Alfred's face had an awkward smile, but he quickly masked it with a smile.
"Ah, making this soup as a field ration would be difficult. The reason I was able to make it so fast was that I already prepared the base beforehand. I always like to keep half-cooked food around for emergencies."
Alfred informed, causing Meria to blush as well.
He had made a mistake by being too eager and now needed to control himself.
"I see. I should have guessed that much."
An awkward silence descended, and Alfred quickly got the rest of the food.
The food was done too quickly, which made Meria suspicious, but he chalked it up to pre-preparations on Alfred's part.
'It must be a coincidence. It's not like Alfred knew I would be chasing after a criminal and land in the town. I should stop trying to find fault with Alfred.'
Meria calmed down his mind and ate the food.
