Chapter 174:
Mentor
“So, I hear your arm got eaten off? That sure was dumb of you.”
Wow, Druid’s mentor is pretty ruthless. Who would bring up the eaten arm first thing at a reunion?
“Well, you certainly haven’t changed, Master.”
Ah. Guess Druid’s used to it.
“A man doesn’t change much once he reaches my age. Ooh! Is this the Ivy kid everybody’s talkin’ about?”
Hm? That’s right, I did hear there were rumors about me. I’d forgotten about it, since I don’t really care.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ivy. It’s an honor to meet Mr. Druid’s mentor,” I said with a bow.
Druid’s mentor looked startled for a moment, but he quickly grinned back at me. Hmmm… I know that smile. He’s plotting something. I felt a little chill down my spine.
“I heard it was a dumb kid who was followin’ Druid everywhere, but I guess the rumors were wrong.”
A dumb kid following him everywhere? Well, we have been to lots of places together lately. I guess it looks to outsiders like I’m just tagging along.
“Is that what they’re saying about us?” Druid sounded a bit flustered. He shouldn’t have had to feel that way.
“Mr. Mentor?”
“Oh, you got a complaint, kid?”
“A complaint? No, sir. I’m fine with being a dumb kid.”
“What?!” both men gasped.
All kids are dumb in one way or another. And I don’t see anything wrong with it.
“Well, you sure are a weird kid.”
“Master! That was rude.”
“Oh, Druid, ya always did take things too seriously.”
The old mentor looked a bit exasperated, and Druid looked a bit exhausted. Even though their expressions were completely different, they seemed very much in tune with each other. But still, I was pretty amazed by how abrasive the old mentor was.
“What brings you here, Master?”
“Gettin’ some grub. Same for you, Druid?”
“Why, yes… Wait, no. What are you doing in this town?”
“I used to be in the next town over, but I heard this place was askin’ for help, so I popped in to check up on my apprentices.”
“That’s right, the guild master did say he put out a request for aid.”
He must have come here because he was worried about his old apprentices. So the old man did have a kind bone in his body.
“Didn’t you come here to laugh at me and the guild master?” Druid asked.
Hm? I don’t think even he would stoop so low…
“Yeah, ya could say that. But I really was worried, just a little bit.”
Oh…so I was wrong. Then again, he could just be posturing.
“I was really surprised to see how bad the gurbars set this town back. About half the damn food carts are closed.”
“That many, Master?”
“Yep. I’ve been checkin’ on things for the past week, so I know I’m right.”
Wow. But up until just a few days ago, most of the carts were still open.
“Is that so? What should we do, Ivy? With so many carts closed, I don’t think we’ll be able to get dinner here.”
“Would you like to go back to the plaza? I still have some ingredients, so I can cook something simple. Do you want to join us, Mr. Mentor?”
“What?!” said Druid.
“Ooh, could I? Gee, thanks, Druid.”
Come on, Druid. Stay calm. Your mentor only makes fun of you because you speak your mind.
“Sure thing, Master. Just try not to give Ivy a hard time, okay?”
“Wow…the rumors really were wrong.”
I’m kind of scared to ask what kind of rumors he heard about us. I should probably go with my default policy: not thinking about it.
“Hey, Ivy…are ya curious about those rumors?” the mentor asked.
Agh! Now I’m his target. “No, sir, I’m not really that curious. Anyway, are there any foods you can’t eat?”
“Wow. For a kid, you’re not very childlike.”
I’d rather you not sulk just because I didn’t fall for your trap… Wait a minute, is his sulking also a trap? I feel like he’s spying on me or something… I’ll just ignore it.
“Well, since you don’t seem to have any preferences, I’ll just cook whatever I feel like.”
“Yikes! You’re completely different from kids like Druid or Gotos. Are ya sure you’re only six or seven years old?”
Yeah, yeah, get my age wrong—I’m used to it! Wait…who’s Gotos? Oh! I think the guild master’s name sounds like that…but not quite?
“Mr. Mentor, I’m nine years old.”
“Nine…? At that little size?”
Urk! The word “little” is my biggest trigger.
“Anyway, let’s head back to the plaza. Ivy, should we look for places where you can buy some ingredients on the way?”
I already had some wild rabbit and field mouse meat, as well as some vegetables. And I’d restocked my rice, so I’d have an extender when resources were scarce. I’d also saved up a fair amount of spices and medicinal herbs from my travels, too.
“I’ll be fine, Mr. Druid, but I might have to make another donburi dish like I made yesterday. Is that okay?”
“Of course. Let me know if you need any help.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine. It’s really easy.”
I’ll be fine…or, to be more accurate, I don’t like being helped. While I appreciated the gesture, I wouldn’t be able to cook exactly the way I’d planned if someone were helping me, and I’m not too keen on that. Though I wouldn’t mind if he did something small like set the table.
That reminded me… When I first started cooking for Rattloore and his party, we’d prepare everything together. But over time, it morphed into me doing all the cooking and everyone else doing simple things like pouring water or tea or setting the table.
Could it be…that I subconsciously project my reluctance to accept help into my behavior? Oh, they did ask me once if it was easier to cook all by myself. And back then, I didn’t notice I had this quirk, so I was confused as to why they were asking me that. Maybe they were being mindful of me and trying to give me the best cooking experience possible. I really should thank them the next time I see them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing, just thinking about the past a little.”
“Really? Well, if you need help with anything, I’m here.”
“Thanks, sir.”
Since I made oyako-don yesterday…I guess I’ll make a gyuu-don filled with meat today? Will it work with wild rabbit and field mouse? Well, I might as well try. If I put enough meat into it, it’s bound to be good. Oh, that’s right! With gyuu-don, you really taste the meat, so I’d better use some medicinal herbs to take the gamey taste out of the wild rabbit and field mouse.
“So, what’s a donburi? Never heard of it.”
Ack! I forgot to ask Druid’s mentor if he was okay with eating rice.
“You’ll just have to wait and see, Master.”
Druid, I see that mischievous twinkle in your eye. I’m sure your mentor sees it, too.
“Ohhh, well, that sounds like fun.”
Was Druid taking advantage of his mentor’s arrogant personality? Something about being around this pair is bad for my heart.
When we returned to the plaza, I went into my tent to take Sora and Flame out of their bag.
“I’ll just set down your potions for you, okay? Take your time eating them.”
The two wiggled back at me at their different speeds.
I left the tent and started making supper. That’s right, I remember Past Me used to soak the rice before steaming it, but this world’s rice gets too soggy when you do that. I guess this rice is a little different.
“I’ll make us some tea.”
“Thank you, Mr. Druid. Does your mentor need anything?”
“Nah, he’s fine. Actually, I need a break. How can he still have so much energy?”
Ha ha ha! I did get the sense that Druid’s mentor was messing with him a lot today.
“Hang in there, trooper.”
After Druid finished making the tea, he heaved a big sigh and returned to his mentor’s side. Sensing his aura of despair, I was worried his mentor would mess with him more… Oh, his mentor said something to him. I hope everything’s okay?
The rice was all ready and just needed to steam, so I had to get the meat and other toppings ready on time. I put the wild rabbit and a few herbs into some broth to simmer and seasoned it with soy sauce and honey. And this time, I added some dried herbs
that had a little heat to them. Then I needed eggs…or hexa fruit, as they were called here, and it would be all done.
“Dinner’s ready.”
Okay, let’s bring it to the table! Hm? Wait, why is Druid lying on the ground? And his mentor is…aha, he looks like he’s having a lot of fun. Boy, it’ll take a lot of courage to go over there…but I’d better hop to it. I don’t want our food to get cold.
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