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Butter, milk, and flour were crucial matters for the house fairy.

Mary could never give up on butter.

The argument between the one-sided servant and the demanding house fairy continued endlessly.

Karem had no choice but to drag Mary toward the kitchen.

“You’ve been perfectly fine eating desserts without butter until now.”

Karem looked up at Mary with an exasperated expression. While he had seen her get this worked up before, he still couldn’t get used to it.

“Why are you so worked up all of a sudden?”

“It’s because of you and the cooks from Winterhome.”

“You definitely followed them around, eating a ton—”

Huh? Did I just hear something?

Mary looked down at Karem, who was blinking in surprise.

“I went around during meals and parties, eating countless desserts, but they were all so disappointing. The pastries were soggy, the cream was wet, and… ugh…”

“So, compared to what you’ve eaten before, they were so bad that your cravings have only grown stronger?”

“That’s a precise description. Yes.”

Though it seemed over the top, after pondering for a moment, Karem figured it might actually be true.

The cooks in Winterhome, led by Zigmeser, were hard to find anywhere else in Iceland—like the pinnacle of the culinary world.

Even the cooks in the Afterglow Fortress wouldn’t be at that level, but given they work under the Duke, their skills would be outstanding.

Not to mention the Wizard’s Tower. Karem could let go of any reservations, but when it came to baking, Mary didn’t have anyone to rival her in Winterhome. Right.

“But wait, do I get dragged into this?”

“Puddings, crepes, jam doughnuts, etc. Aren’t all those recipes spread by you?”

“No, I just shared the recipes!”

“When a necromancer’s creation attacks innocent people, isn’t that the necromancer’s fault?”

Well, generally, since artificially created undead don’t act without their creator’s orders, that makes sense.

“How does that apply to me?”

“Anyway, take responsibility. My taste buds crave quality butter.”

“Ugh… great. If you add Gordon’s demands on top of this, I’m going to be in trouble.”

“Huh? What were Lord Stark’s requirements again?”

Karem scratched his head and replied.

“He mentioned he’d like some cheese.”

“Oh, that sounds tough.”

“Hey, house fairy. This is also related to you, you know?”

“But coming up with the menu is the junior’s job, isn’t it?”

True, but how can one be this annoying?

As some chef once said, a proper dessert should generously incorporate cream and butter and be sweet enough to melt on the tongue.

But leaving out butter?

That by itself isn’t hard.

The real problem is the last condition. It has to be refreshing?

The moment cheese is involved, all that freshness would vanish, wouldn’t it?

“By the way, have you come up with any menu ideas?”

“Could you be quiet? I’m thinking.”

“Then think well.”

“Look at this fairy, barking out things that aren’t her job.”

As Karem walked up the wide corridors and stairs of the fortress with Mary after leaving Catherine’s room, he pondered for quite a while.

But he still couldn’t figure out what to make.

No butter, cheese involved, yet it needs to be a refreshing dessert.

‘What am I supposed to do, make something that’s dry like a plain steak?’

All this thinking felt foolish.

If at least one condition were dropped…

“That’s it.”

Even if he couldn’t fulfill every condition, there was one choice that could greatly widen the options for the menu.

In the first place, it was a foolish thought. To throw out an essential ingredient when there’s barely enough to go around? Just adding that one thing would significantly increase the number of varieties you could create.

Though it went against his requests, he decided to think about that later.

“You seem to have thought of something.”

Karem nodded positively.

“You’re going to add butter, right?”

Ignoring the problematic demand.

That solved the issue.

“Great. No, wait. Huh? Did you just say that so easily?”

“Since we solved the first problem, we just need to think about the rest.”

Mary stared at Karem with a blank expression but wide-eyed disbelief.

Wait, I did say butter had to be in it, but to just throw away the request like that?

“Excuse me, but can you really give up that easily?”

“Huh? Didn’t you just say it would be great to have butter? You should be happy.”

“I was so surprised I went around in circles and came to my senses. Wasn’t the request to leave out butter a clear demand from the contractor?”

“Right?”

But saying that? It’s a good thing, but is it too reckless? She was staring hard at Karem.

…Well, this wasn’t a rare occurrence.

Thinking back, her junior Karem sometimes had a tendency to go crazy.

Not knowing how it would turn out, he’d dive right in, and the processing of his thoughts was unclear, but when experimenting directly, he’d go as far as to feed it to others.

What about feeding oats to the heir of a duke and the beloved youngest princess, or the idea of giving a monster’s reproductive organ to his employer as it was in its unrefined state?

Whenever she looked at Karem, she occasionally felt a hint of madness.

Especially when it came to cooking; she saw him get carried away without thinking, charging ahead blindly.

“It’s a foolish worry.”

“Huh? Who are you calling a fool?”

“I said you’re acting like a fool.”

That truly was foolish behavior. Yet, she didn’t really mind.

After all, had he ever produced bad results like that?

He might piss someone off right in their faces.

But that wasn’t a problem at all.

Contractors sometimes acted in line with their age, unlike the past.

In the end, they would just taste it and finish it.

While grumbling, would he just keep eating and forget?

“I wouldn’t want to hear that from someone who goes crazy over desserts in front of Lord Atanitas or guests.”

“Isn’t it ironic that someone who fed oats to the heir of a grand noble and the youngest princess, and even offered a monster’s reproductive organ to their employer, would say such a thing?”

“…Let’s call it a draw.”

“Alright. A draw.”

With a swift gesture, Karem and Mary both extended their arms for a handshake and entered the kitchen.

The mealtime for members and cooks of the fortress had long since concluded, so instead of the smell of meat and grease, a delicate and alluring aroma filled the spacious kitchen, echoing with the sound of several chefs cleaning up and the crackling of the charcoal stove.

“Damn this chief. Asking for a newbie—huh? Lord Karem?”

“Thank you for your hard work. I was hoping to borrow the kitchen. Is that alright? It looks like you’re cleaning.”

“You can use it as much as you want since it’ll be dirty again soon anyway.”

This kitchen was already known for its humidity, heat, and soot.

The reason they cleaned up after any shift was simple.

If they left it messy, they wouldn’t be able to cope with the accumulating soot and grease.

So, no one was concerned if someone wanted to use it a little earlier.

After all, it would get dirty eventually anyway.

Most importantly, the chief gave them permission.

Still, out of courtesy, Karem greeted them.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“You seem to have made friends in just a few days?”

“I whipped up some skills when those three left me here. Well, I guess it’s thanks to my popularity.”

As Karem shrugged, his voice got quieter as he went on.

It wasn’t just Zigmeser’s hand massages; he found it difficult to adapt to such things.

Someone walking beside him would probably have been able to hear just fine.

“Looks like you’re quite the popular one.”

Mary murmured while quoting what Gordon had previously said.

“Quiet down.”

“Have you decided what to make yet?”

“…That’s what I’m struggling with.”

“Well, given the requirements, the contractor shouldn’t be waiting too long either, right?”

“But if I just bring what I usually eat along with those requirements, I’m sure she’ll be mad. I mean, I’m only planning to use butter.”

“Then a lemon pie won’t work.”

“Because there’s no cheese, right?”

At Mary’s comments, Karem crossed his arms in front of the table and tapped his forehead.

Lemon pie. More precisely, lemon meringue pie.

Considering only Catherine’s demands, this was the way to go.

With cream, lemon juice, zest, and various other ingredients, if he handed it over to Mary, most of the process would be done in an instant, and the meringue could just be baked. In this case, he wouldn’t even need butter.

But for Gordon’s requirements.

If cheese was involved, he couldn’t use that either.

Then, there was ultimately only one answer.

“…Cheesecake?”

“But if butter gets added to a cake, it’s out, right?”

“Well, didn’t we agree to put in butter earlier?”

“Oh.”

Mary snapped her fingers as if she just remembered.

“Well, we can’t just use the cake recipe as it is. How about we crumble shortbread, mix in a bit of butter, bake it soaked in syrup, as a compromise?”

“Uhm, while it’s disappointing, I think that would yield a similar result. Where do you plan to put the cheese?”

“There’s a decent cheese lying around. Cream cheese.”

“Ah, definitely.”

Mary quickly grasped what Karem was getting at.

Using shortbread cookies for the pie crust was something done occasionally.

While they’d need to adjust the density, if it’s soaked in syrup, they can maintain moisture and softness too. Topping it with cream cheese would…

A hint of excitement began to swell in Mary’s heart.

“That sounds promising. It won’t take long to prepare.”

“Since both the ingredients and the method are simple.”

But Karem felt a pang of disappointment.

Tiramisu.

Doing it this way, it’s pretty much just missing the coffee, and it’s basically tiramisu.

Of course, the original method of making tiramisu wasn’t being followed.

He usually pulled out long oval cookies, soaked them in espresso.

But if you think about it, how many chefs or shops can make tiramisu in the original way? This world was foreign; he hadn’t seen anything close to coffee, let alone the real thing.

Thinking about things like Fire Witch Finger or beaver vanilla, he wondered if there might be similar substitutes, but none were immediately usable…

“What about sweetness? Should we burn some caramel to balance it?”

“Burnt caramel, you say?”

“Yeah. When it comes to balancing sweetness and richness, bitterness is key, right?”

“Rather than the bitterness of caramel, how about the inner peel of lemon?”

“That might be too bitter.”

Both of them quickly started throwing ideas about to solidify the recipe.

“Is anyone inside?”

Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance, causing their heads to turn.

It was Rowan, the old priest Karem had seen once before at the portable shrine.

“Ah, perfect timing, elder. I was just running low on some air freshener.”

“Only you lot would want to use the stalks and leaves of an Alraune for air fresheners. Even if the toxicity disappears when heated, you shouldn’t just treat this poisonous thing that way—”

“Ah, be quiet. I’ve been using your folk remedies you’ve shared for months now. If I place this all around, the greasy odor vanishes completely.”

“Well, that’s true. Here.”

Slightly clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction, Rowan opened his robe and pulled out a large sack.

It emanated an elegant nutty aroma without any bitterness.

A mild and captivating fragrance filled his lungs.

It was a stronger scent than what he had noticed when he first entered the kitchen, reminiscent of roasted beans.

“…It wasn’t an illusion after all.”

“Hm? Karem, junior? Where are you going—”

“I’m making some cream cheese in advance!”

“Wha-what did you say?”

“Mixing in butter to thicken it!!!”

Karem slammed the table and dashed into the expansive kitchen.

He nearly slipped as the cleaned floor wasn’t quite dry yet, but there was no time to hesitate.

Coffee.

It wasn’t exactly the same as the one from his previous life.

But it definitely smelled similar to it!

It’s alright! He could overlook the difference due to variations in types.

Of course, Karem didn’t particularly favor coffee enough to differentiate the species.

Whether it exists or not didn’t make much difference to him. Just that level.

But something made from coffee was a completely different matter…!

“Wait a moment!”

Slipping—

“The pouch!”

Karem skidded to his knees and slid to a halt in front of the cooks and Rowan.

“What? This? This is an air freshener?”

“Hmm. So you also need air freshener here like a rare species?”

“Be quiet, elder. Well, I ordered a lot, so it’s not a problem. Isn’t it true that even Lord Karem can’t help but have that oily smell?”

Karem glared.

“No, it’s for eating!”

The cooks and Rowan were astonished.

 

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