Chapter 94

Rolling pumpkins across the kitchen sink.

Well, what should I do?

I’m calling for Ellie, but she’s running a bit late because she’s cleaning her room.

The only ones here are me and Alru.

"Let’s start by washing them."

"Yes!"

I picked up the sponge made of zircon from the distant city-state union, which I brought from the principality, and directed it at the pumpkin.

Zircon is the world’s largest port city, and this sponge is made from dried sea cucumbers caught in the nearby sea.

It’s rougher and coarser than the sponges used for washing the body, but it’s more convenient for washing dishes.

They are also sold separately as kitchen sponges and body sponges.

Alru, who saw me get ready, quickly turned the faucet.

Water gushed out forcefully, and the fine dirt on the pumpkin was washed away by the sponge.

Well, anyone can do this much, right? Yeah.

So, what’s next?

I looked at Alru, but she just stared back at me without any reaction.

Just staring at each other won’t get anything done.

Clank—.

At that moment, the sound of something falling echoed.

"Oh, Ellie."

That’s unusual. For Ellie to drop a tray.

But it’s good that she came at just the right time.

"O-Oh, am I interrupting? M-Me?"

"No, I was waiting for you. It’s just that with the two of us, we can’t seem to get anything done."

Ellie turned her face away, blushing.

I see, that’s why she dropped the tray. Her hands moved along with her face.

When I tried to pick up the tray she dropped, Alru got to it first.

"Ellie?"

Alru called out Ellie’s name, looking up at her.

"Alru, what were you doing just now?"

Ellie, who was crouching next to Alru, asked her something.

"Washing?"

"Washing?"

"Pumpkin."

"Pumpkin..."

"Yeah."

"S-Sorry, what was I thinking?"

"What were you thinking?"

"N-Nothing! Don’t worry about it, Alru!"

"Okay."

They seem to be getting along well.

It’s good that they’re close, yeah. They had friends in the capital, Leibniz.

But since I asked them to come with me to the border, they lost the chance to meet their friends.

I feel a bit guilty that they’re only the two of them, but it makes me happy to see them getting along.

"Excuse me, Joshua-sama!"

Ellie stood up, startled, and bowed deeply.

Alru followed suit, bowing politely.

"No, don’t worry about me. You can keep talking. We still have plenty of pumpkins to wash, so we won’t be bored."

"No, that’s not—"

"Just seeing the two of you having fun is enough to make me feel better. There’s no need to apologize. Besides, it’s off-duty time. I’m the one who invited you."

"What are you saying? Being able to assist Joshua-sama is our joy."

"Ah, that’s too stiff. This supposed to be a break. It’s tiring if you’re so serious. Relax. You can play with Alru for a while if you want."

"Do you want to see us play, Joshua-sama?"

Ellie said this with a serious face, and I’m not sure how to respond.

I wish Ellie could be more relaxed like Alru, knowing when to hold back and when to let go. Lumburk is also stiff, but not as much as Ellie, I think. I used to think the opposite, though.

What’s this? Ellie is hugging Alru tightly.

"Ellie?"

"Is this how we play... Is hugging good?"

"Probably not. Ellie, it’s a bit painful."

Oh, that’s close.

I’m worried Alru’s frail body might break.

If it were me, I might have snapped... Ellie’s strength is incredible.

She can carry me and jump over the Rubicon River, after all. If she gets serious, she could crush my arm with one hand.

Just as I was about to intervene, the butler Lumburk, who had finished wiping the table, appeared.

"Am I interrupting?"

"No, we just started washing the pumpkins. The two of them were just being... close."

"Ellie, it hurts—"

Oh, no.

I messed up, and Ellie’s arms tightened in embarrassment.

Alru’s scream was painful to hear...

"Ellie, Alru, let’s start. Come on, let go, let go."

I made a gesture to spread my hands, and the blushing Ellie gently released Alru.

Alru, on the other hand, straightened her flattened cat ears and let out a small breath. Good job, Alru.

I know how to handle this awkward atmosphere.

Heh, heh, heh.

"Lumburk."

"Yes, here I am."

Lumburk, the capable butler, wouldn’t just come to watch us prepare the pumpkins without a plan.

Lumburk, the go-to guy in a pinch, is quite perceptive.

"Lumburk, will you join us in preparing the pumpkins?"

"No, but I have something I’d like you to try. I came here on my own initiative."

"Really? What is it?"

"Here it is."

Lumburk placed a white cloth tied in a ball on the kitchen counter and quickly untied it.

Inside were many white pearl-like beads.

What are these?

I picked one up with my fingertips, but I couldn’t tell.

Ah, in this case, I should use plant identification.

"I see. These are tapioca pearls. They’re made from cassava."

"Indeed, Joshua-sama. You know everything. I heard they go well with sweet fruits or vegetables, so I thought they might be a good match."

"I’ve always wanted to have tapioca. Since we have tea and milk, we can make tapioca milk tea. This gives us a direction for preparing the pumpkins."

"Will you make sweets?"

"Yeah. Let’s see what we can come up with. Everyone, let’s think about it. Even if we don’t use tapioca, it can be used in drinks."

"Understood."

With that, we finally got to work on preparing the pumpkins.

I thought Alru wasn’t good at cooking, but she turned out to be quite skilled with a knife.

She seems to be able to follow instructions well, but she’s not good at coming up with ideas or procedures on her own.

So, when she says she’s not good at cooking, she means she has the skills but lacks the ideas and procedures.

Ellie, on the other hand, is experienced and seems to have several recipes memorized, allowing her to come up with her own ideas.

She’s very reliable. When it came to making sweets, she immediately suggested making a pie or a paste.

The most surprising was Lumburk. He turned out to have a deep knowledge of cooking.

The idea of using tapioca was his, and he put it into action. Our butler is amazing.