NOVEL NEXT Chapter 377
Barbecue was far more popular than Karem, Zigmeser, and Alfred had imagined.
Because of that, the banquet at the Great Hall ended earlier than usual.
Unsatisfied participants were caught up in a bizarre fervor even the next morning.
That drove people mad.
“Oh my god, even with my eyes closed, that divine form comes to mind in my dreams.”
“I think I’m going crazy, going crazy, going crazy, going crazy, going crazy, going crazy—”
“I absolutely can’t eat anymore. If I do, the sensation of the texture, the lingering of the meat in my mouth will vanish. How can I stand that!”
Hints of richer meat aroma than steak, a tenderness beyond that of gently stewed ingredients, the deep infusion of smoky flavor spilling forth like a flood between the hot oil and juices…
Even with my eyes closed, its figure danced like a mirage in my mind.
Even after washing my hands, I still felt the slippery sensation of the overflowing oil and meat juices entwined with my fingers.
After indulging with dessert and a drink, those who had sighed and slept had their tongues and nostrils haunted by the lingering memory.
“Overflowing meat juices, exploding smoky flavor, concentrated meat aroma!”
“Karem is a god! Karem is a god! Karem is a god!”
“Oh my god, how thrilled must the eight dwarves who first passed on that recipe be!”
“But it’s too soft for my taste. Meat should have a chew to it.”
“Smite that flavor-deaf fool!”
“Calm down, now it’s only the first day of the week.”
As it was said, the week of Memorial Day banquets had only just begun.
In a civilization where walking was constant, Iceland, with its relatively greater dangers than other regions, always had elements that would delay schedules rather than reduce them.
Regardless of class, Memorial Day in Iceland typically lasts only a day or three at most.
In contrast, the Felwinter Family held theirs for a whole week.
Naturally, this was due to the high number of guests arriving.
Three days passed just like that.
Every evening, the same scene unfolded in the Great Hall.
“Hmm… oh… yeah… ugh. Mmm…”
“Oh my god, this sacredly soft and rich taste is just…”
“Surely there’s a way to get that recipe… this time, I’ll definitely get it…!”
The reactions from newly arriving guests and those who had experienced it several times were the same. Only those who had to miss out for unforgivable reasons shed bitter tears.
It was no different for the gods.
“Oh my god! Even after becoming a god, I’ve tasted all sorts of feasts, but never have I encountered such tender meat!”
Tutatis exclaimed as he tore off a brisket whole. Even the nameless traveler who had descended silently stuffed pulled pork into his mouth.
“I knew both of you would enjoy it.”
Although tastes vary, Karem never thought that the gods would dislike barbecue.
Even elves would seriously contemplate whether to eat it.
But one point nagged at him. As the barbecue offered as a burnt offering diminished on the altar and table, the scales set in the center and beside remained silent.
The sounds of gentle winter wind and cheerful, lively raindrop-like metallic ringing were absent.
That meant one thing.
‘Both of them were currently absent from this gathering.’
Honestly, he was a bit taken aback. Had this ever happened before? Without a doubt, Karem couldn’t recall such an instance.
[The two wives said they were too busy to come.]
“Oh.”
The reason was surprisingly melancholy.
“They said they were busy?”
[Yes. Since both of them have enough believers from various nations or regions, it’s natural they would be busy when a certain time comes.]
Said Tutatis as he layered two slices of brisket and devoured them like a famished bear.
…
“Is it natural for there to be more work when there are more believers? Ah, I see that feeling.”
In short, it meant they were short-handed.
That felt even more sorrowful than he expected.
“Wait a moment. Are the gods short-handed?”
“Fuuuuuu…”
The long, deep, low sigh of the nameless traveler echoed in Karem’s ears.
“Er… you mean, due to the invasion of the Demon Lord’s army, the number of gods has decreased, causing the remaining gods to face that much more work?”
…
And the subsequent explanation was even sadder.
Indeed, with the fall of the Palatino Empire, the divine numbers had rapidly dwindled.
In proportion, the power and domains had increased.
Naturally, this had to be distributed among the remaining gods, placing the current gods in an overworked state.
“Then, is that why Lady Skadi is busy—”
[All except one wife with winter powers faced utter annihilation.]
“Oh…”
[Plus, with the death of Baatan, she was forced to take on other mystical domains, so how could she not be busy?]
Tutatis, who had made off with the meat from some prime ribs, added.
“You don’t seem to be that busy on regular days though.”
[That’s because the powers the wife gained later are all connected to the winter; if it isn’t winter, it wouldn’t be too busy.]
“As for the magic…”
[How often do you think mages pray to gods?]
Having continuously observed mages, Karem knew well.
‘Please, please! It can’t explode! No way!’
‘Ugh! It’s another fail. I have to start all over again…’
‘This? It’s the Divine Power Stabilization Temple.’
Even the mages, who supposedly explored the truths of the world, shouted out for gods while conducting experiments, just like a programmer facing a bug-ridden program.
[Hmm… has everything been eaten already? I want to eat a bit more…]
“…Well, we shouldn’t let things get cold, so let’s eat for now.”
The portions meant for the two goddesses could be packaged separately as offerings. Concluding this, Karem moved Yustitia’s share, which was set before the scales, before the nameless traveler who had descended.
…
“Excuse me?”
As the barbecue and sides were replenished, the nameless traveler called out to Karem.
“Is there something you want to say?”
…
“I might surprise you, so let me apologize in advance?”
At the sudden comment, Karem wondered what it was, but the nameless traveler dismissed it, insisting he wouldn’t say it for the sake of fun at that moment, but instead focused on finishing off the Yustitia share of barbecue.
Tutatis seemed to sense something was up but casually told Karem to figure it out since it wasn’t a major problem or complication.
‘What sort of sudden mysterious chatter is this?’
Nevertheless, Karem’s steps as he left the temple in Winterhome felt light. For several days after, he had no work left to do.
Strictly speaking, there were still some things to be done.
The royal brewery of Bendleig. The facility would take a while to operate normally, meaning it needed time to produce soy sauce, soybean paste, and gochujang on its own.
Still, once that was sorted, he’d be left free.
Imagining days filled with lazily experimenting in the kitchen and stuffing Catherine and Alicia to the brim with food.
Yet, a question lingered.
“So, that nameless traveler spoke up, and not knowing the answer, you’re asking me?”
Today, in the kitchen, he caught Catherine unaware with an unexpected question.
“Yes.”
“Do you think I would know that?”
Catherine, rolling up a scroll, turned to glance at Karem as he pulled out today’s snack fresh from the oven.
“More importantly, this is unfamiliar yet familiar. Is it Popper?”
“It’s called Texas Twinkie.”
“Texas?”
He sliced off the caps of the plump, jalapeño-looking finger-sized ingredients, which were smaller than bell peppers yet larger than Fire Witch Fingers.
Stuffed to the brim with cheese, spices, and leftover barbecue until just before they burst, he closed the lids on top.
Then, wrapping the filled Fire Witch Fingers in thin strips of bacon, they would be baked until crispy.
You could eat them with sauce according to your preference.
“Oh my god. To have barbecue and then snacks again?”
He would be eating every evening until Memorial Day ends.
Of course, Catherine didn’t grumble about that.
After all, barbecue was delicious.
However, eating the same food for more than three days felt odd, and wouldn’t snack time be better with something different?
Honestly speaking, she was getting a bit tired of it.
“Hey, if you try it, it might be different.”
“Different?”
“I can’t guarantee it.”
When Karem said that, Catherine’s frown deepened further. But since it was already served, she begrudgingly nodded at Mary.
Crisp—Crunch—
“Mmm, oh. Wow.”
“What do you think? It’s surprisingly decent, right?”
With that statement, she shot him a glare.
Yet, honestly, it wasn’t bad.
The harmony of crispy bacon, soft and rich cheese, and barbecue flavors was interesting.
Neither texture aligned perfectly with either of those, the Fire Witch Finger had a crispness to its bite.
Though she had long since adjusted to the spiciness thanks to Karem’s secret heat control, it wasn’t spicy at all.
The slight kick that only tinged her tongue and the tip of her nose cleaned up the richness of the bacon, cheese, and barbecue.
“Well, it’s not bad at all.”
“Here, dip it in this sauce.”
“Huh? Is that mayonnaise?”
“It’s a mayonnaise-based sauce. It’s ranch.”
Dipping meat into mayonnaise?
Catherine was horrified by something even Godwin would do, but once she tried it, she understood Karem’s claim.
“This is… surprisingly good.”
“See?”
“But don’t serve this for a while.”
“Still, you like barbecue, right?”
“Yeah. It’s true that barbecue is delicious. But having it too often is off-putting.”
“Come on, you’ll eat it just fine at the feast.”
Zing.
Catherine’s gaze had Karem shut his mouth and focus on Mary, who was already munching on several Texas Twinkies.
“Hey, you should try it as well.”
“I don’t think it’s bad.”
“Well, I did pack it with cheese.”
That was certainly a reason Mary indulged in this snack without complaint, but she harbored some grievance as well.
“But I think it’s unbalanced in the menu.”
“Unbalanced?”
“As the contractor said, we’ve eaten barbecue for the past few days and will continue to do so, right?”
There was no denying that point. Karem decided he needed to reflect. While he could enjoy it for half a year, Catherine, being a gourmet, had a delicate palate.
“I guess I should reflect on that.”
“Yes, you should—hum?”
Suddenly, Mary tilted her head, glancing somewhere, puzzled.
“What’s happening?”
“Is that… Princess Alicia?”
Alicia, she meant Alicia? Karem wondered, but just as Mary said, the familiar sound of hurried footsteps echoed as, moments later, the swinging door was pushed open forcefully.
“Heehee, Alicia has come looking for a delicious smell!”
“Perfect timing!”
Catherine clapped her hands, her face glowing, as she gestured. Without hesitation, Mary held forward a bowl full of Texas Twinkies.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“Eat as much as you want, Princess Alicia.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you can eat it all.”
So, it was perhaps unbearable. Karem couldn’t comprehend how one could get tired of just barbecue for a month, let alone three days.
However, seeing Catherine’s delighted gaze at Alicia munching on Texas Twinkies and Mary with her impassive expression, he thought,
‘I must eat all the barbecue that comes my way from now on.’
For reference, the fiery barbecue pit revamped for Memorial Day blazed for three days without interruption, pouring barbecue out twice a day, morning and evening.
The barbecue Karem had taken to make for snacks was the morning portion saved by Zigmeser.
“Ugh… I think that’s enough to eat now.”
Karem’s head whipped around sharply.
At the unbelievable statement, Mary quickly glanced to Karem as if they shared the same thought, their eyes narrowing.
Nod—
With narrow, drowsy eyes, Catherine nodded, and Mary appeared before the kitchen entrance with a pop.
“Could it be a shapeshifter!?”
Karem seized the falsehood belonging to Felwinter lying on the cutting board, twisting the handle. The glowing, red-hot blade, infused with divine power, began to emit a white aura.
A Duke’s Family mixed with demons was unthinkable, but after the incident at Afterglow Fortress and the events at Bendleig, there was a possibility.
“The Mage Tower is my domain. Escaping is impossible.”
“Reveal your identity!”
With Mary’s fierce glare and Catherine clenching her staff, a sense of urgency filled Alicia’s voice.
[Oh no!?]
Suddenly, a translucent spirit bounced from Alicia.
An Undead Monster. A ghost, to be specific.
“Ah, wait! Wait! Alicia can explain everything! Just a moment!”
With a flustered expression and tone laced with surprise. Above all, in the current situation, her hand reaching out toward the Texas Twinkies.
Katherine and the two beings were sure of it.
For now, the Alicia before them was indeed Alicia.