NOVEL NEXT Chapter 383
On the rooftop of the Mage Tower, two attendants competitively stomped on each other’s feet while Rosetta’s family reunion concluded so simply it was almost anti-climactic.
There was no proper send-off.
“So, that’s when you met for the first time?”
[Yeah. Your father knew nothing about romance either. To suddenly say it to someone you just met—]
“…Huh? What’s going on? Godwin? Where did Grandma go?”
William, with barbecue chicken legs in both hands, looked bewildered.
Like Cinderella escaping the palace as her magic faded, Rosetta vanished at the moment the moonlight broke through the clouds at midnight.
As Godwin, perplexed mid-sentence discussing Rosetta’s weight gain, struggled with the interruption, Alfred calmed Elizabeth, who was about to protest.
“Father? Grandma said—?”
“The nameless traveler is only allowed to visit on Memorial Day or during the week.”
“Oh… right, they did say that.”
“Let’s hope for next year then.”
Amid the sudden situation, a mix of disappointment and sighs circulated among the Felwinter family.
It wasn’t like someone recklessly turned on divine power or hunted anyone down. They simply returned as the time came.
“Godwin! No matter what mother said, you can’t eat like Iona! Fred! Hold her back!”
Thus, Memorial Day came to an end.
Everyone was set to return to their daily lives.
However, the experience from the banquet left a deep imprint on those leaving Winterhome that wouldn’t easily fade away.
The scent of charcoal and smoke wafting from the barbecue.
They recalled that supremely divine taste and aroma while eating hangover drinks or hangover stew.
It wasn’t that they didn’t know the recipe. In fact, the Duke of Felwinter gladly shared all the secrets with his guests, claiming it was the developer’s intention.
As always, they opened it up with gratitude to the Felwinter family and Karem.
“Whoa, no way. I can’t replicate this.”
They quickly covered it in dizzying contemplation.
There was no way anyone could follow this.
The sheer amount of charcoal or firewood consumed just to make this one dish—seriously?
Of course, those with the means and environment did not hesitate to dispatch chefs to the Felwinter family, even if they weren’t capable.
With the ongoing chaos of the requiem and the winter preparations overlapping, Karem’s actions made Winterhome even busier.
“So… Karem. What are you carrying?”
“This? Turnip greens.”
“…Are you planning to feed something to your elder brother with oats not being enough now?”
William’s confusion deepened.
Very much so.
*
*
*
Mary was a house fairy.
Having supported numerous contractors over the decades, she accumulated a vast wealth of experience.
Of course, she knew how to care for livestock and manage their feed.
“Karem, junior.”
Right now, the scene on the rooftop of the Mage Tower, with boiled turnip greens hanging on a clothesline, could only be interpreted in two ways.
“Are you preparing a special meal for the princess’s pet giant dungeon hamster?”
“Huh? What?”
Karem, shaking his head as if it were ridiculous, hung the boiled greens on the empty line.
“Why would you say something so absurd?”
“Then, is it for the first prince who’s getting fat this autumn?”
“Ugh, I could gloss over the oats, but this?”
Under that glare, Karem shivered in horror.
“Oh, I doubt the Duke and Duchess would let that slide.”
“What’s the difference between this and oats?”
“Oats can be eaten by people if necessary, but this? No human would touch it, not even the Bersengzeto elves, I’ve heard!”
“Then why on earth are you hanging livestock feed greens on the line?”
“Why, you ask?”
He confirmed the quality by glancing at the greens. The vibrant leaves and vivid stems looked remarkably good, even boiled.
“I’m going to eat them.”
“Ah, that’s why?”
The nuance felt wrong. Looking at her curiously, Mary let out a snicker and shrugged, as if it were preposterous.
“Who in their right mind would eat turnip greens like that, except for someone peculiar like you, Karem?”
“It’s my grandmother’s way.”
With that unhesitant response, Mary clammed up.
She rolled her eyes, as if in thought, then glanced at the Winterhome spire.
“If I may ask for reference, is it…?”
“Of course not. It’s from my past life.”
Mary, usually consumed with work, fresh bread, and dairy products, and wondering how to regain Karem’s tasks, suddenly had her mind racing for other reasons.
While Karem remembered his past life, he never mentioned his current parents. In contrast, he cherished every memory of his previous life and parents immensely.
What their precious ancestors thought was something obvious like delicious fresh bread.
“It’s a sight I’ve never seen before, but upon closer inspection, it looks different. It feels like there’s an essence of rich knowledge and love for children emanating from it.”
“I know it’s quite late, right?”
“A darn! But just hear me out.”
Karem stared at Mary as if challenging her to say it.
“The house fairy adores flour and dairy products, yet even the Bersengzeto elves who are obsessed with vegetables won’t eat turnips unless they really have to. Naturally, it must taste horrible, so how could the fiber be any better?”
“Ha ha—”
No, Mary’s head whipped around. Before she knew it, Catherine, who had been leaning against the rooftop edge, was shaking with suppressed laughter.
“It sounds like a pitiful excuse.”
“…Contractor. May I ask just one question?”
“Sure.”
“From when have you been listening in?”
“From the middle.”
Catherine, lifting her head from her chin, approached.
“From the part about livestock feed.”
“Isn’t that practically from the start?”
Mary, eyes tightly shut, braced herself for Catherine’s verdict.
“You know what you should say, right?”
It was obvious what Catherine implied.
Mary couldn’t bring herself to deny it.
It was exceedingly true.
Even though Europa isn’t a culture based on Confucianism, disparaging one’s ancestors, especially parents and grandparents, is taboo in every culture. The same thing in Europa could lead to a deathly confrontation.
“Well, I can’t help it.”
Mary decided to coolly acknowledge it.
After all, she already had a witness.
Boom!
For a moment, the rooftop vibrated. It was the sound of Mary’s forehead colliding with the floor as she dove down so quickly her afterimage lingered.
“I’m sorry!”
“…Hmm. Fine. You’ve apologized now.”
“Really?”
Did she get an apology that quickly? Mary raised her head slightly to confirm this was genuine.
“Quickly get up before I change my mind.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Wait a second, something felt off. She couldn’t be too happy to escape just before a verbal smackdown. Yet, she was overjoyed about it?
“Geh, geh geh—”
Catherine? Why was she laughing?
“Ah ha! You really don’t know?”
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“If you used that as an excuse, you could have requested anything.”
“I wouldn’t dare ask Mary for something.”
“Don’t covet my duties.”
“Ah.”
“Ha ha ha! Aww, ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
Where was the laughter fitting together, Karem swiftly turned his head. Just moments ago, Mary had been on the floor, but now she was smoothing out her clothes.
As their eyes briefly met, Mary triumphantly pulled a handkerchief from her apron pocket to wipe her cold sweat.
“Phew, really. If you had used that as an excuse, I probably would’ve complied without question. My heart skipped a beat.”
“Ah, dang. I was shortsighted. Cancel, cancel!”
“There’s no canceling now. Karem accepted my apology, didn’t you? There won’t be a second mistake.”
“Retake! Retake!”
“Nope!”
Mary didn’t understand what retake meant, but she caught on to the gist through connotations and shot back the words she often heard from Karem.
“Phew. That scared me. In that case, Karem, junior?”
“…Go ahead.”
“So about those boiled leaves hanging on the line, you…”
“Hey!”
Mary narrowly ducked the flying greens in an instant, then shrugged as if saying “If you don’t like it, so be it,” and hurried down the stairs.
“Heh. Seems like he was taken aback.”
“Taken aback? That?”
It was less about being taken aback and more about straightforward provocation. Catherine shook her head, letting out a chuckle.
“If it were any other day, he’d be whining that he would have finished the task quicker and more accurately than you.”
“Uh…Hmm. When you put it like that, yeah.”
“And sweating? I’ve never seen him sweat since he made the contract.”
Karem, too, had never seen Mary sweat.
Catherine had sometimes even vibrated in place, wanting to eat sweets she made.
“So then, may I ask once more?”
Catherine, now very close, stared blankly at the boiled turnip greens hanging like laundry and frowned as if she had no idea what was going on.
“You’re seriously going to eat that livestock feed?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
Her grandmother held a power everyone envied.
The hot item only obtainable by those in the milling cartel.
Freshly pressed domestic sesame oil, perilla oil, and red pepper powder.
When Karem was with Garam, he hardly had to worry about oils and red pepper powder since his grandmother wasn’t a local, but had ties with the milling cartel.
Even with connections, it was hard to get the dried greens.
Her grandmother had a hobby of making them herself.
Her skills were so superb that she could crush any store-bought product or competitor. It was no wonder they tasted better than the famous ones found in packaged soups.
Having grown up observing such sights and helping out while visiting her grandparents, Karem couldn’t just watch high-quality turnip greens wasted as livestock feed.
“Just how delicious could that be?”
Thus, he snatched some.
And he would make them.
“…You’re saying that dried turnip greens are that delicious?”
“Well, sure, it takes work. After drying, you have to boil them once and peel even the skin.”
“Just… it sounds like it could be tasty.”
“You should look forward to it.”
The dark, rich smell of boiling potato soup filled the air as the greens soaked up its sticky broth, so enticing even people who usually avoided vegetables couldn’t help but want to eat.
“Well, that’s in the future.”
He lifted the container that held the boiled turnip greens placed on the floor.
“So, how long do I need to do this?”
“At least a few months to manage it properly?”
“…It takes that long?”
Catherine, staring blankly at the greens, rubbed her chin.
“Hmmm… when I look at it, it resembles Friarielli.”
“Friarielli?”
“Yeah, these greens or cabbage leaves, and spinach are customary to dry. They’re usually used in salads or as pizza toppings.”
Salads could be acceptable, but pizza toppings? An unexpected use made him involuntarily scrunch his face.
“Karem, junior.”
In the middle of their conversation, Mary returned upstairs. The tension from earlier, where she was sweating profusely, had disappeared, replaced by her usual calm demeanor.
“I have something to convey.”
“What’s that? Earlier I was forgetting that Mary wouldn’t want Karem’s duties?”
“Would I do something like that?”
Mary placed her hands on her waist and let out a deep sigh, looking utterly unimpressed.
“This is frustrating.”
“The head chef is waiting downstairs.”
“Suddenly? What could it be?”
Nothing came to mind.