Afterward, Starlight waved his hand and used earth magic to dig a pit in the center of the tents, then gathered several pieces of withered wood from nearby and tossed them in. With a flick of his finger, the sun-dried wood was immediately enveloped in fire elements and began to burn brightly.
Once that was done, he pulled a large amount of prepared ingredients from his storage space and began getting dinner ready.
“It looks like my sister and the others won't be back for a while. I'm going to look for some fruit or other ingredients in the nearby forest.”
Moen had been silently watching Starlight work for a bit, and feeling unsure of how to help, she decided to see if she could find some different ingredients to bring back.
“Is it okay for you to go alone? Do you need me to come with you?” Hearing this, Starlight looked up and asked with some surprise.
“Of course not~ I'm not a child anymore. Besides, the forest is my home turf, isn't it?” Moen smiled sweetly and then walked into the nearby forest with light, graceful steps.
As the minutes ticked by, the fiery red sun in the distance gradually sank until it completely disappeared below the horizon.
The brilliant orange-red sky was slowly replaced by a deep blue-purple, lending an air of mystery to the boundless ocean.
Po Kong and Xia Duo still hadn't returned, and Moen, who had headed into the forest alone, was nowhere to be seen.
Starlight sat by the campfire alone, watching the dinner that was already starting to give off a fragrant aroma. He idly poked the fire with a branch, causing sparks to flicker and dance in the darkness with a faint crackling sound.
Just as he was planning to wake Noah up to chat with him, a soft and slightly childish girl's voice suddenly rang out from behind him: “What are you roasting there? It smells so good! Can I try some?”
The sudden voice gave Starlight a fright. Almost as a reflex, he dropped the branch in his hand and used instant movement to flash to the other side of the fire.
There stood an elf girl dressed in thin gauze clothing by the campfire, looking at him with a face full of curiosity.
Although Starlight didn't have the extraordinary five senses that Xia Duo possessed, he had never let his guard down in such a strange place.
Yet this girl had appeared behind him as silently as a ghost in the night. This undoubtedly left him feeling a bit rattled.
“Why are you so surprised? I don't mean any harm! I'm just... a bit... Huh?! You're not an elf?” The girl blinked, her tone filled with surprise and curiosity.
“This look... could it be you're a legendary human? Wow~ it's my first time seeing one!”
“But why would a human be here? And... are you a mage? You have a nice smell of elements on you!”
The girl's rapid-fire questions caught Starlight off guard, but seeing her innocent expression, he finally determined she meant no harm. Only then did he lower his guard slightly and nod cautiously at her across the campfire.
Seeing that Starlight hadn't answered her questions, the elf girl didn't seem to mind. Instead, her large, watery eyes drifted toward the steak on the fire that was sizzling with oil.
“Gurgle~~~”
A loud rumbling sound came from the girl's stomach, instantly breaking the awkwardness between them.
“Are you... hungry? Do you want to eat some?” Starlight asked cautiously, looking at the girl's suddenly flushing face.
“Yes, yes, yes!!! I want to eat!” the girl responded with lightning speed. Before Starlight could even move, she had already snatched the steak off the grill.
Starlight was surprised to see her hold the scalding hot steak so easily in her hands, as if the heat didn't affect her at all.
Just as the girl was about to bring the meat to her mouth, she suddenly remembered something and muttered softly, “Even though Uncle and the others said I shouldn't eat things from outside... but this smells so good... it definitely isn't anything bad, right?!”
“Oh, whatever! Chomp... so good! This is delicious!”
After a moment of internal struggle, the girl finally seemed to make up her mind. She opened her small mouth and took a big bite.
Only now did Starlight have the chance to carefully observe this strange elf girl. On closer inspection, her appearance was noticeably different from Moen and the others.
Since entering Star-Song Forest, every elf Starlight had seen was invariably tall and slender, with every movement exuding agility and elegance.
The girl before him, however, was a full half-head shorter than Moen and the others. In comparison, she seemed petite and delicate, yet she possessed a much wilder air.
Even though she wore loose gauze clothing, it couldn't hide her impressive figure. Just a glance made Starlight's pulse quicken.
He quickly averted his gaze from where he shouldn't be looking and instead noticed the unusual gauze clothing she was wearing.
The design of the gauze was very simple, but it wasn't hard to see that its style and fashion were vastly different from the elven clothing he had seen before.
Seeing Starlight staring at her intently, the girl who was gnawing on the steak suddenly turned to look at him. She then glanced at the meat in her hand and said softly in a reluctant tone, “Um... do you want some too? Shall we share?”
“...You eat it. I'll just make another portion in a bit.”
Looking at the steak in the girl's hand that was already covered in her saliva, Starlight was somewhat speechless. He thought to himself that this was supposed to be his dinner, yet now it seemed like it belonged to her.
The speed at which the girl ate was completely disproportionate to her petite frame. That large grilled steak was entirely consumed in just a few minutes, and she even gnawed the bone scraps completely clean.
After wiping her grease-stained little face with her hand, the girl slowly turned around and gave Starlight a satisfied smile.
“Big brother, the food you made is so delicious! This might be the best thing I've ever eaten in my life! Thank you!”
“Uh... it was just a piece of ordinary grilled meat, it's not really worth that much praise...” Starlight replied, scratching his head, a bit flustered by her compliment.
But before he could regain his composure, the girl, who had been sitting over a meter away, lunged to his side in a single bound. Her speed was so fast it was jaw-dropping.
The girl stood on her tiptoes and spoke rapidly in an excited tone: “Really? Really?! Then why could I only eat those bland vegetables and fruits before? If I take you back... can you cook for me every day?!”
At this moment, the girl's pretty face was only a few centimeters away from Starlight's nose, and her seductive body was almost pressed against him.
Starlight was startled and retreated two steps again. To hide his embarrassment, he could only give a dry laugh: “Heh... hehe... wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate... besides, I'm not a chef!”
“Hmm~ true! You're a mage! Not a chef! And Uncle and the others probably won't let me bring an outsider back... what a shame!” The girl scratched her chin with her finger and said with great regret.
Just as the girl was pondering her dilemma, the still-shaken Starlight finally noticed that she had a pair of silver eyes that looked like the bright moon.
Moreover, the girl's skin actually appeared to be a pale blue-purple under the night sky, looking exceptionally mysterious, just like the sky itself.
Rate on N.U.
