Chapter 61

"Since that's the case, even though it's a bit much to ask when you're busy with your adventurer work, could you help me secure some ingredients?"

"Sure! Of course!"

"Hehe, I'll gather plenty."

"J-Just do it with some restraint...?"

I feel bad for the Thunder Eagle, but I hope it can rest in peace after I enjoy it. Namu.

Hmm? It seems like those two are whispering to each other, but I hope everything is okay... I hope they're not up to something.

Still, those two are really enthusiastic. I guess it makes them happy to be relied on.

By the way, I initially planned to make something like Yangnyeom Chicken, but I realized that securing the red pepper needed for the gochujang would be difficult.

In this world, spices aren't widely available yet and are considered luxury items. While black pepper is relatively common, I've never seen red pepper.

When in doubt, ask Lebrant. I'm at the front of the guild.

Before entering the Lebrant Guild, I peeked inside and saw everyone looking busy. It seems to be a prosperous day.

Just then, I happened to run into Lebrant and managed to get some time to talk.

"Red pepper? Hmm, I've never heard of it."

"Really...?"

It seems even Lebrant, my last hope, doesn't know about it. It's possible that red peppers don't exist or aren't recognized in this world.

Finding them now would be tough.

"But..."

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure if this will help, but I heard that in a village on the outskirts of the empire, some people enjoy spicy food. When I tried to buy the spice during a business trip, the villagers were stubborn and wouldn't sell it. I think they called it 'Red Chili.'"

That's it! Red and green chilies are also known as red and green chilis. Maybe I can find them there!

"Lebrant, can you tell me where that village is?"

"It's quite far. It would take 15 to 20 days by carriage, round trip. Are you okay with that?"

15 to 20 days?! That's a bit too much. Negotiations might take time, and even if I run as fast as I can, it would take at least 10 days to be safe.

"That's a bit tough."

"Out of curiosity, what do you need it for?"

I explained to Lebrant that we were planning to run a food stall at the school festival and wanted to use a lot of spices.

"Au, you're planning something fun again. If you don't mind, can I join in? Of course, I'll help as much as I can."

With the power of the Lebrant Guild, which is now one of the largest in the capital, we could have a hundred-man team. I might be able to ask for help with advertising, detailed materials, and decorating the rest area.

"I knew you'd say that, Lebrant. The details are..."

In the end, as I explained the concept and how to attract customers, I learned some unique advertising methods for this world. With that in mind, I got full support.

Since other classes are using the power of nobles as a matter of course, this should be fine, right?

After our discussion, he went back to his busy work. Apparently, there's a new guild that's been gaining strength, and he can't afford to lose.

After the meeting with Lebrant, I was walking and thinking about various things when I bumped into someone.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought and didn't see where I was going."

"Brat, you should watch where you're walking... huh?!"

He looked like a kind-hearted thug, but he seemed surprised when he saw my face.

Hmm, I don't think I've met this person before. ...Maybe I've seen him somewhere?

"Are you okay?"

"Ah, um, young master, I'm fine! I'll be going now!"

What was that about?!!

"Who is that kid that made the top of the rapidly growing Nar... guild bow so low? 'Shh! It's best not to get involved!'"

I overheard people whispering. I couldn't quite catch the name of the guild, but it seems the person I bumped into was the head of a guild.

As a merchant, it's not surprising that he knew who I was. Even street vendors knew me.

In the end, I got home without finding any red pepper.

As I walked around the garden, lost in thought, I noticed the crops growing well.

Thanks to the magic I used for accelerated growth, they're growing incredibly fast.

The mysterious seeds from the dungeon are also growing well, but they're bearing fruit I've never seen before.

I think they're ready to harvest, but I can't judge what they are because they're so unknown.

They look dangerous. They're pear-shaped but white, with several yellow crescent patterns on the surface.

They look so dangerous that I'm afraid to harvest them. They're so eerie that I worry they might start moving on their own.

"Master, I'm home!"

"Hehe, I secured a lot of meat."

As I was debating whether to harvest or not, Luna and Yomi came back.

"Welcome back, both of you. Thanks, I'll take the meat later."

"What were you doing in the garden, Master?"

"Well, the seeds from the dungeon are growing well and are ready to harvest, but I can't figure out what they are, so I'm not sure what to do."

"Ah, they do look creepy."

Yomi agrees with me, but Luna looks surprised. Does she know something?

"Do you know what these are, Luna?"

"Um, yes. I heard about them when I was a child. They're definitely 'Cooking Fruits.'"

"‘Cooking Fruits?’"

Yomi and I said it in unison, but it's a fruit I've never heard of.

"Yes. Cooking Fruits are used in cooking, but their use is unique. When you infuse them with magical power, their taste changes."

According to Luna, Cooking Fruits used to be commonly found in dungeons, but they've become rare recently.

Their taste changes depending on the attribute of the magical power infused:

Fire: Spicy

Water: Umami

Wind: Sweet

Earth: Salty

Lightning: Sour

Ice: Bitter

If you use spatial, neutral, or holy attributes, they become tasteless.

Hmm, if I infuse them with fire attribute power, they might replace red pepper.

I have plenty of them, and I have extra seeds.

If I delve deeper into the dungeon, I might find even more seeds. I thought they were a dud, but this could be something amazing!

As expected, they're from the dungeon!

I decided to try making a simplified version of gochujang that doesn't require fermentation.

1. Put water, sugar, and honey in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add miso.

2. Wait until it boils again after the miso dissolves.

3. Add finely chopped and dried Cooking Fruits infused with fire attribute power.

* Drying is done with magic.

4. Mix in salt and oil to complete!

I'd like to add vinegar, but I don't have any, so I'll skip it this time.

Sesame oil would be ideal, but I haven't found sesame, so I used the closest alternative.

I seasoned the meat lightly and made fried food, then stir-fried it with the simplified gochujang.

I wanted to sprinkle sesame, but I didn't have any, so this is the completed Yangnyeom Chicken.

I also tried it with pita bread and leafy vegetables, and it was delicious!

It might seem like a commoner's food, but with so many spices, even nobles would enjoy it.

If they don't want to eat it with their hands, I can serve it on a plate.

"Master, this is amazing! I've never had a dish with so many spices!"

"The spicy taste spreads in your mouth and stimulates your appetite!"

The gochujang made with Cooking Fruits tastes just as good as the one made with red pepper.

...If I infuse it with both fire and water attributes, wouldn't it have both spicy and umami flavors?

I tried it as an experiment, and it turned out to be something incredible.

So, with this, I wouldn't need salty or sweet flavors, right?

...But it didn't work out that well.

The spicy and umami flavors coexisted, but sweet and salty flavors couldn't coexist. The flavor leaned towards the attribute with more power.

When I infused equal amounts of power, it tasted terrible.

Umami was the only flavor that could coexist with others.

However, thanks to this, I was able to make an even better simplified gochujang.

Moreover, if I use only umami, it can be an instant umami seasoning.

"Indeed, if such a convenient thing existed, it would be overharvested."

"Yes. I heard that they were harvested without limit from dungeons, but at some point, they stopped appearing."

I thought dungeon resources would respawn, but there are exceptions. I should be more careful in the future.

In any case, I have a plan for the Yangnyeom Chicken. I tried it again with added umami, and it was exquisite.

The stall was unbelievably delicious.

The pita bread is also fine, and I can get the necessary items from the Lebrant Guild or Luna and Yomi.

This is starting to look promising!

Two weeks before the school festival, classes are only in the morning, and the afternoons are dedicated to preparations. The stalls and rest areas were built at a rapid pace.

The rest area, supervised by me, Lebrant, Luna, and Yomi, turned out to be quite impressive.

We adopted sofas and tables without hesitation, which also serves as advertising for the Lebrant Guild. I doubt I'll face any backlash.

...Right?

The stalls and banners look great.

The children of commoners are quite skilled, and they put a lot of effort into the details.

For customer service, we selected the most attractive boys and girls from the class and infused some Japanese hospitality from my past life.

The cooking team practiced repeatedly to ensure they could handle the day smoothly.

We held a tasting session so everyone could taste the food they made, and their reactions were great, so the taste should be fine.

We also custom-made cute and stylish uniforms for the customer service staff. The tailor we used before was happy to help.

The location, thanks to Professor Monica's efforts, is quite spacious and has a lot of foot traffic.

Despite being just one of the first-year classes, I don't know what methods she used, but it's impressive.

After all the preparations, I realized the school festival is the day after tomorrow.

The preparations are almost done, and tomorrow we'll do final adjustments and preparations.

As we finished the meeting in the classroom, Professor Monica came in.

"Good job, everyone. You're the most promising class I've ever supervised. However, anything can happen at the school festival. I want you to give it your all for three days and enjoy it to the fullest. That's all."

Professor Monica is unusually enthusiastic, probably inspired by our passion.

We can't let her down!

We formed a circle, unified our resolve, and then dispersed.

The next day, we continued the preparations calmly and finally welcomed the day of the school festival.