Chapter 24: Kudzu Starch and Special Wine

There are two things that I requested from Colt, while grandly posing as someone who can persuade the spirit village residents with the power of pastries.

First, I want him to prepare a venue to hold all of the remaining healthy folks. I will entertain them with my pastries there.

The second, to let me borrow one room for all my food preparation.

After healing Chloe’s mother, we hold a strategy meeting.

It’s a tiny form of cheating, but I’m going to heal everyone who still hasn’t shown the symptoms with my [Recovery]. I’m going to stealthily cast my Magic while handing out the pastry to everyone individually. By the time that they finish eating the pastry, I will show that the pastry will act as the silver bullet measurement against the illness. Afterwards, I will persuade them to let the sick folks eat them too. That’s the proceedings that I have in mind.

This is Tina’s idea, actually. By doing this, I can stay away from leaking out the existence of my Magic. I didn’t intend to obtain their approval by doing anything except displaying my pastry to them, at first. However, it’s a good idea. The number of lucky villagers are less than two hundred, so this plan is possible to do.

All that’s left is to make a delicious pastry that anyone, even sick folks, can eat.

☘

“Kurt-sama, you can do it anytime!”
“Yeah, let’s go. Tina.”

After being guided to the room we’re staying in, we drop our belongings and go outside. It’s for the sake of ensuring the pastry ingredients for tomorrow.

The main ingredient this time, is the peach-like pinal fruit. The other one, is……

“Kurt-sama, there’s a lot growing here. Let’s carry as much as we can.”
“I know, let’s get them in one go.”

Yes, it’s the kudzu that’s growing on the bank of the water canal.

I can make kudzu starch from the roots. And these are such outstanding kudzu, of course they must have outstanding roots.

A pastry that will use pinal and kudzu starch. That’s tomorrow’s pastry.

“O Earth.”

I’m crouching, then grabbing the soil’s surface. My magic arte has the earth element. I’m using that power now. The earth is shaking up, then pushing out kudzu roots to the surface.

The kudzu root is about as thick as Tina’s thigh, and not only big, they’ve also grown to meters long.

“Uwaa, so huge. It’s just like the yams.”
“It’s been soaking in plenty of nutrition. Maybe, it’s thanks to the water and land of the spirit village. It’s definitely a great ingredient for the pastry.”

It’s only by chance that we can obtain plenty of starch from the root to stockpile just before winter; there shouldn’t be a problem to raise them from this.

“Tina, please wash the root and tie it with strings. We’ll go home after bringing enough.”
“Yes, Kurt-sama.”

Tina washes kudzu root in the waterway in a breeze, then ties them all up together. After digging up the necessary amount, I join her too. Then we stack them all up, strengthen our bodies, and bring them with us.

“It doesn’t look like anything but a tree root, but these will become pastries, right?”

Just after starting to carry them away, Tina starts talking.

“You’re right. It needs some work, but the kudzu starch made from kudzu roots is the best ingredient for pastries.”

Normally, kudzu starch will need three days to to be made from the moment I decide to make it. However, this time, with a bit of compromise in the quality, I intend to make it in one night.

☘

Returning to the room we borrowed, I pour plenty of water into a water jug. Then, I place the kudzu root on top of a stone plank that I made with earth magic arte. I keep piling them up on the plank.

I use earth magic arte. The stone moves and smashes the kudzu roots until they become fibrous. Then I put the smashed kudzu roots into the water jug. This time, I also put small stones into the water jug. Then I invoke my earth magic arte. The stones smash the kudzu root around, producing some juice flowing that will become kudzu starch.

Smashing the kudzu root, as well as squeezing out the juice, are originally hard labors. However, thanks to the magic arte, it’s become easier.

I can sense someone behind me. Chloe the elf has arrived. She’s carrying a basket on her back containing a lot of peach…. pinal fruits, as well as grape-like paple fruits. I asked her to pick some to use in the pastry.

She looks at me doing the labor, then with a startled face she speaks. “Ah, you really do use that grass.”

For her folks, kudzu is just an annoying weed. Using that in a pastry is something queer to them. But that’s exactly why there’s a meaning to use it.

“Of course. Or rather, what I use isn’t the grass, but the root. Oh, right, thanks for the hard work to gather all these pinal fruit and paple.”
“You can rest assured, I picked the most delicious and mature pinal fruits properly. And as you said, I only picked the sour paples.”

Aside from the peach-like pinal fruit, this time I’m using grape-like paple fruit as well.

“I’m glad, then. Our work here is almost done too.”

After wringing out all the juice, I take out the roots. Inside the water jug, there’s only tea-colored liquid. After that, I’m straining out the pulp root and small stones.

“Fuun, so you squeezed out the smashed root in the water. Then what are you doing next?”
“I’m leaving it overnight. The bottom part will become thick and pure white, while the top part will become pure black. I’m going to use the white part and throw out the top part.”

It’s the so-called scum removal. The scum will be dissolved in the water, gathering on top, while the starch will be deposed at the bottom. That starch at the bottom will harden and become kudzu starch.

Doing this in one day, actually, won’t be able to remove all the impurities. The purity will improve when the process is repeated twice or thrice, but I don’t have that much time. It’ll become a more or less low quality kudzu starch, but I don’t have any choice except to compromise.

“So that’s it. This is scum removal, right? We always do this for edible wild plants too.”
“The one and the same.”

The details are different, but the way to do it is the same.

“In that case, I can be of help, I think.”

Chloe moves closer to me then peers into the water jug. I’m startled by how close her face is.

“Ei!”

When Chloe holds the water jug up, the water starts to undulate.

“What on earth are you trying to do?”
“I’m working the water up, increasing the melting power.”
“You can do something that convenient?”
“Easy-peasy. I’m only cheering on Water-san to do their best.”

Like Chloe says, the water’s brown tea color turns into black with great vigor. The scum is gathering on top, while the starch sinks to the bottom. The work that originally requires an overnight is completed in one second.

“I’m surprised. Water magic arte can do something like that too. With this, the end result won’t be compromised.”

In a breeze, I throw out the darkened water on the top. Only the white liquid remains at the bottom, tinged with tea-color, which I filter to set the impurities apart.

Without Chloe, I meant to dry the liquid and turn it into kudzu starch, but with Chloe’s magic arte, I can repeat the process to improve the purity now. I don’t have to compromise.

Adding clear water, the preparation is all set.

“Chloe, I can count on you one more time, right?”
“Un, leave it to me.”

Chloe invokes her water magic arte once again. Like before, the top becomes murky black. The rest is the same. I throw out the murky black top, then the brown-stained white liquid at the bottom becomes purer in white.

I repeat the process for the third time, and now the liquid body has become pure white.

“Hee, how pretty. I’m surprised that we can get this from that grass.”
“This pure white liquid will become white clumps once the water content dries out. Once they’re smashed to dust, they’ll become a powder called kudzu starch. It’ll become the best ingredient for pastries.”
“It’s quite a lot of work, huh?”
“Normally, it’ll take three days to make. And it’ll be worth it. Thanks to you, Chloe, I can make it in one night.”
“Hmm, let’s try to shorten that one night too. The next is just to make the water dry, right?”
“That’s true, so?”
“In that case, I can ask the pure Water-san to move aside.”

After saying that, she invokes her water magic arte. The water content from the white liquid completely dissipates, leaving white clumps behind. I can smell a faint sweet scent. When I touch it, it feels really smooth.

I break the tip apart. It turns into powder that’s finer than sugar.

It’s perfectly done. ……This is the kudzu starch that I wanted to make. If chefs from my previous world heard that kudzu starch can be made this quickly, they’ll probably cry.

“It’s the best that it can be. Thank you, Chloe. You’re a great help. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen kudzu starch this fine.”

I grab her hands, telling her how much I’m grateful.

It’s kudzu starch that has received plenty of blessings from the water and land of the spirit village, made into the highest purity thanks to water magic arte.

My blood is boiling as a chef to showcase this highest grade ingredient.

“M, maa, sure, from now on, I’ll help a lot too, so leave it to me. Kurt is my mother’s savior, and besides, since I’ve broken the rules, I’ll be under the care of Kurt’s village, so.”

Chloe’s face turns red as she bashfully replies.

I once refused to acknowledge Chloe’s notion of coming to my village in her latter words, but since she said that it would be better if she became the intermediary with the village, I’ve come to take advantage of her will.

Once the matter of this disease is settled, she will come to my village.

“Now, then, we’ve finished the kudzu starch way faster than we planned thanks to Chloe, shall we chat for a while? About the pastry that I will serve to everyone this time, there are two things that we absolutely need to protect. Tina, Chloe, do you know what they are?”

The two of them sink into their thoughts after my question. Then, Tina is the first one to speak up.

“Is it that it has to be delicious?”
“That’s also important, but the answer that I’m expecting for is slightly different.”

Making it delicious is just the principle. Even without being in this circumstance, it’s essential.

“Ah, I got it. Something that everyone hasn’t eaten before.”
“Correct. Then, the reason is?”
“When we’re taking it out and telling them that it’s medicine, if it’s not something that they haven’t eaten before, we won’t have any persuasiveness.”
“You’re right on point. That’s why I’m using kudzu. No one in this village has eaten kudzu before. By using it, I can make a mysterious pastry that no one has ever seen before. On top of that, kudzu is really good for the body. It’s not a lie to call it medicine too.”
“Yay! I’m totally right!”

Tina made a small guts pose.

The rarity and the presentation impact. I decided to use kudzu to stage those two factors.

Actually, as a medicine, kudzu has various effects. It can excrete the waste products in the blood system, promote blood circulation, warm the body, improve the immune system, stabilize the autonomic nerves, promote the endocrine functions, and prevent senility. It’s given the highest praise as the panacea in ancient Japan and China.

“Tina, amazing. You got to be correct. I have to be correct too……. nnnn, got it! It has to be easy to eat. It can’t become medicine if it’s not a gentle pastry that can be easily eating by the sick!”
“You’re absolutely correct. What I must make is a rare pastry that no one has ever eaten before, and that it has to be a gentle pastry that can be consumed by the patients to top it off.”

It’s actually quite difficult. It’s already hard to make a rare pastry that they haven’t eaten before, but a delicious pastry is fundamentally heavy on the fat percentage, making it very heavy in taste.

“Kurt-sama, can you make that kind of pastry?”
“Yes, I can. Since we have this kudzu.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I want to quickly eat it.”

What I’m making is western pastry using wagashi technique. This is my one specialty pastry that earned me victory in a concour when I was studying abroad.

Anyone in the spirit village will enjoy the taste and beautiful presentation that they’ve never savored before.

“About that, have you obtained the one other thing that I requested, Chloe?”
“Ah, I forgot to mention it. Yes. Here. Wine made in the spirit village. I never heard using wine in pastry before, you know?”

Chloe fetches a bottled sake from the basket on her back. It is essential for this pastry. I requested the strongest wine that she could find, I wonder how it turned out. I’ll take a look at it.

When I cut the seal open, there’s a peculiar grainy characteristic to it, but it’s such a gorgeous fragrant that’s tinged with some fruit.

My eyes are widening. This is.

“Isn’t it wine made from rice?” I said without thinking.

The taste is so nostalgic that I feel like tearing up. It tastes like some Japanese sake. Moreover, my tongue is covered with a slight sweetness that comes from top quality sake.

“Rice? That’s wine made from ramama, though?”
“Ramama? Is that a grain plant with lots of small white grains?”
“Un, that’s right. It’s the main staple of the spirit village.”

It has to be rice. Is this spirit village a paradise on earth?

Now I have all the more reasons not to let this village perish. I want to eat the rice that I haven’t seen in a long time.

“Well, because you told me the strongest wine, you should be able to use it. I took it out of Colt-ojisan’s treasured stash.”
“Yeah, it’s enough. With this, I can make the best pastry.”

I’m quickly altering the recipe that I’ve assembled in my mind. Then the finished shape rose to the surface of my mind.

It’s going to be an even more amazing pastry than what I initially imagined.