Volume 6, Chapter 19 – A Cozy Dining Table

“Now, please, help yourselves.”

The dining table at Jez-san’s nostalgic home was lined with dishes steaming with heat.

This was originally a dining room with seating for four, but with the six of us and one animal—Mashiro-chan—crammed in, it felt incredibly cramped, especially with Riche flying around the room, curiously observing everything.

Incidentally, since Riche wasn’t summoned, she was invisible to everyone except Lu-chan and me.

But since I could see her, I couldn’t help getting distracted by what she was doing.

“Wow, this looks delicious! I’ve wanted to try this ever since I heard about it from Onee-sama!”

“Oh, is that so? Fiene-chan always loved this béchamel stew, didn’t she?”

Tonight’s dinner consisted of Ma’am’s special chicken béchamel stew, a vegetable salad topped with tomatoes, and freshly baked bread. For commoners, it might be considered a slightly luxurious menu, but it wasn’t the kind of extravagant feast nobles eat; it was well within the realm of home cooking.

Béchamel stew, as the name suggests, is a white stew similar to béchamel sauce, a commoner’s dish made with relatively inexpensive milk.

They say every household has its own recipe, but to me, béchamel stew is Ma’am’s stew.

To me, this is the taste of home here in the Royal Capital.

Inside the creamy white stew were roughly chopped carrots, potatoes, and chicken, with separately boiled cauliflower served alongside.

As I brought a spoonful of the thick, white stew to my mouth, a gentle sweetness and saltiness spread, merging with the deep umami of the well-simmered vegetables and chicken.

Next, I spread butter on a piece of freshly baked bread and dipped it into the stew.

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The rich aroma and sweetness of the butter added another layer to the already blissful stew.

The soft sweetness and fragrance of the bread harmonized everything, and as I chewed and swallowed, everything in my mouth suddenly fell quiet.

Only the faint aroma of the bread lingered, letting me savor the aftertaste.

Yes, Ma’am’s stew really is the best.

“It’s delicious! Onee-sama! Rosanna-san! It’s really delicious! Seconds, please!”

“Ah, is that so? I’m glad. Just a moment.”

Seeing how excited Lu-chan was, Ma’am smiled happily as she ladled out another serving of stew.

“Thank you so much!”

The moment she received it, Lu-chan happily dug right in.

Beside her, Mashiro-chan was equally enthusiastic, munching away on stew and bread.

Just to be clear, Mashiro-chan wasn’t sitting on the table; it was perched on a stand the same height as the table, skillfully using wind to transport the food from the table to its mouth.

Actually, “vacuuming it in” might be the more accurate description.

It didn’t spill a drop, nor did it make any noise, so in a way, you could almost call it good table manners, but there was no doubt it was a waste of magic.

It was a truly surreal sight.

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Still, I felt like it had gotten quite a bit rounder since the last time I saw it.

…It’s going to be fine… right?

While I was thinking this, Riche fluttered over to the window and stared intently at a potted plant.

I believe she said it was a geranium?

The potted plant, which had been there when I was staying here before, looked a bit wilted and lacked vigor.

Maybe that was what had caught Riche’s eye.

Riche touched the plant. Gradually, the plant began to regain its vitality.

“Riche, shall I give you some mana?”

I spoke to Riche. Riche nodded happily, but Shishou and Ma’am—who looked as though I were talking to thin air—appeared quite surprised.

“Riche, my Contract Spirit, has been concerned about that wilted potted plant over there. Please excuse me for a moment.”

Though it was a bit poor form, I said this and stood up, taking the Flower Maiden’s Staff out of Storage.

I then summoned Riche, giving her a physical form.

“My, Fiene-chan’s spirit is just like the ones from fairy tales.”

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Both Shishou and Ma’am looked surprised; while Shishou remained silent in his shock, Ma’am voiced her honest impression.

“Hmph! Animal-type spirits, like my Mashiro, are overwhelmingly more common, you know? Human-types like Riche-chan are the rare ones!”

Lu-chan raised her voice in protest, but looking at the plump Mashiro-chan, who was still eating endlessly, I think I wasn’t the only one who felt her argument wasn’t exactly convincing.

Ignoring Lu-chan, I used the Flower Maiden’s Staff to supply mana to Riche. Riche then gently embraced the potted plant.

The plant was enveloped in a gentle light, and the light was quickly absorbed into it before disappearing.

The effect manifested as soon as Riche stepped away; the wilted plant immediately regained its strength and bloomed before our very eyes.

“Oh my! That’s amazing! As expected of Fiene-chan’s spirit. Did you say her name was Riche-chan? Thank you. This plant stopped blooming the year after Fiene-chan left. I thought there was no saving it anymore, but I’m so glad.”

Riche, however, remained unfazed, looking pleased as she watched the revived plant.

“Riche.”

When I called her, she turned toward me.

“Thank you for bringing it back to health. It’s something very precious to someone who’s very precious to me.”

At my words, Riche beckoned Ma’am over.

“Eh? You want me to come here? What is it?”

Ma’am stood up and walked toward Riche. Following her lead, the rest of us moved toward the window.

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Riche pointed at the soil in the pot, insistently trying to convey something.

“Eh? What does this mean?”

Ma’am was bewildered, but I had a feeling I knew what she wanted to say.

“Um, I think she’s trying to say that the soil isn’t very good, so when the plant starts losing its vigor, you should replace it. Right?”

Riche nodded vigorously.

“Ah, I see. I understand. I’ll make sure to change the soil from now on. Thank you.”

“Yes. Thank you, Riche.”

Riche gave a little wave of her hand and returned to the staff.

That said, she’d only been dismissed and lost her physical form; she was still right there.

As we returned to the table, Ma’am spoke with admiration.

“Hah, still, to be able to get along so well with spirits… the High Elf lineage really is something.”

“Ehh…”