Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: A Gift for the Four (2)
The child blinked, looking back and forth between me and the butcher shop.
It wasn't wariness so much as unfamiliarity in her gaze.
Mixed in was a faint curiosity.
It was only natural.
This was the first time bringing the child here.
Unlike human perceptions, I don't like meat.
It's greasy,
> tough,
>
and squishy.
Rather than eat that,
> I'd much prefer chewing on low-grade gems.
But the child is different.
For a human like her to grow,
> meat and protein intake are essential, according to the childcare books.
Just as Hubert had once mentioned.
For a child like me who hates meat,
> I'd been substituting with processed things like sausages or ham until now.
'Maybe it's time to try the real thing.'
The festival was approaching.
I planned to experiment with new foods that day.
For the child,
> and for myself too,
>
to make it a slightly 'special day'.
I slowly added an explanation for the child, who was staring at me intently.
"This is a butcher shop."
"...?"
"We're buying what we'll eat today here."
The child slowly nodded.
I adjusted the child in my arms and carefully opened the door.
The inside of the butcher shop was already bustling with festival preparations.
Meat marinated in seasonings,
> large chunks of cut meat,
>
hams and sausages filled the display shelves.
"Welcome!"
A plump merchant greeted us with a bright face.
"I'm here to buy steak meat for the festival."
"Oh my, perfect timing! We just got some great stuff in today."
The merchant quickly moved to the display shelf.
His eyes sparkling, he showed me meats that all looked the same to me.
"Here, take a look. Well-aged sirloin. When you grill it, the juices are incredible."
"... ."
"Or this, tenderloin is nice too. Low fat, tender. Or, well, any specific cut you're looking for?"
The cookbook had mentioned them,
> but since I'd never actually tried them, nothing really clicked.
I glanced over the meats on the display and slowly opened my mouth.
"I'm not familiar with that stuff. It's for the child, so give me the softest, most tender cut."
"Yes, got it!"
The merchant grinned brightly and skillfully pulled out some meat.
I felt a cheerfulness similar to yet different from the general store owner's.
'Not bad.'
Hubert hadn't recommended him for nothing.
I looked down at the child.
Her eyes darted busily at the unfamiliar sights,
> and her small hand had already grabbed the hem of my robe tightly.
Tension,
> curiosity,
>
fear of the unknown.
A subtle expression conveying all of that.
"Here you go, customer—!"
"Thanks."
"You're the customer the bookstore elder mentioned, right?"
"Yeah."
The butcher shop owner laughed heartily, his uvula visible, as he looked at the child.
"I heard from the elder. The kid hates meat."
"That's right."
"Haha, some kids can't stand the smell of meat. In those cases, this special herb powder..."
The boisterous owner's voice trailed off.
Looking around the display shelves hurriedly,
> the owner soon scratched his head awkwardly and spoke.
"Oh no, I've been so busy I didn't realize the powder ran out. The elder specifically asked me to prepare some for you."
"It's fine. Thanks for caring."
I greeted lightly and turned to leave, but paused.
Still,
> I hoped the child could eat the meat a bit more easily.
I called out to the butcher shop owner, who was organizing his cutting board.
"Hey, can you tell me the name of that herb?"
"Oh, my special powder? It's rosemary and thyme mixed in. Basil too."
"Yeah. Thanks."
Thankfully, it was an herb sold at the alchemy shop.
Since it was listed in the cookbook too, it seemed pretty commonly used.
I changed plans and headed to the alchemy shop.
The general store, which had been my original plan,
> seemed too busy selling festivities for a while.
"Guess I'll have to make it myself."
"...?"
"Not sure what yet, though."
Lost in various thoughts, I arrived at the alchemy shop before I knew it.
Maybe because it was familiar.
The child's expression brightened considerably.
As I opened the door, a acrid smoke different from usual stung my eyes and nose.
"!!!"
"...What?"
"Oh dear, a customer! ...Just a moment! I'll clean up now!"
Sounds of frantic movement came from inside.
Soon after,
> a blue light flashed amid the smoke.
The thick smoke cleared, revealing the familiar owner's face.
Her hair was even messier than usual,
> and her face was covered in soot here and there.
It was obvious she'd just blown something up.
"Whew, miscalculated the ratio and it exploded. Getting old, making mistakes I never used to."
"... ."
"Here for more herbs, right?"
"...Ah, yeah."
But my attention was elsewhere now.
I looked around the alchemy shop.
The smoke that had filled it moments ago was completely gone.
'How did she do that? Roll back time?'
No way.
As the time of this world, I
> would know if time was reversed right in front of me.
'How on earth...?'
As I was lost in thought,
> the child hesitated and pointed at the owner's face.
"...!"
"Hm? What's wrong? Oh my, it's all over my face too."
Only then did the owner pull out a hand mirror,
> startled at her reflection and began wiping frantically.
But,
> due to the herb properties, it wouldn't come off easily.
From my experience handling similar herbs,
> it would take at least a couple hours of washing with clean water to fade even slightly.
"Must be tough."
"...Ah, yeah. I was hoping not, but looks like I wasted a use on the magic tool."
The alchemy shop owner sighed and took out a necklace.
As she held the necklace,
> light shone from the small crystal on the pendant.
It was definitely the blue light I'd seen earlier.
At that moment,
> the soot on the owner's body vanished without a trace.
As if time had been rolled back.
"...What is that?"
"Pardon? Oh, this magic tool. It has a cleaning spell enchanted on it."
"...Cleaning spell?"
"Yeah, alchemists like us deal with this stuff a lot. Cleaning up and changing every time is a hassle, so I splurged on it."
The owner fondled the necklace proudly.
While grumbling about the remaining uses regretfully.
But that grumbling didn't register in my ears.
Cleaning spell...
It was an unfamiliar magic.
I'd heard of it very rarely while wandering,
> but back then I considered it irrelevant and paid no attention.
Cleaning was always handled by dunking in river water or rainwater,
> or lava,
>
and if even that was annoying, just rolling back time.
Of course, my expectations for this world's magic had plummeted through the floor due to teleportation spells.
But—.
Things were different now.
Whenever something splashed on the child's body or clothes,
> I was always busy wiping and washing.
'If this world's magic can do that, isn't it worth learning?'
I glanced toward the lab.
Visible through the slightly open door, it was impossibly clean for a recent explosion site.
Soot-free floor and walls,
> a table sparkling as if just cleaned.
But,
> it wasn't time reversal,
>
as the shattered remnants of tools were neatly piled in one corner of the lab.
Cautiously,
> I sniffed the shop's interior air.
The air itself was clear, like it had been purified.
'This level without rolling back time...?'
I slowly nodded.
This magic was worth learning properly.
A faint smile spread across my face.
The gift I'd been pondering for days.
I now had an idea of what to give them.
After picking up the herbs the butcher had told me about, I stood at the counter.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"That necklace. You make it by enchanting magic?"
The alchemy shop owner blinked, taking the herbs.
"Interested?"
"Yeah. A lot."
"As expected from a fellow practitioner. But making magic tools is harder than it seems. I've tried a few times myself since I hated wasting money."
"I see..."
Too bad, guess not.
Have to think of another gift.
A short sigh escaped me unwittingly.
Did she hear that?
The alchemy shop owner paused handing over the herbs and glanced at me cautiously.
"Customer."
"Yeah?"
"Want to borrow a book?"
"...Book?"
The owner nodded with a smile.
"I have a few on magic tool theory and practice. Like I said, I've dabbled here and there. All failures, though."
"I see..."
I nodded slightly.
If such books existed, it didn't sound bad.
"Sure, I'll borrow them."
"Great. Return them next time. They're pretty expensive."
"Yeah. Thanks."
The owner went into the lab and brought out a few books.
All thick volumes.
Might have to pull an all-nighter to finish them.
Still, not bad.
"As thanks, if I succeed, I'll make you one."
"Hehe, looking forward to it."
I left the alchemy shop with her usual send-off.
I looked up at the sky.
The sun was still high in the midday sky.
Even so, I needed to hurry more than usual.
"Let's head back. Lots to do today too."
"...!"
"Yeah. You have work today too. Eating that in my arms deliciously."
"!"
Clutching the meat bag tightly,
> the child nodded with a resolute expression.
I laughed.
I quickened my steps.
Organizing tasks in my head,
> I moved hurriedly like the busy villagers.
But I didn't dislike it.
This busyness,
> these days engraving something.