Chapter 24

Jill led the three confused people to the kitchen.

"Let me show you how to make pepe while I make it. Can you have seconds?"

"Jill, I don't think this is something we can just show you..."

"It's fine. It's really simple, you see."

Jill ignored Matthew's concerns and laid out the ingredients on the cutting board for everyone to see.

"Let me explain the ingredients. It's really just basic peperoncino. Pasta, salt, garlic, olive oil, and red pepper. And parsley for the finishing touch. I'm not using any special ingredients."

While explaining, Jill peeled the garlic, cut it in half, and removed the core. She then lightly crushed it with the flat side of the knife and placed it in the frying pan, adding a generous amount of oil.

"【Ignite】"

Jill then lit a very weak fire under the stove. She slowly cooked the garlic, and at the same time, started boiling the pasta in salted water in a separate pot.

"Has anyone here made pepe before?"

"Yes."

"I haven't."

"Sure, I can make this."

Only Matthew shook his head.

Jill thought, "Then I'll explain while I make it," and showed the frying pan on the stove to everyone.

"Basically, you make garlic oil with plenty of oil. Next, you add the red pepper to bring out the spiciness, but this is a matter of personal preference. If you like it spicy, you can add it to the pan at the same time as the garlic and cook it slowly to bring out the spiciness. If you don't like it, you can add it just before the garlic is fully cooked."

"Right."

Garda nodded.

"Then, when the aroma comes out, you add the pasta water. You mix it with the oil in a 1:1 ratio and then add the cooked pasta... but the mixing process is probably different from what you're used to."

Jill crushed the garlic in the pan with a fork and then scooped up some pasta water with a ladle and poured it into the frying pan.

"【Liquid Manipulation】"

"...Ah, ah!?"

The olive oil, crushed garlic, and pasta water began to dance, rapidly mixing together.

"Mixing oil and water is called emulsification. I like it when they mix thoroughly, but it often doesn't work well just by frying in a pan."

"So you use magic to force it to mix... is that it?"

In response to Maureen's question, Jill nodded frankly.

"Yes, that's right."

The liquid's momentum further crushed the garlic, and the three substances mixed and blended into a thick, soup-like consistency.

"Then, you mix in the pasta and sprinkle chopped parsley on top to complete it."

Jill scooped the cooked pasta with a strainer and placed it in the frying pan. She quickly mixed it to absorb the sauce and then served it on a plate, sprinkling chopped parsley on top.

Jill, to save time, had also used magic to slightly warm the plate. This was another effort to ensure the pasta was enjoyed at its best. The pasta, still hot, was served to Garda, who opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"...Mmm."

Garda took a bite and groaned.

"Mmm?"

"Isn't this cheating? Is it okay?"

Maureen frowned at his words.

"Garda! Are you insulting your master?"

"Well, using magic is cheating. It's probably a violation of etiquette for a mage."

Garda's words made Jill smile wryly.

"Is it a fail, then?"

"Sorry, my words were harsh. I didn't mean to criticize; I meant to praise."

"Huh?"

"How should I put it..."

Garda seemed to be at a loss for words, tilting his head. After a moment of silence, he began to speak hesitantly.

"...Whether it's cooking or making something, the process is important. During training, you have to drill it into yourself until you can do it with your eyes closed. But if you don't use your head, you forget the logic behind it. You start to think that any other way is wrong and consider it cheating. This is a bad habit common among craftsmen."

"Ah..."

Garda's words made sense to Jill. In her magic training, she had come up with new ideas that were completely ignored. The concept of using weak magic effectively was not appreciated. It wasn't about whether it worked or not; the idea itself was considered heretical.

"I wanted to confirm something. If you're the master of this house, I thought you might have inherited something from the previous master, so I asked you to make pepe. I didn't need it to be pepe specifically, but you gave me something beyond my expectations."

"Well, I did cheat a bit."

Jill responded with a wry smile, but Garda's expression remained serious.

"That's the point. To do something that might be considered cheating, you need an unbound mind and courage. An average person wouldn't think of it. A coward wouldn't dare to try. ...Pepe is a simple pasta. You can add ingredients, but I never thought you could innovate in the fundamental way it's made. How did you come up with this method?"

"Well, I don't know... This method is delicious and to my liking... I didn't think too deeply about it."

Jill smiled wryly, thinking she might be overestimating herself.

"What do you think about changing the method you learned?"

"Well, I didn't learn it to become a chef... The person who taught me didn't think too deeply about it either. They just enjoyed cooking and shared it with me."

"It was fun."

Garda repeated Jill's words.

Jill nodded in agreement.

"...Yeah, it was fun. I used to enjoy making bags with my master. I wanted to make something better than him, so I worked late every night."

"That's great."

"I once messed up a job and tried to make a bag all night. My master told me not to overdo it and made me dinner. It wasn't as perfect as this peperoncino, but it was delicious. I enjoyed all of it, which is why I became a leatherworker."

"...You had a good master."

Garda nodded, small but firmly.

"I lost. I'm sorry for testing you."

◆

Jill and the others moved back to the living room to talk again.

There, Garda handed Jill some leather scraps.

"First, take these. It's a kind of apology."

"Really? Is it okay to take so much?"

Jill was genuinely delighted. The quality was better than she had imagined. There were about ten pieces, and with them, she could make small items like wallets or knife sheaths. Some were even large enough to be 30 cm squares, far from being mere scraps.

"It's cowhide. Each piece is from a different part of the cow. Feel the differences with your hands."

"Parts?"

"The back, the belly, and other areas have different stretch and strength. These are leftovers, so the parts are mixed, and the quality can vary. But they're perfect for practice."

"Ah, I see... Unlike fabric, it's not uniform."

"Right. Fabric is made from threads, which form a flat surface. Leather, however, is made from animal skin, which is a three-dimensional object forced into a flat shape. The process of cutting and sewing to form something is similar to making clothes, but the original properties are completely different."

"I see..."

"Well, you'll learn as you go. You won't get a feel for it until you make something."

"Okay!"

Jill smiled, eager to start making something. Matthew, however, interjected.

"But Garda, won't the Leatherworkers' Guild say something?"

"...If they find out, they might complain, but that's about it."

Garda nodded with a bitter expression. The Leatherworkers' Guild was a trade association of leatherworkers.

"Is it okay?"

"Well, the Leatherworkers' Guild in this town isn't that strict. They interfere when money is involved, like selling to big clients or launching new products, but they don't delve deeply into who you teach or take as an apprentice. If you want to sell something, come to me. I'll try to persuade the Guild."

"Understood... Though I haven't made anything yet."

"Exactly, it's all just wishful thinking."

Garda laughed heartily, and a cheerful atmosphere filled the room.

"Then, let's start making something! Let's go all out!"

"Okay!"

"Wait, wait! We have a main topic to discuss!"

Matthew hastily stopped Jill and Garda, who were about to start working.

"...I forgot."

"You didn't forget, did you? Really..."

Matthew put his hand on his forehead and sighed.

"By the way, you both said you had something to discuss, right?"

"...I know it's not the best time, but can you take a look?"

Garda took something out of his bag.

It was a chanfron.

"This is... a horse armor?"

"Yes, it's called a chanfron, a helmet for horses. And..."

Next to the chanfron, he placed a piece of paper with a black-and-white drawing.

It was a design of a knight riding a dragon, carrying a shield and a spear, the emblem of the Silver Scales Knights, who protect the town of Shelland.

"I want to draw this emblem on the chanfron."

"Are you making it for a knight's order?"

"Yes. I need to burn the emblem directly onto the chanfron, but it's too detailed."

"I see. I understand."

Jill nodded, not in agreement with the difficulty but in understanding the task.

"Can you see the difficulty here?"

"Given your knowledge, I thought you might have some hints."

"Huh? Can't you just burn it? Would it be bad to do it now?"

"「Huh?」"

Garda and Matthew's faces froze, looking at Jill as if she were speaking a foreign language.

"Ah, doing it on the spot would be bad, right? Then let me try it on a scrap. I think it would be similar to burning wood... 【Scorching Light】"

Jill placed a leather scrap and the paper with the emblem in front of her. She traced the lines of the emblem with her left fingertips and released magic from her right fingertips.

"「...What!?」"

A thin but bright light burned the leather.

【Scorching Light】 is a magic that focuses light to burn through anything. While Jill's magic wasn't powerful enough to cut metal or thick materials, it could easily cut thin leather or paper and burn surfaces.

Moreover, Jill was skilled at fine control of magic. With the actual drawing right there, she could copy it with magic while yawning. She could control water temperature to 0.1 degrees or less and move the focus of 【Scorching Light】 with ±0.01 mm precision to cut leather and wood accurately.

"Is this how it should look? Oh, but if it's going to be hardened with beeswax or something, will it work? Or should I burn it before hardening?"

"Z..."

Garda muttered, taken aback by Jill's casual words.

"Z?"

"Isn't this cheating?"

"No, well, it is cheating since it's magic, but..."

"Wow... You're a genius! Hey, Matthew! He solved it in seconds!"

Matthew was also stunned, his mouth agape.

"Jill... I mean, wow, you exceeded my expectations."

"Heh, I'm good at fine work..."

Jill laughed, trying to downplay it.

"Anyway... Since the practice went well, shall we do the real thing?"

Jill's words snapped Garda and Matthew back to reality.

"Alright, let's make the finished product and show it to the Knight Commander. If we get approval, we'll make it for all the horses. We might even be able to burn the emblem on the chest plates...!"

"Given this, we'll have time and budget to spare. Let's make the best quality. Jill, please handle the burning!"

"Ah, okay."

Somehow, that's how it turned out.

※The peperoncino recipe is based on the following:

The first URL's recipe doesn't even use a frying pan, so if you have a blender, you can easily try it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CTF522x8II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGb2mYLfXeg

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