The Young Lady's Daily Life

Translated by: ME

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

WELCOME TO CHAPTER 4! No more babygo!!!

*****

Time flies by in the blink of an eye.

The fresh greenery of lush trees and the lakes of blue and azure shimmered in the faint sunlight. The season of spring had arrived.

The manufacturing and sales business for sauerkraut and paprika pickles, started to help those in poverty and patients suffering from "Voyage Disease," had somehow reached its one-year anniversary. Along the way, its name changed from a "workshop" to a "trading company."

...Because the business grew to a scale far larger than the adults had anticipated, the head of the Merchant Guild advised that it would be better to establish a formal trading company to prevent unnecessary interference. Thus, the company was born.

As a side project, they decided to carry out land readjustment in the slums—which had issues regarding aesthetics, hygiene, and safety—to build public (or should they be called "territorial"?) housing, shops, and workshops.

With the cooperation of everyone from knights to apprentice craftsmen and even former master builders who were supposed to be retired, the new district was being built at a rapid pace. It was expected to be fully completed by next winter, at which point all the workshops currently borrowing space in the church and the fortress would move there.

Located a few blocks off the main street, the site was neither particularly good nor bad for doing business. It was originally a slum, but thinking it would help improve the area's image, they built several storefronts intended for young people or those looking to save on start-up capital. No one knew if tenants would appear immediately, but everyone hoped the area would be reborn as a new district.

By the way, regarding the name of the district: Magnolia’s preferred choice of "Old Slums" (tentative) was rejected because it wouldn't sit well with people from outside the territory. They settled on "New Town," which was, in a sense, very easy to understand.

Ridiculous names like "Magnolia District" or "Sauerkraut Town" had also been suggested, so Magnolia felt that as long as those weren't chosen, "New Town" was a massive victory.

---

And so, while there were still many things that required constant attention as they navigated the business by trial and error, the members of the trading company were quite composed now that they were in their second season.

Magnolia had taken what appeared to be a reckless business move by including the basic recipe for the products along with the items themselves, but this ironically became the deciding factor that won the absolute trust of many sailors.

"Azenda’s Sauerkraut" received overwhelming support and sold explosively.

At a certain fortress, the sight of people frantically kneading cabbage and the mountain of cabbage that never seemed to shrink was so overwhelming that kind-hearted knights, unable to just stand by, spent their breaks kneading cabbage together. That was how well it sold.

The paprika pickles, which were expected to have the same effect, also sold. They sold like crazy. Because of the difference in texture between "roasted" and "raw," many people bought them to try both; having witnessed the effectiveness of sauerkraut, they sold well under the reputation of being "just as good, if not better."

Having finally understood how to handle the disease, Magnolia expected sales to drop this spring, but surprisingly, there was no significant decline.

(I'm glad I didn't suddenly cut back on cabbage production,) she thought.

As they transitioned into operating as a proper trading company, Magnolia thought about introducing the next product, but she was told to stop before she increased the workload any further.

...The road ahead was long. It was probably better to focus on running the company without overextending themselves. She decided to quietly tuck the recipes away, saving the next creations for the future.

---

「Magnolia-sama, it seems the western region wishes to confirm something regarding fish... A message has arrived saying they urgently require your wisdom.」

While Magnolia was taking a music lesson from her grandfather, Servas—the lord of this land—alongside Dean, the capable butler Sebastian arrived to deliver the message.

Claude was currently away on a business trip to the royal capital.

Because they were the house of a Margrave, emergency territorial matters took priority over private time. Familiar with the routine, Dean and Servas nodded and began tidying up.

(I wonder what they want to confirm about fish?)

She couldn't shake the feeling that she was misunderstood as someone who knew everything despite being a toddler... but she had absolutely zero knowledge regarding the fishing industry.

Yes, truth be told, Magnolia was a reincarnator. Her outward appearance was currently that of a five-year-old girl, but inside, she was a thirty-three-year-old adult woman.

When she woke up one morning at the age of three, it was as if she had been reincarnated—or rather, as if things that could be called "memories of Japan" had resurfaced. She could only remember mundane personal data: that she was a Japanese woman and thirty-three years old. Consequently, she didn't remember what she used to be called or what kind of work she did. She only had vague fragments of her daily life and the knowledge she had studied.

Now, one might think that if she was thirty-three at age three, she would be thirty-five now.

However, her physical age was so small that she didn't feel like she was growing at all. Granted, there had been some ups and downs, but they weren't the kind of events that would make her mental age mature further. Even now, if asked how old she was, her internal feeling was still to answer, 「I'm thirty-three.」

Well, she dealt with daily problem-solving by tracing those memories and knowledge from Japan. But even then, she didn't have any particularly special expertise or technology... it was strictly within the realm of knowledge a normal human being would possess.

---

In no time at all, she was whisked away to change her clothes and headed to the office accompanied by her maid, Lily, and her footman, Dean.

「Excuse me.」
「Ah, come in.」

She heard the voice of Servas, which was deep and intimidating but spoke with a gentle tone. Upon entering the office, she saw a messenger knight and Servas seated, with Gai—the scout-slash-assassin who was currently Magnolia’s guard—standing behind Servas.

「It has been a long time, My Lady.」
「It has bee... today too?」

The man sitting there was a knight from the headquarters who had previously served as her temporary guard. Because he happened to guard Magnolia once, he was a pitiable knight who had ended up traveling back and forth between the western region and the capital (and the lord’s manor) numerous times.

「I happened to arrive with a message from headquarters to the western region... and I happened to be asked to deliver a message from the western region as well...」
「I see...」

As always, his luck was either very good or very bad. As she thought this, Servas summarized the contents of the message he had likely just read for Magnolia.

「Driven by a large fish... a massive amount of fish has washed up on shore. At this rate, they will rot and give off a foul stench. They are asking if it is fine to incinerate them, or if they can be put to effective use.」

In the past, they likely would have incinerated them without checking. But since Servas had started a business for retired knights who had fallen into poverty by using the bone-based fertilizer Magnolia had suggested, he was likely checking just in case.

「Are you certain it isn't poison or a disease? ...Could you send a crow to ask them to test whatever reagents they can, check if the color of the sea has changed, and, if possible, tell them to store the washed-up fish as quickly as possible?」
「Understood,」 Gai replied.

Gai left his spot to go release a messenger crow.

「Are you going?」
「Yes. If things seem fine, I will go make preserved food.」
「I shall go as well.」

Servas stood up with vigor. At the same time, he spoke to the knight waiting for instructions.

「You, go report to headquarters that the message has been delivered and explain the situation.」
「Understood. I shall take my leave.」

The knight offered a salute and hurriedly left the room.

(Thank goodness. He didn't have to do another round trip today!)
Magnolia felt relieved as she watched the back of the knight who tended to draw the short straw.

---

The Sea of Kruis after a long time.
A significant number of fish had washed up on the shore.

「Thank you for coming.」
A knight at the station offered a salute to Servas, looking quite surprised.

...The horse she had ridden with Servas was terrifyingly fast. It was so fast that the carriage was likely still in the middle of the road. Lily and Dean should be following behind.

「The reagent results were all negative. There is no discoloration of the seawater. Several people reported seeing large silhouettes of fish a few hours ago.」

On the beach, residents were picking through the fish. Spring was still early and it was overcast, so fortunately, it didn't look like they would spoil quickly.

(Are these... small tuna?)

It seemed the large fish that were difficult to butcher had been left behind, as the residents were now sparse.

「Then, please transport the fish.」

...She wanted to try eating the fatty toro part as sashimi later, so she had to cook them quickly while they were still fresh. In the crowd, she spotted Paul.

「Paul! I'm sorry, but please tell someone to deliver oil, garlic, chili peppers, bay leaves, and several types of herbs to the fortress.」
「Understood!」

—Wherever there is trouble, Magnolia is there.

Paul, who had come to see if something strange had happened to the town, had found Magnolia. Paul was a former sailor who had contracted Voyage Disease about two years ago. At that time, he was saved by Magnolia's dietary therapy and subsequently chose to involve himself in the sauerkraut business. Now, he was the representative of the sales department for the Azenda Trading Company, running a shop in the town of Kruis and selling sauerkraut and paprika pickles.

It was about three months ago that they had moved from a beach-shack-like shop to a vacant storefront in the middle of town when they became a formal trading company.

At any rate, having been asked by the "hidden boss toddler" the moment they met, Paul hurried off toward the shops. Servas asked Magnolia, who was sitting in her usual spot on his left shoulder.

「What are you going to make?」
「...I thought I'd make tuna dish.」
「Tuna?」

She nodded with a bright smile.

---

During her time in Japan, Magnolia was someone who could cook reasonably well. Having lived alone for quite some time, her skills were within a range anyone could manage.

However, they weren't "fashionable menus" or "lovely recipes." If anything, they were closer to "manly cooking" or "budget cooking"—haphazard, lazy dishes made using leftovers or whatever was lying around.

...This was a recreation of a dish she made when she bought a frozen tuna block on sale, let it thaw in the fridge, but then accidentally stayed late at work and missed the chance to eat it raw.

The dorm mother in the kitchen and the knights of the "Fisherman Squad" (sons of fishermen) began butchering the tuna with great haste. Just to be safe, she checked the smell and color, but there seemed to be no problems. She concluded that, as many witnesses had seen, they had simply been chased ashore by larger fish.

As soon as the tuna-like fillets and blocks were ready, Magnolia sprinkled them evenly with salt. After letting them sit and wiping away the excess moisture, she put them in a pot. She submerged them in oil filled with garlic, bay leaves, and herbs, and simmered them for about twenty minutes.

She wanted to add pepper too, but... since it was extremely expensive, she omitted it.

One could use vegetable soup instead of oil. If white wine was added there, it might instantly feel more sophisticated. Once finished, she let them cool and packed them into sterilized jars... They could be left as is, but for a longer shelf life, it was better to sterilize and vent them again. She placed the jars in a pot of hot water and boiled them thoroughly.

As she repeated the process, she explained it to the dorm mother, who was intensely curious this time as well. Thus, a massive amount of handmade tuna jars were completed.

「I think they'll last about two weeks if we keep them in the icehouse...」

She lamented the lack of tin cans. Canned tuna sold on Earth could be preserved for two years. However, Magnolia naturally lacked the knowledge to manufacture the machinery for making cans...

The many bones that were produced were transported to the fertilizer plant, and the commotion came to an end. Case closed.

---

Returning to the manor, she immediately took the bluefin tuna fatty belly, which had been stored in a cold-storage magic tool, and ate it dipped in *Misoyu*—a soy sauce substitute.

(Soooo goooood!!)

The moment it entered her mouth, it melted. The savory umami of the fish and the sweetness of the fat spread throughout her mouth... Hwahhh!

(Rice! I want to eat rice...! Tekka-don, nigiri sushi! Temaki!!)

Deep in her heart, she craved rice. Even though Europe had paella and used to boil rice to sprinkle on salads, why couldn't rice be found in this world? It was too tragic...

Having no other choice, she had the fish minced coarsely and combined with diced onions and avocado to make a tuna tartare, which was served on garlic toast. It was also perfect as a snack to go with Servas’s alcohol.

The tuna she brought back could be eaten as is, made into tuna mayo, or put into salads. It would have all sorts of uses. Even the oil, which now carried the flavor, could be used for cooking.

(I'm going to have a tuna mayo sandwich...)

Magnolia, whom her foster uncle Claude called a "glutton," moved her small mouth as she chewed, firmly deciding that she would have to make mayonnaise tomorrow.

*****

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