The souvenirs Shiro and the others bought were meat bun-like manju, which I could eat while cooking, so it was helpful.
As expected of Shiro. The manju was large, with thin dough and plenty of meat, just like her.
Well, thanks to that, one of them filled my stomach.
「M’lord? How much longer will you do this?」
「Hmm… A little more.」
「Doing the same task endlessly… It is already night. We still have two days, so let us stop working for today and sleep. If you store it in your spatial magic, it will be fine, right?」
「Well, that is true. But it is just a little more, until a good stopping point…」
「Sigh… You said that earlier too, but when will it be a good stopping point?」
That is what I want to ask…
The scum had almost disappeared, and oil was coming out from the bones, giving the water a yellowish tint and making it thicker.
However, the color should deepen further, so I wanted to continue until then, but I did not know how long it would take…
「Hmm. Lord. It already looks delicious.」
「It does… But I will do just a little more, so you two can sleep if you want.」
They had been with me for a long time, but the task ahead remained the same…
It would be boring for them, and I felt bad keeping them company.
「Sigh… Understood. M’lord, please go to sleep early too.」
「Yeah, I understand, I understand.」
「Hmm. Shiro will watch.」
「Okay. Then I will sleep first so I can move fully later.」
Sion said that and went to sleep first.
I was also getting sleepy and wanted to sleep soon, but… I would try a little harder.
「Is Shiro okay?」
「Hmm. Fine. Shiro will sleep with Lord.」
Ah, so cute…
When this is over, let us sleep plenty together. As I patted her head, Shiro narrowed her eyes and showed a comfortable expression.
「Lord. The scum has decreased.」
「Yes. The color has gradually deepened, so I think it is a little more. It seems I can sleep sooner than expected.」
「Hmm. It smells delicious. I look forward to it being done.」
Well, this was not the completion, but indeed, even just the aroma already seemed delicious.
「One last push. Let us do our best.」
「Hmm!」
There was a time when I thought it would be finished in just a little while.
「M’lord? What did I say?」
「…You told me to go to sleep early.」
「Shiro-san? Didn’t you say you would watch over M’lord? Were you really just watching?」
「Hmm. It took longer than expected.」
「I knew it! You were still doing it until I woke up! I was surprised! I peeked in, thinking you would surely be asleep, but you were still at it!」
Well, I thought it was about time, and when I looked up, it was morning… Surprising, isn’t it?
I did feel sleepy… Yes. I am sorry.
「So? How is the soup? Wah! It has decreased significantly! Did you two drink it all first!?」
「No, no… It just evaporated. We have not had a single sip yet.」
The volume of water had clearly decreased, and accordingly, the color of the soup had deepened.
Since almost all the scum had been removed, only oil floated on the surface, and beneath it lay a soup rich with dissolved umami. However, since it was not yet complete, we had not drunk any.
「Hmm. Lord. Is this completed?」
「No. After this, we will strain it, let it cool slightly, and then there is another process. Let us sleep while it cools.」
For now, I strained the soup using clean cloths of coarse and fine mesh, removing the bones, meat, and vegetables.
This completed the first stage… but it already looked delicious…
「Lord. Can I eat this meat?」
「Eh, sure, but… it probably… will not taste very good.」
「Hmm? Ahn! Mmm… Hmm?」
The removed meat had become mushy and did not look unappetizing, but as expected, Shiro tilted her head.
「Hmm… It is meat, but it does not taste good.」
「Eh!? What do you mean? Shiro-san saying meat does not taste good…! W-I will have one too!」
Sion followed Shiro and picked up a piece of the removed meat, putting it in her mouth, but her chewing speed gradually slowed down.
「How should I put it…? …Spongy? At first, it seems to have flavor, but the more I chew, the more subtle it becomes…」
I tried eating it as well, and I could clearly see that Sion was right; the meat had become quite subtle.
It felt like tasteless meat texture… Yes. Subtle.
「Also, the bones have become quite brittle.」
「I think all the umami from the meat, bones, and vegetables has dissolved into the soup.」
「Seriously… Then how delicious is this soup?」
Gulp. The two swallowed and looked at me.
Tasting is important in cooking… but seeing how the flavor had drained from the meat, I predicted it would not be bad.
So…
「Let us drink it after it is completed. Well then, I will sleep for a bit, and we will resume work when we wake up.」
「Eeh!? Understood… I look forward to its completion. Ah, do you need a body pillow?」
「Sorry, but I am fine.」
「Hmm. Shiro will sleep too.」
「Cheh. Well then, I will go gather information about Saragrim. If I am helpful, you will give me a reward, right?」
「Ah. That helps. Please take care of it. Yawn…」
「Yes! Good night!」
Sion waved goodbye and seemed to head off for information gathering with ninja-like movements.
I headed to the sleeping quarters with Shiro… Yawn… Sleepy.
「Hmm. Lord looks sleepy.」
「Shiro too, right?」
「Hmm. Lord worked too hard.」
「Hmm… Well. I want to solve this problem quickly and return to Einzheil.」
「Hmm. …Thank you, Lord.」
「What is it. It is nothing much.」
When I rubbed her head, she let go of my hand after accepting it for a while, and climbed onto my back.
「Lord. I look forward to the completion.」
「Yes. Let us do our best for one more person, whatever the taste may be.」
「Hmm!」
I reached the bed with Shiro on my back, but Shiro came to the front and seemed to sleep while hugging me.
Since I also became sleepy in no time, I decided to sleep as is.
Well… I slept until evening, but since my sleepiness had cleared, shall we do the last spurt?
「Ooh… The appearance has suddenly worsened… Is it okay?」
The soup that had been completed earlier seemed to have cooled on the surface, resulting in a jiggly gelatinous layer. Indeed, the appearance did not look very good, but it should be fine if reheated.
First, I mixed minced beef, chopped aromatic vegetables, a large amount of tomatoes, and egg whites, then transferred them into the large pot.
I added the cooled soup from earlier and reheated it while stirring… but it looked messy, so it did not look very appetizing…
「Hmm… It looked more delicious just now.」
「Right? Right? Is it okay, M’lord?」
「It should be… Probably.」
I was getting a bit anxious, but I remembered it should look like this, so it should be fine.
I kept the temperature below boiling. The added egg whites coagulated the scum, and if I moved it too much, the egg whites would scatter and not coagulate properly, so I left it alone without touching the pot.
Then, the egg whites that had absorbed the scum solidified on the surface, causing a large amount of white scum to appear. I collected them and returned them to the center.
「That is scum, right? Are you not removing it?」
「Ah. These floating things are filtering the scum.」
「Hmm. Is it a white soup?」
「No, it should become a golden-colored soup…」
Shiro asked if it was a white soup because so much scum was appearing, but it should clear up afterward. As I continued, the white scum gradually disappeared, and the soup inside began to show.
At this timing, I added salt, pepper, and herbs to adjust the flavor, and continued the process of gathering the scum in the center.
With this, the white scum stopped appearing, and the color gradually deepened. Since I was making a large amount in a big pot, it should eventually turn brownish… Um… Huh?
「Is it… completed?」
「Ah, it should be completed after straining…」
「Um, M’lord? You said it would be a golden-colored soup, right?」
「Ah, ah…」
「Um… Golden color, if referring to food, is that brownish thing, right?」
「Ah… Shion and I probably have the same understanding.」
I understood what she wanted to say.
I was thinking the same thing.
「Lord. The soup is shining.」
「It is shining.」
「It is golden.」
「It is golden.」
The soup sleeping beneath the floating scum and minced meat was emitting an unmistakable golden glow.
…Why is it shining!?
「Will the light stop if we strain it?」
「Probably not!? I do not know either!」
I had no idea why!
It was cooking normally until just now!
I did not put in any ingredients that looked like they would shine!?
「F-For now… taste test… shall we taste it?」
「Yes… Fortunately, the aroma feels first-class… Let us strain it and then drink it.」
I had slightly hoped, as Shion suggested, that the light would stop if strained… but there was no way that would happen.
Leave a Reply