Polenta is a dish made by cooking easily obtainable grains like corn, barley, and chestnuts into a porridge-like consistency.
Made to highlight its coarse texture, it tastes rougher than it looks when eaten, but that too has its own charm.
Made with easily obtainable ingredients, it's popular among the masses and a hearty meal for commoners without money.
However, when made well, it's as delicious as any dish, and even eating a small amount fills you up, making it suitable as emergency rations.
Above all, it's not just eaten like porridge; if you add more cornmeal or barley flour and let it set, it becomes almost like...
'Delicious rice cake.'
With its characteristic coarse texture being its charm, it's none other than a chewy and delicious corn rice cake.
With goat milk cheese and several herbs added, it doesn't taste bland either.
It was an excellent meal that would make for a filling dinner.
"Great idea. Eating it like porridge was fine too, but eating it this way is different, and I keep reaching for more."
"I learned this a long time ago when I worked part-time—no! When I worked at an inn. Eating it this way is delicious, so I make it often too."
"Really? It's my first time seeing this method. Could I know which inn? I'd like to visit and try it myself."
"Ah, it's probably gone now. I-It was a very long time ago."
"Is that so?"
"Y-Yes!"
……She's bullshitting.
If you're going to lie, at least put some effort into it.
'Whatever she did before being possessed, it definitely wasn't in the arts or physical education.'
Otherwise, she wouldn't act so poorly.
'She's bland in a different way.'
Is it because she's a romance heroine?
Kids playing romance protagonists always act so thorough only to constantly get blindsided, with their intelligence rapidly dropping—is she that type too?
'She's on par with the maid at this rate.'
Over there, Leira, who ate the rice cake too quickly because it was delicious and got something stuck in her throat, is running around looking for water, then scooping water in a bowl and smashing her face into it.
Just drinking it normally would be fine, must she do that?
...Well, it's not boring to watch, but as an acquaintance, it's embarrassing to show to others.
"U-Um, is that person okay?"
"Just ignore her."
"Excuse me?"
"...You don't need to worry. She's incredibly healthy at least."
"...Ah, y-yes."
Irene blinked, still looking at Leira with curious eyes, but upon feeling Lee Han's gaze, she buried her head again.
Looking like a poor soul who came to borrow money from a loan shark.
Seeing this, Lee Han.
'Did I perhaps do something terrible to her?'
At Irene's attitude of trembling like a kitten, he even fell under the illusion that he might have done something wrong, and awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
* * *
Sending away a neighbor who brought moving rice cake—or rather, moving polenta—without any courtesy wasn't polite, and they weren't strangers either, so Lee Han offered her tea and had her sit for a while.
Above all, Irene herself didn't show any signs of refusal or displeasure either.
As if she had been waiting for it, she sat down, drank tea, and had almost finished the polenta she brought.
She seems to have good adaptability.
But perhaps because of that.
'Suspicious.'
Honestly, she's so lacking in wariness that it's suspicious.
No, think about it.
There's no connection between her and Lee Han.
Although Lee Han is in a situation where he needs to investigate the individual named Irene Windler, that's only known to Isis and Lee Han.
But surveillance target number two suddenly moved in next door to him.
...It was definitely an empty house just the day before, so her suddenly moving in couldn't help but be suspicious.
With wariness suddenly rising, Lee Han quietly.
"Cadet Irene, I'm sorry to ask about personal circumstances, but may I ask you a question?"
Decided to probe her.
"Eh?"
"I'll take that as permission. Why are you in such a remote place? If it's Cadet Irene, you could use the dormitory or stay at a mansion owned by the Galahad family. As far as I know, the Galahad family owns seven-tenths of the buildings near the academy."
"……."
"I'm sorry if it was an embarrassing question."
"N-No, it's a perfectly reasonable question to ask..."
For someone saying it's okay, Irene's complexion wasn't very bright, and wondering if she had some hidden circumstances, Lee Han raised his concentration without her knowing.
Hadn't he just seen information about Duke Galahad a moment ago?
You never know.
What kind of harm she might be suffering.
Or she might have been kicked out of the dormitory for being of commoner origin...!
"-The dormitory application period ended before I even knew there was one, and the Galahad Duchy mansion was burdensome so I decided not to use it. Honestly, that old man ruins my appetite, so I didn't want to be near him."
"…?"
"No, that old man is seriously weird? His gaze gives me goosebumps every time I see it! He looks like a girl, but his way of speaking and behavior is gloomy and creepy! Honestly, I don't feel like getting close to him? So I just refused everything he offered, I didn't want to get entangled for no reason, and also..., ah."
"……."
"C-Could you pretend you didn't hear that...?"
"...As much as you want."
"......Thank you."
It seems she had quite a lot built up.
She seems to have a lot of resentment toward the Duke anyway.
'S-So there were actually reasonable reasons.'
Someone might ask how can you guarantee that's all true, but Lee Han is certain that wasn't a lie or acting.
Reason?
Well.
Thump, thump.
The heartbeat tells him.
Hearing that catches the beating of the heart more accurately than using a stethoscope.
He simply trusted his ability that even Isis admired.
'-She's simple but honest.'
Through brief conversation, Lee Han gauged what kind of person Irene Windler was.
There are clumsy and lacking aspects, but those are symptoms common to people in their teens and twenties.
Shortcomings that arise because her experience and breadth of human relationships are still narrow.
It's never an insult to Irene, but stating something extremely commonsensical.
Well, she seems to have a habit of speaking clumsily and too freely, but if you consider that an essential mental illness that spellcasters possess, then that's that.
And at this level.
'She's an incredible normal person for a spellcaster.'
Considering that 9 out of 10 spellcasters are psychopaths, she's not even that eccentric.
Lee Han was full of biased views toward mages somewhere, but he didn't particularly think he was wrong.
Because actually, 9 out of 10 mages he met were all psychopaths.
Though they all died by his hand.
"U-Uh!? W-Why a sudden chill..."
"Is the cabin cold? I'd appreciate your understanding. There are many places that haven't been renovated yet, so that's probably why."
"Ah, it's fine. More importantly, Instructor. Please take care of me from now on. Since we'll be living so close, I'll be seeing you often."
"...I look forward to working with you too, Cadet Irene Windler."
A hand extended first with goodwill.
For Lee Han, shaking hands with a spellcaster was limited to when he would smash their hands with a hammer or burn them with a torch, so holding hands normally like this felt unfamiliar.
Why are the impressions of holding a woman's hand like this?
You shouldn't distinguish between men and women when it comes to spellcasters.
They're that vicious.
Just the fact that she was a mage alone halved her feminine charm. Furthermore, as she might be the adopted daughter, or even the biological daughter of the crazy Duke, the reduction in charm deepened even more, turning into a negative.
Because even if you get entangled, she's not a good one to be involved with.
'Her heart is kind, only her heart...'
No matter how much you multiply a plus to a minus, it cannot become a plus.
......Above all.
'...Crazy bastard, how much did he trample on people?'
Since the guy called the adoptive father was such a psychopath, the negative only grew more,
Tch!
Feeling the increasing secret presences and smells around the cabin, he eventually frowned and clicked his tongue.
─No homeowner would welcome hyenas reeking of blood lingering around.
Meanwhile, Irene Windler's tension grew by the moment, making her body stiffen.
'D-Did I make some mistake?'
[Cheer up, Irene! Somehow you have to gain the knight's favor!]
'...This is all because of you.'
Because of her pestering all day to move near the knight instructor, she had no choice but to go through with the move.
Ah, but she didn't lie.
Not being able to get into the dormitory, and hating that Duke man.
She was just dissatisfied that she couldn't get a better house.
She wasn't into cabins; it would have been more convenient and better to stay at a high-end inn with good soundproofing and cleaning service.
Perhaps because he knew her feelings like this.
Irene showed signs of apology, but...
[I'm sorry, but it's really great. Look at those muscles! How can he be like a sculpture? No! Even a stone sculpture couldn't be better than that!]
The apology was only momentary. Here was a pervert revealing her desires without restraint.
'...Lowlife.'
[H-Hey, can't I just touch them once pretending it was an accident? I really want to feel those muscles!]
'...You say that so easily, telling me to throw my social dignity to the ground.'
[Muscles over social dignity!]
'......Shut up.'
At the crazy remarks of the ghost in her head that made cursing inevitable, Irene barely held back a sigh.
Even so, she sneakily looked at the knight instructor's body without realizing it.
He was only wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt with a deep neckline, and the contours of his body were clearly visible.
Because of the ghost constantly going on about muscles openly, her gaze couldn't help but go there.
And confirming this.
'I-It definitely is a feast for the eyes.'
Like minds think alike.
As the saying goes, you follow your friend to Gangnam; after hanging out for 7 years, even her taste in food and clothes had become similar.
...Even her taste in men.