Episode 117

“Ugh! My body feels stiff.”

Catherine, dragging her tired body, returned to her personal room in the tower.

Her disheveled hair left untouched, she slumped into the chair like a cat whose limbs were bound and hanging loosely.

Stretching her arms and legs out in the same position, she let out a long stretch.

In the past few days, Catherine had been overwhelmed with an unending stream of work.

In fact, Catherine had expected this from the carriage returning to Winterham.

Or rather, she had anticipated it since Blackwood Village.

Specifically, she had guessed it when Karem made the dessert with vanilla, and was certain when Iona had asked for the refinement.

Her master, who worked for the prosperity of the bountiful Iceland.

Alfred, surely, would not miss such an innovative spice like vanilla.

If refining it required intricate magic or alchemy, that might be different.

What was needed to refine vanilla were basic alchemy and various materials, including strong spirits, which even those unable to wield magic could use.

What she had done was simply distribute the vanilla refining recipe and precautions to the mages under her command after her return.

Teaching it to subordinates under Iona’s instructions was the task of her subordinates.

If the work had ended there, she wouldn’t have been so tired.

Compared to the overwhelming workload of last fall and winter, this was laughable.

Catherine also had to prepare for the appointment ceremony.

If it had been a regular appointment ceremony, there would have been no need for her to step in—just the person involved, a few witnesses, some knights, and Alfred, who would receive the loyalty of the appointed.

But this was the appointment of a knight of a wandering mercenary swordmaster.

For the sake of others’ perception, it couldn’t be done carelessly.

Catherine understood that.

After all, if the ceremony were done poorly and the person became dissatisfied and left, it would be Alfred who lost out.

It wasn’t just a typical knight appointment ceremony.

It was a barony, with an award ceremony for a title that came with a fief.

But if the target was a swordmaster, well.

Her only complaint was that the swordmaster in question was Gordon, who was filled with thoughts of belittling the grandeur of the grand mage.

Even though it was a title-awarding ceremony, it wasn’t a large festival like Wintersend, so there wasn’t much for Catherine to actively prepare.

At most, it would end with checking the leftover Flower Orbs (Karem’s term for fireworks) from Wintersend and inspecting the magical tools for the ceremony.

But then Catherine realized,

This kind of menial task wasn’t something a grand mage like her should be doing.

But the subordinates who should be doing these tasks had already left the castle long ago for training.

The only people available to inspect the work were three: herself, Olivier, and Prince Robin.

Even though Olivier scolded her for having to do such work at her age, Catherine could not say anything.

At least it was fortunate that the naive Prince Robin thought of it all as just training.

“If I had known it would be like this, I should have assigned it to them. At least it was fortunate that we did it in the dining hall during dinner instead of making it a big event.”

Anyway, after two days, it was finally the first rest she had.

Compared to the grueling all-nighters over the past two seasons, the work was laughable, but still, it was tiring.

By the way, she wanted a snack.

The little one is probably in the kitchen—ah.

“Now that I think about it, didn’t they say the little one has recently converted to a religion?”

During the all-nighters, Catherine had no time to see Karem.

But through Mary, who brought the lunch Karem had made, she had learned a little about his recent activities.

If nothing special happened, he only went around the tower, the castle’s kitchen, and the storage.

His usual routine was just spinning between those three places, but suddenly a temple had been added to the estate.

Then he would return to the tower and hide somewhere.

Catherine had heard through Mary that, for the past few days, he had been visiting daily with several types of dishes.

“Hmm, I wonder if he’s having any trouble?”

For a moment, Catherine felt annoyed.

If the apprentice has a problem, they should talk to their master first.

To run off to a third party (though it should be noted that the temple is where you go if you have concerns in the first place).

“Well, I guess I have no choice but to ask him directly.”

It was also the perfect time as she wanted a snack.

Slumped like a cat melting in the sunlight, Catherine swiftly rose to her feet, lightly stood up, and quickly left her personal room.

Though her body had been weary just moments ago, the thought of a snack sent a rush of energy through Catherine, temporarily numbing her fatigue.

“Hmm, hmmm, heehee~♪”

Without even realizing it, Catherine hummed a little tune.

It was annoying that he hadn’t shared his worries.

Still, Karem had undeniable merits.

The dishes delivered through Mary every time, for her during the all-nighters.

At first, she had been uneasy when she heard that he was using a newly modified tomato called Bulmason, but to her surprise, they all tasted better than expected.

It was just tomatoes and cheese layered together with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, yet it turned out so delicious.

But what Catherine admired wasn’t the cooking, it was the snacks delivered afterward.

They weren’t ordinary snacks, either.

The snacks were upgrades of the desserts she had already eaten.

“Castoss, was it? Could it really be that he’s making castellan again?”

Castoss

It was a delicious castellan, coated with egg wash, fried in syrup, and tossed in sugar to coat it.

It was incredibly sweet and savory, so rich it melted right through her fatigued mind.

Of course, if Karem had heard it, he would have probably commented that it wasn’t Castoss, but Castodos, remembering his past life, but Karem wasn’t here, and Catherine had long lost faith in his naming sense.

“The cooking is perfect, but how come his naming skills are so…”

Still, Catherine understood with a broad heart.

After all, he was young.

Whatever shortcomings the apprentice had, the master could make up for.

The tower, which would normally be filled with sounds of clashes and small explosions,

Now, with no one around, it was so quiet it felt eerily still as Catherine descended the stairs, when she suddenly realized.

“Ah, it’s probably not snack time yet.”

She hesitated for a moment but continued down the stairs.

Though she had reached an exalted level where aging had stopped and her appearance remained that of a youthful girl, she was still technically an adult.

A fully grown adult who had long since passed childhood had the right to enjoy a snack whenever they wished.

Of course, there were responsibilities, but what of it?

She wasn’t the type to gain weight!

If any of her subordinate mages were here, especially someone like Narque, they would have been shedding tears of frustration, but Catherine thought nothing of it as she moved closer to the kitchen.

And then, a scent.

“Ugh!?”

A smell, indescribable, wafted past.

“What, what is this!?”

And past moments flashed through Catherine’s mind.

Garam, Red Witch’s Finger, Grizzly Beaver Vanilla!

What has this guy been doing while he’s been away? Another suspicious experiment…?

But the source of the smell wasn’t the kitchen.

Nor was it Karem’s room.

The smell grew stronger the deeper she went along the corridor, and when Catherine realized it was coming from a long-unused, empty storage room, she couldn’t bear it any longer.

Catherine lightly infused magic into her index finger and waved it through the air.

The surrounding magic was drawn into her spell, forming the incantation.

The spell enveloped her nose.

After pulling away the handkerchief, Catherine lightly touched her nose.

Though she hadn’t done it perfectly, she confirmed the magic was working properly and moved toward the source of the smell.

As she got closer, the anger and confusion in her steps grew stronger.

The paralysis spell had definitely been cast properly.

But why was there this confusing taste on her tongue every time she breathed in…?

How intense must the smell be for it to affect her taste buds?

Yet, the taste itself wasn’t bad at all.

If she were to describe it… Well.

An endless concentration of savory flavor with a hint of acidity?

“Alright, this is it.”

Without waiting any longer, Catherine immediately flung the door open.

The first thing that caught her eye was a large barrel sealed between piles of straw, with dark-stained cloths and black liquid on a nearby basin.

And the source of the smell, the culprit of the situation.

Karem was sitting in the center of the room.

Karem, holding the barrel of abundance, was gripping a brown mass covered in white mold, tied with straw, revealing green spots of fungus.

No, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just one.

Brown masses covered in white mold.

They were stacked neatly behind the pile of straw.

Clink!

The paralysis spell she had cast on her nose broke.

Since it had been lightly cast, it couldn’t withstand the overwhelming smell.

And with a slight rebound that rattled her brain,

Came a wave of nausea that hit her like a tidal wave.

“Ughhh—”

Stumble—thud!

For a moment, Catherine almost lost her senses.

She barely moved her weakened limbs to support herself, gripping onto her sense of reason, and clenched her teeth.

This smell.

It was obvious.

“Uh, Lady Athanitas?”

The pain of betrayal grows in proportion to the expectations.

The pain of having her expectations shattered over a sweet dessert lit Catherine’s eyes with fiery anger.

After a brief commotion.

Even after using various magical tools and spells to dispel the smell, the faint, pungent odor still lingered in the room, making Catherine shake her head.

She then glared at Karem, who was kneeling, his arms shaking.

“Alright. This time, unlike last time, you’re standing properly.”

“I won’t make any pitiful excuses!”

Unlike the first time when he had properly been scolded by Catherine, Karem was now standing proudly.

What made him proud was that, at least this time, he didn’t feel wronged.

Unlike what had happened in Fungusby last time.

It had been truly frustrating that the chicken had mysteriously disappeared that time.

This time, it was a matter of firm determination and action.

Though his arms and legs were shaking in pain, Karem stood proudly, which Catherine didn’t like, and she clicked her tongue loudly.

“When did you start doing this ridiculous thing?”

“It hasn’t been long. Since the day before Lady Athanitas got swamped with work…”

“What? You’ve only been at it for a few days and caused this disaster?”

“There were only a few successful ones in the first place…”

What are these ‘failures’ and ‘successes’ you’re talking about?

Suspicious of what strange things Karem might be up to, Catherine glanced at Karem and his results, but for a brief moment, she caught a familiar smell.

Not the pungent smell, but a savory one.

And a hint of sourness.

Could it be that the white powder on the surface of those lumps is all yeast?

“Wait, this isn’t the important part. What about Mary? Surely she didn’t just pass by this horrendous smell without noticing?!”

“Well, I bribed her.”

“Bribed? How on earth did you bribe a house elf… Wait, no way.”

“Yes. Well, it’s obvious what Mary likes.”

Karem shrugged as he lifted his arm.

Catherine’s eyebrows twitched.

So, this wasn’t for her late-night work.

It was just to cover up the smell of his potent experiment?

The admiration Catherine had felt for Karem on the way here completely vanished.

Disappointment swelled deep within her.

Why was she disappointed by something like this?

No, before that.

“What the hell is this nasty lump covered in white yeast!?”

“Uh, it’s boiled peas mashed with some flour and yeast, then mixed and fermented? It’s called Meju.”

“Fermented? It’s only been a few days?”

“Fermentation still takes a long time. But luckily, I had something that could shorten the process by 100 times…”

“Barrel of abundance?”

“Yep. After discarding dozens of failures, what’s left is what’s piled in the straw. The final product is inside the barrel.”

“How can it smell so bad like this? How is it possible?”

Catherine suddenly realized.

Just as she hadn’t been in the tower for the past few days, all the mages, including Narque, had gone out to teach the vanilla extraction method.

It was only natural that no one was here to stop Karem, as the house elf, who had been bribed by the luxurious and extravagant dessert, wasn’t around.

Karem shook his head and shrugged.

“The failures were so bad they’d put this smell to shame. Fortunately, Mary cleaned it up right away, so it’s less overwhelming. She hasn’t arrived today yet.”

“If those aren’t failures, then what are they!?”

“Those are the successful ones.”

“…Alright. I’ll punish Mary later.”

“Hehe. Once you taste the result, you’ll think differently. Would you like to try it?”

“What? The result?”

Seeing an opportunity, Karem stretched his stiff limbs and stood up.

He hadn’t even been punished enough to loosen up yet.

Catherine, flaring up at Karem standing without permission,

But Karem was quicker.

Pop.

The lid popped open.