Chapter 80

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Thor took out all the precious ingredients he had been saving and began cooking.

The second brother, who was watching, looked shocked.

“B-brother, those ingredients were saved for the wedding…”

“Enough! This is more important now! Go get the Amber Oil!”

“Even the Amber Oil?!”

Amber Oil was extracted from the fruit of the Amber Olive tree, which only grew in specific mountain ranges.

The extraction process was extremely delicate, making even a few drops incredibly expensive.

Thor’s household had only one bottle of Amber Oil.

It had been left by his grandfather and was practically a family heirloom.

But Thor didn’t hesitate.

‘Grandfather, I’m sorry.’

Thor opened the lid of the Amber Oil with a determined expression.

‘My heart desires her!’

Sizzle.

The oil, more valuable than gold, was poured into the frying pan.

Thor’s hands trembled slightly.

“Brother… are you okay?”

The second brother asked worriedly.

Thor nodded.

“Bring me the Shining Mushroom!”

“Th-that’s the one Mom risked her life to harvest…”

“Shut up!”

The price of love is always high.

If it meant winning Lucy’s heart, Thor was willing to sacrifice even his life.

‘Mom, I’m sorry.’

Sizzle!

The Amber Oil and Shining Mushroom combined, releasing a fantastical aroma.

It wasn’t just the smell of mushrooms.

It was a deep, rich scent, as if the essence of the forest and the breath of the earth had been condensed.

“Brother, this is really…”

The second brother, watching from the side, muttered in awe.

“A single slice of that is worth dozens of gold coins…”

Ignoring his brother’s words, Thor carefully checked the state of the mushrooms.

“Perfect.”

A hint of madness was beginning to show in Thor’s eyes.

“Bring me the Star Flower Herb.”

“…”

While Thor was busy cooking in the kitchen, Lucy and Sophie sat at the table, waiting.

Finn, who had woken up, fluttered her wings and flew around the room.

“A dwarf cooking… I’m not expecting much.”

Finn knew dwarves as a rough and rugged race.

Their craftsmanship in forging weapons was unparalleled, but delicate tasks like cooking didn’t suit them.

It was hard to imagine them doing anything more refined than chewing on rocks.

If Finn hadn’t been asleep earlier, she would have told Lucy to refuse the meal.

Still, the aroma wafting from the kitchen wasn’t bad.

No, it was quite good.

Maybe it would taste good too.

◈

A moment later, Thor approached with plates of food.

His eyes sparkled with confidence.

It was almost overwhelming.

“Here, try it!”

Thor placed the dish in front of Lucy.

Instantly, Lucy’s eyebrows twitched.

“M-mushrooms…!”

“Yeah, it’s a mushroom dish. It’s probably the best mushroom dish you’ve ever had!”

“…”

Lucy made an awkward expression.

Mushrooms.

If it were her grandfather or Kairos, they would have screamed with delight, but Lucy wasn’t like that.

She was sick of mushrooms.

“What’s wrong?”

Thor asked, his face full of anticipation.

“Are you moved?”

“…”

Lucy hesitated.

Still, it would be rude to refuse after he had put so much effort into cooking.

She’d try a little.

Just a tiny bit.

Carefully, she picked up a fork and stabbed a piece of mushroom.

A soft light seeped out of the mushroom.

It was a gentle, moonlight-like glow.

Lucy’s brow furrowed.

‘Why is the mushroom glowing…?’

The Shining Mushroom was a rare fungus that grew only in deep crystal caves.

It was known for emitting a soft, moonlight-like glow.

Though it was a precious ingredient worth dozens of gold coins per slice, Lucy had no way of knowing that.

To her, the fact that the food was glowing just made it even less appetizing.

“Go on, try it!”

Thor urged.

Lucy steeled herself and put the mushroom in her mouth.

Chew, chew.

“How is it?!”

Thor’s eyes sparkled.

Lucy nodded.

She wanted to say it was delicious.

But,

“Bleh.”

She spat it out.

“…Sorry.”

Lucy apologized.

“I just don’t like mushrooms.”

“…!”

Thor froze.

A gasp echoed around the room.

It came from Thor’s second brother.

The second brother stared at the piece of mushroom Lucy had spat out, his eyes trembling.

Lucy quietly said,

“I feel like throwing up…”

◈

In the end, Thor’s mushroom dish was only eaten by Sophie and Finn.

But Sophie had a small appetite, and Finn, being a fairy, couldn’t eat much.

Sophie gave the leftover mushroom dish to Hon, who was crouched on the floor.

A rare dish that even royalty would struggle to taste was devoured by a magical creature.

Sophie thought it would be rude to leave the food she had been served and that Hon must be hungry too.

Hon seemed to enjoy the mushroom dish, licking the plate clean.

The second brother, watching this with hollow eyes, slumped to the floor.

Thor was nowhere to be seen.

Had he gone outside?

Lucy told Sophie and Finn to stay put and left Thor’s house alone.

◈

The scenery of the dwarven village unfolded before her.

Stone houses lined up along narrow, winding paths.

Low-hanging clouds between the mountain ranges created a mystical atmosphere.

A waterfall cascading from the mountain peak shimmered like a silver thread.

Lucy wandered around, looking for Thor.

Finally, she found him at the end of a trail on the outskirts of the village.

Thor was sitting on a large rock.

The atmosphere was lonely.

The wind gently ruffled Thor’s thick beard.

Thor was fidgeting with something in his hands.

It was a ring.

The ring was made of roughly crafted metal, but it had intricate decorations that seemed to carry deep meaning.

“There you are.”

Lucy approached Thor and spoke.

Thor looked up, startled, and quickly stuffed the ring into his pocket.

“Wh-why are you here…?”

“I came looking for you because you disappeared.”

Thor avoided her gaze and laughed awkwardly.

“…I just came out to get some fresh air.”

Thor’s eyes were red.

Lucy sat down beside him.

“You were really upset, weren’t you? Because I spat out the food.”

“…”

Thor’s shoulders slumped.

“Honestly, I was upset… It was the first time I’ve ever cooked with all my heart for someone. I really hoped you’d enjoy it.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lucy gently took Thor’s hand.

“I can’t eat mushrooms.”

Thor blinked.

“You can’t eat mushrooms? Why? Do you hate them?”

“Because of my grandfather…”

Lucy’s face looked somewhat bitter as she spoke.

Thor’s eyebrows drooped.

He thought Lucy must have a deep, painful story.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry… I didn’t know you couldn’t eat mushrooms… You tried to eat it for my sake. You could’ve just refused.”

“I thought refusing would be rude.”

“…”

Thor suddenly realized Lucy was holding his hand.

His face instantly turned bright red.

All his senses focused on his hand.

Lucy’s hand was still soft.

Thor’s heart pounded, and his body grew warm.

Without realizing it, he hung his head low.

Seeing this, Lucy’s expression darkened.

‘He must be really upset.’

Lucy patted Thor’s shoulder.

“Next time, I’ll cook for you instead.”

“…!”

Thor’s eyes widened.

“Y-you’ll cook for me? For me?”

“Yeah.”

Now Thor’s ears were completely red.

And for good reason—in dwarven culture, saying “I’ll cook for you” was a meaningful phrase.

Especially when a female dwarf said it to a male dwarf, it was a metaphorical expression of wanting to build a home together.

Of course, Lucy didn’t mean it that way, but Thor was already spiraling.

Thor’s mind was instantly filled with all sorts of imaginations.

Living with Lucy, cooking together, taking care of his brothers together…

‘We should have about five kids, right?’

With trembling hands, Thor pulled the ring out of his pocket.

The ring was a precious heirloom passed down from his father, used by the men in Thor’s family for generations to propose.

Thud.

Thor knelt on one knee in front of Lucy.

Holding up the ring, he stammered,

“W-Will you accept…?”

“…”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
You really should have asked her, you know… her age?