Chapter 31

Chapter 31: That time when I had a confusingly unlucky day

Un, it was peaceful on the way back .

However, once the gatekeeper I was acquainted with noticed me as I got to the gate, he said .

Hey, hey! Youre pretty loaded, right! Hurry up and take it all out!

He suddenly said that while laughing so this is probably just an act . There are not a lot of people at the gate so Im sure he has some free time . I was the type that could easily read and go with the mood back in my previous life so why dont I try getting into it this time as well!

H-hiiiiii! This is all that I have . Its true, honest . Please forgive me

I took out the exact amount needed for the toll from my wallet and handed it over .

Tsk! Fine . Ill just let you off with this much for today

While saying that, he tapped my shoulder and let me through the gate .

Oi, wait

Crap! Its my superior officer (Whats he doing here)

That guy you were playing around with as well

Thought so

Theres a saying a hedge between keeps friendships green . That saying is even more appropriate right now since youre still on duty right now . Do you understand?

Yes . Im sorry

I was also given a warning while he was examining my papers .

So youre called Caam . Youre at fault as well . You may have become close with this guy since you frequently pass by here because of your work as a laborer at the protective wall construction site but I hope you understand that you shouldnt be joking around while hes still in the middle of his duties

Yes . It is as you say

Ill let you off with just a warning for now but next time Im going to sentence you community service and youll get your salary cut

yes

That sermon in the guardroom took around 10 minutes before we were let off .

Sorry about that . Next time, Ill pick a better time

No, lets just not do that at all

Even though Im almost forty inside, I just went along with it like a young man in high school . To make up for that, Ill treat him next time .

I returned to my room and put down my things so that I can go out to shop for ingredients for dinner . However, when I went out, Torene-san was there waiting for me .

Uhm, can I help you or something?

Ive been feeling lonely during these past two days you were away Ill pay you so make me some sweets!

She had a desperate look while saying that . Whats this about?

Um what exactly do you mean?

What Im saying is that Ive been waiting for those sweets you make on a whim . Thats how it is so please, Im begging you

Even if you look at me with those imploring eyes

If you dont make some, Ill start crying in your room you know! Youll die you know!

What are you suddenly saying in such a cute voice? She looks like a little girl but if I remember correctly, the horse next door said that shes a banshee . In my previous life, its said that when you hear somebody crying, its a sign that someones going to die though . Even if she cries inside a specific room in an apartment complex, wouldnt the probability of it being me still be pretty low?

Ah yeah, sure . I understand . I was about to go out shopping anyway

Im already sick of the sweets around this area so I wanted to eat something different

Haa Is that so?

Then, Ill leave it to you

So it has already been decided Ahgeez what a pain . Fine, Ill just make both at the same time . Since Im doing as told, I wonder if theyll start thinking that Im a pushover .

*

I already bought the ingredients for dinner and those sweets . I guess I should start making those sweets first . While the BGM of a famous 3-minute cooking show1 was playing in my head, I started working .

*tere te te te te, tere te te te, tere tetete~*2

Right now, Im receiving the stares of two people in front of me . So it increased by one

Why is Frache-san also here?

Hm? I came since I heard Torene-sans voice . Youre making sweets right? If so then I wanted to have some too

Youre usually so respectable so itll trouble me if you say that with such a smug face .

Yeah, yeah . Its fine . It doesnt really matter if its just one persons share or five . Ive already given up

I arranged the ingredients in front of me

Im paying him to make it so if youre having it together with me, you should shoulder half of it

Fine fine . Ill also pay so stop glaring at me .

It seems like Im going to be paid for my efforts for making sweets .

So, what are you going to make?

Just a simple cake

Cake you say!You can make cakes!?

Its just a simple one, okay?

Its better to separate your hobby from your job you know . Otherwise, youre going to start hating your own hobby

To be honest, there are only a few hobbies you can do here in this world so it couldnt be helped that all that I could do was cook . There are no games here after all . Well, the hero apparently introduced Reversi and Chess in this world so there are those I guess

Hmm that seems pretty reasonable . That makes sense .

Now then, the cakes I know how to make are pancakes, pound cakes, and chiffon cakes . Among these, the cheapest one to make is pancakes but that doesnt really look like a cake so I guess Ill just make a chiffon cake . I could turn it into a layered cake if I just bake a sponge cake right now but I wont since its pretty tiring to manually make the frosting .

They dont have those chiffon cake pans here in this world so I guess Ill just put one of those iron cups that adventurers use in the middle of the baking pan . Still, its quite tough working with somebody watching you .

Well, I have no choice but to do it though . First I separate the egg yolks from the whites, place them in a bowl and mix in sugar and flour . In another bowl, I beat the egg whites and gradually add in sugar until stiff peaks . When thats done, I add the meringue to the batter in three parts and fold it in .

After that, all I have to do is coat the pan with butter and put it in the oven . If you stick in a skewer and it comes out clean then the cake is done .

Because of the enticing smell, a landlady, a horse and another person I havent seen before were added to the number of participants .

First impression: Reaaaally scary

I didnt notice them since was facing the oven to check if its done so when I turned back, he was already sitting in one of the chairs . I was so surprised that I almost leaped out but since hes here, I thought that hes probably one of the residents so I was able to resist letting out a scream . Thank you, that one game I like . Thanks to you I ended up not screaming . If I had met him at the corridor in the middle of the night then I might have screamed and wet my pants .

As for how scary he is, hes about 2 meters tall, has red eyes and a greyish black, hairless, and moist body . Would it be easier to understand if I say that the opening of his mouth reached the base of his ears and has razor-sharp teeth?3

Hes wearing his leather armor and his sword is still attached to his waist . I wonder if he just got off from work . Please wipe the blood splatters off first at least .

Ah, nice to meet you

Ah, so youre Caam . The names Folly[] . Thanks for all those sweets . It was delicious

Huuuh? He looks scary but is very polite . Is he actually a really nice person? Wait, what race is he even from? One of the aquatic ones? Well, I shouldnt really worry about that .

Ah, okay

I could only reply like that because his response was completely different from what I had imagined .

Hmm Its sweet . And also fluffy

Its cute how shes flapping her feet .

Hmm, this is so

Please dont vigorously chew on it with a serious face .

Hmm . Its really tasty, isnt it

The horse continued eating it with a smile on his face . I havent received any proper comments about it so I cant really tell how it turned out .

Dont just quietly eat there . Please give me some kind of comment .

Umu the softness is similar to that of a chicks feather . The sweetness is also just right and the taste of the egg even complements it . If its like this, it really is strange why youre working day labor jobs

Thank you very much for that kind comment . Wait, he cant really hear it if I just say it in my head, can he?

Un, its okay . Compared to the freshly cooked western sweets I ate in my previous life, its neither good nor bad . It truly is just okay .

Thank you for the meal

Youre welcome

It was the same in my previous life but even in this world, the easiest way to get along with someone is through their stomach .

We started chatting after having that afternoon snack . They asked about how about how did I manage to catch a fly on the wall using a knife and where did I take that knife out from so I told them how I did my throwing practice in the village . I talked about how I practiced with stones first, then a knife and an axe as well as how I refined my knife magic .

So you can also do something like that

Frache-san suddenly said something like that with a serious face .

Could you teach me how to do that? Asking someone to teach their own personal magic is the same as asking them to hand out their personal treasures but could you somehow make an exception an teach me?

She suddenly bowed her head as she said that .

Well, I guess its impossible . Just teaching your magic like that isAh, its okay

Huh!?So quick! You agreed to that really easily! And here I was racking my brains out on how to express how I feel but you just brushed that off with that phrase!

Ah, sorry bout that but when I was still going to school back in my village, there was a time I taught everyone in class a trick to using magic . This may be a different way of thinking compared to other mages but I taught everyone in the village so that it would make our lives even easier

After saying that, I produced an obsidian knife on top of my palm . Lightly grabbed it and swing it around like a teachers pointer while taking out a lump of obsidian .

To be honest, this black knife is made from this stone . This stone was formed from glass so it may look like glass but its actually a rock . That means this is originally naturally produced . I believe it comes from lava that has cooled down and solidified or something like that . When you break off a piece of this rock, that piece would have really sharp edges

FumuHmmReally?

There are times when broken glass can cut stuff right? Its the same as that . Please use the image of a hard broken glass that becomes a knife .

Ohh

Its amazing how everyone said that at the same time . Im sure that Frache-san and Folly-san understood that but I dont think Torena-san does .

Thats pretty easy to imagine, isnt it?

Un un . And arent you underestimating me a little?

It certainly is easy to understand . Have you thought about actually trying to take up the teachers cane?

No, well, I really think its best that we just leave that to people who really like studying . Besides, I wont be able to do it since I only have one way of teaching and Im afraid of permanently changing the students lives . Ah, and about this things weakness, once the magic power you use in making this runs out, it will disappear . The stronger the impact it receives, the quicker it would disappear as well . Because of that, if you use this as a sword, it could suddenly disappear and the worst thing that could happen is youll die . Since its still glass, its brittle so I strongly recommend you use it just for throwing

UnderstoodKayIll make sure not to forget

Theres also the compensation given by the skill though .

Like that, Torene-san immediately tried throwing a knife . However, instead of sticking to it, the part that hit the wall was the handle so it fell to the floor, broke in half and disappeared .

Ah

She sounded pretty disappointed but Id get pretty depressed if she actually managed to make it stick on the first try . I could understand it if it was somebody who has always been throwing knives though .

Fumu *Thunk*

Like this? *Thok*

UmuYey

The two of them did a high five and seemed to be pleased .

Folly-san, I wont be able to see you as anything but someone who does that kind of thing all the time so please stop it . My imagination is going out of control, or should I say, your smile is really scary . That the face you see just before your neck gets bitten off .

It was already dinner time so we ended our conversation and I started cooking once again . Ill just skimp out today and use some of the ingredients I used for the cake to make french toast .

Eh? You put the bread into that egg and sugar mixture?

Are you going to bake that? Ah what a nice smell

Looks delicious

I was going to explain the step by step procedure to make it but decided to just make it quietly .

Okay, its done

I would probably have to explain why its called French toast so Ill just tell them its a pseudo-pancake .

Ooh, please let me try a bit~

This girl whos older than me but looks like a young girl cutely said that . If you just look at her appearance, I think that this person is cute . However, she gets overbearing once in a while, just like when we first met .

Ah, sure go ahead . Ive already given up and I knew you were going to say that so thats why you guys can just go ahead and take some

I said that as I was making the second batch for me to eat .

Lets see

Im not sure if he likes sweet things or he was just really interested but I was a bit surprised when Folly-san also took one .

Hahtoday wasnt such a good day for me . Ever since I came back, I was scolded, made to make sweets and a part of my dinner was taken from me

There was also Folly-san who was really scary . Well, whatever . I guess I should just go to bed so that I can wake up early tomorrow .

Because of the long walk back, I was able to sleep surprisingly quickly .