I stood in the center of the sweet potato field that had been completed in just a few seconds.
Thick leaves grew densely at my feet and stretched out as if merging with the forest.
"…I feel like I've become some kind of plant user.
For now, let's check how the sweet potatoes turned out."
Even though I said that, I was not expecting much.
After all, the cuttings I had used as the base had a quality level of minus nine, which was quite low.
"I only meant to make a little as a test, but I ended up making way too much."
Feeling a bit reflective, I pulled on the roots at my feet as if in a tug-of-war.
From the soft soil emerged small but beautifully red sweet potatoes.
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Sweet Potato
Quantity: 10
Quality Level: 4 (Material Penalty 9 + Dexterity Bonus 3 + Job Bonus 10)
Sweet potatoes grown in the field.
They are small but very sweet and have strong reproductive power.
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"Oh!? The quality level has improved!?"
Moreover, the original wild sweet potatoes had been as small as bird eggs, but these had grown to the size of chicken eggs.
Of course they were still far from the vegetables sold in stores, but for a first crop they were excellent.
"And there are so many of them…!"
The sweet potatoes hung in clusters like bunches of grapes from a single root.
"With this many, I won't have to worry about food for a while.
…But I wonder how they actually taste?"
Curious, I decided to try eating one right away.
I gathered some dry grass and leaves from around the area and piled them up in front of the house gate.
I placed the harvested sweet potatoes inside and lit a fire.
The flames crackled and rose.
A fragrant aroma mixed with the thick smoke and drifted upward.
"It smells really good…"
I like the smell of a campfire, but the smell of roasting sweet potatoes might be something I like even more.
It was as if a sweetness spread through my mouth even though I had not eaten any yet.
Before I knew it, I saw three figures walking over from the residential district.
It was the trio of Monaka, Akemi, and Kotone.
The three of them seemed to have become close friends after the recent great disaster.
All three wore entranced expressions and approached unsteadily like fairies drawn to flower nectar.
Their twitching little noses were cute, like the fluttering of tiny wings.
When I called out, "Did the smell lure you here?" all three snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream.
"Ah, Le-kun!?"
"We somehow ended up at Master's residence…"
"Fwa? We were heading to your place, but a nice smell drifted in from outside the forest, and the next thing we knew we were here…"
"Le-kun. What on earth is this aroma?"
"Yes, it is an irresistibly enchanting scent…!"
"Ufufu, even my alchemy 'love potion' could not create a scent that draws people in this strongly.
We simply must identify what it is…"
The girls stared intently at the campfire while making soft swallowing sounds in their slender throats.
They looked like they could not stand not eating it, so
"Since you're here, go ahead and eat."
I poked the campfire with a tree branch and took out the sweet potatoes.
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Roasted Sweet Potato
Quantity: 10
Quality Level: 8 (Material Level 4 + Dexterity Bonus 4)
Sweet potatoes roasted simply.
They are sweet and filling.
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"Yeah, these should be edible. They're hot, so be careful."
I handed one to each of the three girls. They immediately began tossing them lightly between their hands with little "hot hot" sounds.
"Le-kun, is this perhaps a sweet potato?
This is the first time I've seen them prepared this way."
"It is considered improper for ladies to eat standing outside like this…
But since Master has invited us, we cannot refuse."
"Nfuu… I can't hold back any longer…!"
All three girls simultaneously split their sweet potatoes in half with a snap.
A golden cross-section appeared, and
…a soft, sweet steam rose gently.
Forgetting all manners, the girls swallowed hard with a "gulp!" and then
"""I… itadakimasu!!"""
They bit into the piping-hot sweet potatoes with the force of someone who had not eaten for days.
It must have been hot, because all three went "Hafu! Hofu! Hafuhofu!" with their eyes rolling, but the moment they swallowed,
"""It's… sooooo goooooood!?!?"""
They pressed their hands over their mouths and cried out in surprise.
As expected from proper young ladies, even their surprised reactions were elegant.
"I never knew roasted sweet potatoes could taste this delicious…!"
"Yes, it is truly ambrosial!"
"Aahn… my body feels like it's melting…!"
After that, all three devoured the sweet potatoes like hungry children.
I tried one myself, and it was sweet and fluffy. I could understand why they were so engrossed.
"Want more? I'll roast some extra, so eat as much as you like."
"R-really…?" Monaka looked at me with an expression mixing expectation and hesitation.
"Yeah. There's plenty."
After that I roasted about twenty more roasted sweet potatoes, and we all ate together happily.
By the time we finished, everyone was full, but the girls hung their heads.
"What's wrong? You were having so much fun just a moment ago."
"The truth is… we came to consult with you, Le-kun, about food."
"We are having great difficulty with the rubble removal work in the residential district, and we cannot secure a steady supply of meals…"
"And yet the three of us alone got to eat something this delicious and fill our stomachs…
Ahn… the guilt is making me tingle…!"
"So that's what it was. In that case, take some sweet potatoes with you."
The three girls looked up with "Eh?"
"But Le-kun, didn't you eat all the sweet potatoes just now?"
"I told you there were still more. Look."
I pointed with my thumb toward the sweet potato field next to the house.
The girls flinched and shrugged their shoulders as if entangled by the vines that grew so thickly the ground could not even be seen.
"Um, Master. I am quite ignorant and do not know much about crops.
About how many sweet potatoes can be harvested from this field?"
"Let's see, judging from how many grew from the bit I dug up earlier…
I'd say about two tons from this field."
"Tw… two tooooooooons!?!?"
The girls' hair stood on end as they screamed in shock.