Chapter 1: Unfamiliar Ingredients

1

It was the twenty-seventh of the black month, the day after Dan Rutim’s birthday.

After finishing up our business in the post town, we headed for the castle town as promised. Our goal was to inspect the vast stock of unfamiliar ingredients hidden away in the pantry at the Turan manor.

It wouldn’t be appropriate to go barging in with a huge crowd, so my companions consisted of just Reina and Rimee Ruu, Toor Deen, and Ai Fa to act as a bodyguard. After leaving our own wagon at the gates to the castle town, we switched over to Polarth’s carriage. As our guide, he had naturally prepared passes for us.

“Well, let us head out,” Polarth declared, at which the carriage started slowly moving.

Since Toor Deen alone looked rather nervous, I decided to ask her, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine... It’s just, I never could have imagined that I would be setting foot in the castle town alongside a noble,” the young girl quietly whispered back, seemingly worried about Polarth overhearing. It actually made me feel a bit nostalgic as I nodded back, remembering how Reina Ruu had said almost the exact same thing last time around.

“Well, I figure pretty much anyone from the forest’s edge would feel that way at first. But it’s not a problem for you that I asked you to help out, is it?”

“Of course not... The fact that you chose me out of so many other women is an incredible honor. It makes so, so proud,” Toor Deen said, finally shooting me a joyful smile.

We had been hired to prepare a welcome banquet for the envoys from Banarm, who would be arriving in the following indigo month. I had asked the three who would be assisting me on the job to join me today.

Would the ingredients awaiting us in Cyclaeus’s treasured pantry turn out to be an asset for us when the time came? Even though we were only heading there thanks to Polarth’s forceful invitation, I couldn’t deny that I was feeling rather curious.

“I believe there will be around twenty or thirty folks attending the welcome banquet. Naturally, I shall be participating as a representative for the house of Daleim!” Polarth declared from the seat opposite me, seemingly once again in quite the pleasant mood. “Normally a more grandiose banquet would be held, but since the envoys shall be staying in Genos for at least ten days, up to half a month or more, the schedule will instead proceed more gradually. After all, were a banquet to be held in the castle, there would be a hundred or even two hundred guests. And that would be too great of a burden on you, would it not, Sir Asuta?”

“Hmm, it certainly does seem like it would be rough to have to prepare six different dishes for a hundred people.”

Catering for nobles in the castle town typically meant arranging six different dishes in a full-course meal, and I had spoken with a workload of that size in mind, only for Polarth to reply, “Oh no,” with a shake of his plump hands. “We certainly wouldn’t have six separate dishes presented in order with a banquet that large. But instead, there has to be a wide variety of food on offer, including appetizers to be freely munched on.”

Even so, that was sure to be something completely different than how the banquets at the forest’s edge were held. The sight of everyone happily eating giba dishes together and smiling from last night’s Rutim banquet remained firmly fixed in my mind.

“Well, at any rate, I’m certainly looking forward to the welcome banquet! And to today’s investigation as well. No matter how high your hopes may be, I can’t imagine them being dashed, Sir Asuta.”

“Right. I’m looking forward to it too.”

After around thirty or so minutes more of swaying back and forth in our seats, the totos-drawn carriage came to a stop.

We had arrived at the Turan manor.

“It’s still just as huge as I remember!” Rimee Ruu declared as she looked up at the massive brick-built residence, having been the first one to jump down from the carriage. This was Rimee and Reina Ruu’s second visit, while it was the fourth time here for me and Ai Fa.

The first time had been when I was kidnapped and my clan head had come to rescue me.

The second was during the showdown with Cyclaeus, as representatives of the forest’s edge.

The third time was similar to today, with me as a chef and Ai Fa acting as bodyguard. Secretly, I thought that we would need to brush aside our bitter memories and step into the manor with clear minds.

“Welcome to the Turan manor... Lord Torst is awaiting you...”

As we passed through the double doors, Chiffon Chel greeted us. Her honey-colored hair was partly curled and her eyes were purple, but the northern woman’s incredibly pale white skin stood out even more so.

“I believe you were officially staying here at the manor as Lady Lefreya’s servant, were you not? Yet now it seems you are once again charged with acting as our guide.” Polarth commented as we walked down the carpeted hallway.

“Yes...” Chiffon Chel replied with a smile. “Lord Torst has not kept very many servants around, so as the one who has been here longest, I’ve been tasked with this role...”

“Hmm... It seems that Lord Torst is proving to be quite thrifty. I suppose that is how he ended up being assigned as Lady Lefreya’s guardian,” Polarth said, not sounding especially cynical or anything as he did so.

The northern and western nations had been enemies for a great many years, so Chiffon Chel’s position was that of a slave. However, Polarth didn’t seem to be looking down on her for that, which secretly caused me to feel relieved.

I’m really glad that Chiffon Chel didn’t end up getting punished or anything. All she ever did was follow her master’s orders, I thought to myself, right before I noticed the woman stealing a glance my way. Her eyes seemed to say “It’s been a while,” so I shot her back a silent smile.

When we eventually hit the end of the hallway, Chiffon Chel came to a stop. She then led us into an office guarded by two soldiers, where Torst was waiting.

“Ah, Lord Polarth, welcome. And welcome to all of you from the forest’s edge as well.”

He was a small middle-aged man with a squished face like a pug’s. For better or worse, he didn’t possess the stately air of a noble, and he looked just as exhausted as always. In fact, that sense I got from him only seemed to have grown stronger since the last time I had seen him.

His office was excessively spacious and also sparsely decorated, which seemed to fit him perfectly. Atop his large desk made of blackish wood was a mighty pile of what looked to be official documents written out on bundles of parchment, the first of their kind that I had seen since coming to this world.

“Please feel free to inspect the kitchens and pantries to your heart’s content. I’ve already prepared the necessary guards. And Sir Asuta...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Thanks to the efforts of Sir Yang and yourself, we’ve been able to convert some of those ingredients overflowing from the pantries into coins. I shall certainly never forget your efforts, which you made in spite of the bad blood you shared with the house of Turan,” Torst said, sounding as if he was sighing all the while. “Please, give the items a careful examination as you inspect the pantry today, to determine whether or not any of them can see use in the post town. I have reached the point where I cannot stop my head from aching whenever I look upon that mountain of foodstuffs.”

It seemed that Torst was at such a loss that he didn’t even care about being seen whining in front of me, when we had hardly even interacted before.

As a gourmand, Cyclaeus had controlled the flow of a huge amount of ingredients, but now that he had fallen there was no longer any use for them. And the finances to maintain those trade deals were crumbling too. Torst really was having to exert himself day in and day out to try to get the house of Turan back on its feet.

He had originally been an unfortunate man left ostracized by Cyclaeus, and now he was giving his utmost effort to save the house from this dilemma. Just like Polarth, Torst really was someone who could help overturn the image of nobles all being haughty and arrogant.

“And there is no need for you to accept this request if it is too much to ask, but...”

“Right, what is it?”

“The head of the house has requested to meet with you. So if you do not mind, I would appreciate it if you would do so.”

I turned in shock to face Polarth, whose shoulders had fallen into a slump.

“As long as Lord Torst gives his permission, anyone may meet with Lady Lefreya. With soldiers keeping watch, of course.”

“I see.”

I had thought I might never see Lefreya again in my entire life. But if that was what she wanted, then I had no objection.

“Well then, shall we stop in before heading to the kitchen? And Sir Torst, it seems that you are still in the midst of handling official matters?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m certain this work won’t be done until my very life is expended.”

After that, we exited the office, leaving a truly pitiable looking Torst behind us.

“Initially, Genos Castle dispatched ten officers specializing in financial and foreign affairs, who had to do quite a bit of work to clean up after the previous head of the house. Things seem to have calmed down greatly since then, but, well, one still cannot help but feel sorry for him.”

“It sounds like a major undertaking. Not that I understand anything about the duties of nobles.”

“Those official duties have all been about the ingredients in the end. The reach of Cyclaeus’s business dealings stretched astoundingly far and wide, and as he handled them all personally, things have gotten quite out of control now that he is gone, from what I have been told. Well, I suppose that goes to show how capable he was to handle it all on his own, as well as how little he trusted others...”

It was that skill of his that had made him so useful to Duke Marstein Genos...until his ambitions ended up overtaking him.

“Supposedly, famous restaurants throughout the castle town had ingredients distributed to them by Cyclaeus. Without having built up relationships with the suppliers for themselves, they had to pay high prices to get ingredients on their own, so they were all desperate to get in his good graces. Shockingly, though, even after continuing to send ingredients both to the shops Cyclaeus dealt with and those he gave the cold shoulder to, there still remains an excess of ingredients left over at the manor.”

“That really is something. In other words, that just goes to show how large a supply Cyclaeus was hoarding for his personal use, right?”

“Indeed. For the sake of having delicious meals made, he had used up a tremendous number of ingredients as if they were water. On top of that, the man was possessive to an extreme degree, stockpiling far more than he needed and letting it rot,” Polarth replied as we walked along. “If we can simply eliminate that waste and make sure the surplus of ingredients is sold for coins, it should make everyone happy. Even the ingredients will be better off, being made into delicious meals to end up in someone’s stomach rather than being tossed away unused.”

“That’s for sure. I absolutely agree.”

“I’ll be expecting some exquisitely tasty meals, Sir Asuta. It would relieve a great deal of burden from Lord Torst if you could use those ingredients not only at the welcome banquet, but in the post town as well.”

While our discussion went on, we were led to the second floor of the manor.

Once again, we were greeted by two soldiers standing watch. When Chiffon Chel informed them of Polarth’s visit, one of them nodded and knocked on the door.

“Lady Lefreya, your guests have arrived.”

At that, the door opened from the inside. The one to greet us from inside was a dark-skinned young man in a simple yet high-quality pale yellow frock.

“Welcome, Asuta. I am glad, that you accepted our request.”

“Sanjura... It really has been a while, hasn’t it?” I said with a slight bow of my head, filled with some complicated feelings about this reunion.

Sanjura just gently smiled back like he used to. The young man had mixed blood from the eastern kingdom of Sym, long chestnut-colored hair, and a tall, lean figure. That was all the same as always, but he gave off a pretty different impression when he wasn’t in a traveler’s cloak. In fact, what he had on now wasn’t the sort of clothing characteristic of Sym, but rather attire from the western kingdom.

When she saw the short sword hanging from his hip, Ai Fa casually moved up beside me. Even if he had already paid for his crimes, Sanjura was still a man who had once abducted me by force. And since he was as strong as a hunter of the forest’s edge, it was only natural that Ai Fa was on guard.

Showing no signs of being intimidated by Ai Fa’s piercing gaze, Sanjura held out his arm toward the far side of the room.

“Lefreya awaits you. Please, enter.”

Sanjura was standing in the antechamber, and there was another door on the far wall. The rest of our group stayed behind, while Ai Fa, Polarth, and I went farther in along with one of the soldiers.

“Ah, it has been some time, Asuta. I am glad to see you looking well,” Lefreya said, grasping the hem of her skirt in an affected manner.

She had on what looked to be a pure-white frilly dress. Well, for a young noble girl like her, that level of luxury probably just made sense even when it came to loungewear. Still, she wasn’t wearing very many accessories, so she didn’t give off quite the same extravagant impression as before.

“It is not as if I had any business with you in particular. I simply thought that I would not have a chance to see you outside of such circumstances, so I figured I would at least say hello.”

She really was just the same as I remembered. Even with a regular conversation like this, you could tell how cheeky this pretty young girl was. Her chestnut-colored hair she had chopped off herself two months ago had grown a bit since then, and she might have gotten a bit taller too. After all, she was still only ten or so years old.

“It’s been a while. I’m glad you seem to be doing okay too.”

Even though Lefreya was now the head of the house of Turan, I still recalled her chiding me for being formal with her before, so I kept things casual.

Honestly, I felt more relieved than I had expected to find that Lefreya was just the same as always. If she had looked like an expressionless doll as she had at the dinner party, it wouldn’t have sat well with me.

“Asuta, I hear tell you have once again been tasked with handling the kitchen for a banquet. I suppose that may simply be natural, considering your level of skill.”

“Right. Will you be there too?”

“Indeed. The Turan fuwano and mamaria shall be essential in establishing trade with Banarm, so it is a matter of course that I would be dragged out as the head of the house, is it not? But, well, since it will grant me the opportunity to eat your cooking, I have no reason to complain,” Lefreya said, haughtily lifting up her jaw. “By the way, I have a single warning to give you. Will you hear it?”

“A warning? What is it?”

“It is nothing all that serious. Perhaps it will even prove an unnecessary and difficult-to-understand bit of advice. Still, I believe that this time around, you would make the envoys of Banarm happier if you were to prepare dishes a bit more befitting nobles. That is all I wished to express.”

“Dishes befitting nobles? Could you explain that in a bit more detail?”

“I meant what I said, so I don’t see what detail there is to give. Your dishes were every bit as delicious as Timalo’s the last time around, but I do not believe they were all that appropriate to be served to nobility. I suspect that there may have been some who felt taken aback at tasting them.”

That really was an unexpected statement.

When I glanced over at Polarth, who had also attended that banquet, I found him stroking his chin.

“Well, Sir Asuta can only make dishes using methods from the forest’s edge and his home nation, so I feel it would be mistaken to expect dishes made to the tastes of nobles from him. And on top of that, the previous dinner party was meant to foster friendship between the castle town and the forest’s edge by having each side sample the other’s cooking. So with that in mind, would you not agree that Sir Asuta was fully correct in the dishes he prepared?”

“That’s true. But this banquet is meant to welcome the envoys from Banarm. So would presenting the unsophisticated cooking of the forest’s edge truly be the proper choice?”

“I’m not so certain. Of course, I could see there being some complaints in that case... Still, I can see that being at least a bit out of touch with Lord Welhide’s desire to show the people of Banarm Sir Asuta’s skills.”

Somehow or another, I started to understand what they were getting at.

On the night of that dinner party, the nobles had low expectations in regards to giba cooking, so my dishes received a rather lenient evaluation. And since the event was meant to foster peaceful relations between the forest’s edge and the ruling class of Genos, the nobles undoubtedly knew well enough to praise any dish that was presented.

But the envoy group this time around were guests who held a neutral standing. Actually, I’d bet that they were really wondering just what kind of food would be served after what they had heard from Welhide.

“At that dinner party, Duke Genos opined that you and Timalo would be about equal in a comparison of taste, but did you take those words at face value, Asuta?”

“No. I don’t think he was trying to make himself look good by helping us out or anything, but I’m sure he said that so the people of the forest’s edge could save face.”

“That’s an admirable attitude to have. Though I was harboring some small hope that I would get to see you humbled just now...” Lefreya teased, then shrugged her slender shoulders. “Still, your dishes were all truly delicious. If we were to compare them one by one, I would likely give you the victory in each case. The only one I would hesitate on would be the appetizer, which was overly plain.”

“Thanks, I’m honored to hear it.”

“Still, those six dishes felt somehow inconsistent. It was not too noticeable when eaten alongside Timalo’s cooking, but if I were to eat your dishes alone in turn, I may have found that inconsistency more unpleasant.”

“That’s some good insight there. Both in my home country and at the forest’s edge, it’s not really the custom to eat dishes one at a time in order.” Now understanding what she was getting at, I shot her a smile. “Thanks for the unexpected advice. I don’t know if I can make dishes that a noble would consider proper or not, but I’ll at least try to make the menu more unified for the coming banquet.”

“Right. It is not as if I care in the least what those envoys from Banarm think, however, so I do not mind if you go ahead and make whatever you please.” After saying that, Lefreya’s face took on a bit of a strange expression. It looked as if she was uneasy, or maybe like she got a small bone stuck in her throat or something. “However...Varkas will be presenting his cooking on that day as well, will he not? If you offer up dishes too far removed from the customs of the castle town, that obstinate man could end up making a real mess of the welcome banquet.”

“Oh? But I recall Sir Varkas being quite a gentle and polite man,” Polarth chimed in, looking intrigued.

Varkas was the guy who had previously served as the head chef of the Turan manor. And supposedly, he was either the first or second most skilled chef in all of Genos. Even putting aside the evaluation of the castle town, even Mikel, a man I respected, acknowledged his skill, so I had been looking forward to the chance to meet him today.

Lefreya gave an affected shrug of her shoulders. “It’s true that Varkas is the sort of man you say. But he is a different person entirely when it comes to cooking. He has come here to this manor today, has he not?”

“Indeed. He was summoned so that he may meet Sir Asuta.”

“In that case, go ahead and see for yourselves. I hope that you do not lose the desire to cook for the welcome banquet as a result, Asuta,” Lefreya said, staring straight at me.

Once again, I shot her back a smile.

“The lord of Genos and the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge already came to an agreement about that. I can’t really back out now even if I did want to.”

“Hmph. Then do not pay any heed to whatever that stubborn man may say. Back when they shared a kitchen in this manor, I can recall Timalo being run ragged day in and day out.”

Maybe Varkas was a stubborn man who took serious pride in his work just like Mikel. Honestly, that thought only made me all the more interested to meet him.

“Well then, shall we head toward the kitchen? We need to get you all back to the forest’s edge before the sun sets, after all.” With that, Polarth gave a single bow and exited the room.

Lefreya called out “Ah,” as if to stop me, but then she turned away in a huff. “It is nothing. Farewell, Asuta.”

“Right. See you at the welcome banquet.”

In the end, neither Lefreya nor I made a single reference to Cyclaeus. But then, how could we? It wasn’t like we were very close. Not enough to have an open discussion about something so heavy...and I didn’t think I had the kind of life experience needed for it anyway.

“Thank you, Asuta. I believe Lefreya, was very glad to have seen you.”

Because of my lack of experience, I couldn’t really come up with a proper reply to Sanjura either.

“Well then, off to the kitchen and pantry! Sir Asuta, I shall see you later!”

“Huh? Are you going somewhere, Polarth?”

“Hmm? It’s necessary to cleanse yourself before entering the kitchen, correct? I intend to join you there today!”

Now that he mentioned it, we did still have that custom ahead of us.

Apparently, nobles had a bathroom meant for their own exclusive use, so Polarth departed with some pages who had appeared out of nowhere, while we were led to the same bathroom we had used in the past.

“Ooh, it’s been a while! I’ve been looking forward to getting in this bathhouse thing!” Rimee Ruu excitedly proclaimed.

Ai Fa, meanwhile, remained silent with a displeased look as the young girl pulled her along. My clan head probably much preferred bathing in the Lanto river.

Toor Deen looked pretty nervous heading in, as it was her first time, but when she stepped back out she appeared nice and refreshed. Personally, I was decently fond of using the steam bath myself.

After we were all nice and clean, we met back up with Polarth, at which point we finally headed toward our true destination: the kitchen and pantries that were the pride of the Turan manor.

“It may be difficult to tell thanks to everything being connected by enclosed passageways, but the kitchen and pantries were built as separate structures to the rear of the main manor. And they are in no way lesser than the kitchen and pantries of Genos castle,” Polarth explained as we arrived in front of a massive double door as large as the entrance to the manor. After giving us a bow, the soldiers guarding the place opened it up.

“Whoa, it’s huge!” Rimee Ruu excitedly shouted.

Reina Ruu’s eyes sparkled, while Toor Deen just stood there looking flabbergasted.

It really was a massive kitchen. Though the equipment looked similar to what was in the kitchen meant for servants that I had used in the past, this one was on a completely different scale.

Just how many workstations were there? They had to go into double digits, easily. Along one wall were brick-built stoves and metal ovens, and the opposite wall had shelves packed with pots, bowls, cooking knives, and all sorts of other tools.

It seemed like you could fit two whole classrooms in the space. Plus, the ceiling was quite high, which made the space look even wider. Both the walls and the floor were made of brick, and there were small windows here and there for ventilation.

“Amazing facilities, are they not? In the past, over ten chefs and dozens of servants were always on hand, training their skills each and every day for the sake of their master.”

When you thought of all this as being for Cyclaeus alone, it really was a ridiculous amount of waste.

“It’s a shame to let all this go unused, so there is talk of remodeling the manor into a reception hall for dignitaries.”

“Huh? Then what’ll happen to Lefreya and Torst?”

“The house of Turan has other residences scattered here and there, so they would move to one of those. Besides, a manor this massive requires an extraordinary number of guards and servants to maintain.”

So in the end Lefreya would be torn away from the manor where she was born and raised.

As I suppressed the gloom that started to come over me, I called out to Polarth, “So, where are the pantries?”

“This way. It is finally time for you to come face-to-face with that mountain of treasure!”

Polarth led us to the far end of the kitchen. There were three doors along the wall in front of us, and the walls to the left and right each had a single door too.

“The three in front of us are, from right to left, a vegetable pantry, a seasoning pantry, and an herb pantry. The door to the right leads to the meat storage, and is also connected to a smoking room and even animal pens where karon and kimyuus were raised, but those are all empty now.”

“Wow, so they raised live karon and kimyuus here?”

“Indeed. But the cost of feeding them was extreme, so they were slaughtered for their meat and sold off, and new karon and kimyuus were not purchased. Since the meals have all been made in the small kitchen lately, the meat storage should be empty as well,” Polarth explained, and then he pointed to the final door on the left wall. “This is the one I would like to have you check first, however. The vegetables and seasonings are quite interesting as well, but this room is the real highlight. You could say that it is the corporeal manifestation of Cyclaeus’s obsession with delicious meals. A mere glance at it was enough to leave me utterly stupefied.”

I couldn’t even imagine what might be in there that was more impressive than keeping live karon and kimyuus.

As our eyes sparkled with curiosity, we stepped forward, only for Ai Fa to push ahead and stand in front of the door.

“I will open it.”

She cautiously opened the door...and instantly, Rimee Ruu shouted, “Whoa! What’s with this weird smell?!”

Ai Fa furrowed her brow too.

However, as for me, a certain gut feeling caused my heart to start beating faster. It certainly was a stench. And I didn’t exactly find it pleasant either. However, it wasn’t an unfamiliar smell.

“It can’t be...!”

Taking the initiative, I plunged into the room. A moment later, I was left at a loss for words.

The manifestation of Cyclaeus’s obsession was left there plain to see. Though we were still indoors, there was a brick enclosure built up to around my chest level. Swimming inside were all manner of fish—the first I had seen since coming to Genos.

2

“As I have said in the past, no edible fish exist in the vicinity of Genos. The ones swimming in the rivers are all poisonous. That is considered a significant idiosyncrasy of our land. The only real exceptions are the maru and the like that can be gathered downstream, which are edible,” Polarth triumphantly explained, having entered the room after us. “It is said that the river itself is safe to drink because the fish have taken all the poison into themselves. In exchange for nice clear water we can use freely, we cannot eat fish here in Genos. Actually, that seems to be how it is across the entire eastern half of Selva. That means these fish had to be transported here over the course of half a month from the western part of the country.”

“Half a month...? Did they transport the river water along with the fish?”

“Indeed. Supposedly, there were special wagons constructed just for that purpose. An astounding degree of obsession, isn’t it?”

There really wasn’t any other way to put it.

The inside of the brick enclosure was filled to the brim with water, creating a fish tank. There were three separated sections, each five meters squared, with dozens of fish swimming around inside of them. The water was a faint greenish color, and the characteristic stench of fish permeated the room. It really was only natural that everyone else was furrowing their brows.

“The only ones capable of cooking them are the chefs who have diligently studied here at the Turan manor. That’s why we cannot find anyone to purchase them even in the castle town. But if we simply let them die, all the money it took to purchase them would go to waste, so the only option has been to continue feeding them.”

“This is absolutely astonishing...”

Genos was right in the middle of the continent, far removed from any ocean, and the only fish that lived in the rivers were highly toxic. I really never could have dreamed that I’d see such a sight here.

“Well, naturally it would be difficult to bring them back to the forest’s edge, so I imagine you would have no use for them either, but I wanted to share my surprise with you,” Polarth said before swiftly exiting the room. I soon followed, prompting the rest of the group to come along. “Now then, shall we return to the task of tasting ingredients? First up is the vegetables.”

Next, Polarth invited us into the rightmost door along the one wall. Awaiting us inside were rows of tall shelves, all packed with vegetables.

The huge room looked to be around thirty square meters, and what didn’t fit on the shelves was stuffed into bags down on the floor. Reina and Rimee Ruu had been somewhat prepared for the sight thanks to having seen the smaller servant kitchen pantry, but Toor Deen’s eyes went wide in shock.

Though I knew the majority of the vegetables, there were unfamiliar ones mixed in here and there. Filled with great anticipation, we started carefully examining them.

“There is an even larger storehouse farther in, but supposedly they would pick out especially good samples from there and transfer them here. For now, things are not sorted in any particular way, but these ingredients have nowhere to go, so feel free to use whatever you please.”

In other words, these were the ingredients that had overflowed from the storehouse. The scale here really was absurd.

“There seem to be several here I don’t recognize. What sort of vegetable is this exactly?”

I had picked up something that looked like a sponge gourd with purple skin. It was around fifty centimeters long and about as thick as my arm.

“Hmm, I believe that comes from Jagar. I would say it is quite tasty when boiled.”

“I see. The vegetables on this continent taste a lot like the ones from my home country, but the shapes are totally different, so I can’t picture what they’re like before giving them a try.”

“I would like it if you could bring such vegetables back with you and determine whether or not they are suitable for your cooking, Sir Asuta. In particular, it would be lovely if you could carefully examine the ones that we have an excess of, but what do you say?”

Even if he asked that, I had no way of knowing at this stage. So for the time being, I had him fill a bag with various vegetables they had more than enough of, but that weren’t overly expensive.

“Next up is the seasonings. I believe you’ll be able to see some rather unusual sights here as well.”

Sure enough, we found another similarly huge room full of shelves. This time, though, they were loaded with many different sizes of bottles and jars.

“You can check more thoroughly yourself, but I believe these shelves should have seasonings, while these are alcohol. Naturally, that includes mamaria fruit wine, fermented milk and herbal liquor from Sym, sparkling wine from Jagar, and shockingly, even plenty of distilled liquor from Mahyudra!”

“Distilled liquor? That’s definitely interesting to hear.”

Even though it all used the same base of mamaria, there was distilled liquor similar to whiskey in the castle town. But if there was a grain-based alcohol closer to sake, I’d be really happy to learn about it.

“Whoa! Look, Asuta! It’s a snake!” Rimee Ruu shouted, tugging on my sleeve.

“A-A snake?”

When I turned to look, I saw that there was a black snake coiled about inside a glass bottle. It must have been some sort of medicinal drink similar to habu snake liquor.

“Now that I think about it, giba eat snakes too, don’t they? Are snakes tasty?” she asked me.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never had one myself.”

For the time being, I decided to take along one bottle of every type of alcohol that didn’t look too eccentric. Even if there wasn’t a way to use them in my cooking, the hunters of the forest’s edge could enjoy them, at least.

Then there were the seasonings. I had gotten my hopes up that I would find something similar to miso, but I sadly wasn’t able to locate anything like that. It was all stuff that didn’t feel particularly familiar to me, such as a juice that had a sweet aroma like coconut milk, a vegetable oil made with something other than reten, a fermented item made using gyama milk that had a powerful sour aroma, herbs pickled in alcohol, and so on.

“Ah, mustn’t forget that there’s a separate room over this way,” Polarth reminded us, pointing out a door hidden in the shadow of one of the shelves. When I opened it, a powerful fragrance exploded forth.

“These...are dried goods, aren’t they?”

There were massive chunks of smoked meat and dried fruit hanging all around. But something among them immediately drew my eye: a bundle of what looked to be dried seaweed coated in white salt.

“That seems to be dried seaweed, right?”

“Indeed. Supposedly, it is purchased from the capital, Algrad. This is all that is left now, but from what I hear, a significant amount of it is delivered multiple times throughout the year alongside other ingredients. A great deal of fuwano and mamaria are traded for all that, which is a great source of anguish for Lord Torst.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, anyway, I’m actually more grateful to see this than even the live fish.”

“Is that so? In that case, perhaps you will also be happy to see this?” Polarth asked, pointing toward a pile of wooden boxes.

When I opened up the lid of one, I was hit by a huge wave of excitement. Stuffed inside were little dried slices of what looked like bonito meat, all hard like chunks of wood. And inside the other boxes, I found dried shellfish, prawn-like crustaceans, and a strange octopus-esque creature.

“Amazing. This stuff alone should massively expand the breadth of my cooking.”

“Ooh, I’m glad to hear that. Truthfully, these dried goods have been just as difficult to find a use for as the live fish,” Polarth said before breaking out in a grin. “I had hoped that as a visitor from overseas you could find a way to utilize all this seafood. Apparently, they cannot be sold to anyone in the castle town besides Sir Varkas, so if you could use them I am certain it would make Lord Torst happy.”

“Right. I can’t say anything for certain until I actually try making something with them, but if I can get a good soup stock from them, that would be good for the post town too.”

“That is reassuring to hear. Ah, and what do you think of this box from Jagar?”

My expectations were high as I removed the lid, and those hopes were more than fully met. After all, the inside of the box was packed with all sorts of mushrooms. There was what looked like a scarlet shiitake, a sort of yellow cloud ear mushroom, and plenty of others with rather poisonous-looking colors, though naturally I figured there wouldn’t be any actual poisonous ones in the mix. They had all been thoroughly dried out, and I found the condensed smell quite pleasant.

In another wooden box, I even found raw mushrooms packed in what looked to be sawdust. The rounded white one looked just like a common mushroom, while another that was like a light-brown umbrella seemed identical to a brown beech mushroom.

“This is incredible! It really is a treasure trove!”

Regrettably, I seemed to be the only one getting all ecstatic. But even so, Reina Ruu and Toor Deen seemed to be seriously observing and wondering just what sorts of dishes they could make.

“I am glad to see you happy too. And I have to say, this makes me look forward to the welcome banquet even more,” Polarth said, at which point Ai Fa suddenly turned around. Without me realizing it, some unfamiliar figure had appeared standing in the door.

When he turned the same direction, Polarth gave a broad smile, “Ah, if it isn’t Sir Varkas. Where in the world have you been?”

“I was in the neighboring room carefully examining herbs the entire time.”

So this is the famed chef Varkas? I thought to myself, my curiosity welling up.

Something felt a little strange about the man. He was tall and slender, and his brown hair was a bit on the long side. His face was rather handsome, and his green eyes and pale skin reminded me a bit of folks from Jagar. On his slim figure he wore what seemed to be a white chef’s outfit. Unusually for the warm land of Genos, it had long sleeves, such that only his face and fingers were exposed.

He didn’t look to be especially young. However, he wasn’t all that old either. His appearance and the general feel about him made it difficult to guess his age, like he was a young-looking middle-aged man or a young fellow with a strong air of dignity about him. Though I figured he was definitely somewhere between twenty-five and forty, I couldn’t really narrow it down any further.

“So you are the chef from overseas, Sir Asuta...? I am the proprietor of The Silver Star, Varkas,” the man stated in a voice that sounded as vast as an ocean, yet also a bit sleepy. “If you do not mind, there’s something I would like to discuss out front. Would that be all right?”

“Yes, of course.”

As I thought to myself that he didn’t seem all that stubborn as craftsmen went, I exited the pantry after him. We faced each other once again in the vast kitchen.

“Sorry for the late introduction, but I am Asuta of the Fa clan, a person of the forest’s edge. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Working with me, you say? Naturally, I have no issues having a personal exchange with you. However...” Varkas trailed off, a somewhat bewildered look in his eyes. “The truth is, I came here to make a request of you, Sir Asuta.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“I would like you to withdraw from serving as a chef for the welcome banquet.”

When he heard that, Polarth’s eyes shot open wide in shock. “What are you saying? Just like you, Sir Asuta was selected by Duke Marstein Genos himself to handle this task.”

“But Sir Asuta’s position would not be worsened by turning down that request, correct? If at all possible, I would not like the ingredients here to be put to waste,” Varkas replied. I honestly wasn’t able to read his emotions at all as he talked. “These ingredients gathered from around the world by the previous head of the house are akin to a treasure. And I see allowing them to be handled poorly as a form of blasphemy.”

“Hmm... But if we don’t hurry up and use them, those ingredients will end up as a pile of rubbish. Isn’t it better to use them freely rather than allow them to rot?” Polarth suggested.

“That is not how I see things. Does it not fit the will of the western god better that they return to the earth as is rather than be used as part of a poorly made dish?”

He seemed to have decided my dishes were poorly made before even trying one. However, Varkas’s expression remained completely vague and impossible to read. The only thing I could sense was that he seemed like someone troubled by having to lecture an unreasonable child.

“I understand your feelings on the matter, Varkas. But this is a job that Duke Genos asked me to do, and the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge accepted. It isn’t something I can reject by myself, so if you have concerns then I believe your only option is to petition Duke Genos.”

“Naturally, I intend to do just that. But as I am nothing but a mere chef, I cannot imagine that request being granted, so I would like to ask that you mediate the matter with the duke and your leading clan heads as well, Sir Asuta.”

He remained perfectly calm and composed, and I couldn’t sense any animosity or ill will from him. It was possible he didn’t have any scorn toward me or the people of the forest’s edge and was simply saying all this for the sake of the ingredients.

So he’s less a bad person and more just an eccentric?

I took a moment to contemplate, and once I had my thoughts and feelings in order I offered my rebuttal.

“If I had taken this job out of a sense of obligation or due to my own personal curiosity then maybe it wouldn’t make sense to push ahead in spite of your feelings on the matter. But what I feel is a strong desire to create proper ties between the nobles of Genos and the people of the forest’s edge. Can you please understand that I can’t back out of this job without throwing away that desire?”

“What exactly do you hope to accomplish using ingredients you are not accustomed to? If you did not remove any ingredients from this pantry and presented your dishes on a different day than my own, then I would have no reason to complain.”

“So you don’t want me working the kitchen on the same day as you?”

“Of course. If the guests’ tongues were sullied as a result, they would be unable to thoroughly experience the taste of my cooking.”

That got me thinking again about how exactly to handle this matter. Since I couldn’t sense any thoughtless malice from him, coldly turning down his request didn’t feel like the way to settle things.

Meanwhile, the women standing beside me were all wearing a variety of expressions. Ai Fa was expressionless, but with a piercing gaze fixed on Varkas half hidden behind her eyelids, while Reina Ruu watched over the proceedings with a demure look. Rimee Ruu was tilting her head, and Toor Deen...surprisingly, she had the most displeased look of all in her eyes as she firmly bit down on her lip.

Personally, I wasn’t feeling especially angry or anything. In fact, I honestly thought that it was pretty crazy to leave the catering for such an important banquet up to someone in my position. However, that didn’t mean I could simply accept Varkas’s demand.

“In other words, you don’t want an inexperienced chef like me using those precious ingredients, and you don’t want your cooking served alongside crude dishes, right?”

“Put frankly, that is the case.”

“I see,” I replied, my thoughts racing. “To be honest, I still see myself as a chef with a long way to go. I’ve only lived seventeen years, and it’s only been around half a year since I came here to Genos. Naturally, I have my doubts about someone like me serving food to nobles.”

“Very well. In that case...”

“Even so, Duke Genos and Polarth here had some knowledge of my skills before entrusting me with this important task. If I can live up to their expectations, then I believe that could lead to the standing of the people of the forest’s edge being reevaluated, at least a little.”

Varkas was silent.

“If you don’t mind, could I show you my cooking skills too before you make up your mind? Then if you still aren’t satisfied, your claim that Asuta of the Fa clan isn’t suited to cooking for such an important banquet will hold all the more weight when you tell Duke Genos. After all, you’re known as the foremost chef in the region.”

“You want me to taste your cooking...?”

“That’s right. Duke Genos assigned the task to me after eating my cooking, so it’s only natural that your words wouldn’t hold sufficient weight when you know nothing of my skill, right?”

Varkas fell silent, a somewhat pained look on his face.

Polarth had been watching over the whole exchange, and now he broke out in a big grin.

“Well then, there is definitely logic in Sir Asuta’s proposal. Personally, I would say that his skill is no less than that of Sir Timalo, you know, Sir Varkas.”

“Those words only make me feel more concerned... After all, Sir Timalo isn’t qualified to waste the ingredients here.” Running his almost femininely graceful fingers through his hair, Varkas gave a sigh. “It was a mistake by the previous head of this house to make Sir Timalo the assistant head chef. Whenever he vainly wielded a knife, I felt as though I could hear the ingredients crying out.”

“I see. That you would say such a thing only raises my expectations of your skills, Sir Varkas. But Sir Asuta comes from overseas, and he can create dishes using techniques that are unfamiliar to us. That should put him on more than equal footing with chefs invited from Sym or Jagar, wouldn’t you say?”

“As I said, if he were making dishes in some suitable place removed from me, then I would have no complaints.” At that, Varkas slowly turned my way. “Still, I understand what you are saying. If you are willing to go that far, then go ahead and show me your skill... And shall I show you my own skills as well, Sir Asuta?”

“Your skills? That’s definitely a welcome offer.”

“Is that so? Well then, we shall taste one another’s cooking before coming to a conclusion. I believe that will show you quite well that my feelings on the matter are correct,” Varkas said in a perfectly listless, gentle tone.

And so, I found myself in a completely unexpected cooking competition with a chef who was Mikel’s equal, if not his better.

3

“As I don’t have time to waste, let us make it a simple grilled dish,” Varkas declared while standing in front of the countless ingredients and cooking tools.

The pages had brought out a water jug and left it by the chef’s feet. Since this place hadn’t been used as a kitchen for some time, there was no water. After carefully washing his tools, he lined up some containers of herbs and seasonings, and then finally seemed ready to start.

“By the way, Sir Asuta, are those women there your servants?”

“They’re cooking assistants, not servants. If you don’t mind, I would like to have them partake in the taste test too.”

“As long as their tongues can properly distinguish between tastes, I do not mind...” Varkas said as he reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a small folded white cloth. It wasn’t exactly like a hand towel or a hat. Instead, it turned out to be a cloth mask, with holes in it for just his eyes, nose, and mouth.

As we stood there at a loss for words, Varkas turned his gaze our way through those rounded holes.

“A single drop of sweat will change the flavor. This level of preparedness is only natural for a chef.”

I turned to look at Polarth, only to find him blankly observing the strange sight as well. It seemed this really was a method unique to Varkas.

“Well then, I shall begin cooking.”

Thanks to the area around his mouth being partly covered, his voice was coming out a bit muffled, but without paying that any mind, he once again headed toward the pantries. He didn’t have any karon or kimyuus among the ingredients brought out to him, so he must have intended to use a fish from the tank. After a moment, we started following after him in a crowd.

Once he entered the fish tank room, Varkas grabbed a net with a handle from the wall, then silently glared out over the fish. From what I could tell, there seemed to be four types of fish swimming around inside.

One had a long and narrow body like a char with yellowish-brown scales and white flecks. Then there was a darkly colored one with a more circular profile that looked like a black porgy, or maybe a tilapia. Another had speckles of yellow and red, and was short and stout like a knobsnout parrotfish from Okinawa. Lastly, there was an emerald green fish with a big, bulky body like a snakehead.

That snakehead-like fish had a tank all to themselves, while the three other types mingled together in two additional tanks. From among them, Varkas picked out one of those char-like fish that looked to be around thirty centimeters long. He then observed it up close, checking the elasticity of its long and narrow body with his fingers, before returning to the kitchen with it, net and all.

“So we’re really gonna eat a fish? What in the world do they taste like?” Rimee Ruu whispered to Ai Fa behind me.

Varkas removed the fish from the net and rubbed salt into it while it was still alive, then washed it off with water from the jug. That must have been to remove the sliminess. Next, as the fish was still twitching all about, he placed it atop a cutting board and grabbed a fish-cutting knife. The blade smoothly slid into the creature’s stomach, and then he sliced it open up to the throat.

After removing the innards, he scraped the meat off the spine using his nails. Honestly, the steps he used were pretty similar to the ones I knew for preparing a live fish. After washing it once more, he inserted his fingers into the initial cut, then stripped the skin off in a single go. Even though his fingers looked as dainty as a woman’s, they seemed to have some definite strength behind them.

“Your skills are truly impressive. This is my first time ever seeing a live fish prepared,” Polarth earnestly chimed in, but Varkas offered no response.

At that point, he chopped the head off of the fish and sliced off the fillets. He then tossed the head and backbone into the pot being used for garbage, after which he coated the remaining left and right fillets in a black herb.

Varkas then washed his hands, lit one of the stoves, and started heating up a smallish pan. Once it was nice and heated, he again washed his hands, before placing the skin he had peeled off into the pan, along with a reddish herb.

Soon enough, the fat running off from the skin started crackling. Eventually the fat was exhausted and he discarded the skin, with his next step being to gently lay the herb-coated fish meat down in the bottom of the pan.

A sour aroma soon spread throughout the kitchen. It seemed he had employed that herb that reminded me of Thai food, which I had rejected when making my giba curry.

Since there wasn’t all that much fat to be had from the skin, the herbs soon started giving off a burnt smell. Varkas didn’t seem to mind, though, continuing to slowly cook both sides over a low flame. From underneath his mask, I could spy that the look in his green eyes had completely shifted, from apathetic to deadly serious. And there was no hesitation in his movements either.

Once both sides were grilled, Varkas suddenly picked up a bluish container which was filled with karon milk. I was a bit surprised to find that’s what he was using. He filled a clay cup to the brim with that milk, added a pinch of salt and sugar, and poured it into the pan. When the liquid met the heated fat, they made a pleasant crackling sound.

“Are his skills the same as that other chef, Timalo’s, to be adding karon milk and that black herb together...?” Reina Ruu whispered to me. Even after nearly two months had passed, she apparently still remembered the smell of that herb perfectly well.

But Varkas wasn’t done. Soon he got to work adding several more herbs. He didn’t grind them down, instead tearing them up above the pan and mixing them in. Though he did it very casually, I was certain he had carefully calculated the amounts. After all, no matter what herb he was tearing up, he stopped midway and tossed the rest into the trash unsparingly.

The slight amount of fat was soon overwhelmed by the karon milk, at which point only the sound of it simmering could be heard. As we all listened to that sound, Varkas stopped moving for around thirty seconds.

Then, as if his switch had suddenly been flicked on, he scooped up the contents of the pan with a wooden spatula. He placed the two chunks of fish coated in shredded bits of black herb and white karon milk atop a clay plate. Next, he took a spatula and scraped off that pitiful coating.

What appeared from underneath was the white meat of a fish that had been heated through. Perhaps because the herbs had protected it, there wasn’t so much as a single burn mark to be seen. After moving it to yet another plate, Varkas carefully washed his hands, then cut the fish into diagonal slices one centimeter thick or so.

At that point, he lined them up so that the cross sections were exposed, then used a silver spoon to add something red on top. The substance had come from a small jar, and looked to be a jam made by crushing and simmering arow fruit.

“It’s ready,” Varkas stated, stepping back from the workstation. “This dish will cool off rapidly, so please hurry and taste it.”

“My, what amazing skill! Still, I can’t imagine what it must taste like...” Polarth exclaimed as he approached the plate, and we did the same.

“This dish is treated as an appetizer at The Silver Star. Of course, since there is a limit to how many fish I can bring with me, it is only offered once every several days,” Varkas stated, removing his white mask. His face was damp with sweat, such that his long dark-brown hair clung to it.

“Well then, let us partake! This really is quite the unexpected treat,” Polarth proclaimed while picking up a slice with a silver fork-like utensil. And when he took a bite, his eyes shot open wide. “This... Ah, I suppose I should not offer my impressions before you try it, Sir Asuta.”

Grabbing a wooden spoon, I carefully scooped up a bit of the meat, taking care not to drop it.

It really did look just like an ordinary slice of white fish meat. He had declared it would be a grilled dish, but the fish itself never touched the surface of the pan, so it felt more like it had been steamed. Plus, I couldn’t make heads or tails out of the way he soaked it in karon milk and spread that jam made from arow, which were like strawberries, all over it. Then there were all those spices he used, which came together to give off an incredibly complicated aroma.

Having thoroughly taken in its appearance, I went ahead and finally tossed the slice into my mouth.

Instantly, a deep and complex taste burst forth in my mouth.

This is... How can I even describe it?

It was like the spiciness from the herbs, sourness of the arow, and sweetness of the karon were racing around on my tongue in a spiral as they intertwined.

Actually, that spice was coming from a variety of different herbs, and the sourness was coming not just from the arow, but also a lemongrass-like herb. Plus, the sweetness from the karon milk mixed with the sugar (and a small amount from the arow), so it was difficult to tell which flavors were coming from precisely which ingredients.

Then at the center of it all was the fish. The umami from that fish that had been coated in herbs and grilled helped to tie everything together.

He had grilled white fish meat with herbs, simmered it in milk, and added jam on top. I couldn’t help but think to myself that there was no way that such a thing could possibly be tasty...but this was clearly a perfected dish.

Between the sweetness, spiciness, sourness, and even slight bit of bitterness from the burnt herbs, it should have been an absolute wreck, but it managed to just barely remain in harmony. I found it difficult to even imagine what sort of calculations went into creating such a taste.

It was tough to judge whether or not it was tasty. But if you asked me if I wanted to try making it, I would immediately reply no.

Even so, I couldn’t say it was bad.

Actually, it was definitely good.

But the sensations I was experiencing just weren’t clicking together.

Timalo and Roy’s cooking never would have gotten me this confused. I would have been able to reach an answer separate from my own impressions, like, “I could see some people finding this tasty” or, “It sure is interesting how culinary cultures can differ.”

But I couldn’t judge when it came to this dish.

It had an odd, complex, mysterious flavor.

That was just about the only opinion I could wring out.

It was a dish that broke free in a completely different direction from what I knew, and felt truly fitting of being called cooking from another world.

“This dish...” Reina Ruu muttered in a pained voice.

Apparently, while I was overwhelmed by my astonishment, everyone else had given the dish a taste test. And now, Reina Ruu had turned my way with an imploring look in her eyes. “Asuta, please tell me... Is this dish tasty?”

What a truly bizarre question.

In the past, Dan Rutim had asked the same when taste testing my giba curry. But this was different, and Reina Ruu’s voice was brimming with emotions that she couldn’t contain.

Toor Deen was also shooting me a look like she was about to break down crying.

Meanwhile, Rimee Ruu groaned, “Hrrm...” with a serious look on her face. “I don’t really get it for some reason... Oh? You aren’t gonna eat any, Ai Fa?”

“I’m no chef, and I have no interest in the cooking of the castle town.”

There were still a number of slices left atop the wooden plate.

Working up my resolve, I went ahead and held that plate out toward my clan head.

“Ai Fa, if you don’t mind, could I hear your impressions too? I’d like to hear the frank thoughts of a person of the forest’s edge who isn’t a chef.”

She furrowed her brow dubiously, but in the end she picked up a slice without saying a word. Then she tossed it into her mouth, expressionlessly chewed, and swallowed.

“Well...?”

“I have nothing in particular to say. It’s not a taste that I find delicious. Though with that said, I wouldn’t say that it’s particularly bad either,” Ai Fa readily stated, but then she brought her mouth in close to my ear. “To go further, I can’t imagine we people of the forest’s edge would have any need for such a taste. If you had happened to create such a dish, you wouldn’t have been able to move the hearts of Granny Jiba, Donda Ruu, or myself. Simply walk the path that you believe in, Asuta.”

I closed my eyes and forced down the doubts and worries swirling around in my chest, then stared back at my clan head’s sour face.

“Got it. Thanks, Ai Fa.”

In response, she gave me a silent poke in the chest.

Then, I turned to face Polarth.

“I’m having a bit of trouble finding the words to describe my surprise. Could I hear your impressions, Polarth?”

“Mine? Well, I thought it was simply amazing! Why, I felt it was the very pinnacle of the sort of delicious cooking that chefs in Genos aim for!” Polarth exclaimed with a carefree grin, turning to face Varkas. “Sir Varkas, I have had your cooking numerous times in the past, but never has a dish surprised me as much as this one! To think that something so delicious could be created through free use of the ingredients here in the Turan manor! I truly am impressed!”

“I’m honored by your praise...” Varkas replied, his expression indifferent. But even seeing that, Polarth kept on smiling at him.

“Still, it really is completely different from the sort of dishes Sir Asuta creates. It’s true that people of the castle town may well see his work as rough, wild cooking, but it’s no mere rural novelty. His dishes are full of such deliciousness that I cannot help but break out in a smile simply by tasting them.”

“I see...”

“Yes... If that were not the case, Duke Genos and Lord Leeheim would never have given his skills such praise. And just as Sir Asuta has been surprised by your cooking, Sir Varkas, I believe the reverse shall also prove true.”

Despite that statement, Varkas’s expression remained unchanged.

Still, Polarth gave a nod with a satisfied look, then turned back my way.

“Well then, now it is your turn, Sir Asuta! I’ll be looking forward to something delicious, of course.”

“Right. I’ll give my all to meet your expectations.”

Reaching into my breast pocket, I pulled out my worn-down white towel.

All I could do at this point was prepare my own cooking. Then I’d just have to see what Varkas’s reaction was after tasting it.

“Reina Ruu, could you prepare a pan, a single-handled pot, a metal skewer, and several plates? Toor Deen, I would like you to ask the people out front for three kimyuus eggs and a container of milk fat, and then for you to get the flame going. Rimee Ruu, you can come with me to help with the other ingredients.”

“Got it!” Rimee Ruu energetically replied, once again smiling. Reina Ruu and Toor Deen both seemed to shake off their unease in their own way, and then they silently got to work. Rimee Ruu then followed me into the pantry, where I started handing the ingredients I picked out to my tiny assistant.

“Hey, what are you gonna make, Asuta? Isn’t it going to be tough without any giba meat?”

“That’s true. But thanks to that, I’ll be able to face him head-on.”

If I asked someone from the manor, I could get kimyuus and karon meat to use. But if I was going to use an ingredient I wasn’t accustomed to either way, then I figured going with something that would have a bit of impact would lead to better results. Not just in terms of the taste test, but for satisfying Varkas too.

Entrusting Rimee Ruu with the task of carrying the ingredients, I set foot in the room with the fish tanks. After capturing a fish of the same type Varkas used, as similar in size and shape as I could find, I returned to the kitchen with it in the net.

“Oh, my! You are going to use a live fish as well, Sir Asuta?!”

“Yeah. I was born in an island nation, so I’m used to handling fish.”

Varkas carefully watched my actions with a scrutinizing gaze.

Handing the net over to Ai Fa, I drew my old man’s kitchen knife from my hip. It was the one thing I hadn’t felt comfortable leaving in the carriage, so I’d gone ahead and brought it along.

I’ll be borrowing this for the first time in a while, dad.

Ever since I bought my meat-cutting knife from Diel, I had kept my use of this knife to a minimum. However, I didn’t feel like trying to use a fillet knife that I had never handled before on a task like this.

After drawing the blade from its white hackberry sheath, I placed it atop the cutting board, then I took the net back from Ai Fa. Just as Varkas had done, I first rubbed salt into the fish to remove the sliminess.

Next, I drove the metal skewer through its head, and once it was fixed to the cutting board I slit the stomach. Filleting a fish, even after half a year of being out of practice, was no problem for me at all.

“Hmm, you certainly do seem familiar with the process! I suppose you’re showing your true skill as one who has come from overseas,” I heard Polarth exclaim in admiration from behind as I sprinkled salt and pico leaves over the fillets. Though they charged for pico leaves in town, the pantry here was, naturally, well stocked with them.

By the way, I didn’t peel the skin from the fillets. Since the scales were small like with a char or a rainbow trout, that step didn’t seem necessary.

As I was seasoning the fish, I also started boiling two of the kimyuus eggs on the stove Toor Deen had gotten ready. With the third one, I left it uncooked and used it alongside reten oil and mamaria vinegar to make some mayonnaise. Then, I minced up the hard-boiled eggs and mixed them with a bit of aria and the mayonnaise to prepare a tartar sauce.

“Ooh, that seems to be another dish I’m unfamiliar with,” Polarth excitedly proclaimed. That earnest enthusiasm of his really helped to drive me onward.

For him, the most important thing was probably to cut off any potential trouble Varkas might cause with his objection. But even aside from that, he seemed to genuinely be excited for my cooking. Of that, I had no doubt.

I know it’s a little late to be noticing, but he really is an unusual person, I thought to myself as I heated up the single-handled pot. Once that was done, I sprinkled fuwano flour over the seasoned fillets, then grilled both sides in milk fat.

What I was making was a freshwater fish meunière.

The smell of the heated milk fat and grilling fish really made for a fragrant aroma. Once I moved the grilled fillets over to a plate, sliced them, and added the tartar sauce on top, it was done.

“Sorry for the wait. This is a dish from my home country called meunière.”

“Hmm, I see. I truly cannot get enough of that milk fat smell,” Polarth stated, once again being the first to reach out. “Ooh, this is...! Ah, almost said too much again. Now then, Sir Varkas, please go ahead and give it a taste.”

The chef expressionlessly grabbed a fork. After we waited for him to take a bite, the women in my group grabbed wooden spoons. And this time around, that included Ai Fa right from the start. I was the last one to give it a taste.

It wasn’t half bad.

Thanks to the fuwano flour, the surface was nice and crispy, while the meat inside remained soft and moist. And since it was a freshwater fish, it didn’t have any strange odors. It really did go nicely with the butter-like flavor of the milk fat, and it didn’t interfere with the taste of the tartar sauce either.

My only real thoughts were that I could have used a bit more time to season it, or that a tau oil-based Worcestershire sauce might have gone well with it. But it really had come together well enough that it could be served just as it was.

“This is your first time handling a freshwater fish from Selva, is it not, Sir Asuta? How were you able to make such a delicious dish in spite of that?” Polarth asked me.

“There were fish similar to this one back in my home country too. But I probably wouldn’t know how to handle that big fish that was isolated in its own tank.”

“I’m impressed! I have no complaints, as this is a truly delicious dish. If I were to ask for anything further, though, I suppose it would be in regard to the fact that you did not use any herbs at all, which strays from the customs of Genos.”

“I see. I hesitated over whether or not I should use myamuu and tau oil when flavoring it. But since this way is more intricate, I figured it may suit the tastes of folks from the castle town better.”

“Myamuu and tau oil?! That sounds delicious as well! But this dish truly is fantastic as is! It’s every bit as good as that fried kimyuus dish you made before,” Polarth said with a smile like he would melt away, then he turned toward Varkas. “So, what do you say? This is Sir Asuta’s skill! It may be somewhat removed from the customs of Genos, but it is a curious enough taste to cancel that out. If this dish were presented at a banquet, I would have no complaints whatsoever.”

At that, Varkas slowly approached me. With a scrutinizing look still in his eyes, he stared apologetically at me.

“So, this is a technique used overseas...?”

“Yes. It’s a dish from my home country that I learned there.”

“There are many chefs in Sym, Jagar, and even the capital of Algrad who create highly novel dishes. But I have never felt that I fell short of any of them.”

“Is that so? It’s certainly true that your cooking skills are incredible, I’d say,” I chimed in.

But Varkas just kept on talking, unconcerned, as if he hadn’t even heard what I said.

“Naturally, I do not believe that I fall short of you either. You still have room for improvement in terms of flavoring and how you manage your flames.”

“Yeah, that’s certainly true. But I’m sure I’ve done more than enough to show you what sort of chef I am, right?”

“Yes, I clearly understand that,” Varkas replied, drawing in even closer. His lack of expression was eerie, but since Ai Fa wasn’t making a move, he must not have been signaling any bad intentions.

Then, just as I was thinking that, he suddenly grasped my hands.

“I offer a retraction.”

“H-Huh? What do you mean?”

“I retract every single one of my earlier comments.”

His green eyes were staring intently straight at me. Despite his fingers being elegant like a woman’s, I felt a rough, leathery sensation against my hands. They were hands that had been toughened up over the course of many years of working the kitchen.

“I thoroughly misjudged the techniques used by you people from overseas. You have the right to use whichever ingredients you please. And I would be honored to man the kitchen on the same day as you, Sir Asuta.”

“Th-Thank you.”

“This may just be the first time in five years that I have felt this way...” Varkas stated as he brought his expressionless slender face even closer. “Our ways of doing things are different. And I’m certain what we aim toward differs as well. Actually, that may be precisely what causes me to feel so excited. There’s only been one person who has made me feel that way in the past.”

“C-Could you be talking about a chef named Mikel?”

Varkas’s eyes suddenly narrowed severely like Jiza Ruu’s. “Sir Asuta, could it be...”

“No, I learned under my old man. I’m acquainted with Mikel, but he hasn’t given me cooking lessons.”

“I see. Sir Mikel was the one and only man I saw as a worthy rival. I feel as if I’ve gotten back that rival I lost.”

“Varkas, even if you have no ill intent, could you go ahead and step away from my clan member now?” Ai Fa finally warned him.

After giving one last squeeze of my hands, Varkas withdrew, looking as if he was reluctant to part. “My apologies. It seems I got overly worked up and lost control of myself.”

After breathing a sigh of relief, I went ahead and turned back toward Varkas.

“I’d be honored to man the kitchen on the same day as you too, Varkas. If you don’t mind, how about we both make extra of our dishes on the day of the welcome banquet, so that we can sample one another’s cooking?”

“That’s a very welcome suggestion. I’ll never forget this day I met you for my entire life,” Varkas replied, and then he suddenly broke out in a smile. He had been handsome to begin with, but with that expression on his face, he seemed kinder and gentler now.

“Even so, you’re still young... As you are now, it would be impossible for you to make a dish superior to mine, Sir Asuta,” Varkas declared, still wearing that soft smile that made him look like a different person entirely.