Chapter 10

Today's main dish is decided to be roasted salt-cured pork.

I make incisions in the block of salt-cured pork and rub finely torn basil, rosemary, thyme, and oregano, which I picked from the garden, into it. I insert thinly sliced garlic into the cuts, sprinkle the wine from my grandfather's collection over it, and then coat it with olive oil before wrapping it in a cloth and setting it aside.

I cut the potatoes into chunks with the skin on and arrange them in an iron pot, drizzling them with olive oil.

After about an hour, I place the block of salt-cured pork on top of the potatoes with a thud and bake it using the kitchen stove's oven.

The kitchen stove is powered by a magic stone and can adjust the heat with magic, warming up instantly without the need for preheating.

When I open the oven door, I find it has a two-tier structure.

I place the pot on the second tier and bake it for a while.

After about forty minutes of slow baking, the roasted salt-cured pork is ready.

I enjoy it with the remaining wine used in the cooking.

The meat is crispy on the outside, and when I cut into it, the juices flow out.

When I take a bite, the rich aroma of herbs spreads throughout my mouth.

The potatoes are fluffy and slightly sweet, making them delicious.

The roasted salt-cured pork pairs well with white wine. It has a slight astringency but a rich aroma and a full-bodied flavor.

Upon closer inspection of the wine bottle, it turns out to be a 300-year-old vintage.

It must have been a valuable wine.

But today is a special day. I have gained freedom and a wonderful hermitage. It's fine to celebrate with a 300-year-old wine.

I thought I couldn't drink much, but I finished a whole bottle before I knew it.

My feet are wobbly, so I'll take a bath in the morning.

Under the watchful eyes of the raccoon fairy sisters, I make my way to the second-floor bedroom.

There, a fluffy futon is laid out.

"The futon has been aired outside a little."

"It smells like the sun."

"Sleep well."

"Thank you, Muku, Moko, and Mofu."

Somehow, it felt lonely to be alone tonight.

It's strange because I've always slept in an empty room.

On a whim, I suggested to the raccoon fairy sisters.

"Um, would you like to sleep with me?"

Muku, Moko, and Mofu look at me with round eyes.

I must have asked too much.

"Um, if you don't want to—"

"Yes!?"

"Really!?"

"Let's sleep together!!"

Mofu jumps up and lands with a thud on the futon.

Then, Muku and Moko climb onto the bed.

It seems they will sleep with me.

When I slip into the futon, they come over and warm me with their fluffy bodies.

The cold futon quickly becomes cozy.

I spent the most blissful night of my life.

The next day, I take a bath with freshly picked herbs.

I make a bouquet of rosemary to improve circulation, thyme for fatigue recovery, and bergamot leaves for relaxation, and toss them into the bathtub before the water is heated.

If the water is too hot, the herbs' components won't extract properly, and the aroma might dissipate, so the key is to extract the active ingredients slowly, like making herbal tea.

I soak in the bathtub, filled with the pleasant scent of herbs.

"Ah......"

It's the best bath, where all the fatigue of life seems to melt away.

Until now, I only thought about keeping my body clean, soaking in a bubble bath to wash off the day's dirt.

From now on, I want to take a leisurely herbal bath every day.

Today, I tried on a modest mouse-gray dress from my grandmother's wardrobe.

I also put on a frilly apron. It's a bit embarrassing, but the raccoon fairy sisters said it suits me well.

For breakfast, I turned yesterday's roasted salt-cured pork into a soup.

It's a simple arrangement soup, simmered with plenty of marjoram, parsley, chives, and soup celery.

The umami from the salt-cured pork dissolved into the soup, making it very delicious.

After finishing the meal, it's time to do the laundry.

I remember Sable mentioned an automatic washing machine, a magical device.

When I open the lid of the washing machine, there's a metal tub inside.

I'm supposed to put the laundry in and activate it by touching the magic array, but...

"Oh?"

"What's wrong?"

Sable appears from nowhere.

"The magic array on the washing machine isn't reacting."

"What!?"

Sable jumps up to the washing machine and inspects the magic array.

"Hmm?"

She pats the magic array with her paws, but it still doesn't react.

"Things like this, you know, can be fixed by hitting them hard!"

She starts delivering fierce cat punches, but it doesn't move at all.

Sable checks various parts and finally tells me what she found.

"Ah, it's broken."

"Indeed, it is."

I thought it would be like a dream to have the laundry done automatically, but it seems the dream is over.

"Beatrice, do you know any magicians who can repair it?"

"A magician, you say?"

The only one I can think of is a regular customer magician I've corresponded with.

I've never met them in person, but their letters mentioned that they work in a research position involving various types of magic.

However, we only exchanged letters, and I don't even know their real name or who they are.

They weren't someone I could ask for help.

"It seems I have to wash it myself."

"Yeah."

In this cold weather, I have to do the laundry... I was thinking about it when Sable gives me some useful information.

"By the way, before the automatic washing machine arrived, we used to wash clothes in a washing pot with soapwort. It should still be in the shed."

In the old days, clothes were washed by boiling them in a pot.

Soapwort is a medicinal plant that was used as a substitute for soap in the past.

"If that's the case, I'll try washing with that method."

"Alright, good luck."

Even a cat's help has its limits.

As Sable said, there was a large washing pot in the shed.

I was wondering how to move it when the squirrel fairies gathered and helped me carry it to the well.

"Hey, should I fill this with water?"

"Eh? Oh, yes, that's right."

"Then leave it to me!"

The squirrel fairies work together to draw water from the well and fill the washing pot.

"This should be enough, right?"

"Yes! Thank you."

I heat the water with a magic stone and, while waiting for it to boil, I make soap from soapwort I picked from the garden.

The roots of soapwort are toxic, so I need to be careful.

I bring it inside and start working.

I chop the leaves and stems of soapwort and boil them in a pot, then strain them through a clean cloth.

After letting it cool a bit, I use a whisk to mix it until it foams like soap. The natural soap is complete.

I put the soap and the laundry in the pot, boil them, and rinse the foam with well water.

After wringing out the water with a wringer, I use a wrinkle remover.

Finally, I spread the laundry on the grass to dry.

This is the first time I've done the laundry alone, which the laundry maid used to do diligently.

It was more difficult than I thought, but I felt a sense of accomplishment.