Jill led the three confused people to the kitchen.
“For now, I’ll make the Pepe while showing you. But can you eat seconds?”
“Jill, I don’t think this is something we should show so casuallyโฆ”
“It’s fine. It’s really simple.”
Jill, unconcerned with Matthew’s worries, placed the ingredients on the cutting board where everyone could see.
“Let’s start by explaining the ingredients. Though it’s just the basic Aglio e Olio. Pasta, salt, garlic, olive oil, chili peppers. And parsley to finish. There’s nothing special here.”
As she explained, Jill peeled the garlic, split it in half, and removed the core.
She lightly crushed it with the flat of the knife and placed it into the frying pan, pouring in a generous amount of oil.
“[Ignition]”
Jill then lit a very low fire on the stove.
She slowly cooked the garlic.
At the same time, she started boiling the pasta in salted water.
“Have any of you made Pepe before?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t.”
“Of course, I can make something like this.”
Only Matthew shook his head.
Jill decided to explain while cooking, showing them the frying pan over the heat.
“Basically, you make garlic oil with a generous amount of oil like this. Next, you add the chili peppers to bring out the heat, but this part is up to your taste. If you like it spicy, add the peppers at the same time as the garlic to draw out the spiciness. If not, adding them just before the garlic is fully cooked is fine.”
“That’s right,” Garda nodded.
“Then, once the aroma comes out, you add the pasta water. You mix it in, aiming for about a one-to-one ratio with the oil, and then add the boiled pasta. However, I think the method of mixing might be different from how you usually do it.”
Jill crushed the garlic in the pan with a fork.
She then ladled some pasta water into the frying pan.
“[Liquid Manipulation]”
“โฆAh, ahhh!?”
The olive oil, crushed garlic, and pasta water began to dance.
They spun and mixed together at high speed.
“Itโs called emulsification when oil and water mix. I like it when theyโre properly combined. But just frying in a pan doesn’t always work well.”
“So, you forcefully mix them with magicโฆ is that it?”
Jill nodded honestly in response to Maureen’s question.
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
The force of the liquid further crushed the garlic into finer pieces.
The three substances blended together, dissolving into a thick, soupy mixture.
“After this, you mix in the pasta, sprinkle chopped parsley on top, and it’s done.”
Jill scooped the boiled pasta with a strainer and placed it into the frying pan.
After quickly mixing it to let the sauce absorb into the pasta, she plated it and sprinkled chopped parsley on top.
Though Jill skipped the explanation because it was a hassle, she had also used magic to lightly warm the plate.
This was another touch to make sure it was delicious.
The pasta was served before Garda without losing any heat.
Gardaโs eyes widened in astonishment.
โ…Sluurrrp.โ
Garda took a bite and groaned.
โSluurrp?โ
โIsnโt this unfair? Is this okay?โ
At those words, Maureen frowned.
โGarda! Are you insulting the master?โ
โWell, I used magic, so itโs kind of cheating. Itโs probably quite a breach of etiquette as a wizard, you know.โ
Jill responded to Gardaโs words with a wry smile.
โCould it be that I failed?โ
โN-no, my words were poorly chosen. I didnโt mean to criticize, I meant to compliment.โ
โHuh?โ
โHow should I put it…โ
Garda hesitated, unsure of how to express himself.
After a brief silence, he began to speak haltingly.
โ…Whether itโs cooking or making something, the process is important. During training, you need to drill it into yourself so thoroughly that you can do it with your eyes closed. But if you donโt use your head, you forget the logic behind why youโre doing it this way. You start thinking that any other way is wrong and consider different methods as cheating. Itโs a common bad habit among craftsmen.โ
โAh…โ
Jill could somewhat understand what Garda was talking about.
In her own magic training, even when she came up with new ideas for spells, they were often ignored.
The very idea of using weak magic effectively wasnโt even appreciated.
It wasnโt about whether it worked or not.
The idea itself was considered unorthodox.
โI wanted to see for myself. Since youโre the master of this house, I thought you might have inherited something from the previous master, so I asked you to make Peperoncino. It didnโt have to be Peperoncino as long as I could confirm that. But you ended up presenting something beyond my expectations.โ
โWell, I did cheat a little,โ Jill replied with a wry smile.
However, Gardaโs expression remained serious.
โThatโs the point. To do something that might be considered โcheatingโ requires a free-thinking mindset and courage. Not everyone can come up with it. Cowards canโt take on such challenges. Peperoncino is a simple pasta dish. While you can be creative with the ingredients, I never imagined you could innovate in the fundamental method of making it. How did you come up with this approach?โ
โWell, if you ask me why… itโs just that this method is tasty, and I like it… I didnโt think too deeply about it.โ
Jill answered with a wry smile, thinking she was being overestimated.
โWhat do you think about changing the method you were taught?โ
โItโs not like I was taught to become a chef… The person who taught me didnโt think deeply about it either. They just enjoyed cooking and shared that joy with me.โ
โEnjoyed it.โ
Garda repeated Jillโs words.
Jill nodded.
โ…Thatโs right, I enjoyed it too. I had fun making bags with my master. I wanted to make something better than my master, so I worked late every night.โ
โThat sounds nice.โ
โOne time, I messed up a job and tried to pull an all-nighter to make a bag. My master told me not to push myself and made a meal for us to eat together. It wasnโt as perfect as this Peperoncino… but it was delicious. All of that made it enjoyable, so I became a leather craftsman.โ
โ…You had a good master.โ
Garda nodded slightly but firmly.
โI concede. Iโm sorry for testing you.โ
โ
Jill and the others moved back to the guest room to continue their conversation.
There, Garda handed Jill some leather scraps.
โFirst, take this. Consider it an apology for earlier.โ
โHuh, are you sure I can have this much?โ
Jill was overjoyed without reservation.
The leather was of much higher quality than Jill had imagined. There were about ten pieces, and although they were scraps, they were big enough to make small items like coin purses or sheaths for petty knives. Some pieces were as large as 30cm squares, so impressive that they hardly seemed like scraps.
โItโs cowhide. Each piece comes from a different part of the cow. Feel them with your hands to understand the differences.โ
โDifferent parts?โ
โThe stretch and strength vary depending on whether the leather came from the back, the belly, or other areas. Scraps are leftover pieces, so they come from different parts and often include lower-quality sections. But theyโre perfect for practice.โ
โOh, I seeโฆ Unlike fabric, itโs not uniform, is it?โ
โThatโs right. Fabric is made from threads, creating a flat surface by weaving vertically and horizontally. But leather is made from animal skin, forcing something three-dimensional into a flat shape. While the steps of cutting, sewing, and shaping it into something are similar to making clothes, the original properties are entirely different.โ
โI get itโฆโ
โWell, youโll learn as you go. You wonโt truly understand until youโve made something at least once.โ
โYes!โ
Gardaโs encouraging words made Jill smile broadly.
She was already imagining what she might create right away.
However, Matthew interrupted.
โBut Garda, wonโt the Leather Craftsman Guild say something about this?โ
โโฆIf they find out, they might give me some grief,โ Garda nodded with a bitter expression.
The Leather Craftsman Guild, as the name suggests, is a trade association formed by leather craftsmen.
โIs it okay?โ
โWell, the guild in this town isnโt too strict. Theyโll get involved if itโs about selling to a big customer or launching a new productโanything where money is involved. But they donโt interfere much with who you teach skills to or take on as apprentices. If you do end up making something you want to sell, come talk to me. Iโll try to convince the guild.โ
โUnderstoodโฆ But I havenโt made anything yet.โ
โExactly, this is a classic case of counting your chickens before they hatch.โ
Garda laughed heartily, filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.
โAlright, letโs get started on making something! Letโs go all out!โ
โUnderstood!โ
โW-wait a minute! We have something important to discuss first, donโt we?โ
Matthew hurriedly stopped Jill and Garda, who were about to dive into work.
โโฆI forgot.โ
โโForgot,โ you sayโฆ Honestlyโฆโ
Matthew sighed, placing a hand on his forehead.
โNow that you mention it, you both said you had something to consult about, didnโt you?โ
โโฆIt feels a bit odd to bring this up now, but take a look at this,โ Garda said as he pulled something out of his bag.
It was a chanfron.
โThis isโฆ horse armor?โ
โYes. Itโs called a chanfron, a helmet for a horse. Andโฆโ
Next to the chanfron, he pulled out a piece of paper.
On the paper was a monochrome drawing.
It depicted a knight riding a dragon, carrying a shield and spear, which was the emblem of the Silver Scale Knights who protect the town of Shelland.
โI want to engrave this image onto the chanfron.โ
โAre you making this for some knight order?โ
โThatโs right. I need to engrave this emblem onto the chanfron using a branding iron or something similar. But the emblem is too intricate.โ
โI see. I understand.โ
Jill understood.
Not in the sense of agreeing with or empathizing with the difficulty of the task.
โYou understand how difficult this is, right?โ
โI thought with your insight, you might have some idea or hint.โ
โHuh? I just need to brand it, right? Is there a problem with doing it now?โ
โโHuh?โโ
Garda and Matthewโs faces froze.
They looked at her as if to say, โWhat is she talking about?โ
โOh, I guess doing it on the first try would be a bad idea. Then, how about we try it out on some scrap leather? It should work similarly to branding wood… ใScorching Lightใ.โ
Jill placed a piece of scrap leather in front of her, along with the paper with the emblem.
With her left hand, she traced the lines of the emblem.
Then, she released magic from the fingertips of her right hand.
โโW-what!?โโ
A thin but bright light began burning the leather.
ใScorching Lightใ is a magic that focuses light into a single point, burning through anything. While Jillโs magic lacked the power to cut through metal or thick materials, she could easily slice through thin leather or paper or burn the surface precisely.
Moreover, Jill excelled at controlling delicate magic. If she had a picture right in front of her, she could copy and engrave it with magic effortlessly. She could control the water temperature within a margin smaller than 0.1 degrees Celsius. Similarly, with ใScorching Lightใ, she could move the focus point within a margin of error of ยฑ0.01 mm, cutting leather or wood with precision.
โDoes this look about right? Oh, but if youโre making leather armor, youโre going to harden it with beeswax or something, right? I wonder if itโll turn out okay… Or should we brand it before the hardening process?โ
โUnbelievable…โ
Garda muttered as he watched Jill nonchalantly.
โUnbelievable?โ
โIsnโt this unfair?โ
โWell, I mean, itโs magic, so in a sense, itโs kind of cheating.โ
โThis is amazing… Youโre a genius! Hey, Matthew! She solved it in seconds!โ
Matthew also had a stunned expression on his face.
He seemed too shocked to process his emotions.
โJill… I donโt even know what to say… This really exceeded our expectations.โ
โWell, um, Iโm just good at detailed work…โ
Jill laughed awkwardly, trying to brush it off.
โAnyway… The practice went well, so should we move on to the real thing?โ
Garda and Matthew snapped back to reality at Jillโs words.
โAlright, letโs make the finished product and show it to the Knight Commander immediately. If itโs approved, weโll make enough for all the horses. Maybe we can even brand the chest armor, not just the chanfrons…!โ
โAt this rate, weโll have time and budget to spare. Letโs make the highest quality products possible. Jill, please take care of the branding!โ
โAh, okay.โ
And so, it was decided.
Note: The recipe for Peperoncino was referenced from here.
The first recipe in the URL didnโt even use a frying pan, so as long as you have a blender, you can try it out easily.