256-231 With milk

'Wow, a fish!　Thank you for everything.

As is customary after a fishing trip, I brought some to Aella's store, and she greeted me with a cute smile.

She's an elf and should be older than Haruka, but Aella-san looks younger than Haruka. Is it because of her short height?

I'm not sure if it's because of my height or because of my age. If I had free time, I would certainly go to this store every day.

I'm always sorry. I just got some milk from Strike Ox the other day.

The waitress, Ms. Luce, who works at the restaurant, looks as if she's a little embarrassed.

She doesn't do any cooking, but she's a very capable waiter.

"Oh, yes!　I made ice cream with it. I made ice cream with it.

Um, sir!

Aella-san walked into the kitchen, unheeding to Haruka's call.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

It's quite well made, so please eat it and tell her what you think. Aella is very proud of her work.

Haruka and the others had talked about how to make ice cream when they had visited the shop before, but they had concluded that it would not be easy for Aella to make it because she could not use the magic of freezing like Haruka.

This store has a huge refrigerator, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a freezing function. .......

How did you make it?　Did you buy a new magic tool?

"Well, that's...

I've got it!　I also used the Yaston fruit you gave me before!

Yaston is a citrus fruit with a strong sour taste that grows in my garden.

We had been using it as a substitute for yuzu, but we had harvested too much to use, so we had been sharing it with Aella to see what she could do with it.

It was then that I found out the name of the citrus.

Apparently, it is used as an acidulant that is relatively easy to obtain because it can be harvested in large quantities without much care.

It seems that Ms. Aella used it to make this ice cream.

"Now, try it.

I took a spoonful of ice cream from Aella, who was offering it to me in a bowl.

The ice cream was soft and melted easily in my mouth, with a slight sourness and sweetness, and a refreshing citrus aroma in my nose.

It's different from the ice cream that Haruka and his friends made, but it's also delicious.

Oh, it's delicious. I like the sweet and sour taste.

Yeah, I like the flavor of the yaston.

It melts so easily!

Really?　Thank you very much.

Aella's cheeks relaxed happily as she received praise from everyone.

It's not as sweet as what Haruka and his friends made with brown sugar, and I don't know how they did it, but I think they put a lot of thought into it.

But this is more like a sorbet than an ice cream, isn't it?

Yes, it is. Aella, you didn't use the milk?

Yes. It was delicious on its own, but it was a little heavy. I separated out some of the fat to make it more refreshing.

Strike-Ox milk has not been processed in any way, so just by churning it, the fat content separates to make butter.

This butter is delicious, and Aella used it to make ice cream after reducing the fat content.

It's a little different from ice cream, but I think it might be more popular in the hot season.

"Yes. The one we made is more suitable for eating under a kotatsu in winter.

But how did you make it?　You said you couldn't use ice magic, right, Aella?　That time.

That time must have been when we were talking about how to make ice cream.

It was about two months ago, when I came to share milk with you.

Haruka asked curiously, to which Aella nodded and replied.

I remember!

"You learned it?

Haruka and Yuki's words echoed Aella's.

"Yes. I wanted to make ice cream!

I'm sure Aella can use water magic and she's an elf, so it's not impossible, but ...... she's right.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you get through the day. He prepares food early in the morning and works until late at night if he has a reservation.

These days, she's almost always booked up, so it's hard for her to find time to practice her magic. .......

I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not.　I'm not sure what to do. I can't use the Ice Sphere to attack.

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it. I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

"That's fine. Luce likes ice cream, doesn't he?

Yes, it's great to eat when it's hot. Yes, it's great to eat when it's hot, but I don't think you should get so involved that you lose sleep.

Ugh!　Shh, I can't help it!　It's a new dish!

According to Luce, since she heard about ice cream from Haruka and the others, she's been working on her magic training and making ice cream recipes without even sleeping.

This is the culmination of his efforts, and it seems that there were a fair number of failures along the way.

Haruka and the others knew the finished product, while Aella had only talked to them a little. It was only natural that they would have a hard time.

"Do you serve this in your store?

No, we have a problem with the milk supply. And it's only recently been finished. ......

It's a bit out of season. The hot season is almost over.

Aside from Yaston, Strike Ox's milk was too expensive to buy normally, so the two of them consumed all of it except for a few regulars who were served.

We can sell Strike Ox's milk wholesale, but--

Are you sure?　Nao!

Oh, yeah. I don't care if you want to wholesale it, but the price is about the wholesale price to the guild.　Can you sell it for a reasonable price?

While pushing back Aella, who was trying to eat my words, I nailed her.

I'd like to give you a discount, but we're in business, and it's not something I can decide on my own.

"How much is ......?

"This bottle - oh, just the contents without the price of the bottle, 10 gold coins.

When I showed her the bottle that I use to sell to the guild, Aella snorted in frustration.

"d*mn, that's expensive!　But it makes sense. But it's so much better than what I got before.

"Oh, that's what I thought, too. I don't mind the smell at all. Normally, they use a little flavoring to disguise it.

The restaurant where Aella and Luce used to work was a high class restaurant, and they used to buy milk from Strike Ox.

But they couldn't milk the milk directly into glass bottles or send it directly to the source in magic bags, so it was just something for ordinary adventurers to sell.

I want to offer it!　I want to offer it, but ......

Aella said, glancing at Luce.

I'd like to offer it, but " Aella said, glancing at Luce.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm sure that's not in the price range of ...... our store.

I'm not sure if Luce is in charge of accounting or not, but Aera moaned in frustration at his words.

Compared to other stores in the area, this store offers high priced sweets, but at least it is a store for ordinary people who are slightly wealthy.

You can't pay one gold coin for an ice cream.

"Ugh, I can't eat that. ......

Mary picks up the spoon and looks sadly at the empty bowl.

"Oh, yes!　I want you to make it for me, sister Haruka!

"What?　You can't make something as good as Aella's, you know.　I don't even know how to make it.

I can give you the recipe if you like.　We'll just enjoy it ourselves anyway. ......

She looked a little disappointed, perhaps because she couldn't sell the ice cream she had made.

But a single gold coin is too expensive, even for an occasional luxury. Even those of us who make a lot of money can't afford to pay one gold coin for ice cream.

--Well, in our case, we can make our own if we want.

I'm not sure if that's a good idea.　...... Hmmm, what do you think?

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm sure you'll agree.　It's a good idea.

I'm sorry. I've been indebted to you, Aella-san.

Yeah. She's given me recipes for things other than ice cream.

Of course I have no reason to disagree, so I nod quickly.

Yeah. Aella-san, if it's okay with you, I can sell them at a discount.　About a gold coin per bottle. However, it will be in excess and irregular.

The guild in this town buys 100 cows a month.

That's enough for about 30 cows, and if you don't consider the dungeon trips, it won't take more than a day.

Even if we sold the additional bottles for a single gold coin, it would still take about 30 minutes to milk a single Strike Ox.

Or maybe even less now that Mary and the others had more manpower.

Even if you include the time spent walking around looking for them, you can milk one or two oxen in an hour.

In other words, you can expect to get about five bottles of milk, so five gold coins is not a bad hourly wage.

"What?　Are you sure?　If you have a magic bag, it won't be a problem to store them, will it?

Aella looked around at us as if she was surprised, but we nodded that we were fine.

It's when we're ready to go to the dungeon that we'll take that uncertainty into account.

When the weather gets cooler, there will be no need to go into the dungeon to escape the heat, but there will be a need to collect the fruit when it is ready to eat.

However, there is a need to collect the fruits when they are ready to be eaten, and if you milk them at the same time, it will not take much time.

Even if you go harvesting once every two months, you can be sure that you will get more than you can sell to the adventurer's guild.

"Thank you very much!　Then--

"Can we make it a large silver coin or two for one person?　That's a saleable price.

The price is still quite high, but considering the price of sweetmeats, it is reasonable.

If you're working hard, you can probably afford it once or twice a month.

"Oh, my allowance is .......

Well, it's not for kids.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea. It's in a price range that you can afford.

When Mitya and the others become a little more capable, we've discussed the possibility of sharing some of the rewards in addition to their allowance, but I don't think that's possible right now.

Mitya, we'll make it for you.

Are you sure?　Thank you!

Oh, me too?　Me too?

Yeah, Mary, too.

Yes!

Mary squeezes her hand and expresses her joy modestly, but her tail is wagging happily.

I don't want to get into the details, but you can get milk from Strike Ox on a regular basis, right?　If so, I can show you how to cook some of the other dishes.

Are you sure?

Yes. In the winter, stews are delicious, so please try making them.

Sounds good. Stew. Do you have any other delicious dishes?

Yes, I do. A simple one is butter. Fresh butter is delicious, but fermented butter is also delicious. There's more.

When it comes to cooking, there's nothing we can do.

With the women happily chatting, Toya and I, plus Luce for some reason, waited leisurely, eating nuts, until they were satisfied.