Kays Translations

Chapter 71

“Excuse me, could I have a moment before we wrap up?”

I borrowed a scrap of paper and a pen that were lying nearby, and drew a diagram on the sheet.

“Do you recognize this plant? I believe it might be a type of medicinal herb or aromatic spice.”

“Hmm, yes, I’ve seen this among the materials we purchase from the Apothecary Guild.”

“Ah, that’s ‘Star Fragment’, right? I believe I have some. Would you like me to share some with you?”

“That would be very helpful.”

So they did have it here too.

What I needed this time were five spices: fennel seed, cinnamon, star anise, clove, and Sichuan peppercorns.

I figured their names might be different in this world, so I drew them instead—and it turned out to be the right call.

They were willing to share the “Star Fragment,” their name for star anise.

What a stylish name…! But it really does look like a star. In Chinese, it’s called bājiǎo, I think.

“As for the rest, I’m not familiar with them. However, there is a department here that handles material trading with the Apothecary Guild. I’ll introduce you to them.”

Mr. Neilson offered to guide me to a department that might have the other ingredients.

Honestly, the rest of the herbs are common even in Western cuisine, so I didn’t think they’d be too hard to find.

When I showed the drawings to the people in charge of trading with the Apothecary Guild—

“Oh, this one… Yes, we have it in stock. We normally don’t sell to outsiders, but since you were referred by the director, we can make an exception.”

“Thank you very much.”

They were willing to sell me cinnamon, which was easy to identify by its distinctive shape.

Unfortunately, they didn’t recognize the others.

Well, the rest might be stocked by the Culinary Guild anyway.

The real hurdle had been star fragment—bājiǎo—so that’s a relief.

“At the very least, I’ve cleared the biggest challenge… I think.”

“Seira, are you making something?”

“Mm, I wanted to mix some spices.”

“Oh, you mean that powder you put in food! I know it—it’s a bit expensive, but it makes soup taste so much better.”

Exactly. It’s a very magical powder.

“I’m sorry for the trouble, Mr. Neilson. I’ll be on my way now.”

“Not at all. You seem to be a chef. Alchemy and cooking have more in common than one might think. I wish you the best in your culinary endeavors.”

Leaving the Alchemy Guild, I headed toward the rumored food stall street.

Though, really, the Alchemy Guild was already located just off the sloped road where that very food street was.

Meaning, if we just walked a bit further uphill, we’d already be there.

“This is it!? Seira, is this our destination!?”

“Yep, this is the Food Stall Street. As you can see, it’s lined with tons of stalls.”

Craftsmen, students, even a few adventurers or mercenaries carrying weapons walked the street.

Unlike the adventurers’ den, it had a different kind of crowd and bustling energy that made Melt’s eyes sparkle.

“So many smells…! Roasted things… and sweet things… What a wonderful street!”

“Right? Today, I wanted to check out what kinds of food are being sold and what’s popular. I thought we could grab lunch while we’re at it.”

“Yay, food stalls! I’ve never eaten at one before!”

“Oh, but you’ve seen them before?”

“Yeah! Back when I was in Golda, there was a time of year when food stalls would overflow beyond the castle town. I saw them from a distance when I went out to sell things to traveling merchants.”

I see.

Then she definitely needs to experience them up close—see them, eat from them, and enjoy the whole thing.

With that in mind, I chased after Melt, who was charging in like she was storming the place, and we began exploring the food stalls.

As I followed Melt from stall to stall, I started to notice something.

These stalls were much more well-equipped than I had expected.

I imagined they’d be more like simple grills for barbecue-type foods, but some had massive iron plates for cooking, others offered stewed dishes from giant pots like oden stalls, and even pasta vendors.

Surprisingly, there were even stalls that served fried foods, though only a few.

Disposable utensils didn’t seem commonly used—most meals were served on plates and eaten at nearby seating areas, then returned.

Of course, many stalls also sold food on wooden skewers, popular among adventurers and craftsmen.

“Hmm… For the academy festival crowd… the plated meals might be the better option?”

That said, I also spotted students eating both types—those with plates and those with skewers.

So they don’t seem averse to eating with their hands.

“This is hard to decide…”

“What’s hard to decide? Just buy them all! Look, I got lamb skewers, chicken skewers, pork skewers, and beef skewers! Probably all monster meat though!”

Melt returned, holding skewers between her fingers like a fan of arrows—eerily similar to how Sheele had drawn her bow recently.

“Melt, that’s not very ladylike. I’ll hold them—eat them one at a time.”

“Okay! Then… I’ll start with the lamb!”

Lamb, huh? Looks delicious.

Maybe I should buy something too?

Nom nom… 

“Lamb has a bit of a unique flavor, doesn’t it? But it goes so well with this black stuff!”

“That’s black pepper. Hmm…”

So even strongly flavored meats are well-accepted here.

Just watching Melt eat is making me hungry.

“Melt, hold onto those—I’m going to buy something too.”

“Ahaha! Munch… Next is beef!”

She’s really enjoying it.

Leaving Melt munching on a beef skewer, I headed over to one of the few stalls selling fried foods.

“Excuse me, two please.”

“Sure thing! One—oops, dang!”

I’m used to it by now!

That giant character design really stands out. I made her ridiculously huge, after all. Everyone makes at least one over-the-top character, right?

“Hehe… Thanks for your business!”

“What’s the name of this dish?”

“Herb-fried chicken. If you want to sound fancy, call it a fritto.”

“I see.”

It looks like fried chicken. Though in this world, it may not be actual chicken meat.

Let’s take a bite.

“Mmm… delicious.”

The batter was excellently made. Judging by how well-fried foods had caught on, it was safe to say that various types of batter were already well-established here.

The herbs beyond just black pepper, the faint aroma of garlic—all came together with the well-seasoned chicken meat, creating a delicious harmony.

The crisp sensation of biting through the crunchy batter and skin, followed by teeth sinking into the juicy meat—it was textbook fried chicken.

The combination of meat juice, herbs, and pepper filled my mouth, and with the satisfaction of tearing into it, it all traveled warmly down to my stomach.

Amazing. This is so delicious… yet this food stall doesn’t have many customers!

“I’ll give the other piece to Melt. She’ll love it…!”

Fried food seemed to be something she really liked, after all.

I chatted briefly with the shopkeeper before wrapping up and went to look for Melt.

But she wasn’t where I last saw her—instead, I spotted her at the back of a line at a slightly more distant food stall.

“Hey, Melt—hurry up and—”

I was about to give her the fried chicken (now arbitrarily renamed in my head) when I noticed some people lining up behind her.

I figured the place must be really popular, but then—

“What’s up?”

“We’ve already bought a bunch from here. Wanna eat together over in the break area?”

“Yeah, we’ll share with you. Come on, let’s go.”

“Really? This line’s super long. Isn’t that food really valuable?”

“Heh, sure is. We’ll give you plenty.”

“Yeah, we’ll stuff you full.”

Yeah. This is 100% flirting.

Melt’s a little too trusting—makes me nervous.

Damn, is it because she’s stuck waiting in a food line!?

“Melt, I bought something really tasty over there. What kind of food is this line for?”

“Oh, Seira. This is a sausage stand. They had these really long pieces of meat, kinda like snakes.”

“Ah, I see.”

So, sausages. On Earth, the names change depending on the type and thickness of the casing, but maybe here it’s all just called “sausage.”

“Whoa, are you with her, miss? You should come eat with us too!”

“Don’t use such tired pickup lines. And if you’re not in line, get lost—you’re in the way. Melt, they’re lying. They’re just trying to trick you and lure you off.”

“What!? Really!? I thought I wouldn’t have to wait if I went with them!”

“And if you wanna try to act tough, maybe don’t pick the wrong target, boys. This girl here is a Jade-ranked adventurer. And for the record, I’m stronger than she is.”

That was a fact. Even if I’m in a production job, my character’s fully leveled.

Stat-wise, I’m about even with Same, who isn’t even fully developed yet.

“Yeah, that’s right. You lied, didn’t you!? Using food to trick people is just wrong!”

Melt raised her adventurer tag for them to see.

Sure enough, embedded in it was a piece of green gemstone—the mark of a Jade rank adventurer.

“I won’t do anything if you leave now. But for your information, I’ve got connections to Ruby-ranked adventurers, too.”

“…S-sorry, ma’am!”

“Let’s go! Who the hell said tourist girls are easy!?”

They were probably just street thugs, not even actual adventurers.

The truth is, Melt had already begun to draw attention among the adventurers.

The turning point, of course, was that security mission during the auction, where she’d worked with Letty.

Apparently, during that mission, the old hall used as the break room had been packed with adventurers.

Something had gone down there, and people took note of how Melt had been treated with great respect by members of the Glory Knights.

“Melt, be cautious when strange men talk to you. Just assume they’re trying to hit on you—you’re too cute for your own good.”

“Am I really that cute?”

“You’re adorable. I wanna pat your head.”

“Then wash your hands first! Your hands are all greasy, Seira!”

“Oh, right. Ah… maybe that’s why the fried chicken isn’t selling well.”

“You mean the thing you’re holding? Can I eat it while I wait in line?”

“Go ahead. It’s a gift for you.”

“Yay! I’ve been curious about that too~”

Still nice and crispy, it seems.

Please, enjoy it well, dear little fox.

“Mmm! The bone’s a little annoying! But so tasty! Right now, this one’s number one! This fried chicken is my favorite so far!”

“Ohh, is that so!”

The bone being annoying… yeah, that might be part of why it’s not so popular.

…But if it’s my recipe, I could work around that.

I’d be using a different cut of meat anyway.

Yes, the dish I’m planning to make is also a fried chicken dish.

Based on the market research so far, fried food is already well accepted, and people seem to enjoy trying new flavors and textures.

And… I haven’t seen any other stalls using the kind of spice blend I’m going for.

That means it could work. It’d attract attention as something novel, and it could be eaten either by hand or on a plate.

“Once I eat this sausage, I’m heading back to the Culinary Guild. What about you, Melt?”

“Hmm… Ah! I’ll take the sausage as a souvenir and go pick up Rikka and the others! Then… can I invite them over again?”

“That’s a great idea. I’ve got no problem with them coming over. I won’t be able to make as much as I did yesterday, though.”

“Got it!”

Having bought the sausage successfully, Melt tried—once again—to hold one between each finger, but the stall owner finally stepped in, saying, “If it’s a gift, let me wrap them for you,” and packaged them in something like wax paper.

Hmm… wax paper? Or maybe parchment paper? A primitive version of cooking sheets, perhaps.

Normally you’d need refined heavy oil to produce that… Maybe the alchemy in this world has made that kind of processing common.

“Melt, nice job.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Oh, I just got my hands on some information I was curious about.”

With that, Melt—now proudly holding four sausages wrapped up—cheerfully made her way back to the General Guild.

…Wait a minute. She has one in her mouth too, so why wrap four…?

Actually—wait—that’s not just any sausage… isn’t that a marumetano!? The sheer volume is insane!

Try not to eat too much, okay?

I returned to the Culinary Guild and made my way to the kitchen, where the strategy meeting still seemed to be underway.

A delicious aroma was already wafting all the way outside—someone was probably experimenting with a new menu item.

“I’m back. Sorry, I was delayed a bit because I stopped by the Alchemy Guild.”

“Oh? That’s an unusual place for you to go. Were you looking for something special?”

“Yes, I’m planning to blend some rather unusual spices that most people here probably aren’t familiar with. Chief, do we have any spices matching the illustrations on this paper?”

I showed them the remaining spices I needed: Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, and cloves.

…Huh. I drew these really well. Maybe my cooking knowledge is helping with my art skills, too?

“Ah, those. They should be in the spice rack—go ahead and check. I’m pretty sure we have them.”

“This one came from an herbal wholesaler at the far end of the western sea. It’s got a unique freshness and a tingling spiciness to it. And then there’s… cloves and fennel, huh.”

Oh, so “clove” and “fennel” are called just that here too.

“They all have rather distinctive aromas. They’re a bit intense, but I believe the students who frequent the food stalls will accept them. I saw people buying offal stew and mutton without hesitation.”

“Yeah, makes sense. Nobles tend to be quite sensitive to things that are ‘unusual yet excellent.’ Their kids won’t shy away from unfamiliar dishes either. After all, to run a stall in Lindblum, you need approval from both us and the country. That ensures the food is at least decent. Still, most stalls tweak their menus after setting up, so real-world research is essential.”

“I see…”

As I searched for the spices, I listened to the chief’s explanation.

So the government also gets involved in vetting stalls to some degree. That’s reassuring.

…Alright, I’ve got all the spices I need now.

They didn’t have star anise on the shelf, and I doubt the Culinary Guild is familiar with the spice blend I’m about to make.

“Everything’s ready. I’ll begin the blending now.”

But this isn’t just about introducing people to a new flavor.

It’s also meant to lure out someone who might recognize it.

It was a trend in our world just recently, after all.

“I’m excited. You’re about to blend spices even I don’t know?”

“Same here. You’ve piqued my curiosity. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The spice blend I’m making is—Five-Spice Powder.

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