“Are you enjoying the bird, Captain Ludtink?” I asked a little hesitantly.
“Damn, it’s good!” he said, grinning. “I didn’t expect this.”
I was glad to hear he liked it. The other members followed suit, using their knives to cut off pieces for themselves.
Vice Captain Velrey’s eyes went wide. “I can’t believe this is the same creature we always eat.”
“We’ve been eating it wrong all this time! This is so good!” Clearly, Ulgus was enjoying it too.
Garr’s eyes were wide and sparkling with delight. I felt a sense of relief, knowing he’d come to appreciate the taste of the wild birds.
I decided to dig in next.
I removed the bird’s thigh and dug my knife into its back, letting the fat ooze out.
By slicing the meat into small bites, I could taste the flavor of the bird, bread pieces, and black pepper mushrooms I’d stuck in its stomach all at once.
“Delicious!”
My eyes went wide at the sheer wonder of flavors in my bite. I tried to clearly express my thoughts, but all that came out was a pleased “Eheheh!”
This was what food was all about! The bread was soaked in the bird’s fat, making it melt in my mouth. The gentle rosemary flavor was perfect when paired with the rich black pepper mushrooms.
My serving of meat wasn’t that large. But since it came with bread on the inside too, it was more than enough to fill me up.
My squadmates seemed to prefer to leave some room in their stomach.
After we finished eating, I learned that we had already completed our mission. We were finally able to return to the capital.
I couldn’t help cheering loudly.
“Ah, Captain Ludtink. May I ask you something before we go back?”
I decided to get an answer to the question that had been weighing on my mind ever since that morning.
“What is it, Wild Rabbit?” he asked.
“Do you have a blister on your foot, or something like that?”
“…Why’d you think that?”
“Maybe I’m wrong, but I noticed your body was leaning to one side earlier. So I wondered if your foot was hurting you…”
I quickly donned my cap, worried he might go for my ears again if I was wrong.
Captain Ludtink continued to stare at me with his mouth hanging open.
“Was I…wrong?”
“No,” he said. “That’s exactly right. I burst a blister during that last fight.”
“I see.” In that case, it fell under my work duties. I rolled up my sleeves. “All right, then. Please take your boots off so I can apply a medicinal poultice.”
“Huh?! Right here?” he asked.
“Of course. You’ll feel much better once I’m done.”
His eyes remained wide as saucers as he stared down at me. He sat down and removed his boot when I pressed him to hurry.
“But I haven’t bathed or anything…” he muttered.
“And that bothers you?” I asked, trying not to smirk. “I didn’t think you were so delicate.”
So Captain Ludtink really is a knight, not a bandit. I mentally apologized for calling him the head bandit all this time.
Captain Ludtink kept his foot tucked away from me, seeming strangely embarrassed about the whole thing.
“It’s all right,” I said, smiling. “I’ve taken care of my father and grandfather like this for years.”
The men of my village spent days camping out in the mountains hunting big game. By the time they arrived back home, the blisters on their soles were in such terrible states.
✦ ✦ ✦
The magic doctor in my village had taught me how to make a medicinal poultice that helped to fully heal a blister.
I combined some of the herbs I’d brought from home with water and kneaded them together.
First, I washed the bottom of Captain Ludtink’s foot with water. Then I wiped it dry and began applying the poultice.
“Ow!!” His face twisted in pain and he glared at me.
“I’m only treating your injury!” I chided.
Ahhh, this is a blast! I slathered on more and more of the poultice, enjoying dishing out this payback for him calling me Wild Rabbit this whole time.
After that, I let his foot sit for a few minutes before cleaning off the poultice.
“How does that feel?” I asked.
“Well…it’s a whole lot better,” he admitted. “The pain’s not nearly as strong now. I feel like I’ve got more energy too!”
“The bottom of your foot contains many pressure points,” I explained. “It’s said that stimulating them helps your body feel more relaxed.”
“You don’t say… Is that another piece of Fore Elf wisdom?”
“Of course!”
Since the herb poultice seemed to help Captain Ludtink, I followed up by applying some to Vice Captain Velrey and Ulgus as well. But since Garr’s energy seemed to be at its usual level and he didn’t particularly enjoy the herbs’ smell either, I decided not to force any poultice on him.
✦ ✦ ✦
🍔🍔🍔
WE arrived back at the knight dormitories after our two-day-long trip. I was covered in quite a bit of grime and dirt, so I was eager to get in the bath as soon as possible.
Captain Ludtink dismissed us when we arrived at the dorm gates. But just as I was about to head toward the women’s dorm, he called out to me.
“Hey, Wild Rabbit.”
“Yes?”
Whoops. I didn’t mean to respond to that.
“Is somethin’ bothering you?”
“You always get my name wrong! My name is Mell Risurisu—not Wild Rabbit! On top of that, you shoved a headless bird in my face. Oh, and you even flicked my ears! I didn’t appreciate any of that.”
“Th-That was just…!” he sputtered.
But then, in a weak voice, he murmured, “I’m sorry.” As a generous soul, I decided to forgive him.
Still, I was surprised to learn he’d been concerned about me. I silently apologized once again for calling him “the head bandit.”
Our conversation ended, and I was finally free to do as I pleased.
The dorms had large bathtubs full of steaming hot water. I could barely imagine such luxury!
In my village, we boiled water in a pot and added cold water to it to bathe. I only ever got to soak in a bathtub once or twice a month. And the cold water came from our forest’s lake, so it wasn’t the best to use for a bath.
I gave my body a good scrub before sinking into the large tub. Ah, this is heaven!
I was starting to feel like working up the courage to come to the capital was a good move. I even had a chance to learn new things in just a few short days. And after all, forest life was too constrained for me. As long as I couldn’t find a husband, that wouldn’t change no matter where I traveled.
So I might as well live a comfortable life in a place where I wouldn’t be gossiped about behind my back. Of course, I was still lonely without my family around.
Now reminded of my own solitude, I let out a melancholic sigh.
I knew that working as a knight would be difficult. But, with one exception, the members of the Second Squadron all seemed like kind people, which motivated me to give my best efforts.
The royal capital was supposedly filled with all sorts of delicious food too. I was eager to go on a walking tour and fill my stomach.
I decided that once I received my wages, I’d go out to town and buy sweets to send to my little sisters and brothers.