"Huh? A portable kiln? Go ask Pamidor for something like that. I'm busy with the modifications to your Sleipnir boots right now," Asimov told Rei in a displeased tone.
Judging by his demeanor, it was clear that the modifications to the Sleipnir boots were not going smoothly.
The snow had been falling for some time now, and it was around the season to ring in the new year. The Sleipnir boot modifications, which had been going relatively well at first, had apparently hit a wall.
It was at such a time that Rei, visiting unannounced, asked for a kiln that could be carried around. It was only natural for Asimov to tell him to go ask Pamidor.
However, Rei shook his head. "If I just wanted a normal kiln, I'd obviously ask Pamidor to make or lend me one. But what I want is a portable kiln—and not a regular one, but a Magic Item kiln."
Hearing the words "Magic Item kiln" finally seemed to pique Asimov's interest. His irritated gaze shifted to one of slight curiosity. As expected of an Alchemist, he couldn't help but react to the phrase.
"Intriguing. Tell me more."
"Yeah. Well, it's not that complicated. It's a kiln to use for cooking and heating when we set up camp."
"...In that case, wouldn't a regular campfire work? You've got plenty of firewood in your Item Box, right?"
"That's true. If it were just for that, a campfire would be fine. But... there's a dish I'd like to try making. And to make it, I need a kiln, not a campfire."
"Cooking? ...Well, in that case, I can see why you'd need a kiln, but... you? Cooking?" Asimov turned a suspicious gaze toward Rei.
Since an oven was normally used when baking bread, being told that a kiln was needed for cooking didn't raise any questions. However, being told that Rei was the one doing the cooking was another matter entirely.
Looking slightly displeased, Rei frowned. Of course, if asked whether he could cook like a professional Cook or a housewife, the answer would be no. Still, when it came to simple dishes... he at least had more confidence in his cooking than Asimov did.
"What, is it that bad if I cook?"
"...Well, you're the one who spread udon, I suppose. It wouldn't be strange if you could cook, huh?" Asimov tilted his head, but then seemed to pull himself together and spoke again. "So, why a kiln? Are you going to bake bread or something?"
"Close, but no. I just remembered how to make an interesting dish, so I thought I'd try making it."
"A kiln just for that? Like I said, I'm busy with the Sleipnir boots over here." Asimov's words made it clear he found this annoying, but the truth was he was definitely somewhat intrigued. The light of curiosity in his eyes hadn't been fully extinguished.
"Like I said, what I'm planning to make isn't bread—it's that dish I remembered. It's probably the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Mireana. Well, there might be similar dishes somewhere, but I've certainly never seen one."
"Hmm. That rare of a dish, huh. ...So, is it tasty?"
"Let's see. I've never made it before, and it'll be a process of trial and error, so there's a chance it'll taste bad at first. But if I can get it right, I think it'll be delicious."
Naturally, Rei had never made a dish called pizza. When he was in Japan, there were delivery pizza places in the city, but they were a bit expensive, so he rarely ate them. He had eaten pizza bread from bakeries and the sort of pizzas sold in supermarkets to some extent, though.
Why was pizza so expensive, anyway? I remember reading somewhere that pizza in America is pretty cheap, but pizza in Japan is outrageously priced.
As Rei thought about this, Asimov gave him an intrigued look. "Is it really that delicious?"
"Yeah. ...Well, I've never actually eaten it, so I can only say 'probably.'"
"You always know about weird things, as usual."
"It's information I got from my master's book. Can't say much about that. ...So, what do you think? Will you make a Magic Item kiln for me?"
"Ah... let's see. It might be just the thing for a change of pace. ...Hmm? A kiln?" Given that he was stuck on the Sleipnir boots, Asimov thought a change of pace might be nice, but then something occurred to him. "Hey, if I'm going to make a kiln, could I use Silver Lion bone for it? Based on my experience, I think if I use Silver Lion bone as one of the ingredients for the bricks, I could make bricks that can withstand extremely high temperatures."
Rei could understand what Asimov was thinking. By using Silver Lion materials to create another Magic Item, he probably wanted to break through his current struggle with the Sleipnir boots. Of course, the technique used to make the kiln wouldn't necessarily carry over directly to the Sleipnir boots. But in terms of inspiration, it was an important opportunity.
Also, for Rei, it was welcome news: there might be progress on the Sleipnir boots, and at the same time, he'd get his kiln made. A kiln, in particular, could be applied to various dishes, not just pizza. Until now, when eating meals during camp, all he could do was bring out pre-made food from his Misty Ring or grill skewered meat over a campfire. Of course, there was nothing inconvenient about those meals. But with a kiln, he could make bread that had gone a bit stale since baking taste delicious again. If he kept bread dough in his Misty Ring, he could literally eat freshly baked bread.
...Of course, Rei had never baked bread before, so he would need a lot of practice.
Also, the reason he requested a kiln this time was related to the fact that Rei would be forming a proper party starting in the spring. He planned to serve meals mostly from his Misty Ring, but with more people, unforeseen situations could arise. It was a decision made out of an abundance of caution.
"Silver Lion materials... bone, at that. Hmm..." Even with all those reasons, what made Rei hesitate was that Silver Lion bone seemed like a very versatile material. As Pamidor and Asimov had said, it could be used for anything from grinding the bones into powder to mix into other materials, to shaping the bone itself into weapons. The bone powder, in particular, could be applied to many different things, so Rei's honest feeling was that he'd rather not use too much of it if possible.
"Don't worry about it so much. I'm not saying to let me use a whole Silver Lion bone, obviously. I'll need to test it a few times first to figure out the optimal amount, of course."
"...Got it." After agonizing over it, Rei decided to go along with Asimov's suggestion. He wanted to see what a Magic Item kiln made from S-Rank monster materials would actually look like, and he trusted Asimov's skill based on the Twilight Spear. He was confident that even if Asimov went a little overboard, he would undoubtedly produce a high-performance kiln.
The biggest problem is whether I'll be able to use such an amazing kiln even if he does make it for me. Even a first-rate item was meaningless in the hands of a second- or third-rate user. It was a fact that he needed to possess at least enough skill to be worthy of the kiln. Still, the saving grace was that the required skill was merely the ability to judge how things were baking in the kiln, not the full spectrum of culinary techniques.
"Well, don't worry. Thanks to the fact that the Silver Lion was big, I've got plenty of bone. It won't run out that easily."
"...Even so, don't go wasting it, okay?" Even as he told Asimov this, Rei recalled what Grimm had told him: the Silver Lion he had defeated was by no means a large specimen.
If I had to fight a bigger one... no, if it came to that, it's doubtful whether I would have even had a chance of winning. He immediately shook his head and stopped thinking about something that was pointless to dwell on now.
In contrast to Rei, Asimov, having obtained his permission, was beaming with a huge smile. Since Asimov usually had a blunt and rough demeanor, that expression was extremely unusual. Seeing Asimov immediately begin making preparations to build the kiln, Rei judged that staying any longer would only get in the way and spoke up.
"Alright, I'm heading back. Let me know when the kiln is done."
"Yeah, leave it to me. ...Anyway, since it's a kiln, it needs to get hot. Should I use magic stones for that... no, would Flame Ore be better? Or maybe..." He must have already focused his mind on building the kiln. Without even turning around at Rei's parting words, Asimov gave a casual wave of his hand.
Seeing such typical behavior from Asimov, Rei let out a small smile and left the house.
"Guruuu!"
The moment he stepped outside, Set let out an expectant cry and approached Rei. Set had been told that the reason Rei was visiting Asimov's house today was to have a Magic Item kiln made. And Rei had explained to Set that the kiln was needed to make a new dish called pizza. That was surely why Set had cried out, wanting to eat pizza as soon as possible. But Rei gently patted Set on the head.
"Calm down. Just because I asked him to make it today doesn't mean it'll be finished right then and there."
"Guruu..."
At Rei's words, Set lowered his head, looking disappointed. He didn't know what kind of dish pizza was, but he could imagine that since Rei was the one talking about it, it had to be delicious. Basically, dishes that Rei made... no, more accurately, dishes that Rei taught others to make were all exceptionally delicious. The reason he said "basically" was probably because the nikuman imitation they had eaten a short while ago was neither bad nor good.
It wasn't as if Rei could sense what Set was thinking, but he suddenly muttered, "Right, why don't we stop by the Golden Bread Pavilion before heading back to the inn. I'm a bit curious about how the nikuman improvements are coming along."
At Rei's words, Set's pace slowed slightly. Because he remembered the taste of the nikuman imitation, he would rather not eat it if possible. Noticing Set's demeanor, Rei gently stroked his body as if to encourage him.
"It tasted like that back then because I made it from my half-remembered knowledge. But Rodrigo has been steadily refining it by now, so don't worry. Sandrine probably wants to see you too, Set-chan."
"Gurururu."
Whether he was encouraged by Rei's words, or he wanted Sandrine to play with him, it was unclear. But either way, Set began walking alongside Rei.
Emerging onto the main street and passing in front of the Golden Bread Pavilion, there were no customers lined up outside, but the inside wasn't so empty that a large number of seats were available either. No, considering it was the afternoon, the fact that there were still a decent number of customers at this hour was enough to say the diner was quite popular.
"Welcome. I'm sorry, but we're already starting prep for the even—oh, Rei-san. And Set-chan too." The moment he opened the door, Sandrine, working as the Waitress, quickly began to offer that polite refusal, but upon realizing it was Rei and Set, her apologetic expression turned into a smile.
Seeing this, the remaining customers in the shop directed gazes full of jealousy toward Rei. Sandrine wasn't exactly the kind of head-turning beauty who went out of her way to attract men's attention, but she had a very cheerful personality, and with it showing on her face, she was highly popular as the Signboard Girl of the Golden Bread Pavilion.
But faced with the jealous stares of the customers, Rei could only offer a wry smile. It was obvious that Sandrine's delight wasn't simply because she got to see Rei. Naturally, Set purred at Sandrine from outside the diner.
"I came to ask about the nikuman... how's it going?"
"Ah, so that's why? Diligent as always. Father, Rei-san is here!" Hearing the reason for Rei's visit, Sandrine called out toward the kitchen.
Emerging from the kitchen was Rodrigo, looking slightly timid as before. At a glance, he didn't look at all like a skilled Cook.
"Ah, Rei-san. Welcome. ...Please wait just a moment. I'm almost finished with the prep work. ...Until then, let's see. Please wait a bit." Rodrigo gave a happy smile at seeing Rei and returned to the kitchen... and then came back carrying a bowl of udon.