Abel and the others returned to Porto after sunset.
They had the city gates opened for them and entered with the carriage.
The surviving criminals were thrown into prison.
The werewolf, badly wounded and further shaken by the bumpy ride, was thought likely to die but surprisingly clung to life thanks to his tenacious vitality.
Abel, Ise, and Il Haydon, the knight stationed in Reka, went together to make their report.
The Knights’ headquarters was not inside the main castle itself but in a fine stone building next to it.
It was a sturdy two-story structure, giving the impression of a small fortress.
Guards stood watch at the entrance.
For Abel, the thought of meeting his unpleasant uncle was unpleasant.
But when they entered the commander’s office, Commander Berle was absent.
Instead, Lopez and Monke were there, along with three other men who seemed to be senior knights.
Ise stood at attention and gave her report.
“We eliminated a bandit group in the town of Reka. Since they resisted, five were killed on the spot. Four were captured and brought back. None escaped.”
Acting in place of the commander, Lopez nodded with exaggerated dignity.
“Hmm. We will conduct the interrogation and trial tomorrow. To slay five men alone… well, I suppose that’s no great feat. For a non-human like Ise, dealing with mere bandits must be trivial.”
Abel bristled at that attitude.
After all the work they’d done, could he not at least say a word of gratitude?
Lopez, the eldest son, seemed to be trying to project the air of a martial man, but in his early twenties, his arrogance lacked true weight and only came off as petty and boorish.
It gave Abel a headache to think this was his relative.
At that moment, Ise calmly corrected the record.
“No. Of the bandits slain, two were killed by my squire, Abel.”
At that, both Lopez and Monke looked surprised.
Abel thought that was only natural. He was, after all, just a ten-year-old boy despite his decent build.
Monke’s expression changed sharply, and he spoke up—
“I-Im sure, Ise did all the work, and Abel just delivered the finishing blow, right? No way a brat like him could’ve handled it alone.”
Abel chose to stay silent.
It wasn’t worth arguing with Monke, who was practically dripping with insecurity.
Lopez’s handling was sloppy. He didn’t even ask for details about the incident, and that was the end of the report.
No reward, no words of thanks.
With his sullen face, Lopez also fell silent, perhaps just showing his true nature.
Having nothing more to say, Abel and the others left the room.
On the way out, Knight Il Haydon muttered resentfully:
“What rotten luck. Your credit was stolen by a non-human like Ise, and not even a reward for it.”
That, as a parting comment, was too much.
Already tired and fed up with his cousins, Abel snapped.
“Hey. You watch your mouth…”
Haydon glared with his eyes wide.
“You were the one who failed to notice the bandits. And that’s Lady Ise’s fault? Are you insulting her?”
“You little brat! A mere squire, talking back to a knight!”
Haydon’s face flushed red with anger.
Abel’s rage flared even higher.
“Squire, my ass. Fine, then duel me!”
“Wha—”
“You’re a knight, aren’t you? Why act so high and mighty? If you can kill me fair and square, then Lady Ise will take her turn with you next. And she’ll split your filthy ass and empty skull like she did those bandits! Well? Do you understand my words, oh great knight?”
Haydon was clearly shaken and confused.
A child was openly challenging him… and worse, Abel seemed serious about dueling.
And even if he beat Abel, Ise was waiting behind him.
—Yeah, you’re in a real pinch now, “Sir Knight” what’ll you do?
Abel glared.
“Ridiculous. I won’t waste my time with a child’s nonsense!”
“Then never insult Lady Ise again!”
Several of the knights’ squires noticed the argument and rushed over.
Red in the face and unable to save face, Haydon turned and left in silence. That was the end of it.
Abel and Ise stepped outside the building.
“Abel.”
“Yes.”
“If I answered every foolish remark like that, I’d have to duel every single day.”
“Yes.”
“I’m used to it. Honestly, I hardly feel emotions like anger or sadness… those things are scarce for me.”
“Yes. But it bothers me, Lady Ise. Are the commander and the other knights always like that?”
“Like that? How so?”
“I mean they don’t show any gratitude at all. We literally risked our lives, and that’s all they can say? Such petty words…”
“I’ve never cared. That’s just how it always is.”
It seemed like an everyday occurrence for Ise.
She remained calm and composed.
Her emotions were like still water…
—No, no.
I’m the one getting irritated now, and it’s making me angry.
I need to calm down.
“…Huh. That’s pretty dark.”
“Dark? What do you mean by that?”
“It means you’ve got a lot of buried darkness.”
Abel had meant it as a kind of joke, but Ise fell silent with a solemn expression.
“Ah… ahhh. I’m hungry. Lady Ise, you must be hungry too, right?”
They’d skipped lunch and had been rushing along the road, so the hunger was real.
Even Abel was craving something to eat by now.
“That’s true. But dinner time has already passed. The cooks definitely won’t be working at this hour.”
“Still, let’s just go check anyway.”
When they reached the kitchen by the dining hall, a maid was washing dishes.
A few men, who looked like cooks, were chopping vegetables.
It looked like they were prepping for tomorrow’s breakfast.
Since knights wake up early, they probably wouldn’t make it in time without prepping the night before.
That’s why they were still working this late.
Honestly, it was hard labor.
—It was the same in my previous life.
Being a chef is a tough job.
I even did kitchen duty back when I was in prison.
But I’m glad I did.
Thanks to that, I’ve been able to cook for myself after getting out.
“Um, excuse me.”
When Abel spoke up, one of the cooks whose face honestly looked like it belonged to a hardened criminal shot him a glare.
He looked to be in his forties, and his bloodshot eyes were intense.
“I told you dinner’s over! How many times do I gotta say it?! If you want food, make it yourself!”
He suddenly started shouting.
“No… that’s not it. I can use healing magic. Do any of you have injuries on your hands or anything? I’ll treat them for free.”
The cooks and the maid all stared at him like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing….“Is this guy for real?” was written all over their faces.
“I’m not lying. Even if you think it’s a trick, is there anyone I can help?”
Then, the scary-looking cook stuck out his hand.
It was wrapped in cloth, but his left index finger had a pretty deep cut.
Just as Abel had guessed.
Cooks were naturally prone to knife injuries.
Abel focused his magic on his palm and pictured the wound healing.
A soft, white light appeared.
In an instant, not only the cut but also minor chapping and other damage were completely healed.
“A-Amazing! He’s the real deal!”
Everyone around let out gasps of awe.
One of the other cooks had a burn on the back of his hand, so Abel healed that too.
The maid’s hands were rough and cracked from dishwashing, so he generously healed those as well.
The atmosphere in the room had completely turned around.
Abel spoke.
“Um, actually, I’m a squire serving one of the knights, but we were delayed on a mission and got back late. So… would it be possible for me to borrow the kitchen now? I can cook for myself. If possible, I’d also like to use some of the ingredients.”
“Oh, is that all? Sure, go ahead. Use whatever you want! Head cook Pierre here gives you permission!”
The incredibly intimidating man in his forties turned out to be the head cook.
In the kitchen, the head cook is basically like a god, so that was a reassuring green light.
—It’s really nice to have a skill like this…!
Abel let Ise know the situation had been handled and asked her to wait at their usual seat in the dining hall.
Then, in the dimly lit kitchen illuminated by candlesticks and the hearth, Abel began inspecting the ingredients.
There was pork and beef. Eggs too. Bread. Flour. Vegetables. Potatoes…
Cooking oil and salt. No sugar. But there were plenty and a wide variety of herbs.
He gathered breadcrumbs from bread scraps.
Then sliced the pork and beef thin.
He pressed them with a cloth and pounded them with a rolling pin. He kept pounding until the meat was flattened out.
He seasoned the meat with salt and herbs, then sprinkled flour and grated cheese on it.
In a wooden bowl, he beat the eggs and added a bit of water.
He dipped the prepped meat into the egg mixture, then coated it all over with breadcrumbs.
He placed a frying pan over the fire and poured in a generous amount of vegetable oil, heating it to the right temperature.
Too hot, and it would burn.
He placed the meat into the pan, let it cook for a while, then flipped it.
At the same time, he fried carrots, vegetables, and potatoes in butter.
Ideally, he wanted some sauce, but there wasn’t any.
So he made a quick sauce using vinegar, oil, meat juices, and a few herbs.
The head cook even prepared some bread and a mushroom soup for him.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
“It’s just our own staff meal. Don’t worry about it. But more importantly….hey, squire, are you a cook or something?”
“…I just copied my mother.”
That was a lie. Ayla had taught him some cooking, but cutlets weren’t part of her menu.
The truth was, it was a skill from his previous life.
“Never seen a dish like that before, but it’s well made. Mind if I have a taste?”
Abel handed him a freshly fried piece of the cutlet.
The head cook popped it into his mouth and nodded repeatedly.
“Yeah, that crunch is really satisfying. And the meat… even if it’s a bit tough, it comes out tender and easy to eat. If you had the right sauce to match it, this would be perfect!”
Abel placed the cutlet, fried vegetables, soup, and bread on a tray and brought it over to the table.
Ise was staring at the food in front of her.
“Where did this dish come from? The kitchen staff never cook outside of meal hours.”
“I made it. The soup was a favor from the head cook. Please, have some.”
“I’ve found yet another strange thing about you.”
Ise took a bite of the cutlet.
Her expression, as always, was cool and composed but it seemed just a little softer than usual.
“It’s delicious.”
“Try it with the sauce on the side. It changes the flavor.”
Following his suggestion, Ise dipped it in the improvised sauce and took another bite.
Her eyes changed slightly.
“It’s really delicious. I’ve never had a dish like this before.”
Abel tried his portion as well. Both the pork and the beef turned out excellent.
“It’s called a cutlet. It’s a taste from my hometown… I guess.”
“I see.”
After the meal, Abel was about to wash the dishes, but a female servant took care of it for him.
Ise and Abel thanked her and left the dining hall.
They brushed their teeth and returned to the room.
“Ah— I forgot…!”
“What’s wrong, Abel?”
“I meant to prepare a bed, but I completely forgot. I don’t even have a blanket.”
“Oh, that’s all? Then you can sleep with me tonight.”
“Uh… please don’t break any of my bones.”
“Depends on how you touch me.”
He wondered if Ise was joking for once, but her expression was the same as always.
Was she serious or not?
Abel tilted his head.
—For now, better not touch anything…
Ise removed her gear and undressed.
Abel quickly got to work preparing some hot water.
He took the large tub from the room, washed it thoroughly outside, then brought it back in.
He filled it with water using water magic.
Then, using heating magic, he warmed the water.
As always, Ise didn’t bother covering herself, perhaps because she still saw Abel as just a child.
Her pale skin was almost blinding.
She took off her undergarments as well, and once fully naked, began to wipe herself clean.
Ise washed her hair too.
She scooped water with a small pail and poured it over her head carefully so it wouldn’t spill out of the large tub.
She scrubbed her long black hair with her hands.
The nape of her neck looked oddly seductive.
Abel didn’t mean to stare, but he couldn’t help glancing over.
She didn’t say anything about it anyway.
It would be a waste not to look at something so beautiful.
“Ise, next time I’ll build a bath for you.”
“You mean shaping the ground with mineral magic?”
“Yes.”
“Using a lot of magic to heat that much water might be a waste.”
“Oh. My father said something similar.”
“Unless someone has an abundance of magic, no one would exhaust themselves just to take a bath.”
“I don’t really get tired just heating enough water for one person, though.”
“Hmm. Then maybe you do have a lot of magical power.”
“Is there a spell or tool to measure that kind of thing?”
“No. If anything, the standard is whether you can use powerful magic.”
Once Ise had finished washing, Abel took the remaining water in the tub outside.
He made new hot water and washed himself as well.
Unlike Ise, he was outside, so he washed up with a lot of splashing and noise.
Feeling refreshed, he returned to the room.
He locked the door from the inside.
Ise was already in bed. Abel turned off the magical light and lay down on the bed too.
He was small, so it didn’t feel cramped.
It was the first time in his life he’d shared a bed with someone other than family.
He never imagined it would be with Ise.
His heart pounded.
But maybe he was more tired than he realized, his eyelids felt incredibly heavy.
He fell asleep like a stone sinking into the sea.
***
…What is this? It’s warm?
When Abel woke up, he found himself wrapped in something soft.
It was Ise.
She was hugging him.
—Let’s just say it’s not me hugging her, but Ise hugging me.
Not that anyone’s listening…
As Abel froze up, a bell rang.
It was the first morning bell.
That signaled the start of the day for knights, squires, and soldiers.
“Ise, it’s morning.”
“…Yes.”
Ise pulled away as if nothing had happened.
She silently got out of bed.
Abel wondered if she might say something, but Ise quickly got dressed and left the room.
—What… was that?
It was yet another of Abel’s many questions.
Not that anyone was around to answer.
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