Chapter 11
The Millennium World’s Shut-in Witch
Part 2
How much time had passed? I’d been made to walk quite a bit, and somehow ended up being made to gather various nuts.
Some of the plants I collected were for components to make Mana Leaf’s effects easier for the body to absorb, others were for binders to make pills… To be honest, I don’t really remember anymore. In any case, having gathered all the necessary items and returned to the veranda, I promptly collapsed forward.
“You must be tired.”
Dia, who had finished grinding all the Mana Leaves, brought me some tea. The sensation of the magically chilled tea passing down my throat and spreading through my entire body was palpable. It seemed I was quite thirsty.
Although I had taken a short break when first entering this house, I had been walking non-stop all day.
I wanted to rest soon.
” ‘Tis no time for rest, child. Thou must crush what thou brought earlier and mix it with the Mana Leaf powder.”
It seems I still can’t rest…
Saying that, Iblius-san placed something that clattered like dishware in front of me.
It was a large mortar and pestle set.
Unable to complain now, I peeled the nuts I had gathered earlier and chopped them as finely as possible with a knife. I put all the ingredients into the mortar and ground them down even further.
This might have been surprisingly enjoyable if I weren’t tired, but the nuts were harder than expected, and with my body protesting from fatigue, it was tough. It seemed I had to grind them until they were quite fine, and combined with my lack of experience at this task, it wasn’t going well.
“I am not very tired, so shall I take over?”
“Uh… Thank you, Dia!”
“My, Diabolos, thou art being quite indulgent and disgusting with that child.”
Iblius-san let out a big sigh, as if to say “Oh dear.”
And also, Iblius-san uses words like “disgusting”… I didn’t even have the energy to retort that, so I left it to Dia, spread my arms, and flopped down on the veranda in a starfish shape.
How much time passed after that?
I don’t think it was very long, but listening to the steady rhythm of Dia grinding the materials, I must have dozed off a little. Right beside me, Iblius-san was inspecting the ground-up chemicals.
“Hmm, this should be sufficient.”
I also peeked into the container.
A slightly sticky green mass had formed. It seemed to be ground nicely, without any powdery bits.
“Once we pack this into molds and let it dry, the Mana Elixir will be complete.
The day is growing late. We have no more time to spare. The dryer is sufficiently warmed up, so we shall load them in as soon as they are packed into the molds.”
Saying that, Iblius-san prepared two containers with small plastic indentations and two spoons. I had rested and regained some stamina, and if it’s just scooping and packing the medicine into molds, even I could do it.
I packed it in slowly, trying to avoid air bubbles as much as possible. Pouring it into the less-than-1cm indentations required a fair amount of concentration. Once a mold was filled, Iblius-san immediately carried it to the dryer. When all the medicine was packed into the molds, the thread of tension snapped and my strength drained away all at once.
It seems that if there are no problems, it should solidify in a few hours.
“Hmm, ’tis done for now. Good work, both of you.”
Iblius-san, having finished placing all the containers into the dryer, clapped her hands. Now, all that’s left is to wait a few hours. I’m tired from the unfamiliar work, but well, I guess it was a good experience.
” ‘Tis a bit early, but shall we prepare dinner? Thou wilt be staying to eat, correct?”
“Eh, is that okay?! Thank you!”
I ate a solid, late breakfast, but now that you mention it, I didn’t have lunch.
I had some tea and sweets, but that alone wasn’t enough to fill my stomach, so I’m starving.
I was wondering what kind of food she would make, but then Iblius-san turned to me and pointed towards the kitchen. I have a feeling she’s going to say something unpleasant.
“Child, I grant thee permission to use the kitchen. I expect a delicious meal.”
I kinda had a feeling it would come to this!
I did, but is it normal in this situation to make a guest cook the meal?!
” ‘Tis compensation for providing the materials for the Mana Elixir and assisting in its production. Considering that payment is dinner, ’tis cheap, is it not?”
“You said out of friendship that we could do it without compensation!”
“Pray tell, since when hast thou become my friend?”
“……”
“Dost thou hear me, child who tagged along as a friend’s freebie?”
“… Yes, I’ll make it.”
I figured arguing was pointless, and if this developed into a full-blown quarrel, I’d probably lose. I trudged into the kitchen.
The cooking space was fairly spacious, and it seemed gas was connected, so it looked easy enough to work in.
The refrigerator contained various kinds of vegetables and a little bit of meat. I wonder what kind of meat this is. It doesn’t seem to be chicken or beef.
“That was formerly Uma-suke the 86th.”
“That way of putting it is the worst…”
It’s true that we are receiving life (to eat), but having just played with living animals earlier, I’m feeling somewhat complicated.
“First, make a quick snack. Diabolos and I are having drinks.”
“Ugh… Why am I suffering like this…”
I glanced at Dia, and she looked somewhat apologetic. She had an atmosphere of being unable to move, probably Iblius-san had warned her not to help or something. Well, I’m usually the main cook anyway, and Dia helped me a lot today, so maybe I’ll make something a little fancy.
Since I was told to make a snack first, I made a stir-fry of diced bacon and mushrooms. I put them on skewers so they’d be easy to eat with one hand. Carrying the freshly made, delicious-smelling skewers, I wondered why I couldn’t eat any. I regretted a little not making enough to sneak a taste.
When I placed the skewers in front of the two, Iblius-san said ‘Not bad.’ It seems she was satisfied, at least.
I myself was very hungry, so I immediately returned to the kitchen and started cooking.
In the living room, Iblius-san and Dia seemed to have started talking, drinks in hand.
