The
Beginning of Winter and Cold Prevention 3
The back of the royal castle was surprisingly spacious. It
was unexpected that the grounds extended this far back. Beyond the backyard,
which had a well and a washing area, tall trees grew thickly. There seemed to
be many evergreens, so despite it being winter, many trees still had their
leaves, and perhaps because of that, the area was dim.
Passing through a small path that ran windingly through them
as if sewing them together, the sky suddenly opened up wide. Right before my
eyes was a medicinal herb garden with lush green leaves.
「Amazing! I didn't think it would be
this spacious.」
It was probably more than double the size of the Jilgista
Kingdom's. The medicinal herbs we use are not self-sufficient, but there
are many that we use frequently or grow for the sake of research.
「Are the necessary medicinal herbs
here?」
「Yes, because it is a popular
medicinal herb.」
The target medicinal herb was in a place recognizable at a
glance. I proceeded there while sometimes crouching down to observe the
medicinal herbs' growth status. It is a well-maintained medicinal herb garden.
「This is it.」
「This is?」
Beyond Ashren-sama's puzzled gaze was a medicinal
herb in a half- withered state. Its height was about up to my waist, and its
large, reddish-brown leaves were hanging down heavily.
「This is... a medicinal herb often
used for cold medicine, isn't it. Primarily, the flowers, and then the seeds
are used.」
The medicinal herb that blooms in summer and bears red fruit
in autumn will wither in one year. Therefore, it needs to be pulled out and
replanted with new seedlings in early spring.
「What we will use are the leaves and
stems. They can be broken easily by hand, so let's pick as much as we can carry
with the leaves still attached.」
When I placed both hands as close to the root as possible
and lightly twisted it, the stem easily broke off with a small snap.
Next to me, breaking them one after another, Ashren-sama also put his
hands on the stems.
On the way here from the knight order, my scarf, which he
had wrapped around himself again, looked like it was getting in the way of his
work a little.
「If the scarf is in the way, I will
hold it for you.」
「No, it's warm, and I would like to
borrow it if possible.」
He somehow seemed to like it. Even though it was a cheap
thing I randomly bought in the port town before coming here.
My arms were soon full of medicinal herbs. Holding them, we
returned down the path we came from and headed to the well in the backyard.
「Ashren-sama, I would like to borrow a rather large pot, but where
is the kitchen?」
「You're
doing it here, not in the laboratory?」
「Flora and the others are using the laboratory, and doing it
outdoors is more convenient for various reasons.」
Saying he understood, Ashren-sama took me to the
kitchen. There, we fully boiled water in a large pot fifty centimeters deep
that we borrowed, and then carried it to the backyard together with Ashren-sama.
「As for the reason we didn't do it in
the laboratory, I think you will understand soon.」
Having him place the pot directly on the ground, I tore the
leaves and stems of the medicinal herbs, which I had washed while the water was
boiling, by hand and put them in. Then, I boldly mixed it with a borrowed
ladle. As I stirred the ladle round and round, the hot water turned a copper
color. And, as that color deepened,
「Ugh, what is this pungent odor
piercing my nose.」
「This is the reason we did it
outdoors.」
The back of my nose tingled at the smell, which was like
alcohol boiled down even further. Before long, our eyes should start stinging
as well.
「Ashren, Layla, what are you doing in a place like this?」
「Director!」
Since when had she been there? The Director, holding
documents in both hands, was looking this way while pinching her nose from a
short distance away.
「I am making a cold prevention
medicine. Why are you here, Director?」
「The direction for the new medicine
came into sight, so I came to consult with Reizan for a bit. I heard you
say cold prevention medicine, but is that it?」
The Director came over while still pinching her nose
and peeked into the pot.
「Ah, it will hurt if the steam gets
into your eyes.」
At my words spoken in a fluster, the Director and Ashren-sama
simultaneously stepped back a few paces. I also moved upwind before beginning
to roughly mix it with the ladle once again.
「In the Jilgista Kingdom, this
medicinal herb grew wild everywhere. If you enter a forest just a bit, it grows
in clusters, its blown seeds grow freely in the corners of fields, and in the
countryside, you can see it all over if you walk along the ridges between rice
paddies. How is it in the Kanista Kingdom?」
「It is very similar in this country.
I hear that commoner children pick the flowers and fruits and take them to the
medicinal herb wholesaler to help supplement their livelihood.」
Since it's a neighboring country, that aspect doesn't change
much. Because the temperature is higher in the Kanista Kingdom, the time
when the flowers and fruits grow might be slightly different, but it's probably
only a margin of error of about a month.
「Alright, it is done.」
「It is already done?」
「You only boiled it, didn't you?」
The two of them widened their matching ice-blue eyes.
Looking at them like this, they really are mother and son; their expressions
look very alike.
「Yes, all that is left is to bottle
it and we are finished.」
「It really is easy. What about the
temperature when boiling, or the ratio of water to medicinal herbs? From the
looks of it, I think you were making it quite roughly.」
Ooh, as expected. He is observing closely. Yes, that is
exactly the good point of this medicine.
「It is a rough estimate. The ratio of
medicinal herbs to hot water is about one part medicinal herbs to five or six
parts hot water. As for the leaves and stems, please tear them to about half
the size of your pinky finger. Because we use the broth, if you make them too
fine, they will get mixed in when transferring it to a bottle.」
If it is too fine, you will have to go through the process
of removing the leaves and stems when transferring it to a bottle. There is no
particular fixation on the size, nor is there a need to make them uniform.
「Next is the boiling temperature, but
water that has boiled and cooled for two or three minutes is just right. If it
has cooled down too much, the components won't extract easily, so it is fine to
reheat it with the leaves already inside. However, please be careful, because
if you make it with boiling water, the scum will float to the top and it will
become useless. The boiling time is about ten minutes, and when this kind of
color appears, it is complete.」
「It is so rough that it is
unimaginable from your usual recipes, Layla.」
「Really, it is like a cooking recipe.
With this, anyone can make it easily.」
Yes, that is exactly it, Director. That is a good comparison. While a professional chef would measure the ingredients precisely, most home cooking made by a mother is done by eye. The reason it can be made with that same sense lies in its method of use.
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