Cooking at the Orphanage
"Hey, Dagger! Brad too!"
As we entered the orphanage, the boys playing outside ran up to us.
"Hey, how’s the headmistress and the sister doing?" Dagger asked the boys.
From the orphanage, a voice replied, "I’ve managed to get my fever down… cough, cough."
"Headmistress! You okay?"
The headmistress appeared, a kind-looking woman about the same age as my grandmother.
"Oh my, sorry. My throat’s still sore. Cough… Oh? Friends of Dagger and Brad? Cough."
"Nice to meet you, I’m Joan."
Following me, Belle, Souya, and Riki introduced themselves.
The kids around us seemed curious about us but were even more fascinated by Pearl.
"Alright! Let’s get to it, everyone. Help out, okay? There’ll be a reward when we’re done!"
""""""""Yes!""""""""
I left the cleaning to Dagger, Brad, and six boys, while Belle and I, along with four girls, started cooking.
"We’re making hamburgers!"
"""Hamburgers?"""
"Yup, it’s minced meat mixed with finely chopped tamaon, then grilled. First, wash your hands and peel the tamaons."
"""Okay."""
I chopped the tamaons finely and sautéed them in a pan. Meanwhile, I had the girls pair up to knead the minced meat with salt and pepper until it was sticky. Belle made croutons for the kabokin potage I took out of storage. We added the sautéed tamaons, breadcrumbs, and eggs to the meat, kneaded it some more, shaped it, and grilled it. The sauce was tomet sauce.
Once the meal was ready, the girls went to help the cleaning team, which wasn’t done yet.
While making egg porridge for the bedridden sister and the sore-throated headmistress, a blue bird flew in from somewhere, circled around me, and landed on my open palm, turning into a letter.
The letter was from the Queen. Apparently, she didn’t know the headmistress and sister had caught colds. She said she’d love to come herself but was tied up with work. Instead, she’d put in a designated request for all of us at the South Capital Guild tomorrow. The job would last until the sister recovered.
I filled Belle in while finishing the egg porridge. I also made honey-lemon juice, which is good for throats, and headed to the headmistress’s office.
Knock, knock, knock "Excuse me, it’s Joan. May I come in?"
"Cough, cough… Please, come in."
I entered the headmistress’s office and showed her the Queen’s letter. She was surprised by its contents.
"Um… who exactly are you all…?"
"Let me introduce myself again. I’m Joan Lampail, eldest daughter of the Lampail family. And this is…"
"I-I’m Belle Burst, eldest daughter of the Burst family."
"Thank you for the proper introduction. Cough… I’m sorry. I’m Sister Alma, the headmistress of this orphanage. Cough cough. Thank you for contacting the Queen. Cough."
"No, we’ll be helping out for a few days, so please bear with us. Umm, here’s something for you…"
"What’s this?"
"It’s honey-lemon juice. Honey’s good for your throat, and lemons are said to boost immunity when you have a cold."
"Thank you. Gulp… It’s delicious."
"I made the same for the sister who’s bedridden, plus some easy-to-eat porridge."
"I’m so sorry for all the trouble."
"No, no, it’s all under the Queen’s orders…"
Yup, if things get complicated later, I’ll just pass it off to the Queen.
The cleaning finished, and it was time for dinner.
""""""""So good!!""""""""
"""Delicious!!"""
The hamburgers were a hit with everyone. They all cleaned their plates, and as a reward for helping and as dessert, I served mini pancakes with ripple compote. Naturally, those were a huge hit too.
It’s no surprise—fancy sweets made with expensive sugar aren’t something the orphanage usually has. That’s why it’s a special reward. Even for young kids, work—in this case, helping with cleaning and dinner—deserves a reward. So, I promised the kids that, in addition to today, I’d bring sweets once a month if they kept helping the sisters properly.
—--
Some time later, the bedridden sisters recovered, and we went to the South Capital Guild to collect our reward.
The six of us went to the reception desk and reported the completion, but the receptionist hurriedly stepped back, saying, "Please wait a moment."
"What’s up with that?"
"""""No idea."""""
I said to the other five, and they answered in unison. Originally, Dagger and Brad were just Class C students we only saw in martial arts class, but we got pretty close through this job.
"Sorry for the wait. Please come this way for the paperwork."
The receptionist led us to the guildmaster’s office.
Confused, we were ushered in with a, "Come on, come on." The others pushed me to go first, and when I entered, I saw a huge, bald, intimidating man with an eyepatch over his left eye, sitting there like he could scare off even monsters.
"Hey, you’re here. Sit down."
"""""Y-Yes!"""""
He pointed his chin at the sofa, and we sat cautiously, keeping our backs straight and avoiding the backrest.
"Hehe, no need to be so scared. No one’s gonna eat you. The guildmaster might look like he could kill someone, but he’s kind. Loves sweets, too."
The receptionist, while serving us tea, was… defending the guildmaster? Or teasing him?
He’s like Abe—tough-looking but into sweets.
"Hey, Wendy, that ain’t helping."
"Oh? Isn’t it? Anyway, explain the paperwork. The kids and I are busy."
"Tch."
Is Wendy, the receptionist, some kind of beast tamer, handling this scary guildmaster so easily?
What do you think about this chapter?
