167-151 Finally, tea?

When I arrived home, I found that my muscles were sore as expected.

Haruka and her friends took care of me as I lay in bed moaning from the evening until the next morning, but I didn't have to try to take care of Simo, did I?

It took me a long time to get to the bathroom, and I almost cried in a different way when Yuki brought me a urinal that she had made up with earth magic. But I made it. No problem.

I'd rather you pick me up and take me with you if you have time to make something like that. That would be pretty pathetic, but it's possible with my current physical abilities.

Incidentally, this muscle pain can't be cured by light magic.

I don't know why, but Haruka and Natsuki think it's because I'm forcing the magic to flow.

In the first place, it's not just muscle pain, but also general fatigue and mental exhaustion, so even if only the muscle pain goes away, there's nothing you can do but sleep.

After all, doping is just doping.

It should not be used except for emergency evacuation. .......

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

What's this ......?

The one who looked up at the corpse of Dahl's Bear in the garden and said with a stunned expression was Diora.

The next day after the muscle pain that had tormented me.

We were about to dismantle the Dahl's Bear when it occurred to me.

Can we just dismantle it?

There is no mention of Dahl's Bear in Toya's book on dismantling beasts and demons, so we don't know how to dismantle it.

I suppose I could dismantle it just like a normal bear, but it would be quite sad if I wasted some valuable parts. It would be a shame to waste the valuable parts.

I thought about taking it to the Adventurer's Guild, but I'm sorry to say, but it's only the Adventurer's Guild of Rafan. There was no room for a monster of this size, and it would be impossible to even take it out.

Above all, we all agreed that we didn't want to do such a thing when we knew it would definitely stand out.

That's why we forced Diora to come to ....... Wasn't it worth it?

It's the first time he's seen a Dahl's Bear.

I've never seen a Dahl's Bear before. Do you know what it is?

The name is ...... what?　What? This thing existed?　In the North Woods?

Yes, it's been there.

I didn't know they lived in that area. ....... I thought about it when you hunted down the ogre. ......

I'm not sure what to make of that. What did they think of us?　I'm subtly curious, but the fact that he doesn't know about Dahl's Bear means that--

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out where the cash is, right?

Was that a waste of time?　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

I'm not sure what to say. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more. I'll be sure to look into it, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow - no, a few days!

A few days," he reiterated, being very realistic.

Well, we have a magic bag, and the one we made recently has a "slow time" attached to it, so a few days is no problem.

In the beginning, we didn't have the "Slow Time" on our large magic bags, and we didn't need it just to carry the wood, but the difference in the performance of the magic bags makes it difficult to choose which one to use.

In case I accidentally put some raw food in the magic bag without the "slow time" feature, and if I don't notice it for a few days, the bag will become a "sealed rice cooker," which is common in ...... living alone.

However, I did not remake all the magic bags, but basically reused all of them.

The most troublesome part of making a magic bag is the embroidery of the magic circle, so if you release the magic power contained in it and re-apply it, you can update the magic bag according to your skill at that time.

That's why we sometimes update our magic bags, and I'm sure that this will lead to a modest improvement in our skills. ...... I think.

I'm not sure.

I'm not sure what to do.　I'm sure you're not going to do any training today, are you?

I think it would be better.

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I was generally feeling better, but there was no point in pushing myself too hard in training. We should rest until we were fully recovered, and Haruka and the others seemed to feel the same way.

We don't have Toya's armor, so let's take a break for a while.

"Right. Do you want to order armor for Toya?

If you're going to use Attribute Steel, yes. I'll have to buy a buckler and a helmet.

The buckler is a total loss and needs to be replaced, the left hand basket is half destroyed.

It's not a problem for the right hand basket, but now that you know there are enemies like that, you might as well rebuild this one with attribute steel.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

I'm going to have a meeting with Gantz-san.

I'm going to have a meeting with Mr. Ganz. Then I'll go have a meeting with Gantz-san." We watched Toya walk out of the gate with raised hands.

He's probably happy to be wearing his new armor.

...... We've got some free time until Toya returns.

It is Haruka and Yuki's job to make the attribute steel, but they can't start work until Toya and Gantz finish their meeting and decide what they need.

So, why don't we go pick some tea?　It's almost time for the new tea.

"Oh, by the way, you planted a tea tree, didn't you?

Haruka clapped her hands in response to Natsuki's words.

I had forgotten that I had transplanted about five tea trees to a corner of the garden a long time ago.

They didn't look much different from other shrubs, so I didn't pay attention to them. .......

I completely forgot about them. Natsuki, have you been taking care of them?

"I haven't done much in the way of maintenance. ......

And then I was led to this place.

"It's pretty well maintained, isn't it?

It was neatly trimmed, and part of it was tied to a gorza-like structure on top of a girder to provide semi-shade.

As I recall, Natsuki said he wanted to drink green tea, and I guess that was the solution for green tea.

I just did it easily. It's growing well, thanks to the fertilizer, and all I've done is prune it and give it some shade.

I think that's enough. ...... Well, I can help with the picking. I'll help you with the picking.

Yeah, yeah. But where do you want me to pick?

"Oh, yes. This part.

With Natsuki's guidance, we all picked the tea.

There are only a few trees, so it's not too hard, and we can still get enough for our drinks, so I guess this is the right amount.

As an event to feel the early summer, picking tea may be a good idea.

If there were more, it would be too much trouble.

How many times will I be able to pick tea?　"How many times can we pick tea?" "With that fertilizer, I'm sure we'll be able to pick the fourth tea.

--"Oh?　I heard some strange words.

"Isn't ...... tea a one-time thing?

What?　Oh, yes. The tea we're picking now is the first tea, the so-called new tea. In the case of black tea, it's called first flush. Usually, it's second, third, and then autumn. You can harvest about four times.

With that fertilizer, ......?

They grow pretty fast, so you might get twice as many.

"Oh, double .......

Double four times is eight times.

...... Isn't that a lot of work?

Matcha, Sencha, Hojicha ...... If you're good, you might even be able to make black tea or oolong tea.

I'm not sure what I can say to Natsuki, who looks very happy as she quickly picks the tea leaves.

There was nothing I could say.

I just plucked the tea quietly.

Yuki and Haruka seem to be smiling a little, but they have no intention of complaining about Natsuki's hobby.

But Natsuki, do you know how to make tea?　You seem to know how to make green tea.

"Yes, I know how to make green tea. Yes, I know how to make green tea. I've even seen it made. I only know how to make black tea and oolong tea. Well, I'm sure you can make them with a few experiments.

"Really?　Do you need any help?

No, it's not too much, I think I can handle it. If it's too much, I'll ask you.

All right. It's tea we drink, so don't hesitate to ask.

Okay. Thank you very much.

The tea picking itself was over in about an hour, but unlike us, Natsuki immediately moved on to the processing work.

I didn't know this well, but the main difference between green tea and other teas is whether or not they are heated immediately.

So Natsuki dried about half of the tea he picked in the shade and steamed the rest immediately to make green tea.

I was watching from the side, but Natsuki said, "If you're not busy, can you help me? Natsuki asked me if I was free, and I decided to join in.

But I just helped Natsuki with the heating and cooling, using the "heat" and "cold" magic, while she was rubbing and spreading the tea leaves, but she said that it was very useful. But according to Natsuki, it was useful enough.

All that was left to do was to heat it up and the sencha was ready.

"It's kind of ...... easier than you think. ...... No, it's quicker than you think, isn't it?

Yes, because unlike black tea, it does not require fermentation. Hojicha can also be made by simply roasting it, so it is not difficult. Of course, it requires craftsmanship to make a delicious product.

That's the difference between a professional and an amateur, so it can't be helped. What about matcha?　The tea leaves that we divided along the way are the matcha leaves, right?

The tea leaves grown in the shade were treated separately.

Basically, they were treated in a similar way. .......

I'm not going to use matcha for a while. We don't have a millstone for grinding tea leaves, and we don't have any tea utensils. The lack of a tea whisk is fatal.

...... Oh, you mean like the whisk?

Yes, that's right. Without it, the tea is not as good as it should be.

No, that's hopeless, isn't it?　Isn't it hopeless to get it?

There is no possibility that it exists somewhere in this world, but it would be very difficult to obtain.

And even if I were to explain it to you and ask you to make it, it would not be easy to imitate.

It's not easy to copy. Homemade ......?　No, that is indeed .......

Natsuki muttered, and frowned.

It's a very delicate bamboo craft, and even the dexterous Natsuki would be unable to do it.

Well, I think it's fine to try it as a hobby, but don't overdo it, okay?

"Yes, I understand. Yes, I understand. It's only a hobby, so I'll do my best to keep it in moderation.

I'll do my best to keep it in moderation." Natsuki smiled, but I guess Natsuki is the type of person who gets absorbed in her hobbies.

If you take into account her skill with the naginata and such. At least, it wasn't like she was doing it for her health because she was weak.

You might want to pay some attention to him.

The tea that came with dinner that day was the first green tea I had had in a long time.

It tasted at least as good as the green tea I used to drink, and Haruka and the others praised it as good, but Natsuki seemed to be slightly unconvinced and twisted her head.

It's good to be ambitious, but comparing the tea you made for the first time today to the high quality tea leaves that Natsuki was probably drinking is not a good idea.

However, if Natsuki is that kind of person, he might even make his own tea whisk one day.

I wonder if I should at least make a millstone out of clay magic and give it to him as a present. ......?

Incidentally, Natsuki's teas, including the black tea and oolong tea that he finished a while later, were much more popular than I expected, and when I served them to my acquaintances, they asked me to share them with them.

As a result, the tea would be used as a gift in the future, and our workload would inevitably increase. ...... We had no way of knowing this at the time, but we simply savored the nostalgic taste.