The iron door creaked, its sound echoing through the place, unmistakably signaling Barton’s arrival.
The time had already passed 8 o’clock in the evening.
Hoping to make a proper greeting this time, Fuyu had spent the entire afternoon practicing her vocal exercises.
She had eagerly anticipated surprising Barton by initiating a conversation when he brought the meal, but today, for some inexplicable reason, he arrived more than two hours late.
(What’s up with that guy, Wolf? He’s been freely chatting away all this time, but whenever I try to talk to him, he just teases me…)
“My apologies for the delay. I have brought your dinner,” Barton said with a deep bow.
Fuyu couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw an unfamiliar dinner arranged on the tray that Barton presented while still bowing.
In reality, the meals for prisoners consisted of only five different menus for breakfast and dinner.
Regarding the dinner menu:
Day 1:
Potatoes and fatty bacon, accompanied by bread. Depending on the season, it might include apples or boiled corn.
Day 2:
Potato and vegetable soup, served with bread.
Day 3:
Offal patties (infamously greasy, the most poorly regarded dish in the prison) and bread.
Day 4:
Bean soup with bread.
Day 5:
Soup with tendon meat (the most popular among prisoners) with bread.
These five options repeated endlessly.
Prisoners with money could buy food from outside, but those without had to endure these hellish meals without respite.
Fuyu also received no special treatment when it came to dinner, enduring these same meals for four years straight.
However, tonight’s meal was slightly different.
On the plate atop the tray sat a misshapen and steaming omelette.
“Please, enjoy,” Barton said.
“What is this…?” Fuyu asked.
“Eh…” Barton momentarily lost his words when Fuyu suddenly spoke, but he quickly recovered and explained as if nothing had happened.
“Well, a little incident occurred… um… I completely forgot about the Hero’s dinner! I sincerely apologize.”
Barton bowed his head once again.
However, Fuyu repeated her question, paying no attention to his gestures.
“What is this?”
“Well… all the meals for the prisoners had run out, and the cooks had already gone home. I couldn’t help it, so I sneaked into the kitchen and made it myself.”
For Barton, who had no experience in cooking, the only thing he could make was an omelette.
“The appearance might not be great, but I believe the taste is alright. Please go ahead and try it.”
“Hmm…”
Fuyu had never touched her food in the presence of the guards before.
Eating would create an opening, and she genuinely disliked being observed while eating.
In fact, she had never experienced dining with anyone before.
It was more of a personal preference, but tonight, Fuyu was slightly different.
With a hesitant hand, she picked up a spoon and scooped a bite of the omelette into her mouth.
Barton discreetly averted his gaze, trying not to watch her eat.
“It’s delicious…”
Like a released spring, Barton’s face lit up with a smile.
“I’m glad to hear that! I was really worried whether it would suit your taste or not…”
Fuyu chuckled softly, still holding the spoon.
“Finally, you’ve returned to your usual self,” She remarked.
“Huh?”
“You were unusually quiet since the afternoon today.”
Fuyu pouted slightly, expressing her dissatisfaction.
“Was I? Oh! Maybe you’re right. Actually, I’ve been lost in thought all this time. Do you remember when I told you about the incident where I was supposed to deliver a letter from a prisoner to his lover?”
“Yes, when you found it strange that someone without much charm had a lover.”
“Well, about that…”
Barton proceeded to tell Fuyu the sequence of events surrounding the incident.
While eating the omelette, Fuyu listened attentively to Barton’s story.
“So, that’s why dinner ended up being this late.”
“I see, you’ve had your share of misfortunes as well.”
Gently, Fuyu placed the spoon on the empty plate.
“Thank you for the meal……”
Fuyu bowed her head, hands clasped together; the gesture seemed unfamiliar to Barton.
“So that’s the custom in the Heavenly Realm?” he asked.
“Heavenly Realm? Ah, that’s what you call it. But never mind that. Are you injured?”
She inquired after noticing the fresh bandages that adorned Barton’s wrist.
“It’s just a scratch. Personally, having my shirt torn was actually more shocking. Shirts are valuable to a poor guard like me,” Barton replied.
“I see. I’d love to use a healing spell as a token of gratitude for the omelette, but given my current situation…”
Fuyu lifted the handcuffs, and the heavy sound of clanking chains resonated.
“No need for that. Such a minor injury is nothing to worry about,”
“Hmm, now that I think about it, you have the ability to create magic scrolls, don’t you?” Fuyu said.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Don’t you realize your own abilities? I found it strange. I may not be familiar with the culture of this world, but I’ve always wondered why a scroll master like you would be working as a prison guard,” Fuyu expressed her curiosity.
“Um, what exactly is a magic scroll?” Barton asked.
“In simple terms, it’s a piece of paper on which magic spells are written. With it, anyone can use magic,” Fuyu explained.
“Are you saying that I have the ability to create those scrolls?”
“Yes, indeed. It’s a special ability. However, it requires a certain amount of magic power and time to infuse your own magic into them,” she elaborated.
As Barton listened to Fuyu’s words, his body trembled uncontrollably.
“So, what exactly are these magic spells?” he asked.
“Hmm? Ah, I see. People in this world might not be familiar with magic spells themselves… As for you, you can speak Celestial Language, but what about writing it?” Fuyu inquired.
“I’m capable of that,” Barton replied.
“In that case, I’ll teach you a few simple spells. Bring paper and a pen with you next time you come,” Fuyu suggested.
“Thank you so much!”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Barton reached through the iron bars and grasped Fuyu’s hands.
In the past, the normal Fuyu would have reacted instantly, gouging out his eyeballs with a knife-hand strike before the other party could even hold her hands.
She might have even broken a couple of his fingers without going that far.
But on that particular evening, Fuyu couldn’t move a single finger.
“I’ll be excusing myself as I need to go for my night patrol. I’ll make sure to bring paper and a pen tomorrow. Oh, and let’s bring along a few of my favorite books too! It should help alleviate the boredom a bit,”
As he said his farewell, Barton left, expressing his joy through his entire being.
The sound of the iron door closing made Fuyu relax her shoulders. It was the first time she had experienced a man holding her hand.
She wondered why she had allowed herself to be so easily held by that prison guard, but she couldn’t find a clear answer.
Fuyu’s soft whisper echoed in the silent underground prison cell.
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