Ssshh.
She flipped the dish lightly with wind magic and filled a small glass bottle with sauce and mayonnaise. She also took out some previously made parsley powder and placed it beside.
She placed the finished Okonomiyaki on a plate, set aside a portion for the fairy in her dish, and then applied and sprinkled the sauce, mayonnaise, and parsley powder in order.
She roughly cut it with chopsticks and took a bite. The improvised sauce clung nicely to the palate, and the freshly made mayonnaise was rich yet light.
“Mmm! This is really good. It seems even tastier than when I make it at home.”
[Umm! Delicious!]
Eryngium nodded vigorously in agreement with her words, her mouth full of food. The corners of the fairy’s mouth were covered in mayonnaise and sauce.
“Do you like it?”
Sylvia chuckled and carefully wiped the sauce off with her index finger, asking her.
[It’s really good! Sylvia is the best!]
“I think it’s delicious too. Especially because I’m eating it with you.”
Sylvia scooped up a large portion of the batter and continued to add it to the pan. The food-loving Sylvia was just getting started.
“Shall we add lots of cheese this time?”
Cooking directly in the pan was enjoyable for this reason. She loved the atmosphere where she could freely add whatever she wanted, eat it while it’s hot, flip the cooking batter, and chat with the person across from her.
Sylvia slurped the stretching cheese like noodles and exhaled the hot steam. Next, she enjoyed cool and sweet stewed peaches, and then she chopped eggplant finely to load it up and eat.
The combination of Galbus oil, with its soy sauce-like flavor, and mayonnaise was fantastic.
Even as Eryngium lay back with a swollen belly, Sylvia’s sweet and salty course was far from over. She popped a freshly baked meringue cookie into her mouth, savoring its melting texture. The crunchy texture was also delightful.
Unable to resist her curiosity, even the full Eryngium picked up a meringue cookie with both hands and took a crispy bite. Seeing her periwinkle eyes widen, Sylvia burst into laughter.
Listening to the sound of the crispy batter cooking and the munching in her mouth, Sylvia’s eyes narrowed with contentment. It was a much-needed sweet break.
★★25. Gourmet Appears★★
The capital of the Corporal Empire is the city of Albium, centered around the castle of Carpasinus. Passing through the first gate of the castle and riding for half a day brings one to this location.
The first gate was not accessible to just anyone. Only nobility could use it, and the Visconti family was responsible for the rights and duties associated with this gate.
The empire’s core castles included the capital, Albium Castle, the Visconti’s Carpasinus Castle, and the ducal and countal castles of Arantius and Coccinus.
At the highest point of Carpasinus Castle was a splendid mansion. From the highest balcony on the third floor, one could see a garden akin to a front yard filled with various flowers, and the backyard was meticulously cared for by servants, filled with all sorts of fruits and vegetables.
It had been several days since the return from the Nucleorum, known as the lair of beasts. The Duke of Visconti was finally enjoying his breakfast on the balcony, having recovered his condition.
Sitting on a plush sky-blue sofa in front of a large square table, intricately carved from white wood, the Duke spread strawberry jam on a soft white bread.
In front of him were small glass jars containing strawberry jam, apple jam, and syrup, spooned out for convenience.
At a glance, his hair appeared almost white, but in the sunlight, it shimmered with a rainbow-like array of colors. He carelessly brushed his long hair aside and took a bite of the jam-spread bread.
“Mmm.”
Savoring the unique sweetness and tartness of strawberries, the Duke of Visconti picked up his tea cup.
It was milk tea made with precious black tea, milk, and sugar. Holding the milk tea in his mouth, he gently rolled his tongue to savor the flavor. The perfect temperature of the tea and its suitably sweet and creamy taste made the gemstones in his eyes sparkle in a violet hue.
The eyes of the maids and servants, who witnessed the scene of sunlight scattering like sprinkled across the statuesque beauty, radiant hair, and eyes, became dreamy.
Their master’s appearance was always so perfect that it was nothing short of astonishing, no matter when or how they looked at him.
As the meal was nearing its end, the butler, Aaron, standing by, rang a small silver bell. Hearing the sound of the silver bell, a maid hurried to the kitchen, where the chef covered the silver plate with a silver food cover he had carefully selected.
Likewise, she diligently moved up to the third floor with the plate on a silver tray. The precious dessert that only the master of this mansion could enjoy was a melon that the chef had personally harvested that morning.
The butler lifted only the plate from the tray brought by the maid and placed it in front of the Duke. Then, with a polite and elegant gesture, he lifted the food cover. The Duke of Visconti smiled in satisfaction at the sight of the melon, cut into bite-sized pieces by the chef.
Watching the sight of his beautifully curling lips, the butler spoke with utmost decorum.
“Your Grace, I have sent someone as you requested.”
After spearing a small piece of melon that could easily enter his barely opened mouth with a fork, he gently chewed without showing any sign of it. Only after the food had disappeared from his mouth did the Duke slowly speak.
“Did you say the second city gate?”
Nodding slightly at his question, the butler replied.
“Yes, if you go there in the morning, you can meet them. The timing is a bit irregular, but they only sell in the morning and then disappear.”
“Hmm.”
The Duke slowly nodded his head and put the last piece of melon into his mouth.
“Is the harvest of fruits and vegetables not very good?”
From seeds to seedlings, the structure was such that commoners couldn’t properly grow fruits and vegetables. There was no spare land within the walls, and the little land that was available was busy being used to cultivate wheat.
Thus, the nobles grew their own fruits and vegetables in their estates. From start to finish, there was nothing that didn’t involve the hands of their servants.
Lucino Zan Visconti.
The head of the Visconti ducal family and the leader of the largest order of knights in the empire.
It had been barely two months since he returned from the Nucleorum, the den of magical beasts. Yet, during his absence, he had heard of a novel concept called “boxed lunches” and couldn’t contain his curiosity.
Everything that happened within the walls needed to reach his ears. When he was away, it was his vassals’ job to gather information and rumors to report to him.
However, at some point, one of his vassals, who noticed that even commoners were seeking fruits, began to investigate. The only place selling fruits was a shop in an alley exclusively used by nobles, where the variety wasn’t great and the prices were high, so it was unlikely for commoners to come by.
The very notion of an alley exclusive to nobles spoke volumes.
Then they learned of a woman selling fruits, and a vassal even bought and tasted them himself. Recalling the moment he ate the fruits purchased from that woman, the vassal reported to the Duke with an ecstatic expression.
“He said it was a fruit he had never tasted before in his life.”
Furthermore, the taste was indescribable in words.
The woman’s act of selling fruit was not illegal. The Duke wasn’t summoning her for punishment; he was simply curious about the taste of the fruit himself.
Now, it was said that the woman was selling something called “boxed lunches,” not just fruits. Moreover, there was a rumor that anyone who tried them would definitely repurchase.
The Duke, engrossed in thought with an elegant posture, resembled a figure in a masterpiece, as if beholding a wonder of nature.
The empty plate before him was stacked on the trolley by the hand of a maid. Despite his beautiful appearance, his large frame required a considerable amount of food, hence the significant number of plates to be cleared.
The butler poured fresh black tea into his empty cup. The Duke leisurely lifted the cup to drink. Lucino Zan Visconti looked down from the balcony, anticipating the boxed lunch the servant would bring.
In the distance, the second city gate was faintly visible. Below the Ducal mansion lay the estate of Count Piastri, and further down were the homes of barons and viscounts.
Beyond them, the square was visible, and from there, the market that sprawled out from its center. The Carpasinus Castle he oversaw was peaceful as ever today.
Sylvia had been bustling about since morning. After resting thoroughly for two days, her condition had improved. She thought the fatigue had accumulated without her realizing, as she spent another day idly eating, sleeping, and playing with Eryngium.
Despite the lazy day, Sylvia smiled at the satisfying holiday. Potatoes were boiling in front of her, steam wafting from the pot full of potatoes, which she mashed vigorously with wind magic.
Next, she added butter and milk and stirred well. The seasoning was done with just salt and pepper, and she added mozzarella-like stretchy cheese along with two other types of cheese, stirring vigorously.
She flipped the round steaks already on the wide pan, adding more pepper and salt. Beside the steak, she grilled asparagus, tomatoes, paprika, and mushrooms. On one side, she was reducing grape juice.
Sylvia turned off the heat under the pan with the steak and placed it on the shelf. While letting it rest, she took out bread with a texture similar to baguette from the subspace cypress barrel and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
She took out another pan to grill pineapple in butter. Beside it, she grilled corn cut into appropriate sizes and made an omelet with only egg whites.
In the square lunchbox, she first laid down the mashed cheese potatoes, then added grilled asparagus, tomatoes, paprika, and mushrooms one by one.
The round steak was cut into bite-sized pieces and placed on top of the grilled vegetables, topped with grilled pineapple and a little drizzled reduced grape juice sauce.
She cut the egg white omelet into three pieces and added them, placing the butter-grilled corn beside it and generously filling it with bread. She filled the remaining space in the lunchbox with peeled grapefruit.
Sylvia smiled contentedly at the finished lunchbox. As a service, she put plenty of Korean pears into her subspace leather backpack and also packed ginger tree tea.
Ginger tree tea, brewed from flowers and branches, was not only good for the body but also tasted surprisingly good. It was a misconception to expect it to taste like ginger; ginger trees and ginger are different species.
It was a great tea that was beneficial and enjoyable to drink frequently, so much so that she had sought it out even in her youth. After checking the kitchen to ensure nothing was missed, Sylvia called her fairy.
“Eryngium!”
Eryngium, who seemed quite fond of the flower garden, rushing to it at every opportunity, flew swiftly to Sylvia upon hearing her call.
[Is everything ready?]
“Yes, do you like the flower garden that much?”
Eryngium landed on her head and spoke excitedly.
[Yes, I really like it! No, wait…]
“Hmm? Why, don’t you like it?”
Eryngium, who had been speaking excitedly, suddenly spoke in a more subdued voice, seemingly embarrassed by her earlier enthusiasm.
[Well, it’s okay.]
She had moments like this sometimes, acting playfully. Sylvia found even this aspect of Eryngium adorable.
“Should I get rid of it all if you don’t like it?”
As she spoke in a deliberately disheartened tone, it seemed like she could hear a rustling sound coming from her head, as if Eryngium couldn’t stay still.
[No, well, there’s no need for that.]
“If you don’t like it, I could try growing something else. It seems like there are no bees around either.”
The flower garden was initially made in the hopes of harvesting some honey, but while the bees didn’t come, fairies frequented it. Not that she minded, but sometimes she wanted to flatten the small, cute nose of a lying fairy.
[No! I think I’ve seen some bees.]
Sylvia nearly died laughing because the fairy, who stuttered so much it was obvious she was lying, didn’t even need to be seen to be found out.
“Oh, really? Ah, right. Why don’t you try bringing some bees, Eryngium?”
She wasn’t sure if it would work, but thinking it would give her more reason to visit the flower garden, she made the request.
Eryngium responded quickly as if she had been waiting.
[Leave it to me! I’ll find some bees!]
Ssshh.
She flipped the dish lightly with wind magic and filled a small glass bottle with sauce and mayonnaise. She also took out some previously made parsley powder and placed it beside.
She placed the finished Okonomiyaki on a plate, set aside a portion for the fairy in her dish, and then applied and sprinkled the sauce, mayonnaise, and parsley powder in order.
She roughly cut it with chopsticks and took a bite. The improvised sauce clung nicely to the palate, and the freshly made mayonnaise was rich yet light.
“Mmm! This is really good. It seems even tastier than when I make it at home.”
[Umm! Delicious!]
Eryngium nodded vigorously in agreement with her words, her mouth full of food. The corners of the fairy’s mouth were covered in mayonnaise and sauce.
“Do you like it?”
Sylvia chuckled and carefully wiped the sauce off with her index finger, asking her.
[It’s really good! Sylvia is the best!]
“I think it’s delicious too. Especially because I’m eating it with you.”
Sylvia scooped up a large portion of the batter and continued to add it to the pan. The food-loving Sylvia was just getting started.
“Shall we add lots of cheese this time?”
Cooking directly in the pan was enjoyable for this reason. She loved the atmosphere where she could freely add whatever she wanted, eat it while it’s hot, flip the cooking batter, and chat with the person across from her.
Sylvia slurped the stretching cheese like noodles and exhaled the hot steam. Next, she enjoyed cool and sweet stewed peaches, and then she chopped eggplant finely to load it up and eat.
The combination of Galbus oil, with its soy sauce-like flavor, and mayonnaise was fantastic.
Even as Eryngium lay back with a swollen belly, Sylvia’s sweet and salty course was far from over. She popped a freshly baked meringue cookie into her mouth, savoring its melting texture. The crunchy texture was also delightful.
Unable to resist her curiosity, even the full Eryngium picked up a meringue cookie with both hands and took a crispy bite. Seeing her periwinkle eyes widen, Sylvia burst into laughter.
Listening to the sound of the crispy batter cooking and the munching in her mouth, Sylvia’s eyes narrowed with contentment. It was a much-needed sweet break.
★★25. Gourmet Appears★★
The capital of the Corporal Empire is the city of Albium, centered around the castle of Carpasinus. Passing through the first gate of the castle and riding for half a day brings one to this location.
The first gate was not accessible to just anyone. Only nobility could use it, and the Visconti family was responsible for the rights and duties associated with this gate.
The empire’s core castles included the capital, Albium Castle, the Visconti’s Carpasinus Castle, and the ducal and countal castles of Arantius and Coccinus.
At the highest point of Carpasinus Castle was a splendid mansion. From the highest balcony on the third floor, one could see a garden akin to a front yard filled with various flowers, and the backyard was meticulously cared for by servants, filled with all sorts of fruits and vegetables.
It had been several days since the return from the Nucleorum, known as the lair of beasts. The Duke of Visconti was finally enjoying his breakfast on the balcony, having recovered his condition.
Sitting on a plush sky-blue sofa in front of a large square table, intricately carved from white wood, the Duke spread strawberry jam on a soft white bread.
In front of him were small glass jars containing strawberry jam, apple jam, and syrup, spooned out for convenience.
At a glance, his hair appeared almost white, but in the sunlight, it shimmered with a rainbow-like array of colors. He carelessly brushed his long hair aside and took a bite of the jam-spread bread.
“Mmm.”
Savoring the unique sweetness and tartness of strawberries, the Duke of Visconti picked up his tea cup.
It was milk tea made with precious black tea, milk, and sugar. Holding the milk tea in his mouth, he gently rolled his tongue to savor the flavor. The perfect temperature of the tea and its suitably sweet and creamy taste made the gemstones in his eyes sparkle in a violet hue.
The eyes of the maids and servants, who witnessed the scene of sunlight scattering like sprinkled across the statuesque beauty, radiant hair, and eyes, became dreamy.
Their master’s appearance was always so perfect that it was nothing short of astonishing, no matter when or how they looked at him.
As the meal was nearing its end, the butler, Aaron, standing by, rang a small silver bell. Hearing the sound of the silver bell, a maid hurried to the kitchen, where the chef covered the silver plate with a silver food cover he had carefully selected.
Likewise, she diligently moved up to the third floor with the plate on a silver tray. The precious dessert that only the master of this mansion could enjoy was a melon that the chef had personally harvested that morning.
The butler lifted only the plate from the tray brought by the maid and placed it in front of the Duke. Then, with a polite and elegant gesture, he lifted the food cover. The Duke of Visconti smiled in satisfaction at the sight of the melon, cut into bite-sized pieces by the chef.
Watching the sight of his beautifully curling lips, the butler spoke with utmost decorum.
“Your Grace, I have sent someone as you requested.”
After spearing a small piece of melon that could easily enter his barely opened mouth with a fork, he gently chewed without showing any sign of it. Only after the food had disappeared from his mouth did the Duke slowly speak.
“Did you say the second city gate?”
Nodding slightly at his question, the butler replied.
“Yes, if you go there in the morning, you can meet them. The timing is a bit irregular, but they only sell in the morning and then disappear.”
“Hmm.”
The Duke slowly nodded his head and put the last piece of melon into his mouth.
“Is the harvest of fruits and vegetables not very good?”
From seeds to seedlings, the structure was such that commoners couldn’t properly grow fruits and vegetables. There was no spare land within the walls, and the little land that was available was busy being used to cultivate wheat.
Thus, the nobles grew their own fruits and vegetables in their estates. From start to finish, there was nothing that didn’t involve the hands of their servants.
Lucino Zan Visconti.
The head of the Visconti ducal family and the leader of the largest order of knights in the empire.
It had been barely two months since he returned from the Nucleorum, the den of magical beasts. Yet, during his absence, he had heard of a novel concept called “boxed lunches” and couldn’t contain his curiosity.
Everything that happened within the walls needed to reach his ears. When he was away, it was his vassals’ job to gather information and rumors to report to him.
However, at some point, one of his vassals, who noticed that even commoners were seeking fruits, began to investigate. The only place selling fruits was a shop in an alley exclusively used by nobles, where the variety wasn’t great and the prices were high, so it was unlikely for commoners to come by.
The very notion of an alley exclusive to nobles spoke volumes.
Then they learned of a woman selling fruits, and a vassal even bought and tasted them himself. Recalling the moment he ate the fruits purchased from that woman, the vassal reported to the Duke with an ecstatic expression.
“He said it was a fruit he had never tasted before in his life.”
Furthermore, the taste was indescribable in words.
The woman’s act of selling fruit was not illegal. The Duke wasn’t summoning her for punishment; he was simply curious about the taste of the fruit himself.
Now, it was said that the woman was selling something called “boxed lunches,” not just fruits. Moreover, there was a rumor that anyone who tried them would definitely repurchase.
The Duke, engrossed in thought with an elegant posture, resembled a figure in a masterpiece, as if beholding a wonder of nature.
The empty plate before him was stacked on the trolley by the hand of a maid. Despite his beautiful appearance, his large frame required a considerable amount of food, hence the significant number of plates to be cleared.
The butler poured fresh black tea into his empty cup. The Duke leisurely lifted the cup to drink. Lucino Zan Visconti looked down from the balcony, anticipating the boxed lunch the servant would bring.
In the distance, the second city gate was faintly visible. Below the Ducal mansion lay the estate of Count Piastri, and further down were the homes of barons and viscounts.
Beyond them, the square was visible, and from there, the market that sprawled out from its center. The Carpasinus Castle he oversaw was peaceful as ever today.
Sylvia had been bustling about since morning. After resting thoroughly for two days, her condition had improved. She thought the fatigue had accumulated without her realizing, as she spent another day idly eating, sleeping, and playing with Eryngium.
Despite the lazy day, Sylvia smiled at the satisfying holiday. Potatoes were boiling in front of her, steam wafting from the pot full of potatoes, which she mashed vigorously with wind magic.
Next, she added butter and milk and stirred well. The seasoning was done with just salt and pepper, and she added mozzarella-like stretchy cheese along with two other types of cheese, stirring vigorously.
She flipped the round steaks already on the wide pan, adding more pepper and salt. Beside the steak, she grilled asparagus, tomatoes, paprika, and mushrooms. On one side, she was reducing grape juice.
Sylvia turned off the heat under the pan with the steak and placed it on the shelf. While letting it rest, she took out bread with a texture similar to baguette from the subspace cypress barrel and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
She took out another pan to grill pineapple in butter. Beside it, she grilled corn cut into appropriate sizes and made an omelet with only egg whites.
In the square lunchbox, she first laid down the mashed cheese potatoes, then added grilled asparagus, tomatoes, paprika, and mushrooms one by one.
The round steak was cut into bite-sized pieces and placed on top of the grilled vegetables, topped with grilled pineapple and a little drizzled reduced grape juice sauce.
She cut the egg white omelet into three pieces and added them, placing the butter-grilled corn beside it and generously filling it with bread. She filled the remaining space in the lunchbox with peeled grapefruit.
Sylvia smiled contentedly at the finished lunchbox. As a service, she put plenty of Korean pears into her subspace leather backpack and also packed ginger tree tea.
Ginger tree tea, brewed from flowers and branches, was not only good for the body but also tasted surprisingly good. It was a misconception to expect it to taste like ginger; ginger trees and ginger are different species.
It was a great tea that was beneficial and enjoyable to drink frequently, so much so that she had sought it out even in her youth. After checking the kitchen to ensure nothing was missed, Sylvia called her fairy.
“Eryngium!”
Eryngium, who seemed quite fond of the flower garden, rushing to it at every opportunity, flew swiftly to Sylvia upon hearing her call.
[Is everything ready?]
“Yes, do you like the flower garden that much?”
Eryngium landed on her head and spoke excitedly.
[Yes, I really like it! No, wait…]
“Hmm? Why, don’t you like it?”
Eryngium, who had been speaking excitedly, suddenly spoke in a more subdued voice, seemingly embarrassed by her earlier enthusiasm.
[Well, it’s okay.]
She had moments like this sometimes, acting playfully. Sylvia found even this aspect of Eryngium adorable.
“Should I get rid of it all if you don’t like it?”
As she spoke in a deliberately disheartened tone, it seemed like she could hear a rustling sound coming from her head, as if Eryngium couldn’t stay still.
[No, well, there’s no need for that.]
“If you don’t like it, I could try growing something else. It seems like there are no bees around either.”
The flower garden was initially made in the hopes of harvesting some honey, but while the bees didn’t come, fairies frequented it. Not that she minded, but sometimes she wanted to flatten the small, cute nose of a lying fairy.
[No! I think I’ve seen some bees.]
Sylvia nearly died laughing because the fairy, who stuttered so much it was obvious she was lying, didn’t even need to be seen to be found out.
“Oh, really? Ah, right. Why don’t you try bringing some bees, Eryngium?”
She wasn’t sure if it would work, but thinking it would give her more reason to visit the flower garden, she made the request.
Eryngium responded quickly as if she had been waiting.
[Leave it to me! I’ll find some bees!]
