Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Personal Chef of the Sorceress Who Can’t Eat Alone.

Episode 3: Garlic Cheese Toast With Sausage And Vegetable Stir-fry

Just like the butter in the small box, Karem searched everywhere again in case there was something else, but apart from the salt pouch inside the shelf, there was nothing else hidden.

Reluctantly satisfied with what he had, Karem emptied one box and filled it with ingredients, cooking tools, and dishes.

If he had more time, he could make something more elaborate, but Karem’s body was already demanding constant nutrition from the hard labor.

So he decided to make something quick. The menu was already planned after checking the ingredients.

“Kid. Can you carry all of that?”

“Of course.”

One of the few advantages of Karem’s years as a serf after reincarnation was the forced development of his stamina and strength.

When Karem lifted the box and stepped out of the wagon, Catherine followed with a reluctant look.

Gordon, who had already discarded the box’s trash and was examining the belongings of the deceased, looked at Karem with the same reluctant gaze after hearing Catherine’s words.

A serf who had to save even on food wouldn’t have much experience with ingredients. What could he possibly make?

Karem didn’t feel particularly bad about it.

After all, to them, he was just a 10-year-old serf boy, and it was natural to doubt what such a kid could make.

Not wanting to use the large bonfire where the corpses were burning, Karem lit a separate small bonfire.

“Luckily, there’s a big bonfire nearby to use for kindling. Still, it’s a bit unsettling.”

“Hey, can you really make something decent to eat?”

“Gordon, I’ll probably make it better than you.”

“Hah, this cheeky little serf?”

“Anyway, just watch, like Lady Athanitas.”

It was past lunchtime, and with two people exhausted from hard labor, he needed to make something quick, greasy, and high in calories.

It wasn’t a difficult man’s dish, so Karem quickly cut the long sausages into bite-sized pieces and fried them in butter.

Once the sausages were browned, he added diced carrots, diagonally sliced cabbage, celery, and onions in that order, and a pinch of salt, then stir-fried them.

Once the vegetables were added, it was a race against time.

Karem quickly added more butter before the vegetables wilted, stirred the pan vigorously, and as soon as the carrots were golden brown, he served the sausage and vegetable stir-fry.

The melted fat from the cut sausages mixed with the rich aroma of butter and the fresh scent of fried cabbage.

When Karem added butter to the pan again, Catherine tilted her head, wondering if that wasn’t all.

“Kid, are you going to make something else?”

“That alone won’t be enough.”

The next dish was an even simpler cheese toast. As Karem started to cut the hard barley bread with all his strength, Gordon, who had been sneaking bites of the sausage stir-fry, came over, chewing noisily.

“Ah, Gordon. It’s not finished yet!”

“Just tasting it, just tasting it. Should I cut the bread to that thickness?”

“Oh, you’ll help?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just that by the time you finish cutting the bread, the sun will set.”

Indeed, with age, profession, and as seen in the previous work, Gordon was cutting the hard barley bread easily, making Karem’s struggle look pointless.

Well, there was no reason to refuse help.

Leaving the barley bread to Gordon, Karem quickly chopped three types of cheese and tasted them, surprised by the familiar flavors.

“This tastes familiar…”

“Oh, that’s Somerset cheese, but this must be Pala cheese. This is Dane cheese.”

“Imported?”

“Yes. Pala cheese is famous from the Southern Kingdom, and Dane cheese is famous from the Dane region of Iceland.”

“Anyway, these will do.”

Karem hadn’t heard of the Southern Kingdom, but he remembered Iceland. It was a northern region of the Kingdom of Seofon.

What mattered now was that Somerset, Pala, and Dane cheeses tasted like Cheddar, Provolone, and Havarti cheeses, respectively.

All three were perfect ingredients for grilled cheese or cheese toast.

When Karem immediately minced a lot of garlic and spread it on the bread slices, Catherine looked horrified.

“G-garlic, that much on it!?”

“Why put so much garlic on it?”

“I assure you, it tastes much better this way. You won’t be able to stop eating.”

Unlike Catherine and Gordon’s horrified reactions, Karem was calm because the garlic here was much milder than the garlic he knew.

To get the flavor, he had to spread a lot of garlic, despite the two being horrified by it.

Karem filled the pan with barley bread, garlic side down, in butter, and topped it with the three types of cheese.

The garlic smell that Catherine and Gordon were worried about only lingered for a moment before being overshadowed by the high heat, butter, and cheese, giving way to a sweet aroma.

Gordon and Catherine shuddered.

“My god, honorable mage. Both dishes smell amazing.”

“With an empty stomach and butter and cheese, how could it not be delicious?”

“It’s almost done, so just wait a little longer.”

As he stacked the cheese-topped bread slices, the brown garlic crisped in butter revealed a golden surface, and the cheese oozed and sizzled in the pan.

Karem spread butter on both sides one last time, toasted them to perfection, and served the garlic cheese toast on a large plate.

“Alright, it’s done. Enjoy your meal.”

Gordon, who had been sneaking bites of the sausage stir-fry, immediately grabbed a golden toast as if he had been waiting for those words.

Crunch!

Honestly, Gordon hadn’t expected much from Karem’s skills, but despite Karem’s young age, his decent skills and the smell of the food were gradually raising Gordon’s expectations.

Of course, toast itself was a very familiar food to Gordon, as toasting was the best way to make hard bread edible.

Skewering and grilling toast with cheese was a very familiar method to mercenaries across the continent of Europa, not just in the Kingdom of Seofon, right after grilling jerky over a fire.

Making such a familiar dish by spreading lots of butter and topping it with plenty of cheese, then toasting it to a crispy, golden brown?

He had wavered at the thought of spreading lots of garlic, but it was a needless worry.

Contrary to Gordon’s initial horror, the smell was excellent, the taste was great, and the crunchy sound with each bite was satisfying.

And a new taste. Had garlic always tasted like this?

The minced garlic, fried to a texture close to garlic flakes, was a taste Gordon had never experienced before.

The umami of the sausages with each bite and the quick stir-fried fresh and crisp vegetables cleared any cloying taste.

As a mercenary, it was the first time Gordon had eaten food with such rich texture, sound, and taste during a job.

And Karem was watching it all proudly.

“Gordon, how is it? Not good?”

“Karem.”

“Yes.”

“I assure you, your cooking is the best field meal I’ve ever had.”

“I do have quite a talent for cooking.”

“Judging by appearances, one would think you were a serf through and through, but wow.”

Karem kept watching Gordon, who was repeatedly exclaiming in amazement while eating his late lunch, then turned his head to the unusually quiet other side.

“Lady Athanitas, it’s late, but you should eat too, right?”

“Sigh, alright. I figured something like this would happen after the griffon attack.”

“Pardon?”

“Here, take this.”

“Huh? Oh.”

Catherine handed Karem a wooden plate and cutlery. The meaning was obvious without her having to say more.

Considerate, but fundamentally arrogant.

A profession equivalent to or essentially equal to nobility.

A very light tone, but Gordon always used honorifics when speaking to Catherine.

Karem quickly dished some sausage and vegetable stir-fry and garlic cheese toast into the wooden bowl and respectfully handed it to Catherine.

Her expression was blank, but Karem quickly noticed. Her brow twitched, as if something displeased her.

Oh my, did I make some mistake?

Reading Karem’s expression, Catherine sighed and waved her hand.

“Don’t worry. The problem lies with me.”

“Pardon?”

“Ugh. Sigh—”

Catherine flinched like a startled cat, enough for Karem to sense something strange. Clearly reluctant to say it, she let out a deep sigh and covered her face with both hands.

Her resolve was set.

Still wearing her cloak, Catherine tidied her hem, sat down, and beckoned Karem to come closer, which he quickly did.

“Alright, I’ll allow you to serve me the food.”

“….Pardon?”

“Sigh, if not for this damn curse…”

Grumbling in a tone of exasperation, Catherine removed her hood, revealing her long blonde hair that cascaded like a curtain.

Karem finally understood why she always wore the cloak.

Her waist-length golden hair, promising features, and porcelain-like white skin that seemed never to have seen sunlight.

A clearly beautiful appearance that would undoubtedly cause disputes.

She let out a small sigh and, with her small mouth,

“Feed me that food.”

“Pardon?”

She uttered something absurd.

Karem asked again, just to be sure.

“Lady Athanitas.”

“Yes.”

“I have to feed this to you?”

“Yes.”

“Like a parent bird feeding a baby bird?”

Me? Isn’t that ridiculous?

As Karem’s feelings showed plainly on his face, the sorceress anxiously bit her lip.

Her face twisted fiercely and turned red, but Karem knew she wasn’t angry; she was embarrassed.

“Hey!”

“Damn it! I won’t say it a third time!”

Her look, reminiscent of a golden wren discovering a threat and flapping its wings menacingly, clearly implied that she would get truly angry if mentioned again.

Gordon couldn’t hold back his laughter at the sight.

“Puhahaha!!! Hahaha! So, the reason you’ve been skipping meals is because there wasn’t a kid around—”

“Shut up!”

Bang!

“Danger!?”

The enraged sorceress did not forgive the rude mercenary. As a fist-sized ice chunk flew at him, Gordon narrowly dodged it, collapsing to the ground without spilling the bowl.

Grilled Cheese Recipe