Chapter 29: A Peaceful Morning

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The next morning, at dawn.

As usual, Lis rose on time. Dressed in ordinary, lightweight clothes, he had Welf make sure no one was following them before leaving through the rear gate of the mansion and heading toward Gedo Street.

Normally, he would have breakfast first, then spend some time loosening up in the courtyard, learning martial techniques from Welf and the others and doing various exercises.

Today, however, he had arranged to train with Ya'er that morning, so he decided not to eat breakfast at home. Instead, he took some ingredients from the kitchen, intending to cook something for himself and his teammates.

Thinking about it, the whole situation was rather amusing. He had never planned to join a mercenary group. With the experience from his previous life, he had intended simply to accept a few solo commissions and complete them on his own.

He had never expected to join Ya'er's adventuring party directly.

This should count as the protagonist's party, shouldn't it? Although neither Elina nor Rembos had existed in his memories of his previous life, Yasen Hard was later to become the commander of the Golden Lion Knights of the Kingdom of Fiss—a powerful figure of immense rank and influence.

Walking along the streets of Radiant City, which had only just awakened, Lis saw many vendors already bustling about inside the shops on either side of the road, preparing for the day's business.

The fragrance of freshly baked bread drifted through the air. A crowd had already gathered outside one of the small roadside shops, eating a crude breakfast that cost two copper coins. Though it consisted of nothing more than a few pieces of black bread and vegetable soup, it was enough to fill their stomachs and provide energy for a full day's labor.

In his previous life, Lis had eaten breakfast at these little shops as well. The food was not particularly good, but it had the advantage of being cheap. If going without food had not caused a character's hunger meter to rise too high and continuously drain health, he would even have wanted to save the money spent on meals.

Although Ya'er had told him the night before that he could move into the adventuring party's villa that very evening, Lis had hesitated and ultimately declined.

After all, much of his magical research still had to be conducted in the laboratory beneath his own house, and it was more convenient for him to return home each day.

Still, he might stay overnight at the villa on Gedo Street when circumstances required it, so he had chosen a bedroom on the first floor.

The men all lived on the first floor, while Ya'er and Elina lived on the second.

Lis walked quickly and soon arrived at the villa serving as their headquarters, tucked away in an alley off Gedo Street.

Using the key Ya'er had given him the previous day, he opened the door and entered the hall. Elina was sitting in one corner of the living room, applying something to her longbow. She appeared to be maintaining her weapon.

Yasen, meanwhile, was at the dining table, eating white bread with jam while leafing through a thick biography.

It seemed that Ya'er and the dwarf Rembos had not yet risen.

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“You’re here, Lis. That was quick,” Yasen greeted him as he came through the door.

“Have you eaten? I prepared some bread earlier.”

Elina raised her head and glanced at Lis without saying anything before continuing to care for her beloved weapon.

“No, but I brought some ingredients and was planning to make something myself. Would you like some too?”

Lis felt somewhat speechless. Yasen was the young master of the Duke of Hard’s family, yet there was not even the slightest trace of a nobleman's bearing about him. He was practically a different person from the one Lis had seen at the banquet.

Then again, it made sense. Yasen was also a member of Ya'er's adventuring party. When they were out completing missions and exploring secret realms, they certainly had no opportunity to enjoy fine food and drink. He had probably grown accustomed to it.

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?” Yasen glanced at the plate of white bread before him, seemingly realizing something, and asked somewhat awkwardly.

“It’s fine. We’re friends now, after all. That’s one of the reasons I joined our team.”

Lis winked at Yasen, and the two of them smiled at the same time.

They were both nobles of the Kingdom of Fiss. To those who strictly adhered to noble etiquette, the way they interacted would undoubtedly seem extremely improper. But there was no denying that the lightness of setting aside one’s status felt rather pleasant.

Lis did not bother asking Elina anything. He simply walked into the kitchen, took out the ingredients he had prepared from his storage ring, and began conducting a delightful symphony of culinary sounds.

……

Soon, Lis had prepared breakfast for everyone. He made two kinds of pancakes: his favorites, chocolate and banana-strawberry. Along with bacon, fried eggs, and nut-filled oatmeal, it made for a delicious and nutritious breakfast, fresh from the kitchen.

Lis carried the food out and placed it on the dining table. Yasen immediately hurried over and sat down.

“Thanks.” Before he had even finished speaking, Yasen picked up a chocolate pancake and began eating.

“Miss Elina, would you like some as well? I made plenty, and I think you’ll like the banana-strawberry pancakes.”

Elves preferred all kinds of fresh fruit to grains. Aside from several fruits native to the region, fruits such as bananas had to be transported to Radiant City by merchants using special methods along the Gedo River, making them relatively expensive. Ordinary people could not afford them.

Elina recalled the delicious fruit pudding from the previous evening and did not refuse. She rose and took a seat at the table. After saying “Thank you,” she began to savor the food in an unhurried manner.

Lis watched as her striking pointed ears trembled faintly. It seemed she really did like this flavor of pancake.

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“Aaah… good morning~”

At that moment, Ya'er slowly came down the stairs with a yawn. She was wearing adorable pink pajamas, which had become slightly disheveled, perhaps because of her restless sleeping position the night before. Her fair, delicate collarbones were fully exposed before Lis's eyes.

Lis remained expressionless as he said to the still-sleepy Ya'er, “Go wash up. I’ve already prepared breakfast.”

Ya'er caught the fragrance of the food as well and instantly awakened from her drowsy haze.

“Oh, that smells wonderful.”

The moment Ya'er saw the tempting breakfast on the table, she rushed into the washroom. After a clatter of noise, she emerged neatly dressed, sat down at the table, and began enjoying the meal alongside Yasen and Elina.

“Where’s Rembos? Should we call him out for breakfast?” Lis asked.

“No need. That fellow likes drinking whenever he has nothing else to do. Once he’s had too much, he sleeps straight through until noon. Don’t worry about him.” Yasen waved his hand dismissively.

“All right, then.” Lis did not pay it much mind.

After breakfast, Yasen took the initiative to gather the dishes and wash them in the kitchen. Judging by how practiced his movements were, he must have done it many times before.

“I’m so full~” Ya'er hummed happily as she reclined on the living-room sofa. Even Elina looked somewhat helpless at the sight.

“Now that we’ve eaten, it’s time to get down to business.” Lis patted Ya'er on the shoulder and spoke with some exasperation. Wasn’t she the one who had asked him to come early? How had the person at the center of the matter apparently forgotten all about it?

“All right, all right,” Ya'er said. She took a white soft whip from her storage ring and handed it to Lis.

“I bought this whip for practice back then. Use it for now.”

Lis accepted the whip. The moment he touched it, he could tell that it was made from a special kind of animal hide. The material was remarkably tough, and judging by the craftsmanship, it had clearly been made by a master artisan.

Before Lis even had time to familiarize himself with the long whip, Ya'er took him by the hand and led him to the open ground behind the villa.

It was time to begin the day's training.

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