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In the kitchen, sauce is absolute.

The ability to create and manage sauces is a testament to considerable power held in the kitchen, reserved only for the chef and trusted individuals of skill.

A sauce simmering with the juices and umami of melted mammoth flank steak, bacon fat, and mammoth butter, combined with wine, balsamic vinegar, and garlic.

Zigmeser poured the dark umami essence straight from the pan.

Swish-swish-swish—

Due to the viscosity, the sauce drizzled down in a thin stream, falling according to the laws of nature.

The aroma spread even before it made contact with the steak.

The rich, meaty scent of the steak melded with the fresh and deep fruity aroma, filling the air with the fragrance of grapes and settling beneath it.

“Head Chef, is there still more to do?”

“Don’t rush me! It’s almost finished!”

Zigmeser reassured the anxious Gordon.

As proof of that assurance, the chef’s knife in Zigmeser’s hand moved like the wind, striking down repeatedly on the giant flank steak with a rhythmatic “thunk-thunk-thunk!”

Karem swallowed the saliva that had pooled in his mouth, mirroring Gordon’s sentiments.

Swish—

At the moment it was cut, the juices exploded.

No joke, with every chop, juices splattered everywhere.

The exposed surface of the steak, soaked in dark purple sauce, was visibly awash with bubbling juices and fat.

Small gaps visible between the layers of flesh.

A sure sign that the delicate fat between the meat fibers had perfectly melted.

Honestly, Karem couldn’t understand why anyone would spend tens of thousands on a steak in their past life.

He had never tried such a dish, and although the steak he cooked with techniques learned from books and videos tasted better than the average restaurant steak, why was that?

Of course, in this life, the mountain of steaks piled high in the Great Hall were tastier than the steaks he cooked himself.

But he felt that only now could he truly understand.

No matter how good a self-cooked steak or a mountain of steaks from the Great Hall, nothing could surpass this colossal flank steak before his eyes.

While Karem was engulfed in such astonishment, Gordon made a wiser choice born from his experiences as a mercenary.

Even though Zigmeser’s steak preparations were not yet complete, he didn’t care.

“What are you staring at?”

Gordon snatched up a piece of steak.

Even though dark purple sauce, juice, and fat dripped onto the floor, he didn’t mind. He had no time to care.

‘They all shout mammoth, mammoth.’

So that was the reason? he thought.

He had been treated to countless delicacies by various powers, dignitaries, and nobles of Europa over the years.

Sweetbreads, the comb of a male basilisk, chimera ribs, meat from a giant dungeon hamster, wings of a coatl, and the delightfully curious chimera meat he experienced each time he ate, among others.

Among these was magical material that exerted special effects merely by eating. But none could compare to the steak melting in his mouth.

The rich aroma of grapes and dense butter.

The chewiness that hit him the moment he sank his teeth in.

And the crispness he felt when biting into the edges.

The savory flavor of cheese, perfectly roasted in the oven, was reminiscent of the salty taste of crispy cheese, felt with every bite of the chewy meat.

But the same flavor can become monotonous if it continues indefinitely.

The flank, which seemed like it would remain chewy forever, fell apart completely with just a few chews.

The place where the crispy cheese flavor had once been was now fully taken over by the tangy sauce, awakening the true flavor of the meat.

Rich like chicken fat, intense like beef, and tender like pork—an extraordinary harmony.

When Gordon first bit into the steak, the chewiness and crispness vanished without a trace.

If he were to compare it, yes. It was like a texture reminiscent of slightly frozen butter.

It crunched and crumbled while feeling as soft as butter.

Just when he thought it had become soft again, it crunched once more.

Eventually, with all the juices, fats, and sauce gone, he had no choice but to swallow the steak, yet the flavors and aromas lingered in his mouth.

“So, Sir Stark. How do you feel?”

Zigmeser posed the question, standing confidently with his chest puffed out as he took note of Gordon, who was subconsciously reaching for another piece of steak.

“I fear it will haunt my dreams.”

“Why? Is it too delicious?”

“The flavors of oven-roasted cheese, the perfect essence of chicken, pork, and beef, not to mention this sauce. Wow, this sauce is the real deal!”

The meat was wonderful, but Gordon had never tasted such a delicious steak accompaniment sauce.

“Wha… wow… wowww!”

And Karem’s shock was no less than what Gordon felt, at least in sheer scale.

They say a delicacy is a delicacy.

It was a whole new flavor compared to the rich ribeye and tenderloin he had tasted before.

Zigmeser argued about which was better or worse, but Karem couldn’t agree. Mammoth meat was not a thing he believed could be deemed inferior.

It was like the taste of something that had reached the peak in entirely different fields.

It wasn’t about which part of the mammoth was tastier; rather, among all the ribeye cuts he had tried, mammoth was the best, and among the tenderloins, mammoth was the finest.

And the sauce.

Karem couldn’t hide his astonishment, watching Zigmeser savor the steak.

“Yeah, yeah. This is the taste. This is it. I mean it. Huh? Karem?”

“You knew how to make such a sauce and yet you made such a fuss?”

“Developing existing recipes and creating something completely new are entirely different fields and realms!”

Thud! Zigmeser slammed his hand on the table, causing the juices and sauce on the cutting board to ripple.

“Karem! You still don’t realize how amazing your mayonnaise is! It’s practically a revolutionary creation in the culinary world!”

“No need to butter me up.”

This guy still lacked self-awareness. He needed to be reminded of his position from time to time, even if it scorched the palm of his hand.

The four seasons returned, and winter arrived once more.

It had been enough time for rumors to spread throughout the country.

Perhaps it had even circulated abroad.

Arrogance that exceeds boundaries tends to invite wrath, yet arrogance befitting one’s skill is deemed a dignity in society.

Various sauces, including mayonnaise.

The rediscovery of the Fire Witch Finger.

And above all, a multitude of recipes spread throughout Iceland, which could remain secret as a personal vision.

At first, it was flattery.

Then, it turned into half-hearted jokes of flattery.

Now it was a genuine concern to bring awareness—

Schlurp, schlurp, schlurp—

“Not flattery, but… huh?”

Suddenly, a startling noise echoed through the kitchen.

The heads of Zigmeser, who had been passionately debating, and Karem, who had been casting glances at the old man, instinctively turned towards the source of the sound.

Schlurpp, slurp!

Gordon was nonchalantly sucking his thumb, clearly displaying it aimed at the others.

…Just moments ago, he had been grabbing food with his hand.

What was the essence of this sucking act now?

Karem and Zigmeser simultaneously turned their heads the other way.

The cutting board where a gigantic flank steak should have been.

Not a crumb of the delicious meat remained.

Only sauce marks lay on the board.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Karem, you too. When there’s food in front of you, you should focus on the food, right? Besides, there’s still plenty of meat left.”

Let’s hurry and grill more. With that casual tone, Karem and Zigmeser simultaneously facepalmed.

Right, it was their fault for zoning out when there was meat right in front of them.

Not long after, the kitchen, once filled with chatter, returned to the sounds of meat sizzling.

*

*

*

“So, were you satisfied?”

“It was just right for a palate cleanser before lunch.”

“Palate cleanser?”

Karem, feeling the weight in his belly, was startled by the words that followed.

“After eating all that, you call it just a palate cleanser?”

Gordon chuckled at Karem’s surprised expression.

“Would I feel full from that? Think about how much I usually eat at each meal.”

…If he thought about it, it was indeed less than half of his usual portion. And this was a man who had devoured countless servings of chicken soup just a few hours ago.

“Chicken soup eaten in the morning? Well, broth dishes have a way of dissipating quickly in the stomach. I wandered around the temple looking for you and digested it all long ago.”

“Ata… Atanitas, too, and you as well. Goodness.”

Having seen him often, Karem wasn’t that mystified anymore.

But it remained astonishing no matter how many times he saw it.

“By the way, now that there’s nothing real to do, what should we do?”

“Earlier, Sir Godwin… ah, you mentioned he’s busy right now.”

“Just something like that.”

Gordon shrugged exaggeratedly and glanced at Karem.

“Isn’t there anything fun to do while you’re bored?”

“I don’t really have much to do either. Not really?”

“What’s that? You’ve been in Winterhome for a whole year! Wasn’t there any fun stuff?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know.”

To be honest, the time spent holed up in the Wizard’s Tower was overwhelmingly long, so he still wasn’t sure what the castle had to offer.

“Then what about the town? I mean, Coldon? Is there anything interesting?”

“I wouldn’t really know that either. Apart from the Great Hall, exchanges, and occasionally being dragged around by Princess Alicia, I basically stuck to the tower.”

“…Hey, at 11 years old, isn’t that a bit too much? You’re going to grow mold.”

“Mary will clean before that, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but… sigh.”

Gordon waved his hand as if to dismiss the topic.

“Isn’t an 11-year-old supposed to kick around a ball, chase after mice, and pull down the skirts or pants of passing people? Isn’t that a normal routine?”

“What? Skirts? Pants? Did you play like that when you were little?”

“Hey, whether in the city or the countryside, kids’ games are generally quite similar. It’s a common occurrence, not a rare one.”

“Oh, come to think of it, I think you were just as silly when you were a kid too.”

Gordon shook his head as if to say why even argue about it.

“Silly? Eating ice cream in winter?”

Then, from behind him, a voice echoed sweetly.

Without a care about who started it, they turned their heads simultaneously.

“Princess Alicia?”

“Ehee, that’s right! It’s Alicia! But why the ‘silly’ line?”

Alicia placed her diminutive hand on her fluffy-waisted dress, sparkling eyes locked on Karem.

“I can eat ice cream too, you know.”

“…By the way, isn’t it supposed to be your tutoring time now?”

“He-hehe—”

Alicia awkwardly averted her gaze, clearly flustered. The bewildered Gordon quickly realized what this meant.

“So, you’re skipping out on classes.”

“Who would do such a terrifying thing!”

“Why, it was you, Princess Alicia, who just spoke to us?”

“W-well, that means. It’s just, I only wanted a short break!”

“I believe Karem mentioned it was class time?”

Gordon raised an eyebrow as he scrutinized Alicia.

Under his gaze, the princess fidgeted nervously.

“Just a bit longer break…!”

“Well, then I’m bored too. Would you mind showing me around next time?”

“Sure! I’ll show you all the nooks and crannies of Winterhome!”

“Well, you can let me know next chance.”

“Uhh?”

“No need to wait.”

No need to wait? Alicia tilted her head in confusion at the sudden comment.

“Gordon. What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Pardon me.”

A commanding and strict tone resonated through the air.

Alicia twitched like a hamster caught in a trap.

“This voice!”

Emerging from the left corridor, a tall, slender Baroness Poppins swept in, her dress flowing elegantly.

“Uh, Gordon? This is Baroness Poppins. Baroness, this is Sir Gordon Stark, a baron of Bolton.”

In the midst of it all, Karem inadvertently introduced them to each other.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Sir Stark. I would love to chat briefly, but…”

Baroness Poppins looked down at the trembling Alicia.

“Princess Alicia’s tutoring isn’t finished yet.”

“A-Alicia was just taking a short break!”

“Snack time is still a ways off, gentlemen? I apologize.”

Baroness Poppins scooped Alicia up effortlessly, showing no sign of faltering as she whisked her away down the corridor.

“Gordon! I’ll definitely show you the castle next time!”

The echo of Alicia’s distant and vague lament lingered between the two.

“This escape wouldn’t go so smoothly for a while.”

“Hey, Karem. Isn’t that Baroness a tutor?”

“Right? Why do you ask?”

“…Never mind.”

“Hmm?”

Karem’s gaze flickered to Gordon as he shrugged, and he began to resurrect his senses from the moment.

In a direct confrontation, victory is certain.

‘But if ambushed, defeat is inevitable, isn’t it?’

Truly, the famed Duke of Iceland.

Not only was his bloodline exceptional, but also his surrounding figures were nothing ordinary.

 

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