Study Magic in My Free Time - Chapter 10: Making Instant Noodles

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Translator: Mr. Steak

Proofreader: Yuranon

After making some small promises to the guild master, I left the charcoal guild.

As the fifth son of a noble family, no matter what the future would hold, I’d have to learn how to be independent.
With this white charcoal, I was able to save enough money for that purpose.

Except, that couldn’t be the only thing.
It’s a saying I’ve heard a lot, that if you only know how to use one weapon, then if that one thing stops being viable, you’re out of luck.
I wanted another weapon, another profitable commodity.

Also, it shouldn’t be a luxury item like that iron rose, but something closely tied to everyday living, like the white charcoal.

I thought about it while walking through town.
When I thought of essential items, the first thing to come to mind was salt.

“Gnome.”

I summoned the earth spirit.
Some passersby were a little startled, and gave dirty looks as if to say “What the hell is this kid doing in the middle of the road?”

Without paying them any mind, I asked the gnome a question.

“If I found some rock salt, for example, would you be able to separate the salt from its other components?”

The gnome nodded deeply.
I see, so it’s possible.

That’s really strong.

“Undine. Can you remove just the water from ocean water?”

I asked the undine I’d summoned next.

Basically, whether it was seawater or rock salt, as long as it had salt in it, I’d be able to amass large quantities just by summoning these spirits.

I really wanted to try it out…… Leaving aside seawater for a moment, I figured it’d be easy to test it on some rock salt in the forest.

That’s what I was thinking as I returned to the mansion.

On my way there, my stomach grumbled loudly.
Maybe I should pick up something to eat, I thought.
In my pocket was the cash I’d gotten for selling the white charcoal I’d brought into town with me.

I went into a nearby food cart and ordered one helping of noodles and broth.
This was only my impression from coming here several times in the past two months, but the people in this town really loved their noodles.
You didn’t have to walk far to find carts advertising noodles, and around lunchtime, there were lines all over the place.

That’s how much these people loved noodles.

“……This is it.”

☆

I went back to the mansion, then immediately rushed out to the woods.
Once I was in this forest which had entirely become my workshop, I took out the raw noodles I’d bought in town.

There was only one reason the carts in town were so popular.
Raw noodles don’t keep for very long.

It depends on the season, but in the worst cases, they can even go bad overnight.

That’s why you’d eat them at a shop.

In other words, if you had noodles that don’t go bad when you store them, they’d sell like crazy.

“But should they be preserved by freezing, or by drying?”

I thought to myself for a little bit, then decided to start with the one where failure would be obvious to see.

“Frozen Lake!”

I used the elementary ice spell Frozen Lake, and the noodles froze over.

The noodles froze with a crinkling sound…… However……
Within a minute, water droplets started appearing on the surface, and the ice melted.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

In hindsight, that one would obviously fail without even having to test it.

If you leave ice alone, it melts.
Even a three-year-old knows that.

Surely if you could keep them frozen, they’d stay fresh, but the ice melts too quickly.

There was still one more method.
Drying.

I took another bunch of noodles in my hand.

“Salamander, no, wait, Undine.”

I’d started to summon the fire spirit, but after a moment’s thought, decided Undine would be better.

I gave my orders to the low-grade water spirit.

“Just like seawater, can you remove just the water from these?”

I’d realized this was just like my idea for salt before.

The undine nodded and removed the water from the noodles I was holding.
Within an instant, the tender noodles became more elastic…… and then got very firm with a crinkling sound.

“Alright.”

Looking at the dried noodles, which had pretty much retained their color, I was satisfied.

“Just to make sure…… Salamander.”

This time I summoned the fire spirit.
Using a different bunch of noddles, I had it warm them at a low temperature so they wouldn’t burn.

This also removed the water, and took around the same time.
However, when I’d used fire, the dried noodles ended up looking slightly brown.

I made a fire.
With the pot I’d brought with me, I boiled both types of dried noodles.
When I did, the ones I made with the undine returned to normal, but the ones I’d made with the salamander still looked slightly brown.

I tried eating them to compare…… and even though the taste was the same, I couldn’t help thinking the salamander noodles were bad.

“I see…… When the color changes, it can convince you that the flavor’s different too.”

I immediately realized why.
Despite the brown color, there was absolutely no flavor, and that sense of disappointment made you think they’re bad.

But if I added flavor, then maybe……

“……!”

For a moment, something flashed through my mind.

“……That’s it!”

When I regathered my thoughts, I knew I was victorious.

☆

I took what I’d made back to the mansion, and into the kitchen.

“Young Master, wh, what do you require?”

There was one maid in the kitchen.
She ran up to me, flustered.

“Why are you so flustered?”
“I’m very sorry. I didn’t realize you had called for me, Young Master.”
“Huh? ……Oh, I didn’t call for you, I came here on my own.”
“Eh? Is that so……”

The maid was visibly relieved.
I see, so failing to act when called was something she thought she’d get in trouble for.
Surely, that was the same whether it was my father, my mother, or one of my older brothers.
When the family called for them, the servants would always come running immediately.

“More importantly, could I have some hot water?”
“Yes, give me one moment.”
“And a bowl, please.”
“Of course.”

The maid hurried to complete my request.

I put the brown dried noodles I’d made into the bowl, then added the hot water.

As I watched, the noodles became limp and returned to their normal shape.
Then, different from last time, the water changed color.

“What is that……?”
“Eat it and see.”
“Yes, at once…… Ah, that’s delicious…… Huh? This was merely hot water, yes?”
“It seems this was a success.”

This was the product of taking my experience with the salamander and evolving it with the undine.

With the salamander, the brown, flavorless noodles felt bad because of that sense of disappointment, which meant adding flavor would be ideal.

I’d soaked noodles in a thick soup base until they became brown, then had the undine remove all the water from it.

Then, when you pour hot water over them, the noodles would absorb all the water, and the soup base would come out.

That’s how I’d made my special dried noodles.

“These dried noodles…… They are made to be preserved, but they are so delicious nonetheless……? I cannot believe it.”
“You can make them super quick, so I named them instant noodles.”
“Young Master, you made these!?”

The maid was amazed beyond words.

Translator and Editor Notes:

Woo, instant noodles. Nice filler chapter.
snore

~Steak

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