Chapter 318: The Takoyaki Maker is Complete, but…
Thus, after many twists and turns, Rest finally succeeded in developing the takoyaki maker.
“Wha… you bent the iron plate to make this?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
“Normally, you’d use a mold to create it. Didn’t you know that?”
Just to be sure, Rest brought the iron plate to the village’s only blacksmith for evaluation, only to receive such an incredulous response. The old blacksmith chuckled bitterly as he tapped the iron plate with his finger.
“A mold…”
He knew the term at least. It referred to pouring molten metal into a shape to create swords and such. He recalled reading in a magazine from his previous life that forged items, like Japanese swords, were superior to mass-produced cast items.
“But… there’s no mold for a plate like this, full of dips and hollows, right? Making one from scratch would be a hassle…”
“No, no, no, Rest-sama. Making a mold isn’t that much trouble. You just need to shape and harden some earth or clay. It’s far more labor-intensive to bend an iron plate into such a complex shape. That must have been quite the ordeal, huh?”
“…………”
It had indeed been a challenge. A continuous series of trial and error, pouring an immense amount of focus into achieving a perfect hemispherical shape.
“What was all that effort for…?”
“If you’d consulted me from the start, it would have been easier.”
“Well… you seemed busy, so I thought I’d handle what I could myself…”
As the only blacksmith in the village, the elderly man appeared quite occupied. Because of that, Rest had only taken the iron plate and decided to do the rest himself.
“Not bad for a noble, I must say. Don’t hesitate to ask next time. It’s a favor for the benefactor who saved the village. I won’t refuse.”
“…I’ll take you up on that.”
Rest nodded solemnly at the blacksmith’s words. Having the ability to manipulate metal with magic had ironically led him to take the long way around. Trying to solve everything with magic was a common bad habit among magicians. If he had known from the beginning that it was impossible, he could have left it to the experts and avoided unnecessary trouble.
(I’ve ended up fitting into a mold myself… what a needless struggle…)
How did they make takoyaki makers in that other world, he wondered. Perhaps it was the power of science, akin to magic?
“Still… what a strange-shaped tool. Rest-sama, what exactly is this used for?”
“Oh… it’s a cooking utensil.”
Rest replied, slightly downcast at the blacksmith’s question.
“I plan to use it to make a special dish… If I can make it well, I intend to share it with the villagers, so look forward to it…”
“Oh, that sounds great! Make sure it pairs well with some drinks!”
“Hahaha…”
As Rest let out a dry laugh, Celestine arrived.
“Rest-san, there you are.”
“Celestine… is something the matter?”
“I had the merchant prepare the items you requested. They’ve already arrived at the inn.”
Rest had asked Celestine to procure the ingredients for takoyaki. It hadn’t been long since he made the request, yet she had already managed to gather everything.
“It wasn’t anything too rare. They had it in stock, so it arrived quickly.”
“That’s wonderful to hear.”
“And… the fishermen came by and dropped off some catch from their haul… What is that eerie creature?”
She must be referring to the octopus. It seemed the fishermen had caught even more.
“You mentioned you were going to create a new dish, but you’re not planning to serve that monster, are you?”
“Good guess. However, that’s not a monster; it’s a type of fish. It may look eerie, but it’s quite delicious.”
“Is that so…?”
Celestine’s face paled slightly. It seemed that even for the people of this world, octopuses were considered strange creatures. The fishermen didn’t seem to mind, but there was a chance that nobles might refuse to eat them.
(I don’t understand why they avoid octopus when they have a culture of eating monster meat… Yuri would probably eat it without a second thought.)
“Well, just watch. I’ll show you how to make a special dish!”
With the takoyaki maker and ingredients ready, all that remained was to put it into practice. Rest laughed heartily, shaking off the earlier embarrassment, and lifted the iron plate he had crafted himself.
Starting today, a new series titled “The Magician of the Frozen Star” begins on Kakuyomu Next!
We will update daily until the 20th chapter, so please look forward to this work as well!
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