Volume 2: The Temucha Region—Aunt in Flames

Chapter 31: You Don’t Need to Teach Me Such a Creepy Concept

When I entered the kitchen, partially prepared ingredients were piled on the central worktable.

Still, it was only enough for a little over a dozen people.

If we divided the work, we would finish quickly.

For now, I handled time-consuming tasks such as peeling while Parfure took charge of the essential steps.

Temuchan home cooking consisted primarily of stews.

Preserved foods were also highly developed, but the signature dish was called Guardian-Flame Stew—essentially beans and root vegetables simmered together.

Grandpa had raised me while constantly ordering me to eat more beans, so I’d made the dish several times.

“You’re very efficient, Walker. This is a great help.”

“Thank you.”

Parfure truly did resemble Filiestra.

Their appearances differed, but the way they spoke and carried themselves was similar.

They clearly grew up in the same environment.

“How is Filiestra doing at the academy?”

“She’s always with friends, and she’s very popular.”

That was the simplest description.

In terms of recognition among first-years, she might even rank first.

Though now that I thought about it, I couldn’t remember seeing her walk with anyone outside the girls in the Emperor Faculty.

“Friends… I see. I’m glad. She tends to keep others at a distance, but please continue being kind to her.”

“Does she?”

“This is the first time she has brought friends here. I think she trusts you and Amae.”

Perhaps the fact that I couldn’t quite understand meant I didn’t know Filiestra very deeply.

Then again, I was here as the person assigned to her case, so perhaps Parfure only meant Amae.

“She was always attached to the previous director.”

“Director Magnolia?”

“Yes. When I arrived, they truly seemed like mother and daughter. Filiestra used to call her Mother.”

Used to.

The words carried an implication.

“She stopped?”

“After the director opened the orphanage, Filiestra stopped of her own accord. She said that otherwise she alone would be receiving special treatment.”

I both understood and didn’t.

Her reasoning was certainly correct, but the director must have had complicated feelings.

“She’s slightly introverted, but please be her friend. She’s a very kind, wonderful girl.”

“I know.”

I knew it painfully well.

I had no idea how many friends Filiestra possessed, but many people must have felt indebted to her.

Everything I had seen told me she was that sort of person.

“I’m relieved she has friends like you and Amae.”

“Filiestra gets along with everyone. Recently, she often eats with a girl called Meltzeria. Do you know the name?”

“S-She eats with the Sword Saint’s daughter? That’s the Emperor Faculty for you…”

Such a friendship would ordinarily be impossible.

Perhaps Parfure failed to realize that Filiestra herself stood on the same impossible side of society.

Filiestra might simply be like a younger sister to her.

Before I finished considering it, all the chopping was done.

The ingredients only needed to simmer.

Parfure was still busy preparing bread.

…They even had a baking oven.

This was quite a serious cooking environment.

“I’m finished here. Shall I fill the pot with water?”

“What? Already? Th-Then yes, please do that too.”

Had something happened before we arrived?

They seemed rushed, so I would handle whatever I could.

◇

We finished cooking in less than an hour.

Naturally, magic made the work faster.

Guardian-Flame Stew, salad, black bread, and fresh fruit.

The large platter in the center held hearth-roasted venison.

Apparently, Parfure had hunted the deer that morning.

Amaaaazing.

“Thanks to you, Walker, dinner wasn’t late. Thank you.”

“It was nothing…”

Parfure thanked me directly, and I responded awkwardly.

She was an older woman, but of a different sort from my teachers or aunt.

That made me strangely nervous.

“Today’s soup tastes a little different from yours, Miss Parfure.”

“That’s right, Leila. Walker made today’s stew.”

“Wow! Thank you, mister.”

“You’re good at cooking!”

Parfure had handed the dish to me partway through, so I used the Walker family recipe.

Apparently, the children enjoyed it.

Still, the children here ate remarkably neatly for their age.

They were very young, yet their manners had been thoroughly drilled into them.

“…You really can cook, Bren.”

“Of course.”

“Not bad.”

“Heh heh heh.”

“Creepy.”

Amae’s reaction aside, I had been exceptionally careful with the seasoning because other people would eat it.

The ingredients had retained their shape, and the appearance wasn’t bad.

If I had to criticize anything, I would have simmered it longer, but for a hurried meal, its quality exceeded expectations.

“It really is… The seasoning differs slightly from my sister’s, but it’s delicious.”

Filiestra approved too.

I had disliked housework at first, but I was glad I learned it in childhood.

“You’re good at cooking too, Walker. That’s remarkable. I’ve always been poor at this sort of thing…”

Filiestra’s cooking was apparently catastrophic.

According to Parfure, she deserved permanent banishment from the kitchen.

That was surprising.

I had thought Filiestra was nearly invincible, but apparently even she couldn’t do everything.

Then again, no one could.

◇

After dinner and a bath, I played with the children.

Before I knew it, bedtime had arrived.

Tomorrow, we would finally begin investigating Filiestra’s registry.

Because she was always telling me to sleep, I should probably turn in early.

There was no smithing equipment here anyway, so little else could be done.

We had been given separate guest rooms.

Some parents could only visit rarely because of complicated circumstances, so the orphanage kept rooms for them.

They weren’t large, but they were clean and better maintained than most inns.

“What does the guild you work for do, Bren?”

Around eleven at night, Amae asked while we stood beside one another brushing our teeth.

“Everything.”

“Hmm. I’m surprised you have a part-time job. You’re always forging magic swords.”

“I’m broke. The aunt I’m staying with pays my tuition, so this is a way of repaying her…”

“I see.”

Personally, I found it comforting that Amae didn’t pry any further.

“When is the opera performance you wanted to see?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“What was the guild called?”

“The Stardust Opera Guild… I suppose you wouldn’t know them. They’re probably one of the most famous forms of entertainment in the kingdom.”

The Stardust Opera Guild.

Apparently, it was a comprehensive magical opera troupe led by the diva Luluriale Lobelia, combining songs by male and female performers with acting, dancing, and illusion magic.

So Amae was the sort of person who followed an opera company.

“I’ve loved them since childhood, so I try to attend even their regional performances. You should come with me someday, Bren. They’ll perform in the royal capital this summer. Though I wonder if we could still get tickets. I only happened to secure mine this time.”

At first glance, Amae appeared sleepy and passive, but she could be quite aggressive about things like this.

Looking back, she had been the first person to speak to me too.

Unlike me, whose only friends belonged to the Emperor Faculty, she appeared to know people throughout the academy.

She was far more sociable than she looked.

Even someone as slow as me could tell, however, that the opera wasn’t her only reason for coming to Temucha.

“But that isn’t your only reason for traveling this far, is it?”

“No.”

Amae admitted it easily.

“I’m gloomy by nature, so I didn’t have many friends before Magias.”

“You aren’t gloomy.”

“Filiestra and I get along. If she’s having trouble, I want to help.”

Judging by that, Amae had known about the matter for quite a while.

It was a sensitive subject, so they must truly be close.

“What about you, Bren?”

“Honestly, I feel the same.”

“Then we match.”

In other words, we were comrades united by a desire to grant Filiestra’s wish without considering our own profit or loss.

The conversation had flowed there naturally, but I was glad we confirmed it.

“I can accompany you through tomorrow, so let’s work hard.”

“Yeah. I’ll do some brain-forging, then go to bed early tonight.”

“What?”

“I’ll do some brain-forging, then go to bed early.”

“Sorry, I don’t understand.”

“You didn’t have brain-forging where you grew up?”

“Of course we didn’t.”

“Then I’ll teach you sometime.”

“You don’t need to teach me such a creepy concept.”

Footsteps suddenly sounded in the hall.

I turned to find Filiestra standing there in her nightclothes.

“Amae, it’s time for bed.”

“Oh, Filiestra. Yes, you’re right.”

After speaking to Amae, Filiestra smiled at me too.

“I look forward to working with you tomorrow, Walker.”

“Likewise. I’ll sleep after a little brain-forging.”

“Oh, Walker. You mustn’t stay up too late.”

“I know. I truly will sleep early tonight, so don’t worry.”

I left the washroom to perform my brain-forging.

Perhaps I should prepare for tomorrow too.

“Amae, what is brain-forging?”

“Oh, you don’t know either…”

“I’ve never heard the phrase in my life…”

Leaving Amae and Filiestra’s conversation behind, I headed to the dining room.

I took drafting tools from my travel bag and spread them across the table.

First, I would organize the concept.

“Mister, what are you doing?”

One of the children approached with a curious face.

I thought everyone had been put to bed, but apparently one child remained awake.

“Brain-forging.”

“Bwain-forging?”

“Would you like to watch for a little while, young man?”

“Yes.”

◇

Years later, Alphonse Blitz—the master magic-sword smith who revolutionized Refinement and shook the world—recalled that night.

“This was where everything began. His brain-forging profoundly moved me, and I decided then to follow the path of a brain-forging magic-sword craftsman.”

Q: Did you know of the Magic-Sword King at the time?

“With respect, no. I was only six. Honestly, I knew very little about magic. Brain-forging was the only thing I understood.”

Q: Had you already begun studying magic?

“Brain-forging came first. I gradually began dragon-vein control after turning ten. My sister told me there was no need to rush. Incidentally, are you interested in brain-forging?”

No.

“You’ve pressed me so insistently that I have no choice. I’ll explain brain-forging.”

No, thank you.

“People tend to think brain-forging is difficult, but in fact, anyone can do it easily at home.”

No, thank you.

“To begin with, brain-forging is—”

That concludes our interview with Alphonse, master craftsman of the world.

THE END

Produced and Copyrighted by

News Guild

Le Vante