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Knock, knock, knock—

“Contractor. Excuse me.”

As I followed Mary into the office, Catherine was sitting at the reception table.

And there was an unexpected guest sitting across from her.

“Olivier?”

“Oh, you made it. But… fried food? Didn’t you say you were just having a snack? This seems too heavy.”

“What I eat is none of your business! It’s probably a burden to some old man who’s about to kick the bucket.”

“Hah, you little bean sprout of a disciple.”

A moment of silence fell between the two grand wizards.

Then, suddenly—

Whoosh— crackle, crackle!!!

A tiny firestorm and frozen lightning crossed above the table.

“Guess we’ll need another set of tableware.”

Seeing that, Mary made a comment and handed over a tray.

As Karem accepted the tray, Mary said, “I’ll be back shortly,” and left the office, closing the door behind her.

“Alright. Now, the two grand wizards. Let’s save the fighting for later. It loses its flavor when it gets cold.”

At her words, the mini magical duel raining down on the office table abruptly ended.

Karem, who restored peace to the office, set down the tray, proving his point.

“Hmm? The fried meat is one thing. But what’s this other fried item?”

“That would be eggplant. Fried eggplant.”

“…You fried eggplant?”

“I ordered it.”

Olivier widened his wrinkled eyes with surprise, leaning in to peek at the tray.

On one plate were elongated fried pork tenderloins sprinkled with salt, alongside fried eggplant, while on the other side was a heaping portion sautéed with a sweet and sour aroma rising from a red sauce.

“Hmm, fried eggplant, huh? That’s a first.”

“Well, to be fair, your reactions are a bit better than the last two people’s.”

“Who are the two people?”

“Ianbert and Mary. Both of them made disgusted faces at first, but when they actually tried it, they ate it well. The former just seems to dislike vegetables.”

The little one. Ah, yes. Olivier gazed at Karem, who was attending to his master, then returned his gaze to the tray.

Frying vegetables—a luxury method often avoided by nobles, especially the pork-worshipping Sephorn nobility.

Out of curiosity about the taste, Olivier popped a salt-sprinkled piece of fried eggplant into his mouth.

Crunch—!

The texture was like a puff pastry, composed of dozens of layers, as though clouds had been fried.

A rich nuttiness melted away like freshly made hot custard.

…Did such a flavor truly come from an eggplant?

“Soft and nutty, yet thanks to the fresh flavor, the greasy feeling typical of fried food is barely present.”

“That’s how you eat eggplant in the best way.”

“Right. Karem, you’re right. I mean, just tweaking the cooking method can cause such a change…”

Unable to resist that flavor, Olivier abruptly stopped speaking to dip the fried eggplant into the sauce on the side.

Crunch—!

It wasn’t as crispy as before.

Just as expected.

Thanks to soaking up the sauce, a bit of elasticity that hadn’t been there before emerged in the batter, delivering a new texture.

It was akin to snapping dry tree bark soaked in morning dew.

The soft, creamy insides of the eggplant mingled with the remaining tangy and sweet flavors of the sauce to calm the palate.

“The sauce had ketchup, huh? Aside from the tomato, it’s made with quite common ingredients, yet it’s pretty unique.”

“I thought it might be dull with just vegetables, so you should have some meat too.”

Catherine immediately began to eat sweet and sour pork as well.

“On the other hand, this fried meat is somewhat ordinary.”

“Oh, well. It uses pork tenderloin, and though the batter differs a bit, it’s pretty similar to chicken.”

“Well, it tastes good regardless; personally, I prefer the fried eggplant.”

“Seems like our opinions have been aligning quite frequently lately.”

Chew, crunch! Olivier dipped the sautéed fried eggplant into sauce again.

“Speaking of which, the coming-of-age ceremony is just around the corner. Are you participating?”

“Yes. Elder Iona asked me about it the other day. I told her I would.”

“Then you’ll need to prepare some items.”

“Right?”

It’s been said since ancient times in Iceland’s coming-of-age ceremony that participants must wear garments gifted by their guardians and prepare two objects to express their gratitude to them.

One is offered as a sacrifice, and the other is a direct gift to the guardian, or so the tradition goes.

“But is there a specified attire?”

“It varies by country and region, but usually, there is a traditional outfit that’s been established.”

Catherine’s comment brought great comfort.

If there’s a prescribed outfit, there’s no need to worry about it.

“It appears Iceland doesn’t have a particularly set attire.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“I heard it originated from parents providing equipment for their independent children? Lately, it’s been changed to clothing.”

Most likely, life has improved significantly compared to Iceland’s harsh and thrilling past.

“Then, Karem. Who will prepare the clothes you’ll wear for the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“…Good question?”

Karem, who was about to grab a piece of fried eggplant with a new fork, paused for thought.

The definition of a guardian generally refers to parents, legal guardians, or persons in a position similar to those protecting and supervising a minor.

At that moment, the face of his real-life parent, who would be absolutely unfazed even if they witnessed him dying right in front of them, flashed before his mind.

Yet, Karem dismissed it lightly from his thoughts.

With his real parent dismissed, all that was left was the guardian.

For him, there was only one person he could truly consider a guardian.

Karem inadvertently turned his head toward the person who popped into his mind.

He met surprised eyes.

Catherine briefly glanced at Olivier, covered her mouth, and cleared her throat.

“Ahem. Considering your situation, it seems I am the only one who can take on the role of guardian. Well, it can’t be helped then.”

“What? Kitty? If you dislike it, you’ll have to find someone else.”

“Huh?”

Catherine’s shrill voice couldn’t faze Olivier, who had a delighted expression, as he happily tossed a piece of fried eggplant into his mouth.

Crunch—crunch—

“Thinking it over, if you only ask, there should be quite a few who will prepare your clothes. Given your past contributions, your lord would gladly help you out. The steward, too, otherwise known as your future son-in-law, Gordon, would also be happy—”

“Wait a minute. What do you mean Gordon is my future son-in-law?”

“Huh? Is that not the case???”

Olivier stuck the sweet and sour pork on his fork, making it look like a T.

“I heard it from Corvus. That dryad lady was born from the seed you gave her, right?”

That wasn’t entirely untrue.

No, wait a minute. The wording is a bit off.

It’s an undeniable fact that Flora was born from the seed given by an unnamed traveler.

“Wait, then the strange nuance I felt every time Flora bounced around was—”

“That dryad considers you and Corvus as her parents!”

After eating the sweet and sour pork, Olivier pointed his fork at Karem, as if confirming he was right.

“No, wait. Before that, you’re a fairy, and I’m human, not to mention Corvus is a monster.”

“Do you really think that dryad, having just been born a little over half a year ago, would understand such a complicated family structure?”

“…Umm… then wait, what’s the family tree like?”

Karem instinctively ruffled his hair.

The sudden reality made his frontal lobe throb.

So I’m the dad, and Corvus is the mom, but Gordon, who is easily over twenty years older than my current age, is now my daughter Flora’s husband, making him my son-in-law, right? And I’m claiming this son-in-law of mine as my guardian?

“Who the heck is this old man who’s barely hanging in there proceeding with such a narrative!”

“No, my rebellious disciple Kitty. You claimed you were busy, yet here we are, right?”

“I’m not busy!”

“Then are you claiming you’ll take the role of guardian?”

“True! Huh?”

“How satisfying it is to see such boldness.”

Is this guy looking for trouble? Still, despite having a beard that obscures his expression, his eyes above it curled like crescent moons.

Catherine, beset by a profound sense of humiliating shame, couldn’t hold back her magic.

As the magic rapidly gathered at the fingertips of the barely composed Catherine…

“Now, let’s relax and eat.”

“Wh—? Ack!”

Without any warning, a sour and tangy scent bursting into her mouth sent her magic scattering like a spring breeze.

“That’s not how you show courtesy towards a dish.”

“Don’t you think your current behavior is a breach of courtesy toward your master?”

“I’m sorry, but it’ll be tasteless if it gets cold. Those sautéed and tossed items will get soggy.”

“When it comes to cooking, you’re a reckless one—”

Yet Karem’s statement was not incorrect.

The fried pork tenderloin and eggplant before their eyes were at their most delicious right now, crispy and crunchy.

On the other hand, Olivier could be chastised at any time.

Soggy and cold fried eggplant and pork tenderloin.

Attacking Olivier right now.

Weighing the two outcomes with cold, rational reasoning, Catherine didn’t ease her expression, but she did lower her arm.

“Fried eggplant. Without sauce.”

“Yes, indeed. An excellent choice.”

“Then I must be going now.”

Olivier, stroking his beard, loaded the dishes onto a side plate, grabbing them with a fork and standing up.

“It’s almost time to check Robin’s assignments. Have a lovely time, my young lovers.”

He then burst open the door, gave Mary’s shoulder a light tap just as she was about to enter, winked at Catherine, and left the office.

Mary bowed slightly to his retreating figure before entering.

“I’m back. But why’s the atmosphere like this?”

“Here, beneath the sky, wider than a sea—”

“Don’t mess around.”

“Yes, here.”

At Catherine’s warning, Karem promptly zipped his mouth shut, but in reality, Mary had already grasped the situation right outside the door.

“By the way, it seems I should be the one using this tableware.”

However, pretending not to notice, Mary seated herself naturally where Karem stepped aside, taking over service for Catherine.

“Given the situation, little one, you’ll need to get a fitting outfit for your coming-of-age ceremony.”

For a moment, Mary desperately held back the thought of assuring her that she could finish it in an instant…

Of course, she had confidence that she could satisfy all the requirements within half a day from the moment the task was assigned. After all, she had made the clothes for Karem when his body grew due to a curse.

Yet, Mary firmly pressed her mouth shut, refusing to voice her thoughts.

No matter how much she tried to ignore the gazes and judgment of those around her, practical (time-consuming) damage would occur.

She couldn’t allow that to tarnish the honor of the house fairy.

“Then we should drop by the tailor shop.”

“The tailor shop… wait a minute. This feels eerily familiar.”

“Tomorrow, you won’t have anything special going on, right?”

“You think making just one outfit is a trivial matter…?”

“Then isn’t it natural?”

It wasn’t déjà vu.

Karem recalled the painfully monotonous experience at the Magic Tools Rack, where a minute felt like an hour.

With that in mind, he pondered asking Mary…

“Wait. This is a date.”

The total amount of luck and joy often scales with the amount of misfortune and pain experienced.

“Now that I think about it, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime special day, so it’s worth sparing an entire day for it.”

Karem resolved to humbly accept the pain ahead.

Before that, he would meet Elder Iona first.

 

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