Chapter 49

Good morning from the underground room. It's January 9th today. I'm Herman. I've had my meal and went shopping at the canteen. Yes, I bought eggs and other things. Let's make pasta. Since this is something even a beginner from my previous life could easily do, I'll try making something like a pepperoni. For now, I've prepared flour, eggs, salt, orc meat, something that looks like chili, something that looks like garlic, and something that looks like black pepper. Since my cooking talent is non-existent, it's tough not knowing if it will turn out well. Anyway, let's let the pasta dough rest. I remember hearing that it's easier to make a large amount for the first time, so I ended up making a lot. What should I do? Let's put it in a preserving jar and let it rest. It shouldn't go bad. I'll leave tonight's portion on the table with a cloth over it. I don't know how long to let it rest, so I'll let it rest for a long time. I won't worry if it fails. I'll eat it like a snack after dinner anyway.

So, I did some embroidery and went through the Iron Welcome faction's combat training. I've been able to last for three hours without collapsing since yesterday. ...It's hard to do anything because my arms can't move. I wish I had a showerhead. Anyway, it's dinner time. I feel good because the bread tickets have increased. ...And then I thought while eating the bread. Hmm? It's fluffier and softer than the previous bread... I left the bread dough to rest for a while after kneading it, didn't I? It seems to have naturally fermented. I'll ask when I return the kitchenware.

"Excuse me, I have a question."

"What is it? I'm busy, so make it quick."

"Did you leave the bread dough for quite a while before baking it in the oven?"

"Yeah, the flour is made faster now. Once it's kneaded, all that's left is to bake it."

"I think that's why the bread became softer and more tender."

"Really? ...You're right. The usual dryness is gone."

"You have cooking talent, don't you?"

"Yeah, I have cooking talent. ...I had a feeling that this method would make better bread. It's not just the quality of the flour."

"The quality of the flour is important, but I think leaving the bread dough to rest after kneading allowed your cooking talent to work in a good direction. ...Maybe it's better to knead the dough for tomorrow's morning bread tonight."

"...My cooking talent is also telling me that this is better. I'll try it from tonight. I'll tell the other cafeterias too. Thanks, kid."

"No problem, I want to eat delicious food too."

I never thought that the increased speed of flour production would allow my cooking talent to work and cause natural fermentation. I never expected it to affect something like this. The power of talent is really unfair. Well, now that I've unexpectedly enjoyed a delicious meal, let's move on to today's main dish. First, I'll sprinkle more flour on the dough that has been resting and roll it out thinly. I don't have a rolling pin, so I'll use a preserving jar. I could have used a potion bottle, but I was afraid it might break. So, I'll use the preserving jar even though it's big. ...There's no such thing as a rolling pin in this world.

It's rolled out nicely thin, so I'll spread some flour on it, fold it several times, and cut the noodles. I don't have a knife, so I'm using a throwing knife. Well, it's a knife, so it's fine. As long as it cuts, there's no problem. ...It seems to have become a bit wide, but there's nothing I can do. I don't have the talent for that. Now, I'll put water in a pot, add a little salt, and heat it with slime fuel. Once the water boils, I'll put in the pasta noodles and cook them for about three minutes. After cooking, I'll put the crushed garlic-like thing in a frying pan. I chose it by smell, so I don't know how it will turn out, but I hope it's delicious. Then, I'll add the orc meat. I wanted some oil and meat fat. I think it's okay to add orc meat since bacon is also used in pepperoni. Then, I'll add the crushed chili-like thing. I chose it by smell. It's red, so it should be fine. Then, I'll add the long-awaited noodles. I didn't drain the cooking water, so I'll add it as is. If the oil and flavors mix well, it will be perfect. ...I think it's about right. I'll put it on a plate, crush the black pepper-like thing, and sprinkle it on top. It's done.

It's orc meat pepperoni. It looks a bit awkward, but it smells incredibly good. The question is the taste. Let's try it. ...It's a bit thick because of the wide noodles, but the taste is pretty good, isn't it? For someone without cooking talent, it's quite good, isn't it? I'll practice a bit more and submit it to the Harvest Festival. There were beastmen, cat-beastmen, and dog-beastmen, but... I think it will be fine. The basics are human, and they seem to be growing spices, so it should be okay, even though I don't know the smell. It smells incredibly delicious. Well, if it's not good, they won't eat it.

So, since I'm full, I'll do some embroidery and then go to bed. I hope the incredibly delicious smell will be gone by tomorrow, and I'll start the embroidery. When I run out of thread, the embroidery will stop, so what should I do? I'll ask for the alchemy method for embroidery thread in the seminar. I'll do that.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I'd appreciate it if you could leave a review. If you could point out any issues in your feedback, I think I can reflect them in my writing, even as a beginner reader.

...Probably.