Deep within the forest, there stood a modest manor.
It was surrounded by towering oaks and fir trees, their branches interwoven like a natural wall, isolating the manor from the outside world.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows upon the stone walls, giving them an aged yellow hue.
The manor's main building was constructed from gray-black stone blocks, its walls covered in creeping ivy. The leaves trembled slightly in the autumn wind, lending the place a desolate air.
The roof was tiled in red, though several tiles had already broken, exposing the dark wooden boards beneath.
From time to time, wisps of pale smoke drifted out of the chimney, slowly dispersing into the air, blending with the forest mist.
The main gate was made of heavy oak, studded with iron nails.
Beside the gate stood two stone statues—armored warriors with blurred faces, their features worn away, leaving only rough outlines. No one knew how many years they had stood there.
The door knocker was made of copper, now oxidized to a green patina. When struck, it produced a dull, lingering sound.
Pushing open this oak gate revealed the manor's courtyard.
The courtyard was not large. At its center stood a fountain, and around it grew several rose bushes, their vines climbing up stone pillars.
A gravel path stretched from the gate to the front door of the main building, flanked by neatly trimmed hedges.
The windows of the main building were long and narrow, fitted with stained glass. This kind of stained glass could only be made by a handful of glassmakers and was extremely expensive.
A faint candlelight flickered from within, wavering unsteadily and casting strange shadows upon the stone walls. Occasionally, a figure could be seen passing behind the windows, only to vanish quickly into the darkness.
Behind the main building lay an orchard.
Most of the trees were apple and pear, their branches lush and heavy with fruit.
The orchard connected to a small lake.
The water was clear, reflecting the gray, overcast sky.
This was the manor of Yalina's fiancé—the daughter of a miller.
According to rumor, he had slain a monster that had long plagued the Iron Oak Barony with his formidable strength. As a result, he earned the favor of the Iron Oak Baron, who not only knighted him but also granted him this manor deep within the forest.
Although it could not compare to those knights or minor lords who possessed entire villages as their fiefs, this land—combined with his personal strength—was enough to elevate Yalina's fiancé into the upper ranks of the barony.
It was precisely this status that allowed him to stand out among other suitors, win the approval of Yalina's father, and become her betrothed.
And now—
Inside this servant-less manor, within the main building behind the stained-glass windows, a conversation was taking place.
"Jacob, where is your fiancée? Why hasn't she arrived yet?" a bearded middle-aged man asked with a frown.
The man had short, dark-brown hair—messy and unkempt—and wore black leather armor stained with dried patches of blood. A dark green cloak hung over his shoulders, and at his waist was a short sword adorned with copper fittings.
The person he addressed, Jacob, was a handsome young man with a sinister gaze. His black hair was tied back, and he wore a dark red fitted outfit with leather bracers. A silver headband adorned his forehead, and in his hand he held a curved blade inlaid with a ruby.
Standing beside him was a burly, bald man with a thick gray-white beard. His features were coarse, his eyes sharp and fierce, his demeanor steady yet brutal. He wore heavy iron-gray chainmail with animal pelts draped over his shoulders, and at his feet rested a massive warhammer.
"Perhaps she was delayed on the road," Jacob said after a moment of hesitation.
The bald man's expression immediately turned impatient. "Jacob, tell the truth—will your fiancée even come?"
"What if the ritual is delayed?"
"I…" Under the pressure of his two companions, Jacob's expression darkened. He recalled how Yalina had always been polite to him, yet beneath that politeness lay a wariness he could clearly sense.
Although he had persuaded Yalina's father—the miller—to intervene this time, he still wasn't certain whether Yalina would actually come as agreed.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I'm not sure."
"Hmph!"
The other two men immediately looked displeased.
The bald man snorted coldly.
The first man, with the dark-brown hair, said with a grim face, "The ritual cannot be delayed."
Jacob fell silent for a moment before speaking, "I have a second option—a knight's daughter who admires me. Although she's not as good as Yalina, she can still be used to please our lord."
The bald brute frowned. "If that's the case, then what are you waiting for?"
"The knight's daughter's father does not have a fief, so she lives with him in Oakwood Town, under the Iron Oak Barony. I'll need your help," Jacob said with a grim expression.
The bald brute and the dark-brown-haired man exchanged a glance, then both nodded.
After all, the ritual was important.
The three of them said no more. They left the somewhat gloomy manor together, mounted their horses, and galloped toward Oakwood Town.
...
Dusk was approaching.
Although the sun had not yet set, the forest had already grown noticeably dim.
Inside the forest, a carriage moved slower than a person on foot.
If they had been walking, under normal circumstances they would have already reached Yalina's fiancé's manor.
But traveling by carriage was much slower.
The forest roads were difficult to navigate.
And since Yalina was not in a hurry, nightfall was nearly upon them, yet they were still quite some distance from their destination.
Inside the carriage, Yalina said to Levi, "Why don't we rest here for a while? We can eat something before continuing."
"I brought some bread and biscuits."
"Let's share them."
Levi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, wait for me. I'll gather some firewood nearby."
"In my carriage… in the second drawer below, there are a few flatbreads. Take them out as well—we'll toast them later."
Before Yalina could respond, Levi had already jumped down from the carriage. Without another word, he left the forest path and stepped into the dense woods nearby, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Yalina was momentarily stunned. She hadn't even had time to react before Levi was gone. Didn't he know how dangerous the forest was at night? Her brows knit slightly.
But calling out now would be useless.
Yalina could only go look for the drawer Levi had mentioned.
In the first drawer, there were various containers holding strange powders. They looked rather unusual, making Yalina wonder whether Levi might actually be a warlock.
The second drawer, however, contained a stack of crisp flatbreads. Each one was about the size of an adult's palm—completely different from the bread Yalina was used to seeing, carrying an exotic feel. Although they were cold, they looked very appetizing.
She swallowed.
Then she looked around the carriage. The setting sun streamed through the window, casting a golden glow over everything inside, making the entire space feel strangely captivating.
A peculiar impulse stirred within her.
She didn't want to marry that strange fiancé anymore.
She just wanted to sit in this carriage and travel to different places across the world—journeying by day, sleeping inside the carriage at night, resting against the evening breeze, covered by starlight… and when dawn came, setting off again beneath the morning glow.
Yalina unconsciously sank into this beautiful fantasy. When she finally snapped back to reality at the sound of movement, she realized that Levi had already returned, carrying a large bundle of firewood.
"So fast?" Yalina had been lost in thought, but it didn't feel like much time had passed.
"Firewood is easy to find in the forest," Levi replied calmly.
In truth, this was already slow by his standards.
If not for his concerns—if he had used abilities like "Wizard's Hand" or "Gathering Technique"—he wouldn't have needed to leave the alchemy carriage at all. He could have simply gathered the firewood without stepping into the forest, instead of putting on this little act.
Levi quickly started a fire in the open space beside the alchemy carriage.
Heat spread outward, driving away some of the chill of the forest night.
He climbed into the carriage, took out the flatbreads from the open drawer, then stepped back down. Using branches, he skewered the flatbreads and held them over the fire to heat them. Before long, a rich aroma began to spread.
These flatbreads had been made with a variety of seasonings and spices.
And those seasonings and spices had been identified using "Detection" and gathered using "Gathering Technique"—many of them quite rare.
So once heated, the flatbreads released an especially enticing fragrance.
Levi was already used to it and didn't think much of it.
But Yalina was not.
She stepped down from the cold carriage and came to sit by the fire. The warmth from the flames made her body feel much more comfortable.
And the aroma of the flatbreads made her swallow again.
Looking at them, she suddenly felt that her own black bread and biscuits were somewhat embarrassing to bring out.
Yes—even though Yalina was a distant relative of nobility and the daughter of a miller, she still could not afford white bread. Only black bread.
Because the mill itself belonged to the lord.
The miller was merely a leaseholder. They held a monopoly over processing the surrounding farmers' grain and took a portion of it as payment—usually one-sixteenth or one-twenty-fourth. This allowed them to steadily accumulate grain wealth.
Some millers were even wealthier than knights.
However, white bread was regarded as a privilege reserved for nobles, high-ranking clergy, and wealthy merchants.
Even if Yalina's father could afford it, if he openly consumed white bread on a daily basis, it might be seen by the lord as an act of overstepping his station—or provoke jealousy and criticism from neighbors. In times of uncertainty, that could bring trouble.
And that was not a good thing.
Moreover, for a miller engaged in physical labor, rye bread or mixed-grain bread—more nutritious and more filling—was often more practical. White bread was used more for display and indulgence.
So, most of the time, Yalina's family ate black bread.
However, they were not lacking in money. What they ate was higher-quality rye bread or mixed bread with a higher proportion of wheat, rather than the coarse, lowest-grade kind.
Their bread contained fewer impurities—such as grit and bran—and had a better texture.
Only on certain special occasions would Yalina's family buy and eat white bread.
That was the reason Yalina had taken out black bread.
Although the black bread she brought was of relatively good quality, once it had been left for a while, it still became hard and tough. It needed to be softened with soup or soaked in water, otherwise it was difficult to swallow.
Compared to Levi's flatbread, it was on an entirely different level.
Yalina even felt a little embarrassed.
But her curiosity about Levi grew.
The reason was simple—an ordinary person could not possess such a carriage, nor such "white flatbread."
Could it be that Levi was the heir of some great noble house? Yalina couldn't help but think so.
Otherwise, how could one explain all the unusual things about him?
The more she thought about it, the more she felt Levi was anything but simple.
At that moment, Levi handed her a freshly toasted flatbread and said casually, "Eat."
Yalina came back to her senses. She cast Levi a complicated look, but in the end, she couldn't resist the temptation. She took the flatbread and said, "Thank you."
Levi shook his head without speaking. He turned and grabbed several of the freshly baked flatbreads, devouring them in large bites.
Now that his body had reached the level of a Great Knight, the increase in strength, physique, and agility far beyond that of ordinary people came at a cost—his appetite had also grown much greater.
An ordinary person would be full after eating a single flatbread and wouldn't be able to eat more.
But Levi ate several and still felt his stomach empty.
So he began roasting more.
Seeing how heartily Levi was eating, and with the aroma of the flatbread constantly drifting toward her, Yalina hesitated for a moment before taking a small bite.
Her teeth broke through the lightly charred, crisp surface with a soft crack.
Then her tongue touched the soft interior—the well-fermented dough, warmed by the heat, had become fluffy and elastic, like layers of torn clouds.
As she chewed, the fragrance of wheat, the richness of oil, and the hint of salt blended and rolled across her mouth. The edges were crisp yet resilient, while the center was tender and moist. The grease was just right—not too heavy, not too bland—leaving behind a full, lingering richness.
Most importantly, this flatbread did not have the stone-like hardness of black bread.
"So delicious!" Yalina's eyes lit up. Without further restraint, she began eating in large bites.
Before long, one flatbread had been completely devoured.
And she was still not satisfied.
After all, Yalina herself possessed the strength of a quasi-knight.
Her beautiful appearance was deceiving.
If she wanted to eat, her appetite was not small.
It was just that, out of a lady's restraint, she did not say anything to Levi.
However, Levi noticed this from the corner of his eye.
Without a word, he handed her another freshly heated flatbread.
"Thank you," Yalina said sincerely. She took it and once again began eating quickly.
Levi did the same. As soon as the flatbread was ready, he didn't even mind the heat—he simply stuffed it straight into his mouth.
Levi roasted more than a dozen flatbreads. He himself ate nine, while Yalina ate three.
Yalina ate to her heart's content.
Time passed quickly.
From dusk until night fully descended.
All around them was darkness and cold.
But around the alchemy carriage, there was light—and warmth like spring.
Looking at Levi illuminated by the firelight, Yalina suddenly felt that this kind of life… was rather interesting.
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