“Look at those clouds in the sky. Don’t they look a bit like white clams? The round and curled shape, just like clamshells.”
Following her slender finger, Felix’s gaze slid down. The natural closeness of their heads touching made Sylvia giggle.
“And that one over there looks like a banana, right?”
To Felix, they were just clouds, but listening to her, they really seemed to resemble what she described.
“Um, that one is…”
Still not finished, she kept chattering away, and Felix quietly watched her. He lost interest in the clouds. Only Sylvia, who was laughing brightly and bursting into refreshing laughter beside him, was visible.
Felix felt very light-hearted for the first time in a long while. His heart, always filled with something heavy, felt as light as those clouds for the moment.
Impulsively, he raised his hand and enveloped her hand which was still pointing at the sky. He wrapped her small hand fully with his. Slightly startled, her hand twitched, and he held it tighter. Then, he looked up at the sky just like her.
Sylvia, startled by her hand being grabbed, couldn’t look at the sky anymore.
She didn’t understand why there was suddenly so much physical contact. He was always somewhat grabby, but this kind of ticklish… this kind of physical contact didn’t seem usual…
Feeling sweaty, she wriggled her fingers, and he gripped tighter.
Sylvia forced herself to look at the sky, thinking,
‘This feels strange.’
★★44. Farewell★★
The fairies returned and conveyed their tales to Sylvia and Felix. Her anticipation proved accurate. Eryngium, Asta, and Daisy, who had first ventured in the direction of the incoming water, reported back that the journey was too lengthy to continue.
Yet, there was an unexpected yield.
[It was definitely the aura of Lord Aethernum. The closer we followed the waterway, the stronger the flow of Lord Aethernum’s aura became.]
[Indeed.]
Upon hearing the trio’s narrative, Felix’s brow furrowed slightly. This could mean that the place where Lord Aethernum rests might be connected to here.
Clover and Poppy, who had ventured to the cave where the water drained, reported discovering another lake. They noted it was not as far as anticipated, possibly due to navigating through the caves.
Sylvia, nodding along as she listened, glanced at Lupinus and Calmia. The two fairies reported as if they had been waiting.
[The bottom was completely covered.]
[Ah, and the gemstone Felix threw seemed to have found its place. We found it in the center of the lake. The conch was moving upwards on its own!]
Sylvia felt relieved yet amazed that the lake had filled up so quickly despite the large amount harvested just the day before. It was reassuring that the food supply for the villagers wasn’t limited.
Felix saw her sigh softly.
[Sylvia, we’re so hungry!]
The seven fairies, clutching their tiny bellies, fluttered around her. Sylvia decided to treat the fairies, who had completed their mission successfully, to something delicious.
“Alright, since each of you fulfilled your tasks! I’ll make something tasty for you!”
Other members of the mercenary group had gone out for reconnaissance. They had been given packed lunches, so it was only Sylvia, Felix, and the fairies remaining to eat here. She thought about serving dinner to the villagers later, as they would be busy tidying up.
Returning to where the tents were, Sylvia sat at the table and took out a cast iron pan from her subspace bag. Since there were fewer people, she planned to cook directly at the table.
She prepared a few large glass plates, knives, and forks in advance. Considering it was slightly past lunchtime, she decided on a simple menu.
Toast and butter, along with various cheeses, were taken out. Butter was placed on the pan, followed by toast. Then, she took out a grater and furiously grated cheese using wind magic as little as possible.
Felix, seeing her cook with her hands for the first time, was fascinated. Sylvia had always used just a flick of her fingers before, so his gaze was fixed on her.
The cheese was piled higher than the thickness of the toast, then another slice of bread was placed on top and more butter was added before flipping it. Despite seeming trivial, the cheese sandwich was incredibly tasty. Grating cheese also proved to be surprisingly therapeutic for stress relief.
She simultaneously made a salad. Lettuce, bell peppers, and celery were tossed with lemon dressing. The dressing included olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic and onions, a bit of sugar and salt, and pepper.
Pineapple and mango jam were also served on the side.
Sylvia then prepared various fruits for the fairies to enjoy and took out corn tea. Only then did she serve the cheese sandwich, cut diagonally.
“Enjoy your meal, Felix.”
Felix, who naturally took the seat beside her, cautiously picked up the fork and knife. It was the first time food was specifically made for him, not just something she was eating.
Despite trusting her, his hands trembled slightly. Sylvia noticed but waited patiently.
She believedn he could eat on his own today. Otherwise, Felix would have already pushed his plate aside and stared intently at the food on her plate.
But he didn’t do that and slowly brought the fork and knife to the cheese sandwich.
Crunch.
After cutting a small piece of the cheese sandwich, Felix slowly placed it in his mouth. Sylvia, putting her portion aside, watched intently. The fairies also watched, holding their favorite fruits in both hands, dumbfounded.
Felix chewed the cheese sandwich slowly. His jaw stopped moving, and he swallowed, though his long black eyelashes still fluttered nervously.
Sylvia asked gently.
“How is it? Tasty?”
Felix, still holding the fork not far from his mouth, nodded slowly.
“Uh…”
He tasted the savory flavor.
The crispy texture was pleasing. He nodded again and sliced another piece of the cheese sandwich, this time not slowly, and chewed. Sylvia, with a wide smile, took the knife and fork and served him some salad, saying,
“Try the salad too.”
“Okay.”
Watching him respond, Sylvia looked at him proudly for a moment, then put a sandwich in her mouth and hummed. It was always a simple yet delicious choice.
“It’s really tasty.”
The jam, when eaten together, was sweet and savory, seemingly endless in its appeal.
If it felt slightly rich, the lemon-dressed salad cleansed the palate, allowing for another round of cheese sandwich and jam, an endless loop.
Felix found courage.
And hope.
Someday, returning to the palace, he dreamt of having a splendid meal face-to-face with her…
To offer praise to her cooking with his fully returned sense of taste and to enjoy it together. Of course, he was happy to be with her now, but still, he couldn’t help but want more.
Watching Felix eat deliciously, the fairies teared up.
Lupinus and Calmia, among them, smiled brightly, shedding tears like glass beads. After eating to their heart’s content and sipping corn tea for dessert, Lupinus and Calmia flew to Sylvia.
Two fairies sat side by side on Sylvia’s shoulders, chattering away.
[Calmia really likes Sylvia!]
[I like you a lot too.]
Though the words were cheesy, Sylvia’s face was filled with smiles.
“I like you too.”
Giggling as she responded, Felix, who had been staring at her, asked,
“What about me?”
Sylvia choked on her drink at his question.
“Cough, ack.”
Felix hurriedly patted her back.
“Are you okay?”
Waving her hands frantically, she replied,
“I’m, I’m okay.”
Embarrassed and surprised, her face flushed. Noticing Sylvia’s reddened cheeks and face, Felix handed her his glass.
“Drink this.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Taking small sips, Sylvia sighed and set down the glass.
“Ah, let’s get this sorted.”
Worried that Felix might ask another odd question, Sylvia hurriedly moved. Felix looked at her suspiciously.
Then, Lupinus and Calmia flew back and sat on Sylvia’s shoulders.
[You know, Sylvia.]
“Yeah, what?”
[I really want to eat ice cream made from peaches. Can you make it just for me? Don’t give it to the others!]
It was the first time they had made such a detailed request, asking for something just for themselves. Sylvia stopped what she was doing and turned slightly to look at Calmia.
Her long, pink hair was longer than the fairy’s body. Her pale pink eyes were round and adorable. Her twitching nose was pointed, and her lips were so small, they were exceedingly cute.
Calmia’s petals were delicately attached, looking just like a skirt, and her wings, like bright pink petals, seemed more like the afterimage of light.
Staring at Calmia, who was twitching her nose coyly, Lupinus, who was sitting on her opposite shoulder, spoke to Sylvia.
[I want banana-flavored ice cream. And I want rolled omelet with a sweet taste.]
Sylvia had once made them such dishes, catering to the fairies’ love for sweet flavors.
Wondering why they were asking so directly, Lupinus flew in front of Sylvia’s eyes.
Contrary to her usually mature tone, Lupinus’s curly, lemon-yellow hair fell all the way to her toes.
Her yellow eyes were always filled with kindness. The hem of her dress, adorned with small yellow flower buds, fluttered with the fairy’s movements. Her pale yellow wings fluttered gently.
Sylvia thought such requests were not too difficult and nodded.
“Alright, wait a bit.”
Deciding to oblige, she grew crisp peaches, washed them, and finely chopped them with a gust of wind. Then, taking out milk and cream, she stirred them with the finely chopped peaches and gradually froze them with ice magic.
The round peach ice cream was placed in a small cup. Seeing the fairy-sized portion, Calmia beamed with a wide smile.
[Thank you, Sylvia!]
Sylvia chuckled at the sight of them sitting in front of the ice cream with a fairy-sized spoon. Following the same method, she made banana ice cream for Lupinus and placed it in front of her.
[Thank you so much, Sylvia.]
Gently stroking the fairy’s hair with a soft smile, she mixed the egg mixture. The wind magic spun the yellow liquid in mid-air, sparkling as it caught the sunlight. She seasoned it with sugar and salt, adding a bit of water.
Now, she could make rolled eggs with magic alone, without a pan. Using fire and wind magic, she cooked it through, rolling it neatly. Sylvia then cut it into bite-sized pieces and placed one on a small plate in front of Lupinus.
Lupinus smiled brightly at the sight of the yellow rolled eggs made without vegetables, just eggs.
[Really, I’m grateful to you.]
The two fairies, always expressing their gratitude, were adorable.
Felix sneakily picked up a fork and poked at a piece of the rolled egg. He sniffed it, blew on the hot steam, and carefully put it in his mouth.
The soft texture was delightful. The savory and sweet flavors of the egg dispersed smoothly in his mouth. One piece led to another, quickly disappearing. The sight of small hands busily moving to eat the ice cream and rolled egg was adorable.
It was unbearably cute.
Just then, the sound of the mercenary troop returning was heard. Hearing the vigorous sound of horse hooves, Sylvia stood up. She waved and greeted the mercenaries, led by Hubert.
“Welcome back, good work!”
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