Chapter Seventy-six: Hot Milk and Marching Through the Snowy Field
Once everyone got inside the car, I closed the door to keep the warmth from escaping. Mr. Ed had used cleaning and drying spells, so my damp shoes, socks, and blanket were completely dry and toasty.
Sniffling my runny nose that had developed without me realizing it, I considered what to make. Something warm and sweet with calories that could help generate and maintain body heat seemed ideal.
Hot barley tea… nah, no sugar content. Mulled wine… out, we’re out of wine to begin with… How about caramel hot milk? It might be a bit wasteful, but let’s use the milk now! Given the situation, it’s justified.
“Sugar and butter in the medium pot… milk in the small pot to warm up…”
I add sugar, butter, and a couple of spoonfuls of water to the medium pot and apply heat. Cooking over medium-high heat, I watch for bubbles forming and the color deepening past the amber candy stage to a rich caramel hue, then remove from heat. A faintly sweet, toasty aroma wafts from the pot. Carefully, I pour in the milk, warmed in the small pot but not boiling, into the medium pot without burning myself…
“Yowch! Hot!”
“Are you okay, Rin?”
“I’m fine. There’s just always that splattering when you add a temperature differential, you know…”
Well, the caramel was around 170°C, about the same as frying tempura oil, so of course it’ll splatter when adding the milk… But undeterred by the hot splashes or thickening caramel, I kept stirring until the fragrant, sweet, warming caramel milk was ready!
I pour it into mugs from the dish cabinet and serve it.
“In any case, it’s snack time!”
“Thank you. We’ll warm up and replenish our calories… and then tackle the snowy mountains again.”
“If it’s possible, should we drive the Camping Car closer to that building?”
“For Aria’s sake I’d like to, but unfortunately, this is also an investigation…”
Taking the moxa pack from Ms. Aria, who was silently warming her hands around a mug, I microwave it again. Using the car would make things easier, but I guess that’s not possible… Ah well. Ms. Aria is nodding solemnly at Mr. Ed’s words—she’s really diligent about her work, huh… Well, for adventurers, their reputation directly impacts their livelihood, so I suppose it makes sense.
While reheating, I took a sip of my caramel milk. Still too hot to fully enjoy, but that heat is welcome right now, a soothing warmth spreading from my previously chilled core. The thick, rich sweetness spreads through my mouth accompanied by a toasty aroma, the butter lending a satisfying richness that seems to permeate my cold-battered body.
“Hmm… For now, it looks like you need to stay warm, Ms. Aria… Anything besides the moxa pack? Want to use a blanket?”
“…Then I… won’t be able… to move…”
“You’re probably right… The only other idea I had was a hot water bottle. But we don’t have heat-resistant bottles…”
Fully bundling up in a blanket like I did earlier would keep her warm, but isn’t really suited for a frontline role. It would definitely restrict her movement and likely penalize her various skills. The only other option I can think of is a hot water bottle, but I don’t have any of those heat-resistant pet bottles used for hot tea and such. I’m a bit of a cold drink person even in winter, yup.
…But maybe filling it with warm, skin-temperature water instead of boiling hot water would work?
In any case, it seems Ms. Aria’s constitution requires external warmth, so there’s no time to hesitate.
I carefully poured some moderately hot water into an empty bottle I found among my camping gear. I mix half-boiling water with some cold water to get the right temperature. Then I wrap it in a towel…
“Since the moxa pack is for your neck area, should we wrap this around your lower back…?”
“Thank… you… Rin… will you… massage my hands too?”
“Of course! You worked hard out there in the cold!”
“Thanks! Your hands… are so warm… even out in the snow…”
“Ah, I wonder why? I just tend to run warm like this year-round. Makes it hard to work with pie and brioche dough though.”
Ms. Aria, having drained her caramel milk, timidly extended her hands. No need to look so sheepish! I’m happy to provide treatment! Though they had been holding the warm mug, her hands still felt chilled as I gently took them.
…Come to think of it, I have heard women are prone to cold sensitivity, but Ms. Aria’s case seems rather extreme.
…This may be an insensitive assumption, but I’ve heard insects tend to be vulnerable to cold, so maybe spider people are too? If so, improving her constitution may not help, requiring more symptomatic treatment.
After massaging for a while, her fingertips gradually regained some warmth, a hint of color returning to her cheeks too. Hopefully, this provides some relief.
Ms. Aria looks at me with genuine curiosity, but truthfully, I don’t know why I’m so cold-resistant either. In fact, my previously damp, chilled feet are now completely warm too.
“…Oh. I should take snow precautions too! Just keeping my skin dry should make a difference.”
“What are you doing, Rin?”
“Ah, wrapping plastic bags around my feet. This way, my socks won’t get damp and my body heat won’t be sapped as much.”
I happened to have some spare convenience store bags, so… rustle rustle… Mr. Ville peered over curiously, but it was nothing special. I just put the plastic bags over my socks and secure the tops with rubber bands… It’s a makeshift way to keep my feet dry!
Everyone else has boots, but I’m just in sneakers, so snow will definitely get in. Doing this prevents my socks from getting wet, minimizing heat loss.
“Oh, is our break over already? What a pity… Next time, I’d like to enjoy some glühwein.”
“Really, it’s great that we have you, Rin! Even in this situation, being able to take a cozy break without worrying about the cold is awesome!”
“Indeed, not having to fear freezing to death is a relief.”
“Let me know whenever you want to take a break—the Camping Car can be set up right away!”
After draining his hot milk with a regretful sigh, Mr. Xenon casually requested some glühwein… spicy mulled wine, basically. He’s right, it would be nice to enjoy a snowy drink somewhere besides a dungeon next time… I wonder, do hot springs exist in this world?
In any case, we’ll have to conquer this dungeon first. Let’s get motivated!
Following everyone who is gearing up and heading outside, I also jump out into the steadily accumulating snow.
Ah ye old grocery bag trick, a classic-
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