ASDP Chapter 38

Because Alice’s hopes were crushed, it turned out to be a very bitter lunch.
But fulfilling her wishes would be the same as destroying Alfie’s happiness. Also, I would like Alfie to become an alchemist and serve as a consultant for research into maga.

“I’m going to tell your new alchemist teacher that you’ve come to my house. Is that okay? Then someone from the temple you belong to should come to pick you up.”
“……yes”
Alice, feeling depressed, lost her previous momentum and replied in a low voice.
I’m sure she’s trying to swallow a lot of things.
She is in a privileged position. But being separated from her family, she must be as lonely as the orphaned child, Alfie. Is there no one who can share her loneliness?
Although her attendant priestess, Sylphia, looks worried, she doesn’t say anything to her. This is probably because she is the one who works as Alice’s hands and feet in exchange for the protection of the Saint, and is not the one to protect Alice.

“But it will take 10 days before someone comes to pick you up. After all, this is a rural area. However, even in the countryside, there is danger, so we can’t just send you home like this. From a safety standpoint. If something happens to you, the temple will give me a hard time.”
“Yes. Is that so?”
Alice tilted her head, unable to grasp what my father wanted to say.
……ah. I see.
I didn’t think my father and grandfather looked alike, but I’m now convinced that they are actually father and son. That kind of kindness is hard to understand.

“If they are in this house, Dad would protect Alice, right?”
“I can’t help it. If something happens at this store, it will be my fault.”
“And this is a good place to stay, right?”
“If anything happens, I’ll be the one at fault.”
As expected, it’s just as I thought.
Before he said something harsh, I smiled at my father, who had trouble expressing kind words. Then my father nods, looking puzzled.

“Alice. Please stay at this house until they come to pick you up. There are no lodgings in such a small village, so if you want to stay overnight, you will have to go to town, but you two are worried about safety, right?”
“If you can do that, please do so. I cannot protect Miss Alice.”
Before Alice could reply, Sylphia answered immediately. She must have had many concerns before coming here. But I am a little worried about whether she should trust my father so easily. Well, I trusts that she can trust me.
The two of them seem a bit unworldly and easily fooled.

“I don’t mind that, but there’s a saying in this world that those who don’t work shouldn’t eat.”
“What do you want us to do?”
Sylphia, as if thinking of something bad, grabbed her body with both hands. When he sees it, her father looks like he saw a maggot.
“Can you please stop imagining something strange? My daughter is here too…sigh. Just help me with the housework. Just follow Amelia’s instructions.”
“Housework?”
“Laundry, cleaning, and cooking.”
When I told Alice, a young lady who wasn’t very good at housework, that she had to do her best, she reacted twitchingly at the word cooking.

“I would be in trouble if you make a mistake and end up with something poisonous, so I’ll teach you from scratch, okay? If you have the help, you can try making some sweets for the first time in a while. Cookies are relatively easy and can be arranged well. That’s right. Mr. Alfie likes nuts. Theo said he likes cookies.”
When I told Alice the information I had heard from Theo, her eyes lit up.
“C-can I give him some food?”
“I don’t know, but the Alfie you know is a very kind person, right?”
I don’t think Alfie is the type to complain behind your back. He doesn’t have a sense of taste, so I don’t know what he really thought about Alice’s food, but I think he’s the kind of person who wouldn’t let something she gave him as a gift go unnoticed.

“Yeah. That’s right. He has a troublesome part where he listens to everything everyone says, but he listens to it with the other person in mind. Alfie always smiles and even thanks me for my cooking. He is a person who never forgets to be grateful to others. He is also very hardworking and good at cleaning and tidying up, and he teaches children carefully.”
Alice points out the wonderful things about Alfie.
Her and Alfie’s positions are so different that it’s impossible to put into words exactly how she feels. She still sees Alfie very well.
“–So this time, I want to give Alfie a present that will make him happy.”
“Then, when it comes to cooking, please listen to me carefully. Especially when making sweets, it is very important to know the combination of ingredients, firepower, and the suitability of the ingredients. Our ancestors have already established the golden ratio when it comes to mixing the ingredients. Since it has been established, amateurs should follow it.”
If you add more sugar or honey than the original amount because you like something sweet, tragedy often occurs. And if you don’t know how to use the ingredients, the worst thing you can do is burn them or get separated from the oil and fat.

“I understand. Please give me the wisdom of cooking.”
“It’s good to be so excited, but please eat lunch quickly.”
Alice and I hurriedly munched on our spaghetti at the request of my father, who had already finished eating.
“…Amelia’s cooking skills are certain. I don’t have a wife, so Amelia learned with me from the proprietress of the diner.”
My father and I could barely cook, so when we first arrived in this village, we went to a diner and had lunches made for us. But one day, the landlady told me that I couldn’t get married unless I could do basic cooking. Well, I guess they couldn’t stand that I was a young girl coming to buy dinner in a place where there were people drinking, and that I hadn’t eaten a good breakfast. Even though she said that I couldn’t get married, she was also cooking for my father. My father will never get married.

“Even if you say it’s authentic, it’s just home cooking. I can’t make something as amazing as royal cuisine.”
“If you look at the cooking scene earlier, I’m sure you’re more skilled than me.”
I don’t want to equate this with cooking dangerous goods, but I think the basics are okay. And I don’t think she will become a drama if she understands the basics. Since she overcooked it, it seems like she had listened to the advice not to serve it raw.

“Then, when you’re done eating, could you help me wash the dishes?”
“Wash the dishes?”
She looked at Sylphia with a blank expression on her face. She tilts her head to the side as if she too is troubled.
“Eh? What have you been doing?”
“Washing was the job of a priest who was an orphan.”
In other words, Alfie and his friends were just washing the pots and frying pans that had gotten burnt and were in a dire situation. That alone makes me feel sorry for Alfie. Burnt pot stains don’t come off easily. …If you’re good at cleaning and tidying up, maybe you’re also good at washing dishes?!
My face twitches at this outrageous fact.

“Remember from now on. The end is not to finish cooking, but to wash and clean up the food.”
If she doesn’t know the pain of washing a burnt pot, she would burn it again.
Detergents used to remove nasty stains can also cause dry hands. I don’t think an orphan priest would have access to good medicine.
I decided to teach them thoroughly about housework.

I feel so bad for the orphaned priests.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!