kscans

Chapter 173 - Episode 9: Part 1, Preparation for the Experiment

"Princess Maytyl..."

"Oh, you're here again today. You've been showing your face a lot lately, but I wonder what use you are."

Alfina, who had tried to speak to Maytyl at the lab entrance, made a troubled face at Maytyl's sarcasm. Mu, what an ungrateful wretch, even if she doesn't know. I'm worried about you, and I've even had discussions with your caretaker.

"It's necessary for Alfina-sama to also know about the magic spectrum," I said.

Maytyl's eyes darted quickly from side to side.

"...If Ricardo says so, I'll believe it. But if it concerns the research, I'd like you to properly tell me the reason."

"It's the Crystal of Prophecy. In order to investigate what kind of magic wavelengths are emitted when the crystal issues a prophecy, Alfina-sama's cooperation is necessary, isn't it?"

".........That's true. I'm interested as well."

Maytyl nodded after frowning for a moment. I don't sense as much obsession with the Crystal of Prophecy from her as from Dagobard, but she still seems to know something. Well, that's fine for now.

"Of course, the Crystal of Prophecy is a national secret of the kingdom, so I can't tell you the results, though."

"Why not! ...Well, fine. For now, I'm satisfied."

Maytyl said with a face that, no matter how I looked at it, showed she hadn't given up. Just proposing to analyze the Crystal of Prophecy is a political matter, after all. Being suspected of privatizing the crystal would be the worst. And depending on the results... Anyway, I need to focus on the other problem.

I looked at Maytyl's complexion again. Despite her usual arrogant attitude, she clearly looked pale. According to the Duchess's information, her appetite is still poor. It's a relief that it hasn't decreased, but that's a slow decline.

"So, what about this girl here? I think I saw her when I first came here, didn't I?"

Maytyl shifted her gaze to Sherry, who was with Alfina. Sherry flinched, even though she wasn't being glared at. Please don't intimidate my experiment assistant for today.

"A-Ah, today, because of Vinder... No, on Vinder's request, I've brought goods from the Belmini Company."

Sherry placed the two baskets she held in both hands onto the table.

"Belmini... Oh, the one with the green tea, I think. That sounds delightful."

Sherry trembled under the pressure. The greengrocer's daughter cautiously took out the company's main products from the basket.

A wide variety of leaves piled up on a deep plate. I had asked them to prepare as many different colored vegetables as possible, green, red, and yellow. It was a difficult order in this region where crops are only available in season, but they truly excelled. The colorful salad looked delicious just from its appearance. Oh, they even changed the cutting style for each type. Truly a vegetable expert.

However, Maytyl's expression grew sterner in proportion to the thickness of the leaves piled on the plate.

"Does the kingdom serve salad before tea? I'm sorry, but I can't tell the difference between good and bad vegetables."

Saying she doesn't know the difference between good and bad, rather than saying she dislikes them, seems to be her minimum effort to be considerate. But since her audience is Sherry, I wish she'd be more careful. See, now I'm being glared at.

"More importantly, what's that over there?"

Maytyl's eyes moved to the next item Sherry took out.

"T-That's Yokan, made from tree nuts, which recently became available."

While she averted her eyes from the salad, Maytyl was keenly interested in the Yokan. Unlike the usual solid black, this one had whitish tree nuts inside. It was chestnut Yokan, a familiar sight in Japan. I had recently obtained it through Senior Roston's connections.

"That looks delicious. I'll have that—"

"You can't have it unless you eat the salad."

"Why not? You... Even Ricardo is saying bothersome things now. In that case, I don't have to eat it—"

"Princess Maytyl. This is for Your Highness, from Ricardo-kun..."

"Oh, is it the kingdom's hospitality to make me eat things I dislike?"

Alfina tried to intercede, but Maytyl turned her face away with a huff.

"Well, I've put some effort into that area, so don't worry. Right, Sherry?"

"...Y-Yes. To ensure it might please Your Highness even a little, we've prepared three types of dressings, which are rare even in the kingdom."

Glaring at me for raising the bar, Sherry opened the other basket. She took out three small jars inside and opened the lids towards Maytyl. An appetizing, sour smell wafted out. Inside the jars were white, yellow, and brown viscous liquids.

"The colors are interesting, but..."

Maytyl's eyes merely flickered towards the dressings.

Human taste buds are designed to prefer rare or important nutrients. Humans are slaves to their brains, and they won't take actions that their brains don't enjoy, no matter how much their body struggles. And the brain is essentially lazy. It doesn't like the heavy labor of food gathering.

That's why there are taste preferences, not just appetite. It would be troublesome if we were satisfied with common vegetables that have low calories per volume.

What the brain enjoys is rare or high-calorie food. Salt, high-calorie oil, and sugar, for example. I've heard that the junk food industry, which dominated the restaurant scene in my previous world, was desperate to manipulate customers' brains by cleverly adjusting the proportions of these three ingredients.

I once investigated and tested commercially available dressings. Low-calorie ones, meaning those with less fat, had higher salt content. Those with more fat had lower salt content. Dressing is a mechanism to trick the brain with flavors it strongly craves, making it eat vegetables.

To make Maytyl eat vegetables, I prepared three types of dressing.

The first, a white dressing, was a pseudo-Caesar dressing made with a mayonnaise-like olive oil concoction, created with Rilka's help.

The second, yellow one, was honey mustard sauce, a mix of Vinder's main product, honey, and mustard. The third was a dressing of onions, vinegar, and vegetable oil, with chili peppers floating in it. It had a hidden hint of yuzu aroma. This one was probably closest to the standard here.

Of course, all three also had yellow sugar added as a secret ingredient to adjust the flavor.

In other words, the colorful vegetables and the three types of dressing stimulated sight, taste, and curiosity. It was a strategy to thoroughly trick her brain.

"...They might not be worse than normal ones. Hmm, they're rare and good."

Maytyl tried the three types of dressing one after another. But in the end, she put down her fork after three bites.

"There, I've eaten. Now, that Yokan over there—"

No, no, that small amount isn't enough for the experiment. I guess I have to use my last negotiation tactic.

"This is troublesome. This is an integral part of an experiment crucial to this project."

"Experiment??"

Maytyl's eyes, which had been on the Yokan, returned to me.

"What kind of experiment?"

"That's something to look forward to after the results are in," I said, being vague.

Maytyl gave me a scrutinizing look. I remained silent. I wasn't lying. This joint research requires Maytyl's health to recover. And since it's an experiment, I don't want to give her any unnecessary preconceptions.

"Were you two forced to go along with something like this too?" Maytyl asked Fulsy and Noel.

"...Indeed, I wonder how many times we've been forced to partake in this fellow's strange foods."

"Y-Yes. We've also been made to eat all sorts of things by force until now."

The two played along. No lies there, I suppose.

"Now, what I showed you before was a magic catalyst cultured using sugar, but I wonder what it is this time."

When I egged her on, Maytyl glared at me with eyes as if looking at a demon.

"...Is there a method other than salad?"

"I'd consider it if you'd eat boiled paper."

".........So I just have to eat the salad?"

"Yes, that's right. All of it."

Watching Maytyl reluctantly start eating the salad, I exchanged glances with Sherry and the others. For some reason, Sherry and Noel looked at me with expressions of shock and disgust. Alfina also looked at me with worried eyes.

If "experiment" is the keyword, the most effective power play would be, "If you don't eat the salad, you can't participate in the research." I kept it to this extent because self-motivation is important for improving eating habits, but...

Maytyl reluctantly finished the salad. Just as intended, she changed the flavor repeatedly with the three dressings, practically forcing it into her mouth.

Now, as a reward for her hard work, I'll give her a generous helping of the new Yokan.