Tenkomori Chapter 106.2

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Chapter 106.2. The Second Year at the Academy - Coloring the Dark Night (2)

Chapter 106.2. The Second Year at the Academy - Coloring the Dark Night (2)

The Quinths still wanted to help, so I asked them to carry the dishes.

As they bustled about, Elliot, Nails, and Jonas arrived.

I had asked Elliot to handle heavy dishes like soup.

We splurged this year and ordered from a high-end restaurant.

Even though it wasn't as heavy as last year, Ted, Jema, and Nails still had their hands full.

Of course, I couldn't handle it either. It wouldn't be appropriate for a nobleman's son to personally handle it.

So, I had no choice but to ask Elliot.

As Elliot was surprised by the increasing number of children, Quinths and Kyle began introducing Emily and the others side by side.

It's a heartwarming scene.

By the way, Jonas dashed off to the kitchen without even glancing, saying.

"Lily-san, I'll help!"

"No, it's cooking."

"If it's [Mixing], I'm good at it!"

"It's cooking."

He was expertly brushed off.

You can imagine the scene just from the conversation. It's like he's being completely ignored.

Still, he persisted, but Elliot grabbed him by the collar and escorted him out.

Though they're saying similar things to the Quinths, there's no cuteness lacking in their stubbornness.

And just as the preparations were almost complete, the remaining guests arrived.

As usual, Ted led the way.

Lola's demeanor remained the same, but she was surprised by the little children who accompanied them, especially Emily and Ginny, missing the chance to escape. Or rather, not noticing.

Elphimia greeted me with a smile and then gave me a look of disbelief.

"There are more again. Who are these children?"

"They're friends!"

Quinths and Kyle responded cheerfully instead.

"Let's discuss the details later."

For now, I welcomed everyone in.

Following last year's pattern, Elliot's arrangements were made, Nails and Jonas sat next to Elliot, and since Quinths volunteered to take care of Dana, they were seated around her.

And then I, as the host, gave welcoming words, and the second New Year's celebration began.

Everyone enjoyed the ready-made dishes, smoked gifts, pie wraps, and Dana and Lily's homemade dishes while chatting freely.

But unlike last year when Ted and the others eagerly dug in, Quinths were hesitant.

Facing unfamiliar people, especially noble and knight's sons, they were intimidated.

Still, they couldn't resist their appetites, and when Dana served the dishes, they began eating absentmindedly but stopped moving when their plates were empty.

"No need to hold back. Which dish do you like?"

I poured fruit water while asking Quinths.

Somehow I found out that Quinths and Ginny liked meat dishes, while Kyle and Emily preferred lighter soups, so I served those and arranged them on their plates.

I wondered how to handle the cooking trends this year, but Dana decided to join early, so Lily and I discussed and divided the dishes ordered from the restaurant and the homemade dishes to avoid overlap.

What Kyle and Emily were eating was Dana's homemade dish.

Since Dana gestured, I left it to her and returned to my seat.

"Oh, you've reached rank E."

"Just a while ago. The guild folks said the real deal starts now."

"Still, that's impressive. Congratulations."

Meanwhile, Ted was reporting to Lambert.

Lambert raised his glass lightly, congratulating Ted and the others on their promotion.

At first, there were various things, but they became friendly.

Though not quite friends, they were closer than mere acquaintances.

Afterward, Lambert and Felix talked about adventures and tactics with the adventurers, while Elphimia, Lola, and Lily discussed age-appropriate topics, debating about magic and alchemy.

Both topics remained unchanged, but the atmosphere was more relaxed than before.

However, the newcomer Nails remained silent out of nervousness, and Jonas was eagerly trying to join Lily and the others' circle.

Especially the latter seemed problematic if left unattended, so I joined Lambert's group and kept Jonas engaged while also easing Nails' tension.

After a while, I discreetly slipped away from the conversation circle and headed to the water source.

There was a large basin placed there.

Inside were water and several bottles filled with ice created by Iceblow.

When I picked up the bottles, they were pleasantly cold.

Though it was winter, the indoors were warm, and colder drinks were preferred.

I returned to the living room with all the bottles and lined them up on the table.

"I made something like this. Would you like to taste it?"

"What's this, a potion?"

Elphimia, who seemed intrigued, approached first.

"It's intended to be a drink."

I poured into glasses for everyone and distributed them.

It looked like a clear liquid with a faint sweet smell.

To demonstrate taste and safety, I sipped the portion I poured for myself.

Yeah, it tastes better chilled.

After observing my reaction, everyone else took a sip.

"It's a strange taste. It's a bit sweet but has a salty taste too."

"Yes, it's like diluted Healing Potion, but this is more refreshing."

Starting with Lambert and Elphimia's comments, everyone shared their thoughts.

Overall, opinions were divided between weird-tasting water and "surprisingly good."

That's how it goes. I was actually surprised by the number of positive reviews.

"So, what is this?"

"I made it from Tejiril grass."

Almost everyone tilted their heads in confusion.

The only one who reacted to my statement was Lola.

And that's understandable because this was her suggestion.

Tejiril grass was used for vitality - what we would call stamina recovery potions.

But compared to similar Actini fruit, its effects were quite weak.

In areas where Actini fruit couldn't be harvested. It was used sparingly and considered a weed elsewhere.

I got involved with Tejiril Grass about a month ago when Lola consulted me.

A merchant in a town gambled his life on gambling.

He had his eyes on Tejiril grass and hired an alchemist to research it, but despite spending a considerable amount, it failed.

He was already struggling in business, and this failure led to bankruptcy. He ended up falling into slavery and was now working for some commercial guild.

The story of the reckless merchant ends there, but a new traveling merchant appears.

He had received an order from the merchant and had returned from procurement.

However, the store had gone bankrupt, and the merchant was in the middle of signing a contract with a slave trader.

Fortunately, the purchased goods were reasonably sellable locally, so the traveling merchant was not caught up in bankruptcy.

Still, he was in the red due to travel and transportation expenses.

When he appealed to the merchant for compensation, he was given a large amount of Tejiril grass.

Now that the research had failed, Tejiril grass was just a weed.

The troubled traveling merchant visited a friend's merchant and asked if there was any way to deal with it.

That was Lola's family, the Breos Trading Company.

"This is Tejiril grass..."

This time, Lola tasted it as if savoring the flavor.

As others looked at her, they also tried it again or observed it with a lantern. Only Elphimia took another sip.

"What's with that reaction?"

I asked Lola because she seemed to be concentrating on the taste, not the effect.

But when she raised her face, her cheeks were slightly red, and she shook her head.

"No, it's just strange. I never thought I'd see the day when Tejiril grass would become like this."

That was a real reaction.

She never thought it could be this delicious.

"Ah, really? It's quite delicious."

"It's certainly better than the Tejiril grass I had before."

Elliot, who took another sip, nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, it's an unexpected discovery."

Lola seemed somewhat relieved at our reaction, but then she muttered.

"I wonder..."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I tested it on myself, but nothing happened."

The first thing I did when I got it was to test its efficacy.

Of course, it had no effect.

"What do you mean?"

"Even if it had an effect, it wouldn't be easy to tell from just one drink."

"There's nothing strange happening in your body, is there?"

Elphimia asked as if worried, but she was a bit out of character.

It's strange for her to be concerned about others.

"I have a pretty good understanding of my body, so I don't think there's anything wrong."

In order to avoid misunderstandings, I explained in detail about the merchant and the traveler, as well as my experiences and experiments with it.

"That's a relief. It's too much to ask, but would it be okay to research it a little more?"

Lola looked at me, half-nervous and half-pleading.

"Of course. It's the first request from you, after all."

"I appreciate it. I'll leave it to you."

"It might not be successful, though."

I half-joked, but Lola shook her head.

"That's okay. Even if the research fails, it's better to know than to not know."

"Yeah, that's true."

It's been a while since I last heard such serious words from Lola.

It's not like I don't want to know, but I'm just not that interested in studying.

Even if there was a hint of hope, I would have left it to Lily or someone else to study.

As we finished our conversation, I heard Nails' voice.

"Hey, you haven't said anything yet!"

He seemed anxious, looking at the faces of the others.

I'm sure he wanted to taste it but was waiting for the right time.

It's quite touching.

He wasn't nervous about drinking the unknown drink in front of people he just met, but about whether or not it would be okay.

Seeing his sincere concern, I encouraged him.

"It's okay, you can drink it."

When I said that, everyone else nodded in agreement.

Everyone seemed to understand that it was a strange drink, but there was nothing wrong with it.

As I looked around, I saw Nails take a sip, and then everyone else followed suit.

As soon as the initial doubts were dispelled, they began to feel a sense of reassurance, and their movements became more relaxed.

The atmosphere in the room became more cheerful.

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