Teleports and Ice Cream

It was finally the day of our leave from the capital. All of the people that were traveling with us were ready in the castle's courtyard where we would all get together around me and Vespera so that we could teleport them safely.

Our first stop was the City of Glorya. My plan at first was to drink MP potions after each teleportation so that we could get to End Town in one day. However, I was asked by the princess to stay for at least one day in Glorya since she wanted to visit her family.

The rest of the knight's order that were traveling to End Town by foot were the first ones to leave the capital. Understandable, considering they had a month long trip ahead of them.

Around me, gathered: Jackson, Princess Melina, and Commander Thomas.

Around Vespera, she had: Sub-commander Harvey, Gina the battle-maid, and her senior although still young, Carli.

Yoru went inside my shadow since it was pretty much a free ride for him if he stayed in it.

The conditions for us to carry everyone was that they had to be making contact with us when we casted the spell, so everyone used one arm to get a hold of me and Vespera, while their bags and luggage were all stored inside my void pocket.

After waving goodbye to the king and queen, we casted "teleport" and brought everyone along to the gates of the City of Glorya.

We appeared just a few meters away from the guards at the gate, who got understandably startled when he saw us. Thankfully, both the commander and sub-commander acted fast into explaining the situation and showing their credentials, granting us a quick passage into the city.

Once we were inside, we made our way to the Lord's mansion. However, since it was still early in the morning, the princess wanted to spend some time walking around the city. She said she had only visited once before, so I could see where her excitement came from. So, before paying the other royals a visit, we did a lap around the plaza at the center of the city and looked around the different shops that had just opened up for the day.

When we got to the mansion, the entire Lord's family was waiting for us at the gate of his residence, where I noticed that both Triana and Reinar were greeting us with bright smiles. Completely different from the first time we met.

The servants took us all straight to the mansion's backyard, where a table with desserts, snacks, and refreshments awaited us. I did think it was a bit much for a simple family visit, but I supposed that nobles, especially royals, liked to indulge a bit.

As I sat down with a cup of tea and a sweet roll, Duchess Karina and her son, the young Lord Reinar, approached the table and sat down next to me.

"So, Ichiro. I heard that you took the role of tutor!" said Karina.

"I did, yeah. I couldn't see a reason to decline, to be honest. They all agreed to my conditions, so I guess it's fine." I replied while nonchalantly drinking my tea.

Both Karina and her son stared at me. I could tell they wanted to tell me something, or rather, Reinar was trying to tell me something, and his mother was there to encourage him.

"W-would it be okay for me to go to End Town too!?" said Reinar after finally gathering the courage to ask.

"Oh right, I did promise you I would teach you alchemy… Although… Hmmm." I paused for a moment as I thought about all the different things I had to do once I got back.

While I had no problem taking Reinar with me, his training wouldn't start for a while, or at least until I was done with all the preparations for the knight's order that was on its way to town.

"How about this? I'll come pick you up in 30 days, that way I have enough time to finish all the work I have to do and I can solely focus on teaching you and the princess."

Reinar smiled and shot a glance at his mom, who gave him a nod of approval.

Before I knew it, I had found myself another pupil, which made me wonder at what point had I become reliable enough to become a tutor for royals.

__________

We all woke up a bit late in the morning. I shared a room with my familiars, as usual, while the princess slept with her cousin Triana since apparently they were really close.

When I got to the courtyard, everyone else was waiting and ready to go. We said our goodbyes to the Duke's family and gathered around Vespera and I so we could teleport to the town of Speranza.

"Everyone ready?" I asked as I looked around at the group, making everyone nod.

"Alright then, next stop, Speranza." I chanted as the arcane circle appeared under us and quickly teleported us to the town gates.

Once again, the guards got startled when they saw us appear out of nowhere right in front of them, but Thomas and Harvey came in clutch with their quick introductions.

My plan at first was to not even enter the town and simply drink an MP potion and teleport straight away to End Town. However, as soon as we entered the city, the princess asked for us to stay for a day so she could look around.

She had never been to Speranza before, which I thought was strange, considering she was the princess of the entire kingdom. Of course, since we didn't have a place to stay, our first stop ended up being the inn we stayed at the first time we visited.

It was the same place where I first cooked fried cutlets and the owner remembered us as soon as we stepped inside. Her name was Doris, a sweet middle aged woman who also had a strong character.

"If it isn't the young chef, Ichiro and his knights!" she said as we approached the inn's counter.

"Hah, chef is a bit much. But it does look like the recipe was a big hit, huh?" I asked Doris as I looked around at the people eating at their tables. All of them had fried cutlets or french fries.

"Well, you weren't the only one that made a deal with Miriam! Ahaha!" laughed Doris out loud. She had made a deal with Miriam to buy olive oil from her, and now her fried dishes had become a staple in town. "Ahh, but the weather has been getting so much hotter lately, I fear the sales will slow down…"

("Hmmm, the best snack for a hot day would be…") I began pondering, thinking that I was definitely able to make it. "Miss Doris, how about I try making a good snack for hot days like these?"

She smiled from ear to ear, making me believe that my words were exactly what she wanted to hear. Nevertheless, Doris was a good person, so teaching her some recipes that would improve the quality of life of the town didn't seem like a bad idea to me.

The princess, maids, and knights that formed my party were all curious as to what I was going to cook, so naturally, they all followed me to the kitchen in the back with Doris.

I wanted to make ice cream, which wasn't something that I could cook without magic, or at least not fast enough. I poured milk in a bowl and stared at it for a moment, thinking how to proceed.

I started using nature magic to alter the consistency of the milk, making it thicker, then added brown sugar as I used gravity magic to swirl it. ("Right, this should work as cream…")

After that, I opened my void pocket and pulled out a basket of redberries from End Forest. Since I didn't have vanilla or any other ingredient that I thought would fit on the recipe, I decided to use the only fruit that I managed to find.

Redberries were sweet and tart, resembling the flavor of cherries, although their shapes were a bit different. Using nature magic, I turned the redberries into a juice and mixed it into another bowl with milk.

I mixed together both bowls and used gravity magic to swirl it with one hand, and ice magic to chill it with the other.

After a minute, the redberry ice cream was done.

Both knights and maids ate their cups pretty quickly, which gave them brain freeze and a good chuckle out of me. Doris loved the dessert, even though she wouldn't be able to recreate it since I pretty much used magic for the whole process. However, I did promise her that I would try to make a tool that could help her make it herself.

The princess was the last one to try her ice cream. She stared at her cup for a whole minute before I could ask her if she was okay. She gazed at me, then back at the ice cream with a preoccupied expression, promptly taking a spoon of the creamy, pinkish substance.

Her eyes widened in surprise as the spoon entered her mouth. I could have sworn she was blushing too, but I didn't tell her that. "Do you like it?" I asked, nervously.

She looked at me with her sparkling, light blue eyes, and nodded fervently. "I love it! This might just be my favorite dessert!" she exclaimed as she ate faster and faster.

("Her favorite dessert, huh? Just like her…")