Chapter 61

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

Writing the previous and this time was particularly enjoyable.

It's a story where the world view is clearly reflected.

When I started by thinking about the settings, it turned out like this.

...Perhaps it was also episode 77. Writing it was quite enjoyable.

This is Herman, by the way. So, what am I being asked to report on while sitting in the defendant's seat at the trial? Yesterday wasn't a day of continuous failures... but I haven't made anything that requires a report. Basically, I've only made things I've made before, like bread and donuts.

---

I've been really into snacks lately. I've been making and eating things like bread with meat sauce and cheese grilled with slime fuel, and bread filled with meat sauce. I think the combination of alchemy and cooking is wonderful, so I was thinking of sharing the joy by publishing the recipe for fluffy bread, but... I doubt it would resonate with them. Especially with the beastkin, they can probably tell by smell. But did I make anything related to women?

...Ah, I remember. When I searched for my past life, I found that I did make something. A cream to apply to the face. I wasn't quite sure of its effects, and since it melted when I washed my face in the morning, I didn't remember it. But when I looked in the water, there was nothing different, right? I don't know if it had the effect my past self said it had. ...I'll ask.

"Is it about the face?"

"Yes! It's about the face!"

"Huh? The face? ...Did Herman's face change? Hey, Bruce, do you know anything?"

"...No, I think it's the same face as last time, but, Laura, can't you tell with beastkin? As a woman, can't you tell?"

"Beastkin and humans are different. It's hard to distinguish faces, whether human, elf, or dwarf. We usually identify by smell. ...I think this time it smells like tomatoes and meat, but I can't tell the face."

"Right. It smells good, but I can't tell the face."

"Same here."

"It's completely different! It has a good shine."

"Right. The shine is different."

"...Theo, can you tell?"

"I'm at a loss if you ask me."

"Anyway, I understand it's about the face. ...Is it that different? I can't tell without a mirror."

"It's completely different."

"Tell us what you used to make it so different."

"Here's what I used. I applied this cream before bed, and it turned out like this. Here's the report."

"...What is this?"

"It's an alchemical item I made from available materials. Here's the report."

"---...Hey, what's bean flour?"

"This is it. I just named it that because I didn't know what to call it."

"That's the seed of the Mahiju plant. You made it with that? ...Did you grind it into powder?"

"No, when I used alchemy, it separated into a liquid and a powder. I used the powder. This is the report on that."

"---...It's rare to get two items from one process. Why did it split into two?"

"There are examples, but they were mostly useless. When two items are produced, it's often because the magic power is low. That's why many of them are useless."

"Because the materials are Mahiju seeds, water, and Waterflow Grass, which have low magic power."

"Alchemy has such properties. I didn't know that either."

"Mahiju seeds are made in the village, right?"

"I made them with alchemy a long time ago. They're available all year round, but they're not very tasty, so they're not made much. They're delicious when fried, though."

"The materials are from the Uze Salt Lake. This seems to be a mass-producible alchemical item."

"It's good to have a lot. But what about the liquid? Is it just going to be discarded?"

"Oh, the liquid is food."

"\"Food?\""

"By the way, this is food."

"Is this something I can eat as it is?"

"It can be eaten as it is, but I eat it like this."

Saying that, he placed a slice of regular bread, poured meat sauce on it, sprinkled bean milk cheese, and grilled it with slime fuel.

"Oh, that's the smell. It smells delicious."

"Right. That's the smell coming from Herman."

"Can I try it?"

"Sure. I have enough for everyone."

"Then I'll make some tea."

Serena started making tea. The beastkin, eager to eat, took the cream—what my past self called a moisturizing cream—and looked at the recipe, trying to figure out how it worked. The men, on the other hand, seemed interested in the cheese. Bruce, in particular, was unusually interested, tasting the cheese to evaluate it. Then he said to Herman:

"Herman, this is probably cheese. The materials are different, but the taste and flavor are not much different. This can be called Mahiju cheese."

"Cheese... Is this the food made in the borderlands? I think the Eastern borderlord makes it and even presents it to the royal family. Is this it?"

"By the way, I, a commoner, don't know. I'm from the East, but I don't know the original materials."

"It was supposed to be a secret technique of the borderlord's family, but I know the materials. It's made from goat's milk. It can also be made from cow's milk, but it's usually made from goat's milk. I ate it a long time ago. It's good for preservation and can be stored for a long time. I don't know the method, but it seems that it can't be made in large quantities. ...Well, you can't get much goat's milk unless you have a significant dairy industry, ...but the Eastern borderlord focused on dairy farming. It's one of their products."

"Another secret technique? This is the second one. And this time it's food. ...I knew that some foods could be made with alchemy, but did anyone make food itself with alchemy? I don't know."

"Potatoes are food. So it's not strange that food can be made. Here's the tea."

"...Come to think of it, potatoes can be eaten as they are. But why did you make food again?"

"My goal is to enrich meals. Making cheese is part of that."

"...So, Herman, you knew that Mahiju seeds would turn into cheese and made it with alchemy?"

"Well, I kind of thought it would turn out that way. ...But I didn't know if it would really turn out as I thought until I tried it."

"That means Herman is really drawn to the Moon of Cooking."

"Hey, Bruce. What's that? Drawn to the moon? I've never heard of it."

"Being drawn to the moon means having a talent other than the stars. It's mentioned in the old tales of the Scaled Dragons. ...I don't know if they actually existed."

"Hey, Theo, tell us more about that."

"Well, since it's an old tale, I don't know the details. The old Scaled Dragons were puzzled by those who excelled in areas other than their talents. So they speculated that other gods might also bestow talents besides the stars of the Sun God."

"Right. I think the Dryads were also there. Those who had talents other than the stars were called 'drawn to the moon.' There are many examples."

"Are there really that many examples?"

"Yes, the Iron Welcome faction, for example. Look at that faction. Warriors without stars also have strengths and weaknesses. Some can even match those with one star. This makes me think that other gods might also bestow stars."

"Ah, the Iron Welcome faction again. Is that a faction that seeks the truth? It seems to come up in various contexts."

"They are said to be the closest to the techniques of alchemists. ...But being drawn to the Moon of Cooking is the first I've heard of."

"Right. It might be rare in this academy. Most of the people here who are drawn to the moon are those seeking immortality. The more they are drawn to the moon, the more they live intensely. I don't know if they die young, though."

"You can see this in the Eternal Light faction. They are so drawn to the moon that they perform experiments that consume the annual budget, which no other long-lived species does."

"Living intensely... Yes, I think the people of the Eternal Light faction are like that. But is it because they are drawn to the moon of immortality? There are other things they can be drawn to, right?"

"Yes, but most people don't know. No one thinks they are drawn to the moon. Talents don't control you, but they do influence your life. It's just that you can't see it, which makes it troublesome."

"The stars of the Sun God are conscious, so you aren't controlled by them, but the talents of other gods are invisible, so you are controlled by them. Our ancestors thought that those drawn to the moon should be left alone. If you try to separate them from the moon, they will eventually be drawn back. If you are aware and want to separate, you can. This has led to both good and bad outcomes."

"The story of the evil moon is an old tale. No one wants to be evil, but those who are drawn to the evil moon become evil. This is an old tale passed down among the Dryads."

"The old tales of the Scaled Dragons are the same. But similar stories exist among other human species."

"Ah? ...Is there such a story? Mark, you were a noble, right? Do you know anything? I was a noble too, but it might be different for humans."

"...Well, I can't think of anything right away. Albert, what about you? Maybe a commoner would know?"

"...I don't think of anything. Is there such a story? ...Maybe it's the story of the seven deadly sins?"

"Yes, the story of the seven deadly sins. Everyone is drawn to and captivated by the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth. I think being drawn to these is the same as being drawn to the moon. Those drawn to the moon of immortality often fall into pride, greed, and envy."

"Ah, so Herman is drawn to gluttony?"

"Gluttony, I don't know. The evil moon is broadly divided into these seven, but there are other moons. I think there could be a moon of goodness too."

"That's right. The seven deadly sins are just the representative moons that you shouldn't be drawn to. There are also moons that you can be drawn to. They haven't been systematized, but those drawn to the moon of goodness are thought to have talents bestowed by other gods. In this case, Herman has a talent for cooking or food, or gourmet. There's a possibility of gluttony, so you should be careful."

"Right. Gluttony is more common among nobles, but it's not unheard of among commoners."

"Indeed. The seven deadly sins vary by species. Commoners learn them along with reading and writing at church, so it's become so commonplace that it's forgotten."

"Nobles are taught by their families. I learned it much later."

"...I was the same. I learned about the seven deadly sins after joining this seminar. I was taught by a senior who is no longer here."

"By the way, when I was almost consumed by the seven deadly sins, I was told that most of the alchemists above us are consumed. Is that true?"

"Sadly, it's true. The most common are those of the Eternal Light faction. They are drawn to the evil moon, the seven deadly sins. They still give good lectures, though. You'll see them eventually."

"The lectures of those consumed are very busy. ...At this time of year, it's about making basic potions. Have you done it? If it ends normally, you should have made about ten. Not many bring that many."

"Ah, I was made to make it for three hours. Is that being consumed?"

"Ah, there's another victim. The lectures of the Eternal Light faction are hit or miss. You either prepare the materials and that's it, or you are given materials and made to make as much as possible. Don't worry if you got the bad end. It can be a good thing, depending on how you look at it."

"Indeed. It's better to be able to make basic potions quickly."

"Anyway, the lectures of the Dawn faction are slow but end quickly. From October, it's preparation for the next year. It's more about being involved in the academy's operations, so it's easier if someone takes it."

"That's right. The foundation of the Dawn faction is building construction. Once you can do that, you can research what you like in the seminar. This faction doesn't involve much with buildings."

"I want to reconsider it, ...but it puts a lot of burden on the students. The amount of materials needed to build a building varies from person to person. Especially, a lot of magic mushrooms are needed. I showed Herman how to make them, right? You use a magic wand to draw an alchemical array on the ground and use magic to raise the surrounding soil. Basically, it's just magic manipulation."

"Right. A lot of magic mushrooms are needed to maintain the shape. If you want to build a two-story building, you need iron and earth attribute magic stones, which you have to buy. It's a painful expense for a poor student."

"Then there's the Life Creation faction. They make you build carriages. Can't that be changed?"

"It seems it can't. Even if alchemists are hired by the guild, they want carriages. ...It's necessary to hide the existence of storage bottles."

"Why hide the existence of storage bottles? I've always thought there was no reason not to make them public. Most things can be stored just by putting them in."

"That's true, but there's a difference between those who know about storage bottles and those who don't. You have to appraise mixed materials. No one would become a merchant if they had to do that. Materials wouldn't gather. There are reasons for hiding them."

"Grass-cutting adventurers' materials are also bought at low prices. If they were bought at higher prices, they could live normally. That would be a problem for us. We want proper materials and adventurers who can gather them."

"Right. Regular reading and writing are a high bar. Not many can clear it. I think there should be more. Also, we don't know when and why they stopped praying. There must be a reason, but we can't figure it out."

"Ah? Isn't that what the magistrate's office is for?"

"Well, yes, but the village chief can't know everything about the village. It's a cycle of reports being missed. It might not even be considered abnormal. Also, there's a change in leadership. It's decided that it should be said every few years."

"It seems to be settling down. ...Ms. Selena, did you have to go back there?"

"I'm fine as long as I'm useful."

"Right, as long as you can do it. We know you can make things."

"...Sometimes I want to delve into the theory. If I understand why, I can find ways to improve."

"Right. Delving into the theory is a good thing. But do the beastkin need it?"

"Shine on the face is less important than fur, right? But I heard some interesting stories here, so I'm fine. I'm good with that."

"Right. The hair wash solution also affected the fur. It wouldn't work on a beastkin's face."

"Before it reaches the skin, it will end up on the fur."

"...I don't understand women. I don't understand them more than alchemy."

"...Right."

"Hmm, it seems unnecessary for the women of the Scaled Dragons. Dryads are closer to humans, so they might be able to use it, but I don't know the effects."

"Right. Try it and see."

"Is everyone settled? If there are other reports, please share them."

The report session continued, but my report is good for now. I'm full. ...I'll report on the bread next time. I've prepared ideas for the next story and want to hear other people's ideas, so I'll listen carefully to their reports.

Whether it was interesting or not, it doesn't matter.

I would appreciate it if you could include an evaluation.

If you could point out anything in your comments,

I think I can reflect it in my writing.

...Probably.