Cordelia tried to return to her book, but she realised that Gille and Vernoux weren't reading, and were writing something.
"What are you two doing?"
Vernoux showed Cordelia the book he was holding when she asked that. The book had some pictures of medicinal herbs, but the names of the herbs weren't written in the book.
"Our task is to name the herbs. We have to guess the name of the herbs in the picture and write down their traits in this notebook. Sensei said we can look at the books on that shelf, so we can look up things we don't know. And we have to remember them one by one."
Vernoux continued while pointing at the book and notebook. That notebook is probably something he brought with him. I should have prepared one too, she thought, but nothing could be done about it now. I have to make sure not to forget one the next time.
(Oh yeah, I can use Lara's pencil here if it's completed to a certain extent. It's easier to carry around than a pen and Vernoux-sama also seemed interested in it.
I really want to show it to him... No, I want to show him the complete product. I forget about it if I don't think about it, but he is the heir to the Flantheim House. If he likes it and uses it in a public place, then I can probably get good advertisement.
(Of course, it was made for the village children to use while studying, but I can also get more funding if it sells. Luckily, the Pameradia fief has a lot of timber, and I can make it a new speciality-... I wonder if this is just wishful thinking.)
But in any case, making money is a good thing.
I don't have the confidence to make plastic erasers right away, but I can make bread erasers. If I can, I want to sell that together with the pencil.
(Well, leaving that aside for now... It's more important to distinguish the difference between similar flowers right now. There was also a lot of news in Japan about accidents happening because of similar herbs, huh.)
I remember seeing news on accidents such as people mistaking Chinese chives and daffodils or mistaking poisonous mushrooms for edible ones.
(It can also be life-threatening. I have to remember how to tell them apart.)
Cordelia thought that and checked the book that she was given. The hand that she used to open the cover was a little stiff from tension.
There was no introduction in the book that she had been given and it was filled with content about plants from the beginning. The left page had the herb drawn from many angles and the left page contained the herb's name, traits, cultivation conditions and usage.
(Not a lot of books in the library at home had cultivation methods in them, and the pictures didn't have as many angles like this.)
The amount they could publish is probably different too.
The books in the library at the Pameradia House described a wide selection of herbs. They probably didn't include the habitat because the books included poisonous herbs. On the other hand, this book could be found in the vicinity of the Royal Capital, or even on main roads, and contained a careful selection of herbs that were easy to grow. They could probably provide more details if they didn't publish many copies. This was perhaps the best book for Cordelia if the Green Witch assumed that she was interested in universal herbs.
(But, there's too much information here for an introduction to these herbs. Especially the companion plants. It's extensive.)
Companion plants are plants that provide a positive effect when grown with other crops, such as vegetables; ――― for example, plants that keep insects away.
A typical example is calendula1) in the Asteraceae family and marigold in the tagetes erecta2) family, which look very similar to each other. Marigolds were purely for admiration, so they can't be used as a substitute for calendula. But it was compatible with a lot of plants, and has effects such as keeping away insects, preventing plant diseases and helping in growth. In Cordelia's past life, she had planted it with corn before.
(However, this book doesn't have any entries on marigold; all the entries are about plants unique to this world.)
At the same time, she thought about absorbing new knowledge, she finally remembered about marigold and kept in mind to find marigold habitats in the future. She couldn't find where they grew when she had skimmed through the pages before. I probably can't get it around the Royal Capital's outskirts, which means it's also worth looking for.
Cordelia gained new knowledge and a goal, so she cheerfully moved onto the next page... and froze.
The usage of the herb on that page horrified her.
(Ummm, pickle legs of brown frogs with leil grass... eh, frogs?)
She thought she had read it wrong, but she saw the word 'brown frog' written on the description when she looked at it again.
She had heard that brown frogs were sold in the Edo period as something that could stop infants from throwing tantrums and crying at night.
Regardless of whether they had that effect or not, Cordelia wasn't very good with frogs. She didn't want to touch them if possible. So, she would have difficulty peeling the skin to use the meat.
At any rate, Cordelia didn't know if frogs were served as food in this kingdom. No, on reflection, there may be edible frogs here, similar to the American bullfrog... As someone who lived as a Japanese person, she had never eaten frogs before, so she was against it. To begin with, the frog in the book looked big enough to be found anywhere and wasn't the same size as an American bullfrog...
(Although, this doesn't mean that brown frogs are used for the same purpose here as they were in the Edo period. The effect of this leil grass might be used to cure some other diseases.)
I'm not good with frogs, but I have to touch them straight away. I might be able to achieve results with what I know. I'm motivated to touch them through willpower and spirit if they do give an immense effect.
Cordelia continued reading.
(After boiling the frog legs with salt, coat them with minced leil grass and eat it... so, you do eat it, after all. So, it helps settle children's stomachs? Amongst frogs, brown frogs had water magic, so it's easier to boost the effects of the leil grass...)
She had learnt what effects it gave, but she still didn't want to eat them. If it's only about water magic then I think it could be substituted with fish, but is there a reason why it has to be frogs? But nothing else was written about it. I'll remember to ask this later.
(But this is surely the end of the frog page...)
Cordelia pulled herself together and quickly turned the page. But the next page was also full of provocative things, which needed courage to carry out. Cicadas, bee larvae, grasshoppers... It wasn't like she couldn't eat them, rather, the culture of traditional food was something that must be held in high regard.
(I'm not used to such a high hurdle. Well, I will do my best if it's necessary...!)
If this is the introduction, then does that mean that the Witch usually makes medicine from plants and animals? But the bottles in the room all contain plants. I'm sure these entries are the exception.
The next page will have something different... Cordelia believed that as she flipped to a new page.
"Oh, water plants."
Cordelia couldn't help but speak out in relief as she relaxed. The section had finally changed. It seemed that this section was about water plants, which grew in freshwater, and plants which could be combined with those that grew around the Royal Capital.
(This is really interesting... Huh? It even has red algae which grow in freshwater?)
Most red algae grew in seawater, but she had heard before that some of them also grew in freshwater.
She had also come to the Witch's place because she wanted to know about water plants, but she had read too many shocking entries in this book, so she didn't think she would find them and was surprised. As she continued to turn the pages, the entries gradually went into red algae which grew in the sea. There was also an entry about seaweed from the gelidiaceae family which was used as fertiliser.
(I can't believe that I found it so soon...)
Cordelia was surprised as she read the entry.
(Myles-sama or Clifton-sama are both knowledgeable about the sea, so I can probably get it easily if I ask them.)
Cordelia remembered the boys she'd met through Vernoux, who were good at trading. She had only met them once or twice, but they did send letters to each other. They would probably make arrangements for it if she hinted that she wanted to buy some.
(But... if I can get my hands on freshwater red algae, then I also want to cultivate them in the Pameradia fief and export it out. Unfortunately, our fief doesn't face the ocean.)
But if I can get water plants for making oblaat, then I want to proceed with that, for the most part.
Oblaat will definitely come in handy in the future. The primary thing is to get Hans to take his medicine easily, but others can also use it to take medication, and it can even be used for candy.
(I don't know if I can do it or not. I only know bits of information on most seaweeds. I don't know if the water plants in this book could be used in the same way as plants from the gelidiacaea family.)
But I can try it if I'm curious about it. Fortunately, I have a lot of time, and I can fund it somehow if I am able to buy it... or so I would like to believe. And I can use it as fertiliser even if I can't use it as materials for oblaat.
(At any rate, I have to cram all this information about water plants into my head.)
And I'll immediately try to search for anything to do with seaweed when I get home.
Cordelia continued to read her book after that, and time quickly passed by.
"Shall we have tea soon?"
She lifted her face when she heard the Witch speak and heard cheerful singing coming from outside.
"Singing?"
"Oh, that? That choir tells people around here that it's time for snacks."
"It's not. That choir is honouring the saint."
"... You know, I was just acting stupid, ok?"
Cordelia stopped breathing in surprise when she heard Gille correcting Vernoux seriously.
Saint.
That word probably doesn't refer to the person that Cordelia feared. But she ended up being reminded of the game's heroine, Shelley.
(I thought of something awful.)
Even though it was her first time listening to the choir, she couldn't enjoy it because she remembered something terrible.
"What's wrong? Are you tired?"
"No, I'm not... Mm, have you two heard about the 『Dreamer girl』?"
Cordelia boldly asked what was on her mind. She'd talked to Hazel about it before, but she had never spoken to these two about it. They've probably heard about her because they go to town a lot, but I'm curious about their opinion of her.
Vernoux and Gille widened their eyes when Cordelia asked them that.
"The Dreamer?"
"Yes."
Vernoux said suspiciously, and Cordelia nodded. His reaction was as if he'd never heard of her before, but before long, something clicked.
"Oh. Come to think of it. Apparently, there's a child who's said to be the second coming of the saint. I don't believe in fortune telling, but people can believe what they want if it doesn't bring me any harm. It sounds like all she could do are weather fortunes."
"How about you Gille?"
"Well... I've never met her before, so I don't know. Well, I have heard about her, though?"
It looks like they're not that interested. Cordelia was especially relieved when it seemed like Vernoux wasn't really that interested in Shelley. Judging from his character, he probably wouldn't unconditionally become obsessed with the saint, but it was still great to hear it.
(Vernoux-sama was also one of the game's capture targets, but he also played the role of mediating between the Prince and the Heroine.)
We've known each other for so long, so I don't think he will suddenly change, but I wanted to get rid of the anxiety that was building up within me. I'm sorry for doubting you, but I wanted to hear it clearly no matter what.
"But this is unusual. I'm surprised that you're curious about this kind of rumour, Dilly."
"I heard about her from Hazel-sama the other day."
Vernoux choked when he heard Cordelia's reply. He probably didn't expect to hear her name.
"Are you okay?"
"Ye-yeah."
Gille, who had asked that while smiling wryly, seemed to know Hazel as well. Hazel's name seemed to have worked, and Vernoux didn't ask her any more questions.
"By the way, where's Ronnie...?"
"Ah, I'm here."
Ronnie answered from the counter at the end of the shop while Cordelia looked around for him. He was sitting on a chair with no back and leaning against the wall.
"... What're you doing?"
"I was talking to a lady guest before because everyone was studying. Apparently, I look like her grandson."
"Oh, is that so?"
"It was nice to hear about the sweets that the Onee-samas at work might like."
Before she knew it, Ronnie was tending to the shop. But he seemed to be having a good time, so it was worthwhile. That's great. I want to hear about the sweets the lady talked about, so I can buy some for Ronnie later as thanks for today.
Cordelia thought that, and the Witch came back with a wooden tray.
"I made some cocoa custard muffins today. Please eat it with this herbal tea."
The Witch said, as she quickly served everyone a muffin and herbal tea. The cocoa and custard were layered on top of each other, and the muffin was sweet and slightly bitter.
"It's my first time making this muffin. I heard from the market that kids like this kind of muffins better than the ones with fruits. How is it?"
"It's delicious, really. I feel like I can eat a few of them."
"Fufu, that's good."
The muffin was different from the sweets at home, but she felt the taste of home. It tastes nostalgic, it was that kind of taste.
(I could make some for Otou-sama if she teaches me how to make it...)
But she wasn't bold enough to ask someone to teach her something like this at their first meeting. She was already here to learn. She probably had to wait for more time to pass before asking the Witch to teach her the recipe.
"By the way, Dilly-chan, how's the book? Is there anything you don't understand?"
"Hmm... I was shocked. That... I've never thought of mixing frogs with herbs before."
She was surprised that the Witch had suddenly talked to her while she was focusing on the muffin, so she couldn't help but honestly admit what shocked her the most... She regretted it as soon as she'd said it. Why did I talk about the amphibian I wasn't good with while enjoying my muffin? But it was true that she had been shocked.
Cordelia put the muffin down and stared straight at the Witch who laughed.
"It doesn't have much to do with aromas, but this kind of thing is also interesting, right? But, I honestly thought you were going to skim through it... You're really diligent, aren't you?"
"E-err... I know that frogs are used for medicine because they have water magic... but can you not substitute them with fish?"
She felt embarrassed at being praised and tried to hide it by talking. The Witch continued to smile.
"It doesn't make much sense to combine leil grass with fish, but I think it's fine to use the grass on its own. However, frogs often eat the seeds of leil grass when they're tadpoles, so their magic power is compatible with leil grass. Do you not like frogs?"
It was difficult for her to say 'yes', but she couldn't deny it either, so she smiled wryly in response.
"How about the other entries?"
"Well, I was drawn to the waterside plants... especially those that grow in the water."
"I have other books on water plants too. I'll lend it to you later."
"Thank you."
"Now, it's time for Gille-kun and Vernoux-kun's questions."
When the Witch said that, the door opened vigorously and the bell on the door rang.
"Witch-sense-!"
The person who had appeared with those words was a little boy. He looked younger than 10-years-old and seemed very energetic.
The Witch stood up when she saw the child, "Oh, you're here Mick," and immediately moved towards the boy.
"Weren't you supposed to run your errands tomorrow?"
"Yes, but I promised to play with friends tomorrow, so I came today!"
"I see. Then, wait a minute. I have the medicine, so I'll just get a paper bag for them."
This boy was a customer.
The Witch walked away from the boy and went to the back of the shop.
The boy looked around the shop and then finally observed Cordelia, Gille and Vernoux.
"What're you guys doing?"
The boy was smaller than Cordelia, Gille and Vernoux, and he didn't seem shy of strangers. On the contrary, Cordelia was surprised that he had spoken to them.
But the boy took advantage of this little opening.
"Go~t it!"
"?"
The boy suddenly appeared near Cordelia when she thought he was going to run, and he had a muffin in his hand. She looked down at her empty plate, and when she looked back at the boy, he had already gobbled it down.
(M-my muffin...!)
Cordelia resisted the urge to yell that.
No, I can't yell. It's childish.
Well, I'm certainly a 13-year-old child, but I'm not childish enough to yell at a boy who's obviously younger than me. But her face twitched because she wanted to savour her muffin, but it was snatched.
But, bear with it, put up with it. I must put up with it. Ladies shouldn't have short tempers. It's not a waste. ――― She persuaded herself, and the boy continued to provoke her.
"It's your fault for spacing out."
"Wh-?"
"You should have put it into your stomach if you didn't want it to be taken."
He isn't sorry at all. I shouldn't get angry because of small things, but I can't stay quiet if he's trying to pick a fight with me. There is something called civility in the world. I won't yell at him, but I do want to say something.
When Cordelia tried to speak, "You-," the Witch came back with a paper bag.
"Sorry for the wait."
The Witch continued to smile like she had when she went to the back and immediately walked until she was in front of Mick. Cordelia missed her chance to talk and followed the Witch with her eyes.
The Witch stopped in front of Mick and was about to hand over the paper bag to him, ――― but then she tilted her head.
"Oh my, Mick. Who did you get the muffin from?"
"I, I didn't eat any."
His voice obviously sounded shrill and nervous and indicated that he'd done something wrong. What? You did do something wrong, ――― when Cordelia thought that, the Witch continued to question the boy.
"That's strange. You have crumbs around your mouth."
Mick quickly wiped his mouth when the Witch pointed this out, and she smiled wryly.
"Well then, you won't get any sweets next time because you lied."
"Eh...?"
"Then, I'll ask you once more, okay? Who did you get the muffin from?"
The Witch spoke gently, but it was clear that she was scolding him. Mick seemed like a thoughtless person, but he also knew that she was scolding him.
"I'm sorry."
Mick had reluctantly squeezed those words out. Still, Cordelia thought that he was amazing for actually saying those words properly, but the Witch pointed out a problem with his apology.
"Mick, you're not supposed to say that to me, right? That's something you should say to the person who you stole the muffin from."
Cordelia had forgotten about it since the Witch and Mick were talking, but the person who Mick had stolen the muffin from was certainly her.
"... Sorry."
Mick turned towards Cordelia and quickly said while averting his eyes.
"Be mindful next time, okay?"
Cordelia couldn't say anything other than that. Of course, she thought it was a pity that the muffin had been stolen. But she didn't want anything else since he reflected on his actions.
The Witch saw how Cordelia acted, passed the paper bag to Mick and then rubbed his head.
"Be careful on your way home."
Mick hid his face with the paper bag and dashed away. The door closed with the same momentum after Mick had swung it open and flew out. The bell made a loud noise but quickly went silent.
"Sorry for dampening the mood. He's also a good boy."
The Witch slowly turned around and returned to where Cordelia, Gille and Vernoux was. She looked apologetic.
"It's okay, I don't mind."
"Really? Then that's good..."
It was difficult for Cordelia to continue the conversation. Mick was a little too naughty for her to say, 'he's very energetic'. The Witch probably understood that she was careful with her words. It seemed like her subtle thoughts were being conveyed to the Witch.
"He's not good at being honest. He really just wanted to talk to you."
The Witch said as she gave Cordelia an untouched muffin, "Here, have this."
"He can communicate well with flowers and herbs and is really good at taking care of them."
"Really?"
"Yes. He lives in Oulu Village. You need a carriage to get there."
Even Cordelia knew about Oulu Village. She had never stopped there before, but she had passed it a few times whenever she went out riding.
Oulu village was a little far from the main highway, so not a lot of people went there. Even so, there were coaches going between the Royal Capital and Oulu Village at fixed intervals, and Cordelia only ever felt like she was passing a peaceful place.
"Oulu Village... Is he perhaps from the poorhouse?"
Gille, like Cordelia, was also thinking about Oulu Village.
Poorhouse?
In contrast to Cordelia, who was tilting her head in confusion, Gille looked straight at the Witch.
"Oh, do you know about Oulu Village's poorhouse Gille-kun?"
"I do. They sometimes sell good produce and processed products in the Royal Capital market. The vegetables are delicious, and so are the pickles."
"You must be a customer since you know so much about it. I also go to help them sometimes. I practised making this muffin because I wanted to treat them."
The Witch stood up while saying so and took a bottle out from the cupboard.
"These are the pickles you were talking about Gille-kun?"
"Yes."
"You can take this home with you if you'd like. I'll give you this if you eat it."
"Mm, err... is that alright?"
He probably didn't want to coax her. Gille looked at the Witch as he spoke in a hesitant tone, but the Witch kept on smiling.
"Thank you."
"Buy some more after you've eaten them all, okay?"
"I will."
Gille nodded and smiled.
"I'll show you around if you're interested in Oulu Village. How about we make some muffins and take it with us when we go?"
The Witch said as she looked at everyone and not just Gille, but she was also joking about it. However, Cordelia heard those words and replied without hesitation.
"Please and thank you."
The Witch widened her eyes in surprise.
"It's a bit far from the Royal Capital, is that alright?"
"I'll ask Otou-sama."
"Really...? Then, we'll go if he's alright with it."