Chapter 323: The Three
“Did Haulon make this carpet?”
“Half of it. I can’t handle the patience it takes to weave a carpet.”
The patterns on the flying carpet appeared intricate with arabesques, but they were actually a complex weave of magic circles and spells.
“The craftsman has passed away, and his apprentice took over. Unfortunately, their magic power is just average, so even with me helping, we can’t make flying carpets anymore. But the colors and weaving are more splendid than the previous generation.”
“Wow. That’s nice; I want a carpet.”
I bought a few with Es, but I want one for the Sanctuary House in the forest.
“By the way, I’m curious about the spirit sitting on it. Is that spirit like that?”
“Yes. It’s the spirit of the zabuton.”
“Hmm?”
Her response was disinterested, but she seemed to be pondering something while exhaling smoke from her cigarette.
The carpet sped along, the smoke trailing behind and dissipating. As we emerged onto the grassland, Kanum reappeared after briefly disappearing into the forest.
Walking is a hassle for Haulon, but I don’t want to deal with the trouble either, so I stow the carpet away. We walk a bit across the grassland and return to Kanum.
“Where to today?”
“I’ll be staying for a while, so Note should have prepared a room for me. I hope to avoid the noisy crowd, but it might be nice once in a while. It seems the furniture has changed quite a bit while I’ve been holed up, so I’ll enjoy it.”
“Are you talking about the rental house? Everyone there is nice. Dean and Chris can be noisy, though.”
If Haulon is referring to the furniture in Ash’s house and mine, I can’t shake the feeling that he has a rather skewed perception. And it seems like the rental house might further affirm that. Well, since the bathtub and chairs are gradually spreading, I guess it’s fine.
“I’m going to make some food, so wait while you drink. By the time I’m done, Dinoss and the others should be back. Do you prefer red or white?”
I ask Haulon while kindling the fire in the fireplace.
“Either, as long as it’s new. I’m not fond of sour wine.”
Haulon sighs.
The wine here is preferred fresh due to the preservation techniques, as it turns sour after spring. Honey and spices are also used for flavoring, and since it serves as a substitute for water, my perception of wine has changed quite a bit.
The wine here comes in barrels or jars. By the way, I’ve heard that the high-end wine produced at the temple, made with the help of spirit’s power, comes in bottles, but I haven’t tried it yet.
“As long as it’s not sour, then.”
I pull out the wine from the pantry.
For snacks, I prepare holey cheese—apparently, the holes are caused by gas released during fermentation. I remember cutting it into triangles, expecting the holey cheese from comics and fairy tales, only to have it fall apart because the holes were too big. Someone should make cheese with evenly distributed holes.
I add jam, honey, and olive oil. I also mix in some miso-marinated cheese and tofu on the plate.
“Oh, bottled wine? How luxurious. …Wait. This wine, the aroma—it’s deeper in flavor than the wine from Burei Temple… but there’s no magic power mixed in?”
That’s right, Burei Temple. I feel like there were a few other places, but the wine from there was treated as the top-tier luxury in Naruadeid.
“Take your time~”
I leave Haulon, who is now fixated on the wine, and head to the kitchen to stoke the fire.
Now, for the crab. Salad, fried rice, boiled crab… maybe pasta?
I’ll mix the crab meat with a Gorgonzola cheese and white wine sauce. For the tomato flavor—let’s go with wide handmade noodles for the Gorgonzola and smooth dry noodles for the tomato.
“Is Gene here?”
“Yes, yes, it’s open. Help yourself to some drinks.”
As I was breaking apart the crab meat, the two of them returned.
“Hey! Haulon! How could you leave me behind?!”
“Oh, welcome back. A five-person ride isn’t suitable for the forest, and besides, it’s under repair.”
“Is it from that time when it got burnt?”
“That’s right. Since the weaver is gone, we have no choice but to do it ourselves.”
The conversation in the living room carried the scent of past adventures. Listening to the friendly banter among the three of them, I continued cooking.
“It’s ready. Do you two want to eat?”
Haulon is one thing, but Ash is the butler, and Dinoss has his family. Still, I figured they would want to drink to celebrate reuniting with an old friend.
“I’ll eat, I’ll eat.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
And so, dinner began.
“This wine is strange, but it’s also quite common to have seafood here. It definitely doesn’t look like river crab…”
“That can happen.”
The tomato pasta was topped with shells, which provided a rich broth, so there was no need for excuses. The meat was shredded and mixed with the sauce.
“What’s this red one?”
“Recently popular vegetables. If you stay holed up, you’ll be left behind by the times. Eat before it cools down.”
I finished the Gorgonzola pasta by grating more cheese on top at the table.
“When it comes to food, it’s better not to think too deeply. —Delicious!”
Dinoss exclaimed as he took a bite.
“Lord Gene’s cooking is exquisite.”
The butler poured more wine into Haulon’s goblet.
“Though, you were never really interested in food, were you? Such a waste.”
Dinoss enjoyed the pasta and sipped his wine.
“Regardless of the taste, I’m quite intrigued right now. I feel like I’m about to be overwhelmed after a long time.”
Haulon sighed a little.
“I think it’s best to overlook small things to a certain extent. There are things you can’t reach even if you think about them.”
The butler tore off a piece of garlic baguette and drank his wine.
“What piques my interest is what piques my interest!”
Haulon gulped down his wine.
With that, we finished dinner early and moved on to the drinking party.
I added cream cheese and sake thief made from sea bream as snacks. The delicacy, made from the intestines of the sea bream, had a refined sweetness and umami. It was still a bit young in terms of aging, but it was delicious nonetheless. I also threw in some ham.
“This sake thief goes well with the cheese here. I’m heading back, so please take care of the key and the fire. I’ll leave the pound cake for Ash and Shiva.”
I always bring a souvenir when drinking during card games, and I had prepared one today as well. Dinoss and the butler would probably be willing to join in for a while starting tomorrow.
“What? Not drinking?”
“You’re the host, after all.”
The two of them called out to me with puzzled expressions as I stood up.
“It’s been a while, and there are some nostalgic stories that are better shared without others around, right?”
I wanted to avoid having someone else mixed in during a reunion.
“Looking forward to tomorrow.”
I said with a smile and used [Teleportation].
I heard that after I left, Haulon went a bit wild with the reminiscing, but that must have been just my imagination.