Chapter 32

It turned out that the tabby cat, Sabatra, was a type of mythical creature known as a gardener cat.

To confirm its abilities, we made our way to the forest.

Walking alongside the gardener cat, Lucian, and Gilbert, we eventually came to an open area where strawberry plants were visible. Gilbert, impressed, spoke up.

"…I've heard about it, but the way strawberries grow is different from the 'Monster's Gem,' isn't it?"

"How does the 'Monster's Gem' grow?"

"The 'Monster's Gem' grows at the tips of short trees. It's a different thing from strawberries, which grow on vines near the ground."

"I see. Then the possibility of mistakenly harvesting strawberries and the 'Monster's Gem' is low, isn't it?"

This was good news.

It seemed that the similarity was only in the appearance of the fruit.

If the chances of picking the wrong one were reduced, that would be great.

"All three plants are ripe. I believe the original harvest time for strawberries is a bit later, so the gardener cat must have grown them with its magic."

The gardener cat, capable of accelerated cultivation (?!), seemed to be quite an impressive creature.

To confirm its abilities, I took out a glass bottle from my pocket.

The contents of the glass bottle were seeds collected from the strawberries I had on hand.

I successfully separated the seeds by mixing the surface of the fruit with water.

I decided to use the seeds that sank in salt water.

The seeds selected by this method, known as salt water selection, should be good, plump seeds.

In Japan, the common method to propagate strawberries is through division of the parent plant, but since there were no parts suitable for division on the strawberry plants in front of me, I decided to try planting the seeds.

I lightly dug up the ground, buried the seeds, and covered them with soil.

When I looked at the gardener cat, it approached the seeds as if it knew what to do.

"Oh, it's standing up."

The gardener cat stood on its hind legs and extended its front paws toward the seeds.

I could see the black paw pads on its round hands.

"The paw pads are glowing………"

Paw pad power explosion!

…Such a silly phrase ran through my mind.

A faint, subtle light emanated from the paw pads and descended to the ground.

The soil where the light hit trembled, and green sprouts emerged.

The sprouts, initially the size of fingertips, grew rapidly.

The stems stretched, leaves flourished, and vines hung down, growing to the same size as the original strawberry plants.

The gardener cat, which had been directing its paw pads at the rapidly growing strawberries, suddenly lowered its arm.

It then approached me and tugged at the hem of my dress.

What's wrong?

When I bent down, it clung to my chest.

I hurriedly held it, and it closed its eyes and leaned into me.

"It's sleeping………"

Occasionally twitching its whiskers, the gardener cat curled up in my arms.

Through the dress, I could feel its warm, soft body.

………It must have been exhausted from using its magic.

It demanded delicious food and slept when it wanted to.

It seemed to have a laid-back personality, just like a cat.

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Holding the happy weight in my arms, I walked back to the palace.

After entering the palace and laying the gardener cat on a cushion, I decided to head to the kitchen.

Since we had fresh strawberries, I wanted to cook them.

To meet the gardener cat's expectations and offer a gift of gratitude, I decided to start cooking right away.

"‘Monster's Gem’………"

"Are you planning to eat it?"

"No, no, these are strawberries."

"Strawberries?"

"Mr. Gilbert said so."

"Are they edible?"

"Umm, I'm a bit hesitant………"

The cooks watched me from a distance.

They seemed to be afraid of the strawberries, which resembled the 'Monster's Gem,' but were also interested as cooks.

I wanted them to taste the strawberry dishes.

If they could taste and appreciate the deliciousness of strawberries, it would be according to plan.

Cooking alone, I would inevitably have fewer variations and fewer trials.

I wanted to spread the deliciousness of strawberries to the cooks and, if possible, have them join me in researching strawberry dishes.

What to make would naturally come to mind.

The cooks' reluctance to the strawberries was due to their resemblance to the 'Monster's Gem.'

So, it would be better to start with a dish that doesn't retain much of the strawberry's shape.

"Strawberry jam is best made in a copper pot."

The copper pot I held was made through alchemy.

While I often used iron scraps for alchemy, I had gradually started experimenting with other materials.

This time, it was a simple copper pot, but I wanted to try making an enameled pot in the future.

Alchemy is a magical art with many possibilities, and I intended to continue researching it.

"First, I'll prepare the strawberries………"

I washed the strawberries, removed the stems, and cut them into small pieces.

While a jam with whole strawberries is delicious, today I decided not to retain much of the strawberry's shape.

I arranged the strawberries in the pot and sprinkled lemon juice over them.

I didn't plan to use sugar to let the natural sweetness of the strawberries shine through.

While the shelf life would be shorter, the fresh strawberries should be sweet enough.

I put the pot on the fire and heated it quickly on high heat.

The key to making jam is to cook it quickly.

This way, the flavor and aroma of the strawberries would be better preserved.

I chose a copper pot for this reason.

It has a better heat conductivity than an iron pot, allowing for even cooking in a short time.

It was the perfect pot for making jam.

"Alright, let's turn down the heat a bit………"

I carefully scooped out the foam that rose to the surface.

Instead of discarding it, I collected it in a container.

Mixed with sparkling water, it should make a drink with a subtle strawberry flavor.

I continued to cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent burning.

When I stirred, I could see the bottom of the pot.

Is it about time?

I dropped a bit of jam from the wooden spoon into a glass of water.

The jam sank to the bottom without dissolving.

The jam test was successful. The water content seemed to be gone.

I took the pot off the heat and, once it cooled down, transferred the jam into glass jars.

While cleaning up the pot and waiting for the jam to cool, I felt a gaze from behind.

"……………"

Steadily.

The gardener cat was watching me from the kitchen entrance, as if monitoring me.

It must have been drawn by the aroma of the strawberry jam.

It was silently pressuring me to let it eat.

When I tried to pet it during the waiting time, it slipped away.

Despite sleeping soundly in my arms earlier, it didn't want to be touched now, showing a subtle cat-like temperament.

After feeling the pressure from a distance for a while, I decided to taste the cooled jam.

When I scooped it with a spoon, the smooth surface glistened.

While the strawberries themselves were cute, the jam was beautifully gem-like.

Taking a bite of the ruby-like jam, a sweet and tangy aroma filled my senses.

The occasional pieces of strawberry in the smooth, thick jam were delightful.

Thanks to not using sugar, it had a refreshing taste, and the jam was well-made enough to be eaten in large quantities on its own.

"……………"

It's delicious, but the gaze from behind is painful.

The gardener cat seemed to be silently demanding that I share it.

I scooped some jam from the jar and placed it on a shallow plate.

I put the plate in front of the gardener cat, but it only sniffed it and didn't try to eat it.

"Are you not eating………?"

As I watched, the gardener cat looked up at me and made a motion as if scooping water with its right front paw.

It repeated this motion several times.

It seemed to be trying to communicate something, perhaps……

"………A spoon?"

Half-believing, I placed a spoon on the edge of the plate, and the gardener cat quickly reached for it.

"Wow………!"

It held the spoon between its paw pads, skillfully gripping it.

It seemed to be somewhat proud of itself.

The gardener cat extended the spoon toward the jam.

I could see the jam being gently scooped and disappearing into its small mouth.

"Meow‼"

A cute sound came from the gardener cat.

It was its first vocalization.

After making a sound, the gardener cat quickly ate the jam.

It seemed to enjoy the gift of jam.