Let’s Create a Specialty
Father and I returned from the capital together. Chris is staying behind to visit the Count Rosalinde’s estate with his school friends before summer vacation ends.
Back to my usual routine, I decided to spend time in the greenhouse reading. As I pulled out my slate, it chimed with a Ding-dong notification.
Again? Can’t they just let me rest? Sighing, I opened the message.
[Special Bonus for Dragon Reincarnation] A: You can contact the reincarnated beastkin woman once.B: A recipe for making ice cream.
You must choose within three minutes. If you do not choose, the bonus will disappear.
… Why ice cream?
Because it’s summer?
Or maybe because after soaking in a hot spring, people want something cold?
But I’m not knowledgeable about cooking. If I were, I could choose A…
As I hesitated, the slate displayed:
[20 seconds remaining]
I have no choice. We need a specialty for the hot spring town.
I hastily selected B.
I quickly copied the recipe from the slate and took notes. Then, I rushed to the head chef.
“Young master Reinhardt, what brings you here?” the head chef asked, surprised.
I apologized for interrupting work and handed over the notes.
“Do we have these ingredients? And is there a cook who can use ice magic? Could you try making this recipe?”
The chef read through the notes carefully.
“What kind of dish is this?”
“It’s a cold dessert called ice cream. It melts in your mouth the moment you eat it.”
“Judging from the notes, it doesn’t seem too complicated. I’ll give it a try.”
“Please do. It’s okay if it fails. Just prioritize your usual duties,” I said as I left the kitchen.
Ah, I came here before reporting to my parents…
It’s after the fact, but better late than never. I should go report now.
When I told my parents, they sighed, “Don’t you ever learn?”
“I do try to be careful, but at this point, I think it’s just my personality… Please give up on me,” I joked.
“Don’t joke around. At least reflect a little,” they scolded me.
At dinner, ice cream was served for dessert — two types, no less.
One was a rich, eggy ice cream following the recipe.
The other was strawberry ice cream with small pieces of Ichigo fruit mixed in.
The chef… managed to not only make the recipe but even create a variation by dinnertime? And all while preparing the meal? Amazing.
I tried a spoonful of each. They were moderately sweet and melted instantly in my mouth.
The strawberry ice cream had a stronger fruit flavor with a lighter egg taste.
I definitely wanted seconds.
“What is this cold, sweet thing? It melts in the mouth instantly. I demand more! And not just for me — for everyone here!” the White Dragon declared.
… Hey, isn’t it too soon to ask for seconds? You’re eating way faster than us!
“This is delicious. Yet another cold treat I’ve never had before.”
“Grandfather, this is called ice cream. How about making it the hot spring town’s specialty? If we experiment now, we could expand the flavors too.”
“After soaking in a hot spring, you do crave something cold. Drinks are fine, but this ice cream is even better,” Grandmother agreed.
Later, with only family present, we discussed the details.
“So, the reincarnation bonus that allowed the White Dragon to be reborn… was ice cream?”
“Didn’t expect it to be food this time.”
“Hardt, what are the main ingredients for ice cream?”
“Milk, eggs, and sugar, Mother.”
“Milk and sugar… Milk will be the problem.”
In this country, sugar comes from Southcourt.
It’s not sugarcane, but rather trees that produce sugar fruits. Once ripe and withered, the fruit cracks open to reveal light brown sugar — about 70kg per tree, so sugar is easy to obtain.
Milk, however, is trickier. Northtrad is famous for livestock, but sheep farming is more common than dairy cows, as sheep are more profitable for wool and cheese.
Thus, milk is harder to get than sugar.
But I want ice cream to be affordable and available to all visitors to the hot spring town.
“Atre, we need a lot of milk to make this ice cream. The more milk we have, the more flavors we can create. Are there any monsters in the forest that produce something similar to milk?”
“Hardt, can we all have milk to drink first?”
“Of course. I’ll have Georges bring some.”
While they drank the milk, Brother Gerald asked what I was planning.
I explained I was wondering if there were monsters similar to dairy cows we could raise. If milk was scarce, we’d have to raise them ourselves, like with the Cocottes.
After they finished drinking, Atre and the others discussed among themselves.
Atre explained there is such a monster, but it never leaves its territory. Moreover, by offering milk to other monsters, an unspoken agreement has formed that no one bothers this one.
Is that beast strong? I asked.
Apparently, it’s among the stronger types. Even beasts that don’t need milk know better than to mess with it.
Its name is Vaash.
Vaash… Never heard of it.
What do you think about this chapter?
