Chapter 23

Summary of the previous chapter ------------------------------------------------------

To make the task-board jerky, we worked hard to slice and salt the meat in a barrel.

We also considered making dried dindles, but without much of a clue, we decided to try soaking them in hot water since that was the only method available.

We moved to the well next to the inn, where a simple stove and pot were set up.

Of course, we had already gotten permission from the innkeeper, so there was no problem.

"Well, we don't have much time, so let's hurry."

Thanks to the time spent on the salted meat, we didn't have much time left before sunset.

In our original world, it would still be working hours, but in this world, work ends when the sun sets.

We could continue working by creating light with magic, but that's only possible for Haruka, who needs magic for the task. Moreover, it would be too conspicuous.

If we were to work in the dark, shining a bright light would naturally attract attention, and if we were handling the expensive fruit dindles, it could lead to trouble.

"First, let's boil the water. Naoto, can you do that?"

"Got it."

"While you do that, we'll remove the stems and wash the dindles."

When I say boil the water, the only thing I can do now is light the firewood.

If I were to use 'Ignite' from my fingertips instead of firewood, I would collapse before the water boiled.

So, once the fire is stable, I'll help the two of them wash the dindles and stack them in a colander.

This colander is something we bought today. It's like a colander used for drying pickled plums, but the material is not bamboo, but a grass similar to susuki.

This grass can be easily obtained by entering the mountains before winter, and it seems that farmers make such items as winter work and sell them wholesale.

Thanks to this, we were able to get a set of 10 at a very reasonable price.

When we had washed about half of the dindles, the water started to boil.

"Haruka, what are you going to do?"

"Well, the only thing we can do now is soak them in hot water, right? Let's try it at different times."

We decided to make seven types: one that wasn't soaked at all, one that was briefly soaked, and ones soaked for 1 to 5 minutes in one-minute increments.

We threw six dindles into the pot and lifted them out one by one, arranging them in the colander.

Without a clock, we could only count by feel.

"At times like this, I wish we had a clock."

"Yeah. We've gotten used to the time sense in this world to some extent..."

In this world, clocks are not common, so everyone moves quite loosely.

There are five bells that ring during the day, so we can roughly tell the time, but we can't know when the next bell will ring, so it's difficult to set a meeting time like "at the third bell."

Therefore, if we meet, we have to allow for some ambiguity, such as "head to the meeting place after the bell rings and arrive around that time."

Moreover, after sunset, the bells don't ring, so the closing time of places like taverns is not clearly defined.

At this inn, it seems to depend on the innkeeper's mood; sometimes it stays open until everyone leaves, and sometimes he kicks out the guests.

We avoid going to the tavern after dinner, but from the voices we hear from downstairs, it seems that's the case.

"Alright! There might be some error, but I think this is good enough?"

The seven dindles lined up in the colander looked almost the same.

If you compare the one boiled for 5 minutes with the raw one, the boiled one seems slightly softer, but you wouldn't notice unless you compared them.

"Surprisingly, there's not much change, huh?"

"Yeah, it would be hard to tell if they were mixed."

"True. Is this what fruit is like? I've never boiled a whole fruit before..."

Yeah, normally you eat them raw.

At most, you might make jam, but even then, it's more like mashing and boiling rather than just boiling.

"Let's try it... 'Drying'!"

"Wow!"

It was like a time-lapse video.

The moment Haruka cast the spell, the plump dindles quickly withered and shrank.

"Alright, that's enough, I think."

When she lowered her hand, the transformation stopped, and beautifully dried dindles were created.

The whole process took less than a minute.

This is a skill that even modern technology can hardly achieve.

"Amazing... It's truly magic..."

"Yeah. In a way, it's more impressive than 'Fire Arrow.'"

...Oh?

It seems that Toya just casually dissed my current strongest magic (Fire Magic Lv.1)?

I can't deny it, though!

"Hehe. You can praise me, you know? I worked pretty hard on this."

Oh, this is a rare sight of Haruka's smug face.

Since Haruka doesn't usually boast about her efforts, she must have really worked hard.

Toya and I exchanged glances and applauded to praise her.

"Great job, Haruka!"

"Thanks to Haruka, we can survive!"

"Should we call you Haruka-sama?"

"Or even a goddess?"

"Let's build an altar."

"Sure, let's do it."

Haruka, who was praised by us, put on a bitter face and raised both hands.

"Alright, that's enough. Just a little praise is fine. No need to synchronize your breathing."

Oh, it seems our praise didn't sit well with her.

Of course, it was on purpose.

"Alright, let's taste it."

"Sure. Haruka, can you cut it?"

"You guys... Fine, I'll cut it into quarters..."

Haruka sighed and cut the dindles, and we each tasted a piece.

Hmm, it has a different flavor from the raw one.

It's sweet, but not the sticky sweetness of regular dried fruit. It has a bit of a paste-like texture and is easy to eat.

There are slight differences depending on the boiling time, but they are all delicious.

Considering that Haruka made them easily, and normally it would take days to dry, it's understandable why they are expensive.

"Alright, we've tasted all of them... Which one was the best?"

When Haruka asked, Toya and I thought for a moment and answered.

"I think the one-minute one. The raw one, of course, and the one that was briefly soaked has a hard and slightly bitter skin."

"I think the two-minute one... or a bit less than two minutes."

This dindle, as Toya said, seems to lose the bitterness and hardness of the skin when boiled.

The skin, which is inedible when raw, becomes part of the fruit and enhances the flavor when dried.

Perhaps the skin is what makes it delicious.

It's like the skin of a manju, which plays a role in making the whole thing more delicious than just eating the filling alone.

"One minute and two minutes... Hmm, they're both delicious, but... I think the problem is that the fruit is cooked through? Maybe we should cool it quickly, like a half-boiled egg?"

Haruka listened to our opinions and, while eating her share, pondered.

According to Haruka, the way to make a delicious half-boiled egg is to time it precisely and immediately put it in cold water when the time is up.

If left alone, the residual heat will cook the yolk.

"Let's try quick cooling for two minutes. Naoto, prepare some water."

This time, we boiled and quickly cooled two dindles, then dried them and tasted half of each.

"Yep. It's better than before. What do you two think?"

"Yeah, there's a slight difference, but this one is better."

"To be honest, I can't really tell. So, I'll leave the judgment to you two."

Two in favor, one abstention.

"Let's try this method today. We'll have Diora taste them and ask which one is the commercial dindle. Even if it's different, we can still eat them since they're delicious."

"True. We'll keep going to the forest from tomorrow."

If it's not for profit but for our own preserved food, we don't need to match the commercial product.

Even if it doesn't sell, we'll be happy to have delicious food for a while. It won't be a waste.

"Alright, Toya, can you make some toothpicks and mark them so we can tell them apart, and then stick them in?"

"Sure."

"Smart. That way, they won't mix. Good thinking, Haruka."

I thought we'd have to put them in separate bags.

For a short trip from here to the guild, toothpicks should be enough.

"Unless we have a compartmentalized lunch box, but we don't. We'll be mass-producing these."

Indeed, mass-producing.

We have more than enough to fill a backpack.

Of course, the burden on Haruka, who uses magic, is heavy.

Even so, there's nothing we can do but take on the non-magical tasks.

In the end, that day, we had to put the exhausted Haruka, who fell asleep while eating, to bed, and I immediately fell asleep after using 'Time Acceleration' on the salted meat barrel.

Only Toya, who didn't use magic, had energy left and, as I learned the next day, practiced on his own after we fell asleep.

It's reassuring, but he's really tough.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next morning wasn't too bad.

Even if we use up our magic, a good night's sleep usually helps.

Of course, it's a matter of feeling, so I can't be sure if it's fully recovered.

"Alright, let's get up!"

The morning bell had already rung, so it was past our usual time to get out of bed.

I got out of bed and, glancing at the adjacent bed, saw Haruka, who usually gets up before us and prepares, still sleeping.

It seems yesterday's work was quite a burden.

I reached out to wake her but thought better of it.

We usually head to the forest right after breakfast, but today we planned to visit the adventurer guild first to have Diora taste the samples.

Since it would be a bother to visit during the busy early morning, we have plenty of time before leaving the inn.

So, we can let her sleep a bit longer.

The other bed was already empty, and from Toya's usual pattern, he was probably practicing.

Toya wasn't the type to go jogging early in the morning or be enthusiastic about club activities back in our world.

But since coming here, he has been diligently training and honing his sword skills whenever he can.

I'm the same, but when it's a matter of "do it or die," the level of commitment is different.

In this situation, only someone who is extremely careless, overly confident, or thinks "I'm the protagonist, so I'll be fine" would be lazy.

—It's scary to think that we can't say for sure that there isn't someone like that in our class.

Of course, I'm not any of those, so I don't mind putting in the effort.

I took my spear and left the room, being careful not to make any noise.

After a while, I woke up Haruka and asked her for the 'Purification' she couldn't give me yesterday, and we had a slightly late breakfast.

After a light break, we headed to the adventurer guild with the dried dindle samples.

It was a time