Chapter 236: Rare Ores

After a brief round of introductions, Rozzo immediately began appraising the ores.

There seemed to be a lot of rare ores, and Rozzo’s reactions were extremely enthusiastic.

“Whoa! What’s this ore!? I’ve never seen anything like it, even including the color!”

“That ore is Ranaldan ore. When heat is applied, it can be reshaped at will, making it a very versatile ore.”

“Whoa… I’m so hyped seeing all these ores I’ve never seen before!”

“That’s great. Are there ores that can actually be used?”

“There are plenty I’d like to try, but whether they actually work, we’ll only know by testing them! For now, the gold ore and Blackmite ore are definitely usable!”

I had thought he’d be able to judge quickly, but with so many unusual ores, it seemed more difficult than expected.

Still, his reactions were very positive, and some ores were judged to have trade value.

Judging by Rozzo’s behavior, it seemed like a good trade was possible, which was reassuring.

“For now, let’s confirm the trade for those two types of ores. Can we decide on the rest later?”

“Mm. Of course, that’s fine. Take your time to check.”

“Thank you. Rozzo, I’d appreciate it if you could determine which ones can actually be used.”

“You got it! Can I take these ores back with me?”

“Yes. Consider it a return favor for the fertilizer and seedlings you received the other day—use them freely.”

“Alright! Then I’ll take them back right away and start experimenting! I’ll let you know as soon as I figure something out!”

With that, Rozzo hoisted the ores and headed back.

His eyes were shining, and it was obvious he was a true craftsman at heart.

He probably felt like a child who had just gotten a brand-new toy.

“Phew… I’m relieved he seems to like them.”

“Yeah. I also hoped we could exchange ores for crop seeds, so this is great. So, are you two leaving right away?”

“Hmm… If it were just me, I’d leave immediately, but my sister was so insistent on coming along that we’d like to stay until her magic energy for the return trip is restored… Is that okay?”

“You weren’t that insistent!”

“No, I was.”

“Well, that’s fine by us. In that case, since you’re here, I’ll make some simple food for you.”

I figured Faustina had probably come along after hearing that she could enjoy some tasty food.

And of course, I couldn’t not serve her anything, so I decided to make something simple.

“R-Really? We get to try the famous delicious dish!? Thank you for your consideration!”

“Yay! Egg porridge?”

“Egg porridge is fine, but I was planning on making something sweet. Which would you like?”

“I want something sweet!”

“I’ll have the egg porridge… Let’s decide with rock-paper-scissors.”

Personally, I wanted to make both, but even a single portion cost more than expected, so they had to choose one.

“Rock-paper-scissors—shoot! Yay! I won!”

“Ugh… I lost.”

“Then sweet it is?”

“Yes, I don’t dislike sweet things.”

“You could have just let me choose without the game.”

“I just really wanted the egg porridge.”

Miragros really loved egg porridge.

It might not be her absolute favorite dish, but it must have been quite a memorable first taste.

For now, we decided on the sweet dish—pancakes—so I quickly got to cooking.

About twenty minutes later, I had finished cooking four pancakes.

I used the honey Quid had collected, which paired perfectly with the pancakes.

I prepared two per person, and they should be able to eat them easily.

“Thank you for waiting. Here are the pancakes.”

“Wow… They smell amazing!”

“Yes. They look so delicious!”

“Since they’re freshly made, eat them before they cool down.”

As soon as I placed the plates in front of them, Faustina immediately cut and ate a pancake.

Having restrained herself until now, she moved astonishingly quickly.

“Yum! Wh-what is this food!? It’s even more amazing than I’d heard!”

“I told you so many times… Delicious!”

The sisters held their cheeks, their faces filled with bliss.

Just seeing this expression made preparing the pancakes worthwhile.

“I’m glad you liked them.”

“No one could dislike this dish! It’s beyond delicious, I can’t help but smile!”

“It really is delicious. Though I prefer egg porridge.”

“Egg porridge is that good? I can’t even imagine anything better!”

“Everyone’s tastes differ. By the way, there’s still some batter left, so if you want seconds, just say so.”

“Oh… seconds too… Is this heaven?”

I thought two pancakes might be enough, but both Miragros and Faustina ended up eating two more each.

Faustina smiled the entire time and kept bowing repeatedly, clearly very pleased.

Although she was nervous before introductions, Faustina’s personality was kind and approachable.

Thanks to the pancakes, it seems I can build a good relationship with her, which is a relief.