Chapter 29

"Alf, will Pomul be left for 'them'?"

"Half of it will be fine."

I tried to laugh it off, but it didn’t work. Everyone laughed at me. Thank you (tears).

When Dillan finished laughing and called out to the boy who was serving at lunch yesterday, the boy, who was cutting something, turned around and replied.

"Give one-third to Yurii. You can eat the rest. And teach him how to feed them."

"Really!?"

The boy's face lit up at Dillan's instructions. I don't know what it is, but apparently, he's going to give me something called "Pomul." ...Wasn't "Pomul" what Vincent mentioned earlier?

"Hey, kid, come here."

When I tilted my head, the boy, who seemed to have finished his work, put down his knife, tidied up, and called me over. Dillan told me to give him a bag with pajamas, and after I handed it over and approached, the boy gave me a fruit that looked like an unusually large apple, cut into comb shapes. Seeing it, I understood Vincent's words. The color matched the one he was blushing.

"Thanks."

"My name is Alphais. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Yurii."

Oops, I bit my tongue. Schnas is laughing. Damn.

"Call me Alf. By the way, 'big brother' is fine too."

"...Big brother?"

With Alf's permission, I called him. I know it's my fault for not being able to say it properly, but everyone around me is trying not to laugh, trembling. It's annoying.

"Captain, well done!"

"Adore me more."

"No way."

"Why not!"

Schnas and Dillan started a comedy routine. Oh well. Since I'm here, I might as well enjoy this fake apple. I took a big bite, and it was as juicy as a pear. But the taste was apple. A very sweet and delicious apple, full of nectar.

"Delicious."

"It's good."

When I smiled at Alf, who was eating with me, he smiled back. Looking closely, this Alf boy is a refreshing guy with a promising future.

"After eating this, you'll work with me, kid."

"Okay."

Alright, I'll work hard after eating! I thought that was good, but the fake apple I ate... Pomul was twice the size of the boy's, yet he finished it in three or four bites. Wait a minute.

"Don't rush, or you'll choke."

When I tried to stuff it in my mouth, Alf laughed at me. Embarrassing. And he even wiped my hands with a wet cloth. What a good big brother.

After finishing the meal without any issues, Alf led me to the back door of the kitchen with a bowl of small Pomul pieces.

"Now, we'll feed the Shwa Panna."

"Shwa Panna?"

"You'll see."

Feeding means it's a living thing, right? What is it?

When Alf opened the back door, there were six black, round objects in a basin right outside.

"These are the Shwa Panna."

Hearing Alf's words, I couldn't help but think. These round things? I squatted in front of the basin with Alf and observed them closely. They were about three centimeters in diameter, fluffy like marimo, and had thick, thread-like "hands."

"Here's the food."

When Alf spoke, round eyes suddenly appeared from the fluff. They all extended their thread-like hands to Alf. When he placed small pieces of Pomul on their hands, they carried it to their mouths, which were hidden in the fluff, and started munching. What is this? So cute!

"Wow."

"These guys, after sunbathing and airing them out, you feed them fruits like Pomul and let them soak in water overnight to produce a fermentation liquid."

So these are the yeast!?

I've heard that in medieval times on Earth, yeast was not available, and natural yeast took a lot of time and effort. But these are substitute organisms. And yeast can be so cute, wow, this is an amazing world.

"Shwa-chan, you're amazing."

"Almost done, try feeding the next one."

When I was impressed, Alf handed me the bowl of Pomul.

I gave one piece at a time to the Shwa Panna, who had finished eating the first piece and were extending their hands, saying "give me more." They ate steadily and silently.

"It's a bit troublesome, but it's an important job."

Alf says it's troublesome, but it's fun. Because the Shwa Panna are so cute.

Their synchronized yet slightly mismatched movements are even cuter. Ah, one of them is closing its eyes in satisfaction! It looks so happy. Watching them is heartwarming.

When they're full, the Shwa Panna make an X with their thread-like hands, which is so cute.

"Oh, they seem to be full."

Seeing the Shwa Panna's movements, Alf threw a few remaining Pomul pieces into my mouth and ate the rest himself, then lifted the basin with the Shwa Panna.

"After feeding them, you put them in a container with water to make the fermentation liquid for tomorrow. You'll go inside."

"Okay."

We returned to the kitchen with the empty bowl, and Alf placed the six large jam jar-sized containers by the sink, filled them with water, and put the Shwa Panna in one by one.

"If you put the Shwa Panna in the water first, they get angry and the fermentation liquid doesn't turn out well."

"Shwa-chan, if you work hard, you can eat delicious bread."

"That's right. ...And you put the container on the shelf next to it. In the morning, you take the Shwa Panna out of the container, put the fermentation liquid in a covered container, and place it on the bread stand outside. There are containers with different colored lids, so you use them alternately every day."

As Alf explained, I saw containers with different colored lids on the cooking stand. They must have been used for this morning's bread making.

Okay, I understand the whole process. But there's one problem.

"Big brother."

"Hmm?"

"I can't reach..."

When I pointed out the problem, Alf froze. Of course, it's a problem.

"...Okay, kid, I'll prepare a special Pomul box under the sink for you to use as a step."

After a while, Alf brought a sturdy wooden box, like a step. It's funny to call it a Pomul box instead of an orange box.

We continued to help prepare the dining hall. This part of the job doesn't seem much different. I feel the dining hall is unusually large because I'm small.

While I took off my shoes and climbed onto a chair to wipe the tables, Alf mopped the floor.

Eventually, Alf was called to the kitchen by Schnas. After I finished wiping the tables, I wiped the slightly damp trays with a dry cloth. After that, I put away the trays, wiped the tables, and asked for the next task. It seems busy.

"...Hey, Alf, the shorter one is more efficient at work."

"Really!?"

"He's paying attention to his surroundings and finding work to do even when you're not around."

Hearing Schnas and Alf talking about the breakfast service, I looked up and saw that the kitchen staff