Translator: CinderTL
The moment Avril's voice rang out, Galvis, who had been about to continue boasting about his vast knowledge, froze as if an invisible hand had choked him.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
He coughed a few times to cover his embarrassment, but his feet involuntarily shuffled toward Roland. Finally, like a startled ostrich, he desperately tried to shrink his tall, thin frame behind Roland's broad back.
Just then, light, rapid footsteps approached from afar.
The next moment, the kitchen door burst open with a bang.
The elf girl's brown hair danced in the sunlight, shimmering with a honey-like glow.
As soon as she entered, she narrowed her eyes slightly, her small, upturned nose twitching as she let out a genuine exclamation.
"It smells delicious, Roland! Your cooking skills are getting better and better. Looks like I arrived just in time!"
"Welcome, Avril..."
Roland glanced at the bard behind him, who had practically curled into a ball. He was already accustomed to this situation.
Without pausing his work, he replied calmly.
"The food is almost ready. Please go and fetch Mr. Bronson and ask him to wait at the table for a moment."
"As you wish!"
Avril curtsied playfully, her exaggerated movement almost comical, then dashed out like a gust of wind.
Watching her energetic figure disappear, Roland continued cooking, lowering his voice as he spoke.
"She's gone, Galvis."
"I... I know..."
The bard nervously strummed his lute strings, his voice stuttering.
"Roland, I suddenly remembered... I have something urgent to attend to. I won't be able to stay for lunch..."
Before he could finish, he had already crept to the kitchen door, peering out cautiously like a thief, his face tense.
Seeing his furtive behavior, Roland sighed helplessly.
"What exactly happened between you and Avril?"
"Nothing... nothing at all! Anyway..."
The bard took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, his tone unusually solemn.
"Roland, take my advice and keep some distance from Miss Avril..."
Before his words could fade into the air, Avril's clear voice rang out from the courtyard again.
"Roland! Is dinner ready yet?"
The sound struck Galvis like thunder, sending a shiver down his spine. He abandoned all pretense, stumbled toward the kitchen's back door, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Watching him flee, Roland's confusion deepened.
While he had initially suspected Avril and Galvis' motives for approaching him, their time together had revealed no malice. He had chosen to accept them.
As for their peculiar relationship, Roland was curious but unwilling to pry into their secrets, especially since both parties remained tight-lipped.
"I wonder what Avril's 'good thing' could possibly be..."
Roland shook off his thoughts and resumed his work.
Before long, the long wooden dining table was laden with a dazzling array of dishes. Enticing aromas mingled in the air, filling the room with the warm, fragrant steam of freshly prepared food.
Like Galvis, the brown-haired elf girl immediately sensed Roland's successful cultivation of the breathing technique upon seeing him.
Unlike Galvis, however, she merely offered a few soft words of praise, her eyes devoid of surprise, as if she had always been certain Roland would master the Knight's Breathing Technique.
The unwavering conviction in her gaze was even stronger than Roland's own.
This sparked a flicker of doubt in Roland's mind, but before he could dwell on it, Avril's exclamation interrupted his thoughts.
"Wow!"
Gazing at the exquisitely presented and fragrant feast before her, Avril's already bright eyes sparkled even more.
Ignoring the billowing steam rising from the dishes, she eagerly shoveled a large mouthful of the delicious food into her mouth.
"Hiss-hoo!"
Though burned and sticking out her tongue, she still managed to mumble her praise through the heat.
"Delicious... so delicious!"
"Slow down..."
Watching the elf girl's reckless behavior, Roland shook his head helplessly.
Despite his repeated attempts to pry, Galvis remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal what had transpired between him and Avril.
Privately, the bard had told Roland with absolute certainty that the elf girl, who looked so young and vibrant, was likely over a hundred years old.
Given Galvis's mixture of respect and fear toward Avril, he wouldn't dare fabricate such a claim.
Thus, whenever Roland saw Avril's innocent, carefree demeanor as she devoured her meal with gusto, the thought of her long life always stirred a strong sense of dissonance within him.
Once the food had cooled slightly, Roland began to eat heartily.
He chewed and swallowed thoroughly until the burning hunger in his stomach subsided slightly before speaking.
"Avril, where's Mr. Bronson?"
"He said his research is at a critical node and told us to eat first, without waiting for him," Avril replied, her mouth stuffed full.
Roland nodded slightly, picked up his water glass, and took a sip to help the food go down smoothly before continuing the conversation.
"So, you mentioned you brought me something special earlier..."
"Here it is!"
Avril's right hand was still busy shoveling food into her mouth, but her left hand had already pulled out a pristine parchment scroll from her chest, presenting it to him like a treasure, completely unconcerned about the grease on her fingers.
"Mr. Nielsen asked me to give this to you."
"Thank you."
Roland murmured his thanks, took the parchment, and unrolled it to examine its contents.
"An introduction from the Blacksmith's Guild?"
The content was nearly identical to the one Hawk had given him earlier.
A faint smile played on Roland's lips.
He hadn't expected Mr. Nielsen to deliver it so quickly. He'd only mentioned the breathing technique in passing during their morning conversation.
The efficiency was truly impressive.
He carefully rolled up the parchment and tucked it into his leather pouch, never slowing his pace of eating.
"Avril, do you know where the Blacksmith's Guild is in the city?"
"Mmm..."
The brown-haired girl nodded vigorously, struggling to swallow her food before speaking.
"The Blacksmith's Guild? It's in the inner city, a bit far from here. If you want to go, I could..."
Her words trailed off abruptly, her expression becoming slightly awkward.
After a moment, she scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
"Oh, sorry, Roland. I have something to take care of this afternoon, so..."
"No problem," Roland said dismissively. "Just tell me the exact location."
After a few more brief exchanges to confirm the guild's whereabouts, their lunch concluded.
Watching the brown-haired girl's energetic figure disappear through the door, Roland bid Bronson farewell and stepped outside.
As the oars gently dipped into the water, the small boat glided toward the bustling inner city of the River Domain's Royal Capitals.
The boat passed under an arched bridge and entered the inner city's canal. The buildings lining the waterway remained the same, only denser.
On the stone-paved streets, pedestrians jostled shoulder to shoulder. The rhythmic clang of blacksmith shops mingled with the aroma of freshly baked bread from nearby bakeries.
Clotheslines still crisscrossed the narrow alleys, though fewer patched garments hung from them.
If not for the stone fountains and flowerbeds that had sprung up on street corners, it would have been nearly impossible to distinguish between the inner and outer cities.
Following Avril's directions, Roland headed toward the heart of the inner city.
He hadn't gone far when a guard suddenly stepped forward, blocking his path.
"Excuse me, sir..."
The guard's voice was initially gruff, but his tone softened immediately upon hearing that Roland was headed to the Blacksmith's Guild.
"There's construction ahead. If you're going to the Blacksmith's Guild..."
He raised his arm, meticulously explaining the detour.
Roland listened attentively, but a flicker of suspicion stirred within him. Through the layers of guards, he had caught a faint whiff of a Magic Element in the windโan aura unlike anything he had sensed before.
This aura was gentle and docile, as if completely tamed. It reminded him of the affinity he had developed with the fire element after obtaining the Furnace Heart.
As Roland was lost in thought, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance, shattering his concentration.
(End of the Chapter)
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