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People change just by living in different places.

Olivier temporarily halted his steps, awkwardly shifting his hunched back that had been stooped for centuries.

He inhaled the refreshingly clear air he had forgotten for most of his life, savoring the beauty of the world.

Slurp—

“Ah, so this is the air up high.”

Olivier strolled around his office in the mage tower, taking deep breaths to circulate his body with the summer air of Iceland.

Of course, there was no summer breeze here; the office was merely filled with the musty scent of old books, parchment, and unerasable experimental materials mixed with potion fumes.

Even if he stepped outside, it wouldn’t be refreshing; the humidity from the recent rains combined with the dreary weather made the air stuffy.

However, Olivier didn’t mind.

When was the last time he felt this invigorated?

No matter how many potions he drank, he had never experienced such sensations. It’s been hundreds of years. Hundreds.

After several sleepless nights staring at magic tools, reading books in twisted postures, and enduring inconsistent eating habits, even a troll would feel worn out.

But Olivier didn’t mind.

Why? Because his body had regained its health.

Thanks to none other than Mammoth meat.

Thanks to that, his overworked body regained an energy that was uncharacteristic for his age, and even his tongue felt vibrant, enhancing his taste to an even better state than before.

Slurp—

“Ah, this is surprisingly amazing.”

Olivier savored the thick, white broth he prepared using the marrow and bones, made from the tail of the Dragon Lord.

As his vitality returned, the rich bone broth coated his tongue with a fiery intensity.

Unlike the heavy taste of cream stew, the broth had no discomfort whatsoever.

As he quickly swirled his tongue to taste it and swallowed it down, the still-warm, dense broth coated his throat.

Someone might say that it’s hot.

Olivier himself hadn’t been able to handle heat until recently.

Not for any other reason, just because he was old.

However, with the health of his youthful days restored, the hot broth merely offered a refreshing sensation.

Slurp—slurp—

And the flavor of the well-stewed Dragon Lord’s tail marrow was astonishingly beyond imagination, no matter how many times he tasted it.

“I thought it would be unpleasant given how gooey it looks.”

Initially, Olivier hesitated when Karem secretly brought it to him, saying, “It’s something I made, so give it a try.”

The broth smelled delicious, but the floating marrow looked like a pudding half-turned slime.

However, its taste was completely contrary to its appearance.

Each time he chewed on the bouncy tail marrow, an aromatic flavor burst forth, permeating his entire mouth.

Once he started tasting it, he found it impossible to stop.

He wouldn’t be making any more Dragon dishes for a while, so he savored it slowly—

Boom—

A faint vibration interrupted his peaceful moment.

Olivier placed his cup down on the table with a thud.

“Tsk. Just when I thought it was peaceful for a change.”

Olivier harshly clicked his tongue, annoyed by the irregular vibration. The failure rate of his subordinates seemed to have increased lately.

Of course, despite Olivier’s complaints, the failure rate hadn’t actually risen.

It was an unusually large scale, but such things were always happening in the mage tower.

It was only that Olivier, due to his aging body, hadn’t noticed it until now.

Even if that were not the case, Olivier had no right to complain for such reasons, but he chose not to care.

If someone were to complain, Olivier would say, “If you don’t like it, go become a Grand Wizard.”

Of course, even if someone reached such heights like Catherine, Olivier wouldn’t be bothered in the slightest.

After all, hypocrisy and arrogance towards subordinates are qualifications for those in higher positions and elders. Olivier hardly blinks at any complaints.

Eventually, the irregularly ringing vibrations faded away.

He could tolerate smaller explosions and vibrations just fine.

Slurp—

“Mmm. I want to drink more of this.”

Olivier looked longingly at the empty cup that had housed the Dragon tail soup.

I wonder if I could do something like this with a cow or pig?

*

*

*

While Olivier was licking his lips casually, a horrifying scene was unfolding in Narque’s laboratory in real-time.

“Hmm. My experience that forms the basis of this theory was from my time in Fungusbee. Despite not being a corpse, I lost control of the Mushroom Golem due to the inherent spirit of necromancy.”

Karem stared intently at Narque. Narque’s face was silently screaming for help while Catherine rifled through thick parchments, examining a blank-faced Cheese Golem.

However, unlike his expression, Narque’s mouth had no choice but to respond.

“Corpses tend to decay, and decay is just a step away from fermentation, so… Fermented foods like cheese are essentially the same as corpses or Undead in necromancy…”

“Then the reason for failing to control it lies in the differing materials and structures, which means you were merely following the existing methods.”

Narque simply said it was a fun little experiment.

And Narque’s embarrassing secret notebook was thoroughly exposed by Dean Catherine.

“Karem, my junior. Do you have any clue what they’re talking about?”

“I feel like I have an idea but…”

Turning his gaze away from the horrifying spectacle, Karem tilted his head and gently patted the arm of the blank-faced Cheese Golem.

“This wasn’t spoiled, was it?”

“Unless some foreign substance has interfered, they are just stacks of cheese.”

“So it can be eaten?”

“However, how the necromantic aspect will function remains unknown.”

Karem looked at Mary and then up at the ceiling with a gaze that seemed to ask, ‘Is that really a problem?’

“Why are you looking at me like that? Ah, I see.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Mary understood.

“Mammoth meat. There’s still plenty left.”

“It was certainly purified with Holy Water and Divine Power, so it could be eaten.”

Karem discreetly swiped a shumai from Mary’s plate.

The necromantic Cheese Golem and the Undead-aged Mammoth meat may have appeared completely different, but they had something in common.

The former had been stored for a long time in a refrigerator enchanted with preservation magic and became a product of necromantic experimentation, while the latter had been preserved in dry sub-zero temperatures and, after a short period of movement due to necromancy, had been purified with Holy Water and Divine Power.

The only difference was that the former hadn’t been purified yet; their processes leading to animation were quite similar.

As Narque, with a dazed expression, approached Karem and Mary, drawn in by the Cheese Golem, he exclaimed, “Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here, poor soul.”

“Right. I’m feeling quite pitiful right now. So could I please get one of those shumais?”

“W-well, they belong to Miss Catherine for lunch, but it seems there won’t be an issue.”

Catherine was currently indulging in her examination of the mock-up appearing Cheese Golem while being absorbed in Narque’s embarrassing research notes.

“But, didn’t Mary say that other wizards didn’t eat the shumais you had?”

“Huh? So?”

“After eating that, can you eat more again?”

“You can eat crab as much as you want!”

“In that case… Shall we just give it away?”

At Karem’s words, Mary stared at him blankly.

“Is it really alright to give it away?”

“Well, we have crabs in abundance and can easily make more later. Besides, it seems like Miss Catherine isn’t planning to eat them.”

“Hmm.”

“Is there anything else besides you or me that will eat it if she leaves it behind?”

At those words, Mary extended her plate, and with a grin, Narque began skewering shumais to eat. As he enjoyed the shumais, he seemed to come alive, as if he hadn’t been in a daze just moments before.

“Unlike other detestable wizards, Lord Eskarna is quite desirable for house fairies, and I’m very satisfied.”

“Well, what can you do? Not everyone can be as crazy about crabs as Narque.”

Seeing him stuff his cheeks until they nearly burst only increased the sense of camaraderie amongst them.

Narque blinked and swallowed the contents in his mouth.

“Did you just call me by my name?”

“I did, didn’t I?”

“R-really just now?”

“Well, to be honest, I was trying to call you a bit earlier…”

“W-was there another reason for that?”

“It’s just fun to tease you, and I forgot when I addressed you as a lord.”

“How cruel?!”

Narque protested while slowing down his eating pace, but Karem lightly brushed it off and suddenly noticed the cheese sitting at one side of the laboratory.

Unlike the cheese wheels used to form the Cheese Golem, it looked rather different.

The upper surface should’ve been flat, yet it was dented and scattered with cheese pieces like shards.

It was clear what that broken cheese was intended for. Karem’s gaze drifted momentarily to the small Cheese Golem model before returning.

‘That could make just the right shape.’

Karem briefly envisioned himself mixing pasta with a giant cheese wheel worth millions, using it as the dish and ingredient.

In the meantime, Catherine delivered a death sentence to the exhausted Narque wailing in his ears.

“Although intriguing, there are several immature aspects, I must say.”

Slurp, gulp. “No way. Could it be—”

“Please submit a detailed analysis on the relationship between fermentation, decay, and necromancy, including at least three improvement directions.”

Something he had done just for fun had turned into a workload bomb.

Narque’s mouth silently screamed again.

*

*

*

Leaving behind the small commotion, Karem placed one of the treasures he obtained from Narque into the refrigerator.

Thud—

The table shook under the weight of the massive cheese wheel.

“Ugh.”

“Do you really need to bother with what you could have me do?”

“No, I’ve actually gained more strength than I thought.”

“Indeed, it seems you’ve finished adjusting your strength after spending some sweet time with your contractor.”

“What’s that got to do with lifting cheese?”

“Both were due to enhanced physical abilities, right?”

“Let’s drop the subject.”

Karem replied half-heartedly while stroking the dented cheese wheel. Honestly, he still found it hard to believe this strength.

‘This must weigh at least several dozen kilograms.’

Though it might look trivial due to its classification as food, fractures from traditional cheese wheels are not uncommon.

Moreover, according to Irish mythology, one story exists where a queen met her demise by cracking her head on a cheese wheel that rolled down a hill, showing that even ancient times recognized the risks of cheese.

“So, what do you intend to make with the cheese that you brought in whole?”

“I’m going to mix pasta in the end.”

“Pasta, you say.”

Mary nodded her head, seemingly in understanding. Then, realizing something was amiss, she flinched.

“What did you just say?”

“I said I was going to mix pasta in it.”

She glanced at the dented cheese wheel. If one pushed it a bit, it did look like a bowl since it was hollowed out from above.

But why?

Karem read the meaning of that look in Mary’s eyes that seemed to question why he would do something so unnecessary.

“They say visual satisfaction is also important in cooking.”

“Like a decorative dish?”

“Something like that. Just imagine the scene of tossing steaming pasta in a cheese wheel this size and serving it with melted cheese mixed in. It would be to die for!”

“Indeed, it would be quite a sight.”

Understanding finally dawned on Mary, and she withdrew her rudeness-filled gaze.

“Well, you’ll be going to some banquet for dinner, so I guess it’ll be made after today.”

“I should start preparing dinner soon myself.”

Mary mumbled as she moved several boxes of Ship’s Claw Crab to the refrigerator.

“If you make crab dishes again, the number of wizards running off to the Great Hall will increase. How about a different dish this time?”

“No, Karem, this is a matter of pride for house fairies.”

“Pride, you say?”

“Just you wait and see. Today will be different.”

However, Mary’s hopes did not come to fruition.

Once the aroma of boiled crab spread, even more wizards fled than before.

“Alright, let’s eat. I-I should eat… Why am I not as happy as before…?”

“So, will you not eat it?”

“W-who! I’m going to eat it all! I even brought a digestion potion!?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected workload bomb, Narque, who was oscillating between hot and cold due to the overflowing crab dishes, was the only one agitated.

 

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