shinsori

Reincarnated in Another World at the Age of 82!? - Chapter 39, 40, 41

Added 2024-12-13 09:19:02 +0000 UTC

Grandma’s Handy Tips
Today marks the beginning of my self-defense training.

I was so excited yesterday that I couldn’t sleep. Still, I woke up again at the sixth hour out of habit.

Old routines are hard to break, aren’t they?

Alright, let’s go for a morning stroll! Well, it’s just around the mansion since I’m alone.

As I stepped out of my room and wandered around, I noticed the maids working hard, scrubbing the windows.

"Good morning. Thanks for cleaning so early~"

"Oh, good morning, Young lady. You’re up early."

Already drenched in sweat so early in the day.

"You know, if you use leftover tea leaves to clean the windows, they’ll sparkle."

"“”Eh!?””"

"Well, you brew the used tea leaves again, then use that liquid to wipe the windows. It helps prevent dirt from sticking. Also, for places like the entrance, you can scatter the used leaves, sweep them up with a broom, and it keeps the dust down while you clean."

An 82-year-old’s handy tips!

With the amount of tea we drink every day, there’s plenty of tea waste to go around.

"I’ll go grab some from the kitchen!"

One maid dashed off toward the kitchen.

Time to continue my stroll.

Passing by the bathroom, I saw more maids, also sweating as they cleaned.

"Good morning~ Thanks for your hard work."

"Oh, good morning, Young lady."

One maid, diligently polishing a mirror, greeted me.

"If you use Jagato peels to polish the mirrors, then rinse with water, they’ll shine beautifully."

"“Huh?”"

"Polishing with Jagato also works as an anti-fog treatment, you know."

"Thank you. I’ll go grab some from the kitchen right away."

Looks like it’s time for me to head to the kitchen, too.

"Good morning, everyone~"

"Oh, morning, Young lady! You’re up early as always!"

Abe’s voice boomed through the room.

"So, what did you get up to this morning?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Since earlier, maids have been coming by one after another to grab trash. That’s your doing, isn’t it?"

"Ah… No, I just shared a few cleaning tips."

"“Ahhh—”"

"Seriously~ you’re something else, Young lady."

Abe looked at me with an exasperated expression.

Hey now, I was just being helpful! Not fair.

"Ahaha, Young lady, if you keep pouting like that, you’ll ruin your cute face.”

He teased, patting my head.

"Hey, Young lady, those cleaning tips—are they knowledge from your past life?"

"!!"

Wait, how does he know?

It’s one thing for Abe to know since he’s the head chef, but is it okay to say this here? Master’s here, too!

As I panicked, suddenly, the world shifted, and I found myself lifted high. Abe had picked me up.

"It’s okay, Young lady. Last night, the servants were all gathered, and Master and Mr. Gray explained everything. No one will think anything strange about you, so don’t worry."

"… You’re not creeped out?"

Oh no, I’m going to cry… Stay strong, five-year-old body!

"What are you talking about? On the contrary, I admire you. You know so much about cooking and baking. If anything, you’re the real master here, Young lady."

"Ugh… th-thank you…"

No use. The dam broke, and the tears flowed freely.

----------

Grandma Stands Her Ground
"Feeling better, Young lady?"

Abe asked as I sipped my tea, sitting on his lap.

His big, rough hand awkwardly patted my head, but the gesture was comforting.

"Yeah, I’m okay now."

"Young lady, no one in the household thinks you’re weird. Sure, they were surprised at first, but after seeing how you’ve been lately, it all makes sense.

Still, everyone’s worried about you. We can protect you while you’re here in the territory, but when you go off to the academy, it’ll be a different story."

"Exactly! You’re already cute as it is, but with insane skills and memories from a past life? Who wouldn’t want to keep you close?"

Ah, right, even Father and the others mentioned the royal palace before.

"But you’re starting self-defense training today, aren’t you? If anything comes up, we’ll pitch in to help."

"Hm? We?"

"Huh? You didn’t know? The head chef used to be part of a monster-slaying unit. The sous-chef and I? Former adventurers. We only got up to Rank A, though. Annie’s training with Sarah as we speak."

Adventurers!?

This is so fantasy~~~! They really exist!

Wait, Rank A—that’s impressive, isn’t it?

"Rank A? That’s amazing, isn’t it! But why are you working as chefs here?"

"Ah~ Well, I used to adventure with Arthur. We traveled around, taking on all sorts of quests. When we accepted a request in the Lampail territory, we got to know the private soldiers here. Their dedication to the people and their work ethic really moved me. That’s when I decided I wanted to settle down in this territory.

But man, the private soldiers here? Their skills are on another level. We’d just get in their way. So, I figured, if I can’t fight alongside them, I can at least support them from behind the scenes. That’s how I ended up as a chef."

"Wow, that’s amazing. Knowing your limits, finding what you can do, and dedicating yourself to that—that’s incredible. You’re the unsung heroes here, right? I really respect both of you for that."

"!!"

Ben suddenly turned his back to me.

Huh? Did I say something wrong?

What do I do?

As I panicked, Abe patted my head again.

"It’s fine, Young lady. Ben’s just happy."

"Happy? Why?"

When Ben turned back, his eyes were red.

"No one’s ever acknowledged us like you did, Young lady. Most adventurers mocked us. Said we were wasting our Rank A skills."

"Say what!? Wasting them? What you do with your skills is your choice! Who needs anyone’s permission!? If they’ve got a problem, they can go get a Rank S and then talk!! Bet it’s just some losers who can’t even hit Rank A themselves!"

“"......”"

Both men stared at me, eyes wide as saucers.

Oh no. I did it.

I just let loose in my full past-life tone and gave them a piece of my mind!

"Ahem. Well, you see, I must’ve let my thoughts slip…"

“"Ahahaha~~~”"

"Young lady, is that your real self or leftover habits from your past life?"

Abe laughed, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Eh? Whatever do you mean? I have no idea. Ohoho!"

"Young lady, there’s no use pretending. You laid it all out just now."

Hmm. Yeah, no covering this up anymore.

And honestly, letting my true self show here in the kitchen might be… freeing.

"Alright, alright. You got me. It’s my past life coming through."

"Young lady, no need to hide it anymore. At least not here in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Mr. Abe. Having one place to relax really helps. Being a noble lady is such a hassle… I was just a commoner in my past life."

"Yeah~ well~ get used to it."

"Haha, fair enough. Oh, and Master? Don’t let those noobs get to you. Their opinions are nothing but the barking of beaten dogs."

"Young lady… noobs is?"

"Oh, umm, losers?"

"Ahaha! Not much better. But thanks, Young lady. You’ve given me a lot to think about."

"Glad to hear it. Oh, and please don’t mention my tone to Father or Mother. If they find out, I’m in trouble."

"Hmm, what to do~?"

Ben teased, smirking.

Ugh~~~ he’s got me now. How did I let this happen!?

----------

An Angel?
While the three of us were chatting, breakfast preparation fell behind schedule.

We hurriedly got back to work.

"Young lady, what do you want to eat?"

Wait, the head chef is asking a five-year-old to decide the menu? Well, no time to waste. Let’s do this!

"How about a one-plate meal with pancakes, salad, and a meat-filled omelet? For soup, ham and lettuce."

"Pancakes?"

Oh, right. Pancakes don’t exist in this world.

"Alright, I’ll make them! For the meat omelet, we don’t have ground meat, so chop up some bacon and onions finely, season them well with salt and pepper, and stuff them into the omelet."

I took charge of the pancakes. Mixing eggs, milk, and sugar, I sifted in baking powder and flour before frying them up.

Ah, it reminded me of how my grandkids used to beg me to make these for them.

Despite the rush, we finished on time. But as a result, my dress was completely covered in flour…

"Young lady, you’re completely white! Let’s get you changed right away!"

"Aaahhhh—!"

Sarah came to fetch me and practically dragged me out of the kitchen.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen:

"Chef, in that moment, I swear, the Young lady looked like an angel. Maybe I’ve been carrying some guilt about quitting adventuring all this time."

"An angel wouldn’t bark out insults like that, though."

"Ha! Yeah, no argument there."

"But we’ve got to protect her no matter what."

"Of course! I’ll protect the Young lady with everything I’ve got. It’s been a while, but maybe I should sharpen my sword and get back into practice..."

"Haha! Take a day off and let the private soldiers toughen you up."

"If I do that, I’ll be useless the day after tomorrow!"

"The Young lady will help you recover. You’ll be fine."

"Alright, I’ll go get trained."

"Just don’t overdo it."

The next day, Ben really did train with the private soldiers.

Two days later, as he sat immobilized from muscle pain, a grinning Joan repeatedly poked him.

Later, Ben was heard shouting, "She’s no angel—she’s a devil!"

---

Meanwhile, in the Servants’ Dining Hall:

"She used to be spoiled, but the meals taste better now."

"She had a bad attitude, but my skin’s glowing these days."