When we get back to the earl's mansion, lady Karina who's got left behind tries to pick a quarrel with me, but she quickly forgives me after Pochi and Tama present her with the matching shinsegumi's haori, and the headband as souvenirs. She's quite calculating.
Lady Karina's maids group raise cheer of joy when I tell them that I'm in charge of the cooking tonight, but since I don't think I could make anything extravagance, it's troubling when they're this happy.
For the sake of fixing Pochi's hate with fish, I'm making a fish dish today.
"How about it, Arisa helped dressed me, do you think it suits me?"
"It suits you really well."
I answer half-heartedly to lady Karina who purposely comes to the kitchen to show me the haori she's wearing. Is she really that happy for the matching outfit with Pochi and the others?
I make the fish into minced meat.
It hits upon me when I see the dumplings for the ration yesterday; the fish meat hamburg steak. I slightly mix in goat fat to add some subtle flavors, since the taste would be too plain with just fish meat. I'm unsure with the amount of eggs I have in stock for this. Since Karina maids group looks to be free, let's ask them to buy some eggs.
"Master, the oil is boiling."
I ask Lulu to fry the potatoes. Potato is a must for hamburg steak.
Next, I quickly make the carrot glace. The potatoes are piling up, I'll make mashed potatoes from it. I put the asparagus look-a-like as the garnish.
The Worcester-like sauce that I've got from the head chef in Gururian city is going to be the sauce. I can make it myself since I've been taught the recipe too, but it's not usable for now since it needs fermentation. Therefore, I decide to use the ones from the parting gift just like that.
"Pochi!""Tama!"
The two people call each other's name and hug when they see the hamburg steak. Are you really that happy? That remind me, they're also overjoyed when I make it with ordinary meat back then. There's no sauce at that time, so I make a faux sauce with the soy sauce as the base.
I tell everyone beforehand that there is no additional serving for the hamburg steak, so they eat it while savoring the taste.
"Delishya~"
"Though it's different from before, it's delicious nodesu."
"Delicious~♪"
Looks like it's quite popular.
"It's the first time I've eaten this dish."
"I'm eating such luxurious dish that even Karina-sama hasn't eaten!"
"Erina, stop being vulgar during the meal."
The mouths that need to feed have increased with lady Karina's and her maid group'. I'm the one who invited them at first, but the maid group are eating together before I know it.
"Pochi, is it delicious?"
"Yes, nano desu!"
"Really?"
"Real, ly, nano desu!"
Pochi bends her body with the "Real", and stretch out her whole being with the "Ly" to express the deliciousness. It's cute, but I have to tell her the truth here.
"Pochi-kun."
"Yes, captain."
Captain is it.
"I have a serious thing to report."
"Aye."
Why are you saluting.
"That hamburg steak is made with fish."
"Fissh meat nano desu?"
Pochi leans her head to one side. Why are you using strange intonation.
"Like I said, it's not meat, it's fish."
"L, lie nano desu! Master is a bully nano desu."
"Pochi-chan, it's not a lie. I was beside master so I saw it too. It was certainly made with minced fish."
"Gaa~n, nano desu."
Pochi falls to the ground while supported by both her hands. Why are you shocked to that extent.
Tama pats the shoulder of Pochi who's fallen down.
"Pochi."
"Tamaa."
Tama strongly puts her thumbs up and continues her words.
"Delicious is~ Justice!"
"!"
Pochi is astonished with Tama's words.
It somehow stinks of a small theatric play, so I glance at Arisa who averts her eyes. So you really are the one behind this.
"Tama speaks the truth nodesu. Delicious thing is supreme nano desu!"
Pochi raises her face, and gazes at the sky with an expression as if enlightened. Since we're indoor, the only thing that could be seen there is the chandelier, but no one is retorting.
For the time being, Pochi has become better with fish. When we're eating fish dish, she asks me or Lulu to take out the bones, but she doesn't dislike it anymore.
◇
"Arisa, do you want to read this book?"
"Nn~? The book you've bought with Toruma ossan? Is there a book for intermediate level light magic?"
Arisa invited me to the bathroom when we were relaxing on the sofa after meal, so I changed the subject to avert her attention. The bathroom here is for single-person use only with a bath tub, so I can't relax if I get intruded during the bath.
"T, these are!"
I show Arisa the magic book for intermediate level light magic, explosion magic, and destruction magic manual.
"Kuh, if I dye my hair to pink, I'd exactly become the heroine."
Yeah yeah.
Next, I take out the space magic book that only has the spells written in it.
"What's this one? The book looks to be very badly managed..."
Arisa's expression changes after she sees the spell.
"Hey, don't tell me this is space magic?"
"It is."
"Don't, say, it, so easily~~~."
I slightly pull away from Arisa who's loaded her words with excessive force while saying, "Uga".
"It surely is unusual, but people who can use space magic aren't that rare right?"
From what I see in all the cities I've been so far, shadow magic is the rarest. I've never seen any user beside Zen.
The runner-ups are explosion, destruction, and mind magic, beside lady Ringrande and Arisa, the only other users of those magic are demons and the demon lord.
Following it are ghost, summoning, and space magic, their users are few, but in a big city, there are several people who can use them.
"What are you saying! It's space magic you know, space magic! It's not a standard cheat!"
"It'd be convenient if there's a teleport magic, but you don't have enough skill points to learn space magic right?"
Arisa's degree of excitement has decreased somewhat.
I'm sorry to spoil the fun, but even if there is a teleport magic, it'd be an advanced level.
"Fuhahaha, since when did you misunderstand that skill points are fixed?"
Arisa looks down from the sofa while looking proud.
That's a surprise.