Chapter 22

The lady of the house introduced herself as Jill.

She served a fragrant cup of tea, which she had brewed herself. Maureen, the maid, stood guard like a sentry at the door. Garda thought that the lady must be of noble blood from an old lineage, judging by her refined manner, especially her attention to tea.

Garda suppressed his thirst and, before drinking the tea, began the conversation.

"Your name is Jill, right? I'm Garda, the leatherworker."

"Yes, welcome."

"I don't know much about you. Matthew told me that you enjoy making clothes and hats, live in a house in the forest, and want to try leatherworking... Is that correct?"

"Yes, I was hoping someone could teach me about leather, so I asked Matthew for help."

Garda, listening to Jill, crossed his arms and wore a troubled expression.

"To be honest, it's difficult to teach someone who isn't an apprentice or a fellow craftsman. This is true for other craftsmen as well... In fact, they might even yell at me the moment they hear the request."

"I see... I expected it to be difficult."

Jill responded calmly, without showing any signs of disappointment.

"I'm not saying this to be mean. I'd be in trouble if you only half-learned the skills."

"Half-learned?"

"If you could create something amazing by copying, I could understand. It's common for craftsmen to learn and steal techniques. But if you half-learn and then boast that you learned from me, creating poor-quality items, I would tarnish the reputation I inherited from my master. I might even feel so guilty that I'd have to hang myself."

"Hanging yourself is not a good idea."

Jill nodded matter-of-factly.

Jill was very self-assured.

Garda felt that the atmosphere was off, but he knew he had to say what needed to be said.

"...So, if I can trust that you won't tarnish my reputation, I could teach you."

"Really? Are you serious?"

Jill, surprised, stood up from her chair and looked at Garda's face. Garda turned his head away, embarrassed.

"Still, I can't teach you everything. There are things I only teach to my apprentices."

"That's fine! I don't mind at all!"

At that moment, Matthew interjected.

"Garda, what do you mean by 'trust'? And there's something we should discuss, right?"

"You were the one who asked for help first, right? So it makes sense to proceed with your request."

"You...!"

Matthew sighed in frustration. But Garda was not willing to back down. Whether it was for help or consultation, he had no intention of working with someone he didn't trust.

"Then, what do I need to do to gain your trust?"

Jill asked, seemingly oblivious to the tension between the two men.

"You're quick."

"Likewise."

Jill smiled mischievously.

Garda thought she had a good face, even when responding to his challenging tone.

However, Garda was still troubled. Initially, he thought he would judge based on the clothes and hats Jill claimed to have made. But that would only show her skill, not whether she could be trusted.

Garda had become a master at a young age and had interacted with many craftsmen. He understood that some people had both genius-level skills and disastrous personalities.

What Garda wanted to see was whether she respected the techniques she learned and whether she had a strong belief in the power she gained.

The hint to find this out was in the tea.

The moment he took a sip, he found it delicious.

At that moment, Garda had a certainty.

This woman, Jill, clearly had some connection to the "former owner of the house."

Garda wanted to confirm his intuition.

"Alright, I've decided. ...Make me a Peppe."

◆

A little before Garda and the others visited the house.

Jill decided to take a day off.

Not that she had a shop to open yet. It was just a day she decided to rest. Besides, she now had a reliable ally, Maureen.

Even with magic to clean and do laundry, the house was large and had been difficult to manage alone. But now she could set aside rest days to read books, feed Karappa, cook, and relax. Maureen, on the other hand, seemed to find it a bit boring. She was even considering learning how to ride Karappa to pass the time.

"Well, let's just relax and do nothing... Maybe I'll make some sweets and have tea with Maureen later."

"The forest has visitors. One of them seems to have an invitation."

But the "book" announced the arrival of guests, interrupting her plans. The pages turned on their own, showing two people standing at the front gate of the house.

"Oh, it's Mr. Matthew."

"The man you met the other day seems to be with another man."

"Is it about the leather?"

"I'm not sure."

"Alright, Acacia, open the gate."

Jill used the Book of Acacia to remotely open the front gate. The unknown man was surprised by the gate opening on its own.

He looked like a commoner.

A burly man with black hair, exuding a craftsman-like aura.

His rough hands were clearly not those of a swordsman but of someone who handled scissors and chisels, thick yet delicate fingers.

"Hello, Mr. Matthew. Who's this?"

"Um, hello."

Matthew looked surprised.

Why? The gate opening on its own shouldn't be that unusual, thought Jill.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just surprised to see you in men's clothing."

"Oh."

Jill was wearing pants instead of a skirt.

She was wearing black gauchos that widened at the bottom, creating a long, inverted triangular silhouette. She wore a white tunic on top, giving her a chic and mature appearance.

But in the culture of the Dylar Magic Kingdom, women did not wear pants. Jill had become accustomed to women wearing pants while browsing fashion magazines and even found it strange that women in this world did not wear them.

"Oh, you didn't know? In a distant land across the sea, this kind of pants is popular."

"Huh?"

So Jill tried to bluff.

"Indeed... I didn't know. I should have studied more."

"Besides, it's easier to ride horses, right?"

"True. But wouldn't it be better to have the hem gathered to avoid getting caught in the saddle?"

"Ah..."

"But this is... revolutionary. Conservative people might oppose it, but reformers might support it."

"Exactly, exactly!"

Jill clenched her fist in triumph.

"Anyway, let's not stand here. Please come in."

Then she was introduced to Garda, the leatherworker. But he seemed to be a stubborn man.

He declared that he wouldn't teach anyone he didn't trust.

(Well, there are stubborn people like that. I can understand their feelings.)

But Jill didn't have a bad impression of him.

In fact, she was even excited to see what kind of challenge he would present.

But the condition Garda set was completely unexpected.

"Alright, I've decided. ...Make me a Peppe."

"I understand... Wait, Peppe?"

"Can you do it?"

For a moment, Jill thought it was a joke, but Garda was completely serious.

Matthew interjected, sounding exasperated.

"Garda, isn't that irrelevant to whether she can be trusted? Besides, I didn't hear about this condition!"

"I won't budge on this. Teaching a skill is like having a student, even if not a formal apprentice. It's a matter of responsibility."

It was probably an unexpected turn of events.

Matthew, unusually, confronted Garda with an angry face.

"First of all, why Peppe?"

"...Because anyone who lives in this house should know how to make it."

Garda looked at Jill seriously, not Matthew.

His eyes held an expectation.

"This house used to be a restaurant."

"...That's right."

Jill immediately realized it was about Conrad.

She remembered Conrad's will.

(He pursued beauty relentlessly. He gave me happy days. That's what it said.)

So, what beauty did Conrad pursue?

Jill understood it naturally after visiting Shelton a few times.

It was gourmet cuisine.

The dishes Conrad made for Jill were all mysterious. They had no connection to the traditional recipes of the Dylar Magic Kingdom. They were also different from the recipes of the distant land across the sea. But they were so refined that it was hard to say they were all Conrad's original creations. The background of the dishes was rich with culture and climate.

Since Conrad's death, Jill thought she would have to make those dishes herself. But somehow, Conrad's dishes existed in the cafes and restaurants of Shelton. Pudding, for example, was a representative dish.

And the dish Garda mentioned was one of Conrad's specialties.

"If you ask what the best dish in the restaurant is, opinions will vary. People might even argue about it. But if you ask what the basic dish is, many would say Peppe. It's the foundation of pasta dishes. Don't you think so?"

Jill agreed with Garda's words.

Conrad had said something similar.

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

"Jill, you don't have to agree to such a request..."

"Regardless of the condition... Garda wants to eat Peppe, doesn't he? What about you, Matthew?"

"Um... If I can eat it, I'd like to."

Matthew nodded shyly.

"What about you, Maureen?"

"Me? If you're offering, I'd be happy to."

Alright, Jill stood up.

"Let's move to the dining room. I'll go to the kitchen and make it."

Thank you for reading!

If you found it interesting and want to read more, please rate it with the stars below the ad.

(Star ratings are a great encouragement for authors, not just for my work.)

Thank you very much.