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Not long after Ulfred’s boastful claim, Catherine’s request was completed.

It was a tragedy for Ulfred.

He was about to enjoy a rest he never usually had the luxury of.

Rest! Oh, how sweet the notion sounded!

Especially with a high-ranking individual he would never meet otherwise. However, that sweet notion was, in reality, concealing a deadly toxin. His stomach began to churn.

Couldn’t he just refuse?

The suggestion from a high-ranking person is synonymous with an order.

Ulfred was well aware of that fact.

Thus, two sacks filled with Alraune leaves, stems, and roots arrived at the Reception Room of the First Branch of the Coldon Adventurer Guild, all collected from around Coldon.

It felt too little to have gathered from the entire city. It couldn’t be helped, considering the few people who had them and the small quantity.

Karem dragged a bundle over and, with gloved hands, examined the Alraune stems, twisting them this way and that.

“Hmm, it feels like something old and wilted, like a vegetable,” he remarked.

“Indeed. Its appearance doesn’t seem appetizing,” replied Mary.

She swallowed hard.

The wrinkled stems lost moisture.

The thick leaves were beginning to fade to a light green.

Even the roots looked like large weeds.

None of it was appetizing.

“Lord Karem. I hope I’m not mistaken, but just to ask…”

Ulfred looked nervously at the renowned chef of Iceland, unable to hide his tension.

It was famous that the esteemed Catherine Atanitas had become smitten with a little chef who had grown under the curse of a dark sorcerer.

Ulfred’s palate had long been a prisoner of the countless recipes scattered by Karem.

However, now that prisoner and his companions were forcing him to consume deadly poison.

“Yes, feel free to ask anything.”

“Surely we aren’t going to eat this as is?”

“No. First, we need to eliminate the toxin from the byproduct.”

“I have heard there’s a method to remove Alraune’s toxin before…”

Ulfred elongated his words, wishing against all hope.

“Yes. They say if you dry it thoroughly and roast it over fire, the toxin disappears.”

“Then there’s no way we can consume it today.”

Finally, a sigh of relief escaped him. Well, it meant that processing would take time. Therefore, that meant no uncomfortable rest time. He really hoped to wrap things up quickly—

“Hm. Isn’t the gist of it that we just need to dry it thoroughly?”

A voice like thunder reverberated from Mary. Meanwhile, Ulfred, in a state of panic, felt the conversation start to develop on its own.

“Well then, can’t we just roast it in a pot over high heat without drying it?”

“Like how you roast nuts? Just over high heat?”

“Exactly. It should be dried thoroughly and then roasted over high heat. Is that all? Are we sure there’s no sunlight or other conditions?”

Karem nodded, recalling the words and entries of the old herbalist Rowan he had read in Afterglow Fortress (though it wasn’t his own experience).

“Yes. If dried thoroughly and roasted over high heat, it should work. There were no further notes on the quality of Alraune byproducts.”

“In that case, may I borrow a kitchen for a moment?”

If there were no variables, it would be sufficient.

Mary took some of the byproducts and immediately borrowed a busy corner of the kitchen by the authority of the Guild Master and Catherine, quickly going about her preparations. She washed, chopped, and roasted the Alraune.

And thus, Alraune’s Tear was prepared.

It was different from what they had consumed in Afterglow Fortress before.

Significantly so.

The visual difference was immediate. While the previous roasted Alraune was a deep brown, this one was as black as charcoal, shimmering to the point of being glossy.

But most notably, the aroma.

“It smells stronger than it looks,” remarked Catherine, fanning the air with her hand to catch the scent.

“It seems like it will give off a slightly burnt aroma, yet it’s still bewitchingly enticing…”

“Since the stems, leaves, and roots aren’t fresh, I roasted them thoroughly just before they burned.”

“This one seems to have a richer aroma.”

Karem silently agreed with Catherine’s assessment.

Her evaluation was exceptionally accurate.

While the aroma of Alraune’s Tear they had drunk before wafted gently into their nostrils, this was a strong, piercing aroma that exploded into the air even before boiling the water.

Of course, that meant a nutty fragrance was released as well.

It had a scent that could easily be mistaken for burnt if one wasn’t careful.

Mary bluntly stated the evidence of it.

“I like it even less than before.”

“Why? Is it because of the smell?”

“Mary openly expressed discomfort, her gruffness showing. Yet isn’t it true that adding sugar and cream would make it go smoother?”

“…Isn’t your true feelings showing halfway through this?”

“Oops, but isn’t that the truth?”

“Be quiet,” came Karem’s reprimand while he and Mary bickered, as Catherine silently savored the aroma of dark roasted Alraune.

Meanwhile, Ulfred found himself lost in to memories long forgotten.

‘How nostalgic…’

For an adventurer, camping was routine.

Lighting a campfire to ward off the cold and laying down on the bare ground, he would devour the various rations he brought, cooking up a makeshift stew when the situation allowed.

Ulfred always carried a frying pan. It could double as a weapon when needed, and most importantly, it was for roasting beans.

No one could resist the aroma of fried beans wafting through the campsite before bedtime, not even the dwarf who was crazy for alcohol or the carnivorous beast-kin.

Colorful green, yellow, and white beans blackened and popped gloriously over the hot pan, each explosion releasing enchanting fragrances.

Before making a wrong choice, he found himself reminiscing about the scent of adventure.

“Hm, this roasted Alraune should be called dark roasting.”

“Kid, is that from that place before?”

“Yes.”

Ulfred shook himself awake and rubbed his aged face with wrinkled hands.

He mustn’t succumb to temptation. Just because it smells like adventure doesn’t mean it carries over the same aroma as back then.

Smell? Yes, the fragrance was undoubtedly wonderful.

But he must not fall into temptation.

Although the aromas, rich in the non-gritty bitterness and nuttiness found in the skins and kernels of pre-burning beans and nuts, originated from the Alraune stems and roots that bore poisonous qualities…even if the memories of the adventures of yore, buried in the sands of time, made his tongue yearn.

While Ulfred was caught up in aromatic temptation and internal conflict, Mary returned with a tray, having left her place to carry Alraune’s Tear.

“Alraune’s Tear. Dark Roasting. Here it is.”

“Dark Roasting?”

“It means it was roasted until it turned black.”

Upon hearing those words, Catherine, who had been delighting in the aroma of the roasted Alraune in her pocket, opened her eyes.

“It’s more bitter than the tears I usually savor. Just in case, I brought cream, milk, and sugar from the guild kitchen.”

While the esteemed guests and two companions laughed heartily together, Ulfred couldn’t help but chuckle dryly.

He could no longer turn a blind eye to reality.

He had to drink this memory-altering potion of adventure.

“But why has that one been standing over there for so long?” Mary paused while placing cups down from her tray, glancing at Ulfred’s grim expression, and whispered to Karem.

“He perhaps dislikes bitter flavors. After all, it’s much more bitter than what you usually sip, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t it strange to enjoy bitterness?”

“It is, indeed. Three spoonfuls of sugar in milk?”

“…The taste and aroma are stronger, so it’s whipped cream. Ten spoonfuls of sugar.”

As Mary poured the kettle into her wooden cup, Karem placed cream and sugar into the cup one after another.

“…Hmm.”

The black liquid, reminiscent of a collapsed dungeon’s abyss, began to swirl as the white cream folded in, creating a delightful light brown wave.

The light brown waves eventually settled into a cloudy depth, rising seepingly, and with more sugar, the bitter aroma faded away.

“Hmm, hmm. I can’t refuse the hospitality of the esteemed Grand Wizard’s personal chef!”

Seated with an anxious expression, Ulfred finally took his seat.

Instead of the bitter smell, the aroma of sweetness rose from the cup. A deliciously enticing light brown liquid matched the smell.

It certainly looked quite appetizing.

Far more than the drink that had been completely black just moments ago.

But somehow…

Ulfred felt an unexplained sense of disappointment.

And even he couldn’t determine why he felt that way.

Gulp.

It dawned on him that he hadn’t been able to eat properly since yesterday, overwhelmed with work.

Before he could register the squeezing pain, his empty stomach forced his hand to grab the cup, the sweet odors reaching his nostrils.

Ulfred cautiously took a sip of the contents of the cup.

“…Hmm?”

While he drank it with a somewhat resigned heart, the substance the guests called Alraune’s Tear was rather pleasant to Ulfred’s palate.

Perhaps because of the heavy cream, the drink entered his mouth softly, sweetening without being overly stimulating for his aged body.

The sweet light brown liquid warmed his entire mouth.

It flowed down his cold throat like a stream melting an ice-bound valley, enveloping his empty stomach and warming it heartily.

As he savored the taste and smooth texture without any time to breathe, he drained the cup completely, exhaling a deep sigh.

Hoo—sigh.

With each breath in and out, he could faintly catch the strong, inviting scent of roasted beans that had once sharply pierced his nose.

Certainly, the drink of Alraune’s Tear that had been dark roasted and mixed with cream and sugar was perfect for warming his empty stomach and thawing his cold body.

Yet Ulfred still couldn’t feel satisfied.

Now he could truly feel it.

No, he realized it.

“Karem, please bring me another cup.”

“Of course. As for cream and sugar—”

“Oh, that’s fine. Just one more cup of ‘Alraune’s Tear,’ please.”

“It seems you enjoyed it more than expected.”

And as the black liquid began to pour generously from the kettle into the cup again, the intense aroma of roasted beans suddenly wafted through the air once more.

A layer of light brown foam formed atop the abyss-like liquid.

This is it. The essence of the past. The scent of adventure.

He drank Alraune’s Tears once again, recalling the brilliant yet irretrievably lost memories of adventure that resurfaced in his mind.

Though the touch of Alraune’s Tears felt somewhat coarse, it was already expected from the sharp aroma confronting him.

“If the bitterness feels too strong, adding sugar should help.”

“No, it’s fine. This level suits me perfectly.”

Ulfred resolutely shook his head at Karem’s suggestion. Karem felt the sincerity in that response.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Karem added a spoon of sugar to Catherine’s cup.

“Is more necessary?”

After Karem’s inquiry, Catherine sampled the blend with her spoon, wrinkling her nose slightly as she returned the cup.

“The aroma and flavor are good, but it’s overly bitter and gritty.”

“Then, like Mary, why not try adding cream or milk?”

“Hmm. True. Five spoonfuls of sugar.”

At those words, Mary declared triumphantly, convinced she was right.

“The Chief Magic Consultant Atanitas. This might be a rude question, but…”

Ulfred hesitated for a moment, biting his lip before looking seriously at Catherine.

“Would it be possible for you to give me that roasted Alraune earlier—”

“Not a chance.”

“Ah.”

The middle-aged man, worn by life, felt sadness.

 

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