I Supported My Fiancé for 10 Years After He Said, 'Let's Get Married When I Succeed,' but When He Finally Did, He Dumped Me. By the Way, I'm a Witch and Turning 30 Next Year!! - Episode 31

Since then, I can hardly believe how peaceful my days have been.

By stopping the delivery of herbal soap to the Holy Ministry, I was able to secure time to make products at my own pace.

Also, I could now focus more on lunch service, and currently, I can offer up to twenty meals a day.

However, the small dining space remains an issue.

The current counter can only accommodate about four people, and there were days when I relied on customers willing to sit at the outdoor terrace.

On warm days, it’s fine, but with the continuing freezing weather, the north wind must have been harsh.

Although I lent out magic stone warmers to customers using the terrace, they are not enough to completely block out the cold, so it must have been quite chilly.

If I turn the second floor into a seating area, it might work, but since it’s my living space, I would need to rent a new room to make it happen.

With so many things to do, just thinking about it makes me put it off.

Right now, I just want to live a slow and peaceful life, so I don’t want to be too busy.

For now, I decided to strengthen heating measures and make the most of the terrace seating while continuing business.

Tonight, I have invited Ie for dinner.

It’s also a way to apologize for dragging him into the whole soap incident with the Saint and causing trouble.

Ie offered to take me out for a meal somewhere, but since his beauty would definitely stand out even at night, I invited him to my home so he could eat in peace.

He was hesitant about being alone with me at night, but when I told him that Merv Maple and the Dryad would be there, he reluctantly agreed.

I started preparing the food yesterday.

Onion gratin soup, white fish meunière, oven-baked winter vegetables, lamb pie, and pork spare ribs in tomato sauce. For dessert, I prepared two kinds: custard pie and berry tart.

I spread a tablecloth over the counter and arranged silver cutlery.

Noticing the different atmosphere, the Dryad spoke up.

“Oh? Are you expecting a special guest?”

“It’s Ie.”

Maybe he expected a beautiful young lady, as he clearly looked disappointed.

Merv Maple picked some North Pole flowers from the flower stand on the second floor and asked the closed buds to bloom.

“Please bloom!”

Then, the buds swelled, and lovely white flowers opened.

Satisfied, Merv Maple placed the North Pole flowers in a vase and set them on the counter.

Seeing this, the Dryad wanted to contribute something as well.

“Hmm, maybe I should make something bloom too!”

I wondered if he even had the ability to make flowers bloom, but as I watched, he suddenly started trembling.

“Huh?! Are you okay?”

“Leave it to me!”

“Eh…?!”

After about thirty seconds of intense effort—

A loud “BOOM!!” suddenly echoed from upstairs.

“Hey, wait! Where exactly did you make a flower bloom?!”

“Well, it’s not exactly my flower…”

“Then what was that noise just now?!”

Our voices must have carried outside because Ie arrived, asking, “Is something wrong?”

He was wearing plate armor, probably as a disguise, but I worried that it only made him stand out more on the way here.

That aside, we needed to check the noise from the second floor.

“I heard a loud ‘BOOM!!’ from upstairs.”

“Would you like me to check it out?”

“Yes, please!!”

He offered to go alone, but since it’s my house, I couldn’t just stay behind. I followed Ie up to the second floor.

Merv Maple came along too, enlarging his leaves like a shield as he walked in front of me.

It seemed nothing had fallen into the living space, but I noticed dust trickling down from the ceiling.

“It’s in the attic.”

“Is there a way up?”

“Yes, there should be an entrance in the hallway.”

When I showed him, Ie pulled herself up into the attic using just his arm strength.

Since I couldn’t follow, Merv Maple and I waited in the hallway.

After a while, we heard thudding sounds, as if someone was running around in the attic.

Ie’s voice called out, “Wait!!” as if he was trying to stop someone.

“Wait… a thief?!”

We anxiously waited until Ie called out, “Got it!”

It seemed he had caught the intruder.

When he returned from the attic, he was holding a white rabbit with a green gemstone on its forehead.

“Oh, is this…?!”

“Yes, a sacred beast—a Carbuncle.”

That’s right. It was the highest-ranked familiar that protected the Saint.

But why was a Carbuncle here?

Was it trying to sneak in? Or did it accidentally wander in?

Though it wasn’t struggling, it seemed frightened after being caught by us.

“This one… seems to have run away from the Saint.”

“What?! The sacred beast was wandering around alone?!”

Yes. Saint Sui had shaken off not only her attendants but even her self-proclaimed personal knight, Rymer, and had been moving alone.

“Sorry, I should have reported it earlier.”

“No, this is something we should have noticed… how embarrassing.”

How had it been living until now?

Its fur was shiny, showing no signs of hardship.

With this new problem at hand, my mind was overwhelmed… but right now, I was just hungry.

“Ie, what should we do? Should we take it to the Holy Church first?”

When I asked, the Carbuncle suddenly spoke.

“W-Wait! Please don’t take me back there!”

I was startled because it spoke all of a sudden.

Its tone was formal, but its voice was as cute as a child’s.

More importantly, why would it refuse to return to its home, the Holy Church?

“Um… do you have a ‘reason’ for this?”

Looking awkward, the Carbuncle nodded hesitantly.