Chapter 72

After concluding the meeting to discuss the expedition to the Yugrosh Salt Lake, Odilon, Zachary, and Patrice left the room, bickering among themselves (or rather, Patrice was talking unilaterally). To inform Natalie and Lillian, who were with Melfiella, that the meeting had ended, I sent a messenger bee.

"Still, to bring that young lady from the north on the expedition, Sir, that’s quite a bold move."

Giril, the commander of the Yugrosh Fort, glanced at me while summarizing the newly decided strategy on a piece of paper. As the leader of the expedition, he had a lot of preparations to make and was probably feeling the additional stress of having to be more considerate. Scratching his short, light brown hair, he grunted while looking at the rough sketch.

"By 'bringing her,' I mean only to the base, Giril. We will have enough personnel, so there’s no need to worry. Besides, she will only observe the expedition from a safe distance using a far-seeing spell. Lady Melfiella’s role will be after the expedition."

"How many knights will want to eat the centipede crab after the expedition? Well, Assistant Chaos will eat it, though."

Giril made a rather indescribable face at Chaos’s response.

"I have actually eaten Lady Melfiella’s magical ingredient dishes and trust their taste. Right, Captain Myran, Chief Ambry, Zeph?"

At Chaos’s call, Myran and Ambry, who had also eaten Melfiella’s magical ingredient dishes, nodded vigorously. Even Zeph, who used to be a picky eater, looked happy, saying, "Next time, I’m going to get an Underbrick to eat."

Then, Chaos took something from his pocket, bit into it, and offered another to Giril.

"Would you like to try it?"

"It’s dried meat, right? I don’t like sweet things, but I welcome this kind of snack."

Giril took the dried meat and bit into it without hesitation. Watching him chew, Chaos had a rather lecherous smile. I recognized that dried meat.

"Hmm, this is spicy and delicious. It’s very well seasoned. The more you chew, the more the flavor comes out. Is this a new portable ration?"

Yanish from Azaroth Fort, who had been listening to the comments, extended his hand to Chaos.

"Give me one too."

"Can’t be helped, I suppose."

Yanish, who bit into it boldly, shouted, "Delicious!" and stuffed the rest into his mouth. After they had thoroughly enjoyed the dried meat, Chaos muttered to no one in particular.

"This is Lady Melfiella’s homemade 'dried Scatzbit meat.' I particularly like the spicy kick and the meat’s flavor."

"Cough! Cough!"

Giril choked dramatically at the fact Chaos revealed with a smug look. Yanish, who had already eaten it all, opened his mouth wide in surprise with one eye wide open.

"Chaos… didn’t you use it all for analysis?"

I stood up and confronted Chaos. The dried Scatzbit, seasoned with crushed Berber berries and other spices, had a unique taste that made you want to keep eating. I wondered why it was here.

"I did analyze the components. This is the leftover."

"This is what I received as a gift."

"You’re the one who eats it without testing for poison."

"Don’t act like you’re better when you’re a picky eater yourself."

Glaring at Chaos with a half-closed eye, he turned away with a feigned look. Myran, Ambry, and Zeph, who didn’t know about the dried meat, also looked at Chaos with a reproachful gaze.

"Lady Melfiella can make more if you ask her."

"Scatzbits only live in the Martial Raid."

"There are similar Jetzbits, though."

"That’s not the same!"

This was the first magical creature food I received from Melfiella, a memorable gift. Knowing Chaos, he probably hid it in his room. I would have to confiscate it later.

"Um, Assistant Chaos, this won’t make us sick… right?"

Giril cautiously placed his hand on his stomach. He was one of the knights who had reluctantly eaten a magical creature before and was probably remembering that experience. His face was pale.

"There’s no problem. Melfiella uses a magic circle to extract all the magic power. I’ve eaten magical creatures prepared by Melfiella many times and have never had any digestive issues or health problems. The Martial Raid survived the disaster seventeen years ago thanks to this magical creature food. That’s an undeniable fact."

"…What an extraordinary person. Indeed, she is beneficial to Galbreath, but…"

Giril hesitantly looked at Ducas and Yanish. Ducas’s hometown was destroyed by a maddened magical beast, and Yanish had his eyes gouged out by a magical beast. Giril himself had been tormented by magical creatures at the Yugrosh Fort. Each person had their own thoughts, and as Melfiella had said, it would take time for everyone to accept her. However,

"I see… so they can be decent food if prepared properly."

Yanish, with his single blue magic eye, muttered with an unusually intense gleam.

"That means we can eat the Dreamvanteer too. Right, it must be delicious… even though it took my eyes, if I eat it, I win, right?"

I had always thought of Yanish as a dangerous battle maniac, but he was even more dangerous than I imagined. However, he was also quite considerate and had considerable skills.

The Dreamvanteer, the lord of the Galvers Mountain Range far beyond the Elsanie Great Forest, has a dangerous appearance, like a combination of a dragon and a lion. It usually doesn’t come down from the mountains, but during the disaster seventeen years ago, it came to Midleague. Yanish, who was a child at the time, was saved by the former duke when he was attacked by the Dreamvanteer. Although they managed to drive it back to the mountains, the Dreamvanteer has been Yanish’s nemesis and a target he must hunt ever since.

At that moment, the messenger bee I sent to Melfiella returned. The blue bee landed on my finger and responded in Natalie’s voice.

"Sir, what is Lady Melfiella doing?"

"She returned to her room, changed, and went to see the wolfs. She’s going to feed the wolf pups."

I had planned to meet with the fort commanders during dinner if Melfiella was available. Hearing this, Ducas stood up and looked at me directly.

"I want to meet the young lady as she is."

Ducas, who had ignored the topic of the dried Scatzbit meat, apparently hadn’t given up.

"Fool. Even though the marriage hasn’t been finalized, Melfi is the daughter of the Earl of Martial Raid. Don’t impose your convenience or circumstances on her."

As expected, Ducas tried to pressure me to let him meet her immediately, so I firmly rejected him. Ducas was not in a calm state. However, as a knight from a generation that had been neglected and had a bias against nobles, I understood his stance. Without the expectation of dowry or financial support, he would oppose any young lady I brought. Even after being glared at by Chaos and apologizing, "I apologize for overstepping," Ducas’s face showed no sign of agreement.

"Still, there’s time until dinner."

Checking the clock, it was just before the fifth hour of the evening. The dining hall would be crowded with knights from the sixth to the seventh hour, and it would be quiet enough to eat after the seventh hour. During this time, the fort commanders might wander around the castle and accidentally run into Melfiella. I considered that it might be fine to let them meet now.

"Melfi won’t take long to get ready. But, Blanche, what do you think?"

"I think Lady Melfiella should be properly prepared, but… she shares your thoughts, Sir, and dislikes elaborate preparations that take time."

Blanche, Melfiella’s guard, who also handled her daily arrangements with Lady Laforgue, had insight into Melfiella’s various situations that I didn’t know. Melfiella, who was dedicated to her research, often neglected her daily life and even boasted that changing clothes multiple times a day was a waste of time.

At that moment, Ambry and Zeph raised their hands enthusiastically to speak.

"What is it, you two? Zeph is one thing, but Ambry too?"

Unlike Zeph, who spoke his mind clearly, Ambry was thoughtful and reserved. I first prompted Ambry, who paused for a moment before speaking.

"Forgive me, Sir, but I think Lady Melfiella wouldn’t mind whether it’s now or later. She might be more concerned about those who weren’t invited to this meeting. Natalie has told me that she often says she wants to be of service to you."

"That’s right, Sir. Lady Melfiella came to Galbreath alone, so she must be very anxious. We know she’s trying hard to get used to this place as quickly as possible."

I hadn’t expected to be lectured by Zeph, but the knights who had eaten the magical creatures Melfiella prepared with Loyamoodler and Zanas, and those who had witnessed the wolfs’ incident, respected her. Even Myran, who usually kept to himself, advised, "It’s best to get unpleasant tasks over with quickly!" with a carefree smile. I decided to take the volunteers to Melfiella… but then,

The regular sounds of "Thud, Squish, Thud, Squish" echoed through the wide courtyard. The adult wolf lay on its side, slowly wagging its tail, showing no signs of alertness.

"Thud, Squish, Thud, Squish, Thud…"

Under the sky turning a light purple, Melfiella was mindlessly preparing the Mors. The "Thud" was the sound of cutting off the Mors’s head, and the "Squish" was the sound of pushing out its innards. She had changed into her usual work clothes and was wearing an apron borrowed from the kitchen, which was stained red with Mors’s blood and something else.

Effortlessly and methodically, Melfiella dissected the Mors. Natalie, who was next to her, skillfully skinned the headless Mors, and Lillian, waiting by a large wooden tub, washed the naked Mors clean. Nearby, the wolf pups were gnawing on the Mors.

"Is that red-haired girl the Earl of Martial Raid’s eldest daughter?"

Ducas, with a tense expression, blinked repeatedly and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes. Isn’t she skilled? She dissects the magical creatures herself. Don’t you think her movements are very efficient?"

"She’s been through a lot of practice… she’s really good, isn’t she?"

Unlike Ducas, Yanish seemed to like Melfiella in his own way (though his comments were dangerous and needed caution). The small kitchen chief was stuffing vegetables and grains into the cleaned Mors’s belly, apparently preparing for dinner.

"I see, stuffing the Mors instead of a bird. I’m looking forward to today’s meal."

Chaos, who was a picky eater, was eagerly watching the new magical ingredient dish.

"Ha!? Stuffing the Mors, are you serious? That’s a proper magical creature!"

"I’ll help!"

"Wait, Zeph. You can only make porridge properly, right?"

"Hey, Myran. I’ve been studying cooking seriously lately. Don’t think I’ll always be a picky eater."

Zeph, who had overcome his picky eating, ran to Melfiella. Myran and Ambry followed.

"Lady Melfiella, leave the heavy work to us."

"Ah, Zeph, Ambry, and Myran too."

"I’ll do my part to get a good meal."

"Thank you all. Zeph and Myran, can you separate the bones and meat? Ambry, can you find a use for this small skin?"

Melfiella, who was happily chatting with everyone, suddenly looked up. Noticing me, she waved the freshly decapitated Mors and smiled.