Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Akane heads forward

We installed security golems and Barrier MDs in towns and villages as we ran along the national border of Valkyra Kingdom.

And it seems there was a change in Akane-san’s heart.

Inside the carriage, she single-mindedly practiced Light attribute magic. Light attribute magic includes healing magic, purifying magic, barrier magic, and unique holy magic. As there are plenty of types she can practice even inside the carriage, Akane-san would drink the basic mana potions she received from Laeva whenever her magic power depletes, then she resumes her training once more.
Her goal is to master the Light Attribute Magic skill and acquire the skills Magic Perception, Magic Power Manipulation, and Magic Formula Control.
Apparently, Akane-san aims to be a rear guard job that depends on healing magic.
Only, for the effect of the Overcoat of Existence Concealment to manifest fully, the Stealth skill is necessary, so she trains with Kaede when we’re camping.
Since Akane-san possesses 3 attributes, she receives training from Sophia for Water and Wind attribute magic.

As for Lulu-chan, she trains one-on-one with Marnie, a beastkin similarly unsuited to magic.

As the sun began setting, we, who weren’t able to reach our next destination, prepared to make camp for the nth time. Akane-san and Lulu-chan train hard even during these pauses.

「Urp, mana potions really do fill up stomachs, don’t they?」
「You got that right. When I was using alchemy and smithing magic, I worked as my stomach got so bloated too.」

Since Akane-san was patting her stomach as she drank the mana potion Laeva made, it seemed she didn’t feel well.

「Be careful not to drink mana potions in too short an interval so it its efficacy doesn’t drop.」

Mana potion and heal potion aren’t very effective when drank consecutively. It is essential to have a standard interval.

Maria and Marnie prepared bread and stew, and everyone had dinner around the campfire.

「Uuu, I wanna eat but my belly is so full of mana potiooons~」
「You should eat even if just a little bit,」
「Nom, nom, ish tashty.」

Akane-san’s stomach was full from drinking too many mana potions, and Lulu-chan greedily devoured the soft bread. Until Lulu-chan came to our place, she never had eaten anything aside from hard, tasteless rye bread.

For the town of Volton and the royal capital, bread that uses natural yeast has started to become the commonplace, so we normally eat soft, white, leavened bread.

「Still, Valkyra Kingdom is far more advanced than Sydnia, isn’t it?」
「Dahsh chruew.」
「Lulu-chan, your food isn’t gonna disappear if you don’t hurry so eat slowly. Akane-san, it isn’t that Valkyra is advanced. Sydnia is cautious of new things. Not just with magic devices, but even those relating to food.」

In Sydnia, natural yeast is a banned item because of the Light God Faith. Their rejection towards things they can’t explain is strong. Leaving aside from cases of banning things for religious reasons like with the purifying magic tool, the country isn’t open-minded about anything.

「In Sydnia, the only flavor in food is the saltiness.」
「You’ve got that right. That’s because the standard flavor of this world’s cuisine is salty. After all, they don’t make stock out of chicken bones and scrap meat.」
「Ham and bacon are things I’ve only been able to eat since coming to Volton, too.」
「Akane-san, bacon was popularized by Takumi-sama, you know.」

Sausages exist in this world, but ham and bacon didn’t.
And the culture of using stockdashi isn’t completely non-existent. In Samandour Kingdom, fish found in coastal waters are cut open then dried, becoming goods traded with other countries. A meal from toasting and boiling those dried fish in water to make soup is popular with adventurers when they’re camping.
There’s even slow cooked meat dishes, so it is understood that the flavor soaks into the meat as it cooks and the soup comes out as stock. Only, it isn’t known that there is synergy when the umami components, glutamic acid and inosinic acid, multiply, thereby increasing the flavor.[1]  As a result, the delicious meals of this world are entirely the result of coincidence.

「Then soy sauce, miso, ketchup, and mayonnaise were all made by Takumi-san too, right?」
「Well, I guess. Mayonnaise is alright if the eggs are purified with magic and if you have oil and vinegar. The fermentation of soy sauce and miso were dependent on magic.」
「Milk and cheese can be obtained in the town, Quilbas.」

While it isn’t perfect, if there are soybeans and oats, it isn’t that difficult to make soy sauce and miso. With my Appraisal and Alchemy, I failed several times, but it didn’t take that much time to complete them.
With these, we’re now able to draw out the umami from the inosinic acid of animals products and the glutamic acid of soy sauce and tomatoes, and cook.

「Since I asked Papeck-san to import rice from Samandour Kingdom, that should be arriving very soon.」
「There’s rice?!」

As expected, Akane-san really got into it when rice was mentioned. I remember how I, too, couldn’t calm my excitement for some time when I heard from Papeck-san[2] that Samandour produces rice.

「I also jumped in delight when I heard it from Papeck-san. I immediately had the Papeck Company import it.」
「Good job, Iruma-san!」
「Right? Now it it would be great if I can get my hands on kombu, but the question would be if my body can digest seaweed. Well, it should be fine if it’s dashi, though.」
「Digest seaweed?」
「Ah, the only ones who can digest seaweed are the Japanese.」

In Earth, the only ones who have an enteric bacteria capable of digesting seaweed were the Japanese[3].

「Heee~, you’re very knowledgeable.」

Akane-san gazed at me in respect, but I’m just a salaryman in his 40’s who’s stocked up on various miscellaneous information.

「Would it be better if I study up on cooking too?」
「You’re free to do so if you wish to. I basically like to cook. Maria likes to sew, so I think it’s good if everyone does what they enjoy.」

Each of us has a policy of doing what we ourselves want to do. Sophia always accompanies me as my bodyguard. Maria sews and cooks, while Laeva is doing her best at things focusing on alchemy and smithing right now. Marnie generally does housework and is, for some reason, proactive with nightly duties. It would be great if Akane-san and Lulu-chan find things they want to do, too.

「It’s alright to take your time discovering what you want to do.」
「You’re right, thank you.」

Akane-san, who turned into a beautiful blonde girl with the Transformation MD, appears to have resolved to keep on living in this world with her feet firmly on the ground.

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Footnotes:

1. Added a few words to make things smoother in english. + More info on umami here.[↩]
2. I was pretty sure it was from Sophia during one of their meetings, not Papeck[↩]
3. A more detailed explanation here.[↩]