In Those Fleeting Days (Part 2)

If Galan were to leave and never return, as a friend, he would still be somewhat worried.

However, Galan was also very troubled by this question.

Return?

They're definitely not coming back...

After all, I don't belong here.

After letting out a silent sigh, he forced back his guilt and smiled at Frog, saying, "Of course I'll come back, but I don't know how long it will take, maybe a few years? Besides, you're always traveling around doing business, so even if I come back, you might not be in the city."

"... But... that's what I said... Alright, kid, don't just end up without any definite news, or I'll assume you were eaten by Demons on the way, and I'll erect a monument outside the city for you to pay homage to every time I pass by!"

"Damn it! You can't be that mean! Can't you wish me something good?"

"Who told you to leave us behind and go running around like that?"

He grunted twice, but he wasn't as impulsive as before, and it seemed his mood had calmed down considerably.

At that moment, the door to the room was suddenly opened.

"Galan, Frog, do you want a cookie?"

"Oh, it's Lia."

Frog turned and smiled at Lia as she entered the room.

These were all acquaintances he had met during that period, and having not seen them for a long time, it was inevitable that Frog would recall many things from the past.

"That's quite rare... Hey, could it be... that you made these cookies yourself, Lia?"

Frog was smiling as he reached into the plate, but he stopped abruptly after seeing what was inside.

"Mmm, how is it? Doesn't it look delicious? Although I baked it a little too crispy, I still think it's pretty good."

Seeing Frog suddenly ask the question, Lia proudly puffed out her thin chest and said proudly.

However, after seeing Frog's reaction, Galan, who was sitting in the back, immediately knew that what was on that plate was definitely not normal food; it was most likely some kind of culinary disaster.

Under Lia's expectant gaze, Frog shakily picked up a biscuit from the plate with his hand, revealing its true nature to Galan. He didn't know if it could be classified as a biscuit, but if he threw it into the charcoal pile, no one would notice anything unusual.

So, when Lia said "baked a little too crispy," she meant the cookies were baked until they were charred?

Staring at the completely black unidentified object, Frog swallowed hard, gave a professional fake smile, and turned to look at Galan.

"Hey, now that you two are a couple, if I eat the first cookie, Galan, you'll be green with envy and jealousy, right? As your good brother, I wouldn't do something so mean. You should eat the cookie first."

Is Galan really out of ideas and resorting to such despicable acts? Brother, is what you're doing even human?

If you really consider me a brother, then you'd better obediently eat that indescribable lump in your hand!

What does "shifting the blame eastward" mean?

Galan suppressed the urge to curse, maintaining a calm expression, and simply replied, "We're brothers, so what's there to say? You eat first. I won't be jealous over something like this, and Lia certainly won't mind either, right, Lia?"

"Hmm, so it's just about eating a cookie, isn't it? Why are you making it so complicated, Frog? You humans really have a lot of emotions."

Lia was a little confused by Frog's explanation. She hadn't expected that there would be so much more to it than just wanting to give them a cookie.

"Hahaha...

Frog's face was ashen; compared to the dangers he encountered with the Demons during his trade journey, it seemed that nothing could be more perilous than what he was facing now.

This is an open conspiracy!

It was an obvious dead end, yet he couldn't think of any way to find a glimmer of hope.

"By the way, Lia, have you tried the cookies you made yourself? What did you think of them?"

Seeing that there was no escaping it, Frog cautiously asked a question, just to prepare himself mentally, lest he suddenly die on the spot.

"Me? Hehe, now that you mention it, I haven't actually tried it yet. After all, as soon as I made it, I wanted to bring it over for you guys to try, and I completely forgot to try it myself."

So you mean you haven't actually eaten it at all?

"OK!"

Galan silently shifted his gaze to the side, not wanting to witness the cruel scene that was about to unfold.

When Frog turned back to Galan for help, only to find that Garland was gazing out the window in a state of detachment, he completely gave up hope.

Deciding that a short, sharp pain was better than a long, drawn-out one, and not wanting to torture himself any longer, he shoved the dark object into his mouth.

How was it? Although it was my first time making cookies, I think I tried my best.

Seeing Frog so eagerly devour her creation, Lia was delighted and quickly stepped forward to ask, seemingly eager to hear his evaluation.

However, it was clear that Frog had not yet regained his ability to speak and was still trying to sever his sense of taste, but judging from the occasional look of collapse on his face, he had most likely failed.

Galan suddenly felt how cruel the world was. He figured that after Frog's death, he would be the next victim. He immediately made the decision to protect himself and got up to walk towards the door.

"Lia, I need to go to the boss. They're going on a business trip in a couple of days, and I need to brew some extra potions for them."

He smiled at Lia, trying to appear more natural.

"Oh... I see. But that makes sense. Fitz's gone, and it seems there's no one else in the shop who knows how to brew potions."

Fortunately, Lia was very understanding and only showed a slightly regretful expression before letting her off the hook.

"But if you get hungry, you can bring a few pieces with you to eat."

As she spoke, Lia picked out a few large cookies from the plate and put them into Galan's hand.

Galan didn't refuse; after all, he was already able to leave this place, so dealing with these things wouldn't be difficult.

As he closed the door, he glanced one last time at Frog, who was slumped in the chair, with utmost respect, while Frog looked at him with half-rolled eyes.

It looked like a fish about to flip belly up.