The goblins and I ended our work around the time that the rope-off team should have finished theirs. After asking a cleaner slime to get the sweat and grime off of me, I prepared the ingredients I needed and stepped into the kitchen I’d built in the cottage.
“Okay. Let’s get cooking.”
“Excuse me.” Just as I was about to begin cooking dinner, Eleonora stepped in. “This is today’s report.”
“Thank you. I’ll go through it later.” I took the stack of papers from her and noted its considerable weight. The report seemed way too detailed for something she could have written up in the short time since the team had returned, but here it was in my hand.
“Master Takebayashi, is there something wrong with it?” Eleonora asked.
“Oh, no. I was just impressed that you could write up such an in-depth report in the short time you had. I certainly couldn’t do it. What’s your secret?”
“It is not a secret. I use magic when I write.”
Magic? Is there a spell that works like a printer?
When I asked for more details, Eleonora said, “It is not anything special. I only use Kinesis.”
“The Neutral spell that moves objects?”
“That is correct. It allows me to write with multiple pens at once without straining the muscles in my hand,” Eleonora said matter-of-factly, and even demonstrated her Kinesis with a pair of cooking chopsticks on the counter. Without incantation, she controlled each chopstick independently, writing out words in the air. On top of doing this without incantation, she seemed to be utilizing parallel casting—the technique I saw Remily use before. Even more impressively, Eleonora’s magic wasn’t some kind of automated printing process. She still did all the writing by hand, so to speak.
“Outlining the contents and knowing the specific details I want to include and where to include them simplifies and expedites the process,” she explained.
“Oh... Before you write the paper, do you already imagine the completed version?”
“I suppose I do. Most of the report’s content is already decided when I take notes out in the field. Once I sit down, I make mental adjustments to my notes and write them all out with magic.”
“I see.” Eleonora was drafting, editing, and revising a report—the kind of workflow most people used a word processing program and printer to do on Earth—all in her mind. It’s like mental brute force... Eleonora’s brain is doing the heavy lifting, not the spell itself. “That requires a talent separate from magic, I think.”
“My magic teacher at the academy once told me the same thing—that this technique was not intuitive for most people.”
It was basically writing independent sentences with each hand and foot at the same time... I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it would be impossible for other people to learn, but it would probably take immense time and effort to learn. “That explains how you produce these so quickly. I’ll read through this report later and return some feedback,” I said.
“Understood.” Eleonora gave a nod, and her attention was snagged by something. “If I may ask a question out of curiosity, are those the ingredients for tonight’s dinner? I cannot help but notice the copious amount of spices.”
“Oh, yes. I know spices are not cheap here. I’m going to make us curry for dinner.” Japanese curry, to be specific. I’d been wanting to make this nostalgic dish since I had acquired various spices in the Sea of Trees. By this world’s standards, a dish that used this much spice must have seemed lavishly gourmet.
“I did not realize royal cuisine was in your repertoire.”
“Curry is considered royal cuisine?” I asked.
“Famously, it was a favorite of King Masaharu. Records show that he spent a fortune scouring the farthest corners of the kingdom for ingredients. It has since become a traditional dish among royals. Using an abundance of expensive spices is also an effective display of wealth, so the dish has become a staple at balls hosted by high-ranking nobles.”
I couldn’t blame Masaharu for wanting to taste a Japanese dish again, especially when he had the means to gather the chefs and ingredients. It hadn’t taken me long to crave curry once I got my hands on these spices. “The amount and ratio of spices are probably different from the royal recipe, but I’d like to serve this curry for dinner, nonetheless.”
“How exciting. May I stay and observe your cooking, if I will not be in the way?”
“Of course.”
And so, we began making our curry. First, I heated butter in a pan and mixed in flour—the base of the roux. Once the flour was all browned, I turned off the heat and mixed in my own blend of spices, instantly spreading a nose-tingling aroma through the kitchen. Cooking spices brought out their flavor, but too much heat could dissipate it. Once the roux had cooked down to a decent consistency, I set it aside in a bowl.
“Now I’ll cook the other ingredients,” I announced.
First, I caramelized onions in a big pot, then added garlic, ginger, and crushed tomatoes, then potatoes and carrots from the boiled-vegetable line of my instant meal packs before putting the curry paste back in. Leaving Eleonora to stir the pot that was now bubbling from the water in the vegetables, I diced and seasoned chicken before crisping them up in a frying pan and tossing them into the pot.
It’s high time for a taste—
“What is that smell?!” Miya shouted.
“Ah!” I yelped as I shook and accidentally poured the piping hot curry into my mouth. Luckily, I hadn’t set aside enough to burn my mouth, but it was shocking nonetheless.
I turned to the door and found the entire adventurer team crowded in the doorway. “What happened?”
“What happened? I found where that incredibly tantalizing smell is coming from!” Miya exclaimed.
“Sorry to barge in. But it smelled so good—maddening, even—that we had to come see.”
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“Is that on the menu tonight?”
“Yes, we’re having curry tonight,” I answered.
Eleonora supplied that it was royal cuisine, skyrocketing the anticipation among the adventurers, way overhyping a normal curry made by an amateur.
“Ryoma, is that curry ready to eat?” Miya asked.
“Not even close. After letting it simmer for a while longer, I want to chill it with Ice magic and reheat it.”
Miya yowled. “Can’t we eat it as soon as it’s done simmering?”
“Curry tastes better after it sits overnight, apparently because the spices seep into the solid ingredients and let the flavors sink in. I’ll have rice, bread, and salad to go with it... You don’t have to look so devastated.”
“I can’t wait that long when the whole cottage smells like this!”
“That’s enough. I know you have a bottomless stomach, but Ryoma says he’ll serve it tonight. You can wait until then.”
“We’ll keep Miya on a leash and leave you to your cooking!”
Mizelia and Cilia expertly dragged Miya off by her arms, and the other two followed.
“Oh, I also wanted to have drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Do you all drink?” I asked.
“Now that’s a party. We’ll gladly take a drink.”
“Count me in. I’m not picky with my liquor, so get me anything you like.”
“You got it!” I said, planning to serve white liquor and sake from the goblin distillery and some highballs I made in the Sea of Trees. With all the liquor Glen had traded me, there was plenty of it to go around. Along with it, I had some sausages and salami from Sieg’s shop and loads of potatoes I could use to whip up some potato salad. “Do you drink, Eleonora? If not, I can prepare tea or fruit water. I’d never force you to drink, and I will stop anyone who would, so don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“I can drink wine. I am not sure about other varieties of liquor—I have never tried them. And it has been some time since I last drank, so I think I will abstain from any hard liquor.”
“Got it. I have some wine stored, so I’ll serve that too. Take it as slow as you like, and switch to tea or water anytime.” I was being really careful with my words because it felt like she would force herself to drink if I encouraged her to. Bosses forcing their subordinates to drink had been a real problem in Japan, and I wasn’t going to be a part of it now.
With some more small talk, Eleonora and I continued preparing for the festivities. I never would have thought that I’d ever enjoy preparing a party like this. What a difference it made when I enjoyed my company.