The Former Demon Queen and the Red-Haired Kitchen Assistant

Ten minutes later, the guild girls' retreat at Lake Sapphire Springs was fully underway.

"Hey, Maria!" Leafy called from her spot sitting by the edge of the lake on a stone. "What's our food situation looking like?"

Maria, who was still dressed in her bathing silks like the other girls, was manning the spit roast suspended over an open flame.

"Just give me a sec, you guys!" she replied. "I need to make sure the meat is just right and tender for maximum enjoyment. I promise you guys are gonna love it!"

Snowpoppy was sitting beside Leafy, while Mary sat on Leafy's other side. The three of them watched as Lydia and Minimo played in the lake, splashing each other with water. Chanchan was hanging upside down from a nearby tree branch, reading one of her many romance novels.

"But that's what you said the last six times," Snowpoppy remarked.

"Maybe we should've brought Hilda along," Leafy added.

"I'm sure Miss Maria is doing her best," Mary said with a smile.

Maria, who was close enough to overhear the conversation, immediately shot back.

"Hey! The food needs a little love and time to be perfect, okay? So you've gotta wait!"

She then turned toward the group.

"I just need to go grab a few things from the forest. Who's gonna help out?"

Mary's eyes quickly widened with anticipation. She shot up from her seat, raising her hand.

"Oh, me! Me, please!"

...

Heading into the nearby bushes, Maria and Mary began searching for all sorts of ingredients, from fruits and vegetables to leaves and herbs, with the former instructing the latter on which items were good, which ones to pick up, and which ones to avoid.

"Miss Maria, what about this one?" Mary asked, pulling up something that resembled a blueberry and holding it out for the other girl to see.

"Mmm, that one? No good. Mary, I told you, it's got to be bright pink if you want to know it's ripe."

"Oh, okay."

Mary moved around the shrub in front of her and found several more of the same-looking plants. These ones, however, were much brighter and pinker.

"These ones good, Miss Maria?" she asked, holding up two of them.

"Yes, very good, Mary."

The red-haired girl held out a basket, and Mary dropped them inside.

"So, we've got our Angie berries, Limeberries, and Chorious," Maria said, pointing at the various items already in the basket. "Let's see... all we need now is some Bloomies."

"Bloomies?" Mary tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah, I think I saw some over here. Come on, follow me."

As the duo retraced their steps through the forest, Mary realized she finally had an opportunity to bond with Maria. She had already been spending plenty of time with Leafy, Lydia, and Snowpoppy, getting to know each of them better. Now, with just the two of them together, she finally had a chance to do the same with the red-haired kitchen assistant.

"So, Miss Maria, you're excited to come on this trip because you get to pick these? I don't think I've seen them back in town."

"Yeah, that's part of it," Maria answered. "They only grow around here, and I really wanted to get my hands on some."

"Ah, I see."

The duo finally reached another clearing, and Maria pointed toward a patch of onion-looking plants.

"Those ones!" she said. "They look very juicy. Go pick those."

Mary instantly jumped to the task.

"But that's not all," Maria continued, trekking forward and dropping to her knees to join Mary in gathering the bloomies. "I also really want all of us to spend some time together, you know? That cranky old woman works me to the bone every day in that kitchen. I just wanted some time away from all that. I figured we could come out here, have some fun together, and maybe I could even cook something for you guys."

Mary took a moment to realize she was talking about Miss Hilda, the head chef.

"Oh, that's understandable."

"Yeah. I want to make something special for all of you. Not just the way that old hag tells me to do it, but the way I was taught back home in my hometown."

"Wow, that's lovely, miss Maria. So, where are you from?"

She wasn't sure if she had the right to ask the girl such a personal question, especially given the fact that she had basically been lying to both Maria and the others. Still, she really wanted to get to know her better.

"Somewhere in the far countryside."

"Really?"

"Yep," Maria continued. "I was born to a farmer and a chef."

"Oh. Are you an only child?"

"No. I've got a little brother and a twin sister back home."

Maria paused for a moment before continuing.

"My father's been getting older, so he can't really take care of the farm and the house like he used to. My mom and my sister look after him while my brother helps out around the farm."

She smiled faintly.

"So instead of staying back home, taking up space, causing trouble for them, or making them waste money trying to feed another mouth, I decided to come here to Blendingbrook. This way, I can work and send some of my wages back home to help them take care of the farm and the house."

"That's a beautiful goal, Miss Maria."

"Nah, this is just me paying back for all the trouble I've caused them back when I was younger," Maria replied, with an almost distant look on her face.

"But anyway, come on. Let's go finish making breakfast before those hungry girls decide to eat me."

...

Shortly after returning to camp, Maria instantly got to cooking, with Mary standing beside her and observing.

The red-haired girl was almost lost in some kind of flow state, crushing ingredients into a paste, cooking them over the fire, making sure the meat was properly skewered and roasted, mashing some of the fruits, and lightly squeezing their juice over the meat.

Mary could only stare in amazement.

When the food was finally ready, Maria called the girls over, and they all sat together on a mat beside the lake, eating their meal at the center of the campsite.

"Wow," Lydia said. "Maria, did you make this?"

"Hey, what do you mean? Of course I made it," Maria shot back.

The rest of the girls burst out laughing.

"It's just that we didn't know you had it in you to cook this well," Lydia said, taking another mouthful of meat.

"Maria is a great chef," Minimo said.

"Chanchan agrees," Chanchan added.

"Thank you, guys," Maria replied, before playfully pointing accusingly at Lydia and Leafy. "Unlike these ungrateful ones."

"Mary, are you enjoying your food?" Lydia asked.

The entire group turned to look at her.

Mary hadn't taken a bite of her breakfast. She had been so busy watching the other girls' camaraderie and seeing how they interacted that she had completely neglected her own food.

She placed a piece of meat in her mouth and chewed.

Her eyes instantly widened as the delicious combination of meat and sauce filled her mouth. The taste was so incredible that she was completely overwhelmed by it.

She was so moved by the mix of emotions that she instantly jumped to her feet, eager to praise the girl.

"Maria, this is absolutely wonderful!" she said. "I don't think I've ever eaten anything this delicious in my life."

"Whoa!" Leafy said. "Looks like you've nearly moved our Mary to tears with your cooking."

Maria simply blushed.

"Thank you, Mary," she said. "Now sit down and finish your food."

Mary nodded, gingerly and awkwardly sitting back down. She couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious, especially with everyone still dressed in their bathing silks, but it looked like that was really going to be their chosen attire for the day.