Ch.228Side Story: Culture Lecture – 2

Priscilla, who had shocked everyone with just a single sentence, was fiddling with a magical cooking assistant device while examining the instruction manual.

I was anxiously watching her from the side. At the very least, she needed to make something edible. Even if it wasn’t, I could probably force myself to eat it, but it would be hard to completely hide my reaction.

“Let’s see how good she is. She’d better not be as good as me.”

Rosaria muttered as she approached from the side. Latina quietly followed her.

“She must be confident to have reacted that way.”

“I know. But listen, if I want to find fault, I can find it anywhere. If there’s even the slightest thing wrong, I’ll nitpick and make her redo it.”

A wicked smile appeared on her face. In a way, it was also a smile full of mischief.

“I’m the judge, remember? You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“What about the audience evaluation? I shared the food with them too, so why can’t they judge?”

“I suppose they can. Though I doubt it will affect the final result.”

“You have a bad attitude. You should be more kind-hearted, Holy Maiden. Being so wicked won’t do you any good.”

Latina suddenly interjected with her comment.

“As if you wouldn’t do the same?”

“I wouldn’t. I’ve heard that people who can’t cook also have bad attitudes.”

Just as the two were about to start bickering again, I quickly intervened, putting my arms around Rosaria and Latina to separate them. Latina, who was practically embraced in my arms, immediately became docile.

Conversely, Rosaria smiled meaningfully and pressed herself closer. Slowly, her delicate fingers grasped my hand and guided it toward her chest.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Tch. How stingy.”

I heard a clicking tongue from the side. Did she realize how it would look if I were groping her chest while leaving the others to cook? I wasn’t that shameless.

Having abandoned her original goal, Rosaria slightly changed her plan and buried her face against me. She lifted her head slightly and asked:

“Mira, who do you think will win first place?”

“Hmm.”

Priscilla was at least earnestly studying the instruction manual. Though it seemed more like she was creating something rather than actually cooking.

Laura and Leona were cooking normally. Both were unexpectedly skilled. Come to think of it, wasn’t Leona not very good at cooking initially? She couldn’t even properly shape rice balls.

“…”

Recalling those old memories made the corners of my mouth droop slightly. Memories of Leona were essentially no different from memories of Aria. I forcibly lifted my drooping lips and shifted my gaze.

“I think it might be Elysier.”

While Laura and Leona were moving quite skillfully, Elysier was on a completely different level.

She was simultaneously using six magical cooking assistants, her knife skills were extraordinary, the ingredients she cut were perfectly shaped without a single rough edge, and the way she tasted and adjusted the seasoning was incredibly natural.

Each of her movements revealed a proficiency that could only come from experience, not just from being somewhat good at cooking. Rosaria nodded as if she had expected this.

“I thought so. She said cooking was her hobby. We talked a lot while you were gone, remember? That’s when I heard about it.”

“So you knew and still planned to find fault?”

Startled by the sudden comment, Rosaria’s body flinched.

“W-what? You heard that?”

“We’re not even that far apart, did you think I wouldn’t hear from this distance? Well, let’s see if you can find fault with my cooking as you claimed.”

“…”

While an embarrassed Rosaria was trying to change the subject, Laura turned off the mana flow to her magical cooking assistant and picked up a plate. Clack, clack, clack—soon, plates were placed in front of Latina, Rosaria, and me.

“Here, it’s ready.”

Unlike Latina’s first dish, which was simply boiled meat with sauce poured over it, this was a classic lamb steak that could be found in a high-end restaurant.

“Alright. Then—”

“Wait a moment. Let me cut it for you.”

Laura gently pressed my hand and took the fork and knife. Her hands began to cut the steak with both care and elegance.

As soon as the knife penetrated the properly browned surface, the trapped meat juices burst out. The escaping juices flowed down the steaming surface and pooled at the edges.

The well-cooked cross-section was revealed. The medium-well steak, browned to perfection, released a burst of heat and delicious aroma. The juices mixed with fat moistened the interior.

Laura speared a piece of steak, cut slightly smaller than bite-size, with her fork and held it out. The piece of steak, soaked in fat and juices, approached right in front of me.

“Now, say ah—”

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Rosaria jumped up at the sight. Laura calmly responded.

“It’s basic that fine cuisine has a proper way of eating. I’m simply ensuring that the dish is enjoyed properly. What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s just steak! Your intentions are too obvious!”

“This is steak made with the finest ingredients that would be served in the imperial palace. Surely you don’t fail to recognize the difference.”

Rosaria retreated with a grumble, unable to offer any rebuttal. Meanwhile, Latina was calmly cutting and eating her steak, repeatedly saying how delicious it was.

Yes, such a human side is much more pleasant to see. While I was inwardly feeling content, the steak poked at my lips as if urging me to eat it quickly. I obediently opened my mouth.

As soon as it entered my mouth, the bursting meat juices mixed with the sauce that was applied just enough to enhance the flavor. The distinct aroma of meat flowed into my nostrils, and the melting fat coated my tongue.

It was perfectly cooked—not so well-done that the juices had evaporated, but not so rare that blood was seeping out.

I thought I had tried all kinds of gourmet food while at Crate, but this seemed like it wouldn’t lose to any of those dishes.

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious. Extremely.”

“I’m glad. There’s still plenty. Eat to your heart’s content.”

Honestly, my evaluation was quite plain compared to the taste. But Laura smiled contentedly, as if she didn’t mind, and continued to feed me new pieces methodically.

Rosaria was quietly cutting and eating her portion of steak. Despite her earlier claim about finding fault, it seemed she was enjoying the taste.

“I-I’m done too!”

By the time about half the steak was gone, Leona hurriedly approached and set down a new plate. Laura graciously made way for her.

Leona’s dish consisted of finger-sized shrimp wrapped in thinly sliced pork and deep-fried whole. The yellow surface characteristic of fried food was emitting a delicious aroma of oil.

“Just wait a moment… so… umm.”

Like Laura had done, Leona picked up chopsticks as if intending to feed me directly, but suddenly hesitated and seemed to be contemplating something. Then, with a face of firm resolve, she put down the chopsticks.

“Here. A-aah…”

“Oh, what a bold action indeed.”

Instead of using chopsticks, Leona grabbed the shrimp by its tail with her hand and extended her arm. It was such a bold move that even Laura smiled and expressed admiration.

The person in question seemed to be dying of embarrassment, with her ears turning bright red and her body trembling, but that wasn’t the point.

I obediently accepted the food again. But because her hand was shaking too much, I accidentally ate her fingers as well, causing Leona to jump back in shock, quickly withdrawing her arm.

“…”

Beyond the crispy batter, I could feel the texture of the pork, and within that, the firm, springy shrimp meat. The aroma perfectly infused in the batter spread throughout my mouth.

Meanwhile, Leona was staring blankly at her finger that had been in and out of my mouth. She seemed to be seriously contemplating something again.

The contemplation didn’t last long. Leona put her finger in her mouth and started licking it.

“…I’m not one to talk, but do you realize how indecent that looks?”

“Uh, what?! W-what did I do?!”

Leona was startled and quickly removed her finger, but the damage was already done. Rosaria whispered in my ear loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Mira, did you see that? She just licked your saliva. She acts like she’s not, but she’s really a pervert, isn’t she?”

“N-no! That was just oil! I wouldn’t do such… p-perverted things!”

“She knew it was strange behavior. Yet she did it anyway. She put it in her mouth and licked it right in front of us. That’s the boldness of the Hero of Light.”

“Was that your intention from the start when you used your hand? Impressive. I’ve learned something.”

“The oil… was…”

Leona, who had been trying to continue her excuse, hung her head. It seemed she realized her explanation made no sense even to herself. Rosaria continued to tease her.

“If you were going to do that, you might as well have fed him with your mouth. That’s what I would have done. For real.”

“You’re all talk. You know you couldn’t do that in front of everyone.”

“Ha, you think I’m just talk? Watch. I’ll show you.”

With a meaningful smile, Rosaria suddenly put a fried shrimp in her mouth. Then she moved toward me—

—CRACK!

“It’s my turn to be evaluated now, so what nonsense are you trying to pull, Rosaria?”

She was blocked by a fork thrown by Elysier as she approached. The fork pierced through the fried shrimp in her mouth and stuck into the opposite wall. The fork continued to vibrate for a while after embedding itself in the wall.

Rosaria looked with disbelief at the remains of the fried shrimp between her lips, with only the tail left, and then at the body stuck to the wall.

“Hey! What if you had hit me?!”

“As if I would make such a basic mistake. Your concern is unnecessary.”

Dismissing the anger directed at her with a single sentence, Elysier proudly set down her dishes.

There were many varieties. I didn’t know much about cuisine, so I couldn’t name them all, but I could tell they were all extraordinary.

“I won’t resort to cheap tricks. A skilled chef of my caliber should rightfully captivate the stomach.”

“Hmph. Let’s see just how good you really are… huh.”

Rosaria, who had taken a spoonful of golden fried rice, immediately fell silent.

The others were the same. Even Laura was chewing with a frustrated expression, and Leona’s eyes were wide open. So was Latina’s.

“Do you see, Rosaria? This is the difference in skill between you and me.”

“…”

No one could refute that statement.

“…Why is this delicious?”

As a bonus, the unidentifiable dish that Priscilla served turned out to be unexpectedly tasty. Even Elysier took one bite and made an expression as if her common sense had been destroyed, which says it all.

“Oh right. Erestica said she’d make pudding for us later. She said she couldn’t join us where the students are, so that’s her substitute.”

“…Pudding?”

Doesn’t that require milk as an ingredient?

“…”

Surely not… right?