I'm
I was discovered by
Having apparently gained some prestige from cooking for a noble Shrine Maiden Apprentice, I recently got a girlfriend. At next year's Star Festival, I'm going to be the star. Next time, I'll definitely be the main event.
For that reason, today's dinner party was the most important test of all. If I couldn't satisfy the palates of the Lord, the Knight Commander, and the Chief Priest, my future as a chef would be bleak.
Both I and
"Looks like it's going well. The guard knights seem pleased."
The server who had been attending to the guard knights came back carrying the empty plates, a pleased look on his face. The chefs working in the kitchen all let out a collective sigh of relief—no, what really mattered was whether we could satisfy the Lord—and steeled themselves once more.
Today's entire menu was made from recipes taught to us by Lady
The blue Shrine Maiden Apprentice—Lady Mine—whom Benno had instructed us to train under, turned out to actually be the daughter of a high-ranking noble. High-ranking or middle-ranking, it was all the same—they were nobles—so my only reaction had been a flat "Huh, is that so."
But Lady Rozemyne was apparently evaluated for her dedication to the orphanage through the workshop and had been adopted as the Lord's daughter. As the Lord's adopted daughter, even her name had changed, and Lady Mine was now called Lady Rozemyne.
Honestly, even being told she was the Lord's adopted daughter, I could only picture someone so far above me it was beyond imagination. All I could think was, "Man, I was training in some seriously high places."
However, if the Lord was showing interest in a restaurant that his adopted daughter had invested in and was hosting a dinner party there, that was a different matter entirely. It was no longer someone else's problem.
At Ilse's place, where she had served as a chef in a noble's mansion, I was drilled in recipes for nobles as well as the things to watch out for when serving them, the proper mindset toward cooking, and technique. In return, I taught her the many recipes Lady Rozemyne had given me and desperately honed my skills. I just hoped the results would show.
These were recipes chosen by Lady Rozemyne, who was close to them by blood or by adoption, and they had already received Lady Rozemyne's seal of approval, so they had to be fine. If I didn't convince myself of that, my stomach would twist in knots and I'd be on the verge of throwing up from nerves.
"Starting with the Lord, the nobles all said they had never tasted flavors like these before and were extremely satisfied."
After serving all the meals and distributing the last of the dessert,
Seeing me and Todd involuntarily sink to the ground, Mark let out a soft chuckle.
"Good work, everyone. I know it's been tough, but after this, we still have meals for the servers and attendants. Please hang in there a little longer."
As he said this, Mark started eating the sandwiches prepared in the corner of the kitchen. Similar pressed bread was sold at outdoor stalls, but the soft white bread and the unique fillings made it impossible to think of pressed bread and sandwiches as the same thing.
In the end, among us, whenever we used white bread, the term that stuck was "sandwiches"—the name Lady Rozemyne had coined.
"...Even so, the Lord had never tasted those flavors before, huh?"
"Where on earth did Lady Rozemyne get these recipes?"
The same question that had surfaced again and again, yielding absolutely no answers, circled through my and Todd's heads once more. Ilse snorted and shrugged, saying, "In her dreams, she says. She must have eaten food from the goddess of cooking or something." How much truth there was to stories about the goddess of cooking was beyond me, but no further answer was forthcoming.
Mark narrowed his eyes as he sipped the tea he had poured for himself.
"Thinking about Lady Rozemyne is pointless. Now then, the desserts should be finishing up soon, and the meeting should be starting. The hungry servers will be coming in any moment."
Mark finished his meal briskly, said "Thanks for the food," and left the kitchen. Todd and I exchanged a quick glance and hurriedly started moving our hands again.
Unlike what we served the nobles, the meals for the servers were simple and easy to prepare. Even so, the attendants who constantly ate the nobles' leftovers were quite discerning, so for the soup alone, we used the leftover consommé. We added water, pomme sauce, and vegetables to increase the quantity.
For bread, we used the kind normally eaten in the lower town. There was no way we could use that expensive white bread for staff meals.
The servers' main dish wasn't hamburg steak but potato dumplings bulked up with karfe potatoes—though since we reused the sauce from simmering the hamburg by adding butter, the meat flavor still came through in the sauce.
If there were leftovers from dessert, we might get some.
While we were preparing the staff meals, just as Mark had predicted, the meeting began and the servers and attendants were ushered out of the dining hall. The moment they arrived, the area was flooded with people and became cramped and stuffy.
"I'm starving, I'm starving! Hugo, hurry up!"
"The attendants eat before you lot. Go serve them."
The attendant guests and musicians ate their meals in the waiting room, while the servers, just like Mark earlier, began eating at the table in the corner of the kitchen where we usually had our staff meals, or in the entrance hall.
The three guard knights who had already finished eating lined up by the doors, and Lady Frieda, who apparently hadn't been deemed necessary for the adults' meeting and had been sent out of the dining hall, sat alone in the entrance hall.
Todd and I, who unlike the attendants and musicians serving nobles or the employees of grand shops had never been raised with fine manners, were fine eating standing up. After serving everyone, we quickly filled our own hunger.
Now that we knew the dinner party had been a success, we were suddenly ravenous. Today's food for us staff was so good even I was impressed.
Suddenly, the dining hall doors opened and the knights were summoned. The servers interrupted their meals, trying to see what was happening. Curious myself, I headed toward the hall. Going in the opposite direction from us, some were hurrying back from the hall carrying armfuls of plates.
Before I could reach the hall, the Lord strode out with imposing grace. Being told "Out of the way," the servers shrank back in terror, pressing themselves against the walls. Even I, who hadn't yet made it to the hall, instinctively plastered myself against a wall.
No sooner had the nobles filed out into the hall than the Chief Priest suddenly produced a white beast. Having magic performed right before my eyes for the first time, I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a scream and jumped back.
"Open the doors."
At the Chief Priest's command, an attendant immediately threw open the double doors. The white beast flew out. It didn't run—it flew through the air. Stunned, unable to make sense of what was happening, I watched as the Lord then summoned an even more impressive beast, placed Lady Rozemyne aboard it, and flew away.
Watching Benno and Mark riding white beasts with wide eyes and stiff bodies, I thanked heaven from the bottom of my heart that I was a behind-the-scenes chef. No amount of lives would be enough to deal with nobles like that.
A female knight, the knight carrying Benno, the knight carrying the Guild Master, and the knight carrying Mark each summoned their own white beasts in turn and flew out, with the Knight Commander last to go.
Most people wouldn't expect beasts to come flying out of a restaurant. The local residents coming and going outside were thrown into complete chaos, and screams and shouts rose from every direction.
And naturally, inquiries came flooding into the very shop from which those beasts had launched.
"What was that!? What on earth is going on here!?"
But in a troublesome turn of events, no one in charge was present. The Guild Master, Benno, and Mark had all been taken away.
Watching the employees panic, unsure of what or how much to explain, I quietly took a step back. My job was to cook, not to handle situations like this.
In the end, the two who handled the situation were Lady Frieda, the Guild Master's granddaughter, and
Fran offered a polite apology and explained that it was a noble's rampage, adding, "I believe they will return before long, but if you have any complaints, please leave your name along with them, and I will be certain to report them to my master."
Few people wanted to file complaints against a noble and get directly involved, so the crowd dispersed without delay.
After that came the cleanup. By the time we had finished washing the cooking equipment, the attendants and servers had begun washing and putting away their respective masters' dishes. Noble tableware was expensive and precious, and apparently no one other than attendants was allowed to touch it.
I had no desire to handle plates worth more than I could earn in a lifetime, so I was grateful that each party cleaned up after themselves.
Just when I thought we could finally catch our breath, I noticed the commotion outside gradually drawing closer. It was the same noise as when they had flown out, so the noisy group must have been returning.
An attendant hurriedly ran to the hall and opened the doors, and the Chief Priest's white beast entered. The moment they dismounted, the beast vanished. I had no idea what was going on, but I figured some things were better left unknown.
The group filed in one after another and re-entered the dining hall. The attendants began bustling about, realizing they needed to prepare tea. As if jolted by their movement, the servers sprang into action as well.
"Hugo, Todd, there's an important matter to discuss."
Todd and I were called over by Mark, who was the only one who hadn't entered the dining hall.
"Yes?"
"There are deeper circumstances involving the Lord, and the opening of the Italian restaurant will be delayed by one month, possibly two. Of course, you will be paid your salary during that time. And since we'll be paying you, we'll expect you to work hard."
"That's fine with me..."
As long as I wasn't suddenly losing my job, it didn't bother me. If I was getting paid, working was only natural.
When Todd and I nodded, Mark gave a bright smile.
"Thank you. I'm glad you understand. Now then, during the period before the opening, would you prefer to work in the Noble District or at the Temple?"
"Huh!?"
"We intend to sell recipes to the three who visited today. However, Lady Rozemyne's recipes are rather unique, aren't they? We need someone in a proper teaching position, so you'll be instructing the other party's chefs in the recipes."
Lady Rozemyne's recipes were indeed unique. There were many preparation steps for making food taste good, and numerous cooking methods that seemed unbelievable. Even if you were taught the recipes, doubt would come first over whether the food would actually turn out delicious.
Probably, the longer someone had been cooking, the harder it would be to accept them.
"I want the Temple. Hugo, please. I can't handle the Noble District."
Todd, who had been avoiding Lady Rozemyne as much as possible because he became so nervous around nobles that he turned useless, went pale in an instant and grabbed my arm. He was probably thinking that since he had been going to the Temple all along, that would at least be manageable.
Even I had to admit that sending Todd to the Noble District was impossible. ...Though if I went to the Noble District myself, I'd probably be on the verge of throwing up from nerves every day too!
"Then please come to the dining hall together."
Todd and I were led to the dining hall and introduced to the nobles as the chefs who had prepared today's meal.
"These two are the chefs who prepared today's meal. They are rare talents who can prepare the recipes I devised," Lady Rozemyne said with a bright smile.
At her words, the eyes of the Lord and the other nobles gleamed with interest. I could hear Todd, standing beside me, gasp with a strangled whimper. They probably heard mine too.
"Had this dinner party been a success, we had planned to immediately send invitations to the grand shops and open the Italian restaurant, but the small temple needs to be prepared first, doesn't it? So the shop opening will be delayed slightly while we set up the workshop."
"...Then there would be no point in coming here to eat, would there?"
The Lord narrowed his eyes unhappily and glared at Lady Rozemyne. But Lady Rozemyne continued speaking with a smile, as if she felt nothing at all. Even between nobles, that little girl had incredible nerve. Or perhaps it was because she was a child that she feared nothing.
"The servers were brought in from their respective shops, so even with the Italian restaurant closed, they still have a place to work—but the chefs do not. Until the Italian restaurant can open, we will lend out the chefs for a fee."
Lady Rozemyne glanced briefly at Mark. Mark gave a small nod. This proposal was surely Mark's doing. No matter how noble she was, this wasn't the kind of thing a young Lady Rozemyne would think up on her own.
"As a dispatch fee, five large silver coins per month. And for each recipe, one small gold coin."
"One small gold coin per recipe? Isn't that too expensive?"
The Knight Commander furrowed his brow deeply, but Lady Rozemyne widened her eyes as though affronted.
"Oh my? Is it expensive? When I taught Frieda the quatre-quarts recipe and we signed a one-year exclusive contract, it was for five small gold coins. Frieda agreed on the spot, saying it was cheaper than she had expected. In my view, since this isn't an exclusive contract, I've already offered quite a generous family discount, don't you think?"
Imagining Lady Frieda and Lady Rozemyne hammering out their contract, I broke into a cold sweat. It was like a casual dinner conversation, only small gold coins were flying back and forth instead of small talk. Those were amounts no child should possess. What kind of contracts were they signing!?
"The manufacturing method and exclusive rights for the hairpins we purchased from Lady Rozemyne cost one large gold coin and seven small gold coins. Unknown, valuable information comes at a premium," Benno added, stating the terms of his contract with Lady Rozemyne to bolster the legitimacy of the pricing, but the Knight Commander still didn't seem convinced.
"...There was no charge for the recipe for those sweets, was there?"
"That was because my father and mother furnished all three of my rooms—at home, in the castle, and at the Temple—and prepared two sets of clothes for the
Holding up her index fingers crossed in an X, Lady Rozemyne declared firmly, "No." The Lord and the Knight Commander were frowning thoughtfully, and Lady Rozemyne glared right back at them. It was the Chief Priest, who had been listening with a cool, expressionless face, who spoke.
"This is all part of raising funds for the orphanage, isn't it? I will pay as you say. The recipes are all thirty types that were presented earlier, and the chefs' commitment period is one month. Payment will be made in exchange for the chefs."
I had no idea how much that amounted to, but I could tell an extraordinary sum of money was changing hands. A chill ran down my spine. The preciousness of the recipes I had been drilled in sank deep into my bones. I could now understand why I had been made to sign a Contract Magic agreement not to share the recipes with anyone without permission from Benno or Lady Rozemyne.
"Of the two of them, which one is coming to the Temple?"
"Todd, the chef standing to the Chief Priest's right, will be coming to the Temple."
In response to the Chief Priest's question, Benno—who had received a whisper from Mark—answered. Glancing at Todd, I could see his face had gone ashen with tension from the nobles' stares.
"Tomorrow we have various preparations for closing up the shop here and preparing the recipes on our end, so the dispatch of the chefs will begin the day after tomorrow."
"Very well, Todd. Then come to the Temple when the second bell rings the day after tomorrow."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Todd answered in a voice that cracked, and dropped to his knees. ...It looked like he had knelt, but I only learned afterward that he had simply crumpled to the ground.
In the end, the Lord and the Knight Commander also agreed to pay the same amount as the Chief Priest and purchase the recipes. Contracts were drawn up between Lady Rozemyne and the nobles, and I would be working in the Noble District for one month.
"Then, I'll leave the arrangements to you."
"Certainly. We will send them to the Temple after the second bell the day after tomorrow."
"I'll take them along when I head to the castle."
The Lord paid everything in a lump sum, giving a little extra as an apology for the commotion and for the satisfying meals.
Once the group of nobles and their attendants departed, the shop fell quiet all at once. Exhaustion was clearly etched on the faces of everyone remaining.
"Sorry about this, Hugo and Todd. I know working in a noble's kitchen will be tough, but I'm counting on you."
The day after Benno entrusted us with this task, Mark called Todd and me to the Gilberta Company and handed us our dispatch fee. Three large silver coins. A huge sum, nearly double our monthly salary.
We had charged the nobles five large silver coins, but the remaining money was apparently to be used for maintenance costs during the shop's closure.
"Also, these are the recipes you'll be teaching the other party. Be very careful not to teach anything beyond what's written here."
"Understood."
I was handed a paper with a long list of dishes to teach.
"I can't read this!"
"Over there, there are people who can. This is just so you know what you need to teach."
When I told my family I would be working in the Noble District and told my girlfriend the same, she said, "That's amazing!" and was happy for me as though it were her own good fortune.
"Do your best. I'll be waiting for you to come back."
"Yeah."
The next day was the day of departure. Just as we had been told, we headed to the Temple when the second bell rang.
When we announced ourselves to the gray Priest at the gate, instead of being led to the familiar orphanage director's office, we were taken to the High Priest's office, deep in the innermost reaches of the Temple.
"Good morning, Lady Rozemyne."
"Good morning, Hugo and Todd. I know it will be tough, but I'm counting on you. Zaam, Todd is here."
Lady Rozemyne, dressed in noble attire, called to a gray Priest, and the gray Priest called Zaam lined up large gold coins and large silver coins on the table.
"I have received the payment. Zaam, please show Todd to the kitchen. Fran, put away the money and notify the Chief Priest."
"Certainly."
Todd, wearing an anxious expression, was led away by the gray Priest to the Chief Priest's kitchen, and Fran packed the bag and left the room.
Just then,
"Lady Rozemyne, I've brought Ella."
"Thank you, Nicola. Then please show Hugo and Ella to the attendants' carriage."
"Yes."
Led by Nicola, I headed to the Temple entrance together with Ella. There was an unbelievably beautiful carriage intended for noble use. Starting today, Lady Rozemyne would be staying at the castle, and they would be sending the carriage along. Without a noble's permission, Commoners could not enter the Noble District.
"Please wait here until Lady Rozemyne and the Chief Priest are ready."
"Thanks, Nicola. I know it'll be tough while I'm gone, but hang in there."
"Many gray Priests and gray Shrine Maidens have come, so it'll be fine. Ella has also learned quite a few dishes now, so please teach her more when you get back."
After showing us to the carriage, Nicola turned on her heel and left. Ella waved at her departing figure, seeing her off. During the winter, and then after we left the Temple, Ella must have gone through quite a lot. Her profile looked far more mature now.
"Huh? Did you come of age?"
Stepping inside the carriage and finally letting my body relax, I noticed things I hadn't been paying attention to until now. No wonder she looked more mature—Ella had her hair up.
"It was spring. I came of age. But since I was in the Noble District, I couldn't attend the coming-of-age ceremony."
"That's a shame."
"Hmm, maybe not so much? Lady Rozemyne gave me a new recipe as a coming-of-age gift, and because she said I'm a woman without much physical strength, she gave me a small meat chopper that can be used in the kitchen. Hee hee, nice, right? It's in our luggage this time, so I'll show it to you again."
A meat chopper was a machine used to mince meat. In town, it was the kind of thing butchers owned for processing large quantities of meat to make brust—quite a large machine, not something an individual would own.
I never expected there to be a small meat chopper. With one of those, we could have made hamburg steaks much more easily. That was so unfair.
Whether it was because she was fond of her personal chef, or because she wanted to offset the disadvantages Ella faced as a woman, Lady Rozemyne apparently had her personal blacksmith make some cooking tools as well. Seriously unfair.
"Hey, Ella. Come to think of it, where in the Noble District are we going?"
"What? The Lord's castle, of course. What are you talking about?"
"The castle!? I mean, I heard 'Noble District,' but that's as far as the information went!"
I had thought Lady Rozemyne was the one going to the castle, and that I would be dumped at the Knight Commander's house. However, when I asked Ella, it turned out we were both going to the castle's kitchen.
Ella was a young woman who had just come of age, and because people judged her by her appearance rather than her abilities, she was inevitably looked down upon. So, pairing her with me—an adult male—was supposed to help her get accustomed to the castle kitchen.
Furthermore, it seemed that from the Knight Commander's house, the head chef would be dispatched to the castle to learn the recipes. They looked at Ella with dismissive eyes as just a young apprentice girl, but apparently they were dying to learn Lady Rozemyne's recipes.
"I thought I'd be thrown alone into a kitchen even bigger than Lord
"...Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt."
A lower town chef suddenly becoming a court chef—the mere thought was enough to make my stomach ache. Especially considering what Ella had told me about the high pride and arrogance of noble chefs.
"Hugo, aren't you actually more timid than Todd? This is a new workplace after all—let's look for new recipes. You should go in with a goal in mind."
"Alright! Then when I get back from the Noble District, I'm going to go greet my girlfriend's father."
"...Hugo, you got a girlfriend?"
Ella stared at me with her mouth hanging open. Her face said it all: "I don't believe it." Well, I got one whether she believed it or not.
"Yeah, recently. Being a chef at the Temple gave me some prestige, and I got a girlfriend. You might find one too, you know. It's great—having a girlfriend gives you motivation in all sorts of ways."
"Huh."
Ella replied with utterly zero interest. She was a cooking fanatic, so despite having come of age, she was still a kid with no interest in matters of the heart.
"Even if it's temporary, being a court chef is perfect for building prestige, right? Think they'll let us get married?"
"I suppose so. As long as you don't get dumped while you're at the castle, you should be fine."
"Don't say such terrifying things!"
Last year and the year before, I'd been on the throwing side at the Star Festival, but next year would be different. I was going to make it happen.
I'd go to the castle, train, and when I came back, I'd go greet my girlfriend's father.
That was the story from Chef Hugo's perspective.
He got a girlfriend. And at the end, he planted a bizarre flag of his own. I'm looking forward to next year's Star Festival.
Next time: Donations.