The Abandoned White Magician’s Tea Life

Translator: Sunnyshies

Editor: Ryuubii

Chapter 53 : Winter in Polk

Winter has come to Polk in earnest.

Winters in the Kingdom of Leandra are basically dry, and while the temperature is low across the land, snowfall is rare.

Yugo, who is welcoming winter in the human world for the first time, was very impressed when he saw that the water in the pot in front of the entrance was frozen. He poked, stroked, and scratched it, and finally, with Amalia’s permission, he threw it in the air and played with it.

“Mom, did you see that? It flew so high!”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right. It flew so very high…”

Amalia had a distant look in her eyes as she fixed Yugo’s woolen hat, which had slipped off as he ran back to her in excitement.

The ice slab that Yugo had just thrown tore through the air like some kind of assassin’s projectile weapon, and blew away the tree it had hit with a resounding thud. A normal sheet of ice would not have lasted, so he must have used some kind of magic, but the magic of a dragon is a terrible thing.

She picked up the excited Yugo and went into the house to prepare some tea.

‘I think I’ll have a cup of tea with jarjar to warm myself up today.’

Jarjar is a monocotyledonous plant that is also used in herbal medicines. The leaves and fruits are used for medicinal purposes, but the roots are even more useful. It can be grated and added to dishes, used as an accent in sweets, and in small quantities, it can be used to make perfume.

The leaves can only be harvested in the spring, but the roots can be harvested in any season except midwinter, so she keeps some jarjar root in the pantry which she bought during autumn. The roots are good for warming up the body, so they are perfect for winter.

‘And, as one might expect… Its attribute is also flame, which has a flame-resistant and heat-retaining effect.’

Although Purine also has a flame attribute that warms the body, the difference is that it has a flame attribute strengthening effect, while jarjar has a flame attribute defense strengthening effect. Also, Maghram seems to only have a flame attribute defense enhancement effect, and even plants with the same flame attribute appear to have slightly different types of effects.

This time, she will use a commercially made tea leaf. The special effect of the tea will be much lower, but since jarjar originally has a warming effect on the body, there is no need to force it to draw out the power of the flame attribute.

The small potato-shaped jarjar is washed and then the skin is scraped off. The skin is very hard and thick, so it is necessary to scrape it off with all of one’s might in order to increase the disposal rate. If you hesitate to do so, you may end up having a hard time skinning it.

She put the chopped jarjar into a pot and poured hot water onto it. After steeping for a while, the flavor will be well absorbed and you can add the tea leaves.

After more steeping, remove both the tea leaves and the jarjar residue. The tea leaves and jarjar root should be discarded as they have lost their flavor.

At the same time, she heated up some milk with honey. The sweet aroma of the honey and the pungent flavor of the jarjar intertwine, filling the kitchen with their fragrance.

She poured the jarjar tea and honey milk into a warmed cup, and now you have jarjar milk tea. The spiciness of the jarjar mixed with the sweetness of the honey and the gentle flavor of the milk will warm your body as you shiver in the cold north wind.

“Okay, today’s snack is jarjar milk tea and scones.”

“Smells good!”

Yugo, who had been sitting in front of the fireplace, sat down on the couch and squealed excitedly when he saw the fluffy scones and the gentle brown tea.

The scones were made a few days ago, wrapped in greaseproof paper, stored in the pantry, and baked on the stove. They don’t keep well in the summer, but in the dry winter, they can be preserved for quite a while as long as you are careful about where you store them. It is also very convenient to serve it immediately when you have unexpected guests.

When she broke the scone with her hand, a large piece of cheese peeked out from inside. The scones, kneaded with cubes of cheese, can be used as a snack or side dish for a meal. Yugo is a carnivore, so he likes to eat meat and dairy products. Scones with cheese was one of his favorite dishes.

“Oh, yummy! Mom, can I have another one?”

“Okay, but you have to eat dinner, too, okay?”

“Yeah, I got it! Mom too!”

A smiling Yugo shredded a scone with his hand and offered half of it to her. Biting into it, Amalia looked out the window, savoring the taste of happiness.

It’s been about four months since Amalia arrived in Polk. The days so far have been full of changes, and it feels like autumn has turned into winter in the blink of an eye.

‘When spring comes, I want the three of us to go pick young greens. When summer comes, we can take iced tea and take a nap in the shade of a tree…’

Thinking about such things makes her feel a little bit scared.

From now on, Amalia, Leonardo, and Yugo will always live together. Dreaming of such a future has become the norm― and at the same time, it makes her feel uneasy.

‘Leonardo is only using our house as a temporary home. It’s not like it’s going to last forever.’

Leonardo is a man of his age. He is now taking care of Amalia and her son for old time’s sake, but what if he meets the love of his life? What if he were to marry her and never return to this house?

‘If Leonardo suddenly talks about it, I have to make sure I congratulate him with a smile and send him on his way.’

This feeling is a one-way street for Amalia. Just as she had promised herself when she talked to Eva, she didn’t want to embarrass Leonardo, so she had no intention of confiding with him.

If Leonardo comes to report his marriage, she will not cry… no, if she does cry, it should be tears of joy, not tears of sorrow.

Amalia had no such right.

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Author’s note:

Botanical Dictionary (10)

Jarjar (ジャージャー /Jājā/) – A ginger-like plant. It has a distinctive odor and is effective in warming the body.

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