The next day was a school day.

By the way, Father came back late last night, looking utterly exhausted. It seemed like he had been inspecting goblin materials all day. According to him, the goblin overpopulation had died down, and the reward for the request had returned to its proper price.

“Most of the goblins were wiped out yesterday, thanks to someone,” he added after explaining everything.

“Ha, haha…”

Well, it’s a good thing that the monsters ruining the fields are gone, right?

Feeling a bit guilty, I left for school, only to find Leon discussing the same story in class.

“I heard about it, Lark-kun. You wiped out all the goblins near the royal capital yesterday, didn’t you?”

“No, no, Leon, we did hunt goblins but we didn’t completely exterminate them. And besides, it was abnormal yesterday. The meadow was so wide, yet there were so many goblins that it felt like you’d hit one if you threw a stone. Plus, I think there’s still a nest in the nearby forest, so it’s dangerous to go near it carelessly.”

“I see, I’ll be careful… Although I doubt if there are any goblins left in that nest.”

With that, Leon returned to his seat. He seemed to be muttering something under his breath…

After Leon left, Lia, who was sitting next to me, started a conversation, “Hey, Lark-kun. Do you have any plans for the next day off?”

I thought she was talking about the goblin, but it seems different.

“Hm? Nothing planned for this week, why?”

“Well, it’s just… my brother Wallis asked me to bring you to the castle.”

“Wallis-kun did?”

I wonder what he wants… Ah! Could it be about that thing I asked for the other day?

“Could it be… has he found the book?”

“I don’t know the details… but now that you mention it, he might have been looking for a book. My brother Wallis has been spending a lot of time in the library lately.”

“Got it. I’ll go to the castle on my day off this week.”

“Yep, I’m looking forward to seeing you there, Lark-kun!” Lia said with a bright smile.

If Wallis-kun’s business is about that… hehe, I can’t wait for next week.

◇

The long-awaited next week. I got up early in the morning, cooked breakfast for three, and left the house without waiting for Father and Rin, who were still asleep.

Speaking of not waking up, Shafal is still not awake. I feel stable magic power from Shafal within me, so I think he’s safe… Well, there’s no use worrying about it all the time. I’ll wait patiently for him to wake up.

I left the house, walked onto the main street, and got on a carriage heading for the castle that happened to be passing by. When I arrived at the castle, the gatekeeper let me in right away. It seemed that they already knew I was coming to visit. I entered the castle, had a brief chat with Lia, who was having tea in the courtyard, and then headed to Wallis’s room.

“Wallis-kun, I’m coming in.”

I knocked on the door and then opened it when I arrived.

Wallis-kun was reading a book at his desk, but he looked up and smiled when I came in. “You’re here, Lark-kun. I’ve found the book you asked for.” With that, Wallis pulled out a book from the bookshelf next to his desk and handed it to me.

As I took the book and looked at the cover, a smile of joy escaped my lips. “The History of Sugar… does this contain the method to make sugar?”

“Ah, that’s right. Making sugar is difficult, are you sure you want to give it a try?”

“Yeah… but first, I need to read this book to understand how to make it… Wallis-kun, can I read it here for a while?”

“Of course.”

With his consent, I flipped open the book and started to read. The book explained when sugar was first created, what it was made from, and how it was made.

At a glance, it seems that the method of making sugar in this world is almost the same as that on Earth. Hmm, but that could make it difficult for me to secure a large amount of sugar. I might be able to get a plant similar to sugarcane from Luck-san as a raw material, but I have no way of mass-producing it. Even if I turn my backyard into a farm, the output would be limited…

Then, my eyes caught something on one of the pages. “An efficient way to create using magic power and materials…”

Intrigued by the title, I read on.

Apparently, it’s possible to create sugar using a skill called “Alchemy,” which creates new things from materials. From what I can see, I can probably get the necessary materials nearby, but I don’t know how to acquire the essential skill of “Alchemy”…

As I thought about the skills that would be necessary for my future life and that I wanted to acquire them, my body emitted a white glow… Huh?

“Could it be… what just happened!?”

I hurriedly used my “Appraising Eye” to check my status.

[Name] Lark Voltoris

[Age] 12

[Race] Human

[Gender] Male

[Status] Impatience

[Level] 56

[SP] 550

[Strength] 5518

[Mana] 6373

[Agility] 5932)

[Dexterity] 4196

[Luck] 51

[Skills] Cooking: 4, Useful Box: 3, Daily Life Magic: 2, Appraising Eye: 3, Short Sword Technique: 3, Mana Control: 3, Sewing: 2, Concentration: 5, Faith: 5, Wordless Incantation: 3, Synthesis Magic: 4, Presence Detection: 3, Martial Arts: 3, Swordsmanship: 2, Physical Ability Enhancement: 3, Poison Resistance: 1, Mental Resistance: 3, Hunger Resistance: 1, Fire Magic: 4, Wind Magic: 4, Water Magic: 3, Earth Magic: 2, Light Magic: 1 , Dark Magic: 1, Thunder Magic: 1, Ice Magic: 2, Holy Magic: 1 , Null Magic: 2, Alchemy: 1 (NEW)

[Special Abilities] Enhanced Memory Capacity, World Language, EXP Amplification: 10x, God’s Veil,

[Divine Technique] Miraculous Sacred Light, God Summoning Magic

[Blessings] Samadyla’s Protection, Magilt’s Protection, Goldra’s Protection

[Title] The Reincarnated, The God’s Host, The Blessed, Individual who has Reached the Limit, Believer, Divine One

“My ‘Daily Life Magic’ level has increased, and I’ve learned the new skill ‘Alchemy’…”

Hey, wait a minute. Could it be that my casual wish triggered the reaction of ‘Daily Life Magic’? The judgment for that seems too lenient…

…Well, there’s nothing I can do about what I’ve obtained. In that case, I’ll make full use of it.

Gathering myself, I closed the book and called out to Wallis-kun, who had somehow been reading another book without me noticing.

“Can I borrow this book for a while?”

“Of course, go ahead,” Wallis readily agreed.

I’ll have to do something as a token of gratitude.

After expressing my thanks to Wallis, I stored the borrowed book in the “Useful Box.” Then I quickly left the castle and returned home.

When I arrived at my house, it was already past noon, and it seemed like Father and Rin had gone out as no one was there.

This is a perfect timing. I should try experimenting with ‘Alchemy’ before someone comes back.

I entered my room and took out the book “The History of Sugar” from the “Useful Box.”

Let’s see, the ingredients are… Oh, it’s a plant that grows near the capital. I have it because I’ve collected it before.

I prepared the ingredients and a container for the finished sugar, placing them on the desk. I don’t know how to use ‘Alchemy,’ but I guess the best way is to try it out.

I held one hand over the raw material plant and the other over the empty container. Through my body, I imagined changing the material into something else.

Like that, I activated ‘Alchemy’――!

“Huh?! What… my magic power!”

The moment I casually activated ‘Alchemy,’ I felt my magic power being greatly drained. Suddenly feeling sick, I stumbled and leaned against the nearby wall.

“Ugh… I didn’t expect my magic power to be consumed this much from just one use… It’s quite an inefficient skill…”

Or perhaps, did I do something wrong? Everything was new to me, so I didn’t really understand.

But more importantly, what about the result? Apprehensively peering into the container, I saw that there was pure white sugar inside. Good, it seems like it was a success for now.

I took the sugar in my hand and examined it closely. It was white and had a smooth texture. It looked like the kind of sugar you would expect. I’m not sure about the details, but is this what they called refined sugar?

When I licked it, it was surprisingly sweet. The sugar commonly circulated in this world has uneven grains and a dull color, so the sugar I made seems to be of better quality.

While observing, I formed a hypothesis.

“Could it be that ‘Alchemy’ is also a kind of magic, so the image is important? And because I had a strong image of the high-quality sugar from my previous life, my magic power was heavily consumed in an attempt to create something similar…”

I won’t be able to confirm without further experiments, but for now, I’ll keep that in mind.

Anyway, I need to study more about “Alchemy.” I wonder if it’s detailed in the book I read earlier…

With that thought in mind, I put the container of sugar into the “Useful Box” and started reading “The History of Sugar.”

“Hmm… Maybe I should take a short break.”

After closing the book and stretching, I noticed that it was already dark outside.

Oh no! I got so absorbed that I lost track of time. I need to prepare dinner quickly!

In a hurry, I put the book back into the “Useful Box” and went to the kitchen, where Rin had already returned and was preparing the meal.

Upon hearing my footsteps, Rin turned towards me.

“Ah, Lark-kun. Have you finished reading the book? I went to your room earlier, but you seemed focused, so I thought it might be bothersome and didn’t call out to you.”

“Thank you for considering that. I haven’t finished reading it completely, but it suddenly got dark, so I thought I should make dinner.”

“I see. I’m cooking dinner by myself today, so it’s fine if you keep reading in the living room.”

“No, I’ll help. I can read the book anytime.”

Saying that, I washed my hands and stood next to Rin, starting to cut the vegetables.

“Phew… My eyes are tired from reading too much.”

After finishing dinner and taking a bath, I returned to my room.

After finishing my daily prayers and lying down on the bed, I thought about the time I acquired “Alchemy” in the castle.

“…It’s a bit late to realize, but being able to acquire the skills I find necessary for daily life is quite overpowered, isn’t it?”

When I asked Samady to create “DailyLife Magic” for me, he was quite hesitant. Well, I must have made an unreasonable request… I should remember to express my gratitude.

“Well, it would be a waste not to use the acquired skills. If I need anything in the future, I can rely on ‘Daily Life Magic.'” Murmuring to myself in the empty room, I covered myself with the quilt and fell asleep.

By the way, in my dream that night, Samady appeared and said, “I forgot to mention, but I kinda have a sweet tooth.” Then, the next day, when I offered popcorn as an offering, it instantly disappeared, and I heard a voice from the heavens saying, “Thank you.” Hmm, he’s truly a sweet-loving god.

◇

For the next few days, while managing my school life and the store, I continued practicing “Alchemy” and finally succeeded in producing sugar in this world. The reason I did that was because the pure white sugar from my previous life consumed a lot of magical power, making it unsuitable for mass production.

Now, I named the pure white sugar “High-Quality Sugar” and the slightly dull-colored sugar “Regular-Quality Sugar,” and I make them accordingly based on the needs.

“Phew… With this, I’ve finished the amount Mr. Luck requested.”

Currently, I’m making “Regular-Quality Sugar” to supply to Mr. Luck in the kitchen. When I told him the other day that I had learned “Alchemy” and could produce sugar, he asked if I could provide a certain percentage of the produced sugar as compensation since he would provide all the materials for free.

“Isn’t it only beneficial for me? Is it alright?”

Going to gather plants every time I want to practice “Alchemy” is troublesome, and if I try to buy them at the market, they’re surprisingly expensive. He provides them for free, and in return, I get to practice “Alchemy.” It’s like a dream come true.

When I asked that, Mr. Luck gave a wry smile. “No, no, it’s a request that benefits me. Sugar is originally a luxury item, and its availability in the market has been decreasing recently. So, I thought I might be seen as impudent for making such a request…”

“Is that so? Now that you mention it, the price of sugar has been skyrocketing recently.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’ve been thinking about how to secure sugar in my trading company… If you don’t want to do it, you can refuse. What do you think?”

“…Well, I’m really grateful to Mr. Luck for everything. I’ve been wanting to repay your kindness for a while now. If it’s okay with me, I would be happy to do it.”

“Thank you, Lark-kun.”

Mr. Luck and I shook hands firmly.

After that, we discussed the details, and I agreed to make sugar from the materials provided by Mr. Luck and deliver 60% of it. The remaining 40% is mine to keep, and I’m grateful to use it for my shop, so I’m storing it in the “Useful Box.”

Now that I’ve completed my quota, I’m currently thinking about creating a new dish to sell at the store. Since I can obtain sugar practically for free, I want to make sweets using sugar.

Currently, the only product in my shop that uses sugar is popcorn, but I haven’t figured out how to mass-produce it yet. I plan to continue selling it as a high-class product for the nobles.

Hmm, I wonder if I have any good ideas…

While thinking about it, I looked around the kitchen and suddenly noticed a loaf of bread on the shelf.

…Wait a minute. There’s no need for me to stick to using rice just because it’s sold in my shop. I think I’ve already conveyed the deliciousness of rice through baked rice balls and fried rice. Making a dish with completely different ingredients might make it feel fresh to the customers.

With that in mind, I came up with one particular sweet.

“I got it! How about making rusks[1]?”

I’ve made them in my home economics class in my past life, and I have the recipe. Moreover, making them is not difficult like popcorn, so it’s suitable for selling in the store.

Alright, let’s give it a try!

I took out a loaf of bread from the shelf and cut it into bite-sized pieces with a knife. It’s more common to make rusks with French bread, but using regular bread should be fine too. Besides, bread in this world is generally low in moisture, making it suitable for rusks.

Using the combination magic of Fire Attribute Magic and Wind Attribute Magic, I released a hot wind to remove the remaining moisture from the bread. Then, I spread butter and sprinkled sugar on it before frying it in a pan. Once it was nicely browned, I generously sprinkled sugar on top to finish it.

I took the finished rusks in my hand, cooled them with my breath, and took a bite. “Hot! …Hmm, it’s delicious as usual.”

I thought to myself that I did a good job. However, this is just my personal opinion, so I should ask others for their opinions as well.

With that in mind, I immediately transferred the rusks to a plate and headed to the living room where Father and Rin were.

“…So, I’ve made a prototype of a new product. Would you like to taste it?”

After briefly explaining, I handed them the rusks, and both of them nodded.

“Ah, I see. Since it’s something made by Lark, it must be delicious anyway.”

“It smells sweet and looks delicious~”

My Father and Rin took a piece of rusk and bit into it.

“It’s delicious!”

They said so and quickly finished the rusks.

My Father asked me in surprise, “Lark, where did you learn to make such delicious sweets?”

“Well… I wouldn’t say I learned it, but I came up with the idea while looking at the bread.”

…I’m not lying.

“…Lark-kun, you could definitely make a living as a cook.” Rin widened her eyes and said, while Father continued jokingly, “You’re smart, domestic, and capable of fighting. I wonder how much virtue you accumulated in your past life to acquire such abilities?”

…Not by accumulating virtue, but by catching the eye of an evil god, being played around with, and getting run over by a truck, would it end up like this?

While thinking that in my mind without saying it out loud, I brought more rusks and ate them together with Father and the others.

◇

The next day was a school day.

During lunch break, as usual, everyone gathered at the terrace seats of the cafeteria. While everyone was eating lunch, I took out the rusks I made yesterday from the “Useful Box.”

“Hey, everyone, can you taste this for me? I’m thinking of introducing it as the next product.”

I said that and had them try it, and everyone praised it, saying, “It’s delicious!” That’s a relief; it seems like it’ll be safe to sell.

“Lark-kun, these are coated with sugar, right?” Lia pointed at the rusks and asked.

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve been able to get a lot of sugar lately, so I tried making it. How is it? Did you like it?”

“Yeah!” Lia answered with a smile.

Then, Roeck, who was sitting next to her, licked the sugar on his hand and asked, “Did you already bring some to my father?”

“No, not yet. I’m planning to bring them later. Is Luck-san free today?”

“I think he said he would only do office work today, so I think you’ll be able to see him if you go to the company.”

“I see. Then, after class, I’ll go to Luck-san’s place.”

After that, we all enjoyed the rusks as a dessert.

After school, I immediately went to the Dursley Company. With the help of the receptionist, I was introduced to Mr. Luck and told him that I had made a new product, the rusks, and asked him to taste them. Mr. Luck took a bite and sighed, “Hmm,” and said, “…I’m always amazed by you, Lark-kun. Did you say rusks? This will definitely become a popular product. Moreover, from what I hear, the recipe seems simple, so Naraba-kun and the others should be able to imitate it easily.”

“Yes, since making the popcorn sweets was difficult, I thought of making a simple confectionery this time.”

After that, I said goodbye to Mr. Luck and went to the shop. After helping out until closing time, I gathered Naraba and the others in the kitchen.

I informed all the employees that we would be launching a new product and had them taste the rusks. They were well received by everyone, but Terra and Mira, the sisters, were particularly delighted. They seemed to love sweet things.

“May we ask you to teach us how to make this product? We will only make it for ourselves, not for selling.”

Terra and Mira both made a double request, so I handed them a piece of paper with the recipe written on it.

Alternatively, I don’t particularly object to the availability of our rusks in other stores. They are a basic treat that is bound to be replicated by others eventually. In fact, it might even undergo enhancements to become even more delectable.

Nonetheless, the greatest advantage of our rusks lies in their affordability. Given our ability to acquire costly sugar without any expense, we can provide them at a more competitive price compared to other establishments. Consequently, even if our rusks are offered elsewhere, I am not concerned about losing our customer base.

Since I had the opportunity, I not only gave them the recipe but also used the kitchen to actually make rusks and show Terra and Mira how it’s done. They asked, “Can you guide us since we’re going to make it now?”

And so, an impromptu cooking class was held. Naraba and the others also participated, and we all made rusks together.

(Somehow, it reminds me of the cooking practice in my previous life…)

While thinking about such things, I taught them how to make rusks.