Chapter 7.2

“Your movements are impressive.”

“He could’ve been a great swordsman.”

“Should we call it a loss or a blessing that someone with such skill chose cooking?”

The knights, who had each devoured two bowls of stew to satisfy their immediate hunger, watched my cooking with benevolent, intrigued expressions.

“Who is this female knight?”

I couldn’t help but notice the woman among them, her presence commanding respect and curiosity alike.

As I continued cooking, I found myself glancing repeatedly at someone. The female knight caught my attention for some reason.

“There are female knights in this world, but this seems… unusually coincidental.”

In a world where mana exists, it wasn’t unheard of for women to excel in roles tied to mana, such as knights, mages, or clergy.

However, female knights were still rare. The profession of knighthood, by its very nature, was rugged, and compared to magic or divine power, the proportion of women was far lower.

“A female knight from the High Tower? And she holds the highest rank in their party… Is there even a female knight of her stature in the North?”

More than anything, the other knights subtly seemed to defer to her. Unlike the others, who had removed their hoods while dining, she kept hers on, concealing her face.

“Could she really be Arina, the Duchess of the North?”

The thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“No way. Why would someone as significant as the Duchess venture all the way to the edge of the Magic Realm, and with such a small entourage?”

At first, I dismissed the idea.

“Wait a second. Wasn’t the Empire’s grasp on the North solidified after…?”

A key detail from The Age of Silver suddenly came to mind, making me pause.

“Right after the sudden disappearance of Arina, the Northern Duchess, and her elite knights… Could it be this time period?”

Then, I remembered the luck stat that was baked into this body.

Given the luck stat, my transmigrated status, and the flow of history, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable to believe the woman before me was the Duchess.

As I stole another glance at her while cooking, I caught her gaze. Even with her hood obscuring her face, I could feel her piercing eyes on me.

The five knights from the High Tower—one of whom I strongly suspected was the Northern Duchess—devoured the food I prepared as if inhaling it.

“I’ve realized every piece of meat I’ve eaten before was trash. Ah, except for Polly’s ribs.”

“Can my tongue ever go back to its old life before this meal?”

“Even the bread! It’s nothing like the hard, dry loaves I’ve always known. How can bread be this soft and chewy?”

The amount they consumed was staggering. Knights were already big eaters by nature, but when combined with my max-level cooking skill and the magic of Arad Salt, their appetites turned ravenous.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

By the end, the knights were so absorbed in eating that they’d abandoned all pretense of decorum, eating as casually as commoners.

Even the female knight—whom I was almost certain was Arina, the Duchess of the North—ate without pause, her hood still up, diligently moving her fork, spoon, and knife.

By the time the sun had set and Haven’s fires and lanterns were lit, their feast finally ended.

“Ugh! I’m so full!”

“I’m upset that my stomach is too full to eat more.”

“I almost wish I could just chew and spit out the food just to taste it more.”

The knights rubbed their full bellies with satisfied expressions.

—

Meanwhile, I, Jack, Tom, and the other patrons looked on in disbelief.

“How much is the bill?”

“Let me calculate… It’s 3 silver and 21 copper.”

Given the high price of the dishes and the sheer quantity they consumed, the total cost was staggering.

“3 silver?”

“Y-Yes. You ate quite a bit, so I’ll waive the 21 copper… Haha…”

Jack’s voice trembled slightly as he gave the total.

“Take it.”

Whether it was due to their sense of honor, the presence of the Duchess, or genuine satisfaction with the food, the knights nodded once and opened their coin pouch.

“Here’s 4 silver.”

They handed Jack four silver coins.

“Let me get you your change…”

“Hey now, what kind of people do you think we are? Keep the change.”

Stopping Jack from opening the inn’s safe for their change, the knights gave their full stomachs a pat and walked out of the inn.

—

Once they were gone:

“Let’s go!”

“Yes, let’s!”

“I’ll guide you. While you dine here, you’ll still sleep at our inn!”

The mayor and officials of Haven, who had been standing quietly in a corner, scrambled to follow the knights out.

—

“They’re gone.”

“Gone.”

“Yes, gone.”

Jack, Tom, and I stood dumbfounded at the inn’s entrance, watching the storm pass.

In the meantime, my mind was racing with more complicated thoughts.

“The disappearance of the Northern Duchess…”

I reflected on the history I vaguely knew from The Age of Silver I.

“The history of the North is filled with distortions and erasures by the Empire, so I don’t know the details. But from the context, this seems like the right period.”

I looked toward the direction the knights had gone—toward Polly’s Inn—and fell into deep thought.

“So this is how their disappearance played out.”

I was certain of it. The small party formed by the Northern Duchess and her elite knights must be headed to the Magic Realm. There was no other reason for them to be in Haven.

“Should I follow them?”

If the North was to be saved, the first step would be to save its unifying force—the Northern Duchess.

A clichéd sense of duty pushed me to get involved.

“But how? I don’t have a legitimate reason. This clearly looks like a classified mission, and if I suddenly demand to join them, I’ll end up interrogated in prison.”

My resolve and hesitation zigzagged in my thoughts.

“More importantly, I’m strictly non-combat right now. I’d be no help in a fight. Even if I join them, there’s no guarantee I could prevent the Duchess’s disappearance.”

At best, I’d be a cook or a blacksmith. At worst, I’d be a liability.

“I could cook or repair equipment, but would that be enough to justify staying in a party of elite warriors?”

I might even get caught up in a battle and lose my life.

“And don’t forget the mounts! Traveling into the Magic Realm requires top-grade horses, and those were extremely expensive even in The Age of Silver I. They must cost even more now.”

As my doubts and hesitations mounted: “North, please save the North!”

The desperate voice I’d heard when I was first transported to this world replayed in my mind.

A vivid sense of responsibility came with it—a feeling that fulfilling that plea was somehow tied to my return to Earth.

“I’m barely surviving as it is…”

Barely two months into this new world, and already I was faced with what seemed like an impossible, high-stakes quest.