Author: Yume Neiji

For some reason, there were no customers since yesterday.

“It’s a customer business, so there are days like this. Don’t worry about it.”

Lynn comforts me by saying that.

“Instead of that, let’s focus on making the banquet menu for now.”

“Alright. I want to give Paul-oniisan something he will surely remember.”

“Father, I’m back!”

Char returned, carrying a large pail over her head. Oysters are piled up inside like a pile in a tub.

“Welcome back, Char. What’s going on with that many oyster?”

“I’ve caught it with Lulu. Char is a master oyster catcher!”

Once she used her dragon claw, she can pull oysters without tools.

“This is a gift to Father.”

“Thank you, Char. Lynn has made some lemon cake for us, please help yourself on that.”

“Oouuuh! I love lemon cake!”

She quickly sat down in the chair beside me and then she started to chew on the lemon cake.

I examined the oysters with Lynn.

“These are the best rock oyster I’ve seen. You don’t get to catch something of this quality very often.”

“Then let’s serve these oysters at Paul-oniisan’s banquet as well.”

I decided so because the gentlemen of this world love raw oysters.

Oysters are especially popular in winter. Freshly picked oysters poured into the stomach with a glass of dry white wine is considered the best treat of the season. We even have lemons that are out of season so it should be perfect.

The only people who can use lemons in the cold winter are the rich who can afford to import them from another region. There is no doubt that raw oysters with lemon will be much appreciated.

What’s more, what we will be serving aren’t just oysters and lemons. They are fresh oysters and ripe lemons from the mysterious island of Gandalcia. No matter how it is done, it’s bound to be delicious.

“Still, these are really fine oysters.”

Lynn, who opened the rock oyster with a knife, is impressed. The content is large and it actually looked plump and juicy.

“Shall we try a taste?”

“Fufu, what a great side benefit.”

Lynn and I put a rock oyster meat in our mouths at the same time.

“Uh!”

There is no peculiar smell of oysters at all!

The first thing I feel is the creamy umami taste. What follows is the mineral of the sea and the refreshing lemon scent that colors it.

“This is also delicious.”

“Excuse me for a moment….…”

Lynn poured a glass of well-chilled wine.

Then, she shouts to the front desk.

“Upa, come here for a minute!”

She must have felt a bit hesitant about enjoying wine in the middle of the day. She is going to make Upa an accomplice to reduce her guilt.

I just giggled and refrained from making any comments.

“What’s wrong? Oh, it’s oyster!”

Upa probably likes raw oysters too. He hopped into the kitchen with a smile on his face.

“It will be one of the menus at the upcoming banquet. I thought I’d let you taste it as well.”

“I’m grateful for that. I’ll have one then.”

With his accustomed hands, Upa opens the oyster shell. Then, he puts his mouth on the shell and slurped its content up.

“Oh~, delicious! I’ve eaten quite a few oysters, but I’ve never tasted them this good.”

“Look at how it goes with wine.”

“Hoho, you don’t have to tell me.”

Upa lifts the glass and empties its contents.

“Un, it feels great. This wine is good……”

They both look very happy. Adults love oysters and dry white wine. I’m more like Char and I prefer lemon cake.

“Eat more oysters if you like, but don’t drink too much.”

Right after I reminded them, Mary came in to inform me.

“Cedie-sama, Eugenie-sama is here.”

“I’ll be right there in a moment. Mary, can you get us some tea? And the lemon cake there as well.”

“Understood. I’ll bring it to you right away.”

I left the rest to Mary and then I went to the restaurant. At the restaurant, Eugenie and Nowald-sensei, who had just met, were chatting.

“Hello, Sensei, Eugenie. Are you having lunch?”

“I missed lunch time because I was so focused on reading, is it okay?”

“Yes. We don’t have any other customer at the moment so it’s fine. We also have delicious oysters today. It seems to go well with white wine.”

“Oh! I’d like to have some. And some white wine of course. A glass….no, I’ll have half a decanter.”

The teacher is fidgeting with his hands rubbed together. As expected, Sensei also loves oysters with white wine.

Mary brought us tea and lemon cake. I also asked her to serve Sensei his lunch before I turned to face Eugenie.

“Recently, I found a lemon tree in the depths of the island. Try it, it’s a lemon-flavored pound cake that Lynn made for me. There’s lemon juice in the dough and sugar coating.”

“It looks very good. I’ll have some.”

Eugenie lifted the cup with a graceful hand.

“By the way, have you heard about the Truff?”

Eugenie asked with a serious face.

“Truff? It is a monster like a wild boar, right?”

“That’s right. Apparently, there’s a big truff haunting the road and attacks travelers coming by. There have been a number of casualties.”

Was that why there were no customers since yesterday?

It seems that truff does not prey on humans but just goes around killing them. Compared to wild animals, it is more vicious in that area. Ordinary animals do not continue hunting any longer once their stomachs are satisfied. However, Truff  kills humans at will.

Eugenie came to let me know about it.

“Father is in the process of forming a subjugation party. I’m sure Earl Dantes is one of them.”

It is the Lord’s job to keep the roads safe after all. Earl Simpson and Alexei-oniisan must be scrambling to get it killed.

“Is it such a troublesome monster that a subjugation party needs to be formed?”

“According to the eyewitnesses, it is over five meters long.”

Nowald-sensei, who is listening to our conversation at the next table, nodded while crossing his arms.

“Well, Truff is a hateful monster that is both agile and powerful. What’s more, it can even use earth magic.”

“Sensei, where do Truff come from? This is the first time I’ve heard of one appearing around here.”

“Truff is a monster that lives on a high mountain and doesn’t come down to the village easily. Do you know why?”

“Hmm…. the top of the mountain is the same as a cave, so the concentration of magic there is high. Powerful monsters use the magic energy in the air to function, so they don’t like to leave such places.”

The teacher nodded in satisfaction at my answer.

“That’s exactly right. But the concentration of magic in the air is not always constant. It may suddenly disappear one day. The cause has not been identified though.”

“Then, could it be that the concentration of magic in the territory became low, so the Truff has come down to the village?”

“That’s a strong possibility.”

Hmmm…. maybe it is looking for a new place to live.

But the trouble is, my brothers’ appointment is already three days away. If such a monster is roaming the main road, the banquet will have no choice but to be postponed.

It’s a waste of our preparation then…….

As I was looking blank, Upa came out of the kitchen and tapped me on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll kill it when the time comes.”

“That’s dangerous!”

“Not really. I’ve done it before.”

“Eh!?”

“When I was in the army, a truff appeared in the wilderness. It was coming towards me, so I got rid of it. It was delicious.”

“It can be eaten?”

“The whole unit grilled and ate it. I have never eaten such delicious meat before or since then.”

Sensei vouched for Upa’s words.

“Since ancient times, gourmets have sought out the meat of Truff. Perhaps the reason why Lords organize subjugation teams is because they want to taste it.”

Hearing this, Upa was stunned. Then as if he suddenly got an inspiration, he shouted,

“Then we can’t afford to lose!”

“What do you mean we can’t lose?”

“Earl Dantès and Earl Simpson are moving, so will the Lord of Gandalcia, right?”

“No, no, that’s not going to happen. In the first place, just look at the population in the island. There’s no way we could organize an extermination force.”

“It’s enough if I’m there.”

“Char is going to help you too!”

After finishing the lemon cake, Char raised her hand cheerfully.

However, the overprotective Upa would not let her.

“It’s dangerous, so no. Children should stay at home and play.”

“Buu-, I want to join the subjugation team as well.”

I’m sure it will be okay if it’s Char, but it’s not really a good idea to let a child do it.

“Well, there aren’t any customers here anyway, so I guess I’ll just go and check out the highway.”

Right after I said that, the door of the restaurant was suddenly swung open in a hurry.

“Young master, it’s bad!”

“T-there is a monster!”

It was the brothers Dawsill and Cawsill who came.

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

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

Early in the morning, I was woken up by Char.

“Good morning, Father. Today is bird’s nest soup day!”

Char can’t help but want to taste the swift’s nest that we collected yesterday.

But Lynn is not going to cook until lunchtime. What more, it’s still dark outside.

“It’s too early. The bird nest soup will be served lunch time, right?”

“But I can’t wait!”

Goodness. I was also completely awakened by Char’s excitement.

“Well, I guess there’s no other way then. Let’s start by doing some farm work as usual. After that, how about we have breakfast and then go deeper into the island?”

“Are we exploring?”

Char’s eyes sparkle with curiosity. There are so many things going on that I haven’t completely traversed the north side of the island yet. I had been thinking about going there for a long time because I might discover something new.

“Let’s go through the side of the cave and go a little farther from there.”

“Let’s do that! Work and explore in the morning, and swift’s nest at noon!”

We then got up and went out to tend the vegetable garden in front of the cottage.

Just as I was about to finish everything and go exploring, Mio-san arrived.

“Good morning. Are you guys going somewhere?”

“Yes, I was thinking of going to the north side of the island.”

“Oh…… can I come along?”

“I don’t mind. But there’s no decent road there yet.”

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

“Are you used to it?”

“Ah…… uhm, I used to be an adventurer, albeit a little.”

I didn’t know Mio-san had such a past. But if she was once an adventurer, rough road wouldn’t be a problem for her then. Besides, if she stays at the inn all the time, Mio-san will really get bored.

A small exploration may comfort the traumatized Mio-san.

“Alright, let’s go together.”

So, me, Char and Mio-san decided to go out together. 

We passed in front of the hot springs, passed by the cave, and came to the north side. From here on, it is an unexplored land that has never been entered.

“Char, are there any signs of dangerous creatures ahead?”

Char listens intently while sniffing the wind.

“There are only animals around. Probably…… a raccoon……”

Then there’s nothing to be scared of.

“Okay, let’s move on.”

“Yes. Hn……?”

Char, who had been smelling the wind, suddenly stopped. The easterly wind that had been blowing earlier had changed to a northerly wind.

Is it a sign of a monster?

“Father, does it smell refreshing?”

“A fresh smelling monster?”

“No, not that. This…… it smells a little like orange.”

That means there’s a citrus tree growing somewhere.

“Char, can you pinpoint the location of the smell?”

“Of course!”

Char led the way and began to walk slowly towards the backwoods. In the depths of the forest, we found a lemon tree. The tree is about 4 meters tall and much taller than us.

There was a lot of fruit on its branches.

“Father, there is a delicious smelling fruit, can we eat it?”

“Well, technically you can eat it. But lemons are very sour if you eat them as they are.”

“Oh….It is sour……”

Char shrugs her small shoulders.

“But we can use it in a lot of different dishes, and of course, we can use it as an ingredient in sweets. With this, we can make honey lemon drink and lemon cakes.”

“Wow! I want to eat lemon cake!”

“Got it. Then let’s harvest a few.”

Char and I picked up lemons and stuffed it in our pockets. If we deliver new ingredients, Lynn will surely be happy.

“But it’s really strange, right? I mean…… that there are lemons at this time of the year.”

Mio-san’s eyes blinked in surprise.

“This island is special.”

“It’s a truly mysterious island……”

I think so too.

“Father, it’s bad!”

Suddenly, Char exclaimed.

“W-what’s wrong?”

“Look! Isn’t the sun so high up?”

She wants to say that it’s time for lunch. I’m sure Lynn is already cooking and will be waiting for us to taste the bird nest soup.

“Alright, we’ve got a harvest of lemons, so let’s leave it here for today’s exploration.”

“Cedie-san, may I have a lemon as a souvenir?”

“You don’t have to take only one, take as many as you want.”

Come to think of it, lemons help prevent scurvy in sailors. I’ve read about it in books about the Age of Discovery. I’ll ask Emma next time if there’s a demand for lemons.

We turned back the way we came and headed straight to the Auberge. When we arrived at the auberge, everything was already prepared at the table. 

Lynn happily greets us.

“Swift’s nest soup is ready.”

“Thank you. How did it taste?”

“The swift’s nest itself didn’t have a taste or aroma, so I added it to the seafood soup. It is an ingredient you can enjoy for its texture and benefits.”

Lynn added the swift’s nest into a soup made with dried scallops, vegetables, and seafood.

“It smells good. Let’s try it right away!”

“Oh, that’s right. Mio-san can join us too.”

I also invited Mio-san, who helped me pick lemons.

“Eh? But swift’s nests are rare, aren’t they? I don’t think I can have it.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Come sit.”

She came to overcome the pain of having her engagement broken off. I want Mio-san to enjoy life as much as possible. I pulled her to the table a little forcibly and decided to drink soup with her.

“Itadakimasu.”

Just by putting a spoonful of soup in my mouth, a strong umami flavor spread in my tongue.

As expected of Lynn’s dish. The rich soup lingers, and I can’t stop putting the spoon into my mouth.

The texture of the swift’s nest was so good. Just when I thought it was chewy, it disappeared into a gooey mess.

“It’s so delicious, Lynn!”

“I’m surprised!”

“This is the first time I’ve ever had such delicious soup.….”

Lynn looked at me with a serious gaze.

“It’s too early to be surprised. That’s not the secret of this soup…”

“Eh?”

“Fufu, as you’d expect from a Gandalcian soup. Upa, bring me a mirror!”

“Sure!”

Upa came from the back with a large mirror in his hand.

“What’s wrong, Upa? Why are you bringing something like that to the table?”

“Just take a look.”

Upa places the mirror in front of us.

What I see in the mirror is the faces of me, Char and Mio-san.

There was nothing particularly special about it.…

Lynn turned the mirror slightly towards Mio-san.

“Cedie and Char are kids, so it doesn’t do much, but Mio, don’t you notice anything?”

Mio ran her hand through her hair, startled.

“My hair…… it feels smoother. Eh??? My skin is smoother too!!”

“That’s right!”

It was Upa who chimed in.

“I just tasted this soup, and for some reason, the tingling sensation of my old wound disappeared, and the wound itself seems to be less noticeable.”

Now that I look at it more, it seems that the scar on his face has indeed become slightly smaller …….

“Has the pain gone away?”

“Yes, but not completely though. But all in all, it’s such an amazing soup.”

“Eat!”

I made him sit down on my chair and offered him my plate.

Who cares if it’s half-eaten.

“O-oi, Cedie……?”

“Upa eat all the rest of the soup.”

“No, but….…”

“We might not be able to make the same thing twice. So Upa should eat it!”

If it would help heal Upa’s old wounds, I’d offer him any bowl of soup he wanted.

“Thanks, Cedie.”

Upa gulped down the soup with tears of gratitude in his eyes.

Lynn looks at him with satisfaction and then she said,

“It’s true that there may have been a series of miracles this time, but I’m sure I can make the same dish again.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I’m a professional chef, which means there’s no such thing as a dish that I can only make once. As long as I have the ingredients, I can make it.”

“Then, can you make Paul-oniisan and the others experience this excitement too?”

“I can guarantee you that. But I don’t think it’s going to be possible every time.”

Swift’s nests are precious, so I myself can’t afford to consume them in large quantities.

Let’s just say that this is a special dish that is rarely served in the auberge. I need to ask Paul-oniisan not to talk about it anywhere else.

“Then, does this mean that the first dish of the course is decided?”

“Yes, this will leave everyone satisfied. The first dish will be Swift’s nest Miracle Soup.”

Lynn and I nodded vigorously to each other.

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

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

The jars for delivery are ready. We’ve packed them into wooden boxes along with the packaging material, so all that’s left is to hand them over to Emma.

But that’s not the end of the story. In the future, we will continue to sell our jars in Belucca on a regular basis. We’ve already received inquiries from several grocery stores. This is also thanks to Emma.

“It’s so delicious, it’s only natural that it will sell.”

Dawsill is smiling as he peels chestnuts. Cawsill on the other hand is busy adjusting the sweetness of the syrup.

“That’s right, Young Master. I’ve gained a lot of weight because of it.”

“Cawsill, that’s because you’re tasting too much. Hold back a little.”

The brothers continue to joke around but did not stop working.

Oh right, I have something important to tell them.

“Emma will be here soon. Also, I’ll pay you when the first delivery is over, so wait until then.”

“No problem Young Master. Big brother, let’s go buy a fishing rod when we get the money.”

“Yes. If we catch a big one, mom will surely be happy.”

“We also have to buy big sausages and mustard.”

“You’re all about food.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with that?”

“You should aim like me. I’m going to save up for the future, and I’m going to find a pretty wife.”

“Huh? Where will you find one? In a cave?”

“I’m going to blow your ass up, you big bastard!”

The two of them are happily chatting while working. This month’s salary is set at 70,000 crown coins per person. When they worked at Dantès’s mansion, it was 47,000 crown coins. Although this is a standard salary, the income of workers in this world is low. However, they were provided with food and housing, so I think they were treated better than they could have been. But once they get married and start a family, it’ll be a bit of a stretch.

As for me, I want to make sure that I return profits to my employees.

In the future, we need to expand our sales channels. For the time being, I’ll set up a direct sales office on the island. I can also set up a sales section in the restaurant. There are many travelers, so they may buy it as a preserved food.

Just as I was thinking so, Char burst into the room.

“Father, Eugenie-oneechan is here!”

Oh, she’s finally here!

Paul-oniisan’s banquet is coming up in five days. She came at the right time. I’ll make Gian give us a ride and go to the cliff where the swift’s nest is.

When I explained the situation to Eugenie, she readily agreed.

“A bird nest that can be eaten sounds interesting. Okay, leave it to me and Gian.”

“Queeeeeee!”

Gian is a clever griffon who understands human language. He also nodded vigorously to me. After waiting for dusk, we started our activities. After a few flutters of his wings, we were already on the eastern cliffs. As expected, the mobility of a griffon is amazing.

With me, Eugenie, and Char on board, Gian is hovering in the sky leisurely.

“Father, there’s a big hole over there!”

There was a large cave on the side of the eastern cliff.

The nest is probably in there.

“Gian, can you go in there?”

“Queeee..…”

Gliding slowly, Gian landed at the entrance of the cave.

The interior is quite spacious and slightly lit thanks to the light coming in through the entrance.

We gently entered the cave so as not to scare the swiftlets, but I was surprised to find that there were so many nests on the walls and ceiling.

“It’s a lot whiter than I expected, it looks like dried fish.”

Eugenie whispers.

I’m sure she was imagining a normal bird’s nest.

There were many halved, bowl-shaped nests on the wall with swiftlets more than 10 centimeters long resting inside. But for some reason, the swiftlets didn’t fly away when they saw us.

Do they know that we won’t harm them?

They just glanced at us and then they closed their eyes again, as if they knew us.

We choose a nest without swallows and tear it off. The three of us split up the work, and we soon gathered enough to meet my needs.

“Okay, let’s go home.”

Riding Gian again, we came to the front of the cottage.

“Thank you, Eugenie, Gian. I was able to collect swallow’s nest thanks to you two.”

“You’re welcome. But that’s really weird looking. I can’t believe it can be eaten.”

“Maybe it is, but it’s very nutritious.”

“Hmmm……”

“I’ll have Lynn cook it for us right away. I’ll have Eugenie and Gian taste it as well.”

It’s also a reward for Gian for his hard work. But Eugenie looked up at the sky with a look of regret.

The sun has already set, and the stars are beginning to shine brightly.

“If I don’t come back soon, I’ll be scolded. I’ll try the swift’s nest next time.”

“Oh-, that’s a pity. No worries, I’ll serve some for you the next time you come. I’m thinking of serving this on a course meal for Paul-oniisan.”

When I said that, Eugenie made a face that said she had come up with a good idea.

“Then can I come with my family this time?”

“Of course! You’re very welcome.”

“I’m officially booking a table for the Simpson family.”

“By the way, is Earl Simpson back?”

The Earl had gone to the Royal Capital and must have been away from the estate for a while.

“He came back the other day and Father is quite tired. I’m thinking of cheering him up with some good food.”

“If you make a reservation, I promise you that we will give you the best hospitality.”

Eugenie said she would definitely come again and then she left.

“Father, let’s deliver the swift’s nest to Lynn.”

“Okay. I need to come up with a sample dish as well.”

When I delivered the swift’s nest, Lynn was very pleased.

“This is a bird nest huh! I also looked up some books on Fanxiao’s cuisines, and it showed how to use it.”

“Then you can cook at any time.”

“Ahaha, Cedie is being greedy huh. Well, we need to soak it in the water first.”

Lynn poked the hardened nest with her fingers. 

Oh, it seems that it cannot be used unless it is soaked in water for about half a day and the dirt is removed.

“I’ll have it ready for lunch tomorrow, so wait until then. I’ll try to make some delicious soup and dessert with it.”

“Okay. I’m looking forward to it.”

“By the way, Cedie……”

Lynn fidgets and it’s like she is having difficulty talking about it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Actually, I was a little curious and looked it up.”

“Ah?”

“The price of a swallow’s nest”

“Oh~, and?”

“It’s hard to sell around here, but in the capital, it costs about 70,000 crown coins a bunch……”

“Whoah, that much!?”

I was a little surprised too.

“Can I really make a sample dish with it?”

Oh-, Is she holding back because it’s a high-priced ingredient?

But that’s exactly why I want it to be made deliciously.

“Lynn, you only need to think about the food, and I, the owner, think about the cost.”

When I encouraged her by saying that, Lynn burst into a big smile.

“Okay, I’ll definitely make something delicious, so look forward to tomorrow’s lunch.”

Tomorrow will be my first bird nest ever. 

Alright, I’ll be super active tomorrow morning and make myself hungry.

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

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---