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Honestly, I can’t say I was completely detached from the situation.

The invitation to the hunt was solely for Catherine. Karem was merely accompanying as the Chief Magic Consultant’s dedicated cook and servant.

Of course, he had some qualification as a companion.

That said, as her lover, I never entertained the ruthless thought of hiding while Catherine wandered around against her will.

In fact, I needed to thwart Mary’s nefarious attempts to seize the kitchen duties if I truly didn’t follow along.

Ultimately, Karem had no choice but to stick around so he could keep his job and witness Catherine eating happily.

I planned to watch Catherine from a distance, just like the saying goes, “The tragedy of a legendary comedian appears comical from afar.”

“This wasn’t in my future.”

In the kitchen of the temporary encampment, Karem muttered vacantly.

In simple terms, he had been sold to Alfred. Just for a moment.

After all, Catherine’s years of life had made her aware of her lover’s despicable thoughts. Hence, Karem accepted Alfred’s request to borrow a chef out of a sense of revenge.

However, there was one person who disagreed.

“Contractor! Why does Karem get to have such enviable… me too!”

“Are you telling me to roam around with no attendant?”

“Kugh! Karem-senpai! Don’t think you’ve won!”

In the end, Mary succumbed. She moved with heavy footsteps after Catherine but, for some reason, felt the burning jealousy of Mary’s gaze glaring at her from somewhere.

But who actually won? Who?

Karem felt truly unfair. He only intended to stand beside Catherine, who was bothered by a nuisance.

However, the situation had already concluded.

Karem was ultimately ordered to take charge of the kitchen in the temporary encampment.

To be clear, he had become the head chef.

“So, you are that famous Karem?”

A voice full of confrontation came from behind. Karem turned his head slightly.

“You seem younger than my youngest son.”

The other chefs standing behind said nothing but bore eyes similar to Mary’s. Yet the emotions contained within them differed.

Doubt. A young man of his age was grasping control over the kitchen.

Karem found the situation extremely bothersome.

He had rejected all of this to avoid such experiences.

Yet, there was something refreshing about it, and it was a bit fun.

Had there ever been someone who openly challenged him like this?

Now that it had come to this, he threw recipes into the air—

“Karem the head chef! I didn’t expect to see you here. It’s been a while!”

There was no need for him to meddle.

The chefs’ eyes widened at the words coming in.

“Alberto? I thought Sir Zigmeser would be coming, but it’s you?”

“I came instead because there was an urgent matter. You know how it is.”

“Ah, that’s why. No, more importantly, just call me by my name, not head chef.”

“I’ve told you before, regardless of age, someone who’s responsible for a kitchen—”

“When I get back, Sir Zigmeser will be swinging a pot and banging it. I hear the same thing every time.”

And witnessing their conversation, the chefs lost their skepticism.

As Karem assumed, they’d suspected him to be ‘that’ Karem who shook the culinary world of Iceland from its roots.

They had heard rumors, but it was still hard to believe he was so young. Even if he aged due to a curse, he was still too young.

“Uh, the head chef is here?”

“What brings the Chief Magic Consultant’s dedicated person here? Shouldn’t you be having a lovey-dovey time?”

“Excuse me? Sold, you say?”

With such comments almost like testimonies from other chefs from Winterhome, it became impossible to maintain any further doubts.

Of course, there were still nails sticking out here and there.

Karem paid them no mind.

“So, how many recipes have you made by the time you hit that age?”

“Kugh—”

“Uh, are you saying that I, the head chef trained by the renowned Sir Zigmeser, rank below you?”

“Damn it, who said anything like that!”

“Don’t exaggerate!”

With that, he placed Alberto as the sous chef and assigned other chefs as heads of their respective areas, lightly suppressing their resistance.

Above all.

“Uh, Your Highness William? What brings you here?”

“Karem? You’re the head chef here? Sir Zigmeser mentioned that experiencing things like this is important if he’s going to cook.”

William, the second prince of the duke’s family, who was seriously considering shifting his future towards cooking instead of pursuing the title of duke, had come for a field trip.

Even though chef’s treatment might vary by noble family, the heir of a duke’s family could not be compared.

In this way, the flame of resistance that the chefs had ignited was extinguished ruthlessly before the might of power.

Thus, they had no choice but to acknowledge it.

“After all, it’s not an official meal. Since it’s just a light snack, let’s set it up differently than for a banquet.”

“You’ll need to walk around and chat, so let’s make dishes that are easy to eat without tableware.”

“Sandwiches, open sandwiches, skewers, salads… what else is there? For now, all dessert chefs, gather here!”

Although it was a bit awkward for him to be called the head chef, and he seemed flustered at points, there were undeniable aspects to recognize.

He devised table settings and arrangements appropriate for social purposes and, on the spot, spurred ideas for the dishes.

Especially the skills. His techniques were not merely from following recipes but were from countless attempts that had become instinctive, possible only for a developer.

In truth, he had practiced making things delicious in his past life and honed his skills to feed the surrounding gluttons.

Still, as the chefs from Winterhome began to assist, the awkward parts quickly filled in.

Thus, those chefs who had been doubtful and jealous finally acknowledged the subject of the rumors.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

However, Karem had no time to spare on such matters.

The wise saying that you should never take on the role of leader in group projects applied to cooking too.

Of course, Karem wasn’t doing much himself.

The preparation and initial setups were done by the other chefs. Cooking was the same. Karem just needed to decide what to make, pulling out recipes if need be.

But problems naturally arose since cooking is a human endeavor.

“Wow, I can’t do this.”

Preparing meals for dozens of guests and their attendants.

Even if it was just a light snack, Karem had to prepare hundreds of servings at least. Just for the dozens of servings for William alone would take hours.

Seriously, I have no idea how they manage this.

Karem, already drained, was powered only by the determination not to embarrass Catherine.

Of course, the main culprit behind his current struggle was Catherine, but that was something to resolve after the hunt and be reimbursed.

The fortunate thing for Karem was that among the chefs, there was no one who didn’t know about the recipes he had sprinkled around. Even those who didn’t know carried small recipe cards.

If anyone had hidden the methods and kept them secret, he would have had to teach them on the spot, which would have made him even busier.

And one more thing.

As mentioned earlier, it was just a snack.

Of course, the thought of dinner was getting intimidating.

That was something to think about later.

Of course, if you consider the number of people, the dinner banquet would quickly escalate into a more substantial event… and I genuinely didn’t want to do it.

Really.

“…I’ll need to ask Catherine to omit that.”

“Head chef, should we prepare mint tea?”

“Who was that rascal who just asked me about that blasphemous deed?!!!”

With that, the busy kitchen grew accustomed to the unfamiliar atmosphere, and as they started to mesh finely, the dishes began to complete one by one, awaiting the guests.

“Thank you for your hard work. Would you like a drink?”

Alberto approached gently, handing over a glass. Beer. It seemed he was taking a moment to drink as well.

“It’s broad daylight, and you’re having beer?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Ah… can we really drink this now?”

“I opened a barrel while giving the other chefs some break time.”

No, that’s not what I meant.

However, on the contrary, Alberto tilted his head with a smile, as if to say, what could possibly be the issue.

“Umm… no. Nothing at all.”

Karem accepted the beer with a hesitant feeling.

The sharp scent of hops, the chill from the handle, and foam stacked atop the beer.

Karem, exhausted to the point of sweating, soon lost the concern over whether this was an issue and gulped it down.

Indeed, even at Winterhome’s estate, if the work was tough, it was customary to enjoy a drink.

As long as you didn’t drink to the point of drunkenness, it was fine. Even Karem, who was somewhat careful with alcohol, wouldn’t get drunk off a single beer.

Resolved, Karem brought the glass to his lips.

Gulp!

Certainly, there was a reason why Alberto had suddenly taken charge.

The soft beer foam filled his mouth, mixing with freshly roasted nuts and a nutty, ice-cold liquid that sent a delightful shiver down his spine.

The tiny bite of metallic taste stimulated his weary throat with the carbonation’s refreshing touch.

Additionally, the pleasantly bitter and alcoholic flavor jolted his tired eyes wide open from the back.

If he let loose, he could keep drinking.

Barely managing to control himself to just one shot, Karem took a breather after drinking half.

“Whew! I understand a dwarf’s heart now.”

“Wouldn’t it be incredibly sad not to enjoy even a glass after hard labor?”

“Certainly. But I wouldn’t do that a second time.”

“Indeed. It seems serving others isn’t quite your calling, Head Chef. Ah, the guests are arriving.”

Karem, hearing Alberto’s words, turned his gaze to the noisy guests who began to pour into the plaza right after returning from the hunt.

“Are you worrying about how the ladies will react?”

“Huh? Worry? Not really. Why?”

“Honestly, I was worried that you might feel tense since you’re still young despite your exterior. It’s a relief if you aren’t.”

“If that made me tense, I would have had a heart attack when I fed the first prince and Alicia oats.”

As Karem, who had horrified Alberto, crossed his arms, he watched the guests’ reactions.

As expected.

“Haha! Isn’t the skill of the renowned genius chef astonishing?”

“Mmm… Oh… I used to believe that meat should only be a sprinkling of salt and pepper… but this sauce… oh… mmm…”

“Mmm… Eating vegetables. Are you feeling unwell at the moment?”

“It’s not just vegetables, you should try this. It’s delicious! It even allows you to eat more meat than usual.”

“You should’ve mentioned that first!”

“I’ve been waiting a bit for this tart, is it not ready yet?”

“You’ve waited a long time! Here, the additional portions just arrived!”

The guests were pleased.

 

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