Chapter 154

Chapter 154

The materials that Vice-Commander Walter had gathered were splendid .

The journal where he simplified and summarised all the major pieces of information was still easy to understand, and if I wanted to dig any deeper, I was able to refer to a detailed copy . Only the important aspects were noted in detail as well .  How convenient . This is so easy to read .

Vice-Commander Walter’s clerical abilities are the real deal .

I think he might’ve even been the one in charge of gathering and analysing information regarding the villages in accordance with the criteria we gave Commander Lieber .

I was so absorbed in reading them because of how interesting they were that I noticed something peculiar with all of the stories .  It’s not a point to be discussed here . This is something I should consult Sir Leonhard with .

“Sir Walter?”

“Yes?”

Vice-Commander Walter looked up from the document in his hand . Compared to a few hours ago, his response had become unbelievably milder .

Rather than him taking a liking to me, I think Vice-Commander Walter just has a different opinion of me compared to before .  I guess he was the shy type . In other words, now that I’ve upgraded from ‘strangers’ to ‘comrades of the same hobby,’ he opened up to me more than before .

“Is it alright if I borrow these journals for the night?”

“I do not mind . It is impossible to read it all in a mere few hours, so please enjoy it as you like during your stay . ”

When I asked, what came back was a generous reply .

He probably assumed that this would be the case from the beginning when he gave me this many materials .

“I will carry it to your room later . ”

“No, you don’t have to go that far-”

“It is not a burden . Besides, with your arms, you wouldn’t be able to hold all of that at once in any case . Allow others to indulge you every once in a while . More than that…”

Vice-Commander Walter interrupted me and reached into his pocket . After he took out a silver pocket watch, he raised his face up .

“It is about time we have lunch . Let us head to the cafeteria . ”

I then realised how hungry I was after he said that .

The weather outside was as rough as ever, so it was difficult to tell how much time had passed, and on top of that, I was completely absorbed with reading the journals . I didn’t notice at all .

Nodding obediently, I stood up from my seat and followed him .

On my first day here, I ate in a separate room that was set up for me . The second time, I had eaten outside, so this would be the first time I got to eat in the fort’s dining hall . I was quite looking forward to it .

At first, they wanted to have my meals prepared for me in a separate room for the duration of my stay, but I refused them in the end .

I didn’t want them to waste their time exclusively on me .  And in the first place, I’m not your usual stuck-up noble princess . I’m already used to eating with others, I’ll have you know .

The dining hall where we headed to was extremely lively .

I thought it was natural since there were a lot of people around, but that line of thinking completely changed when I saw the face of the Vice-Commander who was right next to me .

With his brows deeply furrowed, he asked, ‘What is the matter here?’ Although he didn’t raise his voice, it was pronounced and easily resonated throughout the hall . The men who had their backs turned to us involuntarily shook .

“V…Vice-Commander!”

They immediately straightened their backs as soon as they noticed the Vice-Commander’s figure .

“We’re terribly sorry for causing a ruckus-”

“No need for that, Captain Pascal . ”

He stopped the man in the front from trying to apologise .

“Understood!”

“Give me a brief report on the situation . ”

“Well, the live-in chef went shopping in a village and got himself stranded because of the storm . He was supposed to be on duty today…”

“I have already received reports on what happened to him . I told you to give me a brief report on the situation . ”

“My apologies! The lunch made by the folks we currently have on hand is hopeless… What they cooked up can only be best described as unique . ”

I see . So all the commotion so far was caused by the atrocious lunch…

And here I was really looking forward to the meal . What a shame .

“It seems there are many who have their hands full despite a snowstorm, aren’t there?”

Vice-Commander Walter assessed unhappily, which got Captain Pascal, who already had a face bluer than blue, to bow ever so deeply .

“It was because of all the soldiers wanting to be trained by Commander Olsen . I’m terribly sorry!”

Looking at the prostrating Captain, Vice-Commander Walter let out a sigh .

“That is enough . It was also partly my fault for playing around with that person’s popularity . More importantly, isn’t there anything that this little lady here can eat?”

The eyes that were fixed on Vice-Commander Walter promptly shifted onto me . I couldn’t stand the sudden attention and only mustered a nervous chuckle .  So mean, this guy .

“There are fruits and bread, but…”

A second sigh exhaustedly escaped from Sir Walter’s well-shaped lips .

He then turned to me .

“I am sorry, Miss Marie, but can you spare me a moment? I shall make something for you now . ”

“Vice-Commander!?”

“Please stop! Are you trying to kill her stomach!?”

“If that’s the case, it’s a hundred times better if she eats the crappy dish we made instead!”

“What do you mean?”

Vice-Commander Walter’s offer was instantly shot down by the surrounding knights instead of me .

He then asked a question sternly, seemingly oblivious .  So he’s the Klaus-type .

“Um…”

When I raised my hand, all eyes gathered on me once again .

“If you don’t mind, shall I make it for you?”

*********

Standing in the kitchen, I tied the strings of a borrowed apron together and rolled up my sleeves .

First things first, I decided to have a look at the failed dish they made .

A vegetable soup was sitting in a large pot .  Isn’t it instead harder to fail with something simple like this?

“The vegetables were boiled raw . Also, it’s really salty . ”

The person who explained the dish to me while holding onto the pot’s lid was Captain Pascal from before . His red hair and sharp eyes of the same colour made him look intimidating, but his voice, on the contrary, was gentle .

“I see . ”

I sampled it from a small dish and it certainly was too salty .

Although I could add more water, I was afraid the rich taste of the vegetables would be diluted away .

I turned to Captain Pascal after giving it some thought .

“Do you perhaps have butter, flour, and milk on hand?”

I set the pot over the fire as the confused captain left to prepare the things I asked for . I melted the butter he gave me in a pan, adding in flour when it started foaming up .

I continued gently stirring the butter while also closely watching the fire underneath to make sure it won’t burn . When I saw that it was ready, I removed it from the heat .

“What are you making…?”

“Well…”

When I raised my face, I saw Captain Pascal standing there, all puzzled . And a bit further back, at the entrance to the kitchen, there were many knights including Vice-Commander Walter who were all watching me .

By the time I explain it to them all, the dish would definitely turn out to be another failure . Troubled, I only gave them a wry smile .

“…It’s a secret . ”

As soon as I said that, I heard some strange voices… and then some sort of war cry .

What do you mean, ‘Please say that again’? What kind of services are you expecting from me, you degenerates?

To be honest, I was just put off at the sight of big burly men covering their faces with both hands while writhing in pleasure . The attention I got was that of a female teacher who had been assigned to an all-boy’s school . I was being treated like a rare animal as opposed to being showered with popularity .

After I let out a dry laugh, I heard someone groan in pain afterwards . It looked like an educational hammer of guidance was given out by Vice-Commander Walter .  Good, more of that please .

Milk was slowly added to the flour-butter mixture .

Alternate this with a little whisking in between, and keep repeating . After that, heat it up again, add salt and pepper, and then stop .

Come to think of it, the soup was already salty .

Let’s not add too much salt… Okay! White sauce is done!

Stir-fried onions and chicken were then added to the revitalised-once-failed soup, as I continued to pour in more white sauce and milk all the while .

Finally, after adjusting the taste a little bit more, it was finally done .

Cream stew, ready to serve!

*********

“So good…!”

“Ain’t nothin’ this good even in the royal capital!”

“I could eat five more servings!”

“Not happening! We’ve already decided that we only get one serving each! I’m trying to hold back too, you know!”

“Be quiet! How undignified!”

It was a scene of high school boys… No, knights being scolded by their moth- I mean, Vice-Commander Walter .

“Not only did you, a guest, cook food for us, but you also had to witness such a shameful sight . I am terribly sorry . ”

“That’s not true . I didn’t make anything extraordinary . ”

I shook my head to Vice-Commander Walter, who looked utterly perplexed .

In fact, it was something easy that anyone could do .

“I disagree . It was as if we saw magic unfold before our very eyes . Instead of remaking it, you turned a failed soup into a delicacy . ”

It was a total exaggeration to say I used magic .

I simply remade it a bit . In fact, I was only able to do so because the failed dish was a vegetable soup in the first place .

With all that said and done, let’s eat as well .

Sir Leonhard, who seemed to have finished the training session, came in as soon as I filled my plate with stew . Surrounded by various knights, he stared at me as I stood still in the kitchen .

His face asked, ‘What are you doing?’ Really, what the hell am I doing, me…