LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 22
The weather was gradually getting colder, and the people of Coldon and Winterhome were becoming busier by the day.
Of course, Karem, who was a step removed from that chaos, was diligently spending his time at the Wizard’s Tower.
His salary came through Catherine, he was personally employed by her, and the only direct superior he had was Catherine herself—truly, a salute to Catherine!
Moreover, he had time to spare thanks to Mary, who, like a senior, took on the daunting task of cleaning up after cooking, a common enemy among beginners and experienced cooks alike.
Actually, he had never had this much time in his entire life, which left him at a loss as to what to do with it.
It’s said that happiness cannot be bought with money, but the reality is, money is essential for happiness!
In his previous life, he had to scramble to gather ingredients and cooking tools just to indulge in cooking whenever he could.
In this life, cooking was something he didn’t even have time to glance at while he was busy struggling just to survive on the floor.
He was somewhat relieved that his previous skills hadn’t completely faded away.
While vegetables were abundant, he lacked protein, and whenever he got the chance, he would roast up insects, snakes, or even rats.
However, now that he had both money and time, Karem felt a sense of emptiness as his tension relaxed.
Is this what the heart of someone fixated on revenge feels like?
It was an extreme choice of words, but Karem found it fitting.
Having survived through grit for his objective, he suddenly found himself employed, having achieved his goal in a short span, which left the boy’s heart in turmoil.
Well, he couldn’t just space out and waste time following his whims.
After all, he was being paid, so in a sense, Karem was a professional.
Emotions shouldn’t interfere with work. Although things had improved since the beginning, he couldn’t allow himself any leeway with Mary, who still wasn’t easy to approach.
So Karem decided to focus on his current job.
“Sir Atanitas, what kind of snack would you like this time?”
“Hmm, I had something rough for lunch, so I’d like something soft.”
“If it’s soft, then… well, previously you had the ca—”
“Castellan; no, I’d prefer something else!”
“No, it’s not Castellan, it’s Castella—ugh. Yes, yes.”
Karem ultimately gave up correcting the name of the Castella that had become Castellan.
“Well, then, I’ve decided.”
“Yes.”
“Surprise me with something new!”
“Sir Atanitas, what does that mean, exactly?”
The employer he regarded as his lifelong benefactor had given an ominous order.
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In any case, the superior’s vague request had been issued.
As the employee, Karem had no choice but to comply.
Well, it was nothing he couldn’t make.
While surprised by the vague request, Karem found that it wasn’t entirely without conditions.
At least there was a specific request for something soft to eat; otherwise, he would have been in a tough position, trying to wrap his mind around it.
Thanks to people’s perceptions, it was only invented in the early 20th century, but the ingredients were quite simple.
It could be easily made at home, but due to the fear of failure and the bother of cooking, most people opted to buy it instead of making it.
Renowned as the archetype of pudding, Karem prepared to make custard pudding.
Although it was a pity he didn’t have vanilla, with just eggs, milk, sugar, and water, and a bit of delicate skill, it could be easily made with just some time.
No, if you excluded the cooling time, it was much quicker to make custard pudding compared to other desserts.
First, he would put sugar and water together and simmer to make brown caramel sauce and spread it evenly in a copper cup coated with butter to serve as a container, then pour in custard batter made by fully mixing eggs in milk and straining it multiple times, matching the quantity to the height of the cup.
After that, it would need to be baked briefly in a water bath before being moved to a preheated oven.
“So, Mary?”
“What is it, Karem? You’re not telling me it’s already finished, are you?”
Karem felt a presence. Mary had entered the kitchen and was now peering into the oven next to him.
“When did you come in?”
“A little while ago.”
And as soon as she entered, she tidied up the messy kitchen Karem had left in just that brief moment.
“So, Karem, what’s the name of what’s inside that oven?”
“Uh, it’s custard pudding.”
“…Pudding?”
Having met various contractors over the years as a brownie, it was no surprise that Mary knew how to cook many dishes. For her, pudding was simply a cheap, thrown-together food.
Since who knows when, people have been mixing old bread with milk, eggs, and other ingredients, putting it in a mold, and baking it straight to eat—this was the brutally simple method.
In other words, it was bread pudding.
However, while pudding in the Kingdom of Seophone was more like bread soaked in juices and baked.
Anyway.
“Are you saying that’s pudding?”
“Then what do you call pudding?”
“No…”
No matter how you look at it, that doesn’t resemble pudding, right? I mean, custard? Is what’s in there custard?
Karem understood Mary’s confused reaction.
The primitive bread pudding, using bread, might have been around since ancient Rome, or even longer, and the same goes for custard.
And custard pudding is a more developed form of those two types.
Ultimately, bread pudding is quite literally a dish that binds bread and ingredients with eggs, mixed with milk and sugar to enhance flavor and quantity. Simply changing the ingredients would turn it into custard pudding.
The principle was simple.
It just utilized the property that when eggs are sufficiently heated, their form stabilizes. By properly mixing eggs into milk, rich in fats and proteins, and heating it, you achieve the principle of custard pudding.
Here, if you swapped the eggs for gelatin, you would have a modern, translucent pudding.
“Well, it’s a change in perspective. Eggs solidify when cooked, right? So, there’s no need to include bread, right?”
“…That’s true. When you think about it, the ingredients for custard filling a pie crust are also eggs. And depending on the form, eggs can also be fried or turned into omelets.”
“Uh, you’re accepting this faster than I thought.”
Is it true what they say, that brownies are a bit different? Mary raised her nose as if it was nothing special.
“Though it may look like this, I’m actually an elite brownie who has spent decades taking care of ruined contractors, so it’s only natural I say something like that.”
“True. People’s tastes are as numerous as the stars in the sky.”
“Yes, that’s accurate. There certainly have been a variety of contractors with diverse tastes.”
“Hmm?”
Was there a bad memory?
Mary frowned as she continued looking into the oven.
“…Yes. While I like everything else, all of them just made it feel laborious to prepare meals.”
“In what way?”
“Delicious food makes the soul weak, they’d say, asking to make it again feels like a favor; I mean, there were contractors who shut themselves away insisting research was more important, only to starve to death.”
“Uh…”
Karem pondered for a moment. The hours spent preparing delicious dishes. The sudden cancellations of appointments or friends suggesting they just get takeout.
The joy of cooking wasn’t solely in eating; it also included serving others and receiving their admiration for the cooking, reflecting how horrifying these were.
Let alone Karem, who only had cooking, Mary, who was in charge of all household chores, including cooking, was surely feeling a deeper degree of disappointment and discomfort.
“Those contractors sure were ungrateful.”
“Karem, let’s avoid being overly considerate here. Just because you stumbled across me doesn’t mean I’ll hold back my praise.”
“Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to say that with the party right next to you?”
“Then, are you telling me that I’m not someone who rolled in?”
Whack! Mary shot him a sharp look.
“I was having a lot of fun meeting a thoroughly ruined contractor when suddenly, during a moment of inattentiveness, you brought in someone an even better cook! If all they could do is cook!”
“A cook should cook well; otherwise, what about laundry?”
“Ugh, and they can’t even clean the kitchen properly…!”
“Oh, so you were happy with the three meals, right?”
That was—
Whack! Caught off guard, Mary reflexively lifted her chin diagonally.
After all, she had never had the chance to eat food made by others, and she was genuinely excited for every meal.
Karem, who silenced the prickly stone with a counter, opened the oven with a lighter heart. The copper cups filled with custard pudding were emitting steam.
And at the gentle aroma of warm milk and caramelized sugar wafting through the air, Mary, who had been staring off into the distance, subtly turned her head, showing interest.
“…Karem, are we just going to eat it like this?”
“It’s too hot to eat it like this. We need to cool it before it’s finished.”
“Junior, isn’t there a lack of time?”
Mary’s words were spot on.
While he was cooking the custard pudding, Catherine’s snack time was fast approaching.
There was no luxury in letting the copper cups that had just come out of the hot oven cool down.
Karem carefully transferred the cups onto the wooden tray with tongs.
“That’s where we’ll need to ask Sir Atanitas for help.”
“Help? Ah.”
“With his magic, it’d cool down in the blink of an eye!”
Using the employer for merely cooling some dessert.
Let alone asking the Grand Wizard to lend a hand!
Is he out of his mind!?
Or so one could say, but—
“Ahem, so we need to cool this hot dessert, right?”
“Yes. While it could be eaten like this, it’s almost—”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
Before Karem could finish his sentence, Mary stood up.
With a tray prepared with plates and utensils in her left hand and the tray of copper cups in her right, she was ready to go.
“The contractors must be waiting. Let’s go right away.”
“Oh dear. I’d be grateful if you’d do that, Senior.”
“Don’t get me wrong. This is solely for the contractors’ snack time.”
With a childlike expression of excitement for the snack they would be having today, Karem wanted to remark how believable that was—
But, for the sake of her image, he kept his thoughts to himself and just followed her as they walked.
As they exited the kitchen and walked down the now-familiar wide hallway, suddenly, the brownie ahead halted in place.
“Hmm?”
“Mary? Suddenly—”
“A guest has arrived.”
“Just like that? Without prior notice—wait, who exactly?”
“Look over there.”
With both hands full, Mary gestured toward the corner of the hallway, behind the curtains.
“It’s Princess Alicia.”
“Princess!?”