We had many disagreements, but we proceeded to cook without delay.

'Elinora, you need to cut the carrots a little more consistent in size.

　Sister Elinora, who was forced to participate in the cooking, is being warned by Mother Erna.

　If you look in that direction, you will see Elinora sister slicing carrots into rounds with a somewhat dangerous hand.

'It's pot-au-feu, isn't it?　Then I don't mind if it's a little different in size. If anything, it'll make it taste better.

'There's a big difference between being able to do it but not doing it and not being able to do it, you know?　Come on, get them all sized and cut them up.

Okay.

　Sister Elinora looks a little frustrated when Mother Erna tells her to do so.

　Then she cuts the carrots in a mature manner.

　Ton......................an irregular sound that I'm obviously not used to.

　Looking at the cut carrots on the cutting board, I see a distorted one lying around that doesn't seem to have been aligned in a flattering way.

''........Did you intend to align these?''

Yes!

　Looking at Sister Elinora, who insisted on saying so proudly, Mother Erna looked terribly worried.

'Elinora, is your eye okay?　Did you hit your head when you fell in practice earlier?

Because I'm not crazy!

　Sister Elinora biting her teeth in frustration at losing to a raggedy guy.

　It's fun to see Elinora's sister being teased. That kind of thing is new to me since I usually get beaten up a lot.

''.......what?''

　He must have noticed me staring at him in a daze. Sister Elinora, who's a bit of a bugger, glares at me.

''... anything.''

　I reply and turn my gaze in front of my eyes, because if I speak anything, it might bring fire to us.

　Then I dare to slice the onions in rhythm. Of course, unlike my unskilled sister, I made sure they were the right size.

''........see, Al is doing it right?

Al is like half a cook, so no.

　What is it with being half a cook? I only do it to the extent that I like it, you know?　You're not like Bartolo, who loves to cook.

　As I was rushing in, Brother Silvio, Father Nord and Meena were sitting on a chair, peeling potatoes in a friendly manner.

　And that too with a knife, just like peeling an apple. There is no handy tool in this world called a peeler, but it would be dangerous and quite time consuming.

　There's an easy way to peel a potato without having to do that, but should I teach you?

Al, what's going on?

　I get a complicated look on my face, and Dad Nord asks me if I've noticed.

'There's an easier way to get the skin off, but...'

How is that even possible?

How does that work?

　Dad Nord and Meena are biting into them with interest, having experienced the tedious peeling process. Brother Silvio is silent as he concentrates on the potatoes in front of him.

　He doesn't seem particularly offended, so I take the cutting board and knife to the table.

　Then I pick up one of the potatoes with the skin on and place it on the cutting board.

'This is how you make a shallow cut all the way around with the knife.

　Father Nord and Meena nodded at me as I made a round of cuts in the potatoes with their skins, and they watched me.

　Watching them, I go through the steps in a flowing manner.

　After making the slits, I put the potatoes directly into the hot water I've prepared in the pot.

　It takes about fifteen minutes. I boil the potatoes, turning them over in the middle.

　If you are a skilled cook, you can peel some of them off in this boiling time, but we are just amateurs. We can peel and boil as many potatoes as we can fit in the pot in fifteen minutes, so it should be enough.

　We boiled them until a skewer stuck in them, and then we lifted them out of the pot.

Then I just put them in a bowl of ice water to cool them down.

Finally, there's a glimpse of advanced magical technology...

''Ice magic isn't the first thing you can use, and it's going to be hard to do without ice magic tools.

　Dad Nord and Meena watch me work and give me a difficult look.

'Oh, I see. Normal people can't get the ice out easily...''

　It was supposed to be a simple peeling technique that anyone could do, but it has become a technique that only a few people and rich people can use. Once again, it made me aware of the high level of civilization in the previous life.

''You could say that's true, and I don't think many normal people have the idea of using ice magic for cooking.

''I've been thinking for a while now, but Alfried-sama's use of magic is a bit odd, isn't it?''

　And for some reason, he treats me like I'm a pervert. It's funny.

　Magic exists to enrich our lives, so how can we not make good use of it?　That's the way it's supposed to be used, in my opinion.

　Well, if I preach it now, I'll just let it slide.

'Well, I think we can get by with some cold water. The point is just to cool the hot potatoes.

What are you going to do with all those cold potatoes?

All you have to do is peel them off with your fingers.

　I answer by grabbing one of the cooled potatoes in my hand.

　Then I turn the skin over with my fingers to make it easier for them to understand as they nod their heads.

　Then the skin of the potatoes is easily peeled off.

　In the blink of an eye, the skin has been peeled off and a clean potato is ready to eat.

What?　It was so easy to peel the potatoes!

No leftovers at all.

　The two of them are surprised to see the peeled potatoes.

　Meena's reaction is especially loud, so I'm a little happy to show it off too.

　I peel off the skin of the other potato in front of their eyes with my fingers.

'See, I could easily peel this one off by hand too.

'Sounds like a bit of fun!　Let me do the same!

　I showed him the nicely peeled potatoes and let him do what he wanted as Meena asked for it with an itchy look. I'm not sure if Dad Nord was curious about the feel of the potatoes, but he started peeling them soberly with his hands, blending in with Meena.

'Wow!　It's great!　It really does slough off the potato skins!

'It's really easy. I didn't know there was a way to do it this way...

　Meena squeals in admiration and Dad Nord exclaims in admiration.

　Yes, yes, it's important to want everything to be easy.

　The thought that it can't be made easier or more efficient is because we want to be easy. That's what drives us and allows us to evolve.

　It might be a little hard until it's easier, but once you get there, it'll be easier later.

　As I was thinking about that, I heard the voices of Mother Erna and Sister Elinora from behind me.

''................Surely that was like half a cook. It was a funny comparison.

Right?

　No, I'm not a cook, okay?



　You're not going to be able to do that.


　Despite the little tricks, our cooking went well and we were on the verge of completion.

　The pot-au-feu, seasoned with lots of vegetables, potatoes, bacon and spices, was making a gurgling noise and spreading a savory smell.

　Me and Meena, who are adjusting the fire in front of us, are receiving it directly, and our stomachs growl in response. My stomach is already starving.

　Everyone has already run out of things to do, and each of us is waiting in our seats, zealously waiting.

　They are probably waiting for the pot-au-feu to be finished.

''...........''

　Sis Elinora, a pressured stare from Mother Erna pierces me.

　I want to eat quickly as well, so please don't put pressure on me.

''Alfried-sama, that's enough, isn't it?　That's all done, right!

There's still the last of the pasta left.

　I remonstrate with Meena, who tells me to pack it in, and I take the pasta out of the container.

　If it's pot-au-feu, I could eat it with bread, but that wouldn't be fun.

　Later on, it's a big reason why I personally like putting pasta in pot-au-feu.

　However, there's no such thing as dried pasta that's handy, so I had to use preboiled pasta. The truth is, I toss it with olive oil or other ingredients, or toss it with a sauce and freeze it with ice magic. We wanted to heat it up so that it would be ready to eat anytime, but my family, who are not used to the idea of frozen food, had a delicate reaction to it, so we didn't have it.

　Well, people who aren't used to the idea of frozen food would have been suspicious of frozen pasta.

　So even though we boiled the pasta this morning, the noodles had already been frozen for several hours, so the texture of the pasta was lost.
I'm not going to be able to do that.

　Normally, you would have to throw in such pasta, but my spatial magic clears that up.

　I secretly stored the pasta on the carriage with my spatial magic. In spatial magic, there is no concept of time. That's why the pasta in the container is freshly made.

　I put the pasta as usual into the pot of pot-au-feu. It's boiled to some extent beforehand, so there's no need to cook it much.

Yes, that's it.

It's done!

　Hearing Meena's cheerful voice, Sister Elinora, who had been riddled with hunger, crisply woke up. Mother Erna also feels mindlessly inhabited.

''Meena and I will take care of the catering, right?

All right. Please.

　Now, when we are about to serve the food, Mr. Lowe proposes to change roles.

　Although I am the one who can cook, he must have thought it was uncomfortable to have me, his employer, deliver the food. I noticed that, so I asked him to take a turn and took my seat.

　The order of seating is the same as usual. Brother Silvio is next to my left, and sister Elinora is in front.

　But today, Meena and Lowe are also there, so there's also a seat to my right.

　At first they were afraid to eat with us and declined to eat together, but Nord Dad and Erna Mom told them to eat without worrying about it, so they agreed to eat with us.

　We're out of town now, and we're not too picky about etiquette and rules.

　As I sat thinking about this, the plates of pot-au-feu were being handed out one by one.

　Nord Dad was the first to be handed out, then Erna Mom.

　Then, as they are handed out to sister Elinora, Lowe and Meena return to the kitchen to get the next plate.

'Yes, Al,'

　As I waited anxiously to see if Brother Silvio and I had enough for me yet, Sister Elinora handed me a plate.

　Elinora sister cares about me?　How is that possible?　No, when I was in the mansion, they rarely passed the food around because they were concerned about me in the back, right?

　However, I'm sorry for letting you hold the plate all the time, and I'm sorry for prodding you into kindness.

''....Yeah?　Oh, thank you.

　I received a plate of pot-au-feu with a questioning look on my face.

　The pot-au-feu that I received was filled with a lot of ingredients and looked very tasty.

-- I mean, my pot-au-feu ingredients are all distorted in shape...

'Ah!　Meena, it's over here!

　I gave her a still look, but sister Elinora averted her gaze without a second thought.

　Then I caught Meena, who had come to serve just in time to get a pot-au-feu with a stable size of ingredients.

　I'm a little uncomfortable with it, but it's too much trouble to tussle with it before I eat it. I'd rather eat my food sooner than that.

　As we wait, wondering if we're not ready yet, Meena and Lowe are the last to sit down.

''Let's eat then, shall we?''

　Father Nord said, and everyone grabbed their knives and forks and got to work on their food.

　I do the same, and get my hands on the pot-au-feu.

　I guess I'll start with a thick slice of bacon.

　The bacon is donned on top of the soup. It's very thick and has a different presence and aroma than the other ingredients.

　Bartolo had seasoned it, and this time he threw it in instead of the sausage.

　First of all, I cut up the bacon as if it were meat and brought it to my mouth.

　The first thing you feel is the overwhelming chewiness and the rich, natural flavor and spice of the meat. Every time you stick your teeth into the meat, the richness of the flavor and spice of the meat spreads in your mouth.

　Once the bacon is fully appreciated, the onions come next.

　They're cooked until they're crunchy, and then you stick them in with a fork and eat them.

　The texture of the onion is soft yet crisp, and the onions soak into it. And the broth that soaked into the onions was spat out with sweetness.

　Mmmm, the thickly seasoned bacon is doing a great job.

　Thanks to the bacon, this soup is so thick that it doesn't need consommé or anything else to make it. As long as it has this, there is no need for unnecessary spices. It has the natural sweetness of vegetables.

It's delicious. Especially the big bacon, I can't stand it!

It's true. This Bartolo guy is doing a great job.

The bacon gives the whole thing a lot of flavor, doesn't it?

The vegetables are really good.

　Everyone else seems to have noticed how great the bacon is, and they're all raving about it.

　It's amazing how much work Bartolo does without being here.

Next stop, the pasta!　But unlike usual, I'm already boiling them, so they're a bit stretched out, right?

'The stretched out noodles take a bit of flavour off, but it's a journey, so it's what it is.

　It's okay. This time, it's freshly made because I used special spatial magic to store it.

　But I'm the only one who knows that it is.

　If I were to blurt out my opinion here, "The texture is still worse than usual," I'd probably laugh.

　It's like I'm testing someone else's taste buds.

　I watch my sister Elinora and her mother Erna excitedly bring the pasta to my mouth.

'It's slightly stretched,'

I'm not so sure.　It doesn't seem that different to me than what I've always eaten?

　Mother Erna let out a sharp comment, but Sister Elinora caught on beautifully.

　I can't help but laugh when you say such an off-base line with a mysterious expression. If I tell her this is high-class, I'll be in a good mood as much as possible in the future.

'Hey Al. What are you laughing at?

...anything.

　Oops, a smile seems to have escaped my lips.

　He glares at me and I cover up my expression with nothing.

　While Elinora's sister gives me a suspicious look, I wrap the pasta around my fork and put it in my mouth.

　Yeah, it's soaked up by the pot-au-feu soup and it's delicious. Maybe it's thanks to the spatial magic, but the pasta's barely even stretched.
Na.

　Satisfied with the taste and texture of the pasta, I proceeded with my fork.

　Then I felt a gooey, hard feeling in my mouth.

　Suddenly, I looked at the tip of the fork, and there was a distorted shaped carrot that had only been pierced shallowly.

''The ... carrot is hard.''

　I whimpered and the piercing gaze was foggy as I whimpered.