Chapter 28

"Hey, Carmilla, aren't you putting too much honey on it?"

The next morning, I called out as I saw Carmilla slather honey all over the chewy fruit she had just cooked.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, you're using it all up. At this rate, it'll be gone in no time."

"You don't have to be so picky about it."

"As I try to calm her down, Leidia is also using my honey jam. I remember she said it was too sweet yesterday, right?"

Indeed, not only Carmilla, but Leidia is also using my honey jam. She didn't sympathize with me at all when I complained about the lack of sweetness yesterday.

"Because it's so delicious, I can't help it!"

"Yeah, don't be so stingy, Hasira."

Realizing the situation was not in her favor, Leidia decided to brazen it out, and Carmilla followed suit.

"No, you see, it's not easy to make more Hell Wasp honey."

With crops, I can use my ability to grow them much faster than usual.

However, this is made by Hell Wasps.

Even with my ability, I can't speed up their production.

It takes about three months to produce, and I want to avoid using it all up too quickly.

There's still plenty of honey left, but at the rate they're going, it'll be gone in no time.

"There are other uses for it, you know?"

"Ugh, fine, I'll stop for today."

"...I guess I have no choice."

When I seriously explained, they seemed to understand and reluctantly put the jar down.

Well, it was the first time they had tasted something sweet in a while. I can understand why they got so excited.

Most of what we grow is still fruit and wild vegetables, and we don't have the ingredients or seasonings to process them yet.

Claire will be bringing various seeds and seedlings soon, so it's a good preparation period.

I transformed my divine tool into a hoe and started tilling the soil with Carmilla.

Carmilla has gotten used to it recently, and her tilling speed has improved a lot.

"Damn, you're fast at tilling!"

"Haha, I can't afford to lose."

Carmilla is strong, but she's still no match for an experienced person. However, it's nice to have a companion to till the soil with.

Leidia mostly waters the plants with water magic and does other small tasks, and Rent is at a level where fatigue doesn't seem to exist, so there's no competition there.

It's a refreshing feeling I haven't had before.

After tilling the soil for a while, the sun was almost at its zenith, so we stopped to make a honey dish.

I took the honey jar from the kitchen shelf and felt a gaze.

Turning around, I saw Carmilla and Leidia staring at me intently.

"...I'm not eating it all by myself. I'm going to make a dish and a sweet with this."

"Really!?"

Their expressions softened immediately when I explained. I'm glad the tense atmosphere dissipated.

"Can you both go pick some Forest Strawberries?"

"Sure."

It's a task I could do alone, but they both seemed restless, so I asked for their help.

Leidia and Carmilla quickly left the window and headed to the field.

I started the fire in the hearth while they were gone.

"Hasira, we've picked the Forest Strawberries!"

By the time the fire was good and strong, they had returned with a basket of Forest Strawberries.

"Leidia, can you put the honey in a pan and simmer it without burning it?"

"Leave it to me."

"Hey, is there anything I can do?"

Carmilla, not wanting to be left out, tugged at my sleeve.

"Then, Carmilla, can you wash the Forest Strawberries and cut off the stems?"

"Got it!"

While I was preparing the skewers, I checked on Carmilla. She seemed to be handling the task well, though a bit clumsily.

She was cutting the stems off the Forest Strawberries with a knife without any issues.

Once she was done, she started skewering the Forest Strawberries.

By now, you might have guessed what I'm making.

Yes, it's a popular treat from my past: strawberry candy.

We don't have sugar, but honey is a good substitute and makes a simple sweet.

"I want to do it too!"

"Sure, you can help."

Seeing her enthusiastic attitude, I realized she might not hate cooking after all.

Maybe she just didn't have to do it as the daughter of a demon king and didn't have much interest in it.

"Hasira, the honey is thickening and the water is almost gone."

While I was skewering the Forest Strawberries, Leidia called from the hearth room, so I took the skewers and went over with Carmilla.

I asked her to tilt the pan, and we coated the skewered Forest Strawberries with the thickened honey.

"Oh, you're going to eat the Forest Strawberries coated in honey!"

We poured the thickened honey directly over the Forest Strawberries, which would be delicious on its own, but I had one more step.

"Almost there. Leidia, can you lightly cool the honey-coated Forest Strawberries with ice magic?"

"Cool them? Sure, but..."

Leidia, though puzzled, used her magic to cool the Forest Strawberries.

The honey quickly hardened.

"Try touching it."

"Wow, the surface is so smooth!"

"It's really hard."

"Exactly, you'll get a crispy honey coating and a cool Forest Strawberry."

As I explained, they both swallowed hard, imagining the taste.

"Leidia, let's make more of these!"

"Sure, I'll handle the cooling!"

We kept coating the Forest Strawberries with honey, and Leidia cooled them one by one.

In no time, dozens of strawberry candies were ready on the plates.

The cooled honey beautifully coated the Forest Strawberries, making them look shiny and delicious.

We eagerly reached for the strawberry candies and started eating.

The moment we bit into them, the honey coating made a satisfying crunch.

The sound wasn't just from me; Carmilla and Leidia were also making the same sound.

Eating the cool Forest Strawberries with the sweet honey was a perfect combination.

The tart Forest Strawberries paired beautifully with the rich honey from the Hell Wasps.

It was impossible for it not to be delicious.

"Crunchy and delicious!"

"The honey and Forest Strawberries go so well together!"

Carmilla and Leidia also loved it and were eating it enthusiastically.

They both had strong teeth, so they were devouring the candies at an incredible speed.

"What do we do with the leftover honey?"

"Should we pick more Forest Strawberries!?"

"No, let's make honey candy."

Instead of rock candy, we made honey candy.

I made a small rectangular mold out of wood and poured the thickened honey into it.

Leidia cooled it, and we repeated the process until the honey candy was ready.

I put a piece of the honey candy in my mouth.

Yes, it's sweet and delicious. The quality of the honey makes it very rich.

"Wow, this is also really good."

"It would be great to lick when you're tired."

Exactly. Licking it while working helps restore energy. Such treats are essential for a fulfilling life.

"Remember, there are many uses for honey, so try not to use it all up."

Carmilla and Leidia nodded with smiles.

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