Volume 8 Chapter 6 Bamboo Shoot King
Sitting in front of the campfire, I sipped the hot cocoa Ms. Octavia gave me as a participation prize for digging up bamboo shoots, and my wet body started to warm up.
My soaked clothes felt a bit chilly, but thanks to the fire, they were slowly drying out.
Normally, I use the Flame Magic Stone stove, so I don't get to see real flames that often.
Ms. Famine and Nel-Nel were curled up on the bench, looking sleepy.
"If you'd like, we can peel and boil the bamboo shoots here. It takes quite a while for them to cook, and we need some rice bran to remove the bitterness. I've got it all ready. You two will probably need a bit more time for your clothes to dry, right?"
"Is that okay? That would really help."
"Sure. I'll get the pot and water ready, so you can start peeling. Just pile the skins over there. I'll take them back to the bamboo grove to use as fertilizer."
"Okay!"
I decided to take Ms. Octavia up on her offer.
Bamboo shoots are delicious, but they do require a bit of work to prepare.
Peeling them creates a lot of dust, and disposing of that dust can be quite a hassle.
If I had a garden behind my house, it wouldn't be so bad, but unfortunately, I don't have one.
Lobelia's backyard is untouched, overgrown with weeds.
I know I should do something about that, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
"Sir Roxas, let's peel the bamboo shoots while we dry our clothes. I was thinking of boiling them before we head back, is that okay with you?"
"I don't have any urgent plans. I'll stick around until the end."
"Thank you! Sir Roxas, remember to peel the bamboo shoots and put the peeled ones in the pot."
Ms. Octavia placed a really big pot in front of us. "You can use this," she said, setting up a cutting board and knife on a makeshift table.
Sir Roxas and I took bamboo shoots one by one from a bag filled with them.
"Wow, look at this, Sir Roxas. It's so big and impressive, the bamboo shoot. It looks delicious!"
"Y-yeah..."
"Sir Roxas?"
"Stop hugging the bamboo shoot. You'll get dirt on your clothes."
"It's too late for that, Sir Roxas. My clothes are already soaked and muddy. Nel-Nel is all dirty too, but we'll clean up in the bath, so it's fine."
"That's not the point."
"I just said it's no good because you'll get dirt on it..."
I don't really get it, Sir Roxas.
While hugging the bamboo shoot, it seemed like Eir-Eir, who was stuck between my chest, let out a little annoyed sound, "pudding."
"Sir Roxas, to peel the bamboo shoot, you have to put your finger in here, at the top, around this split? and pull it down. See? Look, right?"
"Got it, Lydia, got it. Why are you so..."
"Roxas, Lydia is seriously talking about bamboo shoots. Calm down."
"I'm sorry, Dad. No, but you should also be careful."
"Careful? About what? Are you telling me not to peel the bamboo shoot?"
"Is that not allowed, Sir Roxas...? If we don't peel it, the bamboo shoot won't cook... Ah, just peel the hard skin, and it's okay to leave the soft inner skin. Peeling it also helps get rid of the dirt, so let's give it a try, Sir Roxas."
"Ah, okay."
Sir Roxas and I busily peeled the bamboo shoots.
I thought peeling bamboo shoots wasn't that hard, but the ones Sir Roxas peeled ended up uneven, with some parts over-peeled and others still covered in skin.
At one point, seeing how clumsy Sir Roxas was, the folks from the commercial guild came to help us out.
After peeling them to a decent level, we lightly washed the bamboo shoots in a bucket and put them into a big pot.
The large pot quickly filled up. Then Ms. Octavia added some rice bran and chili.
"Why are you adding that powdery stuff?"
"Doesn't Duke know? Bamboo shoots have a strong bitterness. If you don't add rice bran while cooking, they'll be too bitter to eat. They say freshly picked ones have less bitterness, but it's still better to remove it."
"Bitterness..."
"Taking care of bamboo shoots is quite a hassle, you know. But they're delicious."
"Why did I even think to eat something like this?"
"Who knows... If you say that, then sea urchin, crab, and octopus are the same, right?"
The people from the commercial union are putting a big pot over the campfire.
While waiting for the pot to boil, Sir Roxas and I washed our hands at the water source and lightly wiped our dirty clothes with a towel.
Speaking of which, Sir Roxas doesn't have his glasses.
As I scrubbed Nel-Nel with a wet towel, I looked up at Sir Roxas.
Without his glasses, Sir Roxas looks a lot like Sir Rail. Well, they are twins, so that makes sense.
With his sharp golden eyes and silver hair, he looks a bit scary without his glasses, probably because of his intense gaze.
But honestly, I think he's a bit clumsy and cute, getting down about things or getting lost in the mountains.
I totally understand why the people from the commercial union want to take care of him.
It's like──well, he feels like a younger brother to me, even though he's older.
"Sir Roxas, you look weird without your glasses."
"I feel a bit uneasy too. They're just glass, though."
"Can you see better without your glasses?"
When I peered into Sir Roxas's golden eyes, he quickly looked away, flustered.
He often avoids my gaze, but I wonder why.
It doesn't seem like he dislikes me or anything.
"Not much has changed... Um, Lydia, I'm sorry about today. It was my fault you fell into the river."
"It's not your fault, Sir Roxas. Besides, you ended up under me, and my chest was as hard as a rock, so you hit your nose and got a nosebleed. I should be the one saying sorry... and your glasses got washed away too."
I touched my chest. It's not that hard.
I was told by Sir Roxas to "stop," so I did. It wasn't that serious, but still, when someone in charge comes down on you, it stings, you know? There's bone under my chest after all.
Ms. Octavia and the folks from the commercial guild, who were listening to our conversation, were laughing while holding their stomachs.
Was it that funny? I guess so. Falling into the river while digging for bamboo shoots and losing my glasses doesn't happen every day, right?
The bamboo shoot pot was bubbling away.
Bubble, bubble.
"Ah. Sir Roxas, if you could take some time from the bamboo shoots, they would cook faster..."
"That's fine, but how long will it take?"
"Since there's a lot, maybe around 3 hours?"
"Ah, got it."
Sir Roxas nodded, looking a bit excited as if he was happy to be helpful, and held his hand over the bamboo shoot pot.
"Soul Stealing (Dakkon)."
He whispered the words softly. Suddenly, the bamboo shoots in the pot went limp.
Limp and soft. They shrank a little overall.
"What did you do?"
"Sir Roxas can use magic to steal time. The octopus will get soft quickly too."
"That's amazing!"
The people from the commercial guild started buzzing with excitement.
Then, in the blink of an eye, pots of bamboo shoots that needed to be cooked quickly were brought in front of Sir Roxas.
While saying, "It can't be helped," he stole some time from the bamboo shoots. He didn't seem to mind at all. And it was good to see him looking lively.
Sir Roxas became known as the "Bamboo Shoot King" among the commercial guild members.
Bamboo Shoot King, Sir Roxas.
I should tell Sir Rail. He'll surely be happy.
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