Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 25

Chapter Title: Dragon's First Cooking (2)

I grabbed a knife and headed to the kitchen.

Following the cookbook's instructions, I picked up a carrot.

"First, the carrot...."

Mr. Hubert explained each ingredient one by one.

The name of it,

how to prepare it,

and even how it should be eaten.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠For the carrot, it was definitely supposed to be washed, peeled, and then eaten.

"Guess I need to wash it."

I started to head out with just the carrot, then paused.

Come to think of it,

all the vegetables and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠herbs were supposed to be washed before eating.

"Washing them all at once should be fine."

A little shortcut like that wouldn't hurt, right?

I gathered all the vegetables listed in the cookbook and took them outside.

Cool air brushed against my cheek.

The morning sunlight was warm,

but it felt more like winter than autumn now.

"Hmm...."

I carefully placed the armful of vegetables into a large basin.

Potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes....

Quite a lot.

But washing them all at once would make it easier.

I filled the basin with water and hesitated before pulling out some soap.

"...Hmm."

I wondered if I should use soap to wash vegetables.

You use soap when washing things,

but not when cleaning alchemy reagents.

I stared blankly at the soap.

"What did Mr. Hubert say...."

I slowly recalled.

He had said to wash the ingredients thoroughly,

but I didn't think he mentioned using soap.

"Wash them clean with just water."

Yeah. That sounded right.

I hesitated, then slowly set the soap down.

"Just water, then...."

I began washing the vegetables one by one.

Shaking off the dirt,

checking between the crevices,

and rubbing them carefully, just as Mr. Hubert had taught me.

Dirt spread through the water in the basin,

and the rough texture under my fingertips gradually became smooth.

"...Is this right?"

I picked up one of the washed vegetables and examined it.

The color was much brighter.

The skin that had been covered in dirt now glistened,

and the surface felt smooth to the touch.

Water droplets sparkled in the sunlight.

"This should be... good enough."

I poured out the dirty water,

refilled it with clean water,

and rinsed everything thoroughly one more time.

This was something Mr. Hubert had emphasized.

"Hygiene and cleanliness are the most important. Wash the vegetables until the water is clear enough to drink."

Remembering that, I checked the water carefully.

No murkiness left.

The vegetables' colors were vivid now.

"Yeah. Looks good."

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drained the water and picked up the basin of vegetables.

"I should grab a basket next time."

I stared blankly for a moment,

then hurriedly opened the door for the next step.

"......!"

"Huh?"

I turned toward the sound.

The girl, who had been sitting on the blanket looking around, was staring at me.

Her hair was messy,

and her eyes still heavy with sleep.

"Awake already?"

"......"

The girl nodded slightly.

Then she stretched both arms toward me, as if asking to be picked up.

I set the basin on the table and approached slowly.

The girl, who could barely keep her eyes open,

leaned toward me, arms raised.

"If you're sleepy, go back to sleep."

"......"

The girl shook her head vigorously.

She raised her arms higher and hugged me.

I stroked her head and let out a slow breath.

It was warm.

Different from sunlight or a campfire.

But...

I didn't hate it.

"Wait just a bit? I'm making breakfast."

"......"

Instead of answering, the girl buried her face in my chest.

She breathed slowly,

then lifted her head slightly to look at me.

Her eyes gradually cleared.

She didn't say anything,

but her expression said it all.

'I want to stay with you.'

That feeling came through clearly.

"Alright. Let's stay together."

"!"

The girl beamed.

I adjusted the plan slightly and helped her get ready for breakfast first.

I had her wash her face,

helped her brush her teeth,

and neatly combed her tousled hair.

"!!!!!!"

"Oh, ...does it hurt?"

"......"

The girl teared up a little and clutched her head.

"Sorry. I'll be gentler from now on."

"......"

I realized now that when brushing a human's hair,

you couldn't treat them like an animal.

Gently,

very carefully.

Because hair is delicate, and the child is even more so.

"Good. Now, clothes."

I laid out the clothes we'd bought from the clothing store.

No plans to go out today,

so something warm and comfortable was fine.

A bit loose-fitting,

soft and cozy.

I picked out three or four options and showed them to her.

"Picked these at random. Which one do you like?"

"......!"

The girl stared at me blankly.

"What?"

"......"

"Don't like them?"

The girl shook her head vigorously.

Then she started examining the clothes closely.

I watched her quietly, waiting for her choice.

Was it because I'd brushed too hard?

Tears welled up a little in her eyes.

"......!"

"This one?"

She'd chosen the pink dress.

Simple design,

but it would suit her hair color and fair skin perfectly.

"Nice. It'll look pretty on you."

"!"

"I'll help you change. Never done it before, though."

The girl nodded shyly.

"...Hmm."

Such tiny clothes.

Completely different from putting on my own.

First, I carefully undid the buttons.

"...Like this?"

Slowly, I took off her pajamas.

The loose pajamas fell to the floor.

I slipped the pink dress over her head carefully.

"Hmm, now...."

"......"

The girl peeked out and stared at me.

Then,

slowly,

she put her arms through the sleeves and buttoned it up.

Unfamiliar with it,

her hands fumbled a bit.

But she didn't give up.

Slowly,

carefully,

she fitted each button one by one.

"You're doing great."

"......"

Her cheeks flushed pink.

Her fingers trembled slightly, but she stayed focused until the end.

After the last button, she looked up at me with expectant eyes.

I smiled and stroked her head.

"Good job."

"......"

"...Ah, yeah. You look pretty."

"!"

Her eyes widened round.

For a moment, she gasped.

And then─

Her lips quivered slightly,

and a small, bright smile spread beneath her even redder cheeks.

I watched her quietly and thought.

'She wanted to be praised.'

Joy shone plainly on her face.

A mix of shyness and excitement,

she kept her head down but couldn't stop glancing up.

As if wanting to hear it again.

"For real. You're really pretty."

"......!"

Her shoulders twitched.

Then she clutched the hem of her skirt with both hands.

Softly,

but clearly,

a very shy smile bloomed.

I stroked her head and chuckled softly.

"Good. Now let's make breakfast."

"!"

I picked her up and headed to the kitchen.

I moved the table and chair so she could watch the cooking clearly and sat her down.

"This okay?"

"......"

The girl nodded with a smile.

Her face lit up with excitement,

back straight,

eyes fixed on my every move, not wanting to miss a thing.

'...A bit nervous now.'

I pulled out the cookbook and my notes.

With her watching, I had to try harder.

"Alright. First, the peels...."

I took a carrot,

and used the peeler Mr. Hubert had shown me to slowly remove the skin.

"......Huh."

"?"

"...Where does the skin start and end on this thing?"

It got smoother as I peeled,

but the colors were so similar, I wasn't sure if I'd done it right.

"...Let's just go for it."

I carefully followed what I thought was the outer skin.

The blade shaved thin layers off the surface,

and orange peels fell one by one.

"Next...."

Slowly recalling,

I prepared the vegetables as Mr. Hubert had taught.

Potatoes were easy because of the color difference,

but peeling the garlic cloves took quite a while.

The onion...

As Mr. Hubert said, I stopped when I saw green and white.

I looked down at the much cleaner vegetables.

"...Is this done? Probably."

"?"

The sun was already high in the sky.

I hurriedly placed the peeled carrot on the cutting board.

One hand with the ruler,

the other with the knife,

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠measured the carrot's length precisely.

"Good, 3cm."

I positioned the knife, then paused.

"...What does 3cm refer to?"

"?"

"Width? Length? Height?"

After pondering, I decided to cut it into squares.

"Ah, 1mm off."

"...?"

"Again...."

I carefully cut one carrot like that.

Cutting into 3cm squares left more waste than usable pieces.

"...Humans are wasteful."

"?"

"...No way this is right?"

"???"

I hesitated, then handed the carrot scraps to the girl.

"Eat."

"?"

"They say it's fine raw."

"......"

The girl looked at the scraps,

then slowly put them in her mouth one by one and chewed.

"Good. Now potatoes. ...These 3cm too."

"?"

"...Hmm."

I decided to cut these into squares as well.

Again, more scraps than pieces.

"...Hmm."

"?"

The girl reached for the potato scraps.

I gently covered her hand with mine to stop her.

"I appreciate it, but no."

"?"

"These can't be eaten raw."

The girl blinked and withdrew her hand.

Maybe sorry she couldn't help.

She looked up at me with a slightly downcast face.

"It's fine. I'll eat them."

"?"

"Dragons can absorb everything."

I popped the potato scraps into my mouth.

Crunch crunch,

dry and starchy texture.

The more I chewed, the worse it got, so I swallowed them whole.

"...Ugh."

"......?"

This vegetable

didn't have much mana infused in it.

The mana spent absorbing it outweighed what I got.

"Inefficient."

"?"

"Nothing. Don't worry."

Come to think of it, the gods wanted every creation to have purpose.

In the past, among humans,

only mana-infused things were valued as food.

Back then, these vegetables

would have been discarded as waste, not eaten.

'Is that why they changed it like this?'

So everything

would have meaning in life.

To give even the worthless things names and uses.

'Interesting.'

I felt like I understood a bit of my old friend's intentions.

Chewing on that thought, I continued cooking.