Reincarnated as an SSS-Ranked Blacksmith Who Refuses to Forge Weapons-Chapter 117. The Chef Returns

Chapter 117: 117. The Chef Returns
Greg’s stomach got tight with worry, but before he could think about it, the slime bounced off his shoulder and hit the ground. Then it chirped and bounced around the group in joyful circles.
Felix laughed when the slime bounced up to his chest level, clearly wanting to be picked up. He said, "Look! I think it wants attention. What a spoiled slime you are~!"
"It does seem very loving," Seraphine said as she took out her notebook. "What should we name it? We can’t keep calling it slime. It’ll hurt the little guy’s feelings."
"You say that like it’s some kind of a mockery..." Greg said it with a low tone.
"How about Hammy?" It was Marina’s idea. "Because it has a hammer in it, get it?"
Everyone thought the slime was happy because it chirped and bounced higher. "See?! Hammy gets it, from now on we’ll be calling you Hammy~!"
Greg said, "Hammy it is," and he couldn’t help but smile as the slime bounced from person to person, clearly pleased with its new name and family.
Hammy went around to different people over the next few minutes and found out that they all had their own comfortable spots. Hammy seemed to really like resting on the chests of Marina, Seraphine, Elwen, and Donetta. He would bounce gently and make joyful chirping sounds.
Seraphine said, "I think Hammy likes the warmth," as she wrote down what she saw while the slime lay comfortably against her. "Or maybe the heart rate? Many animals find rhythmic sounds to be calming."
"Or maybe Hammy just likes boobies. I get it, Hammy. Me too." Felix said, and then he ducked as Marina threw a small rock at him.
"Don’t be rude!" Marina said, but she was trying not to laugh.
"I’m just making a comment!"
"Be quieter!"
Hammy, who seemed to know they were having a fun argument, jumped over to Felix and sat on his head, covering it completely like a see-through helmet. Everyone’s laughter drowned out Felix’s muffled protests.
Greg said, "I think Hammy is already fitting in perfectly." He watched as the slime finally let go of Felix and bounced back to Greg’s shoulder, looking thrilled with itself.
They spent the rest of the day unpacking, sorting ore, and getting up to speed on everything that had happened while they were gone. The workshop ran smoothly while they were gone, with only a few small problems that Marina said were "completely normal and not at all caused by anyone trying to use banned items from the cellar."
"What did you do this time, Marina?" Greg asked with suspicion.
"Nothing! I just said that wasn’t the reason! Greg, read the whole thing!"
"You’re being very defensive for someone who did nothing."
"I’m right to be defensive because I’m being falsely accused!"
Elwen made them a simple dinner that night. She had tried her best to copy Lylia’s cooking, but she knew it wasn’t quite the same. The food was good for them and tasted delicious, but it didn’t have the warmth and flavor that Lylia somehow added to everything she made.
Felix said sadly, "I miss Lylia’s cooking, and I didn’t mean that this food isn’t good. But, you know, there’s like... something missing about it," as he poked at his stew, which wasn’t very good.
"I get it, Felix. I missed her cooking too." Elwen smiled a little.
"Yes, we all do," Marina said. "I tried to make breakfast yesterday, but I almost set the kitchen on fire."
"How do you set fire to a kitchen while making breakfast?" Greg asked.
Marina said, "Very carefully and with a lot of work. Technically, it doesn’t count because Lylia put out the fire before it spread."
"That was before she left," Seraphine said. "So it does count."
Hammy, who had found out that its jelly-like body could soak up small amounts of liquid, was happily soaking up some spilled water near Greg’s plate and making happy chirping sounds. "Hey, stop that!"
Seraphine starts to carry Hammy and places it on her chest, which makes Greg remember something. "Ahh! The mysterious ore!"
When Greg said that both Felix and Bork remembered it as well, Bork started to walk towards his backpack to grab the mysterious ore that was protected with some box, and then he showed it to Seraphine. "Can you do some research for this mysterious ore we found?"
Seraphine looked at it and grabbed the box to open it. "Interesting... it looked like something rare, and I can’t wait to do some research on it."
"Please do."
...
The week after that was both busy and surprisingly calm. Greg worked on processing the ore they had brought back, Bork helped him find the best samples, and Felix continued his rehabilitation as a productive member of society by actually doing his tasks without lying about it.
Hammy quickly became everyone’s favorite because he was curious, loving, and sometimes naughty. The slime would bounce around the workshop, "helping" by trying to clean up small spills. It would sometimes get stuck in strange places and chirp sadly until someone came to get it, and in general, it made everyone smile.
"One of my pencils was eaten by Hammy," Seraphine said one morning, watching as the slime slowly melted the pencil inside its body. "This is very intriguing. You can see the whole process of digestion, but the hammer is still there."
"Is it okay?" Elwen asked with concern.
"Hammy looks fine. I actually think the wood is giving the plants nutrients. Slimes probably can eat everything."
"Okay, so we just feed it with random things?" Felix said.
"Within reason," Seraphine said. "Nothing bad or magical. Organic matter that is normal should be fine."
Hammy chirped and bounced, as if he agreed with this assessment.
...
On the eighth day, Lylia finally came back and broke the peaceful routine. They heard the horse before they saw her, and everyone ran outside to greet her with satisfaction that the chef is back to feed them.
She looked exhausted and worn out, with dark circles under her eyes that made it look like she hadn’t been sleeping well. Her hair was a little messy, which was unusual for her.
But when she saw everyone there to greet her, her face lit up with real joy. "Hey, guys!"
"I’m home," she said simply as she got off the carriage.
"You’re back!" Marina said, giving her a big hug. "We missed you! Mostly your cooking, but also who you are!"
"Aww~, Thanks, Marina." Lylia said, but she was smiling.
Greg stepped up and took her bag. "Is everything okay?"
"It’s not easy," Lylia said. "But I’ll explain at dinner."
"So... did Elwen cook something good for you all?" Lylia asked with a little sarcasm.
"Hey!" Elwen protested. "I did my best!"
Lylia said in a kind voice, "I know, and I appreciate it. Now... I have to cook for a living."
"Let me do what I do best!"