Chapter Ninety-eight: A Long-Standing Client
“Would you allow me to prepare breakfast from now on? I’ve worked in a dining hall before. I wasn’t actually allowed to cook, but I learned by watching how it’s done.”
“Cooking is my hobby too, so leave it to me!”
“I… I see…”
Seeing Harald’s dejected expression, Karen tilted her head.
“If you want to try cooking, would you like to give it a shot?”
“No, I couldn’t take away Lady Karen’s hobby.”
“Sometimes I want to slack off too, so can I ask you then?”
“Absolutely! Leave it to me!”
Harald stood up, making his chair rattle, and clenched his fist. He seemed very interested in cooking. For Harald, who had a poison “allergy”, information about what went into his mouth was a matter of life and death. Plus, cooking was something he could do without magic, and it could become his future profession.
“Harald, is there anything here you’ve never eaten before?”
“This… honey…”
Watching Harald timidly point, Karen nodded.
“Basically, honey is safe for you to eat. Unless it’s honey from near a poisonous flower field, it’s fine.”
“If it’s from near poisonous flowers, it’s not good?”
“Honey is made by bees collecting nectar from flowers. Honey made from poisonous nectar can contain poison, but I’ve never seen a poisonous flower field on the first level of the dungeon, so honey from the first level of the Earthfill royal capital dungeon should be safe.”
Harald nodded with a serious expression. It made sense, as his life depended on it.
“Hey, Karen, can I spread honey on my bread too?”
“Show some restraint!”
Karen was about to say yes, but seeing Tim look discouraged after being scolded by Harald, she kept quiet. Honey was quite expensive, and Sara might scold her for spoiling them, so she just spread some on her own bread.
Today was Karen’s day off. The stockpiled food that Tim had accidentally infused with magical power was almost gone, so she planned to go buy more supplies.
“After breakfast, you two first need to clean the bathroom. It’s best to be able to take a sparkling clean bath every day! I think I’ll have Harald come shopping with me. Tim, you stay and pull weeds in the garden, clean the house, and if any customers come, guide them to the reception room and serve them tea.”
“But I’m stronger! I can carry lots of stuff!”
“That’s true. Harald would probably handle customers more politely, but I want to teach Harald about what foods he can eat.”
Plus, she still didn’t know Harald well enough to leave him alone in the house. At Karen’s words, which avoided saying she didn’t trust him, Tim’s face lit up with realization.
“I’m good at house-sitting too!”
“Make sure you’re not rude to customers. Even if they look dangerous or suspicious, treat them with respect.”
“Yes, they might be nobles after all.”
Tim clenched his fist and nodded.
“Thank you for this valuable opportunity, Lady Karen. If you explain it once, I will remember it immediately.”
“You can ask as many times as you need. Human memory only becomes fixed in the brain after repeated practice.”
“I can’t take up your precious time, Lady Karen.”
Harald answered with a tense expression. He seemed to be concerned about what Yuluyana had said.
“I think there’s learning for me too when I teach others. So you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Learning?”
“You might understand as you teach Tim.”
“…I don’t really understand.”
From Harald’s displeased expression, it seemed he might actually mean he didn’t want to understand.
“For now, this is today’s work. Let’s do our best today too!”
“Yeah!”
“I will work with utmost sincerity.”
With the enthusiastic Tim and serious Harald, Karen’s day began.
After shopping at the market while teaching Harald various things, and overcoming her guilt about making a child carry bags with the fact that he was actually fifteen years old, Karen returned to the alchemy workshop. In the entrance hall, on the right side, a visitor was waiting in the reception room.
The person wore a black coat with a hood covering their head, not showing an inch of skin—a suspicious-looking figure by all accounts.
“Karen, a customer came! I’m treating her with proper respect, so don’t worry!”
Tim said with a bright smile. He had probably followed Karen’s instructions not to judge by appearance and considered that the visitor might be a noble. Tim’s straightforwardness was one of his good points.
Karen gulped and turned to face the visitor. It seemed that the Ehlertt’s family was still providing Karen with guards, but they couldn’t check every customer who came to Karen’s alchemy workshop. Since some might be nobles which made intervention difficult, she had been told to be careful.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting, customer. I am Karen, the proprietor of this alchemy workshop. How may I help you today?”
“…Send everyone else away.”
“Ah!”
Recognizing the voice, Karen said to Tim and Harald:
“You two go to the entrance hall… no, to the kitchen.”
“This is an acquaintance of yours, Lady Karen? Should I bring some tea?”
Karen nodded at Harald’s quick understanding.
“Prepare the tea. However, do not enter this room under any circumstances.”
“Understood.”
“Er…”
“Let’s go.”
As Harald pulled the confused Tim out of the reception room, Karen turned back to the suspicious person.
“Lady Waltride, what brings you here?”
“Karen.”
Waltride, removing her hood, said with a face about to cry:
“No one invites me to parties or tea gatherings…!”
Saying this, the princess slumped down dejectedly.
No comments:
Post a Comment