A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

When asked about the identity of the meat that melts in the mouth, the female soldier replied.

"It’s eel."

Not a snake, but a long-bodied fish caught in freshwater.

The woman soldier, using a short knife, roughly peeled the skin off while speaking.@@novelbin@@

Everyone was quick with their hands. They moved well in sync.

"When we go back to the city, I’m thinking of transporting fish from the river and selling it. What do you think?"

The soldier who was seasoning the fish asked. Enkrid quietly gave a thumbs-up.

With that gesture, he imagined the trade route between the river and this place.

If the path was well-prepared, it would only take two days by cart.

And if they could acquire a Spell Object that emits cold even in the middle of summer, freshness wouldn’t be an issue.

If an artifact is an ancient relic, Spell Objects are magical tools made and sold by mage guilds and such.

Among them, there were tools that maintained a gentle chill.

Using those, people in big cities could even eat shaved ice in the middle of summer.

Of course, those were ridiculously expensive, and tools like that were hard to find in backwater places like Border Guard. But, if trade develops more, who knows?

Even silks were being imported now.

If there weren’t wars, it would’ve expanded even more, but that’s just how it was.

"This flavor is something I’ve never tasted before."

Enkrid said it with sincere emotion.

Though some seasoning had gotten on his lips, the feeling did not wane. If anything, it intensified.

The soldier who had been seasoning the eel smiled slyly. He didn’t have a particularly good face, but the smile was sincere.

Pure joy was visible. It seemed like he enjoyed the mere act of someone eating his cooking.

"Do you think it’ll sell well?"

"Definitely."

"It’s nice to hear that, even if it’s just words."

"Hey, if that happens, are you taking me along?"

The soldier who had been grilling the eel spoke up. His face was smeared with soot, but it looked natural on him.

They didn’t seem too old.

"Helma! Are all of them grilled?"

A few soldiers approached from one side, calling out. The woman soldier who had been staring at Enkrid was named Helma.

"Yeah, did you catch anything?"

Without turning around, Helma replied.

From the sounds of it, she had been clearing a path all the way to the Pen-Hanil River and sometimes brought something back when bored.

One of the soldiers came closer, lowering a thick pouch.

Thin ice shards fell out of the leather pouch that had a thin layer of ice due to the cold.