Chapter 28 (1/2)

Chapter 28

Chapter 28: That time when I started working without any problems

I was able to learn what I had to do at work without any problems . That said, I didn’t really have to learn anything since it was just mixing together the ingredients for making bricks though .

As for my work schedule, I decided to follow a five-day cycle where I would work for four days then take a single day off . It’s nice that I got this job through the guild since I am able to more or less choose which days I’ll go to work .

I always make sure that I’m already at the site 10 minutes before the start of operations . The starting time isn’t always the same since they don’t have clocks in this world so I have to do that in order to avoid being late .

I didn’t really need any particular skill to get through the first day since the work a.s.signed to me was just to mix the clay . All I had to do was gather the clay using a hoe-like thing, add water and mix it . But on the next day,

「You need this much clay, this much sand, and this much lime . Just use your intuition and experience when measuring it . Mix it properly so that the finished product wouldn’t be inconsistent . Next, you add in water . Mix it until it has a uniform consistency, okay?」

With that said, I tried to somehow memorize the different viscosity levels . I tried making one at first and went to show it to the boss .

「Is it like this?」

「Well, I guess it’s good enough」

『Oh, so this is good enough』

Since I don’t really need to make any particular changes to it, except for taking short breaks and lunch break in between, I just kept on repeating that task over and over again until the work day was over .

Since I’m out of ingredients to make food, I’ll go and buy some before going home . After that, I’ll go to the nearby bathhouse, make dinner, do some training and go to sleep . Life’s really easy if you have a constant daily routine .

◇

During my days off, I deal with the laundry that has piled up . Landlady-san saw me doing that and said,

「You’re surprisingly diligent for a man」

or so she says but I don’t have anyone else with me so I don’t have a choice but to do it myself . Naturally, I use a washboard and bucket to wash my clothes . I struggled at first but I soon got used it . It’s a pain to rinse them so I just create a water ball and place all of them inside and spin it around like a was.h.i.+ng machine .

When they saw that scene of me doing laundry, the neighbors kept on saying things like “how skillfulー” and “Magic’s supposed to be used for monsters and enemies right?” Or so they say but It’s convenient if you use it like this, right? Humans are beings that seek to make their lives easier, you know? Well, they’re demonkin though .

After I finished doing my laundry, I decided to explore the town so that I can be acquainted with the shop owners around here . I just want to make this clear but I won’t be pa.s.sing by the red-light district okay?

By the way, I also tried making pastries on my days off . I feel like castella cakes and pudding are relatively simple to make so I’ll try challenging it!

First of all, I’ll start with a simple pudding . I just need eggs, milk and sugar to make it . I don’t have those cups used for pudding though . Well, I have those ceramic cups so I’ll use those instead . I’ll just make sure to take it out of the cup before eating it .

I cracked the eggs into a bowl and beat it with a whisk . After that, I add the sugar and milk to the bowl, mix it and pour the mixture into the cups . Next, I filled a pot with water and boiled it .

Meanwhile, I started making the caramel sauce . For this part, I’ll just need sugar and water . Using firewood for that would have been a waste so I just produced a flame in my hand using fire magic instead .

Once the egg mixture was finished, I poured the caramel sauce on top of it . All that’s left is to let it cool in the refrigerator……which doesn’t exist so I just placed the cup in a container with a bit of water to cool it .

『I’m Caam from room number 2 . Feel free to eat these since I made enough for all of us here . Please wash your own cup after you finish eating . If there is anyone who doesn’t like sweets, you can just give your share to somebody else』

Okay, that’s good enough!

While I was at the dining hall enjoying my pudding, a small girl arrived . I wonder whose kid she is?

「h.e.l.lo . I’m Caam from room number 2 . Nice to meet you . Do you want to eat pudding?」

「Ha? Don’t treat me like a kid okay? Even though I look like this, I’ve lived longer than you think」

She kept on glancing at the pudding while trying to read the letter .

「Sorry about that . I’m Caam who’s staying at room number 2 . I apologize for not being able to introduce myself earlier but I just couldn’t find the opportunity to meet with you」

「Mn, thanks for introducing yourself . I’m Tolena(トレーネ1) from room number 7 . I’m from the fairy race that’s why my body’s small . Thanks for the meal」

She started eating after saying that . Her eyes slightly narrowed and the corners of her mouth were starting to rise at first but face started to warp . I wonder if she’s trying to hold herself back from looking like she’s enjoying the pudding .

「That’s the room above mine right? Please take care me from now on」

So this is the girl who lives in the room above mine . Even though she looks like a kid… That horse really doesn’t discriminate, does he?

「Yeah, ditto」

After that, I immediately headed for the public bathhouse and went shopping for dinner . When I came back to the kitchen, all of the pudding was gone . Well, leaving a favorable impression would be for the best . Still, I’m curious about the three remaining residents that I haven’t met yet . I wonder if we’ll meet anytime soon .

◇

It’s been ten days since I started working here . I usually make my own lunch at the same time as breakfast but I still go together with everyone to the diner at lunch . I would still eat the bento I prepared but if they’re out of the daily special, I still order something that would complement my meal .

『You can cook your own meals! That’s amazing』

That’s how they reacted when I first brought along my bento . I hope you guys aren’t making light of the skills of a bachelor who has lived alone for a long time .

By the way, my lunch today is an egg sandwich . I happened to find mayonnaise being sold so I immediately bought some . Its acidic level is pretty high that’s why it’s okay even if it’s stored at room temperature…or at least that’s how I remember it . The shop selling it is really eco-friendly as well since the storekeeper said,

「If you wash the bottle and bring it back the next time you buy some, it would be 2 coppers cheaper」

After I finish mixing the aggregate, I stuff it into molds, deliver them to Kitsune-san using a wheelbarrow and come back to do it all over again . If I get careless with how I do it, I would probably hurt my back . To make it easier, I just decided to use magic to mix it .

For some reason, the others started gathering around me .

「You can use magic!? Why are you working in this kind of job? Wouldn’t it be even more profitable if you do subjugation quests?」

「No, wellー I’m a coward so I don’t like scary and painful things . That’s the reason why I just looked for jobs where it’s unlikely for me to die . When I saw that there were day labor jobs in the guild, I decided to work here . It was still necessary to register at the guild to accept work though . Now that I think about it, I’m slightly regretting that I just honestly filled up the registration form」

「Oi, how much longer can you keep on mixing like that? Have you tried it out before」

「Hmmー, I just did it to an unused field back in my village but I was easily able to plow 10 of them . Taking into consideration Kitsune-san’s stamina, shouldn’t I just continue to mix the same amount I usually do?」

「Oi! Somebody a.s.sist Kitsune to keep up with Kon’s speed! Try to mix until you reach your limit . If it’s like this then our efficiency would immediately go up! Increase the number of kilns as well! Somebody inform the guys who are fixing the wall」

The boss started shouting so that everyone could hear . Oi oi, why did this just turn into something serious?

The ratio I used was still more or less the same but the amount I used gradually increased . Eventually, we ran out of one of the ingredients and I ended up with a with a four-meter diameter mud ball . I was always in a state where I’m constantly mixing something so it just ended up like that . What about its weight you ask? I’m not really sure . If you compare it with water of the same volume, wouldn’t it be even heavier?

「Bossー, what should I do with thisー」

「YOU IDIOT! YOU OVERDID IT!」

I was scolded . He was the one who told me to rapidly mix it though… Incidentally, everyone else was starting to create a commotion .

Since there was nothing he could do about it anymore, the boss gathered as many people as he could and a.s.signed them to help in putting the mixture into molds . As for me, I just made the mud ball float and started helping the others to mold them . To be honest, I wasn’t expecting that I’d be able to make something that big float . I’ve made water b.a.l.l.s float before but I guess mud b.a.l.l.s can float as well .

To make it easier to mold into shape, I cut cube sized portions from the mud ball . This somewhat feels like I’m working in some sort of food factory and what I’m doing right now is cutting a chunk from a large clump to carry it off .

Since we no longer had any more ingredients, our work ended early today . Even though we didn’t have the chance to have our lunch break, everyone was still moving around energetically .