Chapter 11: Pound Cake

Chapter 11:
Pound Cake

Saturday morning.

After preparing the beef stew and having a light breakfast, the master took a brief moment to relax in the kitchen. He could have returned to his home on the third floor, but every week on Saturday at around this time, he got a visitor. It wouldn’t be long before his guest arrived.

“Yo, top of the morning,” a voice called. “I’ve got the goods.”

From the loading elevator in the kitchen came a thin man with a wagon in tow.

“Thanks, man. I really appreciate it,” the master replied, returning the greeting with a certain level of familiarity. The visitor was a friend of his that he’d known since elementary school. It made sense that they were casual with one another.

“It’s no biggie. We’re open on Saturdays anyway, so it’s not like I’m doing anything crazy. Plus, I get paid.” The man went to the giant refrigerator and began to unload into it cakes and treats that he had made himself.

On the first floor of Nekoya’s building was a cake shop called the Flying Puppy. Its sign was, appropriately enough, that of a puppy with wings. This man inherited the shop from his father, a patissier. He was the master’s childhood friend. The two middle-aged men were the same age, though the patissier already had two children of his own. The Flying Puppy’s patissier was aware of Nekoya’s secret business on Saturdays. When the two men were still elementary school kids, there were times when the patissier’s parents were too busy to make dinner, so they’d give him money to eat at Nekoya. The previous master treated the boy just as he did his own grandson, and so he naturally came to know the restaurant’s secret.

As far as the patissier was concerned, he owed Nekoya. When he was in college, he had a bike accident. When injuries from the crash left him paralyzed from the waist down, the previous master gave him a somewhat suspicious “otherworldly elixir.” It was this medicine that saved him. Doctors called it a miraculous recovery. Truth be told, it really was something of a miracle.

And so after he finished his training as a patissier, he inherited his parent’s shop, the very same one in Nekoya’s building. He cooperated with the master as much as was possible. The patissier sold his goods to Western Cuisine Nekoya at wholesale prices, and more than half of the restaurant’s dessert items came from him.

“That’s everything! Whew, I’m starting to feel my age a bit. Hahaha. Oh, before I forget. Take this.”

The patissier finished putting the cakes that needed to be kept cold in the fridge and the ones that needed to be kept warm into warm storage. He then grabbed a box from his wagon and handed it to the master.

“The heck is this? Some kinda cake?”

The master tilted his head at the long box that had a silhouette of the Flying Puppy’s trademark winged canine on it. The sturdy gift box was heavier than it looked. From the inside, the master could detect the faint aroma of brandy. Whatever was in here used quite a bit of it. While there were cakes at the Flying Puppy that were made with some measure of alcohol, the master wasn’t familiar with any that were this obvious.

“It’s one of our prizes. You know how if you buy a hundred items from us, you get one whole cake of your choosing for free, right?” The patissier smiled as he explained the system to his friend.

At the Flying Puppy, he had a stamp system in which one piece of cake got the customer one stamp. Collect twenty stamps and a visitor got a free piece of cake. Collect a hundred and they got a whole cake. The master heard that this was particularly popular with working women in the neighborhood.

“A hundred pieces?” the master asked, confused. “Wait, don’t tell me it’s her.”

Hearing his friend’s words, the master immediately recalled the otherworldly customer in her early twenties who had undoubtedly eaten some hundred pieces of cake. She was one of his regulars.

“Yeah, her! You told me about her before, remember? She’s been showing up at your place every week for the past year, and she always orders two pieces of my pound cake! I believe you described her as a cutie. Could you get that to her? I know they don’t got fridges over there, so I made it so that it could be stored warm for at least a few weeks. Just don’t forget to tell her to eat it as soon as she opens it!”

“You got it. I’ll make sure to get it to her when she swings by.” The master agreed to his friend’s request and took the box from him. Now that he thought about it, last week she’d had something of a troubled look on her face. Something unfortunate might have happened to her. This could be the perfect pick-me-up.

***

Once every week was the day of trials.

“And so the day is upon me yet again…”

In the corner of the training ground appeared a black door with a picture of a cat on it. It was that very door that the high priestess of the Lord of Light, Celestine, cast her blue eyes upon, her beautiful blonde hair gently swaying behind her. She wore a troubled expression on her face.

This training ground was created specifically for the high priestess herself. Celestine was the only one with permission to enter this space. It took years to become a high priest or priestess, with most only reaching that position somewhere between their forties and fifties. Celestine, however, was granted the title at the incredibly young age of twenty. At the age of twenty-one, His Grace personally put her in charge of this monastery. Thus, the only people who knew this training ground’s secret were the previous head who was now in retirement and Celestine herself.

“Today. Today’s the day…” The young high priestess steadied herself and stood in front of the door.

Just looking at it was enough to make her mouth water, but she did her best to try and compose herself. Celestine’s “year of acceptance” was over. At this rate, she would be put face to face with her own weakness.

The Lord of Light that Celestine believed in was one that heavily prioritized self-control. Priests and priestesses were held to a higher standard than that of the average believer. This was especially the case for high priests and priestesses who would go on to lead the church itself, and so after a “year of acceptance,” they were to practice severe self-control going forward.

The Lord of Light and his loyal servant, His Grace and one of the legendary four heroes, preached to their followers that was easy enough to not be tempted by something one did not know existed. However, that could hardly be considered defeating one’s desires and gaining selfless virtue. The only true way to ascend to that level was to understand why such desires were so tempting and then train in true self-control.

The “year of acceptance” was a practice born from that idea. Alcohol, tobacco, sweets, cosmetics… It wasn’t just about matters of the heart or purity, it was also about the many luxury items in the world. And so for a full year, followers of the Lord of Light who wished to attain the high status of priest or priestess were allowed to indulge in all of these things as much as they so desired. After that year was over, they would then train to cut themselves off from all of those desires.

It went without saying that failure was not a rare thing. It was believed that self-control was something that had to come from within. And so, high priests and priestesses were capable of getting their hands on as many luxury goods as they wanted, which made cutting them out all the more difficult. As a result, the church believed that it was all right for those who became high priests or priestesses to have one or two things that they dabbled in. It was normal. Even His Grace, one of the four heroes who had saved the world from the dark lord decades ago, would occasionally enjoy a good smoke of his pipe. These things made people human.

Which was why Celestine was so odd. As the church required, she went through her “year of acceptance,” and on the following day, cut back on all of her desires. This happened some two years ago. Since then, she had been a steel fortress of self-control. It was this determination of spirit and her own talent that got her promoted to the position of high priestess at such a young age. Her exploits only grew, as one year ago during the great Lich Hunt, she performed admirably despite being the youngest high priestess on the field. This led to her being entrusted with an entire monastery all her own.

Which is how she ended up standing in front of this black door.

This is no good. No good at all.

Celestine slowly staggered her way to the door. Just beyond it was an entire world of luxuries and magical items she would never be able to acquire in her world. When her precursor stepped down, Celestine learned of this door’s existence. She stepped beyond it and found herself entranced by what she found. That was one year ago… With her second “year of acceptance” now finished, Celestine found herself unable to shed her desires.

Frustrated with herself, she slowly opened the door and was met with the ringing of bells; the sound of defeat.

“Welcome!”

Celestine quietly entered the restaurant only to be met with the smiling face of the middle-aged master. To her, he looked more like a demon attempting to lure her into depravity.

I-It’s not too late…

Indeed. She could just turn around and leave. Celestine was nothing like the common folk hungrily indulging themselves in the food of this restaurant. Since she was a high priestess of the great Lord of Light, she needed to practice self-control! She internally repeated these words to herself and attempted to make her exit…

That is, until the demon—no, the master—shattered those plans.

“Will you be getting pound cake again? Oh, by the way, today’s pound cake is rum raisin!”

And just like that, Celestine’s legs stopped moving.

Rum raisin?!

Including the first time she visited this restaurant, Celestine had only had the pleasure of tasting that most ephemeral of flavors but three times. The thought alone was enough to revive the memories of that incredible experience on her tongue, and she quickly swallowed the saliva building in her mouth.

“So what’ll it be?”

“I-I’ll have some!”

“Aye! Coming right up!”

The master smiled back at her. His truly was the smile of a demon of temptation. Caught in the throes of defeat, Celestine took a seat at the nearest table.

I lost… I’m such a fool!

She could see the faces of her fellow high priests and priestesses flash by in her mind. Despite having the power that one possessed in such a position, Celestine’s elders were incapable of entirely cutting themselves off from temptation. Somewhere in her heart, she had always looked down on them for it. She could feel the wave of guilt washing over her. Celestine was a steel fortress of self-control? What a joke. She was no different than her colleagues; just as weak of heart as the rest of them.

A-And what’s with this place, anyway?! If they just offered the same flavor every single time, I’d have grown tired of it by now!

Every time Celestine visited this restaurant, the flavor of its seductive “pound cake” was different. Every single time.

On one visit, Celestine found herself face to face with a type of pound cake filled with dried fruits. A different time, she indulged in one filled with slightly bitter but incredibly sweet “chocolate” of some sort. She encountered a pound cake with some kind of sweet, green stuff with roasted beans. Then there was the time when the pound cake had a yellow filling that tasted like egg… Every time she came here, the pound cake she ate was completely different. She only ever encountered the same flavor once every few months at the very most.

And then there were the special types, like the yellow “Halloween Pound Cake,” which had the sweet flavor of vegetables, and the “Hinamatsuri Special,” which featured pink, yellow, and green layers. She only saw each of these once throughout the year. This, combined with the fact that the restaurant only appeared once every seven days, made the whole thing that much harder to give up.

And what’s the big idea, showing up today and offering rum raisin of all things, just after my “year of acceptance” wrapped up?! That’s not fair!

There was no way that someone of the other world could possibly know of her training, but Celestine didn’t care. She needed to take out her frustrations. Just the thought of the rum raisin treat made her mouth water again. All the different pound cakes of the other world tasted amazing, but the rum raisin was on a different level altogether. It was so good that the first time she ate it, she instinctively thought to herself that it was the food of the Gods. So on those rare days that the master was serving rum raisin, she ate more than usual.

Why isn’t it ready yet?

Thinking about the rum raisin pound cake in her future made Celestine grow impatient. It was so hard just waiting, but finally the time had arrived.

“Here you are. One pound cake and black tea set.”

“Th-thank you!” Celestine flashed the master a smile.

The sight of the pound cake with white fluff sprinkled atop was enough to force a smile out of her.

“I’ll bring out seconds as soon as you want.” The master saw right through her. He knew that she’d order another one. He quickly left her table to deal with the other customers.

“Oh, Lord of Light who watches over all of us from the heavens. I thank you for this blessing of food.” After praying, Celestine took her silver fork in hand and began to eat.

“Oh…”

It had been months since she last experienced the joy that was rum raisin pound cake, so she couldn’t help but make noises as she bit into it. That’s just how mouthwatering it was. There was something about its moist sweetness and soft texture. While it resembled bread, it really was something else entirely. She could sense the light traces of alcohol spread throughout her mouth. The dried grapes exploded on her tongue, having absorbed the sweet alcohol. That wasn’t all, however. The white, sweet fluffy stuff on top fused with the flavor of the dried grapes to create a sweetness that reminded her of any number of confectionaries.

The yellow dough, dried black grapes, and the white fluffy stuff were a power team. They were each just sweet enough, with their different layers melting together in her mouth and producing something entirely new. Celestine was intoxicated by this tremendous explosion of flavor. All the guilt and shame she had for being incapable of resisting her temptations melted away along with the pound cake in her mouth.

Once Celestine took that first bite, there was no turning back. She would have to proceed forward in her culinary journey. Her hand kept moving, and soon enough, the pound cake was gone from this world. Rest in peace.

“Mm… Excuse me, but can I have another serving of pound cake, please?”

Celestine put a single spoonful of sugar into the uniquely bitter black "tea" and cleansed her palate before ordering a second helping of pound cake. Anybody familiar with Celestine would be shocked by how far removed she was from her usual demure self. They’d be further stunned after learning that she was acting this way because of sweets, of all things.

Truth be told, Celestine wasn’t particularly fond of sweets or confectionaries. When she underwent her “year of acceptance” between the ages of eighteen and nineteen, she ate sweets drowning in sugar and honey almost every day. Yet when it was all said and done, she didn’t feel the urge to keep eating more. Celestine figured that she simply wasn’t all that fond of them.

She was wrong. The young high priestess was forced to confront the truth after coming into contact with the demonic otherworldly food known as pound cake. It wasn’t that Celestine hated sweets, it was simply that she never knew what true sweets tasted like. She also learned that her own self-control and willpower weren’t enough to resist its seductive nature.

It was easy enough to not be tempted by something one did not know existed. These words rang truer than ever for Celestine. After learning of this place, she used the “year of acceptance” as an excuse to be a customer every time the door appeared. Seven days ago, she fell into despair when she realized a full year had passed since she became a regular at Nekoya. And so today, for the first time in her life, she lost to her own desires.

“Ugh….” she groaned.

Celestine finished off the final piece of pound cake, her second plate of the day, and ultimately felt like a fool. She regretted everything. She was unable to control herself. She did it. Those feelings washed over her.

I-I’ll just make sure not to come next time…

Celestine attempted to convince herself that it would all be okay as she placed down several silver coins on the table. She had no way of knowing that when she stood up to exit, she would receive a sucker punch right to the gut.

“Oh, are you already headed out? Wait just a second…” Noticing Celestine ready to leave, the master retreated to the kitchen in a hurry.

He came out holding something in his hands.

“Here, this is for you. Thank you so much for always stopping by. This is just a token of our gratitude.”

The master had a long, thin box in his hands with the picture of a winged puppy on it.

“What is this?” Celestine dreaded the answer, though somewhere deep inside, she was also excited. The master’s grin deepened as if he could see into her innermost thoughts.

“It’s a special brandy pound cake that we don’t usually have for sale. It’s a little heavier on the alcohol than the standard rum raisin cake you seem to enjoy so much. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

His words were enough to drive Celestine into a spiral of despair.

“B-brandy pound cake…?”

These words in that order were entirely unfamiliar to her, but the collective sound they made, combined with the master’s explanation, were enough to tell Celestine everything she needed to know. This thing was dangerous. If she ate it, there would be no turning back. She’d be making a pact with the devil.

I’ve never had this before… But since I like rum raisin, I’ll surely love this…

The master’s words stirred something inside of her. She could literally feel the insides of her stomach moving. She wanted to try it. She had to try it. That’s all she could think to herself.

“If you keep it somewhere dark and cool, it should stay good for up to twenty days. Though he did say that if you open it up, make sure to eat it immediately. Hope you can enjoy it with a friend or something!”

I have to say no. I have to say no.

And yet Celestine took the box from his hands nonetheless. She couldn’t help herself.

“Thank you very much.” The high priestess managed to muster a smile and offer words of gratitude.

“You’re very welcome. Take care!”

“Yes, see you again soon…”

Celestine finally managed to leave the restaurant, certain that she’d come again.

The next day, she broke the seal on the cake box. Celestine brought the brandy pound cake to her mouth with a certain level of resolve. The master had said it utilized stronger alcohol than the rum raisin. The moment she took a bite, everything became clear. There was no more running away for her. It was time for Celestine to make her move.

“Lady Celestine! Wh-what is this?! What type of alcohol is this?!”

The first person she visited was a nun on the path to become a high priestess named Carlotta. Celestine had set her eyes on her some time ago. Carlotta was known to have a love for alcohol that rivaled even the dwarves. The food itself was incredible, but even more stunning was the unknown alcohol used in its creation. Its fragrance was tremendous. Carlotta wanted to drink the mysterious liquor.

“It’s… bitter. But sweet? Delicious,” whispered the half-elf Anna as she focused intently on eating the cake in front of her. A changeling, Anna had a long life span and tremendous magical powers. Having lived with the church since shortly after birth, this was a first for her. The fragrant cake in front of her initially tasted bitter, but then that only served to strengthen the sweetness that came after. This was a tremendous discovery for Anna, raised at the Monastery of Light.

“Lady Celestine… This is incredibly delicious. I’ve had confectionaries in the Kingdom, but nothing like this. Who made this? Where are they?”

Anna wasn’t the only one who didn’t recognize the cake. Julianne, born of noble blood in the Kingdom, had experienced all the luxuries that were available in the capital city. If they didn’t recognize this confection, it was entirely likely that nobody on the Eastern Continent or the Western Continent would recognize it. Celestine’s description of it as a “special gift” was apt.

Nobody had a clue who could make something like it.

Celestine had decided to share her special gift with the three elites of her monastery. Once they were gathered together, she presented them with the long, thin box made from tough paper, wrapped in a strange, seamless, transparent bag. The three disciples opened it, and the entire area around them was flooded with the gentle, faint aroma of some sort of unknown alcohol. It wasn’t altogether dissimilar to the fragrance of wine.

And so Celestine cut three pieces of the baked cake for each of them.

They were overwhelmed.

“This is…”

Celestine wore something of a defeated smile on her face as Julianne turned to her.

“It’s the devil’s cake. A demon gave it to me,” the high priestess whispered, taking a much larger bite of the cake than she offered her disciples. An almost radiant expression spread across her face.

Celestine had come to a conclusion all her own.

Yes, I must overcome this trial from God. And the only way to do that is to identify everything in this cake and feast upon it until I grow weary of it.

One could argue that she was taking one step forward and fifty steps back.

Celestine Fragran would eventually be known as the female saint who rose up to become the pope. As one of the Lord of Light’s followers, she possessed incredible magic power and great compassion. However, there was but one luxury, one desire, that she loved too deeply to ever give up: “devil’s cake.” One day, she shared this ephemeral cake with three of her most promising pupils, jokingly adding that it was given to her by a demon. It was a tremendously sweet and aromatic cake with a dash of bitterness to it, made from alcohol. This confection was so delicious that Celestine herself, never mind her pupils, could not win against its allure. It was rumored that this was the primary reason that the Temple of Light eventually became extremely familiar with the creation of sweets, ultimately attracting a plethora of patissier believers to the church.

With the help of her pupils, Pope Celestine managed to perfect the recipe for the cake. It was said that she always wore the biggest of smiles on her face when she ate it. Even after rising to the position of pope, she never quite stopped being embarrassed by her inability to cut this luxury from her life. Yet even then, the magical taste of the pound cake never failed to put a smile on her face.