Chapter 9
“Even so…… Did I make too much? This is too much for two people to eat.”
Felix scratched the back of his head while looking at the dining table.
The young village chief soon shook his head.
“No. That won’t do. Our teacher needs to eat a lot.”
By now, she had probably finished organizing her luggage.
“Since she must be tired today, I should bring it to her myself and leave.”
It was something he said to himself, but it was absolutely right.
As the representative of the village and her employer, he had the important responsibility of taking good care of the fragile teacher.
Chirp chirp chirp.
Cricket, cricket.
When the evening crickets began joining the sound of the cicadas, Felix carried a tray with soup and bread across the garden. He arrived at the entrance of the annex and knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock.
“Teacher, dinner is ready.”
Chirp. Chirp.
“Teacher?”
There was no response from inside.
She must have fallen asleep.
“She must have been tired.”
Felix turned around without hesitation and headed back toward the main house while carrying the food.
Elderwick was not exactly a nearby place. It would have been strange if she had not collapsed from exhaustion.
Just then—
“Woof!”
From somewhere, a huge dog with golden fur came running toward Felix, its fur shining under the light.
Felix lifted the tray high above his head to avoid the dog jumping around him. The dog’s tail wagged wildly.
“Shh! Be quiet, Mimi! The teacher is sleeping!”
“Pant, pant.”
“Alright, alright! I’ll give you some meat soup. Shall we go inside and eat until our stomachs burst?”
“Woof!”
And so, the owner and his dog, who looked strangely alike, happily entered the main house together.
* * *
Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Cock-a-doodle-dooooo!
“Cock-a—cough…… hack, hack.”
“……Wow. I never thought the day would come when I would look up to a mountain chicken.”
A Black agent who had no choice but to be a morning person.
That cursed Black agent still could not sleep in even after coming to this remote mountain village.
Selin woke up at four in the morning because of the rooster’s cry.
She got up from the bed in the loft and opened the window facing the mountain behind the house.
A rooster that was enormous for a chicken stared directly at her.
“Cock?”
“……”
That thing’s eyes look a little strange.
The rooster with a long comb glared at Selin with eyes that seemed to be looking nowhere.
Strangely, the native chickens of Elderwick were twice the size of normal chickens.
No wonder its voice sounded like a train whistle.
“Four in the morning is too much! Honestly, I would understand if it was six.”
“Cock?”
The rooster tilted its head stupidly again.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock cock cock!”
“Hey. Where do you think you’re pecking?”
The crazy rooster tried to stab at Selin’s waving hand. Its beak looked almost like an eagle’s.
But Selin easily avoided the attack and closed the window.
She shook her hand and said,
“Sorry, but I’m someone who can dodge bullets.”
The rooster pecked at the window she closed, slipped, and ended up with its beak stuck in the roof.
“See? You should have a kinder heart. Look at me. Living a good life is how you live longer.”
Selin opened the window and rescued the rooster whose beak was stuck in the roof.
“Got it?”
However, perhaps because it was angry, the rooster clicked its broken beak and stared at Selin.
Wait. Did that chicken just glare at me?
The rooster flapped its wings a few times and descended.
Did that chicken just fly?
Selin rubbed her eyes several times.
The rooster was definitely spreading its wings and gliding through the air.
Even an eagle would have been stunned by that flying skill.
The rooster landed with a flutter, waddled across the backyard, and entered a large chicken coop.
Inside were countless hens.
“Wow?”
Selin leaned against the window frame and looked outside.
She had not realized it, but the backyard was actually an animal farm.
At that moment, a dog with shiny golden fur looked at Selin and barked happily.
There’s a dog too.
“Woof!”
It was almost as big as a small calf.
“Baa.”
There was also a huge sheep.
If it were not for its cry, she would have mistaken it for a white pig.
“Quack quack quack.”
Even ducks.
“That one is honestly a turkey, isn’t it?”
She had no idea what was happening.
Where did Felix even get those animals?
“Ugh. It’s cold.”
Even summer mornings in the mountains were chilly.
Selin finally closed the window.
She changed into a plain, modest dress and left the annex.
She was hungry.
Felix probably was not awake yet.
Even during farming season, there was no way he woke up at four-thirty in the morning.
I’ll just eat some leftover bread.
There should at least be a loaf of bread in the kitchen.
However, warm orange light was leaking from the main house.
No way.
The front door of the main house was slightly open.
Selin swallowed and slipped her hand through the gap, quietly pushing herself inside.
She saw a broad back moving busily in the kitchen.
It was Felix.
Selin opened the door and called him.
“Chief Felix.”
“Teacher Ravens.”
He immediately turned around.
I still can’t get used to this.
It felt as if the whole room suddenly became brighter.
Even the cold dawn air could not overcome that man’s warm and beautiful smile.
“You woke up early. Did you sleep poorly?”
“Yes. A little.”
Selin glanced toward the window.
Felix followed her gaze and spoke with an apologetic expression.
“You woke up early because of our Oscar. I should have locked him up beforehand, but I forgot. I’m sorry.”
Ah. So that eagle-like rooster was Oscar.
That chicken had a name before me.
Selin shook her head secretly and sat at the table.
“It’s fine. I usually wake up early anyway. But that rooster was really unusual. The dog, ducks, and sheep too.”
“You already saw the backyard?”
“Yes.”
“It might be because Elderwick’s environment is good…… But honestly, anything grows well when I raise it. Grandpa Herman says I’m a descendant of a great being. Funny, isn’t it?”
“A descendant of a great being?”
“He just likes telling old stories. And whenever he gets the chance, he hits me with his cane and tells me to live properly.”
Felix said that while turning around and walking toward the counter.
Selin looked at his broad back.
I think that old man might actually be right. Just looking at him, he really looks like an elf…… An elf like the imperial descendant.
She touched the pen-shaped Verilline hidden inside her sleeve without Felix noticing.
I need to find a chance to use the alchemy tool.
“It’s a little early, but would you like breakfast?”
Felix suddenly turned around and asked.
Selin hid the Verilline back in her sleeve and answered.
“Actually, I don’t usually eat breakfast. Just a piece of leftover bread from yesterday would be enough.”
During missions, she ate whenever she had the chance. If there was no opportunity, she had gone more than three days without food.
Besides, eating often upset her stomach.
Right now, perhaps because of the mountain air, her stomach felt better even without taking Lea’s medicine.
But being careful was never a bad thing.
The problem was that man.
“A piece of leftover bread? My goodness!”
Felix reacted as if the world had collapsed.
Seeing his devastated eyes, Selin felt awkward.
“I just need enough to fill my stomach.”
“You’ll collapse if you do that. You skipped dinner yesterday too, didn’t you?”
“I fell asleep without realizing it. Maybe I was still tired from the journey……”
She had slept in the carriage the entire way, but she never expected to fall asleep so early.
Ever since she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, her body had become more vulnerable to exhaustion.
“You said you wanted to learn cooking, didn’t you?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Flutter.
Suddenly, Felix spread a white cloth high into the air.
Selin watched it without realizing.
I’ve seen this before! In Newmabel!
The cloth floating in the air landed perfectly around Felix’s slim waist.
After tying the apron tightly, Felix looked at her and said,
“To become good at cooking, you have to eat delicious food first.”
His appearance was impressive.
Even more impressive than the famous chefs of Newmabel.
So much that she almost forgot about the Verilline hidden in her sleeve.
“……Is that so?”
“Of course! And more importantly, Teacher, you need to stay healthy. You are the precious treasure of our village.”
Felix winked.
For some reason, Selin’s heart gave a strange little shock.
“T-Treasure?”
All her life, she had only heard words like “tool,” “shadow,” or “dog” from the imperial family……
But treasure?
Was he making fun of her?
“You are the person who will create the future of the village children. Of course you’re a treasure. Though I think even that word is not enough.”
He placed his hand on his waist and looked down at her seriously.
“I will make food only for you, Teacher.”
Selin felt embarrassed and strange.
Maybe because this was the most polite threat she had ever received in her life.
He’s saying that much…… I guess I can’t refuse.
“I’ll try eating a little. Thank you.”
“You made the right choice. Please wait, Teacher!”
Felix ran toward the counter beside the table, his golden-brown hair fluttering.
I’m the one eating, so why is he more excited than me?
Selin sat at the table and watched his unfamiliar side profile.
She had watched chefs cooking at famous restaurants in Newmabel from afar, but this was the first time she had seen it this close.
Her role had only been preparing and managing ingredients beforehand.
It was all just a way to gain the head chef’s trust and access the secret storage room.
What? His hair is sticking up.
Two strands of Felix’s golden-brown hair stuck upward like tiny horns of a baby sheep.
He took out a cutting board in that state.
With a spin, he flipped the knife in the air and caught it.
Then he smiled at her.
Without realizing it, Selin smiled back.
Watching her expression carefully, Felix suddenly said,
“When you smile so beautifully, it feels like the kitchen becomes brighter. I must be doing well, right?”
He really knew how to say things like that.
Selin cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Hmm. It sounds like you’re telling me to eat a lot.”
“It means you can look forward to it.”
Felix grabbed an apple from the basket on the counter.
But Selin’s eyes remained fixed on something else.
That horn-like hair is really bothering me.
“Yes. But wait a moment.”
Selin pushed her chair back and stood.
Then she walked toward the counter where Felix was standing.
“W-Why are you coming over?”
Felix’s eyes widened.
Her face was so close that he could clearly see the faint freckles on her pale skin.
“Excuse me.”
Her purple eyes shone.
Her hand gently brushed over the top of his head.
A slight warmth remained where her soft touch had passed.
“……”
Felix stopped breathing.
Selin smiled in satisfaction.
“Now it’s better.”
Felix’s sky-blue eyes trembled, unable to find where to look.
