Chapter 73

This was back when we, including Ver, were still being kept in the capital under the guise of studying abroad.

Today, I was receiving sword training from Lord Warren in the training grounds within the castle. Afterward, Ina and I, who had also received spear training, returned to the mansion.

There, Ver was once again creating some strange seasoning.

"Mayonnaise is supreme! But, we mustn't forget its derivatives!"

It seemed that today's special training with the instructor had just ended. In the kitchen, Ver was diligently making the infamous 'mayonnaise.'

On the workbench, a large bowl was floating in mid-air, and inside, a whisk was rapidly and skillfully mixing the ingredients.

The deliciousness of this mayonnaise was shocking, but it took quite a bit of effort to make. I remembered when Ver said, "El, it's good for arm training," and I made a large batch, only to have sore arms the next day.

"Truly, you have perseverance."

"Why don't you use magic to mix it, Ver?"

"Actually, today's training with the instructor was quite intense, and I'm running low on magic power."

I thought it could wait until tomorrow, and I also thought, "Don't make so much!" But...

Mix the egg yolk, vinegar, salt, and pepper well, and then gradually add oil while mixing patiently.

The container with oil was also floating in mid-air. From the spout of the tilted container, a thin stream of oil was being added to the bowl, where it was being mixed at high speed by the whisk.

According to Ver, the 'telekinesis' magic, which allows objects to float and move freely without touching them, is considered a basic spell. I recalled a time in the commercial district's square when a beginner mage was performing a magic trick using telekinesis to collect money from passersby.

It was a simple trick, but since mages are rare, he managed to collect more money than expected. Ver, however, didn't give him a copper coin, saying, "Just do regular magic tricks!"

"Mayonnaise can fail if you let your guard down. You must mix it patiently."

"Hmm..."

Ver called mayonnaise 'the paradise after hard labor.' Indeed, I could relate to that. However, most of the results ended up being eaten by Louise, who ran away from making it.

"Hey, Louise, help out."

"Mayonnaise is a man's job, I think."

"Are you kidding? Then, eat less of it!"

"But, I need to eat more to grow."

Louise's body is much smaller than the average woman of her age. She's about to turn fourteen, but she's never been mistaken for being over ten by people who meet her for the first time. So, she's trying to eat as much as possible to grow faster. However, so far, there's been no noticeable effect.

(Does mayonnaise help with growth? And, will Louise grow at all?) I pray that the guild Ver sold the recipe to will start selling the product soon.

Currently, a workshop capable of performing tasks like mixing with magic tools is being built at a rapid pace. Once the workshop is operational, Ver will receive a fixed amount of mayonnaise from the guild every month.

"There are others who consume a lot of mayonnaise, too."

"Yeah, I think that person is half-addicted."

Another person with an abnormal love for mayonnaise had emerged.

"Whether it's grilled meat, just washed vegetables, rice, or bread, it goes well with everything! Baron Baumaster! Give me more mayonnaise!"

Since the day he tried the mayonnaise on grilled deer meat during lunch with Ver and Louise, the instructor has been putting mayonnaise on everything.

Ver called him a 'mayonnaise addict,' and the nickname seemed to fit. However, the instructor is hopelessly clumsy and wastes most of the ingredients when he tries to make it himself, so he regularly comes to the mansion to get some.

So, Ver was making mayonnaise for the instructor again. Today, he was trying a new type of mayonnaise.

"Derivatives? What do you mean, Ver?"

"I'm adding a twist to mayonnaise to reach an even higher level of paradise."

In response to Iina's question, Ver explained, but she tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, let's complete the variations!"

Previously, Ver had created wasabi mayonnaise, mustard mayonnaise, perilla mayonnaise, and yuzu mayonnaise. The most recommended was curry powder mayonnaise.

"You really think a lot."

"People must eat to live."

Since eating is a necessity, it's a waste not to enjoy it. Ver was speaking in a surprisingly philosophical manner.

It wasn't really philosophical, but it was about food.

"So, are you going to let the instructor taste the new one as an experiment?"

"Of course, he's already tasting it."

When we thought he wasn't in the kitchen, he had already started tasting it with Elise's service. Moreover, he didn't deny the experimental part. It's not like it's a drug, so the worst that could happen is that it tastes bad, but...

Even if it were a potent poison, the instructor probably wouldn't die.

On the table in the living room, a large plate of fried chicken was placed, and the instructor was dipping it in mayonnaise and eating it one after another.

"Ugh!"

"How do you not get heartburn..."

Ver's fried chicken was something I and Iina both liked, but eating several kilograms at once seemed excessive.

"The mustard one has a spicy kick... The wasabi one has a different, milder spiciness... The perilla and yuzu one is refreshing and a good idea. But most of all..."

The instructor seemed to like the curry powder mayonnaise the most. He was smearing it on the remaining few kilograms of fried chicken and eating it like he was shoveling it in.

"Will you get a rich man's disease?"

Rich man's disease is a condition that often affects nobles and the wealthy in their middle age, leading to gangrene in the limbs and blindness if left untreated. However, it's not a common disease among commoners.

"Speaking of curry powder, it's a wonderful thing! I want more of it! And don't forget the other types of mayonnaise!"

The instructor was making a strong request to Ver with a forceful tone and momentum.

"Well, there's not much curry powder..."

This 'curry powder' is a yellow, strange powder that Ver made in the kitchen on his days off. Its unique aroma and spiciness were a shock to us.

Moreover, this curry powder had a significant drawback.

"Spices are expensive!"

Many of the ingredients can only be cultivated in the south and are often used as medicine, making them expensive in the capital.

"Of course, even if it's expensive, there are uses for it. Baron, sell me the recipe!"

Thanks to Ver's idea, Arterio, who is profiting from it, started selling the 'curry powder' as a luxury item. Additionally, he runs a high-end restaurant that serves a full course menu using curry powder.

At 100 cents per person, they start with meat dishes using curry powder and end with curry rice. They don't use curry powder in the salad or dessert, but the restaurant is always busy.

"Curry powder has addictive properties!"

"Isn't that a dangerous drug?"

"It's not illegal, but once you smell the curry powder, you'll want to go back, right?"

Indeed, the restaurant has many regular customers, and the take-home curry powder is selling like hotcakes despite its high price.

Naturally, Ver is also making a lot of money. Honestly, I wonder what he's going to spend it on.

"Is he going to buy an expensive staff?"

I spend my free time looking for a good sword at weapon shops. For a swordsman, a good sword is like a second self, entrusted with one's life. It takes time, effort, and money to get a good sword. However, since it's something you'll use for a lifetime, you can't cut corners.

"Huh? But, Ver..."

Now that I think about it, I've never seen him use a staff when casting magic, whether in the kitchen or during training with the instructor.

Mages are often depicted in robes with a staff, and the instructor is dressed in a purple robe and equipped with a bulky staff that matches his appearance.

The purple of the robe has been a symbol of nobility in the Helmut Kingdom for ages, and only the head mage, who serves the royal palace, is allowed to wear it. Other mages, apprentices, and lower ranks wear blue robes, while higher ranks wear red.

Since there aren't many mages, I didn't know much about it.

"I've never seen Ver use a staff when casting magic..."

Ver received several staffs as an inheritance from his master, but he never seemed to use them regularly.

"What about you?"

"Right now, I'm thinking, why doesn't Ver use a staff?"

"Oh, a staff... According to Ver, it doesn't really affect the power of his magic. However, that doesn't mean he doesn't need one at all."

"For new magic practice, it's essential. The staff my master left, coated with mithril over a dragon's whisker, helps speed up the learning of new magic. The staff with a phoenix feather coated with a water dragon's glass body..."

"What about that staff?"

The phoenix and water dragon are almost legendary, and obtaining the materials is extremely difficult. So, if a mage carries such a staff in an official setting, it's immediately clear that they are a top-tier mage.

"It looks good when meeting important people."

"So, it's for practice and ceremonies?"

"Yes, but a mage with little power can't afford an expensive staff."

"Indeed, that's true."

Ver was revealing a shocking fact to me, who thought all mages used staffs. However, it's true that a mage with little power can't afford such an expensive staff.

"No, not all mages are like that!"

Just then, the instructor entered the kitchen to ask for more fried chicken and mayonnaise. He seemed intent on eating more, carrying an empty large plate in both hands.

"At the very least, a mage with advanced power doesn't need a staff for the magic's power to drop!"

The power and efficiency of the magic can drop by 20% to 50%, depending on the individual. However, for some reason, once a mage reaches advanced power, they don't need a staff for the power to drop.

"The boundary between mid-level and advanced is difficult to determine, but it's actually simple!"

The magic's power doesn't drop without a staff. That's where the line is drawn, according to the instructor.

"So, Blantark is..."

"Below advanced, so his magic's power doesn't drop without a staff!"

However, a staff is still essential for learning new magic. Moreover, Blantark, with his rich life experience, owns several expensive robes and staffs for meeting important people.

For mages, expensive robes and staffs are equivalent to noble formal wear. They can be worn for all occasions, making them quite versatile.

"By the way, I'm above mid-level."

In the kitchen, Louise, who was frying more chicken for the instructor with Elise, showed me a shining ring on her left ring finger.

"Louise uses this ring instead of a staff because her main combat style involves magic-powered fighting!"

Using a staff would be inefficient for Louise's combat style. So, Ver gave her this ring as an engagement gift.

"A mage's staff is a type of magic tool! As long as you understand the basics, it doesn't have to be a staff!"

It could be another accessory, a weapon, armor, or a household item. As long as you understand the basics of making it, anything can serve as a staff.

"Wow, I didn't know that."

"The world of mages is small, so it can't be helped!"

There are few mages, and non-mages wouldn't investigate staffs in detail. In official settings, they usually carry staffs, and it's normal not to think that advanced mages carry expensive staffs for show.

Probably, everyone thinks that.

"But, the instructor has a staff, right?"

Iina, who was also in the kitchen making curry powder mayonnaise, asked about the instructor's large staff. It was about two meters long, made entirely of all-mithril, and had a mace-like shape at the tip, covering a fifty-centimeter-wide magic crystal to protect it.

It looked like it could kill someone with a single blow even without magic, but when the instructor infused it with magic, it transformed into a giant hammer. This was a materialization of magic, a skill very few mages could perform.

And, without a doubt, being hit by such a giant hammer would turn a person into mincemeat.

"Considering my combat style, this staff is the most efficient!"

Additionally, the large magic crystal attached to it serves as a source of magic power when the instructor's power runs out. Ver also stored excess magic power in reserve magic crystals and kept them in a magic bag.

"In the instructor's case, carrying the staff also serves as a way to train the body."

According to Louise, who practices a magic-fighting style, the instructor naturally trains his body by carrying the heavy staff around.

"So, he changes hands regularly."

"Indeed, Louise noticed!"

"For mages, the body is the foundation, right?"

"El is right, but the Armstrong family's tradition is also about body training!"

The Armstrong family, the instructor's family, is a military noble family with over a thousand years of history, one of the top in the kingdom. The hereditary positions are all military-related, and the men in the family are all over two meters tall. They naturally have muscular bodies even without much training.

Additionally, they follow a unique training method passed down through generations, resulting in the instructor's appearance.

I once saw the instructor's older brother in the castle. If he walked through the city, thugs and hooligans would probably sneak away.

"But, the instructor's sword skills..."

In the martial arts tournament, he only made it to the fourth round of the preliminaries, which seemed disappointing for someone from a military family.

"Our family has always been weak with swords."

Instead, they excel in a combat style that uses their natural strength and power to crush enemies.

"Crush?"

"Indeed! In our family, the Armstrongs, a hexagonal club made of orichalcum has been passed down through generations!"

For generations, the Armstrong dukes and their male descendants were famous for breaking enemy swords with steel clubs and crushing their heads.

"About three hundred years ago, during the war with the Arkart Holy Empire!"

The two armies clashed, and the Helmut Kingdom's forces, at a disadvantage, were ordered to temporarily retreat by the king. However, a temporary retreat also carries the risk of being pursued by the enemy.

So, the then Armstrong duke volunteered to serve as the rear guard for the kingdom's forces.

"Our ancestor swung his proud steel club and crushed over a hundred enemy soldiers, but in the end..."

He was surrounded by the enemy and eventually killed.

"Killed in battle..."

"In the Armstrong family, dying in such a situation is considered honorable!"

Additionally, thanks to the sacrifice of the Armstrong duke, the kingdom's forces successfully retreated. In that campaign, they later launched a counterattack and secured a favorable peace treaty.

"They made a peace treaty. Wait, but..."

It seemed like the war had continued for about a hundred years.

"At that time, they would fight and make peace. Then, one side would send troops, and the other would prepare and fight again. It was a cycle."

A long ceasefire was difficult to achieve.

At the peace talks, the emperor of the Arkart Holy Empire praised the efforts of our ancestor, the enemy, and returned his decapitated body.

"Returned with the head reattached..."

"In war, collecting trophy heads is common. It couldn't be helped!"

Naturally, the kingdom also rewarded the praised Armstrong duke with a large sum of money and new weapons.

"At some point, the 'hexagonal club' that had been passed down in the royal family was bestowed upon the new Armstrong duke!"

The hexagonal club was two meters long, eight centimeters thick, and made entirely of orichalcum. The new Armstrong duke used it to great effect on the battlefield, breaking enemy swords and crushing them with the powerful strikes of the hexagonal club.

The nobles of the Arkart Holy Empire feared the 'crushing demon' Armstrong duke. It was natural, given that each generation of the Armstrong family, with their towering height and muscular build, continued to crush enemies.

The hexagonal club became the exclusive weapon of the Armstrong dukes.

"Additionally, this hairstyle is also significant."

The instructor's hairstyle is unique. The sides and back of his head are neatly shaved with a razor, and only the top has hard, spiky hair that points upwards in a triangular shape.

If I had to compare, it looked exactly like the top of a pineapple we found during our exploration of the magic forest.

"Our ancestor who died in battle three hundred years