Chapter 105 - 7
The blacksmithing and magic tool creation classes had ended. After Regza returned to the room, he checked all the magic tools created by the students. As expected, the one who got a perfect score was Princess Rinne with her magic gun. The rank of her magic tools was Legendary rank. They finished the class when the sky was getting dark.
Inside a cottage in the middle of the lake, Ziel who had just returned from the class was currently trying to replicate the cuisine from his world. He didn't know why he was suddenly doing this. Besides Ziel, there are also Kalya and Lilith. Kalya wants to help him in the kitchen but Ziel stops her. He wanted to try it himself first. Meanwhile, Lilith just sat in the living room and did nothing. He had been coming to the cottage a lot lately. Not long after, the smell of food filled the whole cottage.
"Hmm... What exactly did he cook to make it smell so good? I've never smelled food like this before." Lilith muttered while smelling the scent that tickled her nose.
"Me too. Even though I often eat the food. But this is the first time I smell this delicious food." Kalya responded to her muttering. She was currently sitting not far from her. In a short time, she and Lilith had become closer and could even be considered friends.
Knock... Knock... Knock...
"Who comes to this place at night?" Lilith tilted her head. The cottage in the middle of the lake, even in this dark forest, can only be visited by people who have visited here.
"I will see." Kalya acts like the lady of that house. She went to the entrance to see who the guests were at night. Even though she knew someone had broken through the barrier, she didn't know who it was. Let alone a person without malicious intent, she didn't care about it. When Kalya opens the door she is speechless.
"You... What are you doing coming to this place at night?" Kalya asks the person standing at the door.
"Hmm...I...I didn't have anything to do in the dorms, so I came here. Could I have bothered you?" Princess Iris tries to find the right reason to answer Kalya's question.
"Haa... All right. Come in!" Kalya felt sorry if she had to send her back.
"Thank you...uh." Princess Iris smiled in relief after hearing Kalya's answer. But when she entered the cottage, a fragrant aroma wafted over her. She didn't know who was cooking with that delicious aroma. She thought that there was another woman besides Ziel in the cottage.
"He's cooking." Kalya knows what Princess Iris is thinking. So she answered it before Princess Iris asked.
"He can cook too?" Princess Iris is shocked after hearing what Kalya said. She had also seen what he had made during the blacksmithing class earlier. The magic tool he made was just a communication magic device, but the shape is very detailed and resembled the real thing.
"Yes, he does cook to fill his time. I also help her sometimes." Kalya smiled sweetly when she remembered it.
"Ooh...He's great." Princess Iris didn't know what to say after seeing her dazzling smile. After arriving in the living room, Princess Iris was silent seeing Lilith sitting in the living room.
"You... You're here too?" She asked Lilith who was sitting relaxing at home.
"Ooh... Iris? I do come here often. I should be the one asking you, why did you come here?" Lilith raised her eyebrows at Princess Iris' question. She was still not used to being around the person she had experimented with in the past.
"You sit down first... Hmm... A troublesome girl is coming." Kalya sighed after feeling someone else passing through the barrier. She was familiar with that person. Not long after, the entrance to the cottage was forced open.
"Ziel I'm coming! You have to swap... Eh Princess Iris? What are you doing here?" Princess Freya who suddenly came was surprised to see Princess Iris in Ziel's cottage.
(Ziel? Who is that?)
Princess Iris heard a strange name from her mouth. She saw Princess Freya carrying the dagger she made in her previous blacksmithing class. She couldn't stand the repeated questions that had been asked of her.
"I've been asked that question twice. And you? What did you come here for?" Princess Iris didn't expect that Princess Freya also secretly knew Ziel.
"Eh, I come here often but this is the first time I've seen you?" Princess Freya tilted her head. She felt the same feeling with her presence there.
"Leya, the food is ready." Ziel called from inside the dining room.
"Okay." Kalya went with Lilith and left Princess Freya and Princess Iris alone in the living room.
"Wait! I'm coming with you too." Princess Freya immediately followed Kalya into the living room. Princess Iris was silent seeing her current attitude. She didn't look as graceful and elegant as she usually showed at the academy. After Princess Freya went to the dining room, Princess Iris followed behind her.
When the four girls entered the dining room, they were surprised by what was served on the table. They had never seen such food before. Ziel makes generous amounts of teriyaki, nikujaga, tempura, and yakitori. He seemed to know there would be a lot of people coming to his cottage tonight.
"What are you guys doing standing there quietly?" Ziel sat in his chair then the four girls followed.
Ziel started to taste the food he made one by one. But he only took a small portion of each meal he made.
"Hmm... Delicious as usual." Kalya tried the teriyaki first. Because she often eats food cooked by him, she is used to it. But it's a different story with the other three girls.
"This... The meat is so tender. I can even eat a few more." Princess Freya chose different food from Kalya.
"This food is very crunchy and savory. The shrimp is also very tasteful. Can't I make this as a snack?" Princess Iris chose tempura because it looked more attractive than the other three foods.
"This skewered grilled meat is also delicious. It's my first time seeing and tasting it." Lilith prefers yakitori. She tasted one skewer but then she took a few more after tasting it.
On the other hand, Ziel who cooked the food only tasted it a bit. He didn't have the slightest feeling of satisfaction on his face. He suddenly wanted to make that meal. After eating it, he recalled his former world. He was nostalgic without his emotions.
Not long after, all the food on the table was gone. All dirty dishes are taken away by Kalya to be washed.
"Haa... I'm so full. Even in the castle, I've never had food this delicious. The tempura, yakitori, and teriyaki you made are really good. But my favorite is still nikujaga. Are you just making meat tonight?" Princess Freya leaned her back on the chair. She displayed an attitude that was very inappropriate for a Princess. Princess Iris and Lilith stared blankly at her behavior.
"So, what do you two want?" Ziel asked Princess Freya and Princess Iris. Although Princess Freya sometimes comes to his cottage, she usually has business with him. As for Princess Iris, this was the second time she had come there.
"I'm just bored. Clara was tired after class ended so she decided to take a break right away. Since no other students wanted to be friends with me so I came here." Princess Iris told him the honest reason. Princess Freya smiled bitterly after hearing that. She was also one of the students who avoided her.
"And what do you want?" Ziel glanced at Princess Freya who had a gloomy face. He knew what she was feeling just by the look on her face. Princess Freya feels guilty for Princess Iris.
"Ah...by the way, I'm late in questioning this because I was too focused on your food. Aren't you class S students too? What are you doing here and what's your relationship with him?" Princess Freya looked at Lilith. She just remembered that there are other girls besides Kalya and Princess Iris in that place. But Lilith chose silence and didn't answer. Princess Freya was about to repeat the question but Ziel cut her off first.
"You don't have to think about it. Rather say what you want?" Ziel doesn't want to waste his time on things that don't matter.
"Haa...firstly I want to ask for my reward for silencing the pink-haired girl who will say your name in front of everyone after you fight those two villains, and secondly I want to give you this dagger. Of course, you should also give me a present." Princess Freya gave Ziel her homemade dagger and smiled sweetly at him. The request she made looked like coercion.
Lilith's face darkened after hearing what Princess Freya had said. She didn't like being called a villain by a human, let alone much weaker than her. Lilith would shout angrily at her, but Ziel glanced at her which meant she had to stop it. Like it or not, Lilith had to obey him. She could only hold back her emotions for now.
"Hmm... you mean Rhea? I see. So what exactly do you want?" Ziel knows that Rhea has special eyes. So it wouldn't be strange if she could recognize Ziel who was wearing an artifact mask.
"May... May I ask for the same thing you gave to Miss Kalya and Clara?" Princess Freya asked him doubtfully. She was afraid that Ziel would refuse her request. Her face turned pale as she waited for his answer. She purposely didn't mention Princess Aishia's name because there were Lilith and Princess Iris. They don't know what Princess Freya is talking about.
"Does it need to be like that?" Ziel looked directly into Princess Freya's eyes.
"Of course." Princess Freya answered firmly. She didn't turn her face and looked back at Ziel. Her face looked very serious.
(How is Leya? You heard it didn't you?)
Ziel spoke telepathically to Kalya. He knew she had been eavesdropping on his conversation earlier.
(Ahaha... I'm sorry. I don't mind as long as it's not a ring)
Kalya laughed embarrassed because she was caught. She allowed Ziel to grant Princess Freya's wish.
(Okay thank you)
Ziel answered it curtly.
(I should be the one thanking you for thinking about my feelings)
Kalya says her feelings honestly from deep in her heart. She is happy that Ziel is still thinking about her.
Princess Freya was feeling very nervous at the moment because Ziel didn't answer right away. She started sweating from her forehead.
"Okay, I'll give it to you." Ziel took out a black box from his storage space. The box floated and stopped in front of Princess Freya. She quickly picked it up and opened the box to see its contents.
Not only Princess Freya, Lilith, and Princess Iris were shocked after the box was opened. Golden light emanated after the box opened. They could see that inside the box was a pendant with a sun pattern of the same color as Princess Freya's hair.
(He gave God rank artifacts just like that!?)
Lilith was astonished at what he was doing.
(What is it? It looks really pretty)
Princess Iris muttered, her eyes couldn't leave the pendant in the box.
"Is this for me?" Princess Freya asked in a trembling voice. Not only her voice but also her body. She involuntarily shed tears and smiled broadly. Ziel just nodded in response to her question.
"Can you put it on me?" Princess Freya glanced at him. She wanted Ziel to help put it around her neck.
Ziel didn't answer and walked over to her. He takes the pendant from the box. Princess Freya lifted the hair that covered her white and smooth neck. Ziel slowly wrapped the pendant around her neck and hooked the pendant. Because of their close distance, Princess Freya could feel his breath. Her face was red and her heart was beating faster. She looks so beautiful with that pendant. The other two girls who saw it became envious. Especially Princess Iris who felt pain in her chest.
"Okay, you can go home because it's getting late. You too." Ziel looked at Princess Freya then at Lilith and Princess Iris.
"I understand." Princess Freya answered quietly. She was still catching her unstable breath. The three of them walked out of the cottage.
"You should know how she feels right?" Kalya's voice came from the kitchen. She slowly walked into the dining room.
"I know. But I can't accept it. I already said you were my exception." Ziel shook his head and walked towards his bedroom. Kalya just stares at him and doesn't know what she is currently thinking.
The next day the students of Piqmentia Grand Academy were informed about a study tour to the Dwarf Kingdom. They enjoy this activity whether they like blacksmithing or not. This is their chance to see other countries outside the human region.. The Study Tour will be followed by all classes, and they will leave next week.