Episode 34

As the lids covering the dishes were opened one by one, the warm atmosphere in the dining room changed.

“Beet chips and vegetables sautéed in butter, cloud omelette with sautéed ham, cream pasta with five types of mushrooms, meat pie, and Wellington steak.”

“You prepared all this in such a short time?”

“Do you know how much trouble I went through?”

“Hmm.”

Course meals appeared at the end of the medieval period, usually during the Renaissance. Therefore, even in this fantasy setting that remains in the medieval era, it was customary in Europa to serve all dishes at once.

If it had been a proper course meal with time between dishes, it might have been different. But with limited time, even having ten bodies wouldn’t have been enough.

Furthermore, everything except the Wellington steak and meat pie had to be prepared hastily. Even this would have been impossible without Mary.

Karem openly complained to Catherine, and Catherine, understanding the effort, had no choice but to praise him.

While Karem bickered with Catherine in front of the guests, Godwin and Victor just blinked, staring at the steaming dishes.

“Victor.”

“Yes, Prince Godwin.”

“Do you recognize any of these dishes?”

“Other than the meat pie, the big loaf of bread, and what looks like an omelette, I have no idea. I can’t identify the sauces either, except for the mustard.”

“Come on, aren’t you more experienced and older than I am?”

“But I’m telling you, I don’t know, my lord.”

“Huh, coming from the smuggler who shook Europa?”

Godwin spoke teasingly, but he was genuinely surprised when Victor nodded seriously.

Godwin’s words weren’t empty. Before being selected by the previous Duke of Iceland, Victor had a well-known history of buying and selling everything except drugs and people.

Therefore, people called him the Smuggling King. Some admired him, others despised him.

The main clients of the Smuggling King were powerful people from various countries—wealthy farmers, merchants, nobles, and royals. As a result, he had tasted all sorts of delicacies from his regular customers.

But what on earth are these?

“You said pasta is a Serbian dish, right?”

“Yes, definitely. But these look completely different.”

“Hmm, the best way is to ask directly. Hey! Young cook!”

At Godwin’s call, Karem, who had been bickering with Catherine, quickly looked up and rushed over.

Arguing in front of the guest was a mistake.

“Yes, Prince Felwinter.”

“How many Felwinters are in this castle? Just call me Godwin. By the way, there are many dishes I’ve never seen before. What should I start with?”

“You should start with the pasta and steak.”

Other dishes could be eaten even if they cooled down. But pasta would get soggy and cold over time.

The same went for Wellington steak. The crispy outer bread would become stiff, and the inner meat would become tough.

Fortunately, Mary demonstrated how to eat it, so Godwin and Victor skillfully followed suit.

As soon as the pasta wrapped with sauce entered their mouths, their eyes widened. The explosive mushroom aroma was enveloped by the smooth cream flavor.

Before they could savor it more, the long noodles quickly slid down their throats. The fleeting taste left a lingering regret in their mouths.

As the guests’ pasta plates were half-empty, Karem immediately began slicing the Wellington steak.

What looked like a mere loaf of bread revealed its cross-section.

Victor, receiving a large slice, let out a small exclamation.

As he cut into it, he thought it was indeed ingenious.

The buttery aroma of the bread crust, the explosive scent of finely chopped mushrooms, and the rich beef tenderloin inside all blended perfectly.

He felt sorry for having thought of it as just a big pie.

If someone with Victor’s age and experience was this impressed…

Godwin, being younger and less experienced than Victor, was even more impressed.

Godwin, having quickly finished the pasta, was now on his second piece of Wellington steak, exclaiming in admiration.

“This tangy taste at the end is mustard, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I applied it to the surface of the meat to cut the greasiness.”

“Ha.”

The Seophon Kingdom, ironically known for its bad cuisine, was also famous for its well-developed meat grilling techniques.

Even in such a kingdom, steaks were usually grilled with herbs and butter on the outside, but using mustard was unusual.

Combined with gravy sauce, the savory and tangy flavors alternated on the palate like a saw blade, calming and exciting it in turns.

And what about the omelette that cut without any resistance?

Victor and Godwin couldn’t believe the omelette was made of eggs.

Even more so when they tasted it.

It felt like they were eating clouds taken from a clear sky.

If not for the faint taste of sautéed ham and the rich egg flavor, they wouldn’t have believed it.

There was a reason why Alicia coveted it so much—

At that moment, something caught Godwin’s eye.

“Karem. What is this sauce?”

“You mean the sauce?”

“Yes. I recognize the mustard and gravy on the far left, but I don’t know the other two.”

“The yellow sauce is honey mustard, and the white one is mayonnaise.”

“Hmm.”

The omelette was rich and savory but a bit plain, and this must have been the reason.

Godwin immediately scooped a bit of the other two sauces, not the familiar mustard.

He dipped the omelette into the sauce and felt like time around him was stretching out.

The rich and tangy taste, hitting his tongue and sending shivers from head to toe, was irresistible to anyone enduring the harsh cold of Iceland.

On the other hand, Victor was shivering not because of the sauce, but because of Karem.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like honey mustard and mayonnaise.

On the contrary, they were excellent.

What shocked him was Karem’s age.

Victor was confident.

He had tasted at least half of the continent’s culinary delights.

When it came to gourmet experience, he was more confident than the dukes of Seophon.

There were many people working in kitchens, but those qualified to handle sauces were rare.

Especially a kid who hadn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet, creating new sauces.

This was a feat even seasoned chefs dedicated to cooking found challenging.

Of course, Karem had merely improvised these sauces to replace ketchup.

It was just a recreation from his past life’s memories.

However, the impact and influence of mayonnaise were far stronger than Karem realized.

Considering the prominence of mayonnaise in modern cuisine, even more so.

For now, Victor decided to focus on the food.

Otherwise, his master might devour all the dishes on the table.

Watching this, Karem felt relieved.

He realized he’d forgotten the dessert in his haste, but luckily the guests seemed satisfied with what was already served.

However, Catherine called Karem with a look of disbelief.

“Kid, you’ve really done it this time.”

“What? Isn’t it good if the guests are happy?”

“But the result is too excessive.”

“What?”

Catherine pointed to Victor and Godwin, who were now dipping everything in mayonnaise and eating it.

Karem also realized what she was referring to.

“You’ve just created two more people like Princess Alicia.”

“Is it that serious?”

“Of course. Can’t you feel it?”

“Well, I’m just glad they liked it?”

Naturally, Karem didn’t feel it.

I mean, other dishes had reactions similar to Catherine’s.

But seeing them react so wildly to mayonnaise?

However, what Karem overlooked was that even in the relatively undeveloped medieval cuisine, there were similar dishes.

There were omelettes, pasta, and even the Wellington steak was essentially a type of pie.

But mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise and the resulting honey mustard were different.

A sauce with a taste and texture never seen before.

In an era where sauces were either alcohol-based, sweet and sour fruit sauces, buttery and savory, or meat juice gravy, this 18th-century sauce was revolutionary.

To put it simply, mayonnaise was life to Northern Europeans and Russians.

However, Karem didn’t immediately make this connection and just thought it was no big deal, which annoyed Catherine a bit.

After focusing on the meal for a while, Godwin put down his utensils and spoke to Catherine with an excited expression.

“Athanitas, where did you find such a cook?”

“Would you believe me if I said I picked him up while traveling from Kingsland to Iceland?”

“Don’t lie. Based on his skills alone, it’s hard to believe he’s not a royal chef.”

“But that’s really all there is to it.”

Catherine briefly met Karem’s eyes and explained the situation.

There was nothing particularly secretive about it.

Many people from various backgrounds had fled to Iceland.

Victor, who accompanied Godwin as his retainer, was a prime example of someone who fled to Iceland and became a noble.

“Huh, a serf.”

“That was exactly how I felt when I picked up the kid.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“He said he’s a genius at cooking.”

At those words, Godwin and Victor looked at Karem in disbelief.

Faced with such disbelief, Karem could only do one thing.

He shrugged as if to say, “What can I do?”

It was too bothersome to explain everything, so he let them believe he was a genius.

Victor and Godwin had no choice but to accept it.

Everything except for the meat pie, which they’d completely forgotten about, was either completely new or in a new form.

Above all, considering Karem’s age, the mayonnaise sauce alone was enough to make them call him a genius.

There had been young prodigies throughout history.

Victor, barely recovering from the lingering taste of mayonnaise, rubbed his eyes.

“A genius. Well, Athanitas here is also a representative genius, so it makes sense. Ha, such cooking at such a young age.”

“This level of skill would be suitable for the Winter-Ascend as a sacrificial offering.”

“Indeed, with this level of skill, he qualifies.”

Winter-Ascend? Sacrificial offering? Are they talking about offerings?

Before Karem could ask what it was, Catherine, who had been proudly boasting about her cook, retorted.

“No, the qualifications for a sacrificial offering require three recommendations….”

“With me, Alicia, and you included, isn’t that enough, Athanitas?”

“With you included, that’s three. The number is perfect.”

“…It really could work.”

She started to dismiss it as nonsense, but as Godwin and Victor continued, she looked more serious.

No, Winter-Ascend or not.

“What is Winter-Ascend, and why are we talking about offerings?”

“Ah, I guess I should start from the beginning.”