CH 86

Chapter 86 I Want To Refrain From Being Too Cold

I don’t want to stay in this extremely cold area wearing light clothes for a long time, so I put all my strength into controlling the metal golem, stuffed a large amount of snow into the barrel, and then returned to the meadow floor.

Well, I was panicked when the metal golem’s movement slowed slightly, thinking that it probably froze due to the extreme cold.

If I had done all the physical labor by myself in such cold weather, it would have taken too long and I would have gotten frostbite.

When I returned to the 25th floor, the smell of soup that stimulated my hunger and everyone’s happy voices reached me… and they naturally gave me a warm feeling.

「Onii-sama, how was the 26th floor?」

「Well… it was terribly cold. If you don’t wear proper winter clothes when you go there, you will freeze to death before you get through the ice area.」

The two children who were eating the delicious soup were startled when I gave them a slightly scary reply.

…… I’m sorry for being mean!

「There are a few adventurers who actually manage to endure it, so as long as you don’t let your guard down, you’ll be fine. If you do get frostbite, you can heal it with recovery magic and it won’t leave any aftereffects.」

In my previous world, I heard there was a case where someone had to cut off their fingers when they got frostbite, but in this world, we can do something about it with potions or recovery magic.

Or rather, if there’s nothing that can be done about it, people will be too scared to go on an adventure.

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While chatting, I start making gelato with Nina observing me.

First, after heating the white cow’s milk, add an appropriate amount of sugar and mix carefully to make sure there is no residue.

「If you’re not careful with the heat, the milk will taste bad, so be careful.」

「Yes, master ♪」

White Cow’s milk is richer than the milk I bought in Japan, so it’s easier to make because I don’t need to add fresh cream.

I don’t have vanilla essence, so I can’t use it this time, so… when I’m done mixing, I just move it to a bowl and cool it down.

After it cools down to a certain extent, move it to a jar, put the lid on, put it in the snow barrel with salt in it, and wait for it to freeze.

「It’ll take quite a while for it to harden, so I’ll have some food while waiting.」

「Yes!」

When I drank the soup that Nina had prepared, the flavor of the meat and vegetables filled my mouth.

The taste isn’t heavy and it leaves a delicious aftertaste, so I can’t stop my hand until my plate is empty.

「Phew, it warmed me up~. Nina’s cooking is delicious as always~」

It warms you from the inside out and gives you energy.

「Ehehe, my cooking skill is steadily improving, and I’ve been reading a lot of cooking books and studying ~. There’s still plenty of soup, steak, and bread, so please eat more!」

「Yeah. We won’t be able to take a good break on the 26th to 30th floors, so I’ll eat until I’m full. You guys also should eat until you’re full while you still can now.」

「「「Yes!」」」

In that cold weather, the food would freeze and we wouldn’t be able to eat well.

Even if we could, we wouldn’t be able to take a break in a place like that.

After filling up my stomach, I checked the inside of the snow barrel and found that it was frozen nicely, so I opened the jar, stirred the content, and froze it one last time.

I passed the time by checking the warm clothes and supplies to be distributed… and when the gelato was completed, I scooped it out with a spoon and distributed it to everyone.

「…!! This is delicious! It melts in my mouth and it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste….」

Nina was surprised, but she tasted it with a serious expression on her face.

Quall and Rosalta don’t have ice cream and such, so it seems she was quite surprised by the texture.

「Since Master could make it, it means that anyone can do it as long as they have the materials. If we let the maids make it and sell it in the royal capital, the profit margin will be… but if we overdo it, the large merchants will have their eyes on us….」

While eating, Ian is counting the money in his head while making a vulgar look on his face.

Still, anyone can make it since even I can make it, huh…?

He just casually said something rude, didn’t he…?

But well, he’s right.

「Ah……」

Esther, who was eating happily, made a sad expression when he eat up all the portion that was given to him.

「There’s still plenty left, so don’t make that face. Here, have some more.」

As the one who made it, I’m glad they think it’s delicious.

After the three calmed down… we made our preparations, drank a cup of soup to warm ourselves, and resumed our exploration.

As our hearts were beating with curiosity and anxiety, we slowly descended the stairs leading down.

When we reached the 26th floor, we were greeted by the same cold weather and blizzard.

「The materials from Snow Tigers and White Crocodiles are valuable, but it’s terribly cold, so we shouldn’t force ourselves to hunt them and just move… huh?」

When I looked back, everyone was shivering.

Putting Nina aside… I didn’t expect that this cold was tough even for Ian and Esther.

「Sorry. For the time being, I’ll give you instructions after putting Air Curtain.」

It’s not possible to prevent the cold, but even just blocking the wind should make a difference in the temperature.