NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 38
Zigmeser had been satisfied with his life up until now.
It was naturally expected that life would have its ups and downs.
He endured the ridicule of shaving his head and beard for cooking.
Not to mention, he had a notably larger head than other dwarves.
At that time, it was tough beyond measure.
But looking back, all those moments and experiences had become part of his flesh and blood, shaping the Zigmeser of today.
Combined with a bit of luck and skill, that was the result.
Long ago, Zigmeser grabbed the position of head chef of the Felwinter Family and rose to the pinnacle of Winterhome’s culinary scene.
If it came to cooking, even his lord Alfred listened to him closely.
Even Iona, Alfred’s closest aide, respected him, leading most nobles to bow before him.
More than anything, the Felwinter Family he served found joy in the meals he presented.
In terms of being a chef, Zigmeser could confidently say they were the best guests.
Especially since they were nobles who didn’t have picky tastes!
However, one day.
“Hmm, isn’t there something different?”
“No. Princess Alicia, what do you mean? Is it the taste—”
“That doesn’t mean it’s bad.”
The biscuits made with date palms from the sand tortoises of the desert Kingdom of Adobice.
Scones baked with mammoth butter.
Cream and marmalade jam from the Highland tribes.
She said this about the snacks Alicia loved so much that she stacked them up to eat.
What is going on? Has her taste changed? I knew children changed rapidly, but could it change THIS quickly? Just as Zigmeser was flustered at that moment.
“Um, compared to that pudding… Ah, never mind! Good sir! This is also incredibly delicious!”
“….‘This too’, you say?”
“….Oops!”
Zigmeser felt as if his soul had left his body.
The oblivious subordinates thought Princess Alicia’s taste had changed.
But Zigmeser was certain.
Princess Alicia could not lie.
If so, the pudding was likely the target of ‘this too.’
He could not discern the chef behind that dish since Alicia kept it a secret.
However, Zigmeser was a dwarf.
A race known for delving deeply into their craft.
While not as enamored with Alicia as before, it wouldn’t be too difficult to sweet-talk her with her favorite snacks and figure out the ingredients, texture, and taste of that pudding.
And he was amazed.
“Eggs, milk, sugar, and water can create something like this…?”
Zigmeser was shockingly taken aback for the first time in years.
And then Godwin made an interjection.
“Lord Godwin?”
“Um, I can’t stop… Huh? Zigmeser, what’s wrong?”
“Just what is that white thing…?”
“Ah, they call it mayonnaise. There’s not much left, but would you like to try some?”
It’s often the case that a person who knows something is shocked more strongly than someone who doesn’t.
When Zigmeser tasted the mayonnaise, he was momentarily engulfed in dizziness.
In that instant, he recognized the true value of mayonnaise.
From ancient empire sauces to contemporary continental trends.
It was a sauce that completely differed in texture from any other sauce.
Above all, it served as a base sauce from which dozens of other sauces could be created just by simple combinations.
Although it seemed it might be a bit of an acquired taste, this guy.
The one who created this sauce must have enchanted Princess Alicia!
And he was able to grasp a shocking truth.
The chef who captivated Princess Alicia’s taste and made mayonnaise was merely a 10-year-old child.
It was hard to believe, but that was the reality.
“At that age, what incredible skill! The dishes I had before were all new to me, except for the pie.”
“Goodness! Are you saying he cooks better than me?!”
“Ah, that’s not quite it. Well, how should I put it? Karem has a different way of thinking about cooking.”
“Way of thinking. A way of thinking, huh.”
Godwin boasted as he dipped a carrot in the mayonnaise.
He described the long spaghetti he’d never seen before.
Crispy beet chips cut into thin slices.
An omelet made with meringue filled with bubbles.
Wellington steak, which is a steak wrapped and baked in bread.
Not one of these new forms contained a familiar ingredient.
Zigmeser admired this but quickly shook his head.
“Get a grip, Zigmeser! The one who has stolen the pleasure of filling Princess Alicia to her heart’s content is that little brat. Think clearly!”
Of course, if Karem were to hear this, he would shout that it was unjust and slanderous.
In any case. Once he’d identified the cause, it was time to figure out a solution.
Coincidentally, with Wintersend almost here, it was a very good opportunity.
As the head chef, it was expected to offer sacrifices for the Wintersend held in Winterhome, so Zigmeser was prepared.
“Get me eggs!”
“Yes?”
“Bring me every egg you can find, whether from animals or monsters!”
“Uh, does that include those for the banquet and the Duke’s family?”
“Ah, not those. Bring everything else!”
“We received a Boreas wyvern egg recently…”
“Bring them all!!!”
Zigmeser had made up his mind to learn the enemy’s techniques.
Some may call it cowardice, but he called it courage.
The best way to deal with an opponent was to know them, take their skills, and turn them into his own to surpass them.
He’d figured out the method for making custard pudding ages ago.
So the next job was obvious.
Modifying, enhancing, and developing the cooking methods.
Using other similar ingredients for the goal. Experimenting and diversifying recipes.
“A custard pudding that captivated Princess Alicia. An amazing creation, but there must be room for improvement; no, it couldn’t be the final product from the start. Something must be missing, so the recipe must still be incomplete!”
And Zigmeser’s deductions were spot on.
What was lacking for it to make it to the Duke’s table was, secondarily, its flashiness; what was missing from the custard pudding was none other than the aroma.
Specifically, vanilla.
Unfortunately, there was no vanilla at the Duke’s castle, so leaving it out was unavoidable.
Other fragrances could be substituted, but.
Due to past life influences, Karem couldn’t think of anything beyond vanilla.
“I’ve experimented with various options, but using Snowrunner eggs and regular milk seems to be the best. A hint of firefly rose oil would be perfect, but maybe just a little since the aroma could be overpowering…”
In the intervals of his experiments, the results became more and more concrete to a degree no one would be able to find fault with, but the mastermind himself was still unsatisfied.
Something felt missing.
“The texture! The texture is lacking!”
However, suitable ingredients to supplement the texture for custard pudding were hard to find.
Jams weren’t bad but were eliminated due to their sticky consistency.
While toasted breadcrumbs didn’t sound bad texture-wise, they lingered in the mouth too long, so they were out.
The experiments to enhance the texture continued.
“Nuts aren’t bad, but the fact that pudding would remain a form after its disappearance is a no-go. There has to be something that crisply breaks and vanishes without a trace!”
Something truly wonderful existed, which remained crispy in the mouth yet disappeared right after.
Caramelized sugar.
Zigmeser decided to adapt what Karem had presented.
He carefully sprinkled sugar in the pan, spreading it wide and thin.
As he gently heated the pan,
the sugar sizzled and frosted.
Before it could turn color, he swiftly placed the pan on an ice-filled leather pouch.
Chiiiii– the hot pan rapidly cooled.
Along with that, the melted sugar began to crystallize.
Just as Zigmeser had hoped.
The deep brown-hued sugar crystals shone with a transparency that made the other side barely visible.
Zigmeser carefully separated a sugar crystal slightly larger than his palm and placed it atop the rose-scented Snowrunner pudding.
With a tense expression, he lifted a small spoon.
He lightly tapped the candy sheet atop the pudding.
Swoosh- crack! The thin crystal broke in a circular motion and adorned the pudding.
And after tasting the fragments and pudding, Zigmeser closed his eyes, savoring the flavor.
The rose fragrance tickled his nose.
The soft, sweet texture of the pudding wrapped his tongue.
And with each bite, it crackled and vanished without a trace.
Zigmeser was immensely satisfied. With this, he should be able to win back the dear Princess Alicia’s attention from the bumbling brat who had stolen her away.
“But that mayonnaise…. No, that’s not right.”
Mayonnaise and pudding.
Could it be that that brat Karem was also a chef, and would he dare mix the two?
Zigmeser shuddered at the horrifying taste and appearance merely at the thought.
He quickly erased that nauseating imagination from his mind.
“I just need to make this pudding larger!”
That wasn’t wrong.
Indeed, to make it visible among the numerous offerings of Wintersend from afar, increasing its size would be a good idea.
It didn’t matter if he hit some bumps along the way.
He had gathered every egg for this purpose.
There would be some who would protest, but Zigmeser didn’t particularly care.
He had the authority to suppress such objections.
He had set aside enough for his lord and family’s meals and dinners, so everything was in order.
Above all, what mattered to him more than any petty complaints was reclaiming Princess Alicia.
The old dwarf head chef burned with the sentiment of wanting to regain his granddaughter’s affection.
*
*
*
Unbeknownst to him, Karem was caught in an embarrassing situation for being the irrational target of rage.
It all began the moment Karem mentioned Dragon’s Beard Candy.
To dismiss such a marvelous treat simply as ‘Dragon’s Beard Candy’ was something Alicia’s sensibilities wouldn’t tolerate.
Catherine, who valued names for reasons of magic, life, and profitability, found it completely natural.
Even Mary, who seemed uninterested, agreed.
“Honestly, Karem. I think it’s disrespectful to call such a masterpiece just ‘Dragon’s Beard Candy’.”
“Is Dragon’s Beard Candy really that bad of a name?”
And the others, save for Karem, agreed.
Catherine, gazing fondly at the last Dragon’s Beard Candy Alicia had eaten, voiced her thoughts.
“To someone encountering an unfamiliar food, the name is everything. No matter how delicious the food is, if the name is lacking, appetite naturally decreases.”
“I agree with Kitty’s words! Karem!”
“It’s Catherine, not Kitty. Think about it. If you called bread pudding filled with dried fruit ‘wet lumpy bread’, who would like it?”
“Uhhhhh…”
Alicia, shuddering at the mere thought, wrapped her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill.
Why on earth was there anything wrong with Dragon’s Beard Candy? But she was already outnumbered 3 to 1.
Karem had no choice but to suggest another name for Dragon’s Beard Candy.
“How about… Dragon’s Whiskers?”
“Heh, kid.”
“W-What is it?”
There was a completely unexpected reaction.
Catherine chuckled, wide-eyed, as if to say “Look at this!”
“Were you believing that dragons have whiskers? Well, it’s only natural since you look so mature, yet you haven’t even undergone your coming-of-age ceremony.”
“…What’s wrong with a dragon having whiskers?!”
“Still, though, ‘Dragon’s Whiskers’ isn’t bad. Certainly, if it’s this thin and soft…”
At the time when Karem was being teased by Catherine.
Mary spoke with a frozen expression.
“Karem, it seems Princess Alicia has something to say.”
In that place sat a profoundly shocked Princess Alicia.
The girl, who had realized a hidden truth, bore an expression of sheer bewilderment.
“…Kitty. You mean to say dragons don’t have whiskers?”
In this instance, unlike the two fake minors, a genuine child took her seat.
And Alicia, whose innocence had been marred, was in a very difficult mood.