Some time had passed since the large flood of monsters at Wedgefort, and we’re back in Volton.
Actually, we were relieved from duty the day after the flood, but Marnie, whose level had suddenly risen, was eager to go out and Kaede, who had evolved from an Archenie to an Arachne, wanted to check her body’s rhythm, so we went looking for monsters around Wedgefort.
Having turned into an Arachne, Kaede’s spider lower half had gotten one size larger, and the appearance of her top half changed from that of a small child to one of a female high school student. Furthermore, she acquired Dark attribute magic, so she seems to be having fun with magic training.
Since returning to Volton, we haven’t attended Barack-san’s training at the Adventurers Guild. Currently, we train just by ourselves at the garden at home.
「It’s been a while since we’ve had nothing to do.」
「Since we’ve been so busy as of late, let’s rest our bodies.」
「Everyone, we have tea.」
Marnie and Maria had brewed some tea and brought it here.
「We baked cookies today.」
「Let me see, ……yup, the smell of butter is nice.」
「Cookies are tasty!」
Kaede evolved, but her mental age hasn’t changed that much. Well, it can’t be helped since it’s only been 5 or 6 years since she was born.[1]
「Really though, making butter and cheese had turned out well. Our menu has increased thanks to that.」
Previously, we enthusiastically bought large quantities of things at Quilbas. And from the milk we stored in the Item Box, we had success in the production of heavy cream, butter, and cheese. To coagulate cheese, we would have to use rennet that comes from the abomasum of calves and lambs, but if I remember correctly, I heard that there was rennet that comes from mold[2] used in modern times. For now, we used rennet retrieved from calves to make our first cheese.
「Kaede likes pizza!」
「Then how about we make some with everyone again?」
I made a pizza oven[3] in the backyard to bake pizzas. We use a magic gas burner in the kitchen at the house, but I purposefully made a pizza stove that burns firewood. The smoke would give it a smoky flavor, wouldn’t it?
「Still, these cookies are delicious. I wasn’t able to eat sweet things back then. I want my brother to taste this, too.」
「Laeva, cookies keep for a long time so wouldn’t it be alright to send some? If you like, why not even cast a State Preservation enchantment on the box?」
「That’s right, if that’s the case then how about sending a variety of other foodstuff too?」
「Eh!? Is that alright?」
When Sophia and I said that it’s alright to send cookies made with plenty of expensive sugar and butter, Laeva was shocked as well as delighted.
「The cookies can be made by Maria and Marnie, and if the box is enchanted with State Preservation, even you can do it now, right Laeva?」
「Yes! Thank you very much!」
Leava replied cheerfully, immediately running to the workshop to make a box with State Preservation.
「What would you like for dinner tonight?」
「Let’s see, how about macaroni gratin?」
「Gratin! Kaede likes too!」
Various kinds of dried pasta are now sold by the Papeck Company. The unit price is cheap so the royalties obviously don’t amount to much this time, but we can buy various kinds of pasta so there’s no problem.
「Then I’ll help too.」
「Well then, I’ll make the salad.」
「Kaede will help too!」
Everyone aside from Sophia who was bad at cooking and Laeva who secluded herself in the workshop prepared dinner.
Dinner that day was Maria’s baked bread and macaroni gratin with white sauce, and the potato salad Marnie made.
「Taaasty!」
「H-hot! But it’s delicious.」
Kaede and Laeva became ecstatic from eating gratin.
Everyone in the house except for Sophia, Kaede and me had a hard time eating. Laeva’s community was still poor, and Maria was from Moulin-san’s slavery company so I believe it wasn’t terrible, but she didn’t have extravagant meals. Maybe because they have those reactions that I love eating with everyone.
「Puhaa, it’s more delicious having ale cold.」
「Drinking chilled white wine is also delicious.」
「How luxurious. It’s like a dream.」
The ale I’m drinking and the white wine Sophia and Marnie are having were chilled with magic.
We began making our own ale and wine. Of course, it was made in a short time with 『Fermentation』 and 『Aging』 magic. But I made, failed, and remade it until I was satisfied with the taste.
「But Takumi is talented even when making alcohol.」
「No, ale is fermented on the surface so it’s easy to make the machinery, and as for the wine, the taste still isn’t there.」
「That’s not the case. It is not the best wine, but I think it has a flavor between first and second class.」
Techniques for making alcohol is kept secret even in Mildgard. It is monopolized by a small amount of nobles and the church. Cheap alcohol like ale seem to be made everywhere, but I can’t bring myself to drink lukewarm ale.
After dinner, I filled the bath with hot water using magic. This is pretty much my job. I made it so that the bath in this mansion is big enough that 5-6 people can enter at one time and still be spacious, and I’m in charge of filling it since I have plenty of magic power, and have both the fire and water attribute.
「Next, please raise your right hand.」
「…… yeah.」
「Okay, I will wash the left hand.」
「I will wash the back.」
Yep, lately I’ve been taking baths together with Sophia, Maria, and Marnie. Originally it was either Sophia or Maria that entered, but before I knew it, it had been decided that we’d enter together since Marnie arrived.
「Fuu~, baths definitely feel good.」
「It’s very luxurious, isn’t it?」
「That’s true, except for nobles, there isn’t a habit of taking baths.」
「In my village, the best we could do is bathe in the river.」
Baths aren’t common in this world. There doesn’t seem to be anyone like me that would use magic to fill a bath. There’s probably a magic device that would fill and warm the water, but I was told that it would be too expensive that only high ranking nobles could have it.
「Then how about we make a magic device?」
「Let’s see, if that were the case, then the bath can be filled with water even if it isn’t Takumi-sama who does it.」
In the bathtub that had room to fit four people comfortably, I slowly warmed myself up surrounded by beautiful women and a pretty girl.
「Please excuse me.」
Today, the one who entered my room was Sophia.
Adding Marnie to the rotation, I had one day off. Thanks to the exceedingly superior body made specially by Goddess Norn, I overdid it today too.
***
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