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Terms used in this chapter:
Molecular gastronomy – a subdiscipline of food science that that seeks to investigate the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur in cooking.
Ramyeon – Korean word for instant noodles. It’s the Korean version of the Japanese’s ramen. It is made by boiling a precooked and dried noodle block with flavoring powder or sauce.
Binyeo – a Korean traditional hairpin used to hold a woman’s hair bun in place. (The white hairpin in the picture.)
Qinggong – this had been mentioned in previous chapters, but here’s a recap. It’s a martial art skill in wuxia stories that allows you to circumvent gravity to fly, cover tremendous distances in a single stride, run across surfaces of water, mount trees, and jump over or scale high walls. For this chapter, Jude used the ‘cover tremendous distances in a single stride.’
The next morning, after Cordelia’s letter was found in Count Hræsvelgr’s guest room, the count tried to respond as calmly as possible.
‘I have to find them.’
Whether they left on their own or not, if some accident happened to Jude and Cordelia, Count HrĂŚsvelgr had no choice but to take responsibility for it.
In any case, the two were minors, so Count HrĂŚsvelgr ideally had the responsibility to protect the two who were invited as guests.
‘Why? What the hell did you do while the kids left the house? Are the walls of Count Hræsvelgr that low?’
Of course, it was unlikely that Count Bayer or Count Chase would say such words themselves, but they would put the blame on him with a roughly similar remark.
The potential discord among the 12 northern families wasn’t the only problem.
“What should we do? If those two get caught by the Devil’s Hand…”
Lucas spoke to everyone with a face full of worry, and the faces of Count Bayer’s and Count Chase’s knights all turned miserable.
“They couldn’t have gone that far. Let’s steadily find them around the city.”
When one of Count Hræsvelgr’s knights intentionally spoke in a lively manner, the other knights were also motivated.
Regardless, they had to find the two people first.
But contrary to everyone’s expectations, Jude and Cordelia had already gone quite far.
***
Five days from their ‘elopement,’ Count Hræsvelgr was still searching the villages near Vedrfolnir, but Jude and Cordelia had reached near the northwestern border where Frost Anvil was located.
“That smells delicious.”
It was morning, and Cordelia sniffed in front of the campfire while still in her sleeping bag.
She had just woken up, her hair was untidy, and she had no makeup on, but as an incomparably beautiful girl, she was still pretty and lovely.
“Are you awake?”
“Uh, I’m awake. What is it for this morning?”
Cordelia faintly smiled as she saw the hard-working Jude cooking in front of the campfire.
When Jude and Cordelia left Vedrfolnir, Fabian gave them only one luggage bag, but in the last five days, their household items have pretty much increased.
‘Magic Blaze, expansion bag, special insect-repelling incense.’
The Magic Blaze, also called a portable burner, was received in exchange for helping Koblo escape. The expansion bag, which can store double its size, was received in exchange for finding the memento of Yinsen’s lost mother.
The special insect-repelling incense was made from ingredients that Jude had collected during their trip.
And there were many other items.
Five days ago, they were bare-handed when they left Count Hræsvelgr’s territory, but now, Jude and Cordelia were unbelievably well-supplied for their journey.
“A man who has the ability to maintain a livelihood is the best. The number 1 ideal husband.”
“Uh, okay. Anyway, for this morning, we have French toast, bacon, and cream soup.”
Jude responded without even looking at Cordelia, but she was already satisfied.
It was because Jude’s gaze was focused on the frying pan.
“Where did you learn how to cook?”
“Here and there.”
“Where is that here and there?”
“France, Italy, England, China, the Czech Republic, Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia…it’s literally so on and so forth.”
Cordelia’s eyes sparkled at Jude’s words, but she pouted by the end of it.
At first, it was possible if he had gone to one or two countries, but she didn’t think that he’d really been to all those countries.
‘Well, he’s good at lying.’
But the important thing was that he was good at cooking, so Cordelia quickly regained her usual expression and used her nose to sniff again the smell of the savory bacon.
“Did you learn how to make bacon abroad?”
“Oh, I learned this from my friend who lives in America.”
“I heard that cooking is a skill.”
“No, it’s more about accurate measurement.”
“Measurement?”
“Baking time varies depending on the intensity of the fire. The amount of salt added depends on the amount of ingredients. Of course, it also depends on the person’s preferences.”
“Is it molecular gastronomy or something?”
“Well, it’s similar.”
Jude, who had spoken so far, suddenly raised his head to look at Cordelia and then shook his head in resignation.
“What is it?”
“No, I just remembered the first dish you cooked three days ago.”
‘No, can you even call that cooking?’
Cordelia’s face turned red in proportion to Jude’s miserable face, and she pouted her lips.
“Hmph, I have a dish that I’m good at cooking too, okay?”
“Lying about your weakness…”
“No, it’s not? I’m really good at cooking ramyeon.”
“…isn’t ramyeon an instant food?”
As Jude’s expression became even more miserable, Cordelia’s face turned even more red.
“Really. It’s because you haven’t tried it. If you eat the ramyeon I cooked, you’ll fall in love too? If you ask for it, I’ll cook it for you every day.”
“Yes, yes. If you insist, so be it.”
“Tsk, I’m serious.”
Cordelia pouted again, but she soon smiled and said.
“Well, someone said that there’s a right talent for the right place, so in the future, it’ll be good to divide our tasks like this. You’re the cook, and I’m the taster.”
“F*cking bullshit. I’m in charge of cooking and you’re in charge of washing dishes.”
“Hey, he said that if his Gueumjulmaek is cured, he wouldn’t even let a drop of water get into my hands.”
“When did I say that? He said that he’ll carry you, hit you, cross over the wall, and also care for you.”
“I think something is missing.”
“Anyway, we’re going to eat now, so go and wash your face. Wash your hands too.”
“Yes, mom.”
“Phooey, is that whom I’m going to marry?”
Cordelia stood up as she giggled, and Jude shook his head.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Yes, don’t skip or you’ll trip.”
“Who do you think is a kid?”
After Cordelia arranged her long hair into a bun and secured it with a binyeo made by Jude, she began walking with a light gait.
She walked towards a nearby stream.
‘It’s definitely winter now, so it’s really cold.’
Moreover, they had arrived near the northernmost part of the Sälen Kingdom.
If the weather got a bit colder, the stream itself might freeze.
‘I’m not sure if we’ll be okay then.’
Frost Anvil would be much colder than this place.
Although they diligently packed items that protected them against the cold, Jude still couldn’t help worrying about it.
‘It’s a shame. If we had a little more time, we would’ve gotten the winter blessing.’
It was a blessing that could only be obtained through a special event called ‘Winter Blessing.’ It helped by maintaining one’s body temperature and not hindering one’s movement in the cold. The problem, however, was that the event was a random occurrence.
‘If you consider the circumstances, it seems to be near here…’
Jude raised his head and looked around, but he didn’t see the area where he thought it would happen.
No matter how great JudeWiki was, he couldn’t figure out the parts that were left out in the game.
‘Damn, it can’t be helped.’
The encounter with the person who told the event location was really random.
Even if they had enough time, they still didn’t know where it was, so they couldn’t wander around here just to get the winter blessing.
And it was at that moment.
“Kyaa!”
“Cordelia?!”
Jude heard the screaming sound and spontaneously shouted as he stood up by kicking the ground and simultaneously using the Twenty-Four Gale Steps.
Although it was a footwork technique, the Twenty-Four Gale Steps could be used as Qinggong depending on its application.
“Cordelia!”
If she had been attacked, his current shout would be able to draw the enemy’s attention away.
Jude shouted loudly once again, as he ran like a gale towards the stream.
And when he reached the stream…
“Oh, uh… Hello?”
Cordelia uttered as she stood by the stream with an awkward face, and Jude looked past Cordelia and saw a large man who had fallen down with his head in the stream.
“What happened here?”
“No, that…it was a reflex.”
Cordelia made some small gestures, narrating how she was so surprised that she instinctively used attack magic.
“Just like me, you’re not normal either.”
She was an incomparably beautiful girl who would shoot attack magic by reflex.
“No, I mean…he suddenly came out from the bush, so I was really surprised…”
“Well, that’s okay. This is better than if you got hurt.”
“Mmmmnnn…”
In the midst of Cordelia’s embarrassment, Jude pulled the man who had fallen in the stream and laid him down right away.
“Is he okay? I didn’t use a strong magic. It was just .”
“Fortunately, it’s not .”
Jude tactfully answered as he checked the man’s pulse and breathing. As Cordelia had said, he was simply paralyzed, but because his magic resistance was low, her magic seriously affected him.
“What do you think? Did he get hurt when he fell?”
“He’s all right. Your luck is good.”
“Huh?”
“Yes, I’m talking about you.”
Jude spoke as he glanced at Cordelia who tilted her head.
“Look closely. You recognize him, right?”
It was the face of a man in his late twenties.
He had a face that had no special features other than being plain-looking, but Cordelia immediately recognized him.
“The lumberjack Bambino.”
“Yes, he’s exactly the person we need.”
***
Bambino was both a lumberjack and an herbalist.
There was no lord who claimed ownership of the forest in the northernmost part of the Sälen Kingdom, and because of that, whoever took the wood or herbs was the rightful owner.
Of course, it was a dangerous place where not only beasts, but also monsters, would occasionally appear as no one managed this place.
One day, while Bambino was walking around and working hard in the forest mountain, he experienced something dreamy and fantastic.
He witnessed the scene of a gathering of angels taking a bath.
“Angel?”
Bambino opened his eyes and blankly stared at Cordelia as he spoke. Jude frowned and Cordelia laughed like an idiot as she held out her hand and said in a whisper to Jude.
“I won, right? Isn’t Cordelia the prettiest?”
“Damn.”
After handing over the copper coin without any complaints, Jude spoke to Bambino, who was still in a daze.
“We are not angels, but scholars who came from the center to explore Frost Anvil.”
“Are you guys…scholars?”
“Yes, although we’re still students. We belong to the Royal Academy.”
When Jude assumed an identity as a disguise without faltering in his acting, Cordelia stealthily turned away and concealed her facial expression.
Unlike Jude, Cordelia was not good at lying.
In any case, Bambino nodded at Jude’s words.
He thought that Jude and Cordelia did not appear to be common people.
‘They must be real nobles.’
This was the Sälen Kingdom, where there was no deep conflict between the nobility and the common people, but even though they were not nobles with a title, nobility was still nobility.
Bambino’s attitude became a little more careful.
“You don’t have to be so nervous. What’s your name? I’m Shoot, and she’s Felicia.”
“Uhh…I’m Bambino.”
“I see, you’re Mr. Bambino. Nice to meet you.”
“What…happened? I don’t remember…”
“Miss Felicia found you lying in the woods here. We don’t want to sound boastful, but Miss Felicia did save Mr. Bambino’s life.”
“Ah…thank you very much.”
“N-no. Hoho…I’m glad that you’re okay…”
Cordelia awkwardly answered and quickly averted her gaze again.
She was feeling embarrassed.
‘How can he be so brazen?’
While Cordelia had the same questions in her mind as always, Jude continued to speak.
“By the way…are you Mr. Bambino who lives in Hobbus village down here?”
“Uh, yes. I am that Bambino.”
“Oh, I must be really lucky. As a matter of fact, I wanted to meet Mr. Bambino.”
“Me?”
“Yes, they said that you saw the angels appearing here.”
“Ah…yes, no one believed me…but I really did see it. The sight of the little angels gathering…and taking a bath.”
Bambino’s words were true.
While he was walking through the forest mountain as usual, he witnessed the scene of angels gathering and bathing.
Bambino was fascinated by the fantastic and beautiful sight, so he visited the same place several times, but it was all in vain every time.
“Can you tell where that place is?”
“But…I’ve been there a few times, but nothing happened.”
“It’s all right. There might be some traces left. Of course, I’m going to give you some compensation.”
Bambino’s face glowed when Jude smiled and lightly tapped a pouch full of silver coins.
“Please, Mr. Bambino.”
“Follow me. It’s not that far from here.”
Bambino unhesitatingly answered and began to take the lead, while Jude sent Cordelia a wink.
***
The place Bambino guided them was a valley located at the foot of the mountain.
Looking at the half-frozen valley water, it was a place where one would freeze to death if they took a bath.
“Here it is.”
“I see. Thank you. If something comes out of our investigation, I’ll also inform Mr. Bambino. We have to go through the Hobbus village anyway.”
“I’d really appreciate it if you did. Because no one believed what I said…”
“Hahaha, now, here’s your compensation.”
Moderately cutting off Bambino’s words, Jude sent Bambino away after paying him two silver coins.
And a few seconds later, when only the two were left, Cordelia said in a firm tone.
“I will absolutely not take a bath.”
“You don’t have to. You know this event too.”
What Bambino saw was not the angels.
What he saw was the forest fairies.
“Winter fairies.”
“Yes, they’re fairies after all.”
The two had bitter smiles as they unpacked their luggage near the valley and set up their camp.
And that night, under the shining night sky where so many stars shined brightly.
“You’re completely handsome. Do you want to play with us?”
“She’s very pretty too!”
It was the reason why Bambino couldn’t see the winter fairies even though he had visited this place many times.
And it was also the reason why Jude and Cordelia could meet them in a day.
‘Indeed, it was the fairies.’
‘Yes, it’s the fairies.’
In front of the absolutely handsome boy and incomparably beautiful girl who exchanged glances, the white-haired winter fairies gathered in groups of twos and threes.