Chapter 150: Zoltan’s Ruti
Translator: Tseirp
At the congress, Ruti was completing the tasks one after the other with her usual expression .
The bureaucrats were running around busily because of her work but they still sent respectful gazes at her .
“Form a guard unit with the released mercenaries to deal with the escaped Veronia mercenaries . They won’t refuse if the reward is the return of their equipment . ”
“Leave the report to the Great Saint Fort to Vice Bishop Joe Star . He is suited for it as he has studied in the central region before and has experience . ”
“The distribution of the compensation will proceed as scheduled . You can direct those who grumble to Sir William . ”
As expected of Ruti .
Her command on internal affairs was perfect as well .
“There are no issues with the actions for this matter . I was right to leave it to you, please continue . ”
““Yes!!””
Unlike Mistome-shi’s way of doing everything herself since she was excellent at it, Ruti’s policy was to let others do the work that they are capable of .
It may sound simple but you must be prepared to follow up if they fail .
When I was with them on the journey, I took on most of the tasks outside combat but … Ruti, who has been released from 『Hero』, had changed from a charismatic unique existence that made others conform through intimidation into possessing the quality of a trusted leader .
Well, it was an emergency at the moment so having a strong leader was necessary as well .
I was certain Ruti could be a kind politician if she wanted to .
“Onii-chan . ”
I swapped places with a man who was leaving and I noticed a joyful smile only noticeable by me appear on Ruti’s face when I entered the room .
“Good work, I brought your bento today as well . ”
“Thank you . I love Onii-chan’s bento . ”
Ruti stretched her body .
The body would become stiff after maintaining the same posture for a long time .
That was a given fact for everyone but even that was lost to Ruti before this .
I felt happy for that transformation in Ruti as I walked to her side .
“I also feel that it was a good decision to have those who grumble about the compensation to talk to Sir William . Probably not many people will be able to say such words in front of Sir William who fought in the front lines . ”
“Yup, I chose that because I knew Onii-chan would think so . ”
“I-I see . ”
Even now Ruti still consults me as a teacher .
But I no longer have anything to teach her .
It was a little embarrassing but I felt happy that even then Ruti still relied on me .
“Fufu . ”
Ruti smiled .
“What’s the matter?”
“Onii-chan looked happy so I am happy too . ”
Ruti’s face when she said that was extremely cute .
It seemed that Ruti would be patrolling the nearby village with the guards from noon .
There seemed to be a high chance of the escaped mercenaries hiding .
Those mercenaries were notorious and the only ones with enough fighting ability to defeat them with certainty were Ruti and Tise .
Even though the battle was over, it would take some time before the public security was re-established due to the escaped mercenaries .
“I’m home . ”
“Welcome home . ”
Lit came over to greet me when I returned to the shop .
“Sorry for making you wait, I’ll make your lunch now . ”
“Hn~ …”
Lit continued staring at my face .
“Hey Red . ”
“What’s wrong?”
“Can we eat outside once in a while? I want to eat Red’s bento too . ”
I laughed when Lit said that .
Outside?
What was with the sudden suggestion? … .
“How about it?”
“Hmm … let’s see, if Lit wants it, maybe we can have a mini picnic for lunch today . ”
Using the remaining ingredients that I used to make Ruti’s bento, I whipped up a quick stew and sandwiches .
I took out the mithril silver lunch box that I used to carry stew when adventuring which has been sitting on the shelf for a long time .
Of course, it was not completely made of mithril silver but only a thin film on the inside but it was still an expensive item at 1000 peryl .
It was perfect at keeping the contents warm, no ingredient would leech the metal out and just a simple wipe could clean away any dirt .
With this, even if it was used to pack breakfast, it could be used for lunch and dinner as well .
I used it often when we headed to places where a fire could not be used during our journey .
It was a waste to use it just for a picnic but I somewhat felt like using it that day .
A 20 minutes walk from Red & Lit Apothecary .
Lit and I sat at the top of a small hill .
We could have a clear view of Zoltan Downtown from there … or not but at least it was a place with a nice view .
“Ooo, I’ve never been to this place . ”
I commented as I looked around .
There was a small stream flowing to the side which opened a space between the trees .
The hardwood forest was strangely warm and very calming .
“Don’t you feel that the temperature around here is nice?”
“You’re right, it felt a little dry on our way here so this place feels good . ”
I spread the bento open .
“Thank you for the food~!”
Lit stuffed her cheeks with the sandwich I made with a wide smile .
“Delicious!”
“Ahaha, that’s good . ”
Seeing Lit eat it so deliciously made a smile form on my face .
“I’ll start too then . ”
I took a sandwich with the same ingredient as the one Lit was eating .
The sandwich with fresh red tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and scrambled eggs had a good texture and was delicious if I could say so myself .
The stew was bacon and mushroom . I cut the ingredients into smaller pieces so that the heat could penetrate quicker .
The warm stew tasted better than usual when eaten outdoors in winter .
“Isn’t it better to eat in a location like this once in a while?”
“Yeah, the food tastes better too . ”
“Red’s food is always delicious . ”
Lit ate the stew deliciously .
“Yup! This is the best too . ”
We spent an enjoyable mealtime just like that .