The sweet flavor of the cabbage exploded across my tongue. It was absurdly delicious; the ground-meat filling should have been the best part, but the flavor of the cabbage leaf on the outside overwhelmed it as if insisting that it was the star of the show. It had undoubtedly been grown in Goza Village.
“Wow, this sure packs a punch!” Lia exclaimed.
“These are no ordinary cabbage rolls!” Rose said excitedly.
“Hmm-hmm, aren’t they delicious? Goza Village’s vegetables are all first-rate!” Ms. Paula said with a smile.
We enjoyed many more of Ms. Paula’s exquisite dishes, which included meat patties, even more fried rice, and beef stew.
“““That was delicious!””” the three of us told Ms. Paula once we’d finished.
“I’m glad you liked it,” she replied happily.
I was so full, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to eat again. I don’t usually pig out like that… The food was just so good, I hadn’t been able to help myself.
“Whew, everything’s just so good. I think I’m already full…,” Lia said, rubbing her stomach with satisfaction. She had eaten an insane amount of food.
“You sure know how to eat, Lia! Nothing makes a cook happier than seeing someone clean plate after plate like you did!” Ms. Paula said.
The two of them seemed to have hit it off quickly, as they were soon chatting to one another excitedly. Meanwhile, Rose and I discussed which dish was the most delicious, what our favorite Goza Village vegetable was, and more.
After that short break, we each took baths to wash away our sweat and fatigue. Once we were clean and had put on our pajamas, we gathered in my room to play cards and board games.
“Whoa, I didn’t realize it was this late,” I said.
“No way!” Lia said in disbelief.
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” chimed in Rose.
It was already midnight. We needed to go to bed soon, or we’d all be tired tomorrow.
“I don’t want to, but we should probably call it here,” I said.
“Yeah. A lack of sleep is terrible on the skin,” grumbled Lia.
“I agree, unfortunately,” said Rose.
We cleaned up the messy room, and I showed the girls out.
“Good night,” I said to the girls.
“Good night, Allen,” said Lia.
“Night, Allen,” said Rose.
They each returned to their rooms. I quickly got ready for sleep and slipped into my dear old bed.
Phew… Today really tired me out. I had walked a long way, enjoyed a lot of outdoor activities, and played some board games… Now that I thought about it, I had spent the whole day hanging out with Lia and Rose. I’d been having too much fun to notice my fatigue, but it hit me all at once when I climbed into bed. It’s a shame I didn’t end up going home, but today was still a blast. I wished every day could be like this one.
Feeling content and happy, I tried to drift off to sleep…but there was one problem keeping me up.
“…This is kinda lonely.”
I glanced to the side; Lia wasn’t there. I was so used to the sound of her breathing, her warmth, and the sense of security she gave me when she slept by my side. Her absence almost felt like I was missing a limb. The bed was big and cold without her.
I suppose there’s no substitute for human touch, I thought, yawning widely. I could feel my drowsiness creeping up on me.
“Fwah… Time to sleep…”
I closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber.
The next morning, cheerful voices echoed around the dining table.
“That was delicious! Delectable! Exquisite!” Lia exclaimed joyfully.
“Ha-ha-ha, you’re a pleasure to cook for! Here, have seconds!” offered Ms. Paula. “There’s plenty more where that came from!”
“Wow, thank you!” Lia said.
Rose and I quietly munched on our bread as we watched their lively conversation.
“How in the world does she eat so much first thing in the morning…?” I asked, incredulous. I had witnessed this countless times over the last year while living with Lia, but I was still amazed by just how much she could eat.
“Fwah… I’m so jealous she can eat like that and maintain her perfect figure…,” Rose muttered enviously. She was still drowsy.
“Oh… Is that something you worry about, too? Maintaining your figure?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’ve cut down on how much I eat, and I also massage my chest in the bath every day… Wait, what are you trying to make me say?!”
“Ah…sorry…”
I’d asked her that without thinking after she brought up the topic, but I knew better than to ask a girl about her figure; that was common knowledge recorded in even the most ancient of texts. I needed to make sure I never made the same mistake again.
The time flew as we talked, and once it had reached half past ten, I decided we needed to hit the road for Aurest.
“Oh, are you leaving already? What’s the rush? You should stay for lunch,” Ms. Paula said, looking disappointed.
“Sorry… The new semester starts tomorrow, so I want to get back early and prepare,” I told her.
“Well, guess I can’t fault you for being responsible,” she said, relenting.
I looked at Lia and Rose.
“Okay… Do you both have everything?”
“Yep, I’m good,” Lia said.
“Same here,” added Rose.
Before we left, I decided to ask Ms. Paula a question that had been bothering me for a while.
“Umm…Ms. Paula, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure thing.”
“Goza Village… It’s real, right? Like, it actually exists?”
Her expression stiffened.
“Allen…are you feeling okay?” A look of concern crossed her face, and she put a hand to my forehead. She was clearly afraid I wasn’t thinking clearly.
“S-sorry,” I apologized. “That was dumb. Forget I asked.”
I’d asked that question because of something the empress had said to me earlier this year:
“There is no place known as Goza Village in this country.”
Those words had been weighing on me ever since.
“I don’t know where you got that idea, but take care of yourself, okay? You’ve always pushed yourself far too hard,” Ms. Paula said.
“Thank you. I will.” I bowed my head to her.
“Thanks for all the amazing food, Ms. Paula!” exclaimed Lia.
“Thank you for having us,” said Rose.
“Feel free to come back anytime, girls!” offered the matron. “I’d be thrilled to cook for you again!”
Having said our goodbyes to Ms. Paula, we headed back to Aurest.
A few hours after Allen, Lia, and Rose had left for Aurest, an evil force surrounded Paula Garedzall’s dormitory.
“Phew…” Paula sighed as she efficiently folded a huge pile of laundry. She continued to work until someone banged violently on the front door—a loud knock like that clearly meant trouble.
“Where are their manners…?”
Sensing danger, Paula picked up her favorite frying pan to defend herself with and walked slowly toward the door.
“There’s no need to knock so loudly,” she said, opening the door to find an unbelievable sight. “What in the world?!”
Over one hundred master swordsmen in black overcoats surrounded the dorm. The group’s muscular leader stepped toward Paula, who was unable to hide her shock.
“Are you Paula Garedzall?” asked the man.
“…And who might you be?” Paula responded.
“Oh, my bad. I’m Wartrius Trygate, one of the Thirteen Oracle Knights,” the man said.
Wartrius Trygate was thirty-five years old. He was two meters tall, heavily muscled, and one of the most militant members of the Oracle Knights. He had a fierce mane of red hair like a lion, the sharp eyes of a dragon, and an eagle’s beak of a nose, which combined to give his face a hard, uncompromising look. His skill with the sword was so great that he was considered the closest man in the world to the Four Imperial Knights.