NOVEL NEXT Chapter 385
The voice owner was completely fine.
“Pfuh! Huu─”
It took quite a while to rescue them.
The shelves and the sacks, wooden barrels, and boxes made of wood or precious metals were piled up in the attic room, creating a mess that couldn’t be ignored.
If this were in the past life, even with a few more people, it would have taken half a day to clean.
“I never thought I’d almost die buried in expensive food in Iceland!”
“I told you repeatedly to use the storeroom in the inner streets. There are places to save money and places to spend it.”
“Your Grace, that’s how fairy tales make gold coins.”
By the way, oh no, all my goods will be ruined. Complaining about when to clean up, the Gnome emerged from a pile of red seeds and shook himself off.
“Hmm? Your Grace, who is this exotic-looking young man you brought?”
Karem, who had been silently listening, felt something was off.
In Europa, various races live under the category of humans. Humans, Dwarves, Elves, some Fairies, and Beastmen. Naturally, Gnomes are included in that.
Gnomes rarely grow taller than a human male’s waist, yet their proportions are similar to humans, earning them the nickname demi-human.
Though he had only seen a Gnome once before, this was the second time and they still looked young.
He appeared no older than teenagers of William and Godwin’s age.
‘Maybe in terms of reincarnation, he’s older than me…?’
Having been cursed and only grown in body, Karem was still 12 years old. Considering the strangely mature behavior and attitude, he was likely older than his current self.
“Karem… is it?”
“Yes. Karem… Huh? Karem?”
The Gnome who had been nodding and rubbing his hands suddenly stiffened, looked up at Karem, and asked Zigmeser.
“Your Grace, I know that the most famous person using the Bersengzeto name ‘Karem’ is in Iceland, right?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“The… one who got eaten whole by the Grand Wizard at a young age?”
“Yes, that’s the one!” Zigmeser pointed at Karem, who was clearly the subject of the conversation, and the Gnome jumped up.
“Goodness!”
Before the grains piled at his feet could cartoonishly leap up and fall back down, the Gnome immediately prostrated himself on the ground and bowed his head.
“O great Apicius!!!”
The Gnome shouted the name of the gourmet and cook who was worshiped as a god in the ancient Palatino Empire.
Alright, I’ve heard this kind of nuance somewhere before.
Specifically, just a few days ago in Bendleig. And from one person growing into dozens, it made my heart race. The expression in Karem’s eyes darkened in an instant.
Could that damned cult of Karem have already spread all the way to Iceland!?
“Karem, you’d better get used to this.”
Zigmeser pointed at the Gnome, who was bowing repeatedly with an unsettling degree of purity as if it were normal.
“Most normal Gnomes across all of Europa probably exaggerate to the point that they worship you as the god of cooking.”
“…I saw a Gnome once, and that person didn’t seem to think that.”
“What was that Gnome’s occupation?”
Zigmeser’s eyebrows twitched.
“Uh… Adventurer. I think he was a Thief.”
“Ah, so that one is the abnormal one.”
“Gnomes generally enjoy a peaceful and tasty life!”
The Gnome, who had been bowing like an ancient person before the temple, suddenly straightened up and interjected.
“Today, like yesterday, and tomorrow should be peaceful! They prefer farming over fighting, and they cherish the comforts of life like feasting on delicious food and lounging on soft beds under the warm sun!”
“Then, uh, what’s the reason for worshiping me…?”
“Well, of course, it’s thanks to countless recipes and ingenious delicious ideas!!!”
With a light spring in his step, the Gnome jumped up and landed, honestly feeling quite burdensome. Especially since he was wearing Renaissance-style baggy pants. It felt like there were two Micaels in one.
“To think you freely scatter countless recipes, which should be transmitted secretly, without expecting anything in return, how could you not be a god!”
“No.”
“There’s even a shrine to you in every Gnome village.”
“Stop it.”
“O God, you’re too humble. But don’t worry! We Gnomes believe in you as a god!”
The Gnome then began to plead that it was too presumptuous to address the god so formally, asking instead to use casual language.
‘Hmm… this strong sense of déjà vu.’
Specifically, it made me think of that cheat reincarnate from a few days ago who was nonsensically increasing his followers. I had just thought of him moments ago as well.
Particularly in how unbothered he was by the unexpected worship.
“Well, Karem. This is the person I wanted to introduce you to.”
Zigmeser smiled, wanting to see Karem’s reaction to the current situation, nodding towards the Gnome who couldn’t help but bow again as if he had no choice.
“This is Marywise, a Gnome. He’s a merchant I often use.”
“Oh, excuse me. I took too long to greet you.”
Despite likely having sore knees, Marywise sprang up and bowed politely, like a jester meeting a noble.
“I’m Marywise from the Backpacker family, where Gnomes gather from the perpetually cold north to the warm middle seas, selling whatever food customers desire. Delighted to meet you.”
“Rare breed?”
“I’m different from the typical Gnomes because I roam around!”
Marywise then extended his hand. Karem hesitantly offered two fingers. Small enough to resemble a shrunken human, that was more than enough for a handshake.
“Hehe! Hahaha! I shook hands with Karem! I won’t wash this hand until at least this winter is over!!!”
“No, wash it. It’s dirty.”
“Okay, okay. Enough with the fuss.”
Clap! Suddenly, the sound of applause drew attention. With a frown, Zigmeser was staring at Marywise.
“Right, that’s enough flattery. You still have work to do, don’t you?”
“Oh! I’m sorry!”
At least he seemed to know how to separate business from pleasure, as Marywise shook off the grains and looked around.
The goods were piled haphazardly, but it was still a disaster.
“Uh… Zigmeser? Could you help me a little?”
“Ha, you’re the only one who would use me to clean up, you know.”
“Hey, isn’t it good to have regulars? Ah! Ahhhh!”
Marywise desperately held back as Karem tried to help Zigmeser.
“I can’t commit the sacrilege of making Karem work!”
“Then what about Zigmeser?”
“Zigmeser is just a simple regular, isn’t he?”
“Really? Is that something to say in front of a regular?”
Seeing Zigmeser sulking slightly made Karem want to help tidy things up, but Marywise loathed it so much that he ended up having to be sent downstairs.
The eyes of the smoked mackerel hanging by the fourth-floor staircase were reflecting Karem’s bewilderment.
‘…Well, it can’t be helped.’
Since Zigmeser said to play quietly, Karem decided to do just that as Marywise suggested.
‘Besides, there was something I was curious about.’
As Karem gazed at the smoked mackerel’s eyes, he descended the stairs. He was interested in all the floors, but what intrigued him the most was—
“Oof, what a strong aroma.”
Before he had even reached the bottom step, an intense cluster of spice fragrances blended with the fishy smell wafting down from the fourth floor, creating a mix on the third floor.
It was carefully managed as spices should be, but even so, the escaping smells made it impossible to discern what was where.
‘All things I’ve seen in the pantry.’
Yet, bringing the spices closer to his nose allowed him to distinguish which was which.
Indeed, like the catchphrase, the spices in the boxes and sacks resembled those seen in the pantry both in type and strength of scent.
Some were pickled, as the sour odor immediately escaped when the lid was opened, forcing him to close it right away.
“Hmm? I haven’t seen this before.”
However, it felt familiar.
When he opened a jar from one of the boxes, a pleasantly familiar scent wafted up after a long time.
“A little… fishy yet spicy and refreshing…”
Looking at the contents rising as he tilted the jar, Karem was certain.
Its shape and size were reminiscent of beans, and upon closer inspection, it looked like unflowered buds.
“Capers?”
Seeing the capers naturally triggered a thought.
Salmon.
He suddenly craved fresh salmon.
Of course, salmon was commonly eaten in Iceland. They wouldn’t eat raw salmon due to parasites, but there was smoked salmon.
However, the smoked variety they had was the kind that merely injected an essence and was not truly smoked—it was salty and dry to the extreme.
“…But it’s the parasites I’m worried about.”
If there were no parasites, he would have long gone out to get a whole salmon to slice and eat in various ways.
The taste of oily salmon wrapped in soaked kelp dipped in soy sauce made him swallow just thinking about it.
Not to mention the salmon roe marinated in seasoning piled high on rice, mixed with a raw egg yolk, uniting flavors from both land and sea.
The rice was likely a short grain, so it wouldn’t taste as good.
It had been a while since he closed the lid on the caper jar and put it back, but a single thought stayed in his mind.
“…I wonder if I could purify the parasites.”
Karem had received a stamp of approval for his holy arts from Elder Iona. Among them was a purification that removed contamination.
Of course, he had never attempted it.
Until now, he thought parasites were living creatures too and wouldn’t work. However, parasites were also a kind of contamination, so there was an expectation of what could happen.
If it were possible, he could eat.
Properly-styled, oily raw salmon.
“If it’s not possible, it can’t be helped, but… Hmm?”
A familiar smell struck deep inside Karem, even in the colorful, spice-saturated air of the second floor.
“This scent…?”
It was a heavy aroma that was hard to describe merely as savory.
It couldn’t be a misconception. Karem recalled the intense scent that was etched in his mind, searching through the boxes and sacks on the second floor.
Stacked high to the ceiling, it took longer than expected, but Karem finally located the source of the smell.
In the innermost corner, there was a sack made of some fabric he had never seen before from Kingsland or Iceland.
The closer he got, the more the heavy savory aroma enveloped him.
Entranced, Karem approached, carefully untying the string around the sack.
“…What is this? Why is it here?”
“Ah, Karem! I’ve finished organizing! Where… Oh, you’re here. Come up—Huh? Ah, that’s—”
“This is sesame, right?”
Without turning around, Karem asked.
“Yes? Yes! This is high-quality sesame directly sourced from the Kingdom of Adobice!”
Despite the Gnome’s blatant flattery about his keen eyes, Karem had no time to pay attention.
The texture slipped from his fingers.
Just in case, he pinched a small handful, and the moment the explosive aroma surged, he couldn’t help but exclaim.
“How much is this? No, I want all of it! How much do you have?”
“Ah, no. Karem! But all of that is already promised to someone—”
“How much does it cost? How much do you want!!!”