"Drip—drop—drip—drop—"
Outside the window, raindrops fell from the pitch-black clouds blanketing the sky, striking the wood and earth in the mountains and stirring up damp mist and the pleasant scent of soil.
Inside, the bubbling pot of fish had finally simmered into deliciousness. It was time to eat.
Guter lifted the lid. Milky-white fish soup boiled within the pot, carrying mushrooms and vegetables as they bobbed up and down.
An incomparably fresh aroma burst forth from the pot.
There was no need for rare, expensive ingredients, nor any need for overly elaborate seasoning. With only fish from the stream and mushrooms from the mountains, plus time sprinkled in as seasoning, this pot of natural deliciousness came together.
Guter removed the fish pot from the campfire, picked up a ladle, and first filled a bowl to the brim with milky-white fish soup for Serie and himself.
Then he opened the bag of rations they had brought, fished out several dry, hard loaves of bread, broke them apart, and tossed them into the pot to soak in the lingering warmth of the fish soup.
"We can eat now, Teacher."
Guter took a sip of the savory fish soup and said with a smile.
Yet before the so-called meal had even begun, Serie had already devoured an entire string of grilled fish.
The rain outside gradually grew heavier, but the atmosphere indoors became warm to the extreme.
Holding the scalding bowl of fish soup, Guter looked at the mountain scenery drenched by the downpour beyond the window and found the rain rather considerate.
After all, only on a rainy day could one fully appreciate just how blissful it was to drink fish soup around a campfire.
If it were a scorching summer day beneath direct sunlight, the mood would instantly vanish. No matter how delicious the fish soup was, the heat would make it seem a little less appealing.
"Teacher, this rain doesn't seem like it'll let up. Let's stay here and rest today."
Guter chewed on the fragrant, bite-sized pieces of fish that had been fried in the soup as he spoke to Serie beside him.
"Mmm—mmm—"
She gently bit into a plump shiitake mushroom swollen from simmering in the fish soup. The rich broth and the mushroom's fresh sweetness exploded freely across her mouth, and only after swallowing it whole did Serie have time to respond to her disciple's suggestion.
"That works." Serie nodded, agreeing to her disciple's suggestion.
"Traveling in the rain is inefficient to begin with, and the remaining distance can't be covered in a single day anyway."
"Moving through heavy rain at the risk of falling ill, then spending the night in the damp conditions afterward—our itinerary isn't so tight that we need to do that."
"Let's continue resting here until the weather improves."
After speaking, Serie's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the bucket, where more than half of the river fish remained.
Thinking that she could enjoy several more meals of such delicious fish dishes made her already pleasant mood even better.
After the meal, Guter washed the pot and bowls clean, then placed the remaining grilled fish skewers from noon onto a clean plate.
However, faced with the remaining catch in the bucket and the mushrooms and vegetables, Guter found himself in a bit of a dilemma.
The mushrooms and vegetables were fine. They could simply be left outside, and they would be alright for a day and a night.
But preserving the fish after their innards had been removed was troublesome. At room temperature, they would spoil after six to eight hours.
He needed to think of a way to deal with them first.
Should he grill them all?
That was indeed a good method, but it was a bit of a waste. If they wanted fish soup tomorrow morning, they would have no fresh fish left to use.
Should he salt-cure the fish?
That method would preserve them for quite a long time, but it was somewhat excessive.
They would not be staying for long, though he could salt-cure some of them, string them up with rope over the fireplace, and make dried fish to leave for the next lodger.
Just as Guter was worrying over it, Serie, who had gone to fold the blankets, walked over and immediately noticed the trouble her disciple was facing.
"Fool."
With that, Serie waved her hand, and several blocks of ice appeared out of thin air before dropping into the bucket of fish.
After doing that, Serie pulled a fish from the bottom of the bucket. With a slight movement of her wrist, the fish froze rock-hard.
Serie poked her disciple with the frozen fish and said,
"As a mage, when you encounter a problem, you should first consider whether it can be solved through magic."
Before you continue