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Catherine was used to pulling all-nighters and working late.

That’s how any wizard is.

Whether it’s experiments, research, or assignments, losing track of half a day or a full day was not just normal; it was part of daily life.

Of course, such a chaotic lifestyle could lead to health issues, but that was solely the wizard’s responsibility.

Unless someone had threatened them with a knife to do research, of course.

The ones holed up in the wizard’s tower were all voluntarily living this way.

Moreover, thanks to generous funding, they could take timely measures with potions and magic, so health issues were nonexistent.

In any case, to get to the point, it had been a while since Catherine woke up early in the morning after last winter. So, she was hungry.

That was only natural.

It was an unavoidable situation.

The dinner she had eaten at the banquet last night and the late-night snack she had after coming back had long been digested, and since she had woken up early on an empty stomach and was now awake, her hunger grew stronger.

‘But I did eat a whole basket of salmon bread.’

‘You think that’ll fill you up? Besides, the princess took a third of it.’

Catherine responded defiantly to Karem, who was tackling her in her head, someone who wasn’t even in the dining area.

If Alicia had heard that, she would have nodded along in agreement.

‘I’d prefer something with a stronger taste for breakfast.’

She ran her tongue over her slightly dry mouth. The sweet aroma of custard and the savory scent of roasted Alraune lingered lightly in her senses.

Her tongue craved a salty and rich taste.

Her mouth and stomach yearned for hefty meat.

All of this was thanks to Karem, who had prepared light and sweet salmon bread to stave off her hunger from early morning.

Karem would surely feel wronged if he heard it, but she didn’t care.

A chef is someone who cooks what their master wants.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Sir Atanitas, I’m coming in.”

“Sure. Come on in.”

As soon as the dining room door creaked open, a strong aroma assaulted the senses of the only Grand Wizard seated in the dining area.

A fragrance bursting with umami and the sweetness of fruits wafted in, perfect to stimulate a dry mouth.

Additionally, a captivating smoky scent with no bitterness drifted from under the lid placed on the tray, directly tempting Catherine’s empty stomach.

“This is the Mammoth Nose Skewers I mentioned last time.”

“The one you said to season with soy sauce? Then what’s with this charcoal smell?”

“It’s just a bit burnt with sugar for effect.”

Thanks to that, even with the lid closed, the aroma seeped out through a narrow gap, lightly filling the air.

Given that soy sauce was the essence of umami, it was unavoidable.

Having burnt it just a little, the scent became even richer.

“Skewers, huh? Kid. For now, the smell is surely as wonderful as you promised. However…”

Catherine tapped on the lid, sounding skeptical.

“It seems some scents remain the same even with the soy sauce, particularly this fruitiness.”

“Must be because it’s soaked in while marinating?”

“I clearly said the scent was too diverse to be pleasant.”

It was a bit awkward that she was saying such while shifting in her chair, but it couldn’t be said outright.

Karem lifted the lid.

Swish—

“Let’s just eat it directly and see.”

The deep brown Mammoth Nose, simmered to a glossy hue without burning the edges, shimmered under the light of the magic lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

Each time a glistening droplet of the sauce fell, like raindrops pooling at the end of the eaves, the aroma seemingly exploded into the air.

“I’ve been thinking for a while, but I absolutely can’t understand how that smelly block made from just beans can turn into this myriad of seasonings.”

“To be honest, I agree with that.”

“No, kid. You made this, didn’t you?”

“I merely prayed.”

Karem briefly put down his utensils and clasped his hands in a show of reverence as if to be seen, praying for just a moment.

The byproducts made from fermented soybeans.

Soy sauce, soybean paste, gochujang.

It truly wouldn’t have been possible without divine assistance.

A faith never felt in a previous life surged up within him.

“Even so, does a chef know how to make garum and think they can make it themselves?”

“What’s different about the soy sauce you made and garum?”

“One is fish, and the other—”

“Not that. Ah, forget it. Forget the nonsense.”

Catherine waved her hand and pointed at the skewers. Karem wordlessly picked up the utensils, dishing out a piece of the Mammoth Nose Skewers onto a plate, slicing it into rectangular portions, and presented it.

“Here you go.”

Catherine instinctively popped a piece of skewer into her mouth.

‘Ha.’

Catherine’s hesitation regarding the Mammoth Nose Steak was simple.

No matter how delicious it was, the aroma simply didn’t suit the meat.

The nutty scent was understandable.

But meat that tastes fruity?

Her tongue was eating meat while her nose was having fruit.

The dissonance between the two senses provoked a feeling of rejection.

To make matters worse, the refreshing scent of the forest that heightened her discomfort mingled with an unexpected array of cheesy aromas, leaving Catherine utterly confused about what taste she should be perceiving.

This was an issue stemming from the fact that the Mammoth Nose was more richly flavored than the other, different parts of the Undead-aging mammoth.

‘The taste of the meat itself and the flavor blended with the sauce is inherently different.’

Yet, the skewer she just ate bore no such discomfort whatsoever.

The refreshing scent of the forest that had once exacerbated her rejection was nowhere to be found.

A subtle smoky aroma reminiscent of meat roasted over an open flame filled the air.

It must be due to the smell that was imitated by burning soy sauce and sugar.

The fruity aroma still lingered on the meat, but the sweet taste that aligned with that scent was so rich that it didn’t disturb her like before.

“I think the sweet and salty flavor pairs quite well.”

“Maybe I was eating it wrong. If I had come across this first—”

“Then you wouldn’t have gotten to try it since I wasn’t there.”

Catherine nodded silently, accepting, and took another bite of the meat.

With every chew, the sweet and salty seasoning mixed with the meat flavor shifted like flipping cards.

The first bite was the clean taste unique to chicken.

By the time the smooth flavor of pork faded, the intense scent of beef surged forth.

The diverse cheesy aromas from various regions surprisingly blended well with the soy sauce, creating a unique taste that was both pungent and intriguing…

“How is it? It seems you like it a fair bit.”

“Hmmm, cough cough. Yeah, it’s definitely edible.”

“For that kind of guy…”

She was eating quite quickly and had already consumed a considerable portion. Karem muttered softly as he stared at the mountain of skewers that had shrunk by a third.

“What’s with that expression?”

“Nothing. Just seeing it has made me want to eat it too.”

“Speaking of which, kid, you have nothing to eat now.”

“I totally forgot!”

“You? That’s quite unusual.”

“Then by all means, enjoy it leisurely on your own. I’ll just make something for myself later.”

“Tsk. Leisurely, huh?”

Catherine openly clicked her tongue and swallowed the meat.

“If it weren’t for work, I’d take my time to savor it.”

“It’s barely morning, isn’t it?”

What if someone who was capable of procrastinating by lounging around all day hurried through their workload all at once when evening fell? Karem wondered if a bomb of work would fall again, like last winter.

“I need to check the magic tools that decorated the castle.”

“Didn’t you finish that yesterday?”

“This is the final, final check.”

This time, slicing the Mammoth Nose into pieces twice the size of the previous ones, Karem handed them over, prompting Catherine, who had been slightly annoyed, to eat the meat satisfyingly.

“I thought this winter I’d get to rest comfortably.”

“Honestly, in comparison to last winter, you seem just as busy as usual. You’re even working on personal research.”

“Oh dear…”

Immediately upon hearing that, Catherine shuddered absent-mindedly.

A mountain of pending work piled up for over half a year.

Magic tools and commissions that hadn’t been attended to for several months.

Wintersend-related documents and mountains of magic tools.

“That’s enough.”

“Yes, I get it. Just a moment.”

“Hmm? Hmmm…”

As Karem picked up a napkin, Catherine seemed hesitant but carefully tilted her head.

Swish—

‘You have a small mouth, yet you eat so heartily… oh.’

As the seasoning smeared around her mouth and lips got wiped away, Catherine’s face gradually turned red with embarrassment.

Karem felt the same way. Nonetheless, thanks to Mary, it seemed he ought to get used to it, though he still wasn’t.

“This has been on my mind for a while.”

“What do you mean?”

“That I thought I’d get used to it, but I really haven’t.”

“Why are you saying this now?”

With that, Catherine’s face regained its composure.

Feeling the warmth, she instantly cast a spell.

“When you think about it, kid, you were serving me from the very first time we met, so isn’t it about time you got used to it?”

“Didn’t you just calm the warmth from the magic?”

“…How do you know that?”

“Mary slipped me the information.”

Ignoring the betrayed(?) seed, Karem folded his napkin and finished wiping the seasoning around his lips.

“I knew it would turn out this way, you have a small mouth.”

“Just serve me quietly. What does it have to do with how I eat?”

“Well, I’m fine with that.”

“What?”

At the unexpected reply, Catherine looked flustered, while Karem, having wiped his lips clean, put down the napkin and picked up his utensils again.

It wasn’t the overly embarrassed demeanor from days ago, but rather, she had come to depend on him naturally while feeling embarrassed, which felt closer than before.

“Then since it’s come to this, I wish you’d drop the ‘kid’ title—”

“Kid’s acting uppity.”

“I’m an adult if we count my previous life!”

“Don’t bring up your coming-of-age ceremony that you didn’t even go through.”

Karem chopped up the Mammoth Nose Skewers with a hint of frustration mixed with residual annoyance at the continued mention of the coming-of-age ceremony.

“I really should complete that damned coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Kid, are you sulking?”

“What? I’m not a child, so why on earth would I—”

“Hmmm.”

As she chewed on a piece of skewer, Catherine raised an eyebrow, as if to ask if he felt guilty saying that. Karem focused on the delicious Mammoth Nose Skewers.

“Eat quickly. It’ll lose its flavor if it cools down.”

“The one who said to enjoy it leisurely—where did they go?”

“Busy, as I said.”

“Of course, I’m busy.”

In that moment, Karem had an instinct.

No matter what he said, he would surely be ridiculed, and indeed the glint in her expression implied that she was ready to poke fun at him.

That mischievous smile was evidence of that.

When Karem kept his mouth tightly shut and offered his fork, Catherine slowly nodded in what seemed like mercy while biting into the skewer.

“I should ask you to crash the next time.”

Although she was just as embarrassed, Catherine appeared to be adapting faster.

If that was the case, there was only one way to respond.

Getting used to it would make it easier to counterattack.

“Hey, I feel like I misheard something just now.”

“Yeah. Did I say something weird?”

“What do you mean crash the next time?”

“Eh? Crash? Ah.”

Oh dear. Had she accidentally let that slip?

“Oh dear? Now that I think about it, the context seems off. I missed a word. What was I trying to say?”

“Otherwise, the meat will get cold.”

Of course, meat loses its flavor when it cools down.

Even the tastiest meat is no different.

“Oh, it’s almost gone anyway, so it doesn’t matter. So tell me the missing word from that sentence.”

But Catherine’s twitching eyebrows seemed to suggest her focus wasn’t on that. Karem swallowed dryly.

Catherine clearly knew what she had just heard.

Was this what it was like to mistakenly speak in front of a lover?

Not something particularly welcoming.

 

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