kscans

Chapter 229 - # The Spring Grand Market ~A Ladies First First Day~ 5. Cutlery (Part 1)

For a moment, Yuri thought his shopping for tableware was over, though it felt a bit like running through a minefield, he had managed to make his purchases without incident. As Dona had been the one to choose, even though Yuri was the one who actually bought them, it was fortunate that she also seemed satisfied. However, his calculation proved to be too optimistic when he heard Dona's next line.

"Now for knives and spoons and things."

She seemed to have realized the fact that by choosing Yuri's furniture for him, she could enjoy shopping without hurting her own wallet. At the very least, if they were items for guests, there was a possibility that she herself could enjoy them. Fray and Eto, who seemed to have realized this, both gave him looks that said, "Our condolences." Old Man Audel seemed to try to admonish his granddaughter, but Yuri stopped him with a look. For Yuri, there was the current situation of being at a loss as to how to spend the various unearned income that came in through Adon. There was no reason to be reluctant to buy a set or two of tableware for a child, Dona. This was the feeling of the forty-nine-year-old Yuri, which included a slight sense of resignation.

Thus, a scene was created where an elated girl pulled along four glum men who trudged behind her.

.........

"There really aren't any reasonably priced ones, are there..."

Dona was looking around the shops with a difficult expression on her face, but the four men behind her were thinking, "Of course not." After all, what Dona was looking for was a set of cutlery. Knives, spoons, and forks were used in this country, but unless one was wealthy, they didn't use matching sets. Spoons made of pottery or wood were widely used, since a spoon could be made from a scrap of wood, wood was relatively common, but knives and forks were not as widespread. For the most part, meat that needed to be cut up by each person was not something that often appeared on the commoner's dining table. When meat was served, it was usually cut up in the kitchen beforehand, and if necessary, one could just bite into it and tear it off. A wooden skewer was more than sufficient for a fork.

If one were to look for a set of cutlery in such a place, it was inevitable that it would be expensive. The moment a knife was involved, wood and pottery were out of the question. Yuri might have been able to make them with his magic stone tools, but he had no intention of doing something so troublesome. That inevitably meant it had to be a metal product, but those were usually silver products aimed at celebrities and were quite pricey. Dona seemed to be thinking of more reasonably priced copper products, but there were no affordable ones available.

"Well, I understand what the young lady is saying, but copper is in demand for other things, you see."

Unlike silver, which had few uses other than for decorative items, copper was used for a variety of purposes, so it was ironically used less for tableware, that was the shopkeeper's explanation. It seemed it was sometimes used for pots and pans because of its good heat conductivity, but it wasn't used for cutlery all that often.

Incidentally, Yuri mostly used wooden chopsticks at home. He often drank soup and other things straight from the bowl, but since he had bought a spoon last year, he had started using that more often. He cut meat with his magic stone tool knife during cooking, and he didn't own anything as fancy as a table knife. The point was that he wanted to get a set of cutlery for guests, but at present, there were no affordable sets to be found. In that case, was making it himself the only option? Yuri pondered, but...

(...I'm used to making magic stone tools... but it's a pain to make a non-essential set... and if it's a set, I'd have to match the designs and everything...)

As Yuri was thinking about what to do, the idea of magic bone tools sparked in his mind. With those, the materials were a bit questionable, but the labor wouldn't be that much. This might work, Yuri thought, but...

(Ah... no good. ...Magic bone tools activate magic when you channel magic power into them, right...)

He had never heard of Dona or Old Man Audel using magic, but he had heard from Faren that there were people who had magic power even if they couldn't use magic. In that case, if they accidentally put too much force into it, it could lead to a disaster like the magic going wild.

(...If I channel the magic power skillfully, the sharpness should be good, but...)

Having a Fire Blade or an Ice Blade manifest on his plate every time he ate still seemed like it would be bad for his heart.

As Yuri was thinking such useless, and for that matter, worthless, thoughts, he heard the shopkeeper's voice.

"How about this one then? I'll give you a good price on it."

It was the voice of the shopkeeper.