Chapter 24

The mental stability that came from obtaining money was greater than he had imagined. Before he knew it, he was skipping around the mansion. Due to Laby's lack of rhythm, from an outsider's perspective, it looked like a zombie dragging its feet and occasionally twitching, but she could even manage such movements. It was the best. So, she decided to return to the basics.

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"To be honest, I'm scared of myself for making the young lady's porridge without any sense of discomfort."

"It's a fine growth. Keep it up."

He had intended to express his gratitude, but the servant, with his short, sparrow-like hair, shook his head and started praying to his parents, "Dad, Mom," for some reason. "I don't want to become a witch's apprentice." Whether a man could be called a witch was a question, but aside from that, porridge wasn't evil. "But the porridge is really delicious!" He seemed to be struggling with various conflicts. While stirring the pot, Laby smiled at the servant, who was gradually being influenced.

"…That's the spirit…"

"Ah…"

Don't cry, servant.

"Porridge is the best. I can't live without porridge. No, I would surely be dead without it."

While expressing gratitude to the porridge, to be honest, his stomach had recently started accepting things other than porridge. Although he found it difficult to eat sticky, greasy meat, he could enjoy cooked vegetables and, at lunchtime at the academy, he quietly munched on a well-formed triangle of rice. Incidentally, it was marked with the servant's seal. Recently, he had become Laby's dedicated servant.

However, Laby thought they should return to the basics. It was because of the porridge that she had been able to get this far. "So, should I eat porridge for all three meals!?" "I don't really understand what you're saying." The servant's voice suggested that it might be going too far. His body was craving porridge. When it came to porridge, one of his screws seemed to be loose, but it was just normal for him.

"…So, are you saying you want to bring porridge in your lunchbox to the academy?"

"Exactly!"

"Madness."

The servant whispered quietly. Hold on, hold on.

"Indeed, it might seem strange from the outside, but once you try it, it might not be as bad as you think. Well, it often turns out to be as strange as it looks."

"…Are you talking about yourself?"

When he made a face as if to say, "I see," she wanted to twist his face but held back. Laby wasn't a demon. She understood that the common sense of this world was different from her past. Food culture, for example, varied greatly from country to country. To the people of this country, who didn't have a culture of stewing, Laby's behavior was nothing short of a witch's dinner.

The servant, who was unexpectedly cooperative, was boiling porridge for tonight's late-night snack. "Well, it turned out to be quite delicious!" And she didn't dislike his broad-mindedness. His lack of manners was a problem, though.

"Of course, I'm not just going to put plain porridge in a leather bag and carry it around, thinking it will be delicious."

If she did that, she would be a literal crazy woman. She didn't want to go that far. "Look at this." Prowling the kitchen at night was already a routine, so she took out her target from a gap in the shelf. "…A magic warming box?"

"Yes. A box that can keep soup warm while you carry it." In this world, magic-infused stones were embedded in various tools to make them work. A "cold magic box," which had the same performance as a refrigerator, was still active in a corner of the kitchen.

"What are you going to do with the soup? I don't think it has anything to do with the young lady."

"Okay, okay."

In other words, it was a thermos in Earth terms. First, she would make a lightly cooked porridge, put the rice in the magic warming box, and add hot water as needed. By the time she carried it around during the day, it would be a proper porridge. If she added vegetables, they would be soft and delicious, and she would get the nutrients. Laby explained this to the servant, and the young man looked half-annoyed. "The young lady really likes porridge, doesn't she? Who's going to make it? Me? I don't mind."

He rolled up his sleeves, showing unexpectedly muscular arms. It was a bit envious, but it wasn't the time to stare. The young man, who was still an apprentice but had become a bit more involved, was still treated as a newcomer despite his age. He was preparing Laby's lunch just because it was pushed on him by others. Recently, he hadn't been causing any trouble, but he was still feared by others as a potentially explosive young lady of the Heathfen family. He had explained before that he was offered as a sacrifice.

At the time, Laby had lightly replied, "I'm sorry to hear that," but in reality, she was grateful to this man. Her tea was still frequently laced with "medicine" from Mari. They were engaged in a silent battle, with both of them glaring at each other, but she wasn't really afraid of the poison in her tea. If she tasted even a little, the water magic would alert her to the foreign substance. However, it was difficult if it was in solid form.

Thanks to this servant, Laby could eat rice balls at the academy without any worries. The same went for the late-night porridge. If Mari's hands reached the servant, it would be a problem, but when she whispered a threat, "If you mix anything other than white rice, I'll curse you," the servant made a dog-like sound and became bow-legged, so it was probably not a problem. Well, she couldn't actually curse.

So, while transferring today's porridge to a bowl, she thought a little. It was shiny and perfectly ready to eat. She was used to making it. Was this good enough?

"…I'm grateful to you. Thank you."

Was it okay to say thank you, even a little?

According to the "setting" given by the Heathfen family, or rather, Nella, it was an odd thing to say. However, Laby had her limits. When she was forced to, she couldn't help but say thank you. When she bought a gemstone, she found herself saying thank you to Leon without thinking. Because she didn't know him personally, the human words that had been sealed inside her overflowed, and she was confused.

However, when she saw the young man blinking repeatedly at her words, she regretted saying them. She had hoped he would think it was just a whim of a capricious young lady.

"…Young lady…"

The servant sounded surprised.

"You had a normal conversation, didn't you?"

Hold on.

"…I thought we had been having conversations all along."

"Well, to be honest, you seemed a bit out of it. The other day, you suddenly said you were going to buy my robe, and it was on credit!"

"I paid properly, so there's no problem."

There is a problem! What was the purpose? The servant's robe, which he shouted about, was the one he had worn when visiting Leon's shop. Laby had forcibly taken it from him because the noble's clothes were too conspicuous. "You could send it to your family as a supplement," she said, turning her back. "Well, that's…" The servant hesitated, "The unclear purpose is scary! Did you put it in a pot!?" When she saw the servant shouting about it being a medium for a curse, Laby thought that no matter how much she thanked him, it probably wouldn't be a problem for him.

The next day, in front of the usual pond, she placed her long-awaited porridge on her lap and her eyes sparkled. It was an outdoor porridge. She opened the lid with anticipation and felt a gentle warmth on her skin, which made her smile. She took out a spoon and tried it. It was well-cooked. Just as she was about to say "Ah," she noticed a gaze from behind. It was Sai, as usual.

He was staring at Laby intently. Incidentally, he was a bit closer than when he first appeared behind her. Like a wild animal.

Despite her curiosity, she took a bite. It was delicious. The best. She glanced back. Sai looked confused. Delicious. Delicious. From his perspective, she was just mindlessly scooping up a thick liquid. But it was delicious. With an empty lunchbox in hand, she sighed and patted her stomach, then checked Sai again. Sai had a face she had never seen in any game, frozen in place.

She was concerned, so while reporting the results, she asked the servant, "The porridge lunch was the best, but is it dangerous to look at from the outside?" The servant replied, "I think it's dangerous even if you don't look at it from the outside," so she considered sealing it for a moment, but in the end, she decided to live her life cherishing porridge.

"I can never betray porridge no matter what! It's my life!"

"Just do as you please."

She decided to live her life cherishing porridge.