318 - - Episode 316 Small Progress

We returned from the Kingdom of Beryl and handed out souvenirs to the little army plus Gina. I was relieved to see that they were quite well received. Now we have to get some souvenirs for Ruby and Sylphy. Sylphy and her friends will probably go straight into the banquet, so they will be the last to go.

Ruby and her friends are next. But don't expect too much, because I bought food and other things for Ruby and her friends..."

"Just having food is enough for me!　What kind of food is that?

Ruby, who had been waiting for me, asks me with sparkling eyes. I tried to take precautions, but Ruby and the others seemed to have no problem as long as there were foodstuffs.

"I've bought a certain amount of fish, but they are going to get sore fast, so I'll give you a few at a time for now.

The freshly-finished fish from the fishmonger's shop are laid out on the table. They are wrapped in a large leaf, so the table will not get too dirty. If they do get dirty, the life magic of cleaning will clean them up.

"Oh, Deanne, would you put ice around the fish for me?

"I'll do it!　I'll take care of the food storage!"

Saffy, the quiet one among Ruby and the others, stood up with a spirited voice. By the way, she had said that she had learned ice magic, which is difficult for water spirits to use, in order to manage the foodstuffs Ruby and the others had acquired. Maybe they have some kind of technique for preserving foodstuff.

Saffi, please..."

"Yes!"

Saffy, in her zeal, creates ice around the fish she has taken out. I don't know, but maybe there is a secret in the size of the ice.

"Thank you Saffy. Now we have all kinds of fish except eels.

"Oh, salmon, char, landlocked salmon, ayu, wakasagi, lots of freshwater fish!

Ruby and her friends are as excited as children with a new toy.

"It's just, I don't really know how to cook freshwater fish. Do you know how to cook it?

I know some dishes like nattoroni and chanchan-yaki, but I don't know how to make them. I think I can make chanchan-yaki, but only after I finish the seasoning miso and soy sauce. Oh, maybe I can make smoked salmon. If it's smoked, other freshwater fish would be tasty too. And I want to make tempura of wakasagi.

"I think that grilled river fish is the best."

Ruby's knowledge seems to be similar to mine. Well, I guess I'm not going to be able to overturn his common sense with eels, since ...... white-broiled eels would mean grilled eels. I'll try to overturn that rule with wakasagi tempura or kabayaki eel once I've perfected the soy sauce.

"In that case, I'll tell you a little about how to cook river fish that I know. I'll teach you how to cook river fish that I know.

"Oh, I know what you mean!　I'm looking forward to it!"

"Now I just need Ruby and the others to help me remove the mud from these eels. In the meantime, I'd like you to keep the eels alive for two more days, changing the clean water every so often.

I check with Ruby and the others as I open the lid of the barrel Sylphy brought me.

Perhaps curious, when I opened the lid of the barrel, Belle and the others came to take a peek, and they were making a lot of noise. Yes, they are indeed wriggling around. I'm a little taken aback when I see them up close, too.

"Leave it to me to change the water. I'll take care of the water change. I'll make sure they're perfectly ripe."

Yes! Saffy raises her hand. Saffy is doing a great job today.

Well then, take good care of him. I'll teach you how to cook eels in two days. ...... Two days later, the spirits are coming to visit. You don't think you'll have time?"

"I'm used to it now, it's all right!　So I need you to teach me how to cook eels!　I'm curious to know if eels taste good or not!"

Ruby comes at me with gusto. It's good to be motivated. I'll show him how to cook it in the nick of time. I tell Ruby I understand and give Emme the items for the general store. That completes the souvenirs for Ruby and her friends.

"Hey, can I talk to Yuta's brother about something?"

"Consultation?　I don't mind if I ask you for advice, but can we do it after I give Sylphy and the others their souvenirs?"

If Saffy is asking for advice, is it about storing foodstuffs?　I can't imagine consulting with a senior spirit, so I'm a little nervous.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll take care of it."

"Hi there, Yuta's brother!　I need to talk to you too!　I've just finished a new menu for dinner tonight, and I want you all to have a taste!"

"A new menu, that's fine with me, but is it okay with everyone else?"

I call out to everyone gathered in the living room, and there is no opposition. Rather, they are nodding their heads in amusement. If there are no objections, then of course I'm fine with it.

"Okay. I'll leave it to Ruby to make dinner tonight. We don't have much time, okay?"

"It's not a problem!　I'm going to go make it right now and you'll be waiting for me!"

Ruby runs off in a dash, full of motivation. The fact that she runs away instead of flying away shows her familiarity with the sanctuary. Following Ruby, Emme, Citrine, and Onyx leave the living room.

"Now for the souvenirs for Sylphy and the others. Well, as you probably know, it's alcohol. You're going to drink it now, right?"

The great spirits nodded in agreement. It was so predictable that neither I nor the spirits were at all surprised. I wonder if this is a good souvenir.

I set out a barrel each of ale, red wine, white wine, rosé wine, and mead from the Kingdom of Beryl, wondering a little.

"Ruby will prepare dinner for you, and you can have a real drink afterwards.

"Okay."

Sylphy replies lightly and heads for the keg. I wonder if he is listening to me.

"Well, compared to the red wine from the labyrinth city, this one has a stronger aroma.

"Yes, it is. The grapes used in the wine seem to be different, and I can't wait to taste it."

"I like mead first, sister. It's a specialty of the Kingdom of Beryl.

Nomos, Dolly, and Dine look intently into the casks and decide on the order in which to drink. ...... even the Great Spirits get drunk when they are materialized, but they are originally quite strong, so they will be fine until dinner. After handing out the gifts, I sink into the sofa, relieved. Now I have to talk to Saffy, who is also looking into the sake barrel, so we'll have to wait until she's calmed down a bit before we talk.

"Yoo-tah," "cue," "welcome back," "koo-koo," "you're back," "......"

After I had taken my time to relax, the belles gathered around to see if I had finished handing out the souvenirs. They tried their best to report what had happened while I was gone.

Yes, my visit to the Kingdom of Beryl was fun and I don't regret it, but I'm also happy to spend time playing with the Belles. I'm sure I'll want to go back again in time, but for now, let's take our time and enjoy the time with the Belles.

**

"So, what did you want to talk to Saffy about?　If you want to talk about something you don't want anyone else to hear, I'll move on?"

After Bell and the others have settled down and Saffy has returned, I ask him about it.

"No, it's not something I don't want anyone else to hear, so I'm fine here.

It doesn't sound like such a serious matter, so let's listen to what they have to say with the bells on.

"......I see...you want the little spirits who come to visit to experience the fun of materializing and sleeping in bed........."

Children of spirits do not usually need sleep, and they may think it a waste to sleep in a paradise where they can materialize and have interesting things to do. Human children would fall asleep as if their batteries run out because of their physical limitation, but even though they have materialized, they are spirits, and their desire for sleep is probably low.

"Beru, I love sleeping!""Queue!""Bed, it feels good!""Coo-coo!""I'm going to sleep!"" ......"

Belle and the others, who were listening to the story together, report to Saffy, praising him. These girls had their own room, or maybe they had been sleeping in their beds using their magic before the sanctuary was built. Maybe they had seen my lifestyle and were somehow drawn to it.

"Yes, so if you could give me some suggestions on how to calm them down at night when they are restless, that would be great. I've heard of telling old stories and singing lullabies, but what do you think works?"

Saffy says as she gently caresses the gathered belles. But what do you mean by "effect"?

"It's true that lullabies and folk tales are effective for human children, but what about children of spirits?　I'm not sure, but I'll teach you some folktales and lullabies that I know and you can try them?"

"Yes, please."

I only know one lullaby. I hope the folktales are just picture book stories. ...... picture books?　I think Safi was good at drawing. Maybe a picture-story show would be good. Even if it doesn't have a calming effect, it might become a new specialty of paradise.

It might be worth a try. I'll teach her the lullaby later and explain the storyboard show to Saffy in detail.

"I see, you make pictures of impressive scenes and read the story to the children while showing them the pictures. It is similar to a picture book, but you can draw pictures on a slightly larger piece of paper so that many people can easily see them. ...... Yuta-san, do you have a larger piece of paper?"

I have paper, but not large paper. Next time I go to the labyrinth city, I will buy a large sheet of paper with paints.

"Yes, please. "Yes, please. I'd be happy if the children enjoy it.

Saffy is now motivated. She likes to draw and the picture-story show seems to have struck a chord with her.

"I could cook!"

While I was talking with Saffy, Ruby and her friends came into the living room with the dishes. One after another, the dishes are placed on the table. ...... Oh, they are different kinds of dishes, but the idea is a children's lunch.

"Ruby, this is a lot of work, isn't it? Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I want everyone to enjoy different kinds of food, so it's a bit of work, but it's worth it, so it's all right!"

Indeed, they will be pleased. The Belles and Fukuchan are excited to see the dishes actually gathered on one plate. Even though they have eaten all of the dishes before, this kind of presentation must have tickled their children's hearts.

In just two nights and three days, there were picture-story shows and children's lunches. It's a small thing, but when I see the paradise gradually being enhanced in this way, I look forward to what's to come. Maybe it will become a sanctuary worthy of the name "paradise".