---

Mint’s Affair.

I’m not sure if it’s exactly the same item as that mint from my past life, but mint is certainly a food ingredient that people either love or hate.

Many mint enthusiasts say that in establishments that serve mint, such as ice cream shops, chocolate mint ice cream has never fallen from the top five in sales.

However, there’s a catch hidden in this.

When mint lovers visit a shop, they almost always order food that includes mint, more than any other menu item.

Yet, Karem wasn’t particularly an anti-mint advocate.

No, rather, he liked mint to some extent.

To be specific, when it was used in desserts.

The harmony created by mint awakening the rich, thick flavor of chocolate could truly be described as a divine combination descended from the heavens—albeit a bit exaggerated.

But to be honest?

It’s not a bad flavor.

If one were to choose between likes and dislikes, it would undoubtedly fall into the ‘like’ category.

However, mint salad? Mint pancakes? Mint tea? Mint pickled shins?

It’s not that I oppose using mint in cooking.

I oppose dishes where mint takes the center stage.

Mint tea is simply out of the question.

But cooks are essentially artisans.

They possess confidence and pride, which only grow stronger as their rank ascends.

“Hah, if you give it for free, I’ll graciously drink it! But how dare you step into the kitchen! Such rudeness! Can’t you just leave already?!”

What about a head chef managing the menu of the café in the Inner Castle? He was furious at the unexpected intrusion of an uninvited guest—Chef Mathieu (a study-abroad graduate).

It’s not like I made it because I wanted to!

The café’s lady owner had fetched herbs from across the sea to keep up with the latest trends and brewed them.

It was only natural for the chef, whose territory was invaded by someone else’s actions, to be furious.

However, Mathieu’s anger did not last long.

Did the uninvited guest leave? No.

Karem did not leave the kitchen.

Did the subordinate chefs drive out the uninvited guest?

They were just about to do that.

At that moment, the café’s lady owner rushed in, commanding the uninvited guest to allow access to the kitchen for a while.

Naturally, Mathieu was displeased.

The kitchen is a restricted area for non-staff.

Yet, instead of immediately calling the guards, allowing the uninvited guest into the kitchen?

But the order from the employer, who also serves water, was absolute.

Mathieu relented with a grumble and made way in the kitchen.

Yet he did not give up.

If the result did not satisfy him, the Bersengzeto-style method for dealing with uninvited guests would be unleashed… but using the giant carrot the size of an adult’s shin that Mathieu had prepared would not happen.

“… I simply added mint to vanilla ice cream. What kind of flavor is this?”

“Mint, Mint’s Affair, is meant to be eaten in dessert, cold.”

Mathieu held the spoon he had just put in his mouth, staring down at the mint vanilla ice cream in the bowl.

The uninvited guest. There was no time to care about the advice from one of the guests’ personal chefs. Something much more important was on his mind.

“Um… Chef? So… should we drive him away?”

“Drive away? What do you mean drive away?!”

He had clearly eaten a spoonful of ice cream.

Having eaten that much, there should have been some trace left even if it melted.

The sweet aroma unique to vanilla.

The creamy smooth texture and flavor of the ice cream.

None of the sensations could be felt anywhere on my tongue or inside my mouth.

Only a gentle freshness lingered, leaving an endless longing.

Mathieu cheerfully scooped up the ice cream once more, playfully humming to soothe his disappointed tongue.

The bright light green ice cream, which at a glance seemed white, began to slowly and smoothly melt in the kitchen’s heat.

At the moment a droplet of melted ice cream pooled at the tip of the spoon—

“… Hmm!”

Mathieu plunged the spoon into his mouth in one swift motion.

And the sensation he had first felt began to melt in his mouth again.

The cold cream seeped sweetly and smoothly between his tongue’s papillae and teeth.

As the ice cream melted, a delightful vanilla flavor spread deep into his throat and nostrils, lingering long enough to leave a mark.

Hwah-ah-ah-ah—

An intense and refreshing aroma began to push everything away.

The refreshing scent of Mint’s Affair surged in waves, gradually overpowering the aroma of vanilla and cream with a slight delay.

Starting from his tongue, to his nose, nasal cavities, and deep into his head.

He could feel the essence of his throat, uvula, lungs, and stomach.

The sudden uninvited guest escalated into a tussle between the existing vanilla and cream, but ultimately, the result was the same as before.

Victory for Mint’s Affair.

True to its name, the victory of Mint’s Affair.

The freshness of Mint’s Affair that overpowered the existing vanilla and cream lingered inside him, remaining sharp yet refreshing in his mouth and nostrils.

“… Hah. How light this is.”

“Are you finally going to admit it?”

Mathieu tried to glare at the confidently smiling Karem but ended up squinting his eyes.

It had barely been three days since he had encountered Mint’s Affair.

There just wasn’t enough time to draw a definitive conclusion.

But at least one thing was certain.

At least for desserts, eating it cold was undoubtedly the correct method.

Mathieu recalled the refreshing hot water brewed in the kitchen and served to the guests in the hall, which the café’s lady owner had ordered.

He took a moment to savor the flavor of the minty vanilla ice cream which Karem, claiming to be the uninvited guest, had shown.

Still sweet, smooth, delightful, refreshing, and even the aftertaste was clean.

“But wait. I haven’t even used it in other dishes or desserts yet—”

Yet he couldn’t just concede like this.

He was the head chef of a kitchen.

His subordinates were watching.

Moreover, the innate reluctance of a Bersengzeto person to accept the rationale of a Sephorn person was part of his nature.

“And there’s this thing called Affogato—”

“Tell me more about that!”

That kind of thing was more important than discovering a new flavor.

Ignoring the sour looks from the kitchen, Mathieu shook the shoulders of the grinning Karem as per his plan.

*

*

*

Once he managed to convince Mathieu, Karem suddenly recalled he had abandoned Catherine. If he returned like this, he’d definitely be in for a scolding.

“Hoho, so this is the result of the seed abandoning its owner, is it?”

“I’m sorry.”

One must acknowledge the truth.

So Karem quickly bowed his head.

“But those crazy seeds created that awful hot water. If we don’t fix it, it’ll surely flood all of Coldon… no, it’ll reach Winterhome, so I can’t just—”

“Enough with the details.”

“Yes.”

Ignoring this would surely end up with punishment.

As Karem immediately shut his mouth and extended the spoon, Catherine glanced down at it for a moment, snorted, and then ate.

“If it didn’t taste good, that’d be one thing.”

“Who do you think I am? At least I can guarantee it tastes good.”

“Don’t mess with me. You cocky brat.”

Catherine punched Karem, who was sitting beside her with her left hand.

“Ouch.”

“Just because you’ve grown bigger, doesn’t mean it won’t hurt! What are you complaining about?”

“My heart hurts, you know? My heart.”

“Your body is fine then. So it should hurt a little more, right?”

“No, wait! Ouch! It really hurts!?”

The once gentle touch he felt after growing bigger suddenly felt like a blunt force striking him.

“Wait, how are you even striking me with magic—”

“Magic, my foot. I just wrapped my magic around you. So take another hit, you brat.”

“Wait! I give up! I surrender! Magic is cheating!”

Honestly, it’d be easy to dodge the attack.

All he had to do was stand up.

But Karem couldn’t do that.

He had never had any meaningful interaction with a woman in his entire life, let alone a date, but he wasn’t oblivious to the atmosphere.

In life, there’s a sincerity that needs no words.

Every time Catherine punched him in the side, he became acutely aware of her ironic tone in warning him, ‘Let’s see you try to dodge just once.’

After a while of mercilessly hitting him with ice cream, Catherine seemed to have calmed down a bit, spreading her fingers and resting her chin on her palm.

“So, what are you going to tell me this time?”

“Um… did I mention that?”

“Hah. Your behavioral patterns are so predictable.”

Catherine lightly clicked her tongue, glancing at the ice cream.

“Let me guess, the one you brewed with Mint’s Affair… or you’re introducing something better?”

“Um… it seems you actually heard me.”

“If I had known that, I wouldn’t have bothered asking.”

Did I act that simply?

Karem tilted his head but had no reason to keep it a secret. After all, it wasn’t anything special.

“At least, I briefly introduced a properly made beverage and recipe that goes well with desserts, rather than this hot and refreshing deceitful water.”

“A beverage… I think I have an idea about what it is.”

“You’re on the right track.”

“Is it Alraune’s Tear?”

Catherine rolled her eyes while staring coldly at the Mint’s Affair tea that the waiter had yet to take away from the table.

“It might be better than that refreshing thing.”

“It’s called Affogato. You take vanilla ice cream and put it in a bowl.”

“Huh?”

“Then, you slowly pour in the hot brewed thick Alraune’s Tear over it and scoop it with a spoon.”

For a moment, Catherine recalled the two dishes in her memory and imagined them as Karem described.

The white vanilla ice cream, resting like an egg in its nest.

A stream of rich dark liquid trickles over the top.

In the moment they make contact, a white steam rises, and the brown liquid of the melted vanilla ice cream and Alraune’s Tear slowly begins to pool in the bowl.

Just because the cold ice cream meets the hot liquid doesn’t mean it’ll melt away in an instant.

The density of cream.

The chill of ice cream.

Due to the two, it slowly melts down like icicles in early spring.

Amidst the still hot, nutty aroma, the sweet scent of vanilla subtly weaves in, providing a different variation from usual.

Of course, Alraune’s Tear would be somewhat bitter.

That’s only natural, given how strong the brew is.

However, it would surely be mellowed just like the joy from a brownie, mixing with the melted vanilla ice cream.

The vanilla ice cream remained cold, yet was much smoother.

The Alraune’s Tear was a bit cooler but still hot and nutty.

Cold, hot, sweet, nutty, and the aroma persists without an end—

“Hah, you’re just saying this now?”

It’s a contradictory combination, but it’s what makes it such a fantastic one.

“Now that I think about it, this is quite annoying. Why are you only telling me about this simple yet wonderful combination now?”

“Um… you won’t get mad, right?”

“Fine.”

“I just forgot for a moment.”

Knowing him, of course he would do that. Catherine sighed.

Considering his habit of coming up with menu ideas on the spot, that statement was indeed true.

It was a trivial and obvious reason to get angry over.

“Now that I think about it, it’s quite annoying. You brat.”

“Ow! I said you shouldn’t get mad—”

“Fine. So I’ll just end this with one punch.”

Catherine lightly shook her head, teasing him.

“When we return to the tower, what’s your job?”

“… I’ll make the Affogato right away.”

“Fine. But I still find it annoying, so this isn’t over yet.”

“No—”

“Any complaints?”

“No, none at all.”

No matter what he said here, the result would be the same.

It was clear he’d just get smacked again.

So Karem resolved to gently spoon-feed her the mint vanilla ice cream every time Catherine opened her mouth.

“Alright, I’ve made my decision.”

As the bowl started to show signs of emptiness, Catherine snapped her fingers.

“Kid. You’ll be sacrificed as an offering for the coming-of-age ceremony, and also a gift for me. I initially thought I’d leave it up to your discretion… but I’ve changed my mind.”

With a mischievous look that said ‘let’s see how you fare,’ Catherine grinned like a playful child.

“Your gift will be through cooking.”

“I’d rather take a punishment. A punishment.”

“This is your punishment. Think hard until the coming-of-age ceremony. I expect great things.”

“No.”

This still meant she was angry.

She spouted utter nonsense beyond imagination.

To quell Catherine’s anger, to offer a sacrifice to God at the coming-of-age ceremony, and also to say she’d be expecting him?

“What… perhaps a ring or necklace, like some kind of trinket…”

“Me? To you? Why?”

That would be right.

A person who usually handles magic trinkets worth a small fortune would have no reason to like pretty little things.

Karem’s head was already pounding.

 

---