★★39. What you first think about when it’s hot★★
After dinner, Sylvia, wanting to provide a refreshing and sweet dessert for the hardworking mercenaries, busily cast magic in a makeshift wooden house.
When she had some time, Sylvia took out the red bean paste she had prepared earlier and froze a generous amount of milk, which she then finely crushed using wind magic. She filled small bowls according to the number of mercenaries, generously topped them with red bean paste.
Next, she cut bananas and melons into bite-sized pieces, neatly filled the bowls, and finally, generously drizzled condensed milk on top. It would have been nice to have some rice cakes as well, but she was content with providing a refreshing treat to cool them down.
Placing each bowl carefully on a large tray, she opened the door and called out.
“Can someone help me carry these, please?”
Even after the meal was over, the mercenaries sitting around the table promptly stood up and rushed over.
“I’ll help!”
“Me too!”
Rus and John, with their green and red hair respectively, were the first to reach and picked up the tray. Sylvia, carrying a light tray herself, returned to her place, noticing Felix’s gaze fixated on the shaved ice.
His expression, open-mouthed and curious about the unfamiliar food, was almost childlike, making her laugh. It was a stark contrast to the Felix who wielded a sword as tall as Sylvia herself.
Those who managed to get their own serving of shaved ice were all staring at Sylvia, their eyes asking for an explanation about the food. With a serious expression, Sylvia began to explain, pointing at the shaved ice with her spoon.
“This is red bean paste, made from sweet beans. It’s very tasty and healthy. And these are bananas and melons. The ice isn’t just any ice, it’s made from milk.”
“What is the name of this dish?”
Brian, with his red hair and an eagerness like a studious pupil, raised his hand to ask. Sylvia smiled and replied.
“It’s more of a dessert than a dish. It’s called Patbingsu. Go ahead, try some!”
As the ice began to melt slowly, Sylvia scooped up a spoonful of milk ice with red bean paste and melon and filled her mouth. The milk ice, melting softly, met with the sweetness of the condensed milk, and the red beans, finely ground and sweetened with plenty of sugar, added to the mix. The harmony of different sweet flavors was joined by the sweetness of the melon.
It felt like all the stress was melting away. Sylvia hummed in enjoyment, her eyes closed, when suddenly a spoonful of the same concoction was taken by Felix. His eyes widened as he took a big scoop and put it in his mouth. His eyes, round and wide, blinked before he hurriedly moved his spoon again.
Hubert and Dennis also tasted it and were amazed. It felt like they were not in a hot forest but in the comfort of a home.
“It’s really delicious!”
Calvin, with his red hair and a fondness for sweets, almost cried out. The cool, melting sweetness made him shiver as he exclaimed.
“I’ve never tasted anything like this in my life! How can you make such extraordinary things, Lady Sylvia!”
“Indeed! Lady Sylvia is not just a pretty face but also a top-notch chef!”
The members eagerly took turns praising Sylvia.
“Hey, a chef? Lady Sylvia is a plant magician, you know!”
“Whether a chef or a magician, what does it matter! The important thing is that Lady Sylvia is with us!”
“That’s true.”
What would normally have been a quiet evening became lively with a hearty dinner and dessert. Dennis quickly finished his shaved ice and asked Sylvia.
“Is there any more of this?”
“Me too, I’d like some more.”
“Lovely magician! Please give me some too!”
The members playfully called out to Sylvia in the bustling atmosphere. Now that they had become quite close, their reactions were natural.
Everyone, that is, except Felix.
“Eating too much cold food can cause stomachaches.”
When Sylvia said this with a hint of refusal, the members united in their plea.
“Graceful magician! Please bestow upon us the merciful shaved ice!”
“Lady Sylvia is the best!”
“Lady Sylvia’s cooking is something even our mothers couldn’t match!”
Praise can make even a whale dance, and naturally, she couldn’t resist the compliments. And what woman would dislike being called beautiful? She was about to get up to make more, feeling pleased, when suddenly the atmosphere turned tense.
Suddenly, as if the word ‘mother’ had magically sealed their lips, everyone fell silent and looked down.
“Oh, mother…”
Someone mentioned the word ‘mother,’ and the mercenaries’ mouths were shut as if by magic. Sylvia, knowing all their circumstances, felt a pang of sadness for them. Though their situations differed from hers, they too had fled their homes.
For Felix, it was an unavoidable choice, but that didn’t change the natural longing for family. Instead of more shaved ice, Sylvia returned to her makeshift house to fetch something else.
What she brought out from the cypress wood space was the sangria she had prepared in advance. Lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and apples were stored in glass bottles with wine and left to age.
Thanks to a preservation spell, the sangria was very fresh.
Seeing dozens of wine bottles being discarded at the Duke’s house, she asked Aaron, who explained that due to a novice kitchen assistant’s mistake, the magic that stored the wine had disappeared, spoiling the wine.
Sylvia, after verifying nearly a hundred bottles, convinced Aaron to give her all the discarded wine.
Tasting it at home, she found nothing significantly wrong with it. At most, the magic in the storage room had been off for a day, so the taste hadn’t changed at all.
The wine was good on its own, but adding plenty of fruit to make sangria made it sweeter and the subtle fruit aroma made it a perfect light drink.
It seemed it would be the first day she opened that sangria.
As a snack, she thinly sliced cheese and tomatoes, drizzled them with olive oil, and filled a bowl with green and red grapes and oranges, cut for easy eating.
Seeing her confidently approaching with a large tray, Felix quickly stood up and went over to carry it for her.
“Thank you.”
Sylvia thanked Felix and went back to fetch the cups. Although they were made of wood, what mattered was the enjoyment of the drink.
The people, who had been despondently scraping the remnants of their shaved ice, all looked up at once. Believing that nothing lifts spirits like alcohol, Sylvia announced loudly.
“Instead of shaved ice, I brought sangria. It’s alcohol, but not very strong, so just have this and get a good rest tonight.”
The sight of the finely chopped fruits and cheese made everyone’s eyes widen. Felix looked curiously at the glass filled with fruits and the purple liquid. Sylvia smiled at him.
“This is alcohol. Are you okay to have some?”
At her question, Felix brought the cup close to his nose and sniffed. The sweet and tangy scent of the sangria convinced him, and he nodded.
“It seems okay.”
“Then, have it with these.”
Pushing the cheese and fruit towards him, Sylvia said. Felix felt grateful to her for taking such care with what he ate.
Unlike their first meeting, she did not treat him carelessly. Though he didn’t know why she had changed, now she looked at him with nothing but affection.
Affection…
Lost in thought, Felix was staring blankly at his cup when Sylvia exclaimed “Ah!” and took it from him. She drank from the cup and then handed it back to him, now slightly less full.
“Now you can drink.”
Why didn’t she question his hesitation?
As if she knew his secret…
Why he refused food.
That he couldn’t really taste it properly.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that she might know.
Could Eryngium have told her?
Was it pity, then, that made her look at him with such affection?
Caught in a spiral of thoughts, Felix put the cup to his lips and drank deeply. It was very refreshing with ice. The taste was just as fragrant, sweet, and tangy, with a slightly bitter aftertaste that he actually enjoyed.
Sylvia stood up again, and as Felix’s gaze followed her, she leaned in and whispered in his ear.
“I’ll go check on the kids.”
Her softly ringing voice made Felix’s hairs stand on end. Leaving the frozen Felix with his cup, Sylvia went to visit the fairies in the vine house she had made.
The fairies were all too eager to chatter away with Sylvia, who listened to each one and brought out more fruit for them to eat. After checking on all seven fairies, she was able to leave the house.
By now, she thought the mercenaries would have had their fill and started winding down. Realizing more time had passed than she thought, she quickened her pace, then stopped short. The scene before her left her speechless and standing still.
The mercenaries were all crying around the table. Some were lying face down, others were covering their faces with their arms, and still others turned their backs, all of them with faces flushed from crying.
Wondering what on earth was going on, she caught Felix’s eye. He was sitting in a chair, having turned his head towards her, leaning back.
The pale moonlight highlighted his graceful neck. His sleepy, relaxed eyes narrowed, then he abruptly stood up and strode towards her.
Standing right in front of her, he tilted his head quizzically. Wearing a shirt instead of armor, his neck and forearms were exposed, and strangely, those parts were all flushed red.
His face was pale, but all the exposed skin was red. As Sylvia was about to ask what had happened, a shadow fell over her face. Felix leaned in, touching his forehead to hers with a light bump, and slurred.
“Where were youuuu.”
Surprised by his slurred speech and elongated tone, Sylvia wondered.
“You’re drunk?”
“Hmm?”
Could it really be?
Checking the other mercenaries, she noticed the large glass bottles in front of them were empty. Those were the bottles that had been filled to the brim with sangria.
“All of it? How could you drink so much?”
No matter how low the alcohol content, if they drank it like a beverage, what would happen? The time she had spent with the fairies was at most about 30 minutes. Yet, in that time, they had emptied three large bottles of sangria. This was beyond heavy drinking.
No, not heavy drinkers.
Just completely drunk.
Sylvia clicked her tongue in disapproval.
Then, looking up at Felix in front of her, she asked.
“How much did you drink?”
Felix, who wouldn’t have touched it if she hadn’t had some, how much had he drunk to get so intoxicated? Maybe he drank unknowingly because he was drunk, but Felix’s response was different.
“You gave… it?”
Sylvia, just to be sure, asked again more precisely.
“The one I had a sip from?”
Nodding.
In response to her question, Felix nodded his head and then pressed his forehead against hers to ask again.
“Where, did you go?”
Sylvia, glaring at him as he slurred his words, relented and answered.
“I went to see the fairies.”
“Ah!”
Felix nodded with his forehead still pressed against hers, causing Sylvia’s bangs to lift upwards, seemingly convinced.
“The alcohol was incredibly weak.”
Considering he got this drunk from just one drink, it seemed best not to give Felix any mulled wine in the future.
“Go inside and sleep.”
“Ah, hahaha.”
Felix suddenly squinted his eyes and smiled, leaving her at a loss for words with his stunning appearance. She reached out to push his forehead away, contemplating what to do with it, when Felix grabbed her wrist.
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