The Fascinating Cheesecake - Part One

Lately, the soldiers have been striking up conversations with me more often.

It seems my cooking is surprisingly popular, so they come to check out what kind of guy is making it and try to get friendly with me while they are at it.

I appreciate having more friends.

My subordinates used to give me all kinds of unsolicited advice at first, but after eating my food, they started calling me “Master.”

Master… I am really not such a grand figure, though. I asked them to call me something else, but they stubbornly refused to yield. So I had no choice but to accept it. I guess this too is fate.

This is Shuri. Lately, I have been enjoying cooking with my brand-new chef’s knife.

Its sharpness and ease of use are great; though Gungrave-san makes a bitter face about it, I really like it. The crest engraved on the spine looks pretty cool too.

Now then, a year has passed since I started cooking here. There is something I want to try my hand at.

Making sweets.

Having secured supply channels for food, we have begun receiving sugar and eggs. When I tried making rolled omelets with the eggs, Arius-san reacted with shock:

“Sweet… Is this truly egg!?”

“Yes. I also made dashi-rolled omelets. Which one do you prefer?”

“Hmm… Well now… Both are hard to choose between, but if I had to pick, I’d say the sweet ones with sugar.”

“I was thinking it would be great if I could use these to make new sweets.”

“I get to be the first one to sample them. Understood?”

Faced with her overwhelming pressure and a devastating gap in physical strength, I had no choice but to nod in agreement.

By the way, it seems my subordinates overheard this conversation, and Arius-san was severely scolded by them afterward. It was not my fault.

However, making sweets requires all sorts of things.

Beyond just the ingredients, various tools like scales, sieves, and ovens are necessary. Baking is a battle of precise measurements and timing, after all.

So, I decided to consult Rir-san.

“So, that is why I need things for making sw—”

“I will do it.”

“Ah, yes.”

“When it is done, Rir gets to be first. Okay?”

“That is… well…”

“First.”

Just as I was about to nod, pressed by her sheer intensity, Arius-san barged in and saved the day.

It almost escalated into an outrageous fight, but the moment I tried to say I wouldn’t bake anything, they both suddenly smiled, shook hands, and put on a show of reconciliation. That sudden turn of events went far beyond my comprehension.

In the end, I had them craft various tools for me.

On a later date, we were invited to a certain ceremony.

This time, it was a martial arts exhibition match arising from a conflict between the Knights Templar and the Royal Guard.

According to information from Gungrave-san, the Knights Templar take full charge of the nation’s defense, while the Royal Guard is the final stronghold responsible specifically for defending the capital.

Supposedly, it was about which group held higher prestige and importance.

Hahaha, what a silly thing to argue about.

Both exist because they are indispensable, and if the two worked hand in hand, it would undoubtedly lead to wonderful results.

“If everyone thought like you, Shuri, things would be much easier.”

“That is true. By the way, what is the reason we were invited to this ceremony?”

“D’ye remember? Last year, there was that battle over the profits of the Salt Road, right? Partly to thank us for that, we’ve been invited as guests of honor for this martial arts match.”

“That feels a bit like they are trying to mark their claim on us.”

“Ex-actly. Their goal is to invite our band as guests of honor and show off to everyone around how close they are with us. Watch meself. There’s a chance you’ll be targeted too, Shuri.”

Surely not as much as you, Kuuga-san.

This time, Kuuga-san was set to perform in an exhibition match before the royals as the representative of the guests of honor.

His opponents were reportedly the captain of the Royal Guard and the commander of the Knights Templar. He was supposed to fight whichever one won their match.

The royal exhibition match was held on a special stage set up in the court courtyard.

“It will start soon.”

“Aye, I don’t mind whichever one I fight, but it depends on how they make their move.”

“Actually, Gungrave-san also asked me to do a favor for him.”

“Oh? What’d he ask?”

“He asked me to make sweets for the dignitaries during the exhibition match.”

That’s right—sweets in this world are a luxury food eaten only by the nobility.

So, I decided to bake a cheesecake.

“For now, Kuuga-san, please take this as a taste test.”

“Is this… cheese? When ye say cheese, I can only think of something to go with alcohol.”

Cheese is a versatile ingredient that works great for both savory meals and desserts.

When I made cheese hamburger steaks out of it before, Rir-san got even more hooked on it.

“This is… firm on the bottom and gently soft on top.”

“Slice it from the top with a spoon and cut through the bottom crust together. Please try them together.”

Kuuga-san took a bite as a trial.

“This is… incredibly delicious. When ye say sweets, I thought it was natural for ’em to just be sweet.”

“I barely used any sugar in this. I wanted you to taste the natural deliciousness and sweetness of the cheese and flour.”

“I see. I really like this kind of sweet.”

It seemed Kuuga-san got fully pumped up, which was great.

When I distributed the cheesecake during the exhibition match, it was warmly received by the Knights Templar, the Royal Guard, the royal family, and the key ministers alike.

“This sweet is delicious.”

“It pairs wonderfully with tea.”

“Indeed. Who prepared this?”

“I hear it was made by the cook of Gungrave-dono, who was invited as a guest of honor today.”

“Is that so…”

Gungrave-san and the key ministers were discussing something, but since it did not seem to have much to do with me, I devoted myself entirely to serving.

By the way, as for the exhibition match, the commander of the Knights Templar and the captain of the Royal Guard fought Kuuga-san two against one, and Kuuga-san achieved a complete victory with just two strikes.

Slashing through a person right along with their sword is really not something humanly possible.