The twins shouted what they wanted and Qiong Xing promised to include both.

"The problem is the pot itself. Do you think they sell one in town?"

"Depends on the size, I guess."

Since even Elias had never seen one, they decided to go buy one another time.

Qiong Xing felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down to see Lian pushing the empty plate that had held the stir fry toward him.

"Hm? You ate it all. That is amaz—"

"More!"

"Eh? You are still going to eat?"

"Yeah!"

It seemed she really liked it.

...

"And that is why I am looking for a large pot. Do you happen to know any recommended shops?"

"Lian can eat vegetables now!? That is amazing!"

After hearing the story, Sarin was so moved that he lifted Lian up high into the air.

Qiong Xing would have preferred if he had listened to the whole story, though.

"So this pot thing, would a regular cooking pot be fine?"

Katarina had apparently been listening properly and asked what kind of pot it was.

"Hmm, you will know when you see it, but something wide and shallow would be best."

Even if it was large, something like a deep stockpot would not work well for hot pot dishes.

"Then that old man might know more. I heard he has made all sorts of things for potions and such."

"Mr. Paulo?"

Just as Qiong Xing thought he would ask him next time, Katarina quickly contacted him, and before long, he was summoned to the castle.

Qiong Xing could not help but feel puzzled.

He was just an ordinary person, so was it really okay to call him so easily?

...

Qiong Xing wondered how things had ended up like this.

In front of him, Captain Narka was happily swinging his sword like a child.

Qiong Xing watched him with a small smile, thinking it was nice, but he still could not understand why he had been practically dragged here.

"I am very sorry. When he heard you were here, he could not wait and went to pick you up."

Qiong Xing gave a wry smile at Rohen who bowed his head apologetically.

"I only had a small matter with Mr. Paulo, so it is fine. But was there something urgent?"

"No, it seems the sword we talked about before is finally finished, and he wanted to show it to you as soon as possible. I apologize. He is an idiot."

That was all?

Qiong Xing felt slightly exasperated, thinking it really was just like a child.

If watching would satisfy him, then Qiong Xing decided to simply observe at his leisure.

As he did, Rohen sat down beside him.

"There is also something I wanted to tell you."

Qiong Xing looked at the palm that was suddenly held out to him and saw a small object glittering in the sunlight.

It looked familiar and he tilted his head slightly.

"I received this from the prime minister. He said it was something you gave him."

I see.

When he looked it closely, it was the candy infused with healing medicine that Qiong Xing had given to Sergei.

"I received a few when I went to submit a report. He said it would help at least a little."

Sergei had probably given it to Rohen after noticing he looked tired.

"Thank you very much. Thanks to it, my body feels lighter, and the captain has also started helping little by little."

Qiong Xing could not help but feel relieved that things had turned out well.

Even if it might have been meddling, he thought it was worth saying if it lightened Rohen’s burden even a little.

Even if someone had told him it was not his place to interfere, he would have had no argument.

Still, he was grateful that both of them had accepted it so readily.

"The captain was very happy as well. However, since it is a magic tool, it is quite expensive, so we could not prepare one for every member yet."

No matter how useful it was, being part of a unit meant there was always a budget to consider.

When weighed against that, unnecessary expenses had to be kept to a minimum.

"This time, the captain covered more than half the cost himself and we finally managed to have one made."

It seemed they had been lacking quite a lot.

"But if we can achieve good results in the upcoming match, there is a chance our budget might be increased, so I hope the captain will do his best."

A match?

Qiong Xing wondered if it was something like a practice battle.

When he asked about it, he learned that every six months, they held mock battles with other units as part of military training.

"We barely managed to win last year, but with that sword this time, it might be an easy victory."

"But only Narka has that sword, right? Will you and the others be alright?"

Even if the captain was strong, it seemed questionable for him to charge into the enemy alone while leaving his subordinates behind.

"As for me? I will not be participating, so it is not a problem."

...What?

It was supposed to be a mock battle, was it not?

Rohen looked at him curiously and Qiong Xing tilted his head in confusion as well.

"Could it be that only Captain Narka who will be fighting?"

When he asked to confirm, Rohen nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Apparently, in this place, the captains represented their units and competed with one another to demonstrate their strength.

"...And what is the point of that?"

What could possibly be learned without the entire unit fighting?

"The point? The unit with the strongest captain is considered the best."

What kind of brute logic was that?

Qiong Xing had not expected to hear something so childish, like saying that if the boss was strong, then everyone was strong.