306-Shaved ice of red wine




 
 After finishing breakfast and taking a food break in the living room, I went back to my room.

'I think it's time to bring some souvenirs, or Thor and Asmo are going to charge in.

 This is our third day back in the village of Colliat. Our carriage is very noticeable and it's a small village society. I'm sure everyone in the village knows that our family is back by now.

 They must be looking forward to it, thinking that we are friends and will surely bring them a gift.

 I'm sure they're looking forward to the fact that I'm not going to leave the mansion on the first or second day I come back because of my personality, so they're probably looking forward to the fact that I'm going to come today or so. And if he disappoints that expectation, he'll come barging into the mansion.
Ugh.

 Because they don't come back sooner or later when I let them into the house.

 I don't want to go out because it's too hot outside, but I also want to enjoy the scenery of the village for the first time in a while.

 I guess I'll have to bring you a souvenir from here.

 Well, what would you like to bring for Thor and Asmo?

 First of all, some seashells and magical stone fragments I picked up on the beach. They'll be able to tell that I've been to the beach more than anything else besides food.

 And then there's the food. We'll just need some dried fish from Aegal, some dried small crabs, and some fish that I froze with ice magic.

 Any more than that and we'd be giving them the luxury of a good time.

 I take out my bag and put a crate of shells and magic stones in it.

 You can take out frozen fish and jars of dried fish from the spatial magic later. It's too heavy to carry around in your bag.

 With the souvenirs ready, I leave my room and head downstairs to the front door.

 And as I was changing into my outside shoes, Erna's mother called out to me from behind.

'Al, where are you going?'

I'm going to Thor's house to give him something back.

Thor's house? Why can't you just ask him to come to the mansion?

Hmm? It's very unusual for Mother Erna to try to call a guest.

 Mother Erna prefers to spend her time at the mansion, so she's not a fan of inviting strangers to the mansion, if anything.

 It's a distraction if your child's friends come over and make noise when you're relaxing at home, and the person who invited them has to be careful.

 It's a good idea to have a good time at home, and I know that feeling very well, so I basically don't invite Thor and his friends over very often.

 I'm not sure why mother Erna, who feels the same way as I do, is willing to invite Thor and his friends if she doesn't have to.

'Because it's going to be too hot when Al is gone. Who's going to use ice magic when Al is gone?

 Just when you think you're about to say something unusual, you wonder why.

''You know, you have a magic tool for ice. You could make some ice with that and put it in your room.

It's still cool, but I still need Al to be there.

'You can't say that with a serious look on your face and be cool. I'll be off then.

 I know what you're thinking, but it's been a while since I've seen the village of Coriat. I shake it off and walk out before Mother Erna can talk me out of it.

 Then the warm air greets me.

 It's a far cry from the house where ice magic is spreading cold air around. I can't wait to get my heart broken.

''Look, it's hot outside, okay? Why don't we take our time in the cool house?

 Mother Erna whispers demon whispers behind me, but I don't listen to her.

'It's okay. I can wear cold air with my magic.

 I activated my ice magic and let it drift around me. With that, the warm air was successfully pushed away.

''d*mn, that's why Al...''

 Mother Erna looks envious of me, who can use ice magic.

 Hmmm, because it's summer, my status as a person who can use ice magic is higher than usual.

 However, I can see why the mansion gets hotter when I'm gone, so I'm going to apply first aid.

 I'm going to make a lot of buckets with earth magic and throw ice into them.

''Just by leaving these in there, the cold air should come out and make it cooler.

Oh, thank you. Be careful out there. Don't forget to hydrate yourself just because you can use ice magic, okay?

 When she realized that she could take care of the heat without me, Mother Erna sent her off with a smile on her face.



 ◆



 Leaving the mansion, I proceed down a single street, covered in cold air.

 The season is summer. The mountains in the distance are green. The sky is blue and the clouds floating in the air are very white.

 This brightly colored scene is what summer is all about.

 I walked with ease, enjoying the scenery and not letting the hot air get the better of me.

 The grasses on the side of the road were lush and green, pointing up to the sky without being defeated by the heat. The flowers that were blooming here and there were not wilted and were in full bloom.

Plants are amazing. It's amazing how plants don't wilt under the hot sun.

 Of course, I know they get their water from the regular rains, but I'm pretty sure they would fall over if humans were to stay in the sunshine all day like this without drinking water.

 I enjoy the colors of the flowers and listen to the sound of the running water of the creek with my ears. There are large frogs by the creek, or maybe they are bullfrogs, and I can hear their bullfrog-like calls.

 The sounds were somewhat nostalgic in the scenery that hadn't been in Silford territory.

 After a while of walking while enjoying the scenery more than usual, before I knew it, I was near the village of Coriat.

 I could catch a glimpse of the villagers in the fields.

 It's almost harvest time, and the villagers are working tirelessly to care for their barley. They are taking care of the wheat, removing insects and weeds and so on.

'Ah! Master Alfried, welcome back!

Yeah, I'm back.

 As I was waving and replying to the villagers who noticed us and waved to us, I saw the old man from Roomba, Gates and Roland up ahead.

 I was thinking that it's so cold that the temperature around me rises just by looking at it, and then the other side noticed me too, and waved to me.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. Long time no see! Didn't you go to visit some other nobleman's house?

Well, sort of. How about you?

I just helped Gates and Roland weed the field!

'Phew, it took three of us to weed the field. We were done in less than half a day.

But it still hurts like a b*tc*.

 Rumba and Gates giggle and the old man thumps his hip.

 The three of them are so close to each other that they're weeding together.

'So, Al, today...'

 'I don't know why,' Roomba was about to say, but for some reason he closed his mouth.

'Hmm? What's up with the Roomba?

Isn't it cooler around Al?

 I'm thrown off guard by Roomba, who says with a raised eyebrow. 'That's sharp.

'Hmm? It's true. For some reason, it's oddly cool...

Why only around Master Alfried?

 Gates and the old man come up to me, saying so.

 Nothing makes me happy when the sullen old man prowls around me. Or rather, I feel like a herbivore being teased by a predator.

''Ah! Al, that's it! You have ice magic. If that can keep you cool, do it to us!

 I'm in a delicate mood, and Roomba says as if he remembers.

 Roomba knows I can use ice magic, you know.

''Hm, if you can use such a useful magic, I'd love to have you cast it.

Otherwise, we'd have to embrace Master Alfried ourselves...

Oh, yeah. I'm very confident in my physical strength.

 The three of them spread out their arms and leaned in close to each other while making ridiculous threats.

 There is a transposition magic, so if you hide in the shadows, we win, but unfortunately this is all wheat fields. There are no shields, so there's nowhere to shift to.

 It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

''Well, I'm going to cast a spell, so please don't give me that much of a break.

 I decided to feed them and pass it off peacefully here, so I honestly activated my ice magic and let the cold air drift away.

''Hi-hooo!''

 Then the three of them let out a high-pitched scream and made a small leap.

 It's as joyful as if it hadn't rained in a long time on a drought-stricken land.

'Whoa! Cool! No wonder Al is walking around looking so cool!

'Wow! Magic is great!

 And yes, magic is the power to overturn the absurdities around us. You can blow away the heat and the cold with the power of magic.

'Al, I want shaved ice! Make that one too!

"What's shaved ice?

 When Rumba gives such an order, Gates and the old man show immediate interest.

''It can't be helped. I'll make it for you, just give me a minute.'

 There's a chance they'll keep following me around for cold air if I don't.

 I'll give them a shaved ice to say goodbye.

 Thinking of this, I used my earth magic to create a bowl and poured some crushed ice into it.

 Then, in no time at all, the shaved ice piled up on top of the bowl.

 The white shaved ice that glistens in the sunlight is so beautiful.

It looks like rice.

"Hmm, you've crushed the ice into tiny pieces. It's so sparkly and beautiful.

 The old man and Gates, seeing the shaved ice for the first time, looked curious and let out an exclamation of admiration.

 When the shaved ice is ready, I'll make them a spoon with earth magic.

''Yes, it's done.''

Hey, you got anything good to pour on there, like grape juice, like before?

 I hold out the finished product and Roomba looks at the bag and says covetously, "I don't have it.

I don't have it. I only brought a souvenir for Thor and his friends today.

 I open my bag and show him that I have no such groceries.

 Then Roomba looks a bit disappointed.

 Well, once you get to know the taste of that shaved ice, you can understand why you would want to eat it again.

''Hmm, so it's good when eaten on ice alone, but it's even better when eaten with something else on top?''

'Oh, yes. All I need is some honey or jam or fruit juice or something.

That's a good thing.

 Saying that, Gates takes out a water bottle from his waistband.

'Hmm? You can't get any better by pouring water on it.

 The old man makes a quizzical noise, but Gates waves his index finger at him as if it were a waste of time.

'No. What's in here is red wine.

Oh, oh? That sounds like a bit of a fit.

 Rumba is right, red wine with shaved ice sounds pretty good. Speaking of red wine, it's originally grapes and it usually looks good.

Well, I'll put some in.

 With that, Gates removes the lid of the water bottle and pours it into the shaved ice.

 The pure white ice is dyed the color of red wine.

 However, perhaps because the red wine is warmer, the shaved ice melts with a crunching sound.

'Nuh-ah! Oh, my God! The warmth of the red wine caused the ice to melt!

'No, it's sorbet-like, not completely melted! Probably still tastes great!

 The warm red wine made the shaved ice rapidly shrink, but it wasn't all melted. It had melted just enough to make it sorbet-like.

 Gates, holding his head in his hands, gave him some advice, and he came to himself and spooned it out.

 Then he put the reddish sorbet into his mouth.

''........Indeed. Although the texture is less than before, this is still good.''

 Gates closes his eyes and looks ecstatic. His long jaw appears to be more accentuated, perhaps because he looks up lightly.

''Oh, that looks delicious! I'll take a little red wine!

Me too!

 Seeing Gates eating the delicious food, Roomba and the old man also poured red wine over the shaved ice.

''Sweet grape juice is nice, but I like it with a splash of red wine!

I want to eat this every day before I go to bed!

 It's a hot summer night and you want to eat cold ice cream or something and go to sleep. I can very much relate to what the old man said. I eat ice cream and go to bed almost everyday these days. It's not an exaggeration to say that I have to eat ice cream to get through the day.

'I mean, I'd like to have it with a glass of red wine, too.

 When you eat it in front of me like this, I want to eat it too. You can enjoy this not only as a sorbet, but also as a red wine cocktail.

Hmm, Al is just a kid.

I'm sure it's only for a little while.

 Rumba looks delicate, but the old man grins and says

'If something happens, we'd better not, because we can't take responsibility for it.

 Well, Gates is right. I'm only seven years old, and I'm not old enough to let him drink just a little bit. You have to be ten years old.

''That's right. I don't know what they will say if they find out that I let the lord's children drink alcohol. That's a pity, Alfried. You're going to have to give up this dish with red wine! Hahaha!

 Although I had convinced myself that this was a good idea, I was a bit annoyed when people teased me like this.

'Oh, speaking of which, Roomba. You haven't taught the old man how to eat the best shaved ice yet, have you?

'Oh, yes!'

 Roomba, who instantly understood what I wanted to say, smiled like a mischievous child - an evil-looking smile that was far beyond the level of a prankster's smile.

'What the hell! Is there a better way to eat than this?

 Sensing something in me and Roomba's smile, Gates decided to sit on the sidelines, but the old man didn't notice and ate it up.

 Then me and Roomba showed him the best way to eat shaved ice, and the old man was so happy that he held his head up and screamed.