LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 35
If you have an opportunity to meet guests, it’s said that you should first serve delicious food. When the tongue is pleased and the stomach is full, a person’s spirit naturally becomes more relaxed.
The guests, who had been praising the dishes for a while, slowed their pace with the tableware, having filled their bellies to some extent, and began chatting with Catherine.
As the conversation shifted from food to casual talk, Karem was finally able to catch a breath. The initially tense atmosphere was clearly just playful banter.
However, Karem still hadn’t quite adjusted. Just being in the same space as someone of high status was tiring. That aspect never changed, whether in a past life or the present.
Slipping away from the guests’ attention, Karem took a moment to reflect on what he had just heard from them.
Wintersend. The holiday celebrated by the Triune Church to commemorate the day Warrior God Tutatis ascended to godhood. He had heard that every city and village in Iceland held festivals and events.
But beyond that, he didn’t know much. The topic of conversation had moved on.
Still, Karem couldn’t let his guard down. It was possible that attention could return to him at any moment. He just hoped it wouldn’t shift in his direction; every time the focus landed on him, it felt like a hole was being poked in his disguise.
Unlike before, Karem’s eyes didn’t roll back, but Godwin and Viktor were incessantly moving their tableware, seemingly enjoying the food.
And the mayonnaise. Karem found himself making several trips back and forth to refill the mayonnaise the guests were praising.
His arms were starting to feel numb, and he could barely feel them anymore. Yet the guests showed no signs of satisfaction.
“Hah, I can see why Alicia praised it so much. If it’s not too much trouble, could I get some of that mayonnaise sauce?”
“That’s not too difficult, Karem.”
At Godwin’s words, Karem barely managed to close his mouth, which was about to drop open in shock. They’d eaten through most of the eggs and oil he had stored, instinctively craving rich food, it seemed.
But the guest had made a request, and the host agreed, so Karem silently complied. Summoning his last strength, he poured the mayonnaise into a large bowl, closed the lid, and gave a word of caution.
“You must keep this sealed in a cool, dry place, or it’ll spoil.”
“Huh? That’s nothing to worry about.”
“Excuse me?”
“I think we’ll eat it all before tonight.”
Karem thought reflexively that the mayonnaise must have really caught their fancy.
Then, Karem followed Catherine and Mary to see the guests off. As Godwin and Viktor disappeared beyond the barrier of sight, Karem finally let out a deep sigh that felt like the earth was sinking beneath him.
“Ugh, I thought I was going to die from all that tension.”
“This is the third time with Princess Alicia and the Duke. Shouldn’t you be getting used to it by now?”
“No, but they’re high-ranking people, you know?”
Of course, Karem’s nerves were not unfounded. In the medieval era, crossing paths with nobles, knights, or even influential figures could easily ruin one’s life.
But conversely, if one received favors through connections, they might blur the lines of social class or rise above it, so it wasn’t absolute.
Catherine, who had been supporting Karem from behind, spoke up.
“What are you so worried about? Just being my personal chef makes you practically a noble. Walk around with more confidence.”
“Err? A quasi-noble? Since when?”
“Since the moment you stepped into Winterhome.”
Even so, that didn’t feel real to him. He had lived in a society that was officially a fair and equal democracy, and up until he ran away from his village, the only people he knew of who had any power were the village chief, the priestess, and a tax collector who passed through occasionally.
The idea of suddenly being called a noble felt unbelievably strange. No, there was one thing he could guess.
“By the way…”
“Huh?”
“The people from Drywood village always spoke formally to me and called me ‘Noble.’”
Now Karem understood why the chief and the villagers were flustered.
Seeing Karem’s realization, Catherine snapped her fingers.
“Exactly. You’re already a distinguished noble. Well, quasi-noble, I suppose. If you marry into another noble family—a daughter, second daughter, or third—you could rise to a lower-ranking noble yourself. Interested?”
“Um…”
Not really?
No, to be honest, he wasn’t interested at all. It wasn’t out of disinterest; it was just so vague and unfamiliar that it didn’t feel real.
“Well, that’s a problem for another time. Right now, I’m perfectly happy just cooking and living peacefully.”
“Heh, peaceful? Surely that’s already out the window.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
As Karem’s eyes widened in confusion, Mary pointed out the details.
“It started with Princess Alicia. The Duke showed interest after hearing her, and now the heir, Lord Godwin, has come to see you himself.”
“Oh.”
“Do you really think you can live quietly after that?”
Thunder struck in Karem’s mind. This was like a scenario where the youngest daughter of a chaebol family cried out for attention, leading the chairman to show interest, and the heir visiting personally.
Even someone who had never cared might take an interest in the situation.
Catherine snapped her fingers as if to punctuate Karem’s thoughts.
“Congratulations! From today, you’ve become a public figure more sought after than anyone in the Duke’s family.”
“Darn it! My peaceful routine of feeding a mage who can’t even eat by herself!”
“Uh-oh. Wait a minute. That wording sounds a bit off, doesn’t it?”
And Mary interjected heatedly.
“No, no, no! It’s Karem who assists the Contractor when eating! Not you!”
“What, all of a sudden?!”
“Hmph, trying to lower my guard like that? This is exactly why I can’t let my guard down!”
“When did I say anything like that?!”
“Even saying it, I won’t relax my vigilance! Assisting a Contractor who can’t even eat by himself is my job! It’s my sole duty!”
“Honestly, I never asked Atanitas to be fed!”
“Are you looking down on the service of the meal?!”
As Karem, who initially tried to manage the conversation amicably, felt blood rush to his head, he realized the conversation wasn’t lining up at all, and it was absurd to keep enduring arguments over something he didn’t care for.
As a battle of words kicked off between a ten-year-old little cook and an ageless brownie, Catherine, caught in the unexpected line of fire, finally shouted in anger.
“I’m your employer, you damn little rascals!!!”
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The medieval era was known for its separateness by default. For several reasons, but primarily due to the lack of transportation infrastructure.
In fact, the continent of Europa had diverse threats to deal with beyond that.
Nonetheless, every officially declared state on the continent was somewhat structured through loose feudal contracts.
“Officially.”
However, in many places, local religions often prevailed over the declared state religion.
Especially if the local history was older than that of the nation, that was kind of a given.
The Kingdom of Seophone’s Iceland was one such case.
Iceland worships three gods in the Triune Church.
The goddess of winter, Skadi; the warrior god, Tutatis; and the nameless Traveler.
Upon hearing that explanation, Karem could roughly grasp the situation.
“So Wintersend is something like a festival of the Triune Church?”
“More like a commemoration. It’s the day that Skadi’s champion, Tutatis, ascended as a warrior god.”
Unlike expecting a festival like Chuseok or Seollal, the term ‘ascension’ struck Karem’s ears hard.
However, upon reflecting carefully, it was not a completely foreign word.
Even within famous Greek mythology, such cases occurred.
Hercules and Dionysus were notable examples.
The story of the real-life figure, Alexander the Great, being twisted into the Buddhist god, Wita, was known to those who knew.
“It can be viewed as a commemorative day when various skilled individuals from different cities and villages offer sacrifices to honor and celebrate Tutatis, who ascended through sheer skill.”
A holiday dedicated to honoring a god.
That too felt somewhat familiar to Karem, being of an irreligious nature, only celebrating those once-a-year holidays like Gaecheonjeol, Buddha’s Birthday, or Christmas.
“But what’s with recommending people? Isn’t it better the more sacrifices there are?”
“There’s a reason for that.”
“What is it?”
“Tutatis is quite picky.”
Picky? That was such a refreshing thing to hear.
But Catherine pointed her finger at Karem very seriously.
“If a sacrifice is offered in bad faith or isn’t up to par, punishment will be handed down.”
“…You get punishment just for an unsatisfactory gift?”
“Don’t let your guard down when offering a sacrifice to the gods. The sacrifice must showcase the grandeur of the god and directly impact the strength and indirectly strengthen faith; it’s one of the most critical objects. Offering something subpar or tainted is like throwing a pot of stew right in front of the god’s face. And doing that on a day dedicated to the god is tantamount to begging for punishment.”
Well, considering that two-thirds of the twelve Olympian gods would curse even for minor reasons, this might even reflect the deities’ true duty.
The germ of faith that might have bloomed in Karem’s heart vanished with Catherine’s next words.
“Of course, Tutatis is just temperamental and has high standards for taste.”
“Uh, isn’t that quite unduly harsh?”
“Well, it’s indeed a fact written in the scriptures of the Triune Church.”
“Don’t the worshipers have a bit of a harsh attitude toward their own god?”
“On the contrary, the priests of the Triune Church seem to take pride in that.”
“Being temperamental and having high standards, you say?”
“That also means they act without compromising reality and are truthful in their actions.”
“Uh, that’s not incorrect.”
“And yet, they shouldn’t refuse to pay if the food doesn’t taste good or resort to violence against a scammer, you know.”
Conversely, Karem’s expression twitched at the thought of just how often people had acted that way.
Both the gods and the worshipers were absurdly wild.
“Anyway, so you’re saying I can offer sacrifices to such a god?”
“Tutatis values skill above all else, so yes. Regardless, it’s settled, little one. Prepare diligently.”
“Uh, saying that makes me feel even more pressured.”
“Oh, that’s just it. There are times when even the recommenders suffer punishment if the offering doesn’t meet standards.”
One hundredfold the pressure.
Karem could feel cold sweat trickling down his back.