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When exchanging gifts, one should consider the recipient’s feelings, preferences, and whether they already own the same item.

However, Karem had never once given such thoughts a second glance.

Back when he was Garam in a previous life, the gifts exchanged among friends were simple.

A few crisp yellow bills.

Budget-friendly brand gaming gear.

If that felt burdensome, he simply bought them a meal.

It wasn’t something that was clearly defined with friends.

More like an unspoken agreement settled upon at some point.

Needless to say, it was a different story in this life.

Karem couldn’t recall ever receiving a proper gift.

At least not until he entered Winterhome.

This was precisely why Karem’s mind was always tangled during what was supposed to be a date disguised as a gourmet exploration.

The reason gifts exchanged among friends were unspoken was likely based on experience.

Thinking deeply was tedious.

He would pick something that wouldn’t elicit any criticism when received.

In the end, only three options remained.

The problem was that he couldn’t apply these to Catherine…

Catherine herself had explicitly said she didn’t need jewelry like necklaces or rings.

To be honest, he was just probing.

Karem knew well enough that she had plenty of ‘special’ jewelry that she could use at any time, just lying around her room.

Not to mention the gifts she’d received as the Chief Magic Consultant and Lord Tower, along with the money and pieces that came with bounties and requests—he couldn’t even imagine how much that totaled.

So any jewelry or magic tools he prepared would be a guaranteed failure.

Eventually, when he sifted through everything, what was left that might make Catherine happy was crystal clear.

An experience he had never encountered before, something completely new.

That left only one thing Karem could prepare right away.

A novel dish he had never tried before.

However, there was one catch.

‘Wait, but what kind of dish would I give as a gift…?’

Occasionally, Catherine would ask him to surprise her, but wasn’t that just a different flavor of the same thing? No, he had offered her his culinary creations as a sacrifice, and if it looks good and tastes good, there’s really no reason it couldn’t be a gift.

If that was the criteria, it shouldn’t be that difficult.

It all didn’t differ much from what he had done so far.

‘The problem is it’s not the only condition.’

The sacrifice to be offered to the God at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

The condition of expressing gratitude to the Guardian was also an issue.

On top of that, the added expectation from that Guardian didn’t help.

Of course, Catherine had said it half-jokingly.

But the fact that it hadn’t ended with just a joke was what troubled him.

Considering everything Catherine had said was true, the fact that she expected something meant there was truth to that.

‘Geez, if only I could just wing it…’

Wait, wing it? Karem paused briefly.

Then immediately shook his head.

Creating a dish using only individual conditions wasn’t particularly difficult.

A dish to be offered to the God?

His mind was flooded with various dishes he could present, and even if not, he could serve them with apologies just as he had been doing. At least it wouldn’t be met with criticism. After frying chicken several times a week, there wouldn’t even be bones left.

Ultimately, the one to be considered was Catherine.

Catherine’s expectations were the source of the dilemma.

“Are you having a hard time?”

“No, it’s just that a snowflake landed in my eye.”

“Sure, sure. Think hard.”

With words dripping with sarcasm and ridicule, Karem looked down at the one who had created this tangled mess with a frosty gaze.

Catherine merely smiled smugly as if asking what he planned to do.

“Are you teasing me right now?”

“Isn’t that the natural response?”

Karem’s thoughts continued even after returning to Winterhome, following Catherine, who thought he was done pondering.

He thought that if he just mulled over it a bit more, something might come to mind…

But no.

Oh boy.

“Ah, this isn’t good. Sir Atanitas.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Catherine turned her head slightly towards Karem as she slowed her pace walking toward the tower.

“I’ll tidy my thoughts and come back shortly.”

“Oh, alright then.”

“I’ll be back before snack time.”

“Ah, you don’t need to prepare snacks today.”

What nonsense was that?

Catherine had never skipped snack time even once.

She had insisted on it even when she was unwell. What’s up with that?

“What kind of glare is that supposed to be?”

“It’s just… you’re really going to skip snacks?”

“Skip snacks? What do you mean by that?”

Catherine tilted her head in confusion, raising her brows as if she couldn’t understand.

“Isn’t the treat you munched on while roaming the Inner Castle considered a snack?”

“Ah… yes, it is a snack.”

A mix of various fruits and creams made into ice cream, thickly cut and fried fish, clam chowder piled high with vegetables and clams, and cookie adorned with dried fruits and nuts, and so on.

Considering it a mess of snacks eaten during meals, Catherine was right.

“Phew. I don’t know. I’ll take a walk to clear my head and come back.”

“Just don’t wander too far.”

“I’ll return before the Dinner Banquet.”

“Okay. You still have a few days left until the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, so take your time thinking.”

Is this person really going to drag it out to the end… sigh. Falling head over heels first is truly a sin.

Karem sighed silently and wandered about Winterhome, trying to untangle the complicated thoughts in his head.

However, instead of clearing his mind, the noise around him only added to his confusion.

“Ugh, what a hassle this is.”

“Quiet down. How happy the lord must be to have prepared all this? Just shut your mouths and enjoy the bonuses.”

“Ugh, with it being lunchtime, what did I even eat—Oh, Karem!”

Karem casually greeted those who waved at him as he passed by.

Typically, it takes longer to clean up after than to prepare.

Let alone the countless decorations that hadn’t been touched for roughly a year, only used during a biennial Wintersend event, it was no surprise that they were busy with this backlog.

And with the Coming-of-Age Ceremony preparations looming just days away, the workload of cleaning up after Wintersend would be multiplied by at least 1.5 times, if not double.

“Is there nowhere quiet?”

Karem grumbled before attempting to leave again, but stopped in his tracks.

Everywhere seemed bustling, from the torn-open kitchen and hallway to the Great Hall, open spaces, barracks, butchery, and more, all equally loud. However, there was only one place that seemed to have the potential for quiet.

*

*

*

Gordon was starting to wonder if it was okay to enjoy this peaceful and relaxed life.

“Pororong?”

Flora tilted her head. Her brown hair framed by richly colored leaves crunched as she moved.

“No, just carry on with what you were doing.”

“Porong? Purururur!”

He could only attribute this peace to Flora, the dryad, who was happily playing in the dirt without a care in the world.

Of course, he didn’t dislike peace.

Every mercenary dreams of settling down with a pile of gold.

If he wanted to be greedy, he could even aspire to earn a title with a territory attached.

And Gordon had achieved that dream in reality.

He met his ideal boss, a lord, and upon becoming a knight under him, acquired a title with a territory. Even the lord had gone to great lengths to prevent unnecessary matchmaking for him.

On top of that, he had a kind-hearted, beautiful fairy for a wife.

But perhaps he had achieved that dream too early and too much.

“Sometimes… it feels surreal.”

“Pororong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Gordon shook his head, pushing aside his random thoughts.

“So, what are you doing now?”

Flora was digging into the ground, dropping leaves one by one and squishing them like a mental patient playing in the dirt.

However, through his past experiences, Gordon sensed that she had some other intention.

She was a forest fairy capable of accelerating a seed’s growth a thousandfold with just a touch.

‘This vitality…’

Every time Flora dug and fiddled with the earth, a warm pulse radiated around him like an invisible heartbeat.

“Pororong?”

When their gazes met again, Flora seemed a bit shy, but when she suddenly turned her head, the sprouts growing atop her head swayed.

“Pororong—!”

She slammed a clump of dirt she had tightly held in her fist back into the ground.

As if she were planting a seed with all her might.

While the seemingly pointless action of merely tapping the ground echoed, the greenhouse’s earth throbbed with life.

No, he could actually feel the throbbing vitality.

In that moment, the life force present in the greenhouse began to emerge in a faint, greenish hue.

“Is that what you intended to do?”

“Pororong~!”

“Oh… then is it over now?”

“Porong.”

Nodding enthusiastically, Flora seemed a little shy as she wiggled her fingers.

Suddenly!

She pounded the ground where she had just planted the clump of dirt.

Then, as the dirt was kicked up, it scattered everywhere.

With a puff— pop—

A familiar, albeit tiny sprout began to rise, pushing through the soil.

Slowly—

And then suddenly, the sprout grew tall and thick, starting to branch out.

Before long, a small number of bud-like flowers quickly bloomed and just as swiftly withered, falling to the ground. In their place, peach-like fruits started to form, their greenish hue adorning the space where the flowers once were.

Just when that sprout had grown taller than Gordon, its growth finally began to slow.

The peach-like fruits ripened to a deep black color, swelling to the size of apples, and took on a distinct heart shape.

“Wow… this is something I’ve never seen before.”

Gordon was intrigued as he observed the unusual tree that had sprung up. Though Flora had demonstrated this skill several times in the greenhouse, it wasn’t as astonishing as the first experience.

“Pororong—!”

Flora stretched out her hands under the tree’s shade. The sound of wind shaking the leaves was faintly heard, and the fruits fell into her hands one by one.

Quickly gathering them, Flora approached Gordon and held one of the fruits out to him excitedly.

“Oh… so you’re giving me this?”

“Porong~”

“Hmm… it’s a fruit I’ve never seen before. How do I… is it edible?”

A scent reminiscent of Alraune’s Tear wafted weakly from the fruit; however, it was entirely different. He couldn’t pinpoint it.

Upon hearing this, Flora momentarily looked shocked, as if realizing something, before she split the black heart-shaped fruit in half with both hands.

“Oh, it seems much softer than I expected.”

Despite appearing solid on the outside, the black fruit split smoothly in half, revealing a dark brown, fibrous interior that gleamed like blackened butter.

Nom—

Then, as if to imply “this is how you eat it,” Flora stared at Gordon and took a big bite from the fruit.

“Mmmmmm-!!!”

“Hmm… is it that delicious?”

Gordon stared curiously at Flora, who frowned slightly, even as she cheerfully munched on the fruit.

Flora disliked bitter flavors.

Her frown was indicative of that.

‘So she hates bitterness yet is eating it willingly?’

Flora, who had grown closer to Alicia and started resembling her, was picky; unlike the youngest princess, who would eat anything as long as it tasted good, Flora had a preference against bitter and astringent flavors.

Yet, there she was, enjoying the fruit that way.

‘Hmm, I guess it’s fine then.’

Before he knew it, Flora had devoured the fruit, her hands and face smudged with the black flesh of the fruit, and she repeatedly encouraged Gordon to eat as well.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll eat, I’ll eat.”

“Porong!”

“Don’t rush me.”

Gordon took a large bite from the half of the black fruit.

 

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