kscans

Chapter 177 - Episode 11: Catering

The estate of the Yeverg Ducal House, the most powerful noble family near the Royal Capital, felt less opulent and more elegantly refined. It was easy to believe the tales that the successive heads of the house were connoisseurs of the arts. This was my second visit, but last time I was here as a worker for Lisabet’s welcome party. It was, of course, my first time passing through the front gate.

Two women stood before the entrance, attended by a great number of servants and guarded by knights. One was Brandine, the first princess and wife of the Duke. The other was Maytyl, who was officially her guest. The pretense was that a school friend from the Royal Academy had come to visit. I did not need to see Maytyl’s expression to know our true intentions were completely obvious. Still, I supposed I should be grateful to have another chance.

"I am delighted to formally invite you, Vinder-kun. I have heard about you from my brother, forgive me, His Highness the Crown Prince, and from Alfina, and my aunt as well."

Brandine, her chestnut hair swept up, greeted me with a gentle smile. I had held out some hope of being treated as the private chef Alfina brought for a gift, but that was apparently not to be. Well, it could not be helped. Sneaking around in the shadows like last time would not work again.

"You honor me with your words."

I gave a safe, conventional reply. Not that it made the situation any less awkward. There was no way I could ask something like, "So I was responsible for driving your other brother out of the country, how do you feel about that?"

Maytyl remained silent.

"I hear the ice cream from last time was your creation, Vinder-kun. And today you are to make us a rare dish that no one has ever eaten before. My expectations are high." Brandine glanced at Maytyl’s sullen face, then proceeded to raise the bar as high as she possibly could.

◇◇

Alfina and Maytyl walked toward the dining hall without exchanging a single word. Naturally, I thought Brandine, as the host, should be with them, but for some reason she followed me as I was guided to the kitchens.

The only other person with us was an elderly lady-in-waiting with streaks of white in her hair.

"Both my husband and I are very interested in you. After all…"

Brandine offered a meaningful smile.

"French toast, Yokan, and that ice cream. You create one dish after another that no one has ever heard of."

"The credit is not mine alone. It is the fruit of cooperation from my seniors and classmates at the academy. The anko paste in particular was developed by a student named Natalie…"

I bought time by recounting the secret origin story of the anko paste. It seemed to have piqued the interest of Brandine, who had eaten the ice cream at Lisabet’s party. Thanks to that, we covered a good portion of the long corridor. Good, I made it through.

"By the way, Alfina’s duties as the Oracle Princess extend until she is past thirty. What are your thoughts on that, I wonder?"

Brandine asked this abruptly just as we reached the kitchen entrance, located behind the dining hall where Alfina and the others had gone.

"I am not sure I understand what you mean. As I told His Excellency the Chancellor, the fact that something as critical as disaster prediction depends on a single person makes a coward like myself quite uneasy."

"In other words, you want to free Alfina from her role as Oracle Princess as soon as possible. And what will you do after that?"

"That will be up to Alfina-sama’s own will. Yes. As I have been granted the great honor of her friendship at school, I hope to do what little I can to see her wishes fulfilled."

It was, if I did say so myself, a perfect response. I was, in every sense of the word, a commoner with deep loyalty to the royal family. Brandine was smiling as well.

"Alfina is fortunate to have such a reliable friend. Yes, I imagine His Majesty would also be reassured if your ambitions truly go no further than that."

Brandine spoke with satisfaction. Where did the king come into this?

"Here we are. This is Garips, our chef who has served the house since my predecessor’s time. He will be assisting you today, Vinder-kun."

A man standing alone in the kitchen bowed his head in silence. A chef for a ducal estate would be on par with a three-star chef in my past life. He surely could not be pleased to have someone like me show up in his workplace, yet he showed no sign of it on his face. Actually, for some reason, his eyes held a hint of fear as he looked at me. I wondered why.

"Well then, I will begin cooking. Um, Garips-san, it is a pleasure to work with you."

After watching Brandine head toward the dining hall, I placed a large pot on the fire. I unwrapped the cloth I had brought. Inside were the noodles I had worked on until my muscles ached just for today. Thanks to Plural’s help with everything from the trick to stretching the dough to cutting it, I had somehow managed to finish them.

"About the ingredients I requested…"

"They are here."

Garips carried a wooden tray from the counter. At a dash. I had expected him to look at me with more suspicion. Well, I suppose his cooperation was not a problem. He must have been having a hard time with Maytyl’s meals.

The tray was piled high with garlic, chili peppers, and a generous amount of mushrooms and shimeji. A jar of olive oil was also ready beside it.

I picked up a knife, facing the mushrooms. The intense stare from my side was almost painful. The moment I began to move the knife, the chef’s hands started twitching. Ah, I see. He could not bear to watch an amateur’s clumsy work.

"May I leave the mushroom slicing to you?"

The head chef displayed knife skills far beyond my own, and the ingredients were beautifully transformed in an instant. I checked the pot of water, which was close to boiling, then placed a frying pan on the stove next to it. It might be better to let him handle the cooking too, but I wanted him to watch this part. It was a simple dish with little room for error.

Once the pan was hot, I poured in a liberal amount of olive oil. Then, I added the minced garlic and sautéed it. When the aroma of garlic rose, I tossed in the chili peppers, then stir-fried the finely chopped mushrooms in the flavored oil. Finally, I arranged strips of bacon along the edge of the pan.

I dropped the noodles into the pot. The head chef flinched for a moment at the green noodles, but he said nothing. I counted to forty in my head. Since they were fresh, they would cook quickly. All that remained was to combine the two. The only thing to be careful about was adding salt to the cooking water before pouring it into the frying pan.

"It is ready."

Confirming that the olive oil had emulsified and turned cloudy, I took the pan off the heat.

◇◇

"Ricardo-dono, please take a seat as well."

Brandine stopped me as I tried to carry a plate in with the servers. Left with no choice, I sat down in the designated seat next to Alfina.

When the lady-in-waiting I had entrusted with serving lifted the silver cloche, the aroma of garlic spread across the table.

But it seemed sight was more of an issue than smell. I could see Maytyl and Brandine flinch for a second at the green substance. Yes, well, the appearance was not much to look at. Just green noodles with chopped mushrooms and bacon scattered on top. In my past life, it had a host of unflattering nicknames like "poor man’s pasta" or "despair pasta." And on top of that, it was green.

"The color and the shape. It is certainly a dish I have never seen before. Judging from the aroma, is this green from that tea?"

Beside Brandine, Maytyl also stared intently at her plate. The smell should not be unpleasant, but she did not seem to have high expectations.

"How is one supposed to eat this?"

"Like this. You wrap it around your fork."

I inserted my fork into the noodles and twirled it. Then, I brought it to my mouth. Yes, the aroma of garlic, chili pepper, and olive oil made my mouth water. It was a bold and vivid combination. And the flavor of the noodles, which one could almost call earthy, held up to that strong taste.

It was different from the original peperoncino made with pasta, but it was an excellent flavor. If I were to be greedy, I would say a dash of soy sauce as a secret ingredient would be nice.

"So the sauce is an oil flavored with garlic and chili peppers. It is simple, yet it pairs well with this thin food scented with tea. It is a bit aggressive, but the flavor stimulates the appetite," Brandine commented. She seemed impressed. She probably thought I had devised this to whet Maytyl’s appetite.

"I thought the same with the ice cream, but it has a truly mysterious fragrance. I have become quite fond of it," said Alfina, who had joined me for several taste tests. Good, the reviews from those two were not bad. Now, for the main target…

Maytyl let out a small sigh. She somehow managed to lift a minuscule amount onto her fork. She had also meticulously avoided the mushrooms and bacon. Then, she opened her mouth with a blank expression. Her slender jaw moved slowly a few times before her chewing stopped. Now, would she notice it. The power of the noodles supporting this vivid combination of aromas.

"Is this… soba?"

The oil that colored her lips, parted in surprise, was slightly alluring. Her shock at the combination was perhaps the same as mine when I first ate this at a creative Japanese restaurant in my past life.

The main dish I had prepared for Maytyl was chasoba, a peperoncino made with green tea soba noodles. A miraculous Japanese and Western collaboration. I still remembered the impact of it, even after being reborn.

"That is correct. It is made by kneading a mixture of eighty percent buckwheat flour and twenty percent wheat flour with water, which is then thinly sliced and boiled."

In this kingdom, it was only grown in a limited region in the north. I would have struggled to obtain it without Roston-senpai.

"My, soba, you say. That soba. It certainly has an earthy taste. Yes, this flavor is interesting indeed."

Brandine watched Maytyl, whose fork was now moving vigorously.

"I know. I want my husband to try this. And I would like to use it for parties. Would it be possible to have it supplied to us?"

"Thank you. The Belmini and Roston companies I spoke with the other day will be happy to handle your order jointly."

"I look forward to unveiling this. After all, it is a dish no one has ever eaten before."

It seemed Brandine intended to use this at a party. It was likely also an excuse to serve soba at the ducal estate, but seeing her mischievous eyes sparkle, it seemed she was genuinely amused by the idea.

Please go easy on me. Increased demand for matcha is welcome, but production is still limited.

While we were talking, Maytyl’s fork continued to move. The portion was about two-thirds of a normal serving, so her plate was empty in no time.

Alfina and Brandine looked relieved. I, too, breathed a sigh of relief.

After the meal, Alfina was speaking with Brandine. Maytyl, who had been waiting at a distance, approached me.

"Your knowledge is truly bottomless. I never knew soba could be eaten like that. It seems to be a dish that does not exist in the kingdom, either."

She watched me with probing eyes. It was a dish from my hometown in a past life, and a very peculiar one at that.

"The ingredients too. Smoked meat. Mild mushrooms. It seems you put a lot of thought into it."

Maytyl averted her gaze, looking a bit awkward, but then she looked straight at me again.

"It was delicious. This might be the first time I have eaten so much since coming to the Royal Capital."

"I am glad to hear that. Oh, I think it is less likely to make you drowsy than bread, but please let me know if you have any issues."

I added that as a precaution. Soba was a proper staple food, its calories coming mostly from carbohydrates. Even if it was high in fiber, it was less reassuring than eating a salad first. I had used a larger amount of mushrooms with that in mind as well.

And if there was a problem, I would have to consider looking into things a bit more thoroughly. Even if it meant being branded a pervert.

"Your eyes look kind of scary."

"No, haha. As long as you do not get overwhelmingly sleepy, it should not come to that…"

"You are suspicious. But I never thought you would bring something of this caliber. You must have gone to a lot of trouble."

Maytyl asked this while staring intently into my eyes.

"That is how much we need your highness’s strength."

I answered bluntly.

"Honesty is appreciated."

Maytyl laughed. Her smile, which could be called haughty, was dazzling. Perhaps because I had seen her in a weakened state, her impertinent attitude now seemed charming. Girls are unfairly constructed. The ache in my shoulders from making too much soba seemed to fade away.

"If the research does not progress, building a city near the Blood Mountains will be nothing more than a pipe dream."

Thanks to the Empire’s invasion, the project had been a shot in the dark to begin with. We needed her to make it work.

"Is that all…"

"All?"

Maytyl glanced at Alfina, who was talking with Brandine.

"It is for that girl’s sake, is it not?"

"W, well, there is that too. She is an important partner."

"Well, it seems I was unwillingly indebted to you this time. Fine. Sorcery research is my own goal anyway. I will meet your expectations."

"I have faith in you on that front."

"Do you really?"

"Yes. That is why I was able to focus on making today’s meal. I knew that as long as Maytyl-dono got back on her feet, the research would work out somehow."

Even when not at her best, even when she was displeased with me, Maytyl had continued to face her research with sincerity.

"What is wrong? Ah, well, what I just said was more about my hopes…"

Maytyl fell silent and lowered her head, making me panic. Did it sound like I was only interested in her knowledge again?

"Putting that aside, it is true that I am stuck in my research. Do you have any ideas?"

Maytyl shook her head twice and suddenly changed the subject. But I was just saying that we had no choice but to rely on her.

"Honestly, I am at a loss, but if there is one thing I can think of, it is that Castle-Eating Worm. That monster was able to distinguish between faint differences in magic vein wavelengths. That means it must have a mechanism for doing so."

"The Castle-Eating Worm…"

"No, it is just a random thought. I know it is not that simple."

I hurriedly waved my hands at a pensive Maytyl. Biological sensors are incredibly sensitive. In my previous life, we could not create optical sensors that rivaled a living creature’s retina. Nanoscale molecular machines are not something humans can easily imitate.

But Maytyl ignored my words, lost in thought. Then, she lifted her head with a start.

"I have something I need to investigate. I will be taking my leave now."

"Huh? H, hey."

With those words, Maytyl wove between Alfina and Brandine and headed for the stairs. The two of them stared at me, dumbfounded, but all I could do was hold up my palms in a shrug.

◇◇

"Alfina, and Vinder-dono. Thank you again. You have been a great help this time."

Brandine bowed her head to Alfina and me as we prepared to leave the ducal estate.

"I will be counting on you for that strange food, the chasoba."

"Yes. It keeps for quite a while if dried. However, it is an acquired taste, so I doubt it can be served every meal like bread."

I did not think they were dissatisfied with the flavor, but the dish’s novelty must have accounted for much of its good evaluation. Besides, while one might not tire of eating normal soba every other day, one would quickly grow tired of a novelty like chasoba.

"It seems there is less resistance if the meat is smoked and the vegetables are mushrooms."

I added this remark. It was not actually intentional on my part, simply the result of trying to replicate the dish from my past life.

"I see. So trying to serve only the finest things is backfiring on us. I will be sure to tell my husband of your work today."

"To His Grace the Duke? Is that…?"

"He is in charge of diplomatic relations with the Empire."

I see, so that was why they were looking after Maytyl. Wow, this whole thing feels like I was being tested.

"That is part of it. But yes, like His Highness the Crown Prince, I will be placing my hopes in you, Vinder-kun."

Brandine said something even more frightening. Then she looked at Alfina.

"So, do your best, Alfina."

"Yes. Just now, the way Ricardo-kun was looking at Maytyl-dono…"

"Wait, Ricardo!"

A voice from above cut through Alfina’s words. Maytyl was descending the stairs, holding a bundle of papers.

"Deliver this to Noel. And this to Mia."

"Uh, yeah. What is this…?"

"A new idea. Ah, I can hardly wait for the next step. Oh, and do not forget the ice cream. Today was today, but a promise is a promise."

Maytyl rattled on. It had been about two hours since she ate. It seemed she was fine. As she thrust the papers at me, I gathered them and felt a sense of relief at the flush in her cheeks.

"Do your best, Alfina. The future of the kingdom is at stake."

"Yes…"

The royal sisters-in-law were talking about something with serious faces. Even though the problem was solved, I could not shake a vaguely unsettling feeling.