Enya and the others had set out in the morning, teleported to the Northern Mountains, and reached the ruins by the time it was approaching noon.
They spent a significant amount of time underground.
After emerging, they traveled through the plain’s woodland for a while longer.
Immediately afterward, Enya began to recover her Magic Power.
The [Fluorescent Blue Potion] did not restore energy instantly upon being swallowed; its recovery effect took place gradually.
At the start, the amount restored was high, but after reaching a peak, the recovery speed would drop off, following a parabolic curve.
Then, time ticked away bit by bit.
Enya gazed at the dusky yellow sky, then looked at the forest before her and at Nina, who was sitting on the [Golden Crow Cage] roasting fish over a bonfire.
For a moment, she felt a sense of trance and could not help but mutter to herself.
“It’s as if I’ve returned to the past…”
Once a person reached a certain age, especially one prone to overthinking, they became more susceptible to feeling sentimental when moved by their surroundings.
Many reflective words would naturally arise.
Thinking of this, Enya gave a self-deprecating smile.
“Am I getting old?”
By physical age, Enya was quite young.
Although she was no longer a young girl, she was in the prime of her youth.
However, she already had a daughter…
Enya’s life had its twists and turns, yet it had been unexpectedly smooth.
She had spent her earlier years constantly on the road, but later, she stopped in Red Pine City.
She intended to retire to the mountains and focus on raising Rosily.
Yet, heaven did not always grant human wishes.
Nowhere in this world was truly stable. Since trouble had found her, Enya could no longer avoid it.
Sophia followed behind Enya.
She saw Enya standing at the cave entrance in a daze, staring at the setting sun, unsure of what her senior was thinking. After waiting for a moment, she called out.
“Senior?”
Hearing Sophia’s voice, Enya snapped back to reality.
She walked down the gentle slope and approached the roaring bonfire.
The fire was surrounded by small pebbles, making it look quite refined.
Two large stones were placed about one meter away, and Nina sat atop the golden birdcage.
As for Sylvia…
Since she was a prisoner, she could not expect high-quality treatment.
Seeing Sophia and Enya approach, Nina lifted the fish she was roasting in the flames. Perhaps because she used too much force in the movement, the stick snapped.
*Crack.* The fish, while being roasted, turned into firewood.
A series of high-pitched crackles erupted from the bonfire, sounding like the final cry of the fish.
Nina stared at the fire, reaching out her small hands as if she wanted to grab the burning fish from the red-hot coals.
Seeing this, Enya immediately grabbed Nina’s hands.
“Forget it, Nina. Let it go.”
If she picked it up now, let alone eating it, the smell alone would make one dizzy.
Nina looked at the fish with reluctance.
She had jumped into the water and spent a great deal of effort to catch it.
Looking at the fish burning brightly, Nina rose from the golden cage and moved toward the stream fish she had left out to dry.
The longest of those fish was barely one palm long, but they seemed large in Nina’s small hands.
She grabbed a stick and prepared to shove it into a fish’s mouth.
Watching this clumsy, brutal method, Enya sucked in a breath of cold air.
Was this a cooking attempt or a continuation of Sylvia’s interrogation?
Nina seemed like she wanted to try again, but if she continued like this, they might not even eat by tomorrow morning.
Enya hurriedly stopped her.
“Let me do it. I know how.”
When Enya said this, Nina looked a bit displeased.
She tilted her proud little head, pouted, and said to Enya, “Dragon, are you looking down on Nina?”
“Of course not. How could I look down on such a cute girl like our Nina? I just see how hard Nina worked to catch the fish, so how could I let Nina roast them as well?”
Enya began to coax the child.
“Nina has worked the hardest. Now, you just need to wait and eat!”
“Doesn’t Nina want to try my… *ahem*… craft?”
Enya half-knelt behind Nina, wrapping her arms around the girl’s petite body.
She peeked out from behind the Gold Elf loli, looking up at her exquisite and beautiful face, and spoke in a soft whisper.
“I promise it will be delicious.”
Having stayed in front of the fierce bonfire for a long time, Nina’s face was flushed red from the heat.
She turned her head to avoid Enya’s gaze.
She spat out a sentence as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.
“Fine, okay.”
“Sen—ior… I want to eat too…”
Sophia crouched to one side, hugging her legs.
She took off the band from her head and removed her [Green Veil], her azure eyes shining brightly in the firelight.
“Alright, just wait a moment.”
Enya nodded in response and then asked Nina, “What flavor does Nina want? Do you want it spicy? Or…”
“Spicy!”
Hearing that she could choose the flavor, Nina’s nose wrinkled happily as she immediately designated the taste she wanted.
Watching this scene, Sophia suddenly felt like throwing a tantrum on the spot. Why did the elders at home, the Saintess, and even her senior all like to coax the youngest sister first?
Enya certainly had not forgotten her. After attending to Nina’s little temper, she said to Sophia half-jokingly, “How can you be jealous of your younger sister?”
“I…”
Sophia didn’t catch the teasing tone and felt so aggrieved she wanted to cry.
Seeing the change in her expression, Enya laughed.
“Hahaha, I’m just teasing you.”
Once Sophia recovered, she realized Enya had done it on purpose. She turned away in shameful indignation and muttered, “Senior, you’re mean!”
Enya simply laughed it off.
By the time the sky had turned completely dark, Nina sat on the [Golden Crow Cage] and took the roasted fish handed to her by Enya.
Looking at the food wafting with the scent of cooked meat, her saliva would not stop flowing.
She opened her small mouth and took a bite.
Upon tasting it, Nina’s eyes widened significantly.
Nina: “The Dragon’s cooking is so delicious!”
Enya: “It’s because the fish Nina caught was good.”
Nina: “Hmph, of course it was.”
Sophia: “…”
Her hands were still empty.
Fortunately, Enya had two hands and did not actually play favorites between the Elf sisters.
Sharing the love was an inherent skill of hers.
Sprinkling on green onions, a bit of dried chili powder, and some spices to enhance the flavor, Enya handed the other fish in her hand to Sophia.
Sophia reached out to take it impatiently.
The warm, delicious cooked food warmed her stomach and her heart at the same time. While eating, Sophia suddenly spoke.
“I thought you could just put it over the fire and eat. I didn’t realize cooking required so many steps — killing the fish, scraping scales, removing internal organs… And because an open flame burns easily, you have to use charcoal.”
She looked at the pot hanging over the bonfire.
The water was boiling, and white steam lifted the lid, carrying a scent that tempted one’s taste buds as it continuously escaped the pot. Enya had brought that out.
Enya always carried various daily necessities, especially pots, bowls, and pans that could improve the quality of life. Those were the items that had been with her the longest.
In the midst of an adventure, if one could eat a delicious and hearty dinner, the day’s fatigue would be overwritten by that moment of happiness.
Enya used a bowl to scoop out fish soup, giving a bowl to both Sophia and Nina, though she herself had not eaten anything the entire time.
She hadn’t drugged it…
Although Sophia was puzzled, she did not ask Enya why directly. Instead, she asked about other things.
“Senior, you’re so good at cooking. Did you specifically learn it?”
“Not really.”
Enya turned her head, glanced at Sophia, and then looked at the iron pot over the fire.
She said wistfully, “Everyone has their own life, just like everyone has their own taste in food. I am likely different from the vast majority of people in this world.”
“Of course, there are actually many reasons. Which one does Sophia want to hear?”
Sophia looked up at the sky.
As the sun set, stars filled the night sky. This [Starry Night] did not make her feel afraid, only that the heavens were profound and untouchable.
“Senior, can you tell me about the stars?”
This question successfully silenced Enya. It took a long time before she turned back toward the Elf girl beside her.
“Did Eliv ask you to ask that?”
“Ugh, you guessed it?”
Sophia was startled at first, then indirectly admitted that Eliv had told her to say those words.
She sent messages to Eliv every day, a fact that Enya was well aware of.
Enya did not look at the [Starry Night].
Instead, she gazed into the bonfire and fell into a memory, but she did not dwell on the past for too long.
She first took out a cloth and had Nina move her bottom so she could cover the **[Golden Crow Cage]**. Only then did she speak to Sophia.
“Sophia, tell Eliv for me that I will go find her. But right now, I need some time to do other things.”
“Alright.”
Sophia nodded.
She was now certain that the relationship between her senior and the Saintess was very close.
Were they… best friends?
Sophia found it hard to believe that someone like the Saintess would have her heart moved.
Love between girls was normal among Elves, but no one was bold enough to profess their love to the Saintess of the Church of the God of Nature.
On one hand, the Saintess was too strong; on the other, her natural sense of distance was enough to make anyone hesitate.
Sophia was still very worried about her teacher.
‘If I had a master’s wife…’
As she thought about it, Sophia fixed her gaze on Enya.
The Saintess often used “a certain someone” to refer to someone she missed dearly. Could that “certain someone” be this senior?
*Hiss…*
‘Then wouldn’t Senior be my master’s wife?’
Sophia straightened her back.
She had discovered a startling fact. When Enya heard this spoken aloud, her head was filled with question marks.
“???”
“Ugh, I said that out loud.”
Sophia hurriedly turned away, pretending she hadn’t said it. But facing Enya’s gaze, sweat broke out on her forehead.
“Um… Senior, do you dote on Nina so much because you really like children?”
Enya’s lips quirked. She looked at Nina, who was foolishly drinking fish soup and spitting out bones, and said softly, “Yes. I have two daughters at home. They’re about the same size as Nina, though they are much younger in age.”
“What?!”
Sophia jumped right off her rock.
Even Nina, who had been focusing on her meal, stopped moving her grease-shined little mouth.
Two pairs of blue eyes stared blankly at Enya, who sat between them.
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