The Abandoned White Magician’s Tea Life - Chapter 90 : Departure
Translator: Sunnyshies
[unedited]
Chapter 90 : Departure
A few days later, Amalia and her family left Polk, after asking Bruno and Eva to take care of the house.
As for driving the carriage, Leonardo was to take the reins. When Amalia asked him where he learned the skills of a coachman, he told her with a wry smile, “I learned it naturally while doing various menial jobs.”
Polk is located on the eastern edge of the Kingdom of Leandra, and the orphanage is in the southwest. Fortunately, the kingdom of Leandra is well served by trade routes for merchants unless the countryside is very rural, in which case the roads are well maintained at the very least.
In addition, inns were lined up near major trade routes, and guard posts were scattered throughout the country to protect against bandits and demons. With its headquarters in the royal capital, soldiers were dispatched to various guard posts in different parts of the country to maintain security. Sometimes they work with guild mercenaries to make sure people are comfortable in the country, so that even an incapable woman like Amalia can travel with relative peace of mind.
‘I heard that in the past that troops were concentrated only around the royal capital and the provinces were abandoned, so we should be grateful to the king at that time for proposing the establishment of a security force and cooperation with the guilds.’
The carriage Leonardo rented for them was a two-horse carriage with four sturdy iron wheels for long journeys and a top to protect them from the wind and rain. In mid-summer, the inside of this canopied carriage is stuffy and difficult to work with, but now that its a pleasant springtime, so if you open the small window attached to the canopy, a moderate breeze will pass through, making it comfortable to stay in the carriage.
After placing the luggage in the carriage, Amalia and Yugo sat down on the cushions. Although it was just a small carriage, it was moderately spacious inside, with enough room for three people to lie down and sleep, even with luggage on board. They had also brought blankets and cushions, so it was unlikely that the shaking would cause any pain in the buttocks.
The carriage, driven by Leonardo, passed through the gates of Polk and emerged onto a spacious grassy field. The ground was a little gravelly and the carriage rattled as soon as it exited, but they seemed to have entered a trade route soon and only swayed slightly from side to side.
“I’m looking forward to the trip! Are you excited too?”
“Of course I am. It’s been a long time since we’ve taken a long trip like this…”
With Yugo on her lap, Amalia thought back to the days gone by.
For twenty years since her birth, she has lived in a monastery. And her first adventure was a trip with Alphonse and his friends.
The party consisted of six members, including Amalia, and since they were all young people, the first half of the trip was reasonably enjoyable.
A lot of things fell apart after Esmeralda joined the group, but that was now in the past. Now Amalia is traveling with two people she trusts. Although the liveliness is not as good as in the past, the sense of security is far superior to that of the past.
Leonardo seemed to have a talent for reading maps as well as watching the sky for weather changes. If the weather looks like it is going to turn bad in the next few days, he will change the itinerary, but for now, they can go as they had originally planned.
On the first day, they drove the carriage at a leisurely pace in the morning, stopping for lunch around noon. Food was stored for about five days, just in case.
However, Amalia and her group brought only vegetables, bread, etc., and very little meat. They did not bother to pack meat, because Yugo would hunt it for them.
“Okay, I’m off!”
“Yeah, take care.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
Amalia and Leonardo saw him off, and Yugo ran toward the forest in high spirits. He had already smelled the scent of prey when he passed by, and was fidgety, so Amalia kept telling him to wait until the carriage stopped.
Amalia, who had been sitting on the driver’s stand and watching Yugo’s back, breathed a sigh of relief.
“…I think Yugo put up with a lot in that cramped carriage.”
“Yes, I suppose so. I hope he doesn’t take on the form of a dragon, but it would be better to let him run around like that at least once a day.”
Leonardo also said as he unbuckled the harness from the horse. Before he left, Yugo had magically produced water for them, and he gave the horse a drink from a tub filled to the brim with water. Yugo, who can use magic of almost all attributes and can also hunt, is a great help to them.
‘And Leonardo will be the coachman, and in case of emergency he will take up the sword and fight. Then I must do what I can as well!’
Leaving Leonardo to take care of the horses, Amalia dismounted from the driver’s platform and immediately began preparing for lunch.
She didn’t intend to prepare anything elaborate. However, she needs to cook the food that Yugo will hunt for them, because they can’t eat it raw, and she also needs to make tea.
Rather than at Amalia’s request, at Leonardo and Yugo’s suggestion, the carriage was loaded with tea utensils. Instead of the ones she normally uses at home, she had brought a new, slightly less textured but sturdier and lighter pot from Bruno’s store.
‘Leonardo told me that the cost of buying new pots and the concern of transporting them was worth more than the cost of buying new pots, he said it would be more worth it if my tea could make everyone feel better.’
Leonardo spends the morning nervously managing the horses, while Yugo goes hunting, and Amalia is responsible for making tea for both of them, as well as taking care of their health.
The fire could be made after Yugo returned, so she prepared the food in the meantime. Amalia took out a foldable mini-table from the carriage and laid out the herbs and fruits from the crate.
‘Well, what shall we do this time…’
The ingredients available are limited. Because of this limitation, it was up to Amalia to show off her skills in determining which ingredients to use and for what effect.
As a result, Amalia chose ravi, mahgram, and gwam. Ravi has a sacred attribute and has a restorative effect, while mahgram is nourishing because it contains salt and sugar.
These two alone are too bland, so at home she would add honey, but this time she decided to add sweet and sour gwam to give it color and flavor.
In addition to those preparations, she should also consider what happens after Yugo catches the meat. Whatever meat, it had to be cooked well, so she had rock salt, murum to remove the smell, and crushed pinelli to make a sauce, so she’s really whichever meat came along.
“Mom, Mom! Look, look! I got a big harvest!”
“Oka――”
“Uh, wait a minute, please. Yes, stop right there, Yugo.”
Amalia was about to turn around when she heard Hugo’s energetic voice, but Leonardo’s back blocked Amalia’s view.
“It’s a big piece of meat, but it’s not bled through at all. It would be fine if you were the only one eating it, but since we’re going to have it, we should bleed it too.”
“Yeah…ah, mom. I caught two birds!”
“Thanks, Yugo. Will you bleed them for me?”
“Yes!”
Yugo responded cheerfully, although Leonardo’s back prevented her from seeing. Amalia was used to cooking meat, but she had never bled, dismembered, or gutted anything before and did not dare to watch the scene, so she decided to leave it to the two of them.
While Amalia was peeling and grinding the fruit, they returned. She thought it was awfully fast for all the processing, but Yugo proudly told her, “We did it with wind and fire magic!”
When Amalia looked at the meat of the bird that Leonardo dangled in his hand, sje saw that it was slightly browned on the surface and the laying feathers had been taken care of. Magic is very useful.
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