Lifting the lid, a wave of steam rose, carrying with it the rich fragrance that instantly declared the meal's success.
"There's quite a lot today," Aesc remarked.
"With more mouths to feed, of course we have to cook more," Shiomi replied, picking up the bowls laid out on the ground and filling them with soup and food. "Besides, this way, the meal can be a little more varied."
"Yeah. Back when it was just the two of us traveling, I was always worried about making too much and wasting it," Aesc said as she took the bowl Shiomi handed her.
After distributing the food to everyone with a smile, Shiomi rested the ladle on the edge of the pot, adjusted the fire to a gentler flame, and sat beside Aesc to eat.
"Ahh, I'm really starting to think traveling with you two was the right choice," Totorot said happily, holding a bowl nearly half her size as she blew on the hot food before taking a bite.
"Two bites and you're bought off? You're pretty cheap," Shiomi teased.
"This is a meal even the chieftain couldn't eat! If this counts as cheap, then what isn't cheap?" Totorot shot back defensively.
Aesc closed her eyes, smiling faintly. "Honestly, I've been living like this for two thousand years now, and I've never grown tired of it."
"I just worry that your tastes have gotten too refined," Shiomi said with mock seriousness. "One day, my cooking might not meet your expectations anymore."
Laughter spread easily around the campfire.
Then Aesc noticed Baobhan Sith holding her bowl motionless, not touching her food or saying a word.
"What's wrong? Does my husband's cooking not suit your taste?" she asked gently.
"N-no, it's not that…" Baobhan Sith quickly picked up her spoon, shaking her head. "It's just… is it really okay? To let me eat such wonderful food with the Savior every time?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Totorot asked, tilting her head.
"What do you usually eat?" Shiomi asked, already sensing the truth behind her hesitation.
If the first day's meal had felt like a reward, and the second like a blessing, then by the third day Baobhan Sith must have realized that this was simply their normal way of life.
Having been tormented for so long, she had probably long since tied her sense of self to words like worthless and unfit. It was likely she had never truly eaten well in her life.
"...Nothing special…" Baobhan Sith murmured, unable to say more—afraid she'd ruin the mood.
Food on the verge of rotting. Scraps dropped on the ground. Meals bought with hard-earned coin only to be stolen away, leaving her with nothing but crumbs to lick from her fingers—and the pretense that it was enough.
"Then eat without worrying," Aesc said softly. "This is how it'll be from now on. You'll get used to it."
Baobhan Sith quietly brought a spoonful to her mouth. The food was warm but not scalding, the broth gentle as it slid down her throat. The early summer forest wasn't cold, yet somehow warmth filled her entire being.
"Ah, she's crying," Aesc said suddenly, feigning indignation. "It must be because your cooking's so terrible it made her cry."
"If my food's bad enough to make someone cry, that's quite a talent in itself," Shiomi replied, sniffing proudly.
Baobhan Sith, not realizing it was a joke, shook her head frantically. "No… it's just… I didn't expect it to taste so good. Thank you, Sage. And thank you, Savior."
Watching her eat through her tears, Aesc felt a pang in her chest.
If the suffering of other low-ranking fairies was something they'd brought upon themselves, then what of Baobhan Sith—who knew gratitude, who carried pure kindness—and yet had lived an even harsher life?
Perhaps there were still fairies like her, ones Aesc had never saved.
And if so… could she still truly call herself a Savior?
"Baobhan Sith," Aesc said, looking at her. "You don't need to call me Savior. Just use my name—Aesc. Like Totorot does."
At the very least, she felt she couldn't accept being called "Savior" by Baobhan Sith.
"But... but..." Baobhan Sith froze. "I... I couldn't possibly call the Savior by name!"
"Then let's compromise," Shiomi said, stirring the pot. "Call her Witch-sama."
He had already finished one bowl and was helping himself to a second.
"Witch-sama…" Baobhan Sith murmured. She had heard that title before—stories that said Aesc the Savior had once been the Rain Witch of legend.
"That's right," Shiomi said with a grin, wrapping an arm around Aesc's shoulder. "Why do you think I'm called the Sage? Only a Sage is fit to be a witch's husband."
"You're absolutely right!" Baobhan Sith said earnestly.
"You're too good at that," Aesc muttered, pressing her lips together, though a smile tugged at the corners.
"So which came first?" Totorot asked suddenly, sounding serious. "Did you become the Sage because you married Aesc, or did you marry Aesc because you were already the Sage?" She paused, then frowned. "Ugh, my head feels weird. Like it's growing a brain."
Shiomi suddenly put on a solemn expression. "Don't think, Totorot. Feel."
"Eh? Feel? Can I really get the answer by feeling?" Totorot asked, half convinced.
"With the time you waste letting my husband confuse you, you might as well spend it eating two more bowls," Aesc sighed, shaking her head in sympathy.
That was Shiomi's specialty. Because he always sounded so convincing, even his nonsense sometimes worked like magic. Once someone got caught in his rhythm, it was hard to tell where the truth ended and the teasing began.
"So basically," Baobhan Sith said, as if enlightened, "the Sage loves the Witch, and the Witch loves the Sage, right?"
Her statement wasn't wrong, but Aesc couldn't help feeling a strange sort of pity for her. From now on, Baobhan Sith would probably treat Shiomi's every word like divine revelation.
"Don't look at me like that," Shiomi said, noticing Aesc's gaze. "You make me sound like some kind of demon."
Aesc calmly took another bite. "Aren't you?"
"Hmm…" Shiomi mused. "Maybe I should call myself the Demon King instead. A Demon King and a Witch—now that's a fitting pair."
"Sounds like trouble waiting to happen," Aesc murmured, giving his leg a light kick under the table. "Don't you two think so?"
"Yeah," Totorot said with a laugh. "That sounds like the kind of duo that'd make sure Britannia never sees peace again."
But Baobhan Sith shook her head seriously. "N-no... If the Sage became a Demon King, it would only be because of wisdom beyond our understanding."
"Aha…" Aesc didn't know whether to agree or deny that. She even caught herself wondering—if Shiomi truly did become a Demon King, what goal would drive him?
"Wait, why are you all thinking so hard about this? You're acting like I already am one!"
Shiomi protested, clearly dissatisfied, and filled himself a third bowl. That finally caught Totorot's attention.
"You eat so fast!" she exclaimed.