Chapter 44: Salmonella and Pot-au-Feu
The following morning.
After spending the night at the temple, I made my way to the royal castle’s kitchens just after dawn.
The corridors were still quiet, bathed in the pale golden light of the rising sun filtering through stained-glass windows. Servants moved about sleepily, carrying baskets of ingredients and stacks of linens as another day at the castle began.
I pushed open the kitchen doors.
“Good morning, Tardolf-san.”
“I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, Eight-DONOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
“GYAAAH! Your face is way too close this early in the morning!”
The instant I stepped inside, Tardolf’s enormous face filled my entire field of vision.
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Huh?”
Now that I looked more closely, something seemed off.
“Tardolf-san… did you actually sleep last night? You’ve got huge bags under your eyes.”
His appearance was horrifying.
His eyes were bloodshot.
Dark circles hung beneath them.
His beard was messier than usual.
He looked less like a chef and more like a man who had spent the entire night fighting demons.
“Sleep?”
Tardolf scoffed.
“Why would I waste time sleeping when the possibility of unknown seasonings—new culinary frontiers—lies before me?!”
“No, seriously, please sleep!”
“Forget that!”
He suddenly shoved a small bowl toward me.
“Look! LOOK AT THIS!! I have already successfully recreated mayonnaise!!”
“Wait… what?”
I stared.
Then stared again.
And sure enough—
It looked exactly like mayonnaise.
Creamy.
Pale.
Smooth.
Perfectly emulsified.
“That’s incredible.”
Yesterday he’d practically interrogated me about mayonnaise, emulsification, oil ratios, egg yolks, and every other detail imaginable.
But I never expected him to actually recreate it overnight.
“Pretty amazing for one day, right?”
Tardolf puffed out his chest proudly.
“Though… after tasting the finished product yesterday… my stomach started feeling rather… strange… ugh…”
Suddenly his face turned green.
Then blue.
Then a color that should not exist in nature.
The next moment he collapsed onto the floor.
“Guhhhhh…”
“OH NO!”
My blood froze.
I’d forgotten.
I’d completely forgotten.
“Raw eggs!”
The sanitary conditions in this world weren’t exactly modern.
When making mayonnaise here, there was always a risk—
“Salmonella!”
“Raphiel-SAAAAAN!!”
I sprinted from the castle like a madman.
Guards shouted.
Servants stared.
Someone nearly dropped a tray.
I ignored them all.
Moments later.
I burst into the temple.
Raphiel was rubbing her eyes sleepily, still halfway wrapped in a blanket.
“Eight?”
“Emergency!”
“Hm?”
“Tardolf is dying because of mayonnaise!”
“I see.”
“You see!?”
Several minutes later.
Raphiel arrived.
She placed a hand on Tardolf.
A soft divine glow filled the room.
And just like that—
He was completely healed.
Not a trace remained.
The miracle of healing was absurd.
After Raphiel returned to the temple for what she described as “Second Sleep,” Tardolf sat up and muttered bitterly.
“Curse it…”
His fists trembled.
“I must petition His Majesty to completely reform egg sanitation standards throughout the kingdom.”
His eyes blazed with righteous fury.
“As a first step… I shall spread mayonnaise across the entirety of Elde!”
“That is certainly… a response.”
Honestly, his resilience was terrifying.
The man almost died and immediately started planning a national condiment revolution.
“Now then!”
Tardolf slammed both hands onto a table.
“Back to work! Today you shall assist me in recreating more seasonings from your world!”
“Just remember I still need to buy souvenirs later.”
I pointed at him.
“So please finish early.”
“No problem.”
He nodded confidently.
“Ten hours should suffice.”
“Did you listen to a single word I said?”
“And besides…”
For once, Tardolf’s expression became serious.
“I understand.”
His voice lowered.
“Seasonings such as miso, soy sauce, and mirin cannot be recreated in a single day.”
He folded his arms.
“And as for granulated Japanese dashi… with our current technology, reproducing it may be impossible.”
Then—
A grin spread across his face.
A dangerous grin.
“The very impossibility of it is what makes this worthwhile!”
Uh-oh.
That was the face of a mad scientist.
“When I finally recreate them—”
Tardolf raised both arms toward the ceiling.
“THE CUISINE OF ELDE SHALL ADVANCE BY HUNDREDS OF YEARS!”
The kitchen shook with his voice.
“A CULINARY REVOLUTION!”
He pointed dramatically into the distance.
“I SHALL SUCCEED!”
“His enthusiasm is genuinely terrifying.”
At that moment—
The kitchen doors opened.
Someone entered.
It was a young girl wearing a chef’s uniform.
She had ash-gray hair, bright blue eyes, and an adorable appearance that made her look younger than she probably was.
The instant Tardolf saw her—
“YOU’RE LATE, ALSIA!”
His roar echoed throughout the room.
“The sun has been up for ages! A chef should finish preparations before dawn!”
“S-Sorry, Master!”
“Honestly…”
He pointed toward the workstations.
“Get moving!”
“Okaaay.”
I watched the exchange.
“Your apprentice?”
“Yes.”
Tardolf nodded.
“After expelling Jeora, she became my senior apprentice.”
The girl flashed me a cheerful smile.
“I’m Alsia. Nice to meet you, Mister Otherworlder.”
“Likewise.”
What a friendly girl.
“Alsia!”
“Yes?”
“Move your hands instead of your mouth!”
“Okaaay.”
She giggled.
“You know, constantly being angry is bad for your health.”
“WHOSE FAULT DO YOU THINK THAT IS?!”
“Easy there, Tardolf-san!”
I hurriedly restrained him before he launched himself across the kitchen.
Again.
Meanwhile, Alsia casually stepped to a cutting board and began preparing ingredients.
And instantly—
My eyes widened.
She was fast.
Incredibly fast.
Vegetables flew beneath her knife.
Meat was portioned with practiced precision.
Every movement was efficient.
Confident.
Professional.
“I may not look it,” she said proudly, “but I’m responsible for preparing lunch for all the castle knights.”
“Oh?”
Apparently everyone working in the castle ate at a large dining hall.
Preparing meals there was traditionally assigned to promising chefs.
According to Tardolf, every previous Head Royal Chef had once held the same responsibility.
A sort of rite of passage.
“Though honestly…”
Alsia sighed dramatically.
“Jeora-senpai and I were supposed to do it together.”
She pouted.
“But after he did something stupid, I have to handle everything myself.”
“Do not speak that fool’s name!”
Tardolf snarled.
“My mustache starts itching whenever I hear it!”
“Still…”
Alsia shrugged.
“If I survive this, becoming Head Royal Chef someday is practically guaranteed.”
Her eyes sparkled.
“I want to cook for His Majesty someday, just like Master.”
“Fifteen years too early!”
“Specific.”
Then Alsia suddenly looked at me.
“Oh!”
She clapped her hands.
“Mister Otherworlder, why don’t you make some food from your world?”
“Hmm?”
“I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”
Immediately—
“ALSIAAAAAA!”
Tardolf exploded.
“How many times have I told you!? A chef serves others before serving themselves!”
“But I’m hungry.”
“YOUUUUUUU!”
“Okay, calm down!”
I grabbed Tardolf from behind before he could strangle his apprentice.
Again.
Still…
She had a point.
It’s hard to be motivated on an empty stomach.
After obtaining Tardolf’s permission, I looked through the available ingredients.
“Let’s see…”
Onions.
Cabbage.
Carrots.
Potatoes.
Bacon.
And—
“Oh.”
I spotted a bundle of sheep sausages.
“I know exactly what to make.”
First came preparation.
I cut the onions and cabbage into wedges while leaving the cores intact to prevent them from falling apart during cooking.
The carrots and potatoes were peeled and roughly chopped into large chunks.
The potatoes were soaked in water.
The bacon was cut into thick strips.
The sausages received shallow slits.
Simple.
Straightforward.
Comfort food.
“Next…”
I drizzled a little oil into a pot and fried the bacon.
The rich aroma immediately spread through the kitchen.
Then I added water.
Onions.
Carrots.
Potatoes.
A cube of consommé.
A bay leaf.
Everything simmered together as the pot slowly came to life.
When it reached a boil, I skimmed away the foam.
Then covered it.
And waited.
Eventually the vegetables softened.
I added the cabbage and sausages.
Let them cook a little longer.
Then adjusted the seasoning with salt and pepper.
And that was it.
“Done.”
Pot-au-feu.
Simple.
Rustic.
Perfect for breakfast.
I served bowls to Tardolf and Alsia.
“Mmmmmm.”
Tardolf’s eyes widened.
“As expected, excellent.”
He took another spoonful.
“Especially this broth.”
His brow furrowed.
“How does one create such depth? Meat and vegetables combining into something this rich and complex…”
“Otherworld cuisine must be amazing.”
Alsia sighed wistfully.
“I’m jealous.”
“Indeed.”
Tardolf nodded.
“If I could visit Eight-dono’s world, I would.”
And then—
The kitchen doors burst open.
“Make way!”
Several armed knights stormed inside.
Their armor clattered loudly.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The casual morning mood vanished.
“Whoa!”
I jumped.
“What happened?”
The knights marched forward.
One stepped ahead of the others.
His expression was grim.
Then he spoke.
“By order of the Crown.”
He unfurled a document.
A warrant.
A very familiar feeling of dread crept up my spine.
“This morning, His Majesty the King collapsed.”
The kitchen fell silent.
Everyone froze.
“According to the royal healing mages…”
The knight’s voice rang through the room.
“His Majesty was administered a delayed-acting poison.”
A poison?
The king?
What?
The knight pointed directly at us.
At me.
And Tardolf.
“Therefore—”
His voice thundered.
“Head Royal Chef Tardolf and the Otherworlder Eight are hereby placed under arrest as prime suspects!”
“…Huh?”
My brain stopped functioning.
For several long seconds, I simply stared.
Unable to process what I’d just heard.
Then realization finally struck.
And my soul practically left my body.
“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!”