercise."

Urgas was munching away and said it was delicious.

Finally, the bread with diced cheese and cured pork.

"This is definitely delicious."

"It will probably be the best seller."

Zara also praised it. It was a good decision to make extra.

Maria also said it was delicious, which was a relief.

We would take these three types of bread to the charity bazaar.

Would the bread sell with the captain's intimidating customer service?

I was nervous.