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Breeding Varieties.

Plant hoarders and environmentalists argue that this is an act where humans artificially violate the laws of nature for their own greed, but that’s only seeing one side of the coin.

In the long history of humanity, breeding has always been present.

The prosperity of humanity itself could not exist without breeding.

The practice of crossbreeding food plants to obtain more crops can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, and it is clear that this practice has been ongoing since even further in the past.

Otherwise, grains that were hardly more than dog grass, fruits with more seed than flesh and those small at that, and even greens that were not originally edible would not exist.

The fact that cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, and various types of leafy greens—seemingly unrelated at first glance—are all derived from a single mustard plant proves this.

Not only that, but peppers are of the same type as bell peppers, and tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants are practically cousins, making breeding quite familiar to humanity.

Of course, while it may be artificial, it’s a fact that the process of breeding takes a long time, even in ancient history.

Even corn, which has undergone an unusually rapid breeding process, took over a millennium.

Karem only recalled this fact once he arrived at the greenhouse.

“But what is this?”

Karem rolled the plump red fruit in his hand.

A juicy-looking fruit that was round and seemed full of juice, it had a curvature that grew from the chunky stem to the tip.

Is this what they call the Fire Witch Finger modified?

Of course, Karem was aware of similar cases.

The thick and stout variant that had a flavor similar to paprika or bell pepper.

But that was merely a reduction in taste and alteration in aroma, with no significant changes to the species itself.

Then what is this?

Karem, who had knowledge of cooking plants but not of cultivating them, knew that modifying something takes time.

Especially without the bizarre array of chemicals and tools present in modern civilization. Thus, a fruit that slightly resembled a tomato made even less sense.

“Is there something you don’t like?”

A clicking sound interrupted.

Karem’s reaction was not as expected; it was Corvus tapping his beak together.

“Hmm, I thought a cook like Karem would enjoy it.”

“No, I’m thrilled. How could I not be?”

If this was what Karem thought it to be, there was no way he would dislike it as a cook.

The number of dishes he could create with this alone would skyrocket!

Of course, it would take some time to prepare it into a paste and whatnot, but that was only natural.

“But is it really supposed to be this fast to breed plants? It’s not even been a full season, just a few months!”

“Haha, Karem, you still have a naive view.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, it’s obviously impossible through normal means, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean? Did you use some unholy magic from a mysterious crow monster?”

“Hmm…”

Corvus shrugged his shoulders and scratched his beak with a claw.

“Of course, there are similar spells that can achieve that.”

“Really?”

“But if that were the case, it wouldn’t be something edible, so it’s out of the question. They are primarily for cursing or attacking hostile creatures.”

“What about this then?”

Corvus tucked his claw into his feathers.

A clattering sound could be heard as he rummaged through the plentiful feathers, and finally, produced an emerald-colored orb the size of an adult’s head.

“Ultimately, all problems stem from a lack of money.”

“Uh… Magic tool?”

“That’s right. It’s called the Orb of Life.”

Corvus nodded his beak in affirmation.

“I borrowed it from Duchess Elizabeth for gardening. It has druidic magic that accelerates plant growth.”

“Druid magic?”

“Of course, that alone was not enough. I also had to set various conditions to discover the optimal result for plump fruit.”

As he spoke, Corvus pointed with his claw to one side of the greenhouse.

There was a patch where the Fire Witch Fingers grew along with the field of bell pepper variants next to it.

In that very spot, the fruit that Karem held was growing among a bush full of them.

“By the way…”

After putting the Orb of Life back into his feathers, Corvus began to look around as if searching for something with his dark eyes.

“I’m not seeing the princess. Is something happening? I had thought she would be here with you.”

“What could have happened?”

“Oh, I see?”

Corvus tilted his head as he looked down at Karem.

Meeting his gaze, Karem closed his eyes and nodded.

“I see.”

“Yes, it’s certainly Miss Poppins, then.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier for Lady Alicia if she just sat quietly in class?”

“Even so, it’s commendable that she follows along with the lessons. But I can tell she dislikes just sitting in one place.”

After all, Alicia had just turned six.

And Winterhome was a massive castle.

An age where a child was bursting with life.

Especially with her curious and free-spirited nature, it was only natural that Alicia, being the youngest daughter of the duke, would become the freest breeze in Winterhome.

This assessment was widely shared around all of Winterhome.

“Alicia seemed to enjoy it, as she ate a few before leaving.”

“Could I get some of this?”

“Right now?”

“Yes. If possible, I would like to receive some regularly-”

“Um, that might be difficult for now.”

“Why!?”

But Corvus was just as troubled.

“Since we forcibly accelerated their growth, we cannot use the Orb any more than this. It’ll take time to secure seeds anyway.”

“That’s quite disappointing.”

The saying goes that the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Faced with an unexpected problem, Karem felt a deep emptiness inside.

No, Karem shook his head.

“But does that mean that in time, we can secure the quantities we need?”

“Indeed. If we can gather enough seeds in a few months, then by that time, we should be able to export freely outside the castle.”

Karem closed his eyes for a moment, calming his disappointed heart.

Just a few months to wait.

Considering the ten years wasted in his previous life, it was nothing.

Understanding the situation, Karem took the small basket filled with the variant version of the Fire Witch Finger that Corvus offered him and stood up.

It was finally time to prepare Catherine’s snacks.

As Karem rolled the plump tomato in his palm, Corvus, who had followed him out, asked.

“Aren’t you just going to keep rolling that in your hand?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The fruit you’re rolling in your hand.”

“I’m just enjoying the soft texture.”

“Why not taste it? It’s juicier than you might imagine. It’s actually quite sweet, too.”

Well.

If Corvus was to be believed, then it seemed at least the taste was promising.

But ultimately, what mattered was Karem experiencing that flavor.

Wiping the skin on his clothes, Karem, without hesitation, bit into the tip of the modified Fire Witch Finger.

Snap! Crunch!

The initial impression was that, surprisingly, the texture was firm.

Far firmer than what the previous Karem remembered.

The second was that it had much less juice than expected.

For Karem, accustomed to tomatoes, which typically burst with juice at the moment of chewing from the juicy flesh housing seeds, this was surprising.

The taste, as far as he could recall, had an enigmatic quality that even the previous Karem—a non-picky eater—had avoided eating raw.

Yet, this variant was nothing like that.

No, it was just low in juice.

Instead, its flavor was far richer than what he had experienced in his previous life.

Compared to the tomatoes he once ate, they tasted like a concentrated paste embedded within the fruit, packed with richness and a delicate sweetness.

As he chewed, the high-density flesh crumbled between his teeth, imbued with umami and sweetness, leaving no taste behind.

If it weren’t for the absence of the expected richness from his past life, it would almost feel like a sweet fruit.

Yes, it had a strangely familiar yet unfamiliar taste for Karem.

It was distinct from the tomatoes eaten in his former life or the tomato sauce.

Comparatively, it was closer to imported paste or sauce.

And considering that imported tomato paste or sauces were generally deemed tastier, this was an excellent miscalculation.

Karem, deeply savoring the taste, suddenly realized he was out of breath.

In his quest to enjoy the flavor, he had forgotten to breathe.

“Wow! This is amazing!”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Do I enjoy it?”

Karem, gasping for air and blinking in disbelief, alternated his gaze between the halved fruit and Corvus before taking another bite.

“With this, the number of dishes I can prepare easily surpasses ten!”

“That’s quite the compliment.”

Karem was sincere.

If one were to name sauces representing both Eastern and Western cuisines, soy sauce and tomato paste would stand at their respective extremes, as tomatoes are heavily used in Western cooking.

With this situation, Karem had no choice but to proceed with making soy sauce.

Just like the duality of yin and yang, the positives and negatives, light and darkness, if you could make tomato paste but not soy sauce, Karem could not accept that.

Anyway, peas were beans and a plant-based protein.

Straw was still technically straw.

So he could make soy sauce! First, though, he’d have to experiment with making meju!

And thankfully, Karem had a magic tool that would significantly reduce the time needed to experiment with making meju and soy sauce.

“Now, I just need to come up with an appropriate name for it-”

“Let’s call it Tomato.”

“Tomato?”

“We didn’t name the other variant from before, did we?”

“Yes. For now, it’s just called modified Fire Witch Finger. Now that we have two variants, it certainly needs a name.”

“That would be bell pepper-”

And thus, Karem chatted with Corvus for a while.

*

*

*

On the way back after giving Karem a gift basket, Corvus tapped his beak, looking as if he were troubled.

“I feel like I forgot something. Hmm, what could it be…”

Crossing his talons with a puzzled look, he walked past the plots where the Fire Witch Fingers and their variant, bell peppers, and tomatoes were growing before he suddenly realized.

“Ah, right.”

Corvus scratched his head feathers while looking at the entrance of the greenhouse.

Originally, he had intended to show Karem the beans he had previously entrusted, but seeing Karem leave, he probably hadn’t been gone long.

If he wanted to call him back, he would have to ask the guard to send a messenger…

“Well, it’s not like they’re fully grown yet, so I suppose it can wait until later when they’re bigger.”

Corvus crossed over the plot with the magic tool, heading toward a small patch that resembled more of a hobby garden.

Rich, dark brown soil.

Growing on top of it were bulb-shaped flower buds.

Corvus tilted his head, scratching beneath his beak.

“I thought it was beans. So it’s not beans?”

 

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