We split up and went about our respective tasks.
I summoned my floating tools again and began assembling the wooden logs into a neat protective fence.
On the other side of the yard, Charlotte started working on her vegetable garden.
She planted the vegetable seeds we had gathered the day before, carefully placing each one into the soil with her own hands.
Once she finished planting them and watering the soil with river water, she stood upright and stretched both hands toward the garden.
A small amount of her pure High Elf energy flowed into the soil, resonating with the life force hidden within it.
WHOOSH…
Her nature magic worked almost instantly.
Within seconds, the loose soil suddenly cracked open.
Tiny green shoots emerged from beneath the surface, growing rapidly under the shower of magical energy until they transformed into rows of fresh vegetables and plump, ripe tomatoes.
Charlotte smiled with satisfaction as she admired her work.
Our little garden was already ready for harvest.
She turned toward me just as I finished hammering the final nail into the fence.
“Ryuu, look! The garden’s done!” Charlotte called excitedly.
“Come inside! I want to cook something delicious for lunch!”
“Sounds good. Let’s try out our new kitchen,” I replied casually as I set down my tools.
We both stepped inside the cottage.
I pulled out a wooden chair and sat comfortably at the dining table while watching Charlotte put on an apron and prepare her cooking utensils in front of the strange stove, whose flames came from a magic stone.
As I rested my chin on my hand and watched her busy back, a sudden idea crossed my mind.
“Charlotte,” I called softly.
“Hmm? What is it, Ryuu?” Charlotte replied without turning around.
Her hands remained busy chopping ingredients on the wooden cutting board with a steady rhythm.
“Come to think of it, living here in the middle of the Forbidden Forest is actually pretty peaceful,” I said, starting the conversation.
“How about once your vegetable garden grows a little bigger, we build a small livestock area in the backyard too? That way, we can have a steady supply of fresh eggs and milk every morning.”
Charlotte paused her chopping for a moment.
She turned toward me with a warm, sweet smile.
“That’s actually a pretty good idea. Later, we can look for some cute animals that aren’t dangerous around the river.”
“Leave it to your husband,” I replied with a confident grin.
Charlotte turned back toward her ingredients.
However, her forehead suddenly creased as she counted the vegetables spread across the table.
She let out a small sigh.
“Ah, Ryuu… it turns out I’m a little short on green vegetables for the soup,” Charlotte said, turning toward me with a slightly disappointed expression.
“I’ll go get some more from the garden out front.”
“Want me to come with you?” I offered, already preparing to stand.
“No need. It’s just beside the house. It’s really close,” she gently refused before walking out through the front door. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Charlotte casually made her way toward the vegetable garden beside the house, her steps light and carefree.
But the moment she approached the rows of tomatoes and leafy greens, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.
Her red eyes widened as she noticed one of the tomato plants in the corner of the garden trembling suspiciously.
Behind the dense leaves, Charlotte spotted a small shadow desperately pulling vegetables and tomatoes from the soil, hurriedly stuffing them away.
Someone was stealing the harvest from her garden.
Charlotte took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders before calling out in a firm voice filled with curiosity.
“Who’s there?!”
THUD!
Charlotte’s shout instantly brought whatever was hiding among the tomato plants to a complete stop.
The mysterious little figure jolted in terror.
The green leaves suddenly parted roughly, revealing the thief.
A small girl was sitting weakly on the ground, trembling from fear.
Beneath the dim shade of the trees, Charlotte could finally see her clearly.
She was a young child in a pitiful condition, wearing torn clothes covered in the dirt and mud of the forest.
On top of her head were a pair of dull black fox ears, trembling uncontrollably as they drooped downward.
Her round eyes glistened with tears as she stared at Charlotte in fear.
To be continued.