I went to the market early in the morning in order to buy cream-like fat cow milk .
It was rather expensive .
Cow milk and butter existed in this world but dairy products are expensive . Probably because mass producing it with magic like crops wasn't possible . When it comes to animal products you could only rely on the animal's own power .
"What the heck, just how much does this cost in the capital!?" Is what I feared when it came to the more high class dairy products, but it was only a tad bit higher than the market price .
There was a ranch on a slightly elevated place inside the capital so there was no transport cost, as a result the price didn't increase by much . Surprisingly there was a field in the capital too, so crops could be traded fairly cheaply .
It was a small field but there were magicians around so crops could easily be grown using spells . The best thing was the sugar from sugar beets which could be extracted using magic as well .
Compared to other places, in the capital there were many magicians, obtaining goods manufactured with magic was easy .
So I bought plenty of sugar and a few eggs . Carrying a large bag in both hands I headed towards mama Kou's[1] house .
When I arrived Alan and the rest were all together waiting in front of the house . Ah, Cain-sama came too! I'm getting hyped! Alan knew where mama's house was so I had asked him to guide everyone .
On entering the house Charlotte-chan, Rits-kun and Cain-sama all greeted mama Kou . She hid her onee mannerisms[2] and gave a clear response . Alan, however, entered with an air of "Lets go inside!" giving off a vibe that he was a regular customer .
I really can't deal with this guy!
I pulled myself together saying 「Sorry for the wait! Let's get to it!」 while handing over water to Charlotte-chan and asked her to make ice cubes .
I poured the cream I bought into a saucepan and began heating it to sterilize it .
The people in this world didn't know about bacteria . But somehow the idea that heating food made it safe to eat had taken root . That's why they heated everything before using it .
Because of this I do think that it would've been pasteurized before shipping but I sterilized it just in case . I-it's not like I didn't have any confidence or anything like that!
Once it was sterilized I added the sugar, steadily cooled it while stirring and mixed in the eggs .
After that I prepared 2 small thin leather bags as a replacement for a bottle and filled both of them . Using a string I sealed them as tight as possible to prevent the air from getting in .
The remaining cream I sealed in a larger leather bag in the same manner . It would be a disaster if it leaks so I sewed the bags shut just in case .
Alright, the preparations are complete .
When I looked over at Charlotte-chan's group they had finished freezing the water and broken the ice .
Huh? There is one thing that bothers me . . .
「Is it possible to instantly freeze things other than water using ice magic?」
If that's the case we could instantly freeze this cream .
「Probably not, I think . Basically, ice magic and in particular magic spirit users use is magic to create ice . We still have a long way to go so without water we can't make ice, but to some extend using magic to make ice from nothing should be possible . But for really great magicians freezing all sorts of things shouldn't be impossible . . . ?」
Charlotte-chan tilted her head sideways while thinking . So ice magic is not the same as freezing magic . So it seems like Flash freezing it directly to around -196℃ is impossible .
Making ice from nothing really is amazing . Now that I think about it, when we fought with Ryuuki-san he had frozen the feet of the boss and the rest to stop them from moving . They couldn't move because of the ice but after the magic was dispelled their feet seemed okay so it wasn't like he froze the human body .
Well, It would be terribly scary if you could cool anything with a single spell just like liquid nitrogen . . .
Now that I knew that the things I prepared beforehand weren't for nothing I continued my work .
I shoved one of the smaller leather bags containing the cream inside a slightly larger bowl containing the ice Charlotte-chan made . I prepared another bowl by hastily putting in ice and pulverized ice magic stones and added the other small leather bag in the same manner . That concluded the work for the main experiment . All we had to do now is wait . In the meantime I began making sweets using the cream in the larger leather bag .
I shoved the leather bag containing the cream in another larger bag made from cloth that had ice and ice magic stones inside . Then, to prevent the ice from falling out, I closed the cloth bag by holding and spun it in circles for about 2 minutes . It gave me a good arm workout .
It should be ready about now .
I took out the leather bag from the cloth one and touched it confirming it had already solidified and opened the bag . The cream had properly solidified into pure white ice cream!
It solidified! Nice!
I quickly handed out some plates and treated everyone with some . Kou-san was out on an errand for her job, so I left her some and put it back into the cloth bag to prevent it from melting .
「Wow! It has already solidified? Is- is it okay to eat it like this?」Rits-kun asked while poking the ice with his spoon .
It's fine! Just scoop it and eat! I led by example and took the first bite .
Oh!
What an intense flavor! It has a smooth texture, I thought I added too much sugar but for cold sweets it's just right .
As expected of myself!
I don't know if people will keep saying 『As expected of Ryou!』 if I keep doing like this . But if nothing else, there are sure to come 5 compliments right my way .
「Cold! So sweet! It's so good! Ryou-sama, just what is this!? It's cold, I mean, isn't it frozen!?」 Charlotte-chan, as is typical of a girl, had taken an interest into sweets .
「This is really amazing Ryou . It's nothing like anything I've eaten before . It disappears in my mouth . . . It's as if, when it melts my mouth gets filled with happiness . 」 Cain-sama said with a surprised look on his face . Oh Cain-sama, you're such a poet . Instead of such poetic praises I'm fine with simple compliments like 『As expected of Ryou!』
「This is a frozen dessert called ice cream . You simply mix the ingredients we prepared earlier and let it freeze . 」
「B-but to freeze it . . . ! If you can do such a thing then you really must be able to magic!」
Charlotte began shouting in excitement beyond my expectations .
I'm really can't use magic . . . When I enrolled I was personally told by the examiner『You're not a magician』
「You're wrong . It's not magic . If you put salt on ice its freezing point will lower and it will begin to melt . Doing so will take away the heat and the surrounding temperature can drop to as low as -20℃」
I wanted to say I wasn't a magician but panicked and explained it . Charlotte had a 『hmm?』 look on her face and averted her eyes before saying 『I- I understand . . . 』 and went back to eating her ice cream .
She clearly didn't understand . I talked about things this world didn't know . I'm sorry . . .
「But didn't it harden so quickly because you kept spinning it in circles?」 Alan, while saying this, had already finished his ice cream and before I knew it reached out to the leather bags that were soaking in ice for an experiment .
Hey! Don't touch that!
「Those aren't ready yet! Gently put them back! What we're eating comes from the bag that I spun around, which is a more efficient way of cooling so it solidified faster!」
Alan halted but kept staring at it with great interest . This damned henchman, I really can't get careless around him .
Cain-sama gave me a wry smile as if saying 『Sorry for the troubles my brother keeps causing you』 and addressed Alan .
「Alan, I still have some left, you can have it . 」
「Really? But that's yours . . . 」
Alan was looking around restlessly displaying his inner conflict .
A "I want to eat it, but it's my brother's, but he said I could have it, but if I eat it . . . " sort of conflict .
Well, what will you do? What will you do, Alan!
「Th-that's yours . I already had mine so it's okay!」
Alan bit his lip after replying like he made a crucial decision while puffing up his chest .
I see, That's admirable, Alan! You showed some self-control!
Yeah . . . Alan is being a good boy . Showing some restraint, he showed such a bright expression until now . Isn't life fun!
「Alan . . . ! So made up your mind! Well, then I'll eat it!」
As if he was looking at something dazzling Cain-sama squinted his eyes and looked at Alan . Nodded a couple of times and ate his ice cream .
Ah, They're still as close as ever . . .
It's just, with me, isn't there a difference in the mood? It bothers me . I have all these wasted memories of a previous life, if you add up all the years I would be an adult . Though I don't feel like I'm an adult just yet, even so it occasionally feels like there is something like a generation gap .
「Alan has become an adult before we knew it . Perhaps He'll soon leave my side side . . . If I think about that I get lonely . 」
Cain-sama was expressing his grief and threw me a warm 『You're like his older sister so you understand, right?』 sort of smile .
Stop! Henchman, little brother or whatever, that load is to heavy for me!
When I looked over at Charlotte for help, she looked like she was having fun talking to Rits-kun .
「You wont go back, so this means you'll be staying in the royal capital . 」
「Yes . My family moved to the capital, though I want to see everyone from the village . . . 」
「Village? Ah I see . Lotte is from a pioneering village . From Gwynassis, right? Then you'd have to together with Katherina . 」
「That's right . . . recently it has come to a point where they started following me even in class, Katherina has yet to do anything but her followers are scary . 」
Those two seem to be talking about their plans for the upcoming long vacation .
So Charlotte-chan is staying in the capital .
No, more importantly . Just now Rits-kun called Charlotte-chan "Lotte" . They seem to have grown quite familiar! Just what sort of relationship are those two in! If I want to deepen my relationship with Charlotte-chan I'll have to get between them!
「Ryou-sama what will you be doing?」
Envious with Rits-kun's high social skills I started talking to with Charlotte-chan .
「I have plans to return to Rubyfallen . The Earl told me he wanted me to return . 」
Since I enrolled I had occasionally exchanged letters with Bashu-san . Mainly about agriculture, management of the territory, whether there were any problems and similar topics . I also got mysterious letters from Tagosaku-san at fixed intervals .
Tagosaku-san had started learning how to write . Using the words he learned he had sent something resembling story .
It began with 「A golden baby born from the bud of a dandelion . Born with a heart so pure all living beings were brought to tears . 」
Without thinking to hard about it I replied with 『Please don't write me!』 but every time there is a letter from Bashu-san there is a story from Tagosaku-san enclosed within . . . That person is frightening .
Leaving Tagosaku-san aside, Bashu-san had told me that if possible he wished for me to come back so he could talk about agriculture in person .
「So you're going back to Rubyfallen . . . If you didn't then I hoped you could come to Rainforest . . . What do you think?」
Cain-sama asked with a splendid serious face . Go to Rainforest?
「As a matter of fact I got a letter from mother and uncle Claude that they wanted to see you . 」
Claude-san and Irene-san . And even Stellsan .
It takes me back . I too wanted to see them .
Besides, I have to apologize for making them worry .
Rainforest is on the road to Rubyfallen, if I think about making a visit then perhaps . . .
If I get lost opening doors is like opening gacha .
「Sorry~ for the-! . . . Wait . 」
Mama had returned . She totally said the first part in her usual mannerisms .
I was interested in everyone's reaction, but they didn't seem to mind it much . She bowed with a feeling of 『Sorry for the intrusion』 .
I hurriedly served mama her share of the ice cream on a plate .
She ate my handmade ice cream and said it was tasty . And then I finally received the 『As expected of Ryou!』 I longed for .
As expected of mama Kou, she accurately said the words I wanted to hear the most .
While enjoying the compliment, I discussed our plans for the long term vacation with mama Kou .
「What? To Rainforest?」
After hearing from me if it was possible to stop by Rainforest mama Kou was left a bit surprised but returned to listening .
Cain-sama leaned in to ask mama Kou a question .
「Yes . My mother really wants to see Ryou . Even if it's just for a few days I hope you could spend some time at the Rainforest residence . Is it possible?」
「I see . . . What do you want?」
Mama Kou tilted her head and asked me if I wanted to go .
「Yes, I really want to meet them too and thank them for their hospitality . 」
「It should be fine I think . It isn't possible for me to close the shop during the entirety of Ryou's vacation so if you could take care of Ryou for me . I'll meet up afterwards and continue to Rubyfallen from there . 」
「Yes! Will do! Thank you very much!」
Cain-sama smiled while thanking mama Kou and called out to Alan .
「Alan! Ryou will come to Rainforest!」
Alan was squatting a little further from where we were sitting and was looking at the cream in the middle of the experiment with great interest .
I'm begging you, please don't touch the experiment .
When Cain-sama called him out, Alan who was in trance with the cream looked at us with a dumb look on his face .
「Vacation, to-, together with Ryou?」
「Yes, I'll be in your care」
「 . . . hmm」
Replying to me with 「hmm」, what a rude henchman . But it's the first time he's mumbling so I'm sure he's delighted .
I see . I'll be able to see the people at Rainforest again .
「Ah! Ryou! It has started to solidify a bit!」
While Alan was saying this he had lifted up the leather bag containing the cream that was in the middle of the experiment without my permission .
Hey! Didn't I tell you not to touch that!
I went to the spot while thinking that .
It was just as Alan said . The cream in the one that contained the ice magic stones had hardened, however the other one hadn't .
I see, with this the results are out!
Ah well, I already knew the outcome because we already made and ate ice cream .
But if you don't do a proper comparison you can't come to a correct understanding, or so it was written in a textbook from my previous life .
「Can we eat this?」
Alan asked while pointing at the leather bag .
Go ahead and eat it, is what I wanted to say but Alan already had some stuck on his cheek .
Hey, if you're gonna eat it anyway why bother asking? If you're that greedy I wont care if your stomach starts hurting .
「Huh? It's a different from the ice cream we ate before . It's crunchy . Though it's still tasty」
「Unlike before I didn't stir it while freezing, it also took longer to freeze so the ice crystals are bigger . 」
As I explained this to Alan, I silently recalled the conclusions of all the experiments up until now .
Ice magic stones have a similar effect to that of salt lowering the melting point of ice .
Holding it above a fire the flame became violet .
Licking it gave a salty taste .
So ice magic stones are the same as 『saltpeter』 in my previous life .
Translator notes
[1] The previous translator "translated" this as "Kou okaasan" .
[2] I wanted to use an appropriate English word but could only think of "transvestite" which didn't feel appropriate imho . I'm open to suggestions .
Chapter end
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