193 - - reunion and solicitation

The campsite of the Storm Peak Alliance was a hut built on stilts in the middle of a swamp.

The first floor consisted only of thick buried wooden pillars, and the second floor was directly accessible by a long, wide ladder.

Unlike other encampments, this is the first one with a solid roof and walls.

However, it is less than half the size of the other campsites, perhaps due to a lack of lumber.

However, it seems to be able to accommodate about ten people if it is just barely packed.

Inside the not so spacious hut, there are curtains separating the rooms, and a number of bunk beds are lined up in the back.

There are chairs and a large table in the front, and shelves on the wall for storing luggage.

The luggage of Thor and the others was also placed there.

On the opposite side of the shelves was the kitchen, which was too small for just one person to stand.

A table was set up next to a large water jar with a heating board and a cutting board.

Sausages and leather bags hang from strings overhead, and pots and wooden ladles hang at equal intervals from the walls.

Standing in the small, well-kept kitchen was a familiar woman.

Her bright, eye-catching green wings protruded softly from either side of her head.

She was smaller than Sola in height, but her chest and waist seemed to overtake them.

Her wide forehead and large eyes with their drooped corners make her look young, but she is a full-grown woman.

Without stopping her hand, Chita, the younger sister, calls out to the returning Chiru and the others in a slow tone of voice.

"Come on, go get dressed. Dinner is ready!

At these words, the shieldmen, who had placed their leather sacks full of silversmith's mud on the floor, took off their helmets at once.

They remove each other's armor and hurry to the bedroom behind the curtains.

Chiru, who had hooked his bow and quiver to the wall, sat down in a chair and motioned for Thor and the others to sit down as well.

But the two hungry and curious people were not going to settle down so easily.

Sora and Moo, attracted by the smell, immediately clung to Chita's back while he was cooking.　

"Wow, that smells good. What are you cooking?　Chita-san."

"Sola, are you a shiranui?"

"Look, it's your sister from our adventures together in the big ants' nest!"

"Oh, you're the girl with the big nose!　Aren't you on the Kyouhou?"

"If you're a dragon, you're staying outside the swamp!"

Despite his calm manner of speaking, Chita quickly transfers the vegetables from the pot that was simmering on the heating board to a plate.

Then she scooped the contents of the other pot with a wooden ladle and poured it generously over the steaming round potatoes, onions, green beans, and black mushrooms.

The two onlookers' eyes lit up at the aroma that immediately overflowed into the air, and they squeezed each other's hands tightly.

Sola excitedly asked what the thick yellowish sauce was.

"Is this cheese?

"That's right~"

"Is it ready yet?　Can I eat it?

"Not yet!"

Chita's hand reaches out and a slice of smoked meat and a slice of black bread, which had been cut up, are placed on the edge of the plate.

The Suiba woman nodded lightly and handed the finished dishes to Sora and the others.

"Yes, it's ready! Can you bring it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Bon appétit!"

"Moo-chan, we'll wait until everyone's here."

"Not yet. I don't think it's time for you to sit still, Tor-chan!"

Chiru and Thor, who looked at each other with a wry smile in response to the child's reprimand, stood up and helped carry the food.

The plates are distributed to everyone and the cups are filled with wine.

Only Sora and Moo have water with squeezed tangerine juice.

The center plate is filled with shredded and salted cabbage.

"Then give thanks for the blessings of the wind and the support of the earth."

After the prayer, the meal begins.

First, we dip the sour black bread into the melted cheese and chew it slowly.

Thor nodded his head without saying a word, as the combination of the two flavors, which had a habitual flavor, had gone silent and only enhanced each other's deliciousness to the fullest.

Next, he takes a bite of the sweet potato and the smoked meat, along with the cheese.

The new faces of the familiar foods made his face relax unconsciously again.

Thor, who had refreshed his palate with the wine, let out a sigh of satisfaction.

When he looks up, his eyes meet those of Chita, who seems to have been watching him closely.

The maiden, her green wings ruffled, smiled at him.

"How was Gran's cooking?

Chiru spoke to me in a good mood just as my stomach was growling.

Gran is the name of the nation of the Tea Horn tribe, located in the southwest of the central country.

It has many mountains and canyons, and is a popular place for sheep farming, and is famous for its cheese and sausages.

"Yes, it was delicious. Thank you.

"I see. That's good. I don't hesitate to accept good food no matter where it comes from.

With these words, Chiru's eyes pass over Thor to Yuril.

"I used to think that ice magic would only make me a little cooler, but today I've completely lost that idea.

"Well, thank you very much."

The ash-eared woman, who had been elegantly sipping from a cup of wine, lifted her downcast gray eyes.

Chiru, who had been looking at her, flinched a little, but continued to speak.

"To tell the truth, I'm surprised that such a master has never been known before. I've done a bit of digging through our temple's archives ......."

After a pause, Chiru continues.

"The only people who came up were adventurers who were active a long time ago. Do you know him as Euralir of the Frozen White, the Ice Master?

"That's my grandmother's name, isn't it?"

Without changing his expression in any way, Yuril tried to cover up his past.

However, he noticed that Thor and the others lifted their eyebrows at the name they had never heard before, and only the tips of his long ears began to turn red.

"It's one of ours, after all. Hmmm... You have a wonderful lineage. Legend has it that you can freeze everything to white with the flick of a wand. I thought it was just a tale of puffed feathers, but judging from the way Lord Yuril fights, I guess it wasn't a lie at all."

"No, I think you are exaggerating a bit. It was not to that extent.

"Oh, you actually saw it?"

"Oh, no, my grandmother said so."

Chiru looked at Yuril, who was unusually at a loss for words, and opened his mouth again.

"You have great beauty and excellent skills, but you have such a humble appearance. He is a gem that we would like to see join the Arashibo alliance. No, to tell you the truth, I'd like her to be my wife.

"Oh, you've come out of nowhere."

This is too hasty. Well, you'll get to know us. But I hope we can come to a decision soon.

"I am honored by your offer, but I respectfully decline the marriage."

After stating it clearly, Yuril looked at Thor as if to reassure him.

Chiru, too, knew the answer, and without any sign of depression, he now turns the topic to Thor.　

"I guess you've been rejected after all. Then, how about a wife for you, Mr. Hero of the Mud Hunt?　I have a pretty good recommendation for you here."

Chiru, the elder brother, nods confidently while pointing his gaze at Chita who is sitting next to him.

He is lovely to look at and has a good personality.

He is also an adventurer with the rare talent of having two trees.

There is no doubt that he will be very popular.

But the refusal was immediate.

No! Thor already has a wife.

"Oh, really?　Mr. Toll."

"No, I've never heard of it. ......"

"Ohane-chan, are you coming with Tor-chan?　Moo is going to get a kick out of this!　Also, I'd like another cup of cheese, please!"

"Moo-chan, you betray me!"

"Moo is always the way to have a delicious meal!"　

The Suiba siblings looked at each other and lifted the edges of their lips in amusement as Thor and his friends continued their conversation without pausing to interject.