The Kingdom's New Year's Celebration

"It won't be possible right away."

When I conveyed my request to Elza, that was the response I got.

The Earth Elemental Stone fragment was glowing faintly, shining in the backyard.

"There are proper procedures and rituals involved, so it can't be moved around like some ordinary rock."

"I see…"

She said it apologetically, but it was my fault for not asking beforehand.

Come to think of it, even the ducal house had prepared something like a small shrine for it.

"How long will it take?"

"About three days with the purification ritual and such."

The schedule didn't work out as I'd hoped, but it didn't seem like it would take that long.

We'd both just gotten back from work. I decided to think of it as a chance to catch our breath.

Alexia and Finn had already headed for the bath.

Azu was just coming out.

Subjugation jobs inevitably got you dirty with splattered blood and such.

I grabbed Azu, who'd cleaned up and finished maintaining her equipment and was looking bored, and headed outside.

Steam was rising from her whole body, which was amusing.

"Just me is enough?"

"We're just reporting to the Adventurer's Guild and buying some beans. You're plenty."

"Beans?"

Azu repeated with a blank expression.

First, we reported the completed quest to the Adventurer's Guild and collected our reward.

Thanks to Elza, recovery was free. With the materials included, we were well in the black.

There were several other quests available, but I passed on them this time.

I didn't want our manpower tied up right now.

"Azu, well done."

I noticed Azu kept glancing over at me, so I praised her and patted her head.

"It's all thanks to everyone."

She said that, but her expression was bashful and pleased.

I headed to the market with Azu in tow.

We had beans at the shop, but picking them out myself at the market would make for a better result.

I found a store with a rich selection and bought up the ingredients.

It was quite a purchase for five people, but it was nothing for Azu.

She was holding so much with both arms that her face was hidden, but she didn't seem to find it heavy at all.

"Leave it to me!"

She replied energetically.

"It's New Year's. You're making bean jelly?"

"Yes. I want to eat it while praying for another good year."

"That's wonderful. You bought a lot, so I'll throw this in as a bonus."

The market merchant added some dried mango as a bonus.

It was imported from far away, so I'd never eaten it fresh, but it was very sweet and would pair well.

"What's bean jelly?"

"Hm, you've never had it?"

That was surprising.

In the Kingdom, eating this on New Year's was standard everywhere.

People might have their likes and dislikes, but it was rare to have never eaten it.

Then I immediately recalled Azu's circumstances.

She'd been denied food to the point of nearly starving to death.

She'd probably never had anything to do with celebratory New Year's food.

Last time we rang in the new year, things were hectic and the season had passed, so I hadn't made it for her.

"Then look forward to it. It's probably a taste you'll like."

"Wah, I'm looking forward to it."

When we returned home, I washed my hands and stood in the kitchen.

Lately I'd been leaving it to Azu and the others, so it felt like it had been a while.

Azu stood beside me to help and put on an apron.

It had a cute chick illustration on it.

"First, roast these beans."

I handed her a large pot.

Azu nodded and placed the pot over the fire while pouring the beans we'd bought into it.

At first there was a satisfying crackling sound, but it gradually became quieter.

As they roasted slowly over low heat, a fragrant aroma spread through the air.

"My, what a lovely scent."

Alexia, fresh from the bath, poked her head in.

Perhaps because it was warm indoors, she was showing quite a bit of skin.

Her hair still wasn't dry, so Elza was vigorously rubbing it with a towel.

"Just wait."

"Bean jelly, huh. Now that you mention it, it is that time of year."

"Bean jelly? I've never heard of it."

"It's a Kingdom New Year's food, so that figures. Well, call me when it's done."

Finn said that and headed upstairs to the bedrooms.

Alexia, being from the Empire, watched us cook with interest.

The roasted beans would normally be coarsely crushed first, but that would take time.

So I skipped that and handed Azu a mortar.

She'd used it plenty when making candy, so there was no need to explain.

"Grind them to powder."

"Understood. Leave it to me."

Following my instructions, Azu put the beans into the mortar and ground them up.

This was hard work that would exhaust even a seasoned craftsman, but for Azu's strength it seemed effortless. The beans crumbled in no time, losing their original form.

The crunching sound of grinding gradually changed to a soft rustling like scooping sand, and the beans had transformed magnificently into powder.

It was quite a lot.

I wiped the sweat from Azu's brow with a handkerchief and handed her cold water.

"Thank you."

She slowly drained the cup.

The sigh she let out after drinking was oddly alluring.

I sifted the mortar full of bean powder to remove lumps and burnt bits and make the texture smoother.

"It's a yellow powder. Slightly sweet and interesting."

Since she seemed interested, I let her taste it.

You could eat it as-is, but that alone would be boring. Plus it was hard to eat.

I had Alexia prepare hot water in a bowl, then mixed in gelatin made from seaweed to dissolve it.

Then I slowly mixed in the powder we'd made, being careful not to let it clump.

Azu's eyes were serious as she cooked.

Once it dissolved completely, the water turned yellow with a slight thickness.

As time passed and it cooled, it solidified into something like jelly.

I had Azu cut this into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, I made a sweet syrup.

I grated in ginger since it was good for warding off illness.

"Elza, dishes."

"Coming."

I arranged the jelly Azu had cut in deep plates and placed fruit on top for color.

I added the dried mango too.

Then I drizzled syrup over it and added spoons, and it was complete.

Made generously with healthy beans, you could get vitamins you might be lacking.

The Kingdom's New Year's specialty, bean jelly, was finished.

It didn't keep long, so it was customary to make it at home, with each family having their own taste.

The texture was smooth and slippery, easy to eat even for elderly people with weak teeth.

I called Finn, and we all ate together.

"It's a comforting taste somehow."

"Yes, I feel like I could eat forever."

"You're going to get fat… This stuff is much heavier than it looks."

"I'll work it off."

"Hey now, don't get so fat your equipment doesn't fit anymore."

I'd made quite a lot, but the plates were cleaned completely.

"I want to eat this again."

Those were Azu's words, saying she wanted to spend another New Year's here.