Chapter 138: Salute – i novels

()x11-13 minutes

I discussed with the Great Spirits about the Sanctuary. There isn’t a clear passing line set, so it’s a bit vague, but we agreed to create a livable environment while increasing nature. We’ve expanded the ordinary forest, camellia forest, and orchard. Well, let’s consider it as some progress.

For now, the wine and sake brewery and storage for Nomos requests will be put on hold. I don’t even know how to build a regular house, let alone a brewery… Oh, but if it’s just distillation, I think it can be done with a decently sized room and a distiller…

We have quite a few empty sake barrels that spirits have emptied. So, that shouldn’t be a problem. We can create rooms by securing large rocks, and Nomos can make the distiller.

The next issue is temperature control… If I make a contract with the fire spirit, they should be able to heat it at a constant temperature. And when we go to the Labyrinth City, we’ll stock up on alcohol. We also need to create facilities where the fire spirit can stay in the Spring’s House. It might be enough to keep the fire burning in the brewery, but since the spirits are coming all the way here, it would be nice to have something cool.

I have no intention of becoming a blacksmith like Mel and making a forge. I can’t think of any cool facility that constantly uses fire… Torch stands or campfires seem difficult to maintain. Although I’m personally fond of the light from torches illuminating the dark night or flames rising in the center of a plaza, it’s not very realistic.

Maybe, if I ask Dyne, she might be able to extract alcohol without distilling it and just removing the water… Hmm, but I feel like the flavor and components would disappear. If I dilute 100% alcohol with water, would the result be the same? It’s not like I’m impatient like with rice, so what should I do?

“Yuta, it’s mealtime!”

Bell says with her eyebrows forming a ‘∧’ shape while fluttering around me. Oh no, it seems Bell couldn’t wait for breakfast. I’ve been thinking a bit too much. “Ah, sorry. I’ll prepare it right away.”

I take out the food from the magic bag and place it on the table. Oh? It seems we’re running out of rice stock soon. With such a large household, everyone eats a lot, so our food supply diminishes quickly. I should cook rice before we go to the Labyrinth City. The sun-dried rice is already dry, and today, I’ll ask Sara to help me make rice.

“Sorry for making you all wait. Let’s eat then.”

When I say that, the children start eating their meals together. Unlike Sara and the others, Bell and the others shouldn’t feel hungry, but they eat three meals a day out of habit. It warms my heart to see them eat, but as a spirit, I feel a bit uneasy about it.

I’ve had a similar thought before… Right, I postponed solving that issue. It’s impossible not to feed Bell and the others now, and the only solution I could come up with was to introduce the habit of offering meals to spirits. I’ll silently keep that idea in the back of my mind until a better one comes up.

“Master, what should we do today?”

After breakfast, when we’re relaxing a bit, Sara and the others come to confirm today’s plans.

“Well, since I want to prepare a lot of food today, can you help me? Marco and Kikka can train with Uri and Mame-chan.”

“Yes! Understood.” “Got it.” “Okay.”

Sara’s voice becomes a bit louder when it comes to cooking. She must really enjoy it. I really should ask Torque-san in the Labyrinth City to teach her cooking.

Since it was revealed that I cleared the 50th floor, it’s a good opportunity to ask him about the Magma Fish as well. I can easily ask for Dragon-type meat now, so it might be a luxurious meal. I still haven’t tried Wyvern or Firedragon, and if the professionals cook them, I wonder how delicious they would be… Oh no, I’m drooling…

In terms of order, Magma Fish, Wyvern, and Firedragon, I guess. Oh no, let’s also have the Assault Dragon’s dish made by a professional. The possibilities are endless. Since I don’t want to waste them all at once, I’ll have the dishes prepared at different times.

Well, that’s if things settle down at the Adventurer’s Guild, considering the little mischief I caused. After doing all that, there should be some kind of outcome.

Either they’ll come at me with burning anger, or they’ll corner me from all sides and snap. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Guild reacts, as well as the completion of the house.

“Alright, then I’ll leave it to you. Bell and Rain, help with lighting the fire and washing the rice.”

“Yes, sir!” “Kyukyu!”

Seems like everything’s in order. I’ve given up on “Yes, sir!” since it’s embarrassing to do things halfway. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it thoroughly. I should teach them how to salute as well. When it comes to saluting, half-hearted attempts are the most embarrassing.

“Like this?” “Kyu?” “Like this.” “Kuu?” “Ho?” “Gya?”

Not just Bell, Rain, Tamamo, and Turu, but even Fukuchan, Uri and Mamechan joined in, so I teach everyone the salute.

“Yes, that’s right. Whenever you say ‘Yes, sir!’, always make that pose. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!” “Kyu, kyu!” “Yes, sir.” “Kuu, Kuu.” “Ho, ho!” “Gya, gya”

All the spirits strike a crisp salute. They’re all so cute. I can’t help but stroke everyone’s heads gently.

However, what’s bothering me is that Uri sounds like someone who’s been assassinated by a secret martial art passed down for generations at the end of the century. Well, Uri doesn’t know about a certain manga, so it’s probably just a coincidence. (T/N: I don’t know either)

Everyone is adorable, but Rain, who has the form of a dolphin, and Fukuchan, who looks like an owl, are surprisingly good at saluting. On the other hand, Tamamo and Uri are trembling while attempting the salute, probably due to their body shapes. But their efforts are heartwarming. Everyone seems to be pleased, showing off their poses to each other. It feels like I’ve done something good.

“Master…”

As I nod to myself, Sara and the others look at me with a subtle expression. Yeah, I can somehow guess what they want to say.

“Well, let’s get started soon. Bell, Rain, and Sara, you’ll help. Marco and the others will train. Tamamo and Turu, I’ll leave the management of the fields and forest to you. Alright, let’s go!”

Deciding to forget about everything that happened, I give instructions to everyone and start cooking. Well, it’s just cooking rice, though.

While receiving help, I cook rice in a rice pot. In the meantime, I have Silphy thresh and polish the sun-dried rice. Rice dried completely under the sun… I hope I can taste the difference this time.

“By the way, Sara. If things settle down when we go to the Labyrinth City, would you like to learn cooking from Torque-san? I think he would accept if I asked him. Though he might be too busy.”

If Sara’s cooking skills improve, our daily meals will become livelier, and it will make things easier for me. The problem is whether the popularity of fried foods remains the same.

“Please, I would love to!”

Ah, Sara’s eyes are shining brightly.

“Well, it’s not guaranteed that he’ll accept, so don’t get your hopes up too much. I’ll ask him, but there’s a possibility that he might decline, so don’t expect too much.”

I’m worried that if she gets her hopes up, the shock will be too much if it doesn’t work out. Maybe I should have talked to Torque-san first before asking Sara.

But I didn’t want to ask Sara without confirming her willingness, and there was a chance she might refuse even if I asked Torque-san… I don’t know. Let things happen as they may.

“Yes, I’ll try not to get my hopes up too much.”

She nods in response to my advice but with an expression of joy… Well, in case it doesn’t work out, I’ll look for another cooking teacher. I have a few more worries now, but I’ll make sure to stock up on food. And if I buy various food supplies in the Labyrinth City, we should be fine for a while.

The completely sun-dried rice we had for dinner somehow tasted better than before… or so it feels.

————

The next morning, I sent Sara and the others off for their training in undead extermination and called for Nomos.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Ah, it’s about making alcohol. I thought of improving the alcohol we’ve been having and trying to recreate the alcohol from the world I was in before. I plan to do it seriously after we return from the Labyrinth City, but I thought of attempting a prototype. What do you think?”

“Of course, we should do it. What do I need to do?”

“Oneechan will help too.”

“I’ll assist as well.”

“Well, I actually called for Nomos alone…”

Dyne and Dolly suddenly appeared behind Nomos, overflowing with enthusiasm. Weren’t they absent just now?

Silphy is understandably not here. She went to the undead nest with Sara and the others as their escort, so it wouldn’t be right for her to come back now.

“I only need Nomos to make the tools, so there’s no need for Dyne and Dolly to help.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Disappointed, Dyne and Dolly are asked to wait, and I explain the mechanism and design of the distillation apparatus to Nomos.

“Hmm, so we utilize the difference in evaporation temperature between water and alcohol to concentrate the alcohol. The design is well thought out. But why make it with glass? Can’t we use iron? Glass is fragile.”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure… but using metal might impart a smell or change the taste, I think.”

Probably, but I’m not entirely sure.

“I see, we wouldn’t want the alcohol to have a metallic or off-putting smell.”

“Yeah, that’s why. I’ll provide some sand from the sea, so please make a small prototype with glass.”

“Understood.”

“Hey, Yuuta-chan, I overheard your conversation, and if it’s about separating water and alcohol, I can do it, you know?”

Dyne interjects sharply. She certainly knows a lot about water-related matters.

“I thought about that too, but completely separating only the alcohol might affect the taste. I think it’s better to distill it normally.”

I don’t know what other components are left in the alcohol or if something changes when heat is applied.

“I see. I understand.”

Dyne nods a little disappointedly.

“Well, for now, let’s try making a basic one. If it gets designated for the sanctuary, it might be fun to try various things with Dyne and Nomos. With Dyne’s help, we can definitely make strong alcohol.”

“Hehe, that sounds fun. Let’s do our best, Nomos-chan.”

Nomos is looking at me with a serious expression. It’s certain that Dyne will be helpful, so I hope she does her best.

“Alright, I’ll go and prepare the room for distillation, so Nomos, please make the distillation apparatus. Good luck.”

I avert my gaze and quickly leave the scene. I feel like I was called back, but I won’t worry about it.

Alright! Let’s get started. I take out a large chunk of rock from my magic bag. First, I need to make the entrance and carve out the inside.

The entrance… I’ll make it the same size as the doors I bought from Mr. Jill. I’ve already used the two I bought, so I’ll get a few more when I go to pick up the house.

Carving the rock is something I’m used to, so using magic saws, shovels, planes, and other tools, I quickly finish it. Since I’ll be using fire, ventilation is important, so I added a few more windows. It’s been a while since I’ve been so active, but it’s a modest but important to our life here.