Ted (2)

Ted's cooking skills were excellent.

He roasted the wild boar caught by Rakia to a golden-brown color, and after sprinkling some appropriate spices, a deliciously appetizing dish was quickly made.

Ariel, who was munching on desserts while sitting on a rock, and Lu, who was sipping fruit wine, began to crave the wild boar meat and slowly approached it.

"Oh, Miss Ariel, please try it first."

Rakia tore off a piece of the wild boar meat and offered it to Ariel.

The wild boar meat was so hot that steam was rising from it, but Rakia was holding it bare-handed without any issue.

After all, merely roasted wild boar meat couldn't be hot enough to bother a dragon.

Ariel opened her mouth and accepted the wild boar meat that Rakia handed over.

Munch munch.

"How is it?"

"Delicious."

This time, Ariel tore off a piece of the wild boar meat and fed it to Rakia.

"Wow, it's delicious!"

Watching the two of them, Ted smiled contentedly.

"Of course it's delicious. It's my cooking."

Next, Ted cooked the wild boar that Ghost had been tearing into raw in the same way, and thanks to him, Ariel's group was able to have a hearty breakfast.

"Ahh, I'm full~"

Lu patted her bulging stomach and lay down on the grass.

The warm sunlight, the refreshing breeze blowing gently, and even the sound of the waterfall right next to them.

It was perfect weather for a nap.

"Um, sis..."

Ted approached Rakia hesitantly.

"About that magic earlier..."

"Magic?"

"The magic you used to kill the wild boar. Could you teach me that?"

Rakia quietly looked at Ted.

For a lowly human to dare ask a dragon to teach him magic.

In the past, she would have immediately summoned a pillar of fire under Ted's feet.

However, after fighting with Ariel and learning her place, Rakia did not do so.

"No."

Instead, she flatly refused.

"Why?"

Ted did not give up easily.

"Please. If you teach me that magic, I'll do whatever you ask. I can even cook wild boar meat for you every day."

"No."

"Why? What's the reason?"

"I just don't want to."

Rakia stood up and walked towards the valley, indicating that she did not want to talk to Ted anymore.

Ted looked at Ariel with a dejected expression.

"Sis Elf... are you a Mage too?"

Ariel nodded.

"Oh, then can you use powerful magic like the one that sis used?"

This time, she shook her head. The only magic Ariel could use was Magic Missile and Shield.

Ted looked disappointed.

"I see... Well, magic isn't easy. But I want to learn... I have to become stronger somehow..."

It seemed Ted had some story behind his words.

"So I can take revenge on them... and protect our village safely... Our village right now is... Huh?"

Ted stopped talking and looked at Ariel.

"...Sis Elf?"

Ariel, who he thought was listening to his story, was nodding off.

*

Rakia sat near the valley, quietly gazing at the waterfall.

'How dare he ask a dragon to teach him magic...'

If it had been another dragon instead of Rakia, they would have turned Ted into a pile of ashes.

How could a mere human ask a dragon to teach them magic?

However, Rakia honestly did not feel that way.

The wild boar meat that Ted cooked was incredibly delicious, and if he made it every day, she could have taught him a simple magic spell.

The problem was,

'How do I teach him...?'

Dragons do not learn magic separately. They acquire it naturally from birth, like breathing.

And to teach that to someone else? How would she even do that?

Rakia refused Ted's request for that reason.

It wasn't because the human was being presumptuous, nor because she didn't want to teach him magic. It was simply because she didn't know how to teach it.

But she couldn't bring herself to admit that, as it would hurt her pride.

That's why Rakia was sitting here, avoiding Ted.

"Sis..."

Ted approached her from the side.

"I'm sorry. I made an unreasonable request even though we just met. It was rude of me to ask you to teach me magic after you saved my life. You have every right to be angry."

Rakia did not respond. She wasn't particularly angry, she just didn't have anything to say.

"Don't be mad. I'm not usually that shameless, but the situation made me desperate... By the way, sis, where are you headed? If you're not in a hurry, would you like to visit our village? I'll make dinner for you. Well, I can't make wild boar meat like earlier since we don't have any, but I can make a simple stew."

"Stew?"

Rakia glanced at Ted.

"What is stew?"

"You don't know what stew is...?"

"I do!"

Rakia frowned as she retorted.

Ted was convinced that Rakia did not know what stew was.

"Well, stew is a dish where you boil meat or vegetables... It's like a soup dish. Since our village is short on meat right now, I'll have to put in just vegetables, but it will still be decent. Even though it may not look like it, I'm the one cooking it. I used to dream of becoming a chef before."

"A soup dish...?"

Rakia licked her lips slightly.

"I want to try it."

"Is that so? Then shall we go to our village?"

"Okay."

Rakia nodded with a smile.

But soon, she made an 'ah' expression and turned her gaze away.

"But I should ask Miss Ariel first."

"Miss Ariel? You mean that silver-haired elf lady?"

"Yes. I'm Miss Ariel's subordinate."

"..."

Ted's expression became complicated.

To Ted, Rakia looked like a very high-ranking noble.

The dress she was wearing was luxurious, her hair and eyes shone golden, and even her skin was pale and her face was pretty.

She looked like someone who would attend a banquet in a carriage led by escort knights.

And above all, there was the magic she used earlier.

Magic was a discipline difficult for commoners to learn.

Leaving aside talent, one needed money first to be able to hire a mage and learn.

In that sense, Rakia looked like a wealthy noble to anyone, so for her to be an elf's subordinate...

Of course, Ted was just a boy living in a rural village, so he didn't know much about the world.

But no matter how he thought about it, this seemed a bit strange.

*

In the end, it was decided to go to Ted's village.

Since Ariel was asleep, the decision was made by Rakia instead, but it didn't really matter either way.

The village Ted lived in was close by, and it wasn't in the opposite direction of the Western Dwarven Mountains either.

Rakia got on Ghost's back along with the sleeping Ariel.

She sat Ariel in front and hugged her from behind to prevent her from falling as they moved.

"Our village used to be really nice to live in. There are hardly any monsters around here, and since we're not affiliated with any territory, we don't have to pay taxes either," Ted said as they walked.

"It started with a wandering hunter building a hut and living there. Then people gradually started gathering, and it formed into a village. That hunter became the village chief, and that's my grandfather."

Of course, no one was listening.

Rakia was busy glancing at Ariel's sleeping face, and Lu, drunk on fruit wine, was sprawled across Rakia's lap, snoring.

Still, Ted persisted in speaking.

"After grandfather passed away, my father became the village chief. Well, to be honest, being the chief didn't really give him any power. He just made important decisions for the village. I was planning to leave the village someday and become a chef. I wanted to experience the bigger world rather than living in the countryside. Plus, my brother was going to be the next chief anyway..."

Eventually, Ted's village came into view.

Compared to Herrington Village that Ariel and Lu had visited before, the level of security was quite lacking.

There was a palisade, but it wasn't very tall, and the person guarding the entrance was just an elderly old man.

As Ted approached the entrance, he greeted the old man.

"Grandpa, hello."

"Oh... it's Ben..."

"It's not Ben, it's Ted. Ben is my older brother."

"Right, Ben... Where did that dog come from...?"

The old man pointed at Ghost and asked.

"It's a very big and fine dog... Anyone would think it's a wolf... Heheh..."

"It is a wolf. Anyway, take care, grandpa."

"Yeah..."

After passing through the palisade, Ted guided them to his house.

It was the largest house located at the very edge of the village.

Though it was the largest, it wasn't particularly luxurious.

"The wolf can stay in the barn. The barn is empty now... After those guys stole all our livestock..."

Ted spoke with a dejected face, but again, no one was listening.

"This is your house?"

At Rakia's question, Ted nodded.

"My grandfather built it himself. It started as a hut, but after gradually expanding it, it ended up this big."

There was a hint of pride on Ted's face, perhaps because it was the largest in the village.

"It's shabby," Rakia muttered quietly.

She didn't mean to dampen Ted's spirits. It was just that by a dragon's standards, this house seemed small and shabby.

"ah, ahem... Anyway, come in."

Ted opened the door with an awkward expression.

"No one will be home anyway. My brother only comes back late at night."

"Okay."

After getting off Ghost, Rakia roughly stuffed the sleeping Lu into her pocket.

Then, carefully carrying Ariel, she followed Ted into the house.

"...Ted."

But there was someone in Ted's house.

"Who is that girl?"

It was Ted's brother, Ben.