Chapter : 9
This was the first time in his life he had ever seen something like this.
Millun took great pride in himself as a merchant. He had learned much while working alongside Basha, and when selling magical tools, he never made deals that resulted in a loss.
He had also traveled far and wide in search of materials, crossing paths with merchant guilds from many different countries. Because of that, he believed he had encountered every kind of trader imaginable.
And yet—
“Oh my, little miss! Would you like to take a bite of this? It’ll melt right in your mouth. Big sister made it herself, so go on and try it.”
“Waaah! Big sister, what is this? I’ve never had anything like it before! It’s sweet and cold and melts away!”
“Right? If you want more later, just show your mom and dad the postcard big sister gives you and tell them you want to go there.”
“Okaaay!”
Layla’s actions were… completely incomprehensible.
“Did it start when we left the restaurant yesterday?”
Sitting on the edge of the fountain in the central plaza in front of the temple, Millun watched Layla and recalled her strange behavior that had begun the day before.
* * *
The beginning, at least, had been rather ordinary.
After leaving the restaurant, Layla had gone straight to a grocery store.
There, she carefully examined several items before buying large quantities of milk, sugar, and salt.
She was delighted that she’d managed to get everything cheaper than expected. Then she stopped by a lumber shop.
There, she bought several wooden boards and some nails.
That was when things began to feel a bit strange.
‘Why would she need wooden boards just to prove her ability?’
Though puzzled, Millun didn’t ask her anything.
‘She said she’d prove it.’
So until then, he decided to pretend not to know even if he did, and not to be curious even if he was. To be honest, he was starting to find it interesting.
After all, Layla Token was the only person who had ever flustered him this much.
So he simply watched.
She returned to the café and diligently sawed and hammered the boards together, creating something. Then she gathered several bowls as well.
He thought that was the end of it—but then she started making multiple sheets of paper with the café’s location written on them, each stamped with Hugh’s paw print!
Up to that point, it was merely puzzling.
But his puzzlement turned into amazement the next morning.
Layla woke at dawn, gathered the boards she had loosely assembled the day before along with the ingredients, and headed for Noren.
Despite the early hour, quite a few people had already gathered in the plaza before the temple. Arriving there, Layla put on a sly smile and began to act.
“Mr. Millun, just sit there and watch.”
Telling him not to help, she skillfully assembled a stall. So that’s what she’d been making with the boards yesterday.
She placed a large basin on top and filled it with ice—somehow obtained from who knows where.
“Now, don’t be surprised and watch closely, okay?”
She sprinkled salt generously over the ice, then placed milk and sugar into a glass bowl and buried it in the ice. After that, she whisked it rapidly.
And then—
“W–Wow, Master! What is this? It’s so incredibly soft and cold!”
“This is called ice cream! It’s good, right?”
She had created something entirely unfamiliar.
Even to Millun, who had traveled extensively, it was something he had never seen before.
It wasn’t whipped cream, but it wasn’t meringue either. Nor was it sherbet, which only royalty could afford.
More than anything, making something cold enough to freeze without using magic was impossible in the mild climate of the Kingdom of Jennan.
And yet she had done it easily—almost effortlessly. There was no denying it: this was real ability.
This alone was more than enough to earn her a token. He was already curious about what she might create with magical tools.
‘She asked for two days, so I thought she was bluffing… but she was serious.’
No—two days had been excessive.
If she presented this to nobles or royalty right now, she could earn a fortune.
Millun watched her actions with great interest. He was just about to try a bite of the “ice cream” himself when—
“Hm, everything seems ready… shall we begin?”
She cleared her throat suddenly.
“Everyone, come and have a taste! This is Yonggari Café’s special menu that you can’t find anywhere else! It’s a free tasting, so don’t hesitate!
And we even have a cute hamster!”
She was shouting that she’d give away something so valuable for free?!
“…What on earth is that woman doing?”
Did she not know the value of what she’d made?
No. Judging by her confident expression, she clearly understood its worth. She was acting as though it were only natural for people to gather here.
Just as she expected, people of all ages crowded around the stall. While kindly serving them, Layla never missed a chance to promote Yonggari Café.
Frozen in place, Millun could only mutter to himself. It felt like he’d been hit hard on the back of the head.
“She really is… an impossible woman to measure.”
It was astonishing how thoroughly she defied every expectation. Even his first impression of her had been wrong.
Yes—she was truly unpredictable. And at the same time, she stirred his curiosity. Staying nearby promised to be quite entertaining.
Come to think of it, Hugh had said something like this before.
“Master is really amazing! She fixed the building in just one day using Mr. Millun’s artisan hammer!
Hugh guarantees it—Mr. Millun will like Master.
Definitely!”
That cheeky hamster… truly like owner, like pet.
It wounded his pride, but Hugh had been right.
Millun touched the corner of his mouth and burst out laughing.
His laughter was so loud that even Layla—buried among the crowd—could hear it.
* * *
“…Why is he laughing like that?”
Did he lose his mind or something?
Even while overwhelmed by the crowd, I glanced at Millun and muttered to myself. This wasn’t good… He was supposed to fall for me after seeing my abilities…
I shot him a sideways glance and stretched my lips into a thin line. But only for a moment. Soon, I scooped some ice cream onto a cracker and handed it to the waiting customer.
“Here you go! If you have time later, please stop by Yonggari Café. We’re opening soon! The location is written on the postcards here—feel free to take one if you’re interested!”
I delivered the line smoothly and smiled kindly. The person holding the ice cream nodded enthusiastically, took a postcard, and moved on.
Watching that, I smiled slyly to myself.
‘I knew this would work.’
“Free” works everywhere~!
Of course, strictly speaking, it wasn’t really free.
I gained an effective opportunity to promote Yonggari Café, and the people became interested in—and remembered—Yonggari Café…
In other words, it was a fair exchange.
This is something you commonly see in supermarkets. They run tasting booths to promote products and encourage purchases.
Even if you’re not interested, once you try something for free, curiosity naturally follows.
Then the sampling staff enthusiastically explains the product and pitches it to you.
‘And I’ve actually worked part-time at supermarket tasting booths before.’
I knew how to talk people into things!
I used to do it often during holiday seasons since the hourly pay was good. Honestly, there wasn’t a single part-time job I hadn’t done to make money.
One of those experiences helped me here.
Working as an assistant at a children’s science festival!
That’s where I learned how to make ice cream.
Something about sprinkling salt on ice, which causes it to melt while absorbing heat from the surroundings, making it cold enough to freeze things—something like that.
I’d explained it so many times back then that it stuck in my head. No one could have imagined I’d use it like this.
‘Getting the ingredients turned out to be easier than expected.’
The most important thing—ice—could be bought at a game shop. Everything else I gathered by running around and finding cheap deals.
I became completely broke—not a single coin left—but I didn’t regret it.
Like a machine, I kept serving people and promoting the café.
Then—
“Huh? You’re…”
I came face to face with someone who looked very familiar.
I blinked slowly at him, then widened my eyes and clapped my hands.
“Sir Walter! You’re Sir Walter, right? The very first customer to visit Yonggari Café!”
“Yes, that’s right. You remember me.”
“Of course! Didn’t I say so back then? That you were our very first customer.”
“Ah… yes, you did.”
“It’s nice to see you again!”
Reuniting with someone from a brief past encounter made me genuinely happy. I smiled brightly and held out some ice cream to him as well.
“Please try this too, Sir Walter.”
He stared at the ice cream for a moment—then suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Do you happen to have… coffee right now?”
His voice was filled with desperation.
