Chapter 68

Accompanied by three members—presumably of the Culinary Guild—I was taken to a street in Lindblum I hadn’t visited before.

Apparently, this was the district where all the artisan guild headquarters were located—a zone full of working facilities where people actually produced things. Workshops and ateliers of all kinds were scattered along the street.

“This area is known as the ‘Artisan’s Street’ in the Craftsmen’s District. At the end of this street is our Culinary Guild headquarters. That’s where you’ll be taking your entry test, sis.”

“To be honest, we’re in a chronic state of understaffing.”

“No, actually—we do have plenty of members. The real problem is ‘there are almost no energetic ones left.’ Everyone’s burned out from constant overwork.”

…That’s the kind of internal situation I really didn’t want to hear about…!

“There’s a large event coming up, and we’re being mobilized for it… so even a single new capable member would be a huge help. Please, pass the test, sis!”

“Um, what kind of test is it?”

“Nothing fancy. It’s a practical exam to see if you can make several dishes—enough for a few dozen people—within a set time limit. The Culinary Guild filters out anyone who’s just ‘good at cooking’ or ‘loves cooking.’ It may sound harsh, but that’s the kind of workload we’re dealing with.”

“Training newcomers is important too, but we simply don’t have the resources. That’s why most people go gain experience at places like the Adventurers’ Den before applying here. Given your background, the receptionist must’ve judged that you’re ready.”

But this test… Isn’t that kind of intense?

We continued walking through Artisan’s Street and eventually reached a large building—presumably the Culinary Guild.

As I stepped inside, a rich medley of cooking aromas tickled my nose. My stomach rumbled.

Yeah… this place clearly cooks. Time to focus.

“Is the chief here!?”

“I am here! What is it? You guys are supposed to be on standby at the Central Guild today!”

“We’ll head back right after this! Someone came to apply for Guild membership, and we brought her for testing! Says she’s immediately capable!”

“What!? Then leave her here and get back! You’ve got dispatch duty this afternoon, remember!?”

The back-and-forth was more like an argument.
Before I knew it, the three who brought me were already gone.

I was left alone… and in walked the woman they called “Chief.”

“Oh, a woman, huh? That’s rare. This place is pretty much a battlefield — are you prepared to collapse?”

“You’re a woman too, so think of me as one of your kind.”

“Hah! You’ve got some nerve! What’s your name?”

“Seira.”

She had a tough, big-sister-like aura about her. The kind of person you’d describe as “self-made.”
Her slightly sun-tanned skin and numerous old scars made it clear she’d spent years working in front of fire.
She looked exactly like someone who lived on a literal battlefield — no exaggeration.

“Seira, what’s your background?”

“Seven years working in a noble’s estate. During my travels, I joined a mercenary group three times as their cook. Now I work as a cook for a traveling troupe.”

“Hoh. If that’s true, you’re used to cooking for groups. You’ve heard the test details, right?”

“Yes. I’m to cook for a large group.”

“Exactly. Now then… for today, let’s start by heading to the kitchen. Everything above the second floor is a kitchen.”

Seriously? This building’s amazing. No wonder it smells so good.

The director led her to a kitchen on the third floor.

Rather than a “kitchen,” it looked more like… a home economics classroom? Or maybe a culinary school’s training room.
It was probably a place where multiple people could cook at once, take exams, or experiment with recipes.

“I’ve already told the blacksmith guild workers to come here for lunch today. Expect over 30 people. You’ll be cooking three dishes per person for a minimum of 30 people — all within two hours, starting now.”

Seriously!? Right now!? And actual people are coming!?

It honestly seemed impossible, yet for some reason… I could feel Seira’s quiet determination.

As if she were saying, “That’s nothing.” No way…

“Understood. What about ingredients?”

“You can use anything in the freezer over there. Now begin.”

Her body moved. Her body remembered.

The moment she saw the freezer’s contents, her brain kicked into high gear.

She was building a logical framework.

Procedures, divisions, order, structure — it all assembled rapidly in her mind.

Her body moved naturally, flowing with the rhythm.

“…There are sun-dried tomatoes here too. And the bacon’s been left out and has dried nicely. Perfect.”

She thought about what ingredients this world had — and didn’t have — and how to compensate.

“…To make a large amount of satisfying soup in two hours without soup stock is tough. No time to slowly draw out umami. But this will solve that.”

It was knowledge she hadn’t learned — yet somehow, she knew:
“With sun-dried tomatoes and dried bacon, I can make this work.”

With these two, she could make a rich soup just in time.

Next: a filling main dish.

Something like soup-soaked baguette wouldn’t pass this exam.

She decided to make gnocchi with a Genovese-style basil paste.

Mixing boiled potatoes and pumpkin into flour dough, she planned to make two types of gnocchi and toss them in a basil paste.

“Basil… do we have it…?”

She checked the fridge — no basil or anything that looked like it.

So she began tasting every leafy herb she could find to search for a substitute.

“Hm…! This tastes just like shiso!”

She’d go with that. Apparently, in old Japan, some restaurants used shiso in place of basil.

She wanted cashew nuts too, but instead she’d use another kind of nut.

“Now for… the main dish.”

They’d mentioned blacksmiths would be eating.

Hard labor near fire, hammering all day.

They’d definitely want protein — meat.

And after sweating, they’d be craving salt.

A rich, satisfying steak for 30 people… would be ideal, but the first ones would get cold.

There wasn’t a large oven here, but if she used all the smaller ovens at each workbench simultaneously, maybe…

It wouldn’t be steak, but rather a thinner roast beef — still acceptable.

“First, get the meat in the oven… while marinating it, soak the nuts for the basil paste, and start drawing soup stock from thin-sliced sun-dried tomato and dried bacon… I can barely make it.”

The strategy was set. Now it was just a matter of relying on the memories and skills carved into Seira’s body.

Seira’s flawlessly efficient movements and planning drew the attention of the director, who was speaking to other staff watching the exam.

“Look at that — she just learned the test details and is already working like that. She really knows how to manage time and group cooking. That’s a veteran’s pace.”

“Right? She’s seriously ready to go from day one!”

“Yeah. I can also tell she planned the menu carefully. The real question is how it’ll taste. Anyone can make large quantities — but the blacksmith guild, they’ve helped us a lot with tests and experiments. They’ve got refined palates — pickier than most nobles.”

“Haha… yeah, I’ve been criticized by them before…”

And then, as the clock neared the two-hour mark, the sound of a crowd outside the kitchen could be heard.

The blacksmiths — who were also acting as judges — had arrived.

At that same time, while Seira was being tested by the Cooking Guild, Melt was being guided by Sigurd on her first visit to the second floor of the guild.

“This is my first time on the second floor. What’s up here?”

“Let’s see… this is where we keep documents, spare equipment, and where senior officials have their offices. There’s also a lounge for important guests. Your three friends are working on reports in the document room.”

“Oh, so Kash and the others are here too? Maybe I’ll help them out.”

“Actually, someone’s here to see you. I don’t know the full details, but it sounds important.”

“R-Really…? I wonder if I’m in trouble or something…”

“Hah, didn’t mean to scare you. They didn’t seem angry or anything. It’s the head of the Alchemy Guild.”

“An alchemist!? Why would they want to see me…?”

Having someone visit her made Melt feel uneasy.

But hearing it was an alchemist reminded her of her grandmother, and eased her anxiety just a little.

“Remember that berry you mentioned a while back, saying it could be a substitute for secca grass seeds? I told the Apothecary Guild about it, and apparently the news reached the Alchemy Guild too.”

“Ah… yeah, I might’ve said that.”

And so, Melt was led into one of the reception rooms.

“Excuse me.”
“E-Excuse me…”

Melt nervously entered the room while offering a timid greeting.

Inside was an elderly man clad in a robe decorated with elegant embroidery — possibly a signature of alchemists.

“Thank you for escorting her, Sigurd.”
“Not at all. Well then, I’ll take my leave…”
“Eh? Sigurd, you’re leaving?”

Left alone with a stranger, Melt felt a pang of anxiety, but Sigurd exited without hesitation.

Now alone with the robed alchemist, she began to feel more and more uneasy — when:

“Please, have a seat, Melt-san.”
“O-Okay.”

She was gently encouraged to sit on the sofa.

“Um… may I ask why I was called here? If I did something wrong, I’m sorry…”
“Oh, no, not at all. In fact, I invited you here because there’s something I really wanted to ask you about.”
“Ah, I see! That’s a relief…”

Feeling a little better, Melt relaxed her tense body and sank into the sofa.

“So… what did you want to ask?”

“Before we get into that, may I ask — have you considered joining the Alchemy Guild?”
“I’m already part of the Adventurers’ Guild though…”
“You can be part of both, you know. If you’re ever interested, the doors are always open.”

It seemed like casual small talk, half an invitation — and then:

“Forgive my late introduction. I’m Nielson Spremer, head of the Lindblum Alchemy Guild.”
“Nielson-san… I’m Melt. I don’t think I have a family name.”
“Understood. Then, Melt-san — let’s get to the main matter. I wanted to ask you about a ‘substitute for Sekka grass seeds.’”

“The substitute for Sekka grass seeds… oh yeah, I submitted some during a gathering request a while back. It was the nut from the mountain chestnut, right?”

It was during the time Melt had joined Rikka and the others on a harvesting request in Axebréaker’s fallen forest. Among the mountain goods they collected, some nuts were included.
When submitting them, Sigurd had said, “These can be used as potion ingredients,” but Melt had added, “They can act as an elixir catalyst, in five times the quantity.”

Nielson now wished to know more about that claim.

“An alchemist who heard about this tried using five times the usual amount of mountain chestnut nuts, thinking they might have some effect. He attempted to synthesize an elixir using alchemical methods. The attempt failed — however, among the failed product, we detected a small quantity of the same substance that appears when elixir synthesis fails. If those nuts can truly act as a catalyst, would you be willing to teach us the method?”

It was just a small remark. Something that might have been a misunderstanding — idle words from a young adventurer.
Yet an alchemist had acted on them, taking it seriously enough to try.

Melt was overjoyed at the thought that her knowledge might help someone and was ready to share it.

But then she remembered—

“That’s why, Melt — what I’m about to do must stay a secret, alright?”

It was when she had begged Same to use a precious medicine to help her friends.

“Powerful medicine affects the people around it.”
That’s what Same had been worried about.

Recalling that, Melt began to wonder if she had the right to carelessly share a recipe — possibly valuable knowledge unknown even to a major city’s guild.

“Umm… umm, umm… uh…”

What is responsibility? What kind of decision am I being asked to make?

How serious is this…?

Melt still didn’t have the ability to judge.

And as she realized she couldn’t make that decision — she felt disappointed in herself.

“I’m sorry… I don’t know if it’s okay to tell you… I’m really sorry…”

With tears welling up, all she could do was apologize.

“Forgive me… Melt, I didn’t mean to put you in such a difficult position. You’re likely struggling with whether that recipe is something that should so easily be shared with others — and I appreciate that you’re thinking it through. I apologize. Recipes are, by nature, often closely guarded secrets. It was wrong of me to ask you to reveal it so casually. Please, lift your head.”

“Okay… I’m sorry. I’ll try asking my family first. If they say it’s okay, then I promise I’ll share it.”

“Yes, I understand. I truly apologize… It seems my curiosity got the better of me and clouded my judgment.”

Right now, she still couldn’t make the decision on her own.

That’s why Melt decided she would consult her family — Same and Shizuma.

Asking someone when you don’t know something. Seeking guidance when you can’t make a decision alone.

It isn’t something to be ashamed of — though Melt didn’t realize it yet, this was a clear sign of growth.

And so, little by little, she was learning how to live and navigate within society.

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