Chapter 43: A Day of Shopping in the Coulou District

　The levee and surrounding land were mostly restored.

“It’s still difficult for those whose homes were swept away, but the government is looking after them for a while. The current king is a kind man, and especially over the last five years or so he’s been providing assistance in even the most minute details.”

　Karin-san says this, expressing her gratitude for the country’s system.

　Sophia-chan slumped face down on the floor and whined, “I’m not leaving yet.” But when Karin-san said, “I feel bad for Mai for leaving a spoiled child with her, so you can’t come here anymore,” she quickly got up and left. It was easy to understand.

　In the afternoon, Henry came over for lunch. He had a bright smile on his face. He may look expressionless to others, but he was definitely smiling.

“The aftermath of the flooding is still being felt, but work has calmed down considerably.”

“That’s good to hear.”

　Henry is eating today’s daily special, “Braised Meatballs”.

　Illustration (By Mitemin)

　I made a mincing machine for this purpose with an iron pot I had bought. It might have been better to use copper for the main body alone in terms of sterilization. Copper is soft, so I’m thinking of buying a copper pot and making a prototype.

At “Café Riyo,” we used an old mincing machine. When I made the mincing machine with transformation magic, my experience of disassembling it and learning how to maintain it came in handy. The mincing machine has screw-shaped teeth, a cutter shaped like a shuriken, and an exit with many small round holes. It is hand-cranked and has a simple structure.

　The stewed meatballs were well received by many customers. I’m going to try making a variety of minced meat dishes from now on.

“Mai-san, we promised to go shopping in the Coulou district, didn’t you?”

“Yes, please take me with you. I’m sure they have the seasoning I’m looking for there. I’d like to buy the real thing.”

“Then let’s go there on the next rest day. Also, there is something I would like to discuss with you. Mr. Glidden wants to teach you magic. He said that you could improve your magic skills. He has written to me asking for your opinion, Mai-san. What would you do?”

　If I hone my magical skills, will I be able to return to my original world?

　Judging from the situation I was sent to, I don’t think I would be able to just come and go as I please. My grandmother was dependent on the latest in medical care before I got so sick. Besides, I don’t feel like leaving without Mr. Henry.

　I am also worried that the disease will recur if I return. There are so many things we don’t know.

　When I looked at Mr. Henry,  he had the familiar blank look on his face.

“Are you concerned about my being instructed in magic?　If you don’t want me to, I’ll put it off and think it over.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. I want you to do what you want to do.”

“Well then… I’d like to learn.”

“I understand. I will inform Mr. Glidden accordingly.”

　With a blank expression and unreadable emotion, Mr. Henry left.

　Mr. Glidden moved quickly, and the next day, a lesson date was scheduled for once a week. The day after the rest day. Him and Sarah would have dinner at my house, and then the magic lesson was scheduled.

　The morning of the rest day came, and Henry came to pick me up on his horse.

“Good morning! It’s a beautiful day.”

“Good morning. It’s a nice day to go out.”

　Henry’s horse is pure white, big and strong-looking, but docile. But  I can’t help but feel that the way she looks at me is saying, “Oh, it’s her. I’m sure she was a beginner.” Maybe I’m worrying too much.

“What’s her name?”

“Iris.”

“Iris, I want to become friends with you. Please be nice to me.”*

　I gently touched her neck and called out to her. Her pitch black, wet eyes stared at me. I felt like I was definitely being judged.

　But still, Mr. Henry looks tired today.

“Are you tired?　Did I push you too hard for this outing?”

“I’ve got some business to attend to.”

“Is it something to do with me?”

“No. It’s something to do with me and my adoptive parents. I can’t give you the details. I’m sorry to bother you, even though you’ve come all the way out here.”

　Somehow, Mr. Henry’s mood was unnatural. I tried making a joke to lighten the mood.

“Someone at work took a liking to Henry and said, ‘He’s a good worker and a serious guy. He’s become a bit more relaxed recently, so maybe I could marry my daughter off to him.’ So the engagement proposal reached your parents…huh? Huh? Did I hit the jackpot”

　Henry suddenly stopped his horse, so I turned around. Wow, I can only say that Mr. Henry is pulling a face. Perhaps he thought I had become jealous as soon as we decided to go out together.

“That was a joke, okay?”

“Of course.”

　Staring at each other in silence felt awkward, so I turned my face back to see Iris tilting her head and looking at me. I felt like her wise eyes seemed taken aback.

　Henry started to push Iris forward again, but he was silent. Being a chatterbox, I couldn’t stand the silence, so I reminded him, “I’m really just kidding, okay?”

“I don’t think so, but Mai-san, you can’t read people’s minds with magic, can you?”

　This time I turned around, flinching. Was it really on the point?

“Last night, my father called me and when I returned to my parents’ house, he told me almost exactly what you had said. A senior civil servant, uh well, even a senior civil servant would be my subordinate, but he is the second son of a count, and apparently he thought I might be interested in marrying his sister, so the Count approached my father about it.”

“ I see. ……”

“Of course I told my father to decline. I also thought it was a good opportunity to tell him that I would not take over the Howler family name, and asked him to adopt a relative as his successor. Then my father said something unexpected.”

　Apparently, Viscount Howler had already anticipated that Henry would say so.

　Since Mr. Henry kept saying that he would never marry for the rest of his life, they had already made a list of people to whom they would pass on their titles and estates.

　Furthermore, they said that when they adopted Henry, his biological father had given them some land, so they didn’t  have to worry about their and Henry’s finances 

 “Huh?　Then you would no longer be an aristocrat, Henry-san?”

“Since I am the head civil servant, I have already been granted the title of baron, which is valid for one generation. It is not uncommon for a noble to hold multiple titles.”

“Then why do you have dark circles under your eyes?　Something must have happened to keep you up at night?”

“I’m cutting into my sleep to do some research. I can’t tell you what I’m researching right now. I’m sorry. Just know that my offer of marriage was turned down with no problem.”

　His tone was firm, conveying that he couldn’t say anymore on the topic.

　Henry seems to be thinking while we eats delicious food in the coulou district and returns home with large quantities of condiments that look just like soy sauce, chili sauce, beetroot sauce and other seasonings.

There’s no point in delving too deeply into this at a time like this.

　I decided to forget about the disappointment of my first trip out and just plan on cooking as many ethnic dishes as I could when I got home.

　The ethnic seasonings I bought that day made me happy. The soy sauce, while a little different in flavor from the Japanese version, had a deeper and more delicious taste than the soy sauce I had magically made by converting peas.

　　Later, Kyrias-kun noticed that the taste of the pork cutlets had improved.

“Huh? It tastes better than before, doesn’t it?”

　Even though he didn’t know what a real katsudon is. The other customers didn’t notice. Why do you notice?

(You must be a genius when it comes to taste.) I thought to myself.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter