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I enjoyed her rare, put-off reaction as I lined up the firewood and used an ignition tool to light a tree branch. Then I put that into the pile of wood and used my cape to fan it until I could see that it had caught on fire. The flames slowly spread until I had a magnificent bonfire in front of me. Now, to cook an easy meal. As I took out an assortment of ingredients out from the bag, Lemon spoke to me in a cool voice and offered to help.

 

“Alright, you can peel these potatoes then. When you’re done, just toss ‘em into that bowl.”

“Understood.’

 

I was thinking about a stew. Besides, it would probably be very nostalgic for Manager.

As for how to make it…the lady at the store taught me. Though, I’ve never made white sauce before, so it was a little scary. But it would surely work out. I would make it with butter, flour, and milk.

 

“Gah…my wrist hurts.”

 

It was surprisingly easy when following instructions. However, my wrist was now in pain…

 

“I cut all of them.”

“Alright. Now chop up the meat and fry it. I’ll do the vegetables in the meantime.”

“Understood.”

 

It was a lot easier when you had someone to help you. N-not that Daniela never helped me. That’s not what I’m saying at all…

Lemon cut the meat and fried it right next to me. When the meat was cooked just right, I tossed in the vegetables. While she fried them together, I stirred the white sauce and looked around to see where Daniela and Manager had gone. The two were just coming up the hill to where we were.

 

“There were no monsters nearby. And we set up the barrier tools.”

“Thank you. Dinner will take a little longer, so you’ll have to wait.”

“Hmm, very well.”

 

Daniela went towards our tent. Manager watched as we cooked.

 

“Stew, eh? I’ve never eaten that outside.”

“But you’ve had it in this world?”

“Yeah. At a dining hall.”

“Right.”

 

It was actually pretty common.

 

“It is one of my favorites. So I’m looking forward to it.”

“You should.”

“Yes…”

 

Manager nodded and then walked over to Daniela’s tent. Yuri vibes…

Just then, Lemon tapped me on the shoulder.

 

“What do I do next?”

“Hmm? Ah, we’re going to use some secret stock.”

“Ohh…”

 

I took out some chicken soup that I had made on a previous trip. Lemon looked amazed at the sight of the golden liquid, but it really wasn’t anything special. I poured a bottle of the stuff into the pot. Then the potatoes went in and I turned up the heat. Now, we were mostly finished. And so Lemon and I stared at the fire as I occasionally scooped out the scum from the surface.

 

“Still… This is an interesting group to be traveling together.”

“Yes… It was fun watching the tournament with you two. But I hadn’t expected Miss Rindo to join us. And now we are traveling… Sometimes, I don’t feel worthy.”

“Of course, you are. And I’m glad you’re here with us.”

“It’s very nice of you to say so!”

 

She said with a laugh. I suppose she felt bad for being the only one who was new to adventuring. But that was a mistake.

 

I was the newcomer in the group. Lemon had years of experience fighting against monsters. Manager had also traveled a great distance and met many people. And then there was Daniela.

On the other hand, I didn’t have much experience fighting humans or monsters. I was only A-Rank because of borrowed powers. So, who was really the newcomer? Lemon should be proud of her position.

 

Of course, I didn’t say any of that. I just stirred the sauce with my wooden ladle.

Maybe the thing I needed most was courage. I had a long way to go.

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