CH 42

I tanned the monitor lizard’s leather, then dyed it afterward. Cattle and horse hides are difficult to dye, while deers easily stain, but it looks like for lizards, the pigmentation depends on the types of dyes? Ah, black’s the only color that easily dyes it, but I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a lizard or because it’s a monster.

I dyed it with indigo first, then I layered it with black ink made from burnt pine soot and glue. What I got in the end was a midnight-blue leather.

— Hey, it’s not that I failed to make it blue. I now totally understand why black coats are the standard wear for light novel protagonists. If you deepen the color so that the splotches won’t be noticeable, it will be almost the same as black.

Bicorn leather doesn’t stretch that much compared to Tri-Horn, but it’s lighter, so I’m going to use it to make the cloak and sheet. I should oil it first to make it water-resistant, so I softened it by repeatedly stretching and dehydrating it. It’ll take a long while before it’s ready.

I should also make the stuff I’ll need for cooking now or else I won’t make it in time. I should prepare the dried tomatoes, dried shiitake mushrooms and other vegetables and fruits, plus the apricot sugar preserves, dried scallops, smoked bacon and cheese.

Sweets are also on my wishlist, so I’m going to make brandy cakes and caramel nut bars. I’ll make them right before we set out, so it’s just a plan for now.

My preparations continued on. I also took early morning strolls with Riche, then playing tag with the forest spirits all the while. I found a huge spirit in the woods once — that made me tired so I just lazed around until noon after that. I made things during my vacant period, then I continued naming the spirits in my house at night.

Whenever I lost interest in doing that, I would visit the workshop, and I also dropped by the Adventurer’s Guild and Commerce Guild from time to time to sell things and talk to people — this lifestyle continued on.

「 Dinosso, are you free? 」

「 Oh, good to see you here. 」

I visited Dinosso’s house today to have a good time. The folks in his house greet and hug me unlike other people, so I also hug them back.

Dinosso’s family consisted of his raven-haired beautiful wife, their cute daughter and twin sons. It’s actually normal here to have six to seven kids, but the Dinosso family only had three. The three kids kissed me on the cheek.

「 Here, present for you guys. 」

They would serve me a lot of things whenever I drop by to play, but they’re a farming family, so that doesn’t mean they’re rich.

That’s why I help them out during the autumn season by doing manual labor like chopping firewood or harvesting the crops, but it’s not possible during winter, though. Anyway, I settled on returning the favor in kind, so I didn’t forget to bring them food.

Five snow geese, one leather pouch filled with wine, fruit cake — I also bring them salt and sugar from time to time, but now it’s rabbit fur. There’s no problem with consumable goods, but it will be scary if I give them some high quality goods and the tax collector discovers that.

We’re also using a lot of firewood, but Dinosso and I competed chopping it during the beginning of fall, so it should be alright.

「Thanks as always 」

「 Thank you very much. 」

Dinosso was about to take the leather pouch from me while grinning ear to ear, but Madam took it in an instant. She’s sharp and well-guarded against alcohol.

「 Ohh, how ephemeral ‘twas…」

Dinosso acted as if he’s in a play, a miserable look plastered on his face as he shook his head.

Madam completely ignored him. The children surrounded her in an attempt to get their hands on the cake, happily kicking a fuss, so they were also completely ignored.

「 …. 」

「 What are you doing? 」

「 I’m peeling the beans. 」

The beans were dried while still in the pods until they rattle and then she would peel them together with the children. It was cold outside, so he was either fixing the farming tools, or doing jobs that can be done beside the fireplace.

I borrowed one of the children’s chairs and started peeling the beans too, while chatting idly. While we were doing that, Madam came, bringing with her plates of fruitcake while slipping past the children’s eager hands.

「 Here, thanks for the hard work, dear. Thank you, Jean. 」

She slovenly started to serve various things to Dinosso first.

A harmonious husband and wife, an intimate family. I visit them from time to time to learn about agriculture, and also to bask in the warm ambience of a normal family. My own family was totally abnormal no matter how you look at it, so consider this as a trajectory change.

「 Thanks~, Jean. 」

Tina, Dinosso’s eight year-old eldest daughter, wrapped her arms around me while I’m sitting.

「 The cake is so tasty! 」

「 So yu~mmy! 」

The twins and Madam were also smiling.

「 Ahhhh!! Father won’t allow you, you know!! 」

Dinosso was flustered, but that’s because Tina proposed to become my bride the previous time I visited them.

「 Eh, isn’t it fine. He’s capable, so she’ll be happy ~ 」

「 Tina told me that she will marry me when she grows up….she said that….! 」

「 You’re being a bad loser now, dear.」

「 Nah, I don’t have any plans of getting married soon, though. 」

And no matter how you see it, she’s totally not suited to my taste.

「 ‘Not yet’, you say!? What’s your problem with my daughter!! 」

Dinosso started picking a fight when I proactively warned Madam of her impropriety.

「 Didn’t you tell me to keep my hands off your daughter. Don’t go making things complicated!! 」

「 I’m going to Jean’s house to become a bride, too ~ 」

「 Then me too~ 」

Both the twins, obviously lured by the snacks, joined the competition and started hugging me. Urk, what’s with this restraint?

「 Then I’m also going!! 」

It was quite chaotic; Madam was laughing all the while.

.

They gave me dried cornmeal when it was time for me to go. The corn here only has 8 columns, so they look weird, but how about the taste?

Let’s sample it.

I minced the onions and sauteed them, then I also threw some minced garlic and mushroom in. I added some chicken broth and let it boil, after which the cornmeal was added into it then stirred with a wooden spatula before lowering the fire. The sticky mixture started to absorb the broth, and the spatula became harder to stir.

I added butter and cheese, plus salt and pepper then mixed it all in, then I poured the batter into a tray and cooled it. I then sliced it into perfect sizes and baked them.

I tried a piece while it was still hot. The corn was not that sweet compared to the ones in Japan; it gave off the realization that corn is a cereal, something like that. It had a simple taste, so it’ll be heavenly if I put some tomato, raw ham and basil.

Yup, I’m gonna bring this.

_____

T/N: Dinosso’s Family!

The names of Dinosso’s family members hadn’t been disclosed yet (except for Tina the little lass, and Dinosso himself) as of this chap, so didn’t translate this illustration  Then we have Jean, Ludere, Ash and Riche on the right side. Is it just me, but Ash and Jean look great together  Not sure if this novel has a romantic subplot, though. XD