The Banished Black Swordsman Wants a Peaceful Life with the White Saint in the Frontier ~Huh? You Want Him to Come Back with the Saint? It’s Already Too Late~ - 69

Chapter 69: A Busy Morning

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The next morning was hectic from the moment he woke up.

While the chill of the night air still lingered in the floorboards, he lit the stone oven, reheated the leftover soup from last night, and toasted black bread. Outside, wild grasses damp with frost had turned faintly white, and the calls of birds drifted sporadically from deep within the trees.

No sooner had breakfast finished than Lusha tightened the strings of her apron and claimed the kitchen. She sifted flour, cracked eggs, measured milk, and twisted open the lid of the honey jar. The salt crock, bundles of herbs, bags of dried fruit—tools and ingredients were pulled one after another from the shelves, and the worktable, which should have been spacious, was quickly filled like a battlefield.

Boil, bake, knead, cool. Firewood was fed into the mouth of the stone oven at regular intervals, and each time pots and iron plates were swapped, small flames stuck out their tongues energetically. There were two visitors today: Elena and Fran, former party members of Lloyd. As promised yesterday, they were to arrive before noon to look the place over.

The moment Lusha mentioned “hospitality,” she had visibly perked up. She must have been reciting the steps of preparation over and over in her mind since last night. This morning, that preparation had turned directly into speed.

“Don’t get so fired up that you hurt yourself,”

Lloyd called out during a lull from the edge of the worktable. Splattering oil, knife blades, overheated handles—the kitchen was full of hazards. Seeing her fingertips dusted white with flour only made him worry more.

“I’m not that clumsy.”

Lusha puffed out her cheeks in a huff. Those puffed cheeks and her deft fingers loosened something in his chest just by watching. It felt as though a ticklish sense of happiness raised the morning room temperature a little.

That said, while Lusha bustled about nonstop, Lloyd found himself surprisingly idle. The room was spotless—thanks to her constant, thorough cleaning—and the laundry had been taken care of by yesterday. When he tried to help in the kitchen, she immediately chased him out with a wooden spatula, saying, “I can’t let a gentleman into the kitchen.”

That left him with limited options. He checked the remaining firewood, split logs, and bundled them. Behind the house at the woodshed, he swung the axe and dropped the blade along the rings running through the cut face of the wood. Two, three dry cracks. He matched the split faces, tied them with rope, and leaned them against the wall.

As he caught his breath and let his gaze wander, the door of the bath shed behind the house caught his eye. Yesterday, they had used the bath after returning home and, worn out, had left it at that after pulling the plug.

Oh right, I still haven’t cleaned the bath shed.

With guests coming, he wanted to have that cleaned too. If they could be invited to bathe, the two of them could wash off the road dust and rest. After putting away the axe, Lloyd went around to the kitchen. Just then, Lusha was whisking eggs and sugar together, working air into the mixture until white streaks formed. Her arms never stopped moving.

“Lusha, can I borrow the Element Gem for a bit?”

“That’s fine, but what are you going to use it for?”

“I was thinking of cleaning the bath. If they’re going to visit, I’d like them to use it too.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea! A brilliant plan.”

At Lloyd’s suggestion, Lusha’s face brightened instantly. She set down the whisk and handed him the Element Gem, which seemed to have no role at the moment.

“Then, Lloyd, can I leave the bath to you?”

“Yeah. Leave it to me.”

Receiving the Element Gem from her, Lloyd flexed his arm in response. The Element Gem was a convenient everyday magical device said to have been secretly created by the Church. When helping Lusha escape from the Church, Elliot had stolen it and entrusted it to her. Thanks to this, life in this remote region was possible. Lloyd had complicated feelings about Elliot, but in the end, he too was being helped by him. Thanks to this magical device, even this bath could be put to good use.

When he opened the door to the bath shed, the memory of yesterday’s steam was long gone, and the cool scent of wood and stone tickled his nose. A stone bathtub, a washing area paved with flat stone slabs. In the corner were wooden buckets, bundles of cleaning fibers, an ash container, and a small bottle of vinegar. On the shelf was a herbal powder bought in town called “washing powder.”

First, he infused the Element Gem with magic and summoned the presence of water in his palm. The orb trembled faintly, and cool water welled up like threads. He caught it in a wooden bucket, filling it again and again. He weakened the flow and lightly sprinkled it over the stone surfaces of the washing area and inside the tub. Dry grime dampened, and the wood grain darkened.

A pinch of washing powder, a small amount of ash, a few drops of vinegar. When he stirred it in the bucket with a stick, faint bubbles rose along with the scent of herbs. Scrubbing the stone surfaces in circles with the fiber bundle, oils and dirt that had clung to the soles of feet turned milky white and washed away. He swept the seams with a brush made from unraveled hemp rope and plucked hair and leaves clogged in the drain with his fingers.

He wiped the rim of the tub with a cloth and lightly smoothed raised splinters on the wooden frame with a small knife. To finish, he summoned fresh water with the Element Gem and washed away any residue at once.

Finally, he opened the small window wide so it would dry easily, and left the doorway open about half a hand’s width to create a path for the breeze. The entire shed seemed to inhale softly, the air moving as it exhaled the dampness.

Alright, done.

Lloyd shook the water from his hands, wiped the Element Gem with a cloth, and returned to the house. The moment he opened the front door, a sweet smell filled his chest. Dough just about to finish baking, melted sugar, melted butter, simmered fruit—layers of scents tickled his nose. His stomach growled. It hadn’t been that long since he’d eaten bread.

Peeking into the kitchen, he saw Lusha kneeling in front of the stone oven, intently watching how much the small pastries lined up on the iron plate were puffing up. A bit of her bangs was stuck to her forehead with sweat.

“I’m done. Thanks for this.”

When Lloyd held out the Element Gem, she turned with a brightened face.

“Thank you for cleaning!”

Just those words alone made him feel strangely rewarded. He had only done what felt natural, yet she praised him like this. Having grown up rarely being praised, being complimented at all gave him a sense of accomplishment. He found himself thinking she’d probably be good at raising children too and then immediately imagining whose children, which made his cheeks heat up.

Lusha tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Your face is red.”

“N-no! It’s nothing.”

Not wanting to be told again, “It feels like you’re thinking about something lewd,” he hastily put on a calm face. To cover it up, he leaned over to peer into the stone oven.

“Smells great. I just ate breakfast, but I’m already hungry again.”

“Hehe, please wait just a little longer.”

Giggling softly, Lusha took out the iron plate and quickly transferred it onto a rack. The pastries were a perfect golden brown, their edges faintly glossy, as if they’d make a crisp sound if touched. In a pot at the back, vegetable soup bubbled quietly, and in another, fruit compote deepened its sweet aroma. Looking out the window, he saw the sunlight between the trees had shifted its angle slightly. The shadows shortened, and the color of the field’s shade grew lighter.

“Is it about time?”

Lusha asked, glancing between the position of the sun and the hourglass. Right. The meeting time was just before noon—around eleven at the highway fork. They should be able to make it in time even if they were to go from here, even while checking the route along the way as they walked. 

“Yeah. I’ll go pick them up.”

“Yes, please be careful!”

She stopped her hands and saw him off with a lively voice, still in her apron. Powder was faintly scattered across the white cloth, with a small bit on her cheek as well. When he gently wiped it away with his finger, Lusha smiled shyly and said.

“Thank you.”

An ordinary day, and an ordinary happiness. Something warm lit softly in his chest at the sight. He didn’t know how long such days would last. But to make them last, all he could do was what needed to be done today, that much was clear.

“I’ll be right back.”

Leaving those words behind, he headed for the doorway, checked the sheath at his waist, and threw on his cloak. Outside, the morning coolness had already faded, and the wind carried the scent of the forest. Two bird shadows crossed overhead.

Lloyd glanced back at the house just once. He saw the Saint standing there in her apron. He gave her a small wave before he started walking toward the highway. 

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