Chapter 88: That time when I let the beastmen demonkin eat chocolates1

TL: kizen

PR: Filip/Gecko

By the time the man whose stomach was slashed by an axes stitches were taken out, the new flat-bottomed boat was completed. We had enough coffee at the moment so we took them to harvest the cacao.

After they were peeled and dried, the cacao was put into wooden boxes in order to ferment them.

I received a request from Sharlet-san, our stonemason for stones he will use to make the stone paving so my next task was to go to the quarry and mine some stones with my Diamond Cutter.

Give me heavier and slightly thicker ones

So he said but I honestly havent cut stone for pavement before so I just randomly cut thin square slices.

After continuing that cycle of doing work until evening or when I get tired from using up my mana for several days, this appeared.

Skill: Magic Amplification3 acquired.

This thing really only comes whenever I forget about it, huh?

The following day, it became much easier to cut stone so I was able to accumulate even more.

Where are these going to be used?

The church would take most of it but Ill also lay some of it on the commonly used paths. Im just the mason so the carpenters will be the ones telling me where I should lay them out

There are no interior designers here after all. I wonder if this is also part of the carpenters job?

Well, if its this thick, it would be fine even if a carriage passes though right?

Probably, yeah. I havent seen a slab as pretty as this so I dont know about a carriage but dust probably wont get kicked up now

Thats true. But wouldnt it get muddy if it rains too much? How about we spread some small pebbles around?

The carriages wheels would just probably get buried in that case

Ah

The wheels dont have that thick rubber that car tires have after all.

Just leave it to the experts if you dont know much about it

Sorry

Dont worry about it since everyone has things theyre good at. Just keep on helping everyone with that stupidly convenient magic of yours

Yes. Of course

Whenever youre involved, a job that normally takes a lot of time and effort is done in an instant so the efficiency is increased. Doing that a lot must have raised your mana. Thats probably why you became a Demon Lord huh?

You might be right. I was just working to make life somewhat easier and it just happened before I knew it

Isnt that the same as a swordsmans training then? But instead of waving around a sword, you just use your mana until you run out

Ah! Ahhhh

I nodded my head with my mouth half-open.

I sometimes cant tell if youre smart or dumb. Well, I guess its better that way

But its a good thing to make things easier though

Whew, thats true

Well then, are you done for the day?

Thats right. You were a great help

It was my pleasure

With the drying, fermenting, and roasting of the cacao done, it was time to grind them.

Cocoa powder seemed pretty fine from what I remember so with that in mind, I produced a millstone using magic. I made the gap in between as narrow as possible then proceeded to make the cocoa mass. However.

Uwa. It was already dried so why did it become this mushy? Whats happening?

When I tried touching it, it felt kinda oily.

Is this what they call cacao liquor? I havent seen it before so I dont know much about it.

Excuse me. Can someone bring me a fine cloth and a bucket please?

After I said that, a woman immediately brought me a cloth bag and bucket.

Uwah, whats that?

Ive been working with the cacao recently but it becomes kinda mushy when I grind it. It feels oily when I touch it so I thought that maybe using this would squeeze the oil out

So thats why you asked for fine cloth

Yes

While we were talking, I put the mushy cacao liquor into the cloth, twisted the opening, placed it on a plate, then put a stone on top to squeeze all the oil out. After that was done, only the cacao mass remained.

Wait, could this oil also be used to make chocolate? Maybe by adding some sugar and milk or something. Back then, I just mindlessly crushed the cacao, added some sugar and coconut oil to try out making chocolates but I wonder if this is actually how you make it.

Uwaa, making chocolate is pretty difficult huh? Cocoa powder is made from this thing that I squeezed out the oil from right? Is this worth it? Well, I guess it would be if we raise the price a bit.

Alright, lets proceed like this. If the coffee business keeps going, I should buy a cow.

But before that, Ill need to deal with squeezing this oil and making cocoa.

Come to think of it, there are a lot of oils on the island huh? Theres coconut oil, olive oil, and now theres cacao butter. Should we enter the toiletries and cosmetics industry? We could make detoxing products that you apply to the face or something before entering the hot spring. If thats the case then it might also be possible for us to enter the tourism industry.

In the meantime, Ill leave making the cocoa for another day and just focus on the chocolate. You just mix milk and sugar with the cacao mass then knead it right?

We dont have milk so lets just use water. I dont know if this will work but lets mix it all for now.

Crap, why is it not hardening? Its not working no matter how much I knead. Will chocolate not harden if left at room temperature?

I would usually just melt it in hot water, add fresh cream, then let it cool down in a container. After that, I just add the cocoa powder then the nama choco(ganache) is done.

Why didnt it solidify even though I squeezed out the oil to make the cocoa?

Hm?

The oil that I squeezed out solidified but the cacao mass didnt. Does that mean that it will if I put back this oil? To try it out, I took a bit of the hardened cocoa butter then fired up the stove to melt it. After that, I added it to the cacao mass then stirred it while waiting for it to cool down.

Oh, its starting to take shape. Next time when I am able to add milk, I should adjust the amount of cocoa butter I put in

I murmured that to myself when the children came in.

Waa, it smells so good~

Since the children who came to give me additional sugar found out about the chocolates existence, I let them try it out by letting them have a lick of the still runny chocolate.

Its really tasty!

Caam amazing~

Fufufu. Just because it contains sugar and oil doesnt mean that its bad. Calorie is justice after all! Just adding more oil would give it a richer taste and make it even more delicious. Just like ramen and curry.

Ah. This is poisonous to dogs, cats, and wolves so make sure you dont give any to Wulf, Tanya, and Sonya okay?

Does that mean Uncle Keith cant have any~?

Uncle? Hes not that old though. Still, I wonder.

Hmm, Im not sure. Should we get him to try it? No, I guess thats not good. It might still be poisonous even for Demonkin after all. Still, the toxicity is based on the amount consumed per kilo of body weight. Ah, he also drank coffee right? I wonder?

Caam-san is making a difficult face

Alright, lets call Keith

I opened the chocolate container, cooled it then cut it into bite-sized cubes.

Oi, Keith. Were pretty close right? I have a favor to ask

Whats with you all of a sudden?

This newly made treat is actually poisonous to dogs, cats, and wolves but Im not sure if theyre poisonous to their demonkin counterpart

Alright, so?

Try eating it

Are you an idiot? Why are you asking me to eat it if its poisonous?

I didnt want to lie so I just tried asking honestly.

To be honest the coffee youve been drinking is also poisonous to dogs and cats. But youre still fine after drinking it right?

Keiths mouth was opening and closing like a koi fish from shock as he pointed at me.

You What the hell?

Well, I just forgot

Dont forget something that might cause someone to die!

You didnt die though. Youve already had one today right?

I was kinda sleepy after all

Ah, if youre just getting stimulated and awake then its fine. Anyway, have a bite for the sake of the islands future

No! Go and ask the old men instead!

After saying that, he left.

Hmm, I guess it cant be helped. Ill go and ask the old menz then.2

Cat-eared old man3

I called out to the cat-eared old man who happened to pass by.

Whats wrong?

Youve been drinking coffee lately, right?

Yeah

Have you ever felt sluggish or anything weird after drinking it?

No

Well, I made this new snack I want you to try. But the thing is, its poisonous to dogs and cats. Coffee is the same but since youre fine when drinking it, I think youll also be fine eating this

Got it. Its fine, right? Its the life youve saved so its just right for you to take it away

No, you dont have to take it that seriously. You can just refuse if you dont want to you know?

He just ignored me and threw one into his mouth without hesitation.

Its sweet. Its different from candy though since it melts quickly. I like it

If anything happens, please drink plenty of water and try to throw up what you just ate. If you feel like something is wrong with your body, please have someone let me know right away. You need to make sure to do this okay!?

Sure

After saying that, he just picked up his axe again then went back to work.

It doesnt look like there were any bad effects. Still, I decided to do my work near where the cat-old man was.

After waiting a while, I didnt receive any reports. Is he alright?

Old man, is everything alright?

Yeah. Nothing wrong here

Do you feel uneasy? Is your body feeling hot? Does your heart feel like its moving too fast?

No. Should I eat more?

No no no. It might actually be even more dangerous if you eat too much

So its the kind thats fine as long as its in moderation huh? Well, I didnt die so everything is alright, right? Then its fine now, you can go back to your work

Please, dont forget to let me know if anything happens!

Its fine so just go. Dont worry about me

After saying that, I was forced to go back.

Hm, I should try it one more time. Since its a food product, I need to be doubly sure.

Oi, Keith. The cat-eared old man ate it and nothing happened so you try it too

I was immediately sent flying as I said that. Then I was made to sit seiza.

Are you going to let me eat poison just because someone else was fine eating it?

He was fine so I thought you would be too

I gave him a childish excuse.

It might have just been a fluke you know? Why the hell are you trying to get me to eat it even while knowing that

You and the cat-eared old man were fine with coffee so I just thought it would be the same. Even though I say its poison, youll just feel uneasy and experience vomiting and diarrhea

Thats what you call being poisoned! You You do know that there should still be limits even though were friends right? For goodness sake!

Yes Im sorry

He was really mad so I just kept looking down but he suddenly tossed a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

Im going to bring you with me if I feel like Im about to die. Still, this thing sure is tasty. Is it really poisonous?

Keith swirled it around his mouth first before commenting on how delicious it was. I thought that demonkin were different from animals but its clear now.

Its probably okay for them to eat the chocolate.

At that moment, I felt like a translucent god was looking at me from the sky.[noteTL: IDK if this is foreshadowing or a reference[/note]

Greetings, Enomoto-san

There was a knock on the door. When I opened it, I was greeted by two elderly men.

What did you want to talk about? I didnt expect that the young lad who came to visit was sent by you

Did you hear about that one Demon Lord whos Japanese from Iwamoto-kun?

Yea. I heard that guy got an island and was doing whatever he pleases

Thats right. I was thinking that we should join in on the fun. Enomoto-san, what do you think?

Are you telling me to throw away the fields and livestock Ive built up until now?

Yes. I think with the knowledge the three of us have, well be able to do pretty much anything on that island. Are you in?

Interesting. I started with nothing when I came here so it might be fun to start over again. Its the same every year once the ground has been laid after all. Alright, Im in. What about you, Oda?

Enomoto-san grinned as he asked Oda-san who has remained silent this whole while.

Fine by me. Theres not a lot to do here when it comes to entertainment so if its something fun, Im in. I was just drifting randomly when I decided to live here so its not a bad idea to aimlessly go about it again

He also grinned after saying that.

Then its decided. It would be better to bring some rice seeds and the nukadoko 4 with us right?

Yea. Those two are the only things we need. The rice here wasnt good since it wasnt sticky but I finally managed to bring it close to Japanese rice. I also poured blood, sweat, and tears just to raise that nukadoko so I may have left my wife but Im not leaving that one

Geez. How can you say that to that widow you remarried who went ahead of you5

It would have been an embarrassment to leave such a beautiful blonde like that alone. How about you two? Dont you have any plans to get married?

Well, Im still not sure whether or not its fine to leave behind descendants after coming here

Its fine. You dont have to be considerate to those scum who called us here for their own benefit. Right, Oda?

Dont ask me. I was devoted to my wife after all, unlike you, Enomoto-san

Dont be like that. Didnt you two chase after women when you were younger?

Enomoto-san Just how many times did you make your wife cry because of that?

Who knows?

Now, now, settle down you two. Anyway, since were going to leave, how are we going to get in touch with Ugajin?

It should be fine to just leave a note in Aidas house. That guy just comes in and out of here right?

Well yeah. Were close in age after all

We dont have phones here or something similar so well have to go with that. At least we have some paper. When I got summoned here, there wasnt any decent paper yet so someone else must have spread it around

Thats true. Im glad I didnt have to do the same with the hand pump. That country would have just benefited from it after all

Well then, lets just bring what we need. You start preparing too Aida

I was going to say Ill only need to bring myself but Ill at least bring some money

For me, it will just be the seeds and the nukadoko. Ill just give away the livestock to my village I guess

I have to get the blueprints I made for the tools Im made until now

With that, it was decided that we were going to leave for the Demon Lords island.

Hero Aida (35)

Was a technical type hero who taught all sorts of things to the officials in the castle.

Haa? You cant even do this type of calculation!? How are you even managing the treasury then!? Its just a simple division you know!? Even your subtraction is questionable! How could this happen!? Im going to give you some homework thats due tomorrow! Ill go senile before I can start teaching you bookkeeping!

Hero Oda (62)

Was a technical type hero who apparently introduced the use of windmills for milling.

The culture level here is kinda messed up, huh? They would have one thing but another necessary thing would be missing. I guess thats the effect of relying on heroes knowledge