Soup Kitchen

"Hey, what's all this?"

"What's up?"

Finn sounded exasperated, so I continued preparing while waiting for her to elaborate.

"What is this?"

Finn pointed at the mountain of ingredients.

Vegetables and meat were piled high.

These were donations from the neighborhood when I mentioned we'd be running a soup kitchen.

I'd also brought supplies from Yohane's shop.

The baker said he'd bring bread later.

"What do you mean? I told you. These are ingredients for the soup kitchen."

"… Really?"

Finn's exasperation was understandable.

If she'd never experienced a soup kitchen, this amount of ingredients would be surprising.

"There are dozens of adventurers alone. And that's not all. The city guards and soldiers are on standby in case something happens. We're feeding all of them."

"Why bother doing something like that?"

"Because I'm a member of this city."

I placed the kitchen knife and cutting board I'd brought from home on top of a barrel, then set up a makeshift stove using bricks and placed a fire magic stone inside.

Right, it wasn't just adventurers working.

If they failed, the guards and soldiers would have to risk their lives defending against the threat.

They were probably fortifying the city's defenses right now.

There should be a few mages too.

If they coordinated with the adventurers, they could accomplish even more, but unfortunately, an adventurer's life was worth less than theirs.

Citizenship mattered too. They weren't treated as equals.

"… Hmm."

Finn said that while looking at me curiously.

It must be unfamiliar given her life up until now.

"Hey, you're good at cutting things, right?"

"Tch."

I tossed her a daikon radish.

Finn caught it with one hand and, despite clicking her tongue, immediately peeled the skin and cut it into uniform pieces.

"Impressive."

"Shut up. This doesn't even count as training. I'm free anyway, so hand them over."

She sat down roughly in a prepared chair and, despite her words, processed vegetables one after another.

Her deftness would make even a professional cook's jaw drop.

She cut through everything in rapid succession.

"Save the leafy vegetables for last."

"I know."

I kept tossing the cut vegetables into a large stockpot filled with water.

With the fire magic stone activated, it would boil soon.

I'd thought it might be tough with just two people, but Finn worked with the efficiency of ten.

While watching her cut vegetables from the corner of my eye, I cut the meat.

We'd received lamb and pork. I cut them into slightly larger pieces.

I split the bones with the knife and added them to the pot too. They'd make good stock.

I tossed everything in as soon as it was cut.

Soon, white steam began rising from the pot.

"Your face looks hilarious, you know."

"Shut up. I know."

The monocle I'd been wearing over my left eye had fogged up, so I took it off.

I poured beans from a colander into the pot and added cow and goat milk.

Once it started bubbling, I lowered the heat and skimmed off the foam.

All the donated ingredients now fit inside the pot.

Now I just needed to keep it warm and let it simmer.

Salt was enough for seasoning. I stirred slowly with a wooden spatula to keep the bottom from burning.

With nothing else to do, Finn sat beside me and watched the cooking.

The tip of her nose had turned red from the cold.

Sitting like this, she looked like an ordinary girl.

"I thought this kind of thing only happened in slums."

"Yeah, churches do it too. If the Church of the Sun God had been legitimate and still around, they'd probably be doing this instead. This kind of thing really makes the recipients happy. Here, try it."

I ladled a small bowl's worth and handed it to her.

A mouthwatering aroma wafted from the piping hot, milky white soup.

"Mm."

Finn took it and slowly brought the bowl to her lips, sipping the soup.

"Hot!"

"Careful not to burn yourself."

"Say so first! Ah, but it's good. It warms you right up."

She scooped up the tender vegetables and meat with a spoon and put them in her mouth.

"Yummy."

A smile spread across her face without her realizing.

Finn's smiles were rare, I thought, but she immediately noticed me looking and glared.

She wolfed down the rest, leaving the bowl spotless.

"It's done. Now we just wait."

I put a lid on the pot while still sitting in my chair.

I lowered the heat further so it wouldn't reduce too much.

Meanwhile, the baker arrived with a mountain of bread.

Combined with this pot, it would make a proper meal.

"I brought some people who had free hands!"

"Thank you."

The lady from the well-known neighborhood diner came over with helpers.

Finn went quiet and covered her face with winter gear.

"Oh, you're already done? That was fast. Leave the dishes to us."

"Will do. Now all we can do is pray they succeed and wait for them to return."

It was hard to see from here, but I could tell Alexia and the others were casting spells.

The massive flames looked more destructive than cannon fire.

The adventurers had gone outside to hold the enemy back, and with poor visibility and it being night, the weapons mounted on the walls wouldn't be used this time.

All we could do was pray they'd defeat it.

We lit a bonfire with the helpers and warmed ourselves while waiting.

Everyone must have been anxious. There was little conversation.

Then came a massive explosion.

Had Alexia and the others used a powerful spell?

From here, we couldn't see what was happening outside the walls.

"That sound…"

"What's wrong?"

"An avalanche? But…"

Finn looked toward the walls with a suspicious expression.

The next moment, a tremendous sound echoed through the city.

It felt like the walls were shaking.

No, we were the ones shaking.

The pot wobbled too, but its base was sturdy enough that it didn't tip over.

"What was that?"

"Something slammed into the wall."

"They couldn't hold back the monsters?!"

Once the shaking subsided, I looked toward the walls again and saw a massive arm being slammed against them.

But something knocked it away.

Then a pillar of fire appeared, illuminating the pitch-black night.

Overwhelming power. A divine sight.

"It's over. Well, I didn't think they'd lose with those guys there."

The "those guys" Finn mentioned must have meant Azu and the others.

It seemed they'd wrapped things up.

Shortly after, the adventurers descended from the walls.

Everyone was utterly exhausted, but they devoured the soup kitchen food the moment I handed it to them.

Then, as if the tension had finally broken, they collapsed to the ground.

Elza carried Azu and Alexia in both arms.

I thanked Elza for her hard work first and gave her some food.

"This is warm."

I let the other two sleep until they woke up, then warmed the portions I'd set aside and fed them.

"This really hits the spot…"

"I'm completely exhausted."

They seemed very tired.

I patted their heads to thank them for their hard work.