After many twists and turns, Rest finally succeeded in developing a takoyaki pan.
"Wait... you actually bent an iron plate to make this?"
"Yeah. Was there something wrong with that?"
"Normally, you'd just use a casting mold. Didn't you know that?"
Just to be safe, Rest had brought his handiwork to the village's only Blacksmith to have it checked, only to be met with a look of pure exasperation.
The old Blacksmith tapped the iron plate with a finger, a wry smile playing on his lips.
"A casting mold..."
Rest at least knew the term. It involved pouring molten metal into a pre-shaped form to create items like swords. He seemed to recall reading an article in a magazine during his previous life claiming that Japanese swords forged one by one were superior to mass-produced items made via casting.
"But... surely there isn't a mold just lying around for an iron plate full of hollows like this? Making one from scratch seemed like it would be a lot of trouble."
"No, no, no, Lord Rest. Making a mold is no trouble at all. You just shape some earth or clay and let it harden. Trying to hammer an iron plate into such a complex shape is way more work. You must've had a hell of a time with this, didn't you?"
"............"
It had been an ordeal.
It was a grueling cycle of trial and error. He had poured an exhausting amount of mental energy into ensuring each depression was a perfect hemisphere.
"What was all that effort for, then...?"
"You should've just consulted me from the start."
"Well... you seemed so busy, so I thought I'd handle what I could on my own."
Being the only Blacksmith in the village, the old man was indeed quite occupied. That was why Rest had stopped after obtaining the plate, intending to do the rest with his own hands.
"Well, aren't you an admirable one for a nobleman? Don't hesitate to ask next time. This is a request from the man who saved our village; I'd never say no to you."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Rest nodded, his expression pained. Because he was capable of manipulating metal with magic, he had inadvertently taken a massive detour.
It was a classic pitfall for Mages—the bad habit of trying to solve every single problem with magic. If it had been something he couldn't do from the start, he would have left it to a professional and saved himself the useless labor.
I somehow managed to get stuck in my own head, Rest thought with a sigh. I went through all that trouble for nothing.
Come to think of it, how did they make takoyaki pans back in his old world? Was it through that special kind of magic called science?
"Still... what a strange-looking tool. Lord Rest, what exactly is this thing for?"
"Oh... it's a cooking utensil."
Rest answered the Blacksmith's question while feeling a bit deflated.
"I’m going to use it to make a special dish. If it turns out well, I plan to serve some to everyone in the village, so look forward to it."
"Oh, that sounds wonderful! Make sure it's something that goes well with booze, all right?"
"Hahaha..."
As Rest let out a dry laugh, Celestine approached.
"Ah, Rest. There you are."
"Celestine... did something happen?"
"I had the Merchant prepare the items you requested. They have already been delivered to the inn."
He had asked Celestine to procure the ingredients for the takoyaki. Not much time had passed since he made the request, yet she had already secured them.
"They weren't particularly rare items. There was stock available, so they arrived quickly."
"That’s good to hear."
"Also... the fishermen came by and left their latest catch. Rest, what in the world is that... ghastly creature?"
She must mean the octopus. It seemed the fishermen had caught even more of them.
"You mentioned you were making a new dish, but surely you aren't planning to feed us that monster, are you?"
"You guessed it. But it's not a monster; it's just a type of sea life. It looks a bit strange, but it tastes wonderful."
"I-I see..."
Celestine's face turned slightly pale. It seemed that even to the people of this world, an octopus was a repulsive sight. While the fisherman hadn't minded it much, there was a real possibility that the nobility would refuse to eat it.
I'm not sure why they're so repulsed by octopus when they'll happily eat monster meat, Rest thought. Then again, I bet Yuri would tuck in without a moment's hesitation.
"Well, just watch. I’m going to show you a truly special dish!"
He had the takoyaki pan and the ingredients. All that remained was the cooking itself.
Rest laughed heartily, trying to shake off the weight of his earlier blunder, and hefted his custom-made iron plate.