CH 150

Chapter 150 – Today’s Lunch Menu: Stewed Potatoes And Freshly Baked Bread

We entered the grand cafeteria and waited in line for our food to be delivered.

“Looks like today’s menu is a soup with lots of ingredients and bread.”

“Hmm, potato and vegetable soup and fresh bread.”

“It’s not bread baked in the morning, but freshly baked, isn’t it?”

Pirna sniffed and nodded her head.

“In this base, you can utilize the inexhaustible magic power from the vein holes, so there is no need to conserve fuel. That means you don’t have to bake a whole day’s worth of bread in the morning or several days’ worth at once.”

“I see, so you can have fresh bread every time you eat.”

“It’s very nice to have fresh, warm, soft bread with every meal.”

“Bread that has been baked for a long time is tough and dry, and you have to dip it in soup to soften it up.”

Bella, the Red Oni girl, and Tozume, the Cyclops girl, were impressed by Isla’s explanation. And then it was finally our turn.

“Ara, Kosuke-sama, are you eating here today?”

“Yes, I wanted to know what people usually eat. Is there anything I’m missing?”

The monkey-type beastman lady who was in charge of serving the food smiled when she heard my words.

“It’s okay. We’ve got plenty of vegetables, and since Gizma often comes around, we kill them, so we don’t have to worry about meat. Recently, the Merinard Kingdom has brought us bantam birds and goats, so I’m sure our foods will be even better.”

“I see. If you have any problems, you can contact Erichburg through the coordinator, okay?”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Since it would be bad for the people behind me if I talked too much, I put a deep bowl of freshly baked bread and a bowl of soup on a tray and headed for an empty seat. Soon everyone was seated, so we said our prayers and got to work on the soup.

“The ingredients are taro potato, nigi, carrol, dikon, gabbage, and is this… Gizma meat?”

“Hmm, maybe so. Is this dried meat from a cut-up Gizma?”

“It’s probably roasted and dried. It smells fragrant.”

“They must have devised a way to preserve the fast-feeding Gizma meat.”

The soup seems to be seasoned only with salt, but it is quite delicious with the vegetables and the broth from the roasted dried Gizma. The gabbage’s soup is made up of taro potato (taro-like texture), carrol (yellow carrot-like taste), dikon (black radish), and gabbage (red cabbage). Nigi is a leek. They are thicker and shorter than the leeks I know, but they taste and smell just like leeks. It is also used as a flavoring vegetable in this world.

“Yes, it’s salty potato stew.”

“Hmm, it’s delicious.”

“It’s full of vegetables and potatoes, so it’s very nutritious.”

“I can feel the good broth coming from Gizma’s meat.”

The bread was just freshly baked and delicious. But it goes well with the soup, and it’s very filling.

“I think it’s delicious, but how does it compare in terms of the grade of food in this world?”

“It’s not comparable to ordinary village food. It’s like a feast for a village harvest festival.”

“I think so too. The food is much more sumptuous than the food you have to pay five copper coins for in Erichburg.”

“Because of our size, they gave us bigger bowls and three pieces of bread.”

Bella and Tozume explained to us. Theirs and Shumel’s soup bowls are indeed bigger than ours. They also seem to have three pieces of bread.

“It’s like heaven to be able to eat a full meal like this.”

“It’s because of Kosuke’s help. If it weren’t for Kosuke, we would never be able to live like this in this thin and dry land.”

“That’s true. The wall, the house, the fields, and the water source were all built by you.”

“Especially the water source and the fields, they are out of this world.”

Well, an infinite water source and a field that can be harvested in a week. If you don’t have to worry about water and food, you can live a rather peaceful life.

“So, what are you going to do after you finish eating?”

“Well, I’m going to check the sleeping quarters and check my equipment. I have some time on my hands, so if I need to maintain my equipment, I’ll take care of it, and if there’s any equipment you want, I’ll make it for you.”

“Is that whatever I want?”

“Well, as long as it’s something I can make.”

Ms. Zamir’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. Ah, have I done something wrong?

“I want you to make me a short spear.”

“With ‘that’?”

“If it is possible. The meteor is too long and difficult to handle in confined spaces such as inside the ruins.”

What I mean by ‘that’ is mithril. I don’t mind because I can make mithril as much as I want, but Sylphy has told me not to make mithril weapons too carelessly.

“If you’re fine with iron alloy…”

“Of course, that’s fine. It’s heavier than the pure one, but it has more destructive power. It would be more convenient for a short spear.”

“…I want you to think about what shape you want by this evening.”

“As you wish.”

Ms. Zamir smiles at me. Yeah, that face of hers is scary, isn’t it? I don’t know if it’s rude to say this, but it looks like she’s trying to intimidate me.

“You make weapons too?”

“Weapons, armor, whatever you want. You’ll have to work for it, though.”

“What materials?”

“The metal materials are iron, steel, pure iron, magic steel, and mithril alloys. There are also various materials from the Black Forest, such as Wyverns and Grand Dragon scales.”

When Bella and Tozume heard about the materials I had on hand, they looked a bit confused.

“Yeah, I guess I can’t blame you for reacting that way, but I do have something. The more power you have, the safer I’ll be, so don’t hesitate.”

“Eh…? Eeeh? Really? Are you serious?”

“A-are you really sure about this?”

“Yeah, of course. Do you want me to remake your gold shattering club with magic steel, Shumel? Or do you prefer mithril iron alloy?”

“…Mithril alloys are basically sharp and a bit mushy, so it’s not suitable for blunt weapons. I’d rather use magic steel.”

Shumel, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. It seems that I managed to get her in a good mood.

“So, I’m going to make sure that Shumel’s gold crusher is made of magic steel. If you have any requests regarding length or shape, I’m all ears.”

“I’m fine with it as it is now. I don’t mind if it gets a little heavier.”

“Okay. What about you two?”

“I’d like the length and balance of the handle to be similar to the axe I’m using now. The material is…”

“If it’s an axe, it’s a blade, so why not use mithril iron alloy?”

“I-is that okay…? I feel like it’s inappropriate…”

“It’s all a matter of becoming skilled enough for the weapon. Don’t be intimidated by it.”

Shumel encourages Bella’s confusion. Yeah, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.

“U-um, I’m…”

“Aah, I’ve got a plan for Tozume’s weapon. Shumel can take care of the blows with the gold-crushing club, and Bella can take care of the slashing with the axe. So, I think that Tozume’s weapon should be something that can also stab. What do you think?”

“Stabbing? I can’t use a spear, you know?”

“I’ll devise a weapon that can both strike and pierce.”

If she had been fighting with a large wooden mallet with a hammerhead, she would also be able to use a war hammer. The hammerhead should have a wider striking area, one side of the striking area should be flat, and the other side should have a sharp tip to be used for both striking and stabbing attacks. It would also be easier to use if the length and balance of the handle were adjusted to be similar to that of the large wooden mallet she was currently using.

“Hmm, I’m getting motivated. Let’s have a quick eat and get to work.”

“I’ll stay close by and make sure Kosuke doesn’t do anything rash.”

“Then we’ll continue our patrol of the base and gather information.”

“I’ll check every nook and cranny.”

“I’m going to check on the skill level of the guards while I’m working on the design of the short spears.”

Isla will stay by my side to keep an eye on things; while the Harpies will continue to gather information, Ms. Zamir will train the guards at the base… Good luck, guards-san.

“What should we do?”

“I need to make some adjustments to the weapons, so if you don’t mind, I’d like you to stay with me.”

“Very well.”

After deciding on today’s course of action, we finished our meal and began to move.

☆★☆

“Now, that being said, I’m going to begin to power up the weapons of the three of you.”

“Up?”

“Yeah, up. I’ll start with the workbench.”

I nodded to Isla, who tilted her head and set up the granted workbench, the golem-type workbench, the improved workbench, and the blacksmithing facility in front of the building where we will stay today.

“The power you use is as mysterious as ever.”

“Where did this come from?”

“Don’t mind the details. Or you’ll go bald.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk to a woman about going bald.”

In addition to the workbench, a table is set up, and the weapons that the three of them have entrusted to me are placed on the table.

“It’s as heavy as ever. I don’t know how you can wield this thing, Shumel.”

“The way I work out is different, you know.”

“Your arms aren’t that big, though.”

Shumel is indeed bigger and more muscular than me, but she also has a feminine softness to her. It’s not like she has a muscular body. It’s strange.

“Kosuke, your eyes are so lewd.”

“False accusation. I plead not guilty.”

But it would be rude to stare too closely at a woman’s body. Let’s get to work.

“It’s easy because there’s no room for error with Shumel’s gold shattering club. I’m just going to make the material into magic steel… It’s rather boring, though. Do you want to add some interesting features or something?”

“I don’t need anything like that. I’m not that skillful.”

“Really? Well, if you say so.”

So, I used the magic steel as a material to make the gold shattering club. It doesn’t take much time to make one at the golem workbench.

“What about Bella’s axe? Should I make the blade a little wider?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. I’d love to have it.”

“Well, let’s make it like a bardiche. The handle should not be too long, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. If it’s too long, it’s hard to use in the woods or ruins.”

Then Bella’s axe is a mithril iron alloy bardiche with a trimmed handle. It’s a short bardiche.

“What are you planning to do with my weapon?”

“Oh, I’m thinking of something like this for Tozume.”

I drew a picture of Tozume’s war hammer on the ground. One side of the handle is flat with a wide striking surface, and the other side is pointed like a pickaxe. Well, it’s a typical war hammer. Compared to an ordinary war hammer, the weight of the pommel head is quite a bit heavier, but I’m sure Tozume the Cyclops can handle it. The mithril iron alloy is slightly lighter than normal iron.

“I’m relieved that it’s not as strange a weapon as I thought.”

“Whoa? What is it? Shall I make it a strange, eccentric, magical-looking weapon? Do you want to be a Cyclops magical girl, Tozume-chan? Huh? I’ll even give you a frilly pink magical girl costume now. Huh? If you want, I can make one for all three of you and call you Trio Onicure. Hmm?”

“I don’t know what it is, but I don’t want to do it.”

“If you want to do it, please make it just for Tozume.”

“It was my fault. Please forgive me.”

Tozume bowed her head nearly on her knees. I’d like to see the three of them in the magical girl costume, and I highly recommend it. Don’t you like it? You don’t want to? Then I’ll give you a break.

“Is the magical girl costume the one I wore before?”

“Yes, yes. Shall I make you a new one?”

We did a fashion show quite a while ago, didn’t we? I had Isla wear a magical girl-style outfit or something like that.

“Do you want me to wear it tonight?”

“Oh… I like it!”

She’s going to wear a costume tonight. The last one I made was a frilly one. I wonder what I should make this time. I can’t decide.

“Anyway, I’ll make the weapons. It should be fine, but if you have any complaints about the weight balance or anything else, let me know. I’ll adjust it.”

With that, I started to make the weapon.