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As the Crystal Jubilee drew closer, Bendleig and Winchester Castle began to heat up, and people not seen in a while started to appear here and there.

The royal court, nobles, and elves, dwarves, gnomes, and various beastmen from all over Europa who had invited themselves to the occasion.

Catherine’s busy schedule also became adjusted, similar to how it was in Winterhome. It would be so until the day of the jubilee.

Karem also intended to finally test out the salamander egg heating device he had purchased. For barbecue, of course.

That was the plan.

Suddenly, Inamark, the king of Seophone, showed up.

“Because of you, the prince is starting to become picky.”

“Me? Really?”

“Yes. Take responsibility.”

How rude of him to just barge in and immediately push his agenda. While Karem preferred this direct approach over beating around the bush, it was quite burdensome when the other party was a king.

By the way, how much can a child possibly eat if they only want jjajangmyeon?

Karem thought to himself as he began counting in his head.

Hmm, the prince had indeed come looking for jjajangmyeon three times a day since they served it. He certainly ate a lot.

But it was tough to fix pickiness as a whole. No, how was he supposed to fix a child’s pickiness when he hadn’t learned anything about children?

“Now, when frying the jjajang, you should generously drizzle some pork fat or similarly flavored oil around. Be careful, or you could burn it all!”

“Of course, putting in plenty of meat is fine, but the main flavors and sweetness come from onions and cabbage, so fry them well. More, more, more more more! Just like the plates of the Bersengzeto elves!”

“Well, I’ll use the kongarum I brought. I’ll arrange for regular deliveries to the royal kitchen, okay? Recipes? Hmmm… I’ll think about it.”

No one dared to complain about learning a recipe directly, given the young age and background of the instructor. After all, the king had given them a direct order to learn from this child; who would dare to voice discontent?

The royal kitchen staff could typically suppress most nobles, but that authority was borrowed. With the king giving orders, there was no choice but to comply.

Of course, not everyone kept quiet until the end, but it largely didn’t escalate beyond that. Even if the dishes overlapped, the parties involved were only temporary visitors until the jubilee ended.

In other words, there wouldn’t be an overlap in bowls. So, they could tolerate a bit of discomfort, especially since it was a royal decree.

And just to be safe, Karem passed on other recipes too.

Jjamppong, sweet and sour pork, orange chicken, etc. — Korean and American-Chinese dishes that could be made without doubanjiang or oyster sauce.

Only after that was Karem freed from Henry’s immense interest and could receive some compensation.

“A catacomb deep tour ticket?”

Oh, what a rare expression. Catherine next to him alternated between looking at the extravagantly decorated ticket and Karem, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Is that really that special?”

“Is it special, you ask?”

“No, it’s just that you look just like you did when you showed us the treasure vault in Winterhome.”

“Hah, ha! What a ridiculous thing to say. As an adventurer and sage, do you even have any idea how many wonders, magical sites, mysterious architectures, monsters, beasts, and animals I’ve seen while traveling across Europa?”

“Your tone seems to have sharpened, hasn’t it?”

“Who said that!”

For all that, the reaction was amusing. It seemed like poking further would cause an explosion; maybe he should stop.

“Even the peaks of the kingdom must wait in line for tours. This is probably one of the few tourism products that Seophone Island can proudly offer to the public.”

“By peaks, do you mean the king?”

“Not quite.”

Well, the king might be an exception, but Karem wondered what kind of ticket could be given as a reward, and it turned out to be something even more significant than he expected. Mary nodded at Karem as if to confirm it immediately.

“You can see the perfectly preserved ancient Palatino style architecture and magic circles, along with the remains of our ancestors and powerful monsters and beasts up close, but you’ll need to wait for months to make a reservation.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about it.”

“I reserved it at the request of the previous contractor.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, that contractor ultimately couldn’t resist the joy of holding the ticket and ended up dying.”

“But isn’t it dangerous?”

“We only offer tours of spaces that have completed exploration, restricted to B-rated or above specialized adventurer teams.”

Oh, so it’s like a safari tour or rugged terrain tourist package. Now it made sense.

“So it means it’s safe unless something unexpected happens.”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s a zero probability of death, though.”

“Really? And yet?”

“And yet. That’s how it is.”

In his flustered state, Karem blinked rapidly and turned his head towards Catherine.

“Many people wish to tour the deepest levels with various motives — vanity, new inspiration, accomplishment, etc.”

“Is that true for you, Miss Catherine?”

“Well… yes. Especially since the depths of the catacombs preserve the culture and magic of the Palatino Empire relatively well…”

As Catherine spoke enthusiastically, she sensed Karem’s ongoing gaze fixed on her and promptly sealed her lips.

“What is it?”

“You seem to know quite a bit about it.”

“Hmph. It’s purely academic curiosity. So if you don’t remove that look right now—”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Karem quickly diverted his gaze and picked up the ticket that Catherine had set down to examine it from different angles.

“The date on the ticket is…”

“It overlaps with the Crystal Jubilee period.”

“Right. But doesn’t that pose a problem?”

“What do you mean?”

“It overlaps, you see.”

While it’s customary for everyone to enjoy events such as anniversaries and festivals, those in high positions must attend events too.

Still, the organizers likely wouldn’t tie them down throughout the jubilee. However, as a duke’s aide and chief magic consultant, there would inevitably be mandatory events to attend.

“The royal side would have considered that.”

“They did, you say?”

“Otherwise, they wouldn’t issue such an ambiguous ticket with overlapping dates.”

Catherine swiftly snatched the ticket from Karem’s hands.

“Three people are listed on the ticket. Exactly matching the number of people present here. Three nights and four days, full package. The total number of people, excluding guides, is four.”

“Hmm…”

Karem seemed to maintain his composure yet noted an oddly cheerful demeanor in Catherine; he scratched his temple.

So this means it’s a date? No matter how he thought about it, Karem could only think of the word “date.” Of course, Mary was involved, but she had mentioned she would be mindful about that sort of thing… or had she?

Karem, whose memory was a bit hazy, paused his scratching fingers and glanced slyly over at Mary.

“…”

Though she had been sitting calmly, she was silently gesturing to him with her left hand in a way that seemed to say, “What are you dragging your feet for?”

“It’s likely that you have discussed it with your lord. We can enjoy ourselves there and come back in time for the events.”

“When are we departing?”

“Hmm. Two days from now.”

That was sooner than expected. Mary sighed in reaction to Catherine’s statement.

“Well… it seems I will have to prepare all sorts of things right now. Though… I’m worried about storage….”

Since it was a full package, they’d provide food, but surely it wouldn’t be as good as if she made it herself.

However, even with a magic tool like the Gourmet Lid, it only covered the size of a single basket, which was the problem…

“Why are you worrying about so many trivial things? Just use a spatial expansion pouch.”

Catherine dismissed the concern.

Thus, the magic of spatial expansion was used, with the pouch being much larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside, which would naturally give Catherine enough confidence.

Among the range of items based on quality, type, and grade, the top-grade magic tool could look like just an elegant leather pouch no matter how much you put into it. Its weight felt similar too.

It was easy to put things in, but the question of how to take them out was instantly solved when Karem imagined the desired dish in his mind as he put his hand into the pouch—he would grasp the container holding that dish immediately.

*

*

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The very next day, after making and packing food for the tour he’d take with Mary, the group arrived at their destination stated on the ticket.

The third branch of the Bendleig Adventurer Guild.

“Ah, Sir Atanitas. What brings you here—”

“Take a look at this.”

“…Um! Please follow me!”

At the words of the attendant who popped out from the counter, the gaze of all the adventurers turned to them for a moment. It was the same in Coldon before. Just like back then, as they left the lobby, the feeling of their gazes dissipated.

Only their party gathered in the guest reception of the third branch. Total count: four. Their entourage had not arrived yet.

Catherine took the best seat, and Mary whispered quietly to her.

“I won’t disturb the date from the start. Glad for that.”

“Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”

“Weren’t you feeling uncomfortable?”

“Shut it. You’re being loud.”

“Yes.”

While it wasn’t loud at all, Mary decided to faithfully follow her master’s command.

“However, with four people, that’s fewer than I expected.”

“With more people, the variables increase. It’s a means to ensure safety in a place no different from a dungeon. It’s only natural that the number of tourists is low.”

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, right?”

“Exactly.”

Even so, Karem didn’t particularly feel any sense of danger.

Since there were B-rated or better adventurer parties, but more importantly,

“There’s a grand wizard level sage here. What danger is there, really?”

Karem recalled the aura she had shown in the past. Any threats approaching would likely turn around and flee in politeness.

“Well, at minimum, B-rated adventurers will be present, so they should be able to handle most situations.”

“Even a former S-Class adventurer—”

“Quiet.”

Catherine pinched Karem’s lips with her fingers. It didn’t last long. When the reception room door swung open, she released her grip.

Creak—

“Oh, thank you for opening the door.”

“It’s only natural for esteemed guests using our guild.”

The employee from the lobby had opened the door, and through the gap, an explosive woman entered, clad in robes that couldn’t hide her figure.

“Is this the last guest?”

“…”

“Miss Catherine?”

Suddenly, there was silence. Karem turned his gaze to Catherine, wondering. She was following the woman who had just entered with narrowed eyes.

“Karem. That item. You still have it, right?”

“By that item… ah, yes.”

“Check again.”

“Don’t worry.”

Since the Afterglow Fortress, he had carried the holy relic with him wherever he went—even when sleeping.

“Then that’s good.”

Seeing Karem patting his chest, Catherine felt relieved. However…

“Oh my god. What on earth is that person doing here…?!”

The very person receiving that gaze, a succubus disguised as a tourist, Marta, felt no relief. She trembled inside at the openly scrutinizing eyes.

“An ordinary cook? An ordinary cook!? What kind of cook is like that in the world!? If all cooks were like the one in front of me, a priest handling divine power wouldn’t be treated so highly. And considering the pressure emanating even from outside the door, it felt like any high-ranking priest would be overwhelmed. Would even the grand priest of the Grand Sanctuary be like this?”

Moreover, next to her sat the youngest sage, who held the title of grand wizard.

On top of that, he was holding two holy relics that surely bore the touch of gods!

“This is a scam!”

While trying to discreetly check the seal, she found herself overwhelmed instead.

Marta trembled under a sudden gaze of death.

Of course, without showing it on the surface.

If it appeared, she could die right then and there.

 

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