Chapter 141

The sight of Arisa, who had formed a party with Mari, didn’t exactly inspire confidence in anyone who saw them.

Every time Mari spoke, Arisa would fluster and avoid eye contact.

And that wasn’t all.

After Mari finished speaking, Arisa would awkwardly laugh and nod along, driven by some inexplicable sense of duty to react.

“Yeah, yeah… Hahaha… Sure, sure… Uh, no, not really…”

Her demeanor was a perfect example of a loner who, despite feeling joy at having a party member for the first time, was also burdened with doubts like, “Why would someone like me even be here?”

Mari didn’t pay much attention to Arisa’s behavior, but honestly, it made one wonder, “Can I really trust this Dark Elf as a party member?”

However, once they arrived at the location specified in the request, Arisa was a different person.

The request they had taken was to search a cave where a thief was suspected to be hiding, subdue the thief, and recover the stolen goods.

Thus, the location they arrived at was the cave where the thief was believed to be hiding.

“Come on, Arisa! Let’s head inside the cave…!”

“Stop.”

“Huh?”

“Look, under your feet.”

As they entered the actual request location, Arisa, now calm and composed, quickly scanned the surroundings and stopped Mari.

When Mari looked down, she saw a rope cleverly hidden in the shadows of the cave, about ankle height.

The rope, seemingly dyed with ink to make it less noticeable, led to some kind of simple device. It appeared to be a trap designed to alert the thief if anyone entered the cave.

“Ah…! I almost made a mistake.”

“Shh. Quiet.”

From then on, Arisa continued to detect and disarm traps that the thief had set up, as if her previous clumsy behavior had been a lie.

The most astonishing thing was her ability to quickly scan and understand the entire space.

It was an observational skill reminiscent of Kurt, Mari’s original party member.

But while Kurt’s skills were specialized in tracking living creatures, Arisa’s skills were more focused on identifying and understanding man-made objects.

Thanks to this, Mari and Arisa were able to proceed deep into the cave without triggering any traps, and they easily subdued the thief, who was resting comfortably, unaware of their intrusion.

Finally, Arisa even managed to open the thief’s hidden stash without a key, using only a simple lockpick, and recovered the stolen goods.

The request was completed effortlessly, thanks to Arisa’s brilliant performance.

“To finish the request so easily! Arisa, you’re amazing!”

“Hehe. Not really. You were the one who easily subdued the thief alone, Mari.”

As soon as the request was over, Arisa, who had been calm and professional, quickly reverted to her awkward self.

But Mari, paying no attention to Arisa’s behavior, returned to Astram with the captured thief and the stolen goods.

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Having finished the request earlier than expected, the two leisurely handed over the thief and the stolen goods to the guard post, received their reward, and headed towards the Adventurer Guild while chatting.

Of course, most of the talking was done by Mari.

Still, compared to before they set out on the request, Arisa had started to adapt to conversing with Mari, moving from short answers to somewhat more complete sentences.

“…So, I became obsessed with the fried potatoes Kurt made for me. But he doesn’t make fried dishes often, which makes me sad.”

“I see. But that Kurt person must be really good at cooking. It’s nice to have someone around who can cook well…”

“Do you have any favorite dishes, Arisa? Personally, I love fried food and chicken the most!”

“I prefer dairy products like cheese and milk over meat…”

“Cheese is delicious. When I first tried it after leaving the Elf village, I thought it was a strange, smelly food, but now I can’t live without it.”

“Yes. Dairy products all have a rich flavor that I love…”

By now, Arisa had relaxed enough to engage in what could be called a proper conversation, rather than just listening to Mari.

‘I can’t believe it! I’m having so much conversation! Maybe I’ve had more conversation today than in the entire month with other people!’

Of course, it was still mostly Mari initiating the conversation, but for Arisa, who usually ate alone and only overheard the lively chatter from nearby tables, this was a significant improvement.

So, intoxicated by her own achievement, Arisa underestimated Mari.

“Ah, by the way, do you have any plans after this, Arisa?”

“No, not really…”

“Then let’s have dinner together later! I’ll treat you to Kurt’s cooking! Not that I’ll be the one cooking, though!”

Mari’s social skills.

“Dinner? With me…?”

“Yes! Is that not okay?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Arisa reflexively answered Mari’s anxious question.

“Then it’s settled! We’ll eat together!”

She should have guessed from the way Mari invited her to join the party, someone she had never talked to before.

But by the time she realized it, there was no escape.

Having a meal with someone she just met today was too much for a loner like her.

Just imagining it made her feel like she would get indigestion.

But Arisa didn’t have the eloquence to refuse Mari’s invitation.

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Hearing this, I crossed my arms and asked Mari.

“…So, you want me to make snacks?”

“Yes! I’ll cover the cost of ingredients!”

“Ah, no, I’m fine…”

Mari, innocently smiling and affirming my words.

And beside her, the Dark Elf woman, fidgeting and looking troubled.

Her name was Arisa, and while her appearance resembled a silver-haired, tanned delinquent, her behavior gave off a strangely awkward vibe.

Judging by appearances alone, it seemed like Arisa would be the one dragging Mari around, but in reality, it felt like Mari was the one leading her.

“I think fried potatoes would be great for snacks!”

At that moment, Mari raised her hand and made her request.

“No, you just want to eat fried potatoes because it’s been a while, right?”

It was like using a friend as a shield to demand the special snacks prepared for guests.

No, it wasn’t a metaphor—it was the truth.

“Well, I can make it… So, Arisa, right? Any requests from you?”

“No, I’m fine with anything…”

“Anything? That’s the hardest order.”

“Then, I don’t need any snacks…!”

“Arisa likes dishes with milk or cheese!”

“M-Mari!”

“Really? A dish using dairy products…”

“No, that’s not…”

“Don’t worry. Mari’s covering the food expenses anyway.”

I reassured the hesitant Arisa and thought about the snack menu.

Hmm…

A snack using dairy products.

And, while we’re at it, fried potatoes…

Then, something that pairs well with fried potatoes.

And since it’s hot lately and fried potatoes are warm, something cool would be nice.

It was still spring when we left Astram, but after traveling, it’s already midsummer.

Since Serena wasn’t taking any requests today and was resting at the Adventurer Guild, making something cold wasn’t a big deal.

Last time in the Fairy Kingdom, the fairy assistants used magic to help with cooking, which was quite convenient.

Now that I have a mage in the party, I should make the most of Serena’s help and create dishes using magic.

So, the dessert should pair well with fried potatoes, use dairy products, and be something cool…

Alright. I’ve decided.

Well, it was pretty much decided from the start given those conditions.

Having decided on the menu, I called Karina and Serena, who were resting in their rooms, and headed to the kitchen.