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Winchester Castle.

Royal Kitchen.

Upon entering the vast and spacious kitchen, much larger and broader than what I’d seen in Afterglow Fortress, my eyes were immediately drawn to the entire line of cooking ranges laid out on one side.

The sounds of roasting, boiling, kneading, chopping, slicing, and crushing echoed throughout the kitchen, which was bustling with activity.

Chefs and assistants were prepping not only the usual meat but also various roots, fruits, leaves, and stems that looked rather peculiar.

In their hands were a variety of magical culinary tools that I had only seen during the preparation for Ianbert’s welcoming ceremony in Winterhome or in the Treasure Vault.

The faces of the kitchen staff did not show the joy of welcoming unexpected guests like Karem and Mary.

After all, a royal chef was not someone even a count could treat casually. No one would be pleased to have visitors interrupting them when they were in the midst of such a busy workday.

The only reason I didn’t hear any complaints was that Karem and Mary were the beloved associates of the Grand Wizard Catherine, a sage-level figure who served the Duke of Iceland.

However, winning their goodwill was surprisingly easy.

“You’re a disciple of that bizarre bald dwarf?”

“Then that changes things. You should have said so earlier!”

“No, I didn’t want to disturb the preparations for the evening’s welcoming banquet—”

“Oh, so you’re the one boasting in letters!”

“Your background is a bit concerning, but if it’s Karem…”

“Hah, with such recipes and sauces sprinkled around, we absolutely should be bowing down!”

“Hah, so you were that Karem?”

“Not four of us, but just one. And so young, too?”

The world indeed revolved around academic ties, connections, and bloodlines.

The overlapping connections from Zigmeser and the mentorship he’d received, combined with the recognition of pre-existing reputations, quickly shifted the gazes of the chefs around.

And then…

“What? You want to use the kitchen? Normally, that would be fine, but of all times… ugh.”

“Though there’s still time until the Crystal Jubilee, all the guests have arrived, so there will likely be a dinner banquet every night.”

“Right now, it seems—”

“Oh, wait. Mary. That thing.”

“Understood.”

It would be rude to come empty-handed, so I brought a gift.

Thud— bang— swoosh—!

As I opened the wooden barrel, the intense smell of rich soy sauce, packed with complex flavors, wafted throughout the Royal Kitchen.

Swish! Everyone who had been busy preparing ingredients and making broth turned their heads in unison.

“Oh my gosh! What is that smell? If it’s concentrated salt… but this deep fragrance defies explanation?”

“Doesn’t it smell like the sea?”

“The ingredient is soybeans? What on earth can you do with soy—no, ahem. I got too excited—my apologies.”

“…Why does it feel like I’m drinking holy water?”

At first, they sampled it lightly with skewers.

Then, spoons.

Soon enough, people began to forget everything, bringing ladles over to taste from the tasting bowls, their gasps of admiration filling the air.

Interest was evident, drawing in everyone from the common and junior chefs to the head chefs from each section until the top chef from Bersengzeto regained control of the situation.

“Guys! Even if this sauce has special properties, I won’t tolerate abandoning your tasks! Everyone, return to your duties!”

With a strong nasal voice, the head chef, Lumiériks, dispersed the crowd. After a beat, he drew a small key from his keyring at his waist and handed it over.

“Receive this, disciple of the oddball dwarf!”

“Yes.”

It was a bit much to say, but the dwarf who had shaved off his hair and beard was indeed a rare mutation. Karem could not deny it.

“The judgment of that bald shorty doesn’t sit well with me, but this sauce certainly has its worth.”

“Uh, thank you?”

“This is a key to one of the personal rooms I can use. It’s small, but it has everything you need. Feel free to use it. Just ask the servants outside for directions.”

“Then, farewell for now!” With that, Karem was practically kicked out of the Royal Kitchen along with Mary.

Just before the door closed, a loud voice proclaimed that I would guard it strictly.

*

“That went more smoothly than I expected.”

Mary, walking beside me, turned her head back towards the kitchen in a daze. Given that it was the capital, I expected some territorial disputes, but I never dreamed of receiving such consideration.

“Indeed, whether noble or not, they say the world runs on academic ties, connections, and bloodlines. You truly are impressive.”

“Well, there are probably other reasons.”

Karem had a few suspicions.

“First of all, the fact that we didn’t show up empty-handed is a plus.”

That was obvious. Mary knew well the difference between visiting somewhere with a gift as a house fairy and without one.

‘Especially since even with connections, it was our first meeting.’

Thanks to the creator, soy sauce had become relatively common, but it was surprisingly Karem’s vision.

Since he’d presented such a considerable amount of a visionary sauce in a large barrel, it was bound to foster some goodwill.

“But handing over such a large quantity at once, isn’t there a risk of leakage?”

“None.”

“Not at all?”

“None at all. Think about it. You know the main ingredient for soy sauce, right?”

Mary blinked slowly.

“Well… ah.”

And she understood.

She had seen Karem’s actions while cleaning the tower.

Yet still, the process eluded her understanding.

Life involved mashing beans, binding them, wrapping them in straw, fermenting while offering prayers, and repeatedly bringing dishes to the temple to pray some more until it was finished.

“…It certainly is shocking that it wouldn’t just complete itself through that process. Though I often witnessed it while cleaning, those scenes remain mysterious to me. I can’t comprehend it at all.”

“It’s not about understanding; it’s about feeling.”

Even Karem, who was making the soy sauce ingredient, had long since given up on the details.

After all, by imperfectly recollecting the process and engaging in a so-called prayer ‘meta,’ he was simply enjoying the divine substances and sauces that emerged.

“By the way, Karem, since leaving Coldon, it seems you haven’t made any sacrifices. Is everything alright?”

“Ah, well, that’s true.”

“In Winterhome, you did it regularly. Won’t the three of them be uncomfortable if you delay?”

“Isn’t it alright if I prepare more than usual…?”

Perhaps, Karem opened the door to Lumiériks’s personal room, ignoring the penetrating gaze he felt beside him.

Creak— swoosh—

As the doorknob turned, blue lines shot out like circuit patterns, covering the entire door and vanishing. The door opened.

Screech—

It was nothing like what I expected from Zigmeser’s personal kitchen. Here, since it was a personal room, there were chairs, tables, and a bed.

However, those were merely decor, as over half of the room was filled with magical tools presumed to be various spices and cooking instruments.

When I opened what I thought was a wardrobe, I was met with a cold breeze carrying hanging ham, sausage, cheese, and other items.

Every cupboard, shelf, and drawer Karem and Mary explored was crammed with various spices and foodstuffs.

“Spices and flour are relatively normal, at least…”

“All the furniture seems to be enchanted for preservation.”

Mary, having closed the door of the lower shelf, glanced around once more and picked up a jar of spices nearby.

“Bottles, jars. Everything is enchanted for preservation.”

“Winterhome wasn’t like this. Is it because it’s a castle?”

“Perhaps that’s the case. Still, since it belongs to someone higher than the Duke, he might be using magic tools generously.”

Though that seemed somewhat true, neither could know that Lumiériks had stocked up on supplies simply out of laziness to fetch ingredients from the pantry.

“Monsters and beasts may be unfamiliar, but I can definitely make desserts.”

“True.”

In fact, Karem had been worried during the journey.

The various monsters he had seen being prepped in the kitchen.

While it was the eve of the banquet, that wasn’t the only reason.

Among the nobles of Kingsland, it was said that monster cuisine, along with Servianus culture, was trending and spreading downwards.

‘No, it’s not that I have an aversion to it.’

The uncertainty stemming from the thought that the ingredients in Lumiériks’s personal room might all be things he had never seen before.

Fortunately, all the ingredients in the personal room were all of astonishing quality, on par with those used in the public kitchen, and were indeed edible.

It would be enjoyable to sample and categorize each one, but there was a limit to how far one could go.

Just imagining the overwhelming scene filled with what he had seen in the Royal Kitchen left him nauseated.

It seemed he might have to go back out and fetch ingredients after all.

“Wait, that’s not it. Since I have Mary, I shouldn’t worry.”

“Did you just call for me?”

“No, I was just talking to myself.”

“Have you decided what to make for the contractor’s snack?”

At Mary’s question, Karem shook his head.

“Then I’ll handle the menu selection.”

“Well, I don’t mind. What are you planning to make?”

“Umm… hmm.”

Mary opened the lower shelf again to pull out some flour, rubbing it with her fingers to check its quality and texture.

“This doesn’t have a particular name. I just felt like trying a new dessert since we’ve arrived at a new place.”

“A new dessert? Like cream puffs?”

“Exactly.”

Mary dusted off her fingers as she replied.

“Could you at least tell me what you’re thinking in general?”

“This is a dessert that won’t exist again in this world, so it’s hard to describe and a bit tricky to teach—”

“Will it be comprehensible?”

“Tch.”

Karem intended to prepare it quietly by himself, but with Mary’s expressionless face tilting and clicking her tongue, she shrugged.

“I was thinking of frying the hollow dough into a crisp circle and filling it with cream cheese, custard cream, and whipped cream…”

Mary tilted her head in curiosity.

“Why the strange expression?”

Karem was well aware of the expression he wore without Mary needing to say anything.

‘…She’s talking about cannoli (Cannolo).’

A hollow circle of crisp dough meant to be filled with cream cheese, custard, and whipped cream.

“That look on your face is almost as if I’m speaking of something you’ve seen before, causing you to be flustered.”

“Y-Yeah. I’ve seen it. It’s called cannoli, no. Cannolo.”

“What?”

Mary, startled, caught her breath briefly, but then shook her head and chuckled.

“But that’s only from your past life. Here, I’m the original developer.”

There might be some truth to that.

Though Karem figured he should ask Catherine for cross-validation before declaring anything.

“If that’s the case, I must give this dessert a name.”

“Did you come up with a suitable name?”

“Indeed.”

While Mary was already starting to prepare the dough, she nodded her head.

“A dessert that fills hollow reeds. This will be the first dessert introduced in this Europa.”

“Hollow reeds because it’s empty inside?”

“Yes.”

Mary affirmed her statement firmly.

“Then let’s go ahead and prepare the filling of creams, custard, etc., in the meantime.”

Mary seemed to want to say something, but Karem had already begun whipping the cream, silencing her.

Swish swish swish— The once troublesome act of whipping cream became easier the more he grew and utilized his divine power.

By the time Mary placed the oil pot over the cooking range, the whipped cream was already completed.

-Status Window.

As those words whispered in my ear, Karem was taken aback.

‘…Was that just Korean?’

Europa was somewhat reminiscent of Europe from my past life.

The primary language spoken in Ceophon was similar to English.

Yet suddenly, I heard the Korean I hadn’t used much since my reincarnation.

Furthermore, it was labeled the Status Window.

“Mary, hold on a moment.”

“Yes?”

Barging out and into the hallway, I found no one outside. Only the dreary sound of wind coming through the open windows could be heard.

“What is it? Did you change your mind?”

“…It’s nothing. What do you think about lightly coating both ends with caramel after filling them?”

“Gasp.”

“I was originally thinking of melted Amadeus, but since we don’t have any…”

“Are you a genius?”

Immediately closing the door and focusing back on cooking, a single word that had suddenly appeared lingered in my mind.

 

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