The moment Avril’s voice rang out, Galvis, who had been about to continue showing off his extensive knowledge, froze on the spot as if an invisible hand had seized him by the throat.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

He gave a few dry coughs to hide his awkwardness, but his feet subconsciously shuffled toward Roland. He ended up like a startled ostrich, trying to curl his tall, thin frame behind Roland’s broad back.

Just then, the sound of light, hurried footsteps grew closer.

The next moment.

"BANG!"

The kitchen door was thrown open.

The young woman’s brown hair danced in the flood of sunlight, shimmering with the luster of honey.

The moment she stepped inside, she squinted slightly. Her small, pert nose twitched as she let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.

"It smells so good, Roland! Your cooking is getting better and better. Looks like I got here just in time!"

"Welcome, Avril..."

Roland glanced at the Minstrel huddled behind him, long since accustomed to this scene.

His hands never stopped moving as he spoke calmly.

"The food’s almost ready. Could you please go get Mr. Bronson? You can wait for a bit by the dining table."

"As you command!"

Upon hearing this, Avril performed a playful, exaggerated curtsy, then darted out like a gust of wind.

As he watched her energetic figure disappear, Roland continued cooking the food in the pot and said in a low voice.

"She’s gone, Galvis."

"I... I know..."

The Minstrel nervously fidgeted with the strings of his instrument, his voice stuttering.

"Ro-Roland, I just remembered... I have something urgent to attend to. I... I’ll have to skip lunch..."

Before he could finish, he had already tiptoed to the kitchen door. He peeked out nervously, clutching the doorframe like a thief with only half his head showing.

Watching his furtive behavior, Roland sighed helplessly.

"What on earth happened between you and Avril?"

"N-Nothing! In any case..."

The Minstrel took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and his tone became exceptionally grave.

"Roland, take a word of advice from me. With Miss Avril... it’s best to keep your distance..."

His words had barely faded when Avril’s clear voice once again drifted in from the courtyard.

"Roland! Is the food ready yet?"

The voice struck Galvis like a thunderclap, sending a violent shiver down his spine. Without another word, he stumbled toward the kitchen’s back door and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Watching him flee in such a panic, Roland’s confusion only deepened.

He had once been suspicious of Avril’s and Galvis’s motives for approaching him, but after spending time with them, he hadn’t sensed any malice from either. Thus, he had chosen to accept them.

As for their strange relationship, Roland was curious, but since both of them were so tight-lipped about it, he wasn’t about to press the issue.

’I wonder what this "good thing" Avril mentioned could be...’

Roland put the thought aside, his hands moving even faster.

Before long, the long wooden dining table was laden with a dazzling array of dishes. An enticing aroma filled the air, and hot steam billowed through the room.

Just like Galvis, the brown-haired Elf Maiden immediately noticed that Roland had successfully mastered the Breathing Technique.

Unlike Galvis, however, she merely offered a few words of quiet praise. There was no hint of surprise in her eyes, as if she had always been certain that Roland would master the Knight’s Breathing Technique.

The conviction in her eyes was even stronger than Roland’s own.

A flicker of doubt rose in Roland’s mind, but before he could dwell on it, Avril’s gasp of wonder cut through his thoughts.

"Whoa!"

Staring at the feast before her, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, Avril’s already bright eyes sparkled.

Completely ignoring the steam still rolling off the food, she eagerly shoved a large, delicious piece into her mouth.

"Hsss... hooo!"

Even though the heat made her stick out her tongue and hiss, she still managed to mumble her praise.

"So good... This is so good!"

"Slow down..."

Watching the young woman’s reckless behavior, Roland shook his head in resignation.

Despite his many attempts to subtly probe, Galvis remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal what had happened between him and Avril.

But in private, the Minstrel had sworn to Roland that the youthful, beautiful Elf Maiden before him was likely well over a hundred years old.

Considering Galvis’s attitude toward Avril—a mixture of reverence and fear—he probably wouldn’t dare to make something like that up.

So every time Roland saw Avril’s innocent, carefree expression as she gorged herself on food, he couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of incongruity when he remembered her true age.

Once the food had cooled a bit, Roland began to eat heartily.

He chewed and swallowed, waiting until the ravenous, burning hunger in his stomach had subsided before he spoke.

"Avril, where’s Mr. Bronson?"

"He said his research is at a critical juncture and that we should eat first without waiting for him."

Avril replied, her mouth stuffed with food.

Roland nodded. He took a sip of water to help the food go down before returning to the topic.

"So, about that good thing you mentioned you brought for me..."

"Here, this is it!"

While her right hand was still busy stuffing food into her mouth, her left hand fished a brand-new parchment Scroll out from her clothes. She presented it to him as if it were a treasure, completely ignoring the grease on her fingers.

"Mr. Nelson asked me to give it to you."

"Thank you."

Roland thanked her quietly, taking the parchment and unrolling it to examine it.

’A letter of introduction to the Blacksmith Guild?’

The contents of the letter were more or less the same as the one Hawke had given him earlier.

A faint smile touched Roland’s lips.

He hadn’t expected this. He had only mentioned it in passing to Nelson that morning while discussing the Breathing Technique, and the man had already sent it over by noon.

The efficiency was truly impressive.

He carefully rolled the parchment up and tucked it into the leather pouch at his waist, his pace of eating not slowing in the slightest.

"Avril, do you know where the city’s Blacksmith Guild is?"

"Uhm..."

The brown-haired young woman nodded vigorously, forcing down the food in her mouth before speaking.

"The Blacksmith Guild? It’s in the Inner City District, which is a bit far from here. If you’re going, I can... after we finish eating..."

She stopped mid-sentence, her expression suddenly a little unnatural.

A moment later, she scratched the back of her head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Ah, sorry, Roland. I have something to do this afternoon, so..."

"It’s all right."

Roland waved his hand dismissively.

"Just tell me the exact location."

They spoke for a few more moments, confirming the location of the Blacksmith Guild, and then lunch came to an end.

After watching the brown-haired young woman’s energetic figure disappear out the door, Roland gave Bronson a heads-up and stepped outside.

The oars dipped lightly into the water as he paddled toward the more prosperous and bustling Inner City District of the River Domain Kings’ Capitals.

The small boat passed under an arched bridge and entered the canals of the Inner City.

The architecture on both banks was the same, only more densely packed.

Pedestrians thronged the stone-paved streets, and the sound of hammering from a Blacksmith Shop mingled with the scent of wheat from a bakery.

Clotheslines still stretched across the alleyways, though there were fewer patched garments hanging from them.

If not for the addition of several stone fountains and flowerbeds at the street corners, it would be nearly impossible to tell the inner and outer districts apart.

Following Avril’s directions, Roland walked toward the heart of the Inner City District.

He hadn’t gone far before a Guard suddenly stretched out an arm to block his path.

"Apologies, sir..."

The Guard’s tone was initially brusque, but it softened immediately when he heard Roland was headed for the Blacksmith Guild.

"There’s construction work on the building up ahead. If you’re going to the Blacksmith Guild..."

He raised his arm and gave detailed directions for a detour.

Roland listened attentively on the surface, but inwardly, a seed of doubt was planted.

Through the heavy Guard presence, his senses keenly picked up a faint, almost imperceptible trace of Magic Elements on the wind.

This aura was completely different from what his Perception usually picked up.

It felt more peaceful and docile, as if it had been thoroughly tamed.

The feeling was identical to when he had established his affinity with the Fire Element after acquiring the [Heart of the Furnace].

Just as Roland was pondering this, a sudden uproar in the distance shattered his train of thought.