Ch.61Ruide’s Cooking Class (3)

Bubble, bubble.

The delicious aroma filled the outdoor area.

“What’s that smell?”

“Food?”

“…It’s a scent I’ve never smelled before.”

The aroma was so intense that passing students stopped to sniff the air.

Like bees drawn to sweet nectar, people began to gather one by one.

“Oh…? It actually looks quite appetizing now that it’s made.”

“It really does.”

The placebo effect in action!

The members of “Ruide’s Cooking Class” who knew what ingredients went into it didn’t actually find it that appetizing, but as people gathered around drooling, it started to look incredibly delicious.

‘Everything’s going according to plan.’

This was all Ruide’s scheme, of course.

Going a step further, his ultimate goal was to get people to stop using detoxification magic.

‘Now then…’

Ruide stared at the tteokbokki, fork in hand.

Tteokbokki without fish cakes.

It was undeniably disappointing.

However, the taste would be magnificent.

Ruide picked up a rice cake with his fork and began blowing on it gently.

The students followed his lead one by one.

“Nom.”

Ruide carefully bit into the rice cake. His mouth was small, so he could only eat half of it.

Munch, munch.

Ruide savored the taste like a sommelier tasting a 58,000-year-old wine.

“…!”

Ruide’s eyes widened. Hersy watched him and looked at the tteokbokki with awkward eyes.

‘There’s no way it tastes good.’

Wouldn’t it be stranger if something made with ingredients used for torture actually tasted good?

Just as she was about to ask if he was okay…

Ruide, who had been staring blankly at the tteokbokki…

Chomp, chomp!

He began inhaling it!

‘It’s delicious.’

Ruide realized how powerful familiar tastes could be.

Such an intense flavor!

Of course, it wasn’t as good as the authentic taste from his homeland, but it was excellent nonetheless.

He deliberately used less red pepper powder, which turned out to be a hit. As a result, the sweetness was stronger, making it delicious even for a body unaccustomed to spicy food.

However, compared to the food of this world, it was incredibly stimulating.

After eating tteokbokki for a while, Ruide noticed the students staring at him endlessly.

“It’s delicious.”

They wore expressions full of doubt. Ruide narrowed his eyes, displeased.

“Try it before you judge.”

After Ruide said that, they reluctantly picked up a rice cake.

With eyes tightly shut, they put it in their mouths.

“…!”

An exclamation mark appeared above the students’ heads.

“Wh-what is this intense flavor?”

“It’s a taste I’ve never experienced before…”

“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”

They looked at each other with wide eyes.

It was much more delicious than expected.

A rich, indescribable flavor.

The nobles, who considered unicorn meat the greatest delicacy, couldn’t come to their senses amid the feast of flavors on their tongues.

Soon, they all began inhaling the tteokbokki without saying a word.

Ruide watched them with satisfaction.

“Ex-excuse me.”

A student who had been watching approached.

“Could I try just one bite…?”

It was Isabella, the library assistant. Ruide remembered that she had only received her credits and left the classroom.

Ruide’s answer was predetermined.

“No.”

Of course, he had intended for her to just get credits and leave, but still, shouldn’t there be some distinction between those who attend the class and those who don’t?

At the very least, he didn’t want to create a situation where those who stayed felt disadvantaged. Isabella turned around, looking dejected.

‘I’m sleepy.’

After eating about five rice cakes, he started feeling full. Ruide began nodding off right there.

“Hey, Ruide.”

Damon, who was having an aristocratic meal with a scarf he had procured from somewhere, spoke up.

“Hmm?”

Ruide looked at Damon with sleepy eyes.

“I just saw you refuse other commoners who wanted to join us. Does that include us too?”

“…Hmm?”

Ruide couldn’t understand the words in one go because he was sleepy. He yawned widely.

“I mean, are we not allowed to share our cooking with others? This body rather likes this dish called ‘Hell’s Temptation.'”

“Do whatever you want…”

Thud.

“Ah! He fell asleep.”

Hersy was dumbfounded, her hand still outstretched.

Ruide had curled up on his side and was sleeping soundly.

He truly lived however he pleased.

**

Ruide’s magic lecture disguised as a cooking class ended in success.

Not only was the lecture evaluation excellent, but the undisputed highlight was the tteokbokki.

Ruide had cooked and eaten outdoors. It was in the backyard of the main building, the area with the most foot traffic.

Naturally, rumors spread like wildfire, and eventually, this phenomenon occurred:

“I’m already an heir, so I don’t need recommendation letters and don’t care about the store. I just wanted to get close to Lord Ruide, so I attended… I didn’t know it would be my best decision of the year.”

Sebring, who had participated in Ruide’s lecture, was surrounded by students curious about Ruide’s class.

“I heard it tastes like a demon’s temptation. Is that true?”

“A food named ‘Hell’s Temptation’? I’m so curious.”

For reference, the nickname “Hell’s Temptation,” which Damon had arbitrarily created, was more widely spread than the official name, tteokbokki.

Sebring raised his index finger with a very serious face.

“Listen well. If I had to go to hell as the price for eating that food… I would fall into hell with a smile.”

“Is-is it that good?”

“It’s like I’ve found another reason to live! I’m so glad I recorded the recipe.”

“Y-you have the recipe?”

“Of course, this was a lecture after all.”

The students surrounding Sebring looked at each other. Finally, one of them raised their hand.

“50 gold!”

**

“When will these detoxification mages disappear?”

In the Emperor’s court.

The nobles couldn’t raise their heads.

“Isn’t it already established that detoxification magic has little utility when used on ordinary food?”

The Empire had a peculiar profession called “detoxification mage.”

Due to the nobles’ habit of always using detoxification magic before eating, they paid large sums to hire reliable detoxification mages.

What was there to trust about detoxification magic? It was only a 1st-tier spell. Yet nobles claimed they couldn’t trust 1st-tier mages and hired at least 4th-tier or higher.

These high-quality 4th-tier mages were being wasted on unnecessary tasks.

That was frustrating enough, but there were even mages who raked in money by claiming to be “specialists in detoxification magic.”

Moreover, recently even commoners had started using detoxification magic, imitating the nobles. As a result, the demand for detoxification mages never ceased.

Consequently, manpower flocked to detoxification magic—while the much-needed magic knight brigade was always suffering from staff shortages. Some mages even viewed the magic knight brigade as merely a “stopover” on their way to becoming detoxification mages.

Lucius had been suffering quite a headache over this issue. However, solving it wasn’t easy.

“W-well, since it’s a long-standing custom… it will take considerable time to change it, Your Majesty.”

Nothing is scarier than fighting an enemy without substance. No matter how much magical evidence was presented about the impracticality of “detoxification magic used on food,” it couldn’t even make a small crack in the tradition that had been passed down for hundreds of years.

“Listen, Lord Tron. Let’s set aside the entire empire, but what about the detoxification mage in your own household? Does that also take considerable time?”

“A-ahem.”

Tron lowered his head with a troubled face. He couldn’t make any excuses.

“Are all the nobles in the empire blockheads?”

Lucius was furious to the tips of his hair.

“B-but Your Majesty. Isn’t it too early to judge that detoxification magic has no effectiveness? According to the First Emperor’s maxim, ‘If you eat meat, your health will inevitably deteriorate. All meat in the world that doesn’t undergo detoxification magic is harmful meat.’ Please reconsider the suppression of detoxification mages.”

“Please reconsider!”

The Empire’s factions were largely divided into two groups: the pro-imperial faction that followed the First Emperor’s ideology, and the noble faction that pursued practicality.

As strong opposition began to pour in from the pro-imperial faction, which could be considered his home ground, Emperor Lucius got a headache at the thought of having to start this long and tedious debate from the beginning again.

Holding his forehead, the Emperor waved his hand.

“Enough. Let’s move on to the next agenda.”

“Th-the next agenda is the regular report from the Imperial Academy.”

The Emperor’s expression brightened considerably. The Academy was the future of the Empire. Hearing about the future was always exciting and enjoyable.

‘I’ll have to change things slowly, very slowly.’

Yet inwardly, he thought he must somehow eradicate the “detoxification mages.” Lucius absolutely hated the waste of such enormous manpower and money on unnecessary things.

“I hear that Ruide Christopher Windsor conducted his first class, and it was very well-received.”

Lucius nodded at the news about Ruide, feeling proud for no particular reason.

“What kind of class was it? Did he present a new paradigm to the magical academic world again?”

“…Well, the class content was a bit unusual.”

Gulp. Aide Mikael looked at the Emperor nervously as he spoke.

“It was… cooking practice, they say.”

“…Cooking, you say?”

“Yes. He’s making a new attempt by combining magic and cooking… and the rule is not to use detoxification magic.”

“What did you say?”

Lucius’s eyes widened.

“Is this truly the case?”

If there was one thing the Duke of Windsor cared about more than anything, it was Ruide’s health. There was no way he would allow Ruide to eat food without using detoxification magic.

Which meant…

‘He read my intentions and acted on his own initiative.’

The Emperor’s eyes filled with emotion.

‘While everyone else is desperate to tear me apart, he’s always helping me.’

Where else could one find such a thoughtful nephew?

The Emperor’s face lit up with a pleased smile.

“If the response is good, that means it was successful.”

“Yes… that’s right. I hear the recipe he lectured on that day is being traded at very high prices.”

“Oh, is that so? You’ve obtained it, of course?”

“I managed to procure one with great difficulty.”

The aide respectfully handed a paper to the Emperor.

“Tteokbokki? An unfamiliar name.”

“It’s also called ‘Hell’s Temptation.’ They say it tastes like demons beckoning you.”

“Oh, so that’s why it contains the Tears of Pianence. Interesting. I must try this right away. Would you like to try it too?”

‘My nephew has lent his strength, so I should use it immediately. Rather than prohibiting something, creating a reason why detoxification magic shouldn’t be used. That’s quite a clever plan.’

The nobles bowed their heads, saying they were honored.

The Emperor spoke with a satisfied expression.

“Tell the chef to make this exactly as written. I’ll give him 30 minutes.”

“Um, th-that…”

Mikael was sweating profusely.

“What’s the matter?”

“I-I’m sorry. We’ve run out of stock of ‘Tears of Pianence,’ the most essential ingredient in the recipe.”

“…What?”

The Emperor wore a dumbfounded expression. Why would they be out of that?

He knew it wasn’t being used much these days as it didn’t fit the current torture trends. It should be rotting away in some corner of the treasury.

“…Prince Damon…”

Mikael bit his lip.

The Emperor, momentarily unable to grasp the situation, blinked.

Then, his face turned bright red.

Barely suppressing the rage boiling up from his core, he said:

“…Summon Damon.”