It was still deep in winter.
Urza had returned to the village, but she whisked Hakuren away with her almost immediately. I felt a pang of loneliness.
The reason she took Hakuren seemed to be related to Mettora’s wedding. I gave my blessing and support for Mettora’s marriage, so I didn't stop Hakuren from leaving... but I couldn't help but wonder why it was necessary for Urza to take her specifically.
As it happened, Draim’s wife, Graffaloon, was present as well and decided to tag along, claiming she was curious. Hakuren and Graffaloon were old acquaintances, so they got along well. I hoped Graffaloon might serve as a stabilizing influence—a brake of sorts—for Hakuren. Then again, Hakuren had become far more sensible than she used to be, so a "brake" likely wasn't necessary.
Meanwhile, the Ice Monster that had arrived with Urza stayed behind to continue playing mahjong with Dos and the others. I wondered if he was really okay not going with Urza, but he seemed to be enjoying himself, so I let it be. Personally, though, I found myself wishing he had visited during the summer instead.
Then there was Roberto Persimmonunder. He was the Vampire Urza had met, and she had checked with me to see if he was an acquaintance of Lu or Flora. Lu didn't know him, but apparently, Flora did.
"He is the leading authority on Magic Wand research," she told me.
When I thought of magic wands, I imagined something like a conductor's baton. Wait—I realized I had never actually seen anyone use something like that. Everyone here used magic barehanded.
"The mainstream trend nowadays is to not use magic wands. The last time I met him, he said he was planning to shift his field of research."
I guessed the demand had decreased. That sounded like a difficult situation.
"Afterward, I heard rumors that he had started researching Magic Scrolls."
"Magic scrolls?" I asked.
"They are scrolls imbued with magic. They are single-use items, but since even people without magic power can use them, there is a lot of potential demand."
That sounded fascinating. I told her as much, and Flora handed me a few Magic Scrolls to look at.
Fire Annihilation Magic, Water Extermination Magic, Earth Catastrophe Magic...
"Is it only destructive magic like this?" I asked. I had been hoping for something more like Light Magic or spells that could be used for everyday life.
"Using a scroll for magic of that level would be a waste of resources," Flora explained.
"So the cost doesn't match the utility?"
"The advantage of Magic Scrolls is that they allow one to easily cast magic that has tedious incantations or spells that consume a massive amount of magic power."
Which meant they were almost exclusively reserved for dangerous spells.
"Exactly. Oh, but do you remember the Chain Explosion Shells and Chain Freezing Shells Big Sister Lu used to make? Those were an arrangement of Magic Scrolls. Instead of paper, she imbued the magic into stones. Those weren't for combat, though; they were a huge help in mining."
No, no, those were plenty dangerous in their own right. Still, if that was the case, did Magic Scrolls only consist of destructive magic? I had wanted to try one out, but it seemed I wouldn't have the chance.
"You are free to use them, you know?" Flora offered.
I shook my head. It would be far too dangerous for an amateur to mess with them. In that sense, weren't Magic Scrolls essentially hazardous materials?
"They are precious items, so I don't think anyone would leave them lying around haphazardly. Besides, they require a specific keyword to activate, so they won't just go off on their own."
I see. As Flora and I were discussing the finer points of Magic Scrolls in the room, Lu appeared and silently wedged herself between us with a serene smile. I kept the thought that she reminded me of Kuro entirely to myself.
Since Hakuren was away, Raimeiren was looking after Hikaru and Himiko. Raimeiren complained that it was a hassle, but she had the widest smile on her face. I felt like she had been looking after them quite a bit even under normal circumstances, though. Hiichiro, Gral, and Lananon were also helping Raimeiren out. I was grateful for their help.
Of course, I intended to look after Hikaru and Himiko as well, but... Raimeiren wouldn't let go of them. Or rather, she flat-out refused to hand them over to me. While I was standing there wondering what to do, Dos told me to just give up.
Still, as a father, leaving everything to Raimeiren didn't feel right. Was it really impossible?
"A dragon who has taken hold of its young will never let go," Dos explained. "Even more so when it's a grandchild."
That might have been true, but I still tried to resist. In the end, however, I yielded to the advice of Dos, who had gone so far as to interrupt his mahjong game just to come and talk sense into me.
The spoons used in the village were traditionally wooden, carved by the villagers themselves. However, because they were wood, they inevitably had a certain thickness, which meant the mouthfeel wasn't particularly smooth. When I made them with the Universal Farming Tool, the texture was so fine you wouldn't believe they were wooden, but it was too much for me to make them for everyone.
Hence, silver spoons. Silver was difficult to maintain, but the same could be said for wood. We had gathered a decent number of them by receiving them from Dos, the Demon King, and Michael-san, or by purchasing them, so they had started to see regular use. Until recently, they had only been brought out for desserts like ice cream.
Looking at those silver spoons, Gatto, the village smith, wondered if he could produce them out of an alloy. He wanted an alloy that was rust-resistant, safe for consumption, and reasonably easy to process. I wondered if such a thing was even possible, but then I remembered stainless steel and felt convinced. If I recalled correctly, stainless steel was an alloy made by adding carbon and chromium to iron.
Wait, what exactly was chromium? I seemed to recall hearing something about it being toxic. No, it was used in tableware back home, so it was probably fine. Chromium on its own should have been okay. Probably. Rather than confusing things by speaking up with my half-baked knowledge, I decided it was better to keep quiet and leave it to the expert.
And then, Gatto succeeded. He produced an Alloy Spoon made by adding an ore I didn't recognize to iron. It was a dull gray, but the shape was a dead ringer for a stainless steel spoon. He had actually finished the prototype six months ago; apparently, the safety checks were what took so much time. Even if magic confirmed there was no immediate toxicity, we had to be sure there were no long-term health effects. Checking was important. Truly important.
After all, the Alloy Spoon sitting in front of me was a Strawberry Spoon. Specifically, it was the kind with a flat bottom designed for mashing strawberries. I wondered why he had chosen this specific shape first, but then the Fairy Queen arrived. After inspecting the Strawberry Spoon, she immediately demanded an Ice Cream Spoon next.
I see. So this was your doing. Well, I had no complaints, but if I were allowed to say one thing... shouldn't he prioritize long-handled Parfait Spoons? We had been using wooden ones until now, but since they were so thick, it was hard to scoop things from the bottom of the glass. The silver ones were either too short or too bulky, making them difficult to use.
The Fairy Queen agreed and added Parfait Spoons to the list of demands.
"Gatto, you only need to make a few of those," I told him. I suspected the High Ogre Maids would soon be clamoring for full meal sets—spoons, knives, and forks. It would be much more aesthetic if everything was unified.
As for chopsticks, I personally felt they should be wooden, especially since ours were beautifully finished with lacquer. However, it might be a good idea to prepare a few pairs of metal Cooking Chopsticks. Wood was weak against fire, after all. I suggested we wrap the handles in something to prevent slipping and block the heat, and maybe add some ridges to the tips for better grip. I asked him to show the prototypes to the High Ogre Maids before mass-producing them, as they would know the best length to use.
"Oh, and I'd like some Tongs as well."
I knew I was piling on the work. I told him to take them one by one, little by little, and not to overdo it.
Ann: "Alloy Cutlery. I believe these are much better suited for daily use."
Frau: "But they might lack a certain sense of luxury."
Tia: "Wouldn't it be fine if we added more decorations to the handles and made the color closer to white or silver?"
Lu: "I wonder if they'll corrode if I use them to scoop chemicals during my experiments?"
Ann: "Lu-sama. I have already requested that you use wooden spoons for such things. Do you have any idea how many silver ones you've already ruined...?"
Lu: "B-but with wooden spoons, it’s so hard to scoop things out of the bottom of the jars!"
Michael: "If you place an official order, I can prepare custom-made silver cutlery... Oh, and are you interested in selling these alloy pieces externally? I can handle the arrangements."
Village Head: "We don't have a mass-production system yet, so for the time being, let's just focus on our own needs."
Gatto: "As expected of the Village Head."
Mountain Elves: "............" (Staring blankly at the massive stack of order forms in their hands)