Kays Translations

Chapter 70

The next day, I arrived at the headquarters of the Culinary Guild and was led straight to the kitchen where the test had been held the day before.

Inside were eight people already waiting—none wearing chef coats, but they were clearly fellow cooks. I joined them, accompanied by the guild head.

“We’re all here. Let me introduce you first—this is Seira, who just joined the Culinary Guild. Don’t worry, she passed the test with ease and impressed not just my palate, but the other craftsmen’s as well. She’s the real deal.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Seira.”

There were a mix of reactions—some suspicious, some sizing me up, and some looking on with curiosity. A few were clearly staring at other places.

“The reason I gathered you all is simple: It’s about the upcoming ‘Academy Festival’ held next weekend by the ‘Arcane Studies Academy.’ This year, they’ve requested that our Culinary Guild run a food booth for the event.

Given the nature of the academy, many visitors will be nobles and upper-class folks. This is a major opportunity for future work and commissions. I’d like all of you to discuss ideas for what kind of food we should serve at the festival.”

I see. So that’s why they were looking to increase guild manpower.

…This could be a perfect opportunity to rack up the number of times I’ve cooked food and others have eaten my food. Depending on the menu, I might even boost the number of times food effects are activated.

“Will we be working from stalls? Or can we use the academy’s kitchen or cafeteria?”

“We’ve been told we can freely use the kitchen and cafeteria. So take that into account as you consider.”

“Then how about we go all-out and showcase the new techniques and dishes we’ve been developing?”

“This is a rare chance to show off our skills, that’s for sure.”

Hmm, I see their point.

But would people at a school festival want high-end, formal cuisine? Shouldn’t we prioritize something more festive and suited for a student event?

“How about recreating the dishes from the food stalls over by Artisan Street? Nobles don’t usually get to eat that kind of food, and it might be a novel experience for them.”

“True, the turnover and freshness are good selling points… But students from the academy do hang around there too, don’t they? Shouldn’t we focus on making the students happy too?”

“I agree. I was also considering street food-style dishes. After all, the main stars of the festival are the students. While thinking ahead to our next job is important, our top priority should be to bring joy to the students.”

Hearing the guild head’s words, some of the other chefs gave sheepish smiles.

Yeah, I get that. I’d want to eat good food at a school festival too, but if someone served me a full-course French meal there, I don’t think I’d be that thrilled.

Street food, huh…

“Seira, you’ve traveled a lot, right? Do you have any ideas?”

“Me? Well, I also support the idea of street food—quick, easy-to-eat meals. Since students frequent that area, they’re probably familiar with the flavors already. But there’s a lack of freshness. So, what if we introduced something new to this country, a dish not commonly known, but served in a casual, street-food style? If we can use a proper kitchen, we could manage even time-consuming dishes.”

…I’ve got an idea.

And it’s not just about food.

If Seira were like Sheele and had true ownership over this body, she probably wouldn’t like this idea very much…

“I’ll go check if the dish I have in mind is truly unknown in Lindblum. I’ll conduct some research at the food stalls. Based on what I find, I’ll gather the necessary ingredients—mainly some unique spices—and return. I’ll prepare a sample dish for everyone to try. I hope it’ll help with our planning.”

“Ooh, sounds interesting. What do you all think? While we brainstorm here, wouldn’t it be worthwhile to have someone out gathering information? We might even discover something new and exciting.”

“I don’t mind. Let’s see what she can do.”

“I’m interested in what kind of dishes a seasoned traveler like you might know. In any case, we need to check out current trends, so I say go for it.”

With everyone’s permission, I headed straight for the rumored food stall district.

…Never thought I’d hear the words “food stall street” in a place like this.

I left the Culinary Guild and started walking down Artisan Street.

Assuming the central areas wouldn’t have what I was looking for, I kept going deeper into the middle layers of the city, up a slope.

That’s when I spotted a familiar fluffy silver tail walking ahead of me on the path.

“Melt? Hey, Melt!”

“Hm? Oh! Seira! Seira—what’s up?”

Yep, it was definitely Melt. She turned around and came running over.

Running downhill like that’s dangerous…! Alright, I’ll catch her.

“Oof! That big cushion really saved me!”

“Who’re you calling a cushion?”

“It really is big… squish squish.”

“Quit it, that tickles. So, what brings you here?”

Just then, an elderly man walked up from behind Melt.

“Are you a friend of Miss Melt’s?”

He wore a deep crimson robe, adorned with fine embroidery. With his long white beard, he looked exactly like a sage or a great wizard—truly dignified.

“Sorry for the sudden approach. I’m Seira, currently house-sitting for Melt.”

“Ah, I see. I am—”

“This grandpa is a big-shot alchemist from the Alchemist Guild!”

“Hey now, don’t interrupt someone’s introduction.”

“Oh, sorry Grandpa Neil.”

“No harm done. I am Neilson Spremer, as she said, the one in charge of the Alchemist Guild.”

“I see. Then… might you be the one who’s scouting Melt for the guild?”

Could it be that the guild headquarters is just ahead, and they’re going to test and decide whether to officially accept her?

“No, that’s not it. Miss Melt is here to show us a certain experiment, and she’s currently on her way to the Alchemist Guild headquarters so she can explain it.”

“I see…”

He doesn’t seem like a bad person. And since Melt is with him, this might actually be perfect.

“Excuse me, but would it be possible to borrow Melt for a bit after the experiment is finished?”

“Yes, that’s no problem. Hmm… Miss Melt, may I ask—do you trust this woman?”

Neilson asked Melt quite directly.

“Of course! Seira is like family to me. She’s a dear friend.”

“I see. In that case, Seira, would you care to join us for the experiment as well? That way, you can take care of any business with Melt right afterward.”

“Is that alright? Well then…”

…This is actually a great opportunity.

Alchemy, much like pharmacology, likely requires considerable knowledge of ingredients—especially plants.

And if this is the main guild headquarters, they may even know where I can find the materials I’m looking for.

“I’ll come along. I’m interested in Melt’s experiment too.”

“Yay! Seira’s coming too! Let’s go to the Alchemist Guild together! I’m so curious about what it’s like!”

“Yeah, now I’m interested too.”

Led by Mr. Neilson, we took a side road off the slope leading to the middle levels of the city and continued on until a large building—or rather, a tower—came into view.

It may sound a bit silly, but this tower gave off more of a “pure fantasy” vibe than anything I’ve seen so far.

“It’s huge… It’s so tall! I wonder if I could climb all the way to the top, using the walls?”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Okaaay~”

Spidermelt.

Still, I can’t believe climbing it was her first idea…

Following Neilson into the tower, we were greeted by a woman at the front desk who stood and bowed deeply.

“Welcome back, Director. Is that the woman in question?”

“I’ve returned. No, not her—the young lady here is the one performing the experiment. She’s the source of the knowledge.”

“I see, my apologies. I’m the receptionist here at the Alchemist Guild.”

“Hi, I’m Melt. I’m here to do an experiment!”

“Ah, and I’m just accompanying her. You can think of me as her guardian.”

He must be a person of significant authority, someone respected and admired.

Everyone passing by bowed their heads to Mr. Neilson.

For someone like that to personally ask for Melt’s help… Her knowledge must be truly extraordinary.

“Is Laboratory Four currently available?”

“Yes, it’s already been prepared. Also, Miss Elda, whom we informed about today’s matter, is already waiting there.”

“Excellent. Well then, Miss Melt, Miss Seira—please accompany me. It’s a bit of a climb up the stairs.”

We started ascending the tower at a leisurely pace.

I had thought it would be a spiral staircase along the tower walls, but it wasn’t. Then again, this tower is huge—if it were spiral, we’d be walking forever.

“Normally, we’d use the lift, but a recent experiment drained the mana crystals that power it. We’re currently waiting on a replacement.”

“But this is good exercise! I’m totally fine with it.”

“Ahaha, you’re right. We alchemists tend to stay holed up in our labs, so we don’t get much physical activity unless it’s something like this. Let’s consider it a good opportunity.”

He spoke with such gentle, respectful manner—it was clear why people admired him.

Eventually, we reached the target floor and headed for Laboratory Four.

Mr. Neilson paused in front of a door and knocked gently.

“Miss Elda, may we enter?”

‘Director Neilson? Yes, please do.’

The voice that responded was a calm-sounding woman.

“Miss Elda, I’ve brought the one with the knowledge. She’s agreed to demonstrate the experiment for us.”

As soon as he said that, a woman—presumably Elda—hurried over to Melt and took her hands in hers.

“So it’s you! Nice to meet you—my name is Elda Elia. Right away, could I ask you to show us the experiment involving the substitute for the secca grass fruit?”

“Sure, no problem. Oh, I’m Melt. Nice to meet you, Miss Elda.”

“Nice to meet you too, Miss Melt.”

With that, Melt moved to the lab bench, where a basket piled high with small red berries was waiting alongside various pieces of alchemical equipment.

“…So first, you peel all the skins. It’s a pain, but you have to. Then you mash the pulp and strain it through a sieve—just the seeds should be discarded.”

“Hmmm… It sounds like making jam up to this point.”

“Right?! It looks delicious, but it actually tastes awful, you know!”

Even while chatting in a relaxed, heartwarming way, Melt’s work continued steadily.

“So, I think Miss Elda probably tried mixing a large number of the fruits directly into the reaction liquid and started the synthesis from there, but if you infuse it with magic in that state, it fails.”

“I see… I did try removing the skin and seeds myself. Is there some special step I missed?”

“Yeah. First, you simmer just the pulp in the reaction liquid, nice and slow…”

Even though Melt had said it didn’t taste good, a scent faintly similar to acerola began to fill the lab.

“In the meantime, you boil the skins separately in plain water over high heat. The water turns bright red.”

“Boil the skins in water? That never occurred to me.”

Just as Melt said, the water in the beaker rapidly turned crimson—past the level of colored water and into a thick, almost blood-like red liquid.

“The pulp has fully dissolved into the reaction liquid too. Now take both off the heat… and mix them.”

The deep red liquid became even more viscous—borderline grotesque in texture.

And then—

“This part is super important! When the temperature reaches 70°C, that’s when you add the seeds you removed earlier. Then, infuse just a little bit of magic. If you use too much, it’ll explode, so be careful! When you do it right, the red color will fade just a bit—that’s your visual cue to know it’s working.”

“I see… you’re using the pigment shift as an indicator, and the seeds act as an alternate catalyst.”

“Exactly! Once the color fades slightly, place the mixture somewhere dark and temperature-stable for about two days. So we won’t see results until the day after tomorrow.”

“I see… Letting nature take its course. I assumed it would work just like secca grass fruit, so I used the same process. But it’s nothing like I imagined… I never would’ve figured this out on my own—frustrating, but impressive.”

“Well then, that’s the end of the experiment. Grandpa Neill, was that okay?”

At that, Mr. Neilson, who had been watching the experiment with intense focus, suddenly came back to himself.

“Yes. That was a truly valuable demonstration. And I must say… Not a single wasted movement in any of your tasks, not in handling the tools or controlling the heat or mana. Miss Melt, did you train in alchemy somewhere?”

“Mostly self-taught, but I had a great family role model. The details are a secret though, okay? Shhh.”

“Haha, understood. Then Miss Melt, could you return here in two days?”

“Sure! I’ll come back in two days.”

“Miss Seira, if your schedule allows, please join us then. You looked quite captivated by the experiment—I’m sure you’re curious about the outcome.”

“Haha, you saw right through me. Yes, I’d be happy to join.”

“Hehehe… I bet you’ll be surprised! It’s a little bit of a hassle, but I think everyone will be shocked when they see the result!”

And with that, Professor Melt’s experiment concluded safely—with no accidental explosions or disasters.

Now then, time to take care of my own business.

…First, could someone lend me a pen and some paper?

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