After Mother finished her errands, it was my turn to shop.
Everyday goods, food, and small consumables—I stuffed everything that could fit into my backpack and arranged for delivery of the bulkier items, like milk cans.
For an additional fee, they’d deliver it all the way to the outskirts of town, specifically to Ji-Liz’s place.
「Sorry for the trouble.」
「No trouble at all! In fact, it’s great for us. The extra delivery fee helps, and the apprentices practically fight over the chance to meet the dragons.」
The shopkeeper, a large man who ran a dairy shop, chuckled as he spoke.
「Besides, Sui-san comes up with all kinds of cakes and sweets, don’t you? Dairy farming is a big industry here in Sidera. Just having you around makes everyone happy—from the farmers to the café owners, even down to my apprentices.」
To contribute to Sidera’s economy, I tried to buy dairy products locally instead of relying on the Dragon’s Village. Over there, I’d mostly be taking what the Lamia-sans shared.
「Well, I’ll count on you again.」
「Sure thing! Always a pleasure!」
The shopkeeper waved vigorously, his round belly shaking as he saw us off.
-0-
「Speaking of cakes… there’s only one errand left: Skylark Pavilion, right? 」
「Yeah. I promised Tomoe-san I’d teach her the recipe for blancmange.」
As we walked, Mother asked me,
「Bark! Wuff!」
Hearing the mention of “Skylark Pavilion,” Chocola began bouncing around my legs.
「…You still want milk, huh?」
「Bark, bark-bark!」
「Ah, so Tomoe-san’s is a special treat.」
「Fufu. Like Sui-kun and Karen, Chocola’s still growing, after all.」
「Bark!」
「Hard to believe I once thought you were an old grandpa. Feels like ages ago now.」
「Kwuunn?」
Thinking back, you’ve always been full of energy—still loving your walks, with a shiny coat, never falling ill, and eating with such a hearty appetite. You’re nothing like an old dog.
It made me happy. But at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling a pang of sadness. Earthly common sense told me “he’s nearing the end,” and seeing his vitality only made that knowledge more painful.
Right now, his boundless energy brings me nothing but pure joy, without a hint of worry.
「That taste is unique to Skylark Pavilion, after all. I guess I can’t blame him.」
「Bark!」
※※※
「I see… It’s true, as you said, cornstarch does give it a brighter whiteness. But practically speaking, the quality of the sauce plays a much bigger role.」
About thirty minutes later.
At Skylark Pavilion, we headed straight to the kitchen with Tomoe-san.
Chocola stayed in the hallway outside, thoroughly content with his special milk. Be good while we’re working, okay?
「Since blancmange is a chilled dessert, maintaining its consistency even with a cold sauce is essential. Cornstarch works far better than potato starch for that.」
「I briefly considered mixing the sauce into the base for flavor, but that would ruin the texture. This smooth mouthfeel is the key, after all.」
「Exactly. Plus, it would affect the color. By pairing it with seasonal jam sauces, you can keep the base pure white while adding vibrant accents.」
We discussed the nuances of blancmange as we sampled the test batch. As expected, Tomoe-san quickly grasped the dessert’s potential.
「By the way, Viole-sama, thank you so much for helping out.」
「Oh, don’t worry. It was nothing.」
Tomoe-san bowed to Mother, who smiled and shook her head.
Since blancmange requires a chilling step during preparation, we had Mother assist to speed up the process. Her magic, which rapidly cooled and absorbed heat, left Tomoe-san in awe.
「I may not be an adventurer, but I am still a mage. Even so, this level of magic is overwhelming.」
According to her, just meeting a mage with the title of “witch” was considered a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck. To have a personal connection with one was almost unheard of.
「It’s not such a big deal. I’m just your friend’s mother, and I happen to be a little good at magic. Can’t we leave it at that?」
「Yes… You’re right. If I’m overly formal, it might come across as disrespectful.」
Still, even with Mother’s presence, Tomoe-san didn’t act overly deferential. She didn’t see her as the legendary “Heavenly Bell Witch,” but simply as Viole Mucare Hatano, a family of Sui Hatano.
「If you plan to serve it at your shop, you should source cornstarch from Alfheim. I think Alice-san can handle it well for you.」
「You know, I said being overly formal might be disrespectful, but could you not casually bring up absurdly influential figures like ‘witches,’ foreign nations, or the progenitor elves so lightly?」
「Oh, that reminds me. The princess of the Sorx Kingdom might visit incognito soon. I’d love for her to try Skylark Pavilion’s sweets—can I count on you?」
「Are! You! Even! Listening! To! Me!?」
Though Tomoe-san’s hair practically stood on end, she didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. I had noticed—there was strength in her gaze, and light in her eyes.
「I told you this because it’s you, Tomoe-san. I believe you can do it—spreading the use of cornstarch and impressing a princess’s palate.」
「…Guess I’ve got no choice.」
She huffed, crossing her arms, and eventually smiled in a way that betrayed a bit of embarrassment.
「Looks like there’ll be even more taste-testing. I just hope my husband doesn’t end up gaining weight.」
「Schnei-san’s a bit on the thin side, isn’t he? Maybe it’d be good for him to put on a little weight.」
「For your information, I prefer slim gentlemen.」
Her mischievous smirk was accompanied by a faint blush. I decided to keep my inner thoughts to myself, but—
「Ara ara, could it be that you don’t actually prefer slim men, but just happened to fall for one who is?」
「V-Viole-sama!?」
Mother cut in mercilessly, and Tomoe-san’s cheeks quickly turned crimson.
「Mother, was that really necessary…?」
「Why not? Falling in love with someone—that’s just how it is.」
Her teasing tone carried a profound warmth.
So I shrugged, scooped up a spoonful of the blancmange we’d been testing, and enjoyed it quietly on my own.
——————————————————
TIPS: On Magic for Heat Absorption
In earlier discussions, it was established that interacting with existing matter through magic is generally challenging, and energy transfer falls under this category.
Specifically, using fire-based magic to 「transfer heat away from an object to cool it down」 is a highly advanced technique. This is partly due to the conceptual mismatch with the world’s perception of fire as something that inherently heats. Consequently, only a few can wield such magic.
In contrast, the magic Karen occasionally uses at Sui’s request—to 「extract moisture from matter (dry it out)」—also involves energy transfer but is more intuitive and easier to conceptualize. As a result, it’s significantly less challenging than heat manipulation. While it consumes more magical energy, it’s a skill that’s relatively common among mages.
In Sidera, this drying magic is widely utilized in the process of making consommé.
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