Chapter 45: Preparing for the banquet

I received a letter from Paul-oniisan. He had informed me that the date for the banquet we had discussed before had been set. The banquet will be the night of the sixth day. The course meal would cost 20,000 crown coins per person, excluding drinks. He also mentioned that he wants to eat something rare as possible.

I’m sure he wants to brag about it to his friends. In order to save face for my brother, I would need to use the best ingredients.

I immediately went to Lynn’s place to discuss the menu.

The crowded lunch hour was already over, and the only customers in the restaurant are Nowald-sensei and Mio-san. Nowald-sensei is reading a book while drinking coffee after the meal, and Mio-san is relaxing while admiring the scenery.

With this, Lynn had some free time.

“Lynn, the date of Paul-oniisan’s banquet has been decided. I would like to discuss the menu, is that okay?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

Lynn came out of the kitchen while wiping her hands with her apron. She was holding two cups of cafe au lait.

“I was just about to take a break, let’s do it here.”

We sat at one of the tables in the restaurant and thought about the menu.

“My brother wants something rare and delicious, what do you have in mind?”

“Well, I think it’s okay to use avocados and pineapples that are hard to find elsewhere, but that wouldn’t make a main dish. Hmmm, a rare ingredient….…”

Nowald-sensei, who is reading a book in the seat next to us, looked up.

“Cedie, are you looking for a rare ingredient?”

“That’s right. Sensei, do you have any idea?”

Sensei has been studying the vegetation of Gandalcia, so he might know something.

I turned my expectant gaze to Sensei.

“Hmm, what about a swallow’s nest?”

“Oh right, Chinese food!”

“Chinese?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

This is a different world. There is no cuisine from that country with a history of 4,000 years. However, there is a similar country in the east side called Fanxiao. I guess swallow’s nest are used in Fanxiao’s cuisines.

“I made a mistake, it’s not Chinese, it’s Fanxiao’s food.”

“Hoh~, Cedie knows about that country?”

“I don’t know the details, and I don’t know much about swallow’s nests either.  I do know that they’re completely different from ordinary swallow’s nests, though.”

I don’t think it’s one of those that are built under the eaves of a house.

There’s no way you can eat something like that.

“Well, even though they may be the same nest name, they’re completely different. They’re actually a different species of swallow in the first place.”

“What do you mean?”

“An edible swallow’s nest is called a swiftlet’s nest.”

Unlike ordinary swallow nests, which are made from mud and twigs, all swiftlet nests are made from the saliva of the swiftlets themselves.

“So that’s why their nests can be eaten huh.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The teacher nods happily.

“But I didn’t know that such swallows lived on Gandalcia island.”

“I found it on my recent exploration. They had built a nest on a cliff on the east side of the island. There were quite a lot of them, so there would be a lot of nests to collect for sure.”

“Are there nests that can be collected and those that should not be taken?”

“Even Cedie would be in trouble if someone took your house without your permission, right? The only swallow nests that can be collected are old ones that have outlived their usefulness.”

When he devotes himself to research, he has a stern gaze, but in times like this, Sensei is very humble.

“I see. We’ll make sure to only pick up nests that aren’t in use then.”

The only question is how to collect them. It should not be easy because it is a place where there is no scaffolding.

“Char is going to climb up and get it!”

“No. It’s too dangerous.”

Char should be fine going there, but she has never seen a swallow’s nest before so it would be a bad idea for her to go alone. We still need to identify nests that are not being used after all.

Alright, I guess I’ll have to ask for some help from a friend here then.

If I can ride Gian, the Griffon, I can probably manage to do it.

It’s about time Eugenie came to visit.

“By the way, has Lynn ever dealt with a swallow’s nest?”

“I’ve never seen such ingredient before so I’m looking forward to seeing it. I wonder what it tastes like though?”

I’ve never eaten it, either before or after my reincarnation. But Nowald-sensei seems to have eaten it.

“Hmmm, it was tasteless and odorless.”

“What!?”

Lynn seems to have lost interest in it at once. After all, Lynn is always after tasty things.

“But the texture was interesting, it was like a cross between a mushroom and a jelly.”

“Did Sensei eat the swallow’s nest as it is?”

“No, I washed it well, boiled it, and then I sprinkled it with salt before eating it.”

Hmm, it doesn’t look very tasty that way then.

“Chinese…… I mean in Fanxiao’s cuisine, I feel like they used it to make soups and desserts.”

Even if I added more, Lynn doesn’t seem interested.

“But……”

Seeing Lynn being uninterested, Sensei narrowed his eyes.

“It’s important to try everything, maybe you’ll be able to cook something delicious out of it.”

“That’s true….…”

“Besides, the swallow’s nest is highly effective as a medicine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It is said that if you eat it, your skin will be beautiful and you will not get sick, and it is even said to have a hair growth effect.”

Is it that amazing!?

“In that case, we might be able to trade it as an ingredient or a medicine.”

“Hmmm, that’s a possibility. I’d like to research it myself.”

Skin-beautifying and immune-enhancing effects…?

And it’s not just a regular swallow’s nest. It is the nest of swallows from Gandalcia.

Maybe it’s going to be amazing.

I waited excitedly for Eugenie to come.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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