CH 184

Chapter 184 : Special Stew

「Ara, Ester, you came here today. Good morning~」(Celine)

After walking around the village square for a while, we found Ester standing by a foldable long desk. Seems like she came to exchange her stuff as well.

On the long desk, there were three large stock pots and many wooden containers made in three sizes: large, medium, and small.

As we approached her, she waved her hand and smiled at us.

「Celine, Mark, good morning! Do you want to barter with me? I’ll give you extra!」(Ester)

「Sure. Both I and my mom love your family’s homemade food. I have to feed Mark and Nicola-chan too today, so I think I will need a lot.」(Celine)

「No problem!」(Ester)

Seems like she is selling food made in her house.

Behind Ester, there were dirty wooden containers piled up in a large basket. Looks like you have to return the wooden container the next time you come here.

When I looked around, there were some people eating Ester’s food while standing nearby.

「So, what’s your menu today?」(Celine)

After Celine asked that, Ester opened the lid of one of the large stock pots.

I couldn’t see the content because of my short height, but as soon as she opened the lid, I could smell the delicious smell coming from the stock pot. It stimulated my appetite.

「Today’s menu is my family’s special stew! By the way, we used the venison we got from Matilda-san.」(Ester)

「Mmm~ It must taste fantastic! Can I have one whole stock pot of it?」(Celine)

「You can but isn’t that too much? This stew won’t last long, so you can’t keep it for a long time.」(Ester)

「Don’t worry, we have a boy with an Item Box that can keep food fresh here~ Right, Mark~?」(Celine)

「You can leave it to me.」(Mark)

Looks like Celine is planning to keep the stew for us to eat on our trip back to Fatia. She still doesn’t know that I decided to stay…

「Oh, right. Mark, can you make a pot with earth magic? We can’t take Ester’s pot with us.」(Celine)

「That’s an easy task.」(Mark)

I made a large earthen pot, hardened the surface, and sterilized it. Then, I put it on the ground in front of the long desk.

「Hoo~ Mark, your magic is amazing no matter how many times I see it! Sec, I’ll pour it for you.」(Ester)

Ester grabbed the handle of one of the stock pots, lifted it up, and started pouring the contained stew into my earthen pot.

The stock pot was pretty big and looked heavy, but Ester was doing that without breaking a sweat. She sure trained her body well. I believe she will become a strong adventurer in the future.

Now I can see the stew. It’s creamy white stew with a lot of meat and other stuff in it. Its delicious look and smell really makes me hungry.

Since I’m going to stay in this village for a while, I will definitely come again to eat Ester’s food once in a while.

While Ester was pouring the stew, the luscious and fragrant smell of the stew drifted around the village square, alluring the hungry villagers around.

Before I realized it, there were many people gathering around us.

「That’s all of it. Mark, I hope you like my family’s special stew! Ah, those who want my stew, please make a row! I will serve you in a minute!」(Ester)

After confirming that Ester had poured all the stew, I made a lid with earth magic, closed the earthen pot, and put it in my Item Box.

Some people who noticed me using an Item Box, started whispering to each other.

「Look. That boy has an Item Box. Amazing…」

「That’s unusual. I wonder whose child he is.」

「He must be Celine’s child.」

「I see. No wonder he’s talented.」

Seems like not everyone in this village knows the truth…

「He’s not my child! He’s the son of the inn owners who take care of me in Fatia. Don’t get the wrong idea and start spreading weird rumors!」(Celine)

Celine, who heard their whispers, said that loudly so everyone could hear.

「Is that so? Well… My bad, then.」

「That’s too bad. I was curious about your husband.」

「I know, right? I was wondering who that lucky man was, turns out there was no such man.」

「In the end, Celine, you haven’t changed at all. Still the woman who hates men, huh?」(villagers)

「Hmph! You got a problem with that?」(Celine)

Everyone seems to know that Celine hates men.

It looks like Celine marrying a man is like a miracle for the villagers…

Looking away from the villagers, Celine handed a few barrels of wine to Ester and hurriedly left the place so as not to disturb Ester’s business.

――――――

After wandering around the village square for a while, the cart was empty. Celine exchanged all the wine for food and other stuff.

Now that we ran out of wine, we decided to head home.

「Mark, do you want to ride the cart?」(Celine)

「Eh? Butー」(Mark)

I was planning to put the cart in my Item Box so that Celine didn’t have to pull it, but she lifted my body up with both hands and put me in the cart without waiting for my answer.

「When I was about your age, my mom always let me ride the cart on the way home from the village square.」(Celine)

「Hee~ I see.」(Mark)

「Fufu. I will pull. You can sit and enjoy the scenery~」(Celine)

Celine sometimes treats me like her disciple but she rarely treats me like a child.

Well, it doesn’t feel bad at all.

Just like that, I rode the cart like a child on our way home while enjoying the scenery of the village in the morning.