Satou's here. Do you like curry? I think that the genuine specialty-made curry and pouch curry are both delicious in their own ways. However it was painful when my clothes smelled of curry after the lunch break that resulted in the women employees looking coldly at me.
◇
Now then, let's begin the preparation for the curry festival tonight.
I asked Lua-san in the morning to reserve one of the squares.
Large pots are lined up on the ground.
The large pot is big enough to fit a man inside, and it has eight feet on the bottom. They're not for walking of course, but for creating about 10 centimeters gap when the pot is put on the ground.
During our stay at the duchy capital, I made a lot of these pots in the underground labyrinth, they were made to be heated with the [Flame Field] magic.
"You two, please help me peel the vegetables."
"Yes."
"Understood."
"Liza, teach Nana how to do chamfering."
"Yes, please leave it to me."
I entrust Liza and Nana to peel the vegetables. I take out the chicken meat that I've left pickling since before the duchy capital out of the Item Box and pass it to Lulu.
I'd like to use chicken cutlets as the topping, but I guess the chicken meat isn't quite enough is it?
"Mia, is there anyone I can ask some chicken meat from?"
"Nn, Hiya."
Her word is few, but Hiya-shi is most likely a hunter. After Mia beat her thin breasts doing "Leave it to me" gesture, she ran accompanied by Pochi and Tama on her flanks.
Are you guys going to catch Roc bird?
The shortage of personnel for the vegetable peeling is immediately supplemented.
The researcher of hero's dishes, Nea-san leads some adult woman elves who like to cook to help. I entrust several people that Nea-san's brought, and Lulu to do the work that would take some time to finish.
Nea-san and me are going to fry the onions.
Fry it carefully.
Slowly and carefully.
Slowly and carefully.
Nea-san is cooking while frequently looking here.
It's complete when the onions have turned yellowish-brown.
I have Lulu to change place with me and mass produce it together with Nea-san. It's written in the memo that this onions give slight sweet taste to the curry, so it's quite important. I make the onions that are big enough, and some carrots to be shaped like stars and crescent moons, I just need to arrange them afterward.
I feel lonesome stares looking here from the shade of a tree. It's Arisa and Aialize-san.
This is troubling.
Letting Arisa to cook is seriously a flag for failure. In case of Aialize-san, I can't help but imagine her tripping the pot and gets splattered by the inside of the pot.
I beckon them, here here.
Arisa and Aialize-san points their finger toward themselves while having "Me?" faces.
When I nod to that, they smile like in full bloom, and rush here hurriedly.
When I think of this time, it hurts my heart.
"Ehehehe~"
"I-is there anything I can do?"
I say, "Yes", and pass baskets with candies from the duchy capital inside to them. I push thin stick candies to the mouth of the two who have received the baskets with blank faces.
Arisa seems to have noticed my intention as she crush the candy in her mouth while looking reluctant. Aialize-san doesn't seem to quite understand, she's eating the candy with slightly red face. Her expression is a bit erotic.
"Please distribute the candies to the pixies so they don't disturb us."
Ah, please don't put that "I've been betrayed!" face. With the basket hung on her arm, Arisa pulls the teary eyed Aialize-san to the square and gathers the pixies. I'm sorry Arisa. I'm leaving it to you to babysit the pixies and Aialize-san.
◇
The flame that's dancing wildly is heating the pots. When it has boiled, I relax the flame and remove the lye.
This work is really quite troublesome. I pass some ladles to Nana and Liza who were looking at it so interestedly. The two methodically scoop out the lye. Only the serious Liza and the hobbyist Nana can do such troublesome work so steadily. I'll reward the two later.
Halfway through it, some elf men who look like they're in military seemed to be attracted by Liza's serious expression, they began to take part removing the lye. You guys, why does the atmosphere becomes as if you're doing a serious match.... Since it feels like I've lost if I retort them, I leave them alone.
Now then, once the lye have been removed, and the vegetables have been cooked, I just need put the curry powder next.
I'll leave the state of the vegetables' to Nea-san.
I'm going to prepare the garnishes at once.
I prepare many fried food as the topping together with Lulu. Whale karages and cutlets, fried prawns, wild boar cutlets, and fried white fish meat. Halfway through, I appoint Lulu as the teacher to guide the elf women the way to help.
Now then, I'll prepare the deep-fried paprikas, and pumpkins for Mia.
I only preliminary arrange these, the frying is for later.
I fry the sweet potatoes that I've thinly sliced before. I put it in a small basket, and bring it to the place where Arisa is playing Sugoroku with the pixies.
"Arisa, I've come to bring more snack."
"Uwah! It's potato chips! Is it alright? It's alright for me to eat it right?!"
"Share it with everyone."
Potato chips was among the item that I forbade during the diet back then, so I rarely ever cooked it. I've also told Lulu not to make it, so it might have already been one month I guess. I have some carbonated water that I got during the oak ores gathering, I'll try to make soda if I have some chance later.
"Okay! Popo, Lili, line up the pixies in a line! I'll distribute the wonderful snack from the hero's country you know."
"Aye aye sir, ain't it!"
"Oh you, Arisa, you're exaggerating."
"But, it smells nice~"
Potato chips seem to be popular with the pixies too. I can hear relatively angry voice of Arisa from behind. Work hard, Arisa.
I prepare sweet drink for people who are bad with bitter ones while hearing such voice from behind me. I'm just putting some Ugi sugar into cooled cow milk. The drink outward appearance become like green tea because I put this sugar which has green tea color. After the pseudo green tea latte fill three large bottles, I cool it with magic. I need to operate the magic delicately since it must not freeze over, but it's not that difficult.