Published at 30th of May 2023 8:46 am

Chapter 324: Hot Pot In A Cool Room 2

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

「Now then, let’s distribute the hot pot」

「Leave it to me!」

The miso has melted, so I leave the distribution of the hot pot to Mina.

「Put in a lot of meat」

「Add fish for me」

「Yes yes!」

Mina answers Eleonora-neesan and Sylvio-niisan’s request for ingredients and continues to put the ingredients to each of their requests.

Let’s also request some since we’re at it.

「Then, put in a lot of spring onion for me」

「Spring onions have a pungent taste, don't they!」1

The taste of the soup soaked with the sweet spring onion and miso will taste the best, isn’t it? To think she will call it pungent, Mina is still so green.

After Mina put in my request inside the hot pot, Mina put in her own share inside, and now the preparation is complete.

「Okay then, let’s eat them!」

Then, Eleonora-neesan started eating the hot pot as soon as she said that.

She’s been waiting until everyone got their portion, but it seems like she wanted to eat it as soon as possible.

Although I also feel the same way, so I immediately bring the bowl to my mouth and take a sip.

The gentle taste of the konbu and miso spreads inside my mouth, and you can also taste the umami from the cod, bird meat, and vegetables that are soaked in it. It’s gentle yet also solid taste.

「Haaー, tasty」

Such words escape me as I exhale in comfort.

I guess it’s because I thought like that from the bottom of my heart that I feel the voice that leaked out from me sounded quieter than usual.

「Your body warms up when you’re drinking the soup」

「Yes, this feels just right」

「We are eating warm food in a cool place despite now being summer, it’s such a luxury. I feel bad for the people who are working outside」

The three of them lets out their impression of this situation with a sigh.

Fufufu, cooling the room with Ice magic despite it being summer, having a warm hot pot but with a slight bit of guilty pleasure over your situation, it’s a spice that gives the hot pot much better.

I drink the warm miso soup while feeling the coolness from the room’s cold air.

Then gradually, I can feel the soup’s flavor more delicately, and I can feel the warmth slowly spreading in my body.

This feeling of relief after drinking something hot can only be experienced in winter. Reproducing that situation with magic and eating something delicious like this is just as Mina said, truly a luxury.

「There is still more, right?」

While I was still sighing in relief after drinking the soup, Eleonora-neesan leans forward and peer into the large pot.

Casually looking at Eleonora-neesan’s bowl, it’s already empty. It was completely eaten.

Eleonora-neesan, you eat so fast.

Giving a sidelong glance at Eleonora-neesan as she was trying to get more in a good mood, I also continue to eat the ingredients prepared before, not just the soup.

This time is spring onion. The large white onion was cut diagonally. And maybe because it was absorbing the miso soup since it has a faint brown color to it, and it become a little heavy.

Looks like the taste has soaked into the onion. I blow on it a bit and then bring it into my mouth while having expectations of the flavor.

「Hot! Hafuu, hafuu」

I was thinking that it was cool enough to eat, but the soup that got soaked inside the onion was hotter than I expected.

And I managed to release the heat by rolling the onion inside my mouth and then I swallow it,

Aah, I wasn't able to have a taste due to the heat.

「Fufufuh, Alfried-sama is so hasty. If you only eat them after cooling them down enough like me――hot! Not good! The inside of the potatoes is hotter than I thought........!」

You really can’t make fun of others at all.

The potatoes were also soaked in the soup stock like onions, the inside is soft and it’s easier to retain the heat inside.

Mina opens and closes her mouth while teary-eyed, trying to release the heat. And perhaps the heat inside her mouth spreads and is still too hot for her as she moves her hands around as if asking for water.

Having experienced that heat so many times before, I make a cup with Earth magic and then pour water with Water magic into the cup.

「Here, water」

「Mm!」

When I handed her the water, Mina take it like she was trying to snatch it from my hand, gulp it down, and swallowed the potato with the help of the water.

「Haaー.....thank you very much Alfried-sama. I thought I was going to die」

「Mina can’t take hot food after all, so don’t be in such a rush when eating, okay?」

「Yes, of course……」

Mina obediently replies, maybe she doesn’t have anything to retort.

In any case, in order to not have any more harm like Mina, I pour water into Mina’s cup and prepare the same thing for the others, including myself.

With this, it won’t be a problem even if another tragedy happens again.

This time, I thoroughly cool the onion down and put it into my mouth.

And when I chew the onion in my mouth, the sweetness from the onion seeps out, and the soup stock and miso that soaked into the onion were released.

「Aah, the soup soaked into the onion thoroughly, it’s delicious」

And what’s more, the taste of the original sweetness from the onion is different. Even if you don’t have the soup stock, it’s sweet enough that you can eat them when stewed as it is. As expected from the vegetables grown in Koryatt village.

While it’s soft, it’s nice since it also has an adequate chewiness to it. The crunchy texture is irresistible.

「The sweetness from the vegetables, the soup, and miso matches perfectly」

「Rightー」

We are feeling warm from the deliciousness of the miso hot pot and its warmth.

「Eh? Where is the meat?」

Eleonora-neesan is getting another helping as she’s searching the inside of the pot with a ladle.

「Wait a minute Eleonora-neesan, you ate too much meat. You also have to eat vegetables and fish」

「I would rather eat meat than vegetables」

Eleonora-neesan said something a child says, it looks refreshing to see.

Normally, she will rebuke us for telling her to eat more vegetables, but maybe she doesn’t feel like doing that because we are eating the delicious hot pot and she has softened her reaction.

Fellow comrades who ate from the same pot. Now I understand that there is such an expression. Hot pot makes everyone kinder.

In other words, if they eat hot pot, then even Torr and Asmo may become calmer and kinder――nah, their mind has already become too polluted, it’s impossible for those guys.

◆

「Haaー, that was delicious」

「Maybe it’s because the room is cool that the hot pot was delicious like when we have it in winter」

「Un, thanks to that my body also warmed up」

After eating the hot pot, everyone let out such remarks as though they were relieved, perhaps because their body have warmed up.

And I guess it’s also because their stomach has somewhat been filled that everyone’s expression looks satisfied.

However, the pot is not finished yet. If anything, it can be said that it’s going to be the best part from now on.

「Now then, shall we add rice for last?」

「That’s right! The compatibility of the ingredients that have soaked in the miso soup and rice will be exceptional!」

We also made the hot pot in winter, and at that time we also ate it with rice at the end, so everyone understand that this is the best part.

「Then, I will bring the rice here」

「But, Mina can’t eat them, all right」

When Mina was trying to leave the room while carrying the pot with her, there was the maid Sara who lie in wait for her.

「Eh? Sa, Sara!！」

「Please immediately return to your cleaning duty after delivering the pot to the room. You still have not finished cleaning the hallway after all」

「Th, that’s! Five, no, just three minutes is fine! Please let me eat the last fish in the hot pot with rice!」

Mina pleads with upturned eyes, but Sara shakes her head - horizontally.

「You can’t. What time do you think it is? It is long past break time, you know?」

「I will also share half of my portion with Sara then, please!」

「I’m fine, I have already eaten my lunch and I’m full now」

Even when she uses the trump card of cutting her portion of zousui in half, Sara still didn’t waver at all.

What a strength of will from Sara. I wonder if Sara’s mind is made of steel or something.

「Now then, let us go back to our work」

「……yes」

Being told that by Sara, Mina starts to walk to the hallway while being despondent.

She made a complete change from her previous happy face into the current despairing expression. It’s understandable, even though she was having a miso hot pot, the last and best part of the dish was taken away from her. There’s probably nothing sadder than this.

「……Mina

「Yes, what is it! Alfried-sama!」

And when I call out to her, Mina turns around with a somewhat expectant expression on her face.

「Also bring eggs, not just rice」

「Alfried-sama, you stupid!」

Mina left the room while making a sharp parting remark.

What the heck are you doing, saying that your master is stupid?

After that, the three of us - me, Eleonora-neesan, and Sylvio-niisan - happily enjoyed the delicious zousui together.

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