NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34
A Patissier Is Born
“How is it, Yuuri? Delicious, isn’t it?”
The one who asked with a delighted smile was a charming girl with a delicate appearance. Her name was Hermine. Her nearly white blonde hair, tied in pigtails, made her look even younger. However, despite her adorable looks, she was also a trainee belonging to the “Crimson Lynx.”
“Yeah, it’s delicious. But if it’s this good, why are we the only customers here?”
“…That’s the thing.”
Hermine sighed. With the sigh, her pure white wings appeared on her back. Hermine was part of a winged race called Featherkin. Their physical abilities are almost the same as humans, except they have wings on their backs that allow them to fly, and these wings can be controlled by will. Her wings appeared because she was still young and not yet perfect at controlling her emotions.
Yuuri and Hermine were at a well-known restaurant. It was a large dining hall reputedly visited by wealthy merchants and nobles alike, with prices to match. They were relaxing during tea time, after the lunch rush, enjoying carefully brewed tea and an exquisitely flavored cake.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Hermine.”
“No, it’s fine, Lucia.”
“Really? Hello, are you Yuuri? How did you find the cake?”
“It was very delicious. The balance with the tea was just right.”
“Thank you. I’m glad to hear that.”
Lucia, the woman who smiled at them, wore a spotless apron, looking every bit the cook. She seemed to be in her early twenties. Her beautiful blonde hair was tied back to keep it out of the way while cooking.
“Um, if the cake is this good and the price is so reasonable, why are there so few customers?”
Yuuri was the type to ask when he didn’t understand something. He meant no harm; he was simply curious.
Indeed, the cake Yuuri had was very delicious. He didn’t know about the cost of ingredients or labor, but the price was much cheaper compared to other dishes at the restaurant. It was natural for him to wonder why.
“That’s because I’m not a professional cook.”
“Huh?”
“Since I don’t have the Chef job, the price is lower and there’s less trust, so fewer customers come.”
“……Um, is there a rule that you need to have the Chef job to cook and sell food?”
Confused by Lucia’s explanation, Yuuri asked Hermine. The adorable Featherkin girl puffed out her cheeks, looking displeased. Yuuri tilted his head, and Lucia smiled wryly. Hermine, still pouting, spoke up.
“Noooo. Normally, you don’t need a specific job to sell food. But this restaurant, ‘The Food Paradise,’ has been passed down through a family of chefs for generations, making it one of the top places in the capital.”
“Huh?”
“This restaurant is famous for dishes made by highly skilled chefs. Of course, the food is delicious. But Lucia doesn’t have the Chef job, so it’s hard for her to sell food here.”
“But we just had a cake set, didn’t we?”
“We can sell Lucia’s cakes during the quiet time between lunch and dinner, when the restaurant is usually closed. However, they sell at ridiculously low prices.”
Hermine was still sulking. While it’s nice for customers to get delicious food at a low price, Hermine knew that Lucia’s cakes and other sweets deserved to be enjoyed by more people and sold at a proper price. They shouldn’t be treated as something unimportant and sold for a pittance.
Hermine, who loved sweets, had found these delicious cakes by chance. She tried to spread the word about them, but it was no use because Lucia didn’t have the Chef job. In “The Food Paradise,” not having this job meant being seen as inferior. People dismissed Lucia’s food without even tasting it. Hermine didn’t lash out at these people, showing surprising restraint. Probably.
“Um, even though you can make such delicious cakes, you’re not a Chef, Lucia?”
“Yes, I don’t have cooking skills.”
“…You can make such delicious cakes without cooking skills?”
“The skill I have is patisserie. It’s a skill for making sweets.”
Lucia smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Yuuri didn’t understand why. He simply spoke his mind. Lucia didn’t have cooking skills and therefore wasn’t a Chef. Instead, her skill was Patisserie, the art of making sweets.
So, Yuuri thought of her this way:
“Lucia, you’re a patissier.”
With his usual, unpretentious smile and a casual tone, Yuuri spoke. To him, it was just a matter of course. If a cook is someone who makes food, then someone who makes sweets is a patissier. Especially since Lucia had a skill called patisserie, which seemed to be specialized in making sweets.
However, at Yuuri’s words, Lucia’s eyes widened, and Hermine looked at him suspiciously. They had never heard of such a job before.
“What… is a patissier?”
“Huh? You don’t say that around here? In my hometown, a specialist in making sweets is called a patissier.”
Technically, it’s a French word, but let’s not worry about that. Japan is a country that readily accepts foreign words into everyday use. For those who love sweets, a patissier is understood as a professional in making sweets. If someone who makes food is a cook or a Chef, then someone who makes sweets or desserts is a patissier. At least, in Yuuri’s mind.
“So, Yuuri, you’re saying that since Lucia has the patisserie skill, she’s a patissier?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, but isn’t she?”
“I’ve never heard of such a job. Yuuri, can you check Lucia’s name and job?”
“Um… Ali told me not to appraise people without their permission.”
“It’s fine if she agrees, right? Lucia?”
“…Yes, could you please check?”
“…Okay.”
Appraising people without permission was considered rude, and Yuuri had been repeatedly warned by Ali to never do it. Besides, he had recently gotten into big trouble over an issue involving a slave collar, so he didn’t want to anger Ali any further. His father was scary.
However, as Hermine pointed out, if both parties agreed, he might not get in trouble. Moreover, Lucia’s serious gaze made it hard for Yuuri to refuse.
(Just appraise the needed details…)
Yuuri had learned a technique from Ali, who had magic eyes. This technique allowed him to extract only the necessary information during an appraisal. Normally, appraisals would reveal all visible information to the user. However, Yuuri, with his “God’s Eye,” could see too much, which was overwhelming. Handling vast amounts of information was troublesome.
Even Ali, with her magic eye skills, had the same issue. High-level appraisers also experienced this, so they learned to filter the information to avoid unnecessary fatigue. Having been taught this trick by Ali, Yuuri could now selectively view information. In this case, all he needed was Lucia’s name and job. Focusing on this, he carefully appraised Lucia.
――Name: Lucia
Job: Patissier, Townsperson
Yuuri saw only the essential details as he had intended. However, he tilted his head in confusion. There were two puzzling points: one, he hadn’t expected patissier to be a job; and two, despite not knowing the term, it was properly reflected as a job for Lucia.
“Um, Lucia, your job is Patissier.”
“What?”
“Is that true, Yuuri?”
“Yes, it is. Her job is definitely Patissier.”
“Lucia! You need to go to the church and have it checked right away!”
“Yes, I will!”
Unlike the bewildered Yuuri, Hermine and Lucia’s reactions were intense. But it made sense. Discovering that Lucia had a culinary job meant her sweets could be recognized as products made by a job holder.
They suggested the church because it had appraisal crystals that displayed a person’s status. While appraisers provided verbal results, the crystals visibly showed the status, which could be seen by everyone. Adventurers had their guild cards updated accordingly, but regular people needed to pay the church to use these crystals. The fee was a reasonable ten gold per use.
“Thank you, Yuuri! It’s all thanks to you!”
“Uh, I don’t quite get it, but you’re welcome?”
“Oh! You don’t understand at all! Now we know Lucia has a culinary job!”
“Yeah.”
“So, Lucia’s sweets can now be properly evaluated!”
“That’s great!”
“…You’re so slow to catch on…”
Hermine murmured, pressing her temples. But she knew it couldn’t be helped since it was Yuuri. She also knew he meant no harm.
Regardless, it became clear from Yuuri’s knowledge that the job of patissier existed. Recognizing this job meant that Lucia now had a job. To Hermine, this seemed like a miracle. She had introduced Yuuri to Lucia merely to promote her delicious sweets. She never expected such an outcome.
“Thank you, Yuuri.”
“Sure. Um, Lucia, can I have a refill?”
“Yes, gladly!”
“Are you even listening to our conversation?”
Hermine tugged at Yuuri’s cheek in annoyance. While she didn’t use much force, Yuuri, clueless and troubled, protested, “It hurts, it hurts!”, Later, patissier was officially recognized as a culinary job, and Lucia’s sweets became a popular attraction during tea time.