Chapter 36

If she can make delicious sweets, she's okay as a patissier.

"Yuri, how is it? Isn't it delicious?"

With a smile, a truly delighted smile, a girl with a lovely face announced. She had a delicate and soft appearance, and her name was Hermine. Her nearly white blonde hair was tied in pigtails, which made her look even younger. However, despite her adorable appearance, she was also one of the trainees of the "Scarlet Lynx."

"Yeah, it's delicious. ...But, why are we the only customers, even though it's so delicious?"

"...That's the thing."

Hermine sighed. As her emotions were revealed, pure white wings appeared on her back. Hermine is a winged person, known as a feathered person. Her physical abilities are almost the same as a human's, except for the wings on her back, which allow her to fly. These wings can be extended or retracted by willpower. Normally, they are hidden to avoid being a hindrance, but they come out because Hermine is still young and hasn't fully mastered emotional control.

Yuri and Hermine were in a quite famous restaurant. It was a large restaurant known for being visited by everyone from major merchants to nobles, and the prices were quite high. During the tea time after lunch, the two of them were relaxing, enjoying the carefully prepared tea and the refined taste of the cake.

"I'm sorry, Hermine. Did I keep you waiting, Lucia?"

"No, it's fine, Lucia."

"Is that so? Hello, you must be Yuri. How was the taste of the cake?"

"It was very delicious. The balance with the tea was just right."

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear that."

With that, the woman called Lucia smiled. She was wearing a pure white apron and looked like a cook. She was around twenty years old. To avoid hindering her cooking, she had tied her beautiful blonde hair in a single ponytail at the back of her neck.

"By the way, why are there so few customers, even though it's so delicious and the price is low?"

Yuri is the type who asks when he doesn't understand something. He had no ulterior motives; he just thought so.

In fact, the cake Yuri ate was very delicious. He didn't understand the cost of materials or labor, but compared to the prices of other dishes in the restaurant, it was quite cheap. It was only natural for him to wonder why.

"That's because I'm not a cook."

"...What?"

"Since I don't have a cook's profession, the price is lower, and there's less trust, so there are fewer customers."

"......Wait, do you need to have a cook's profession to sell food?"

Yuri, who couldn't understand Lucia's statement, asked Hermine. The lovely feathered girl puffed out her cheeks, looking displeased. Yuri tilted his head, and Lucia smiled wryly. In the midst of this, Hermine, still pouting, opened her mouth.

"No, that's not it. ...Originally, there's no such rule that you need a cook's profession to sell food. But this restaurant, the 'Paradise of Food,' has been passed down through generations of cooks and is one of the oldest in the capital."

"...What?"

"So, this restaurant is known for the dishes made by skilled cooks. Of course, they're delicious. ...But since Lucia doesn't have a cook's profession, it's difficult for her to sell dishes here."

"...But we just ate a cake set, right?"

"During the time between lunch and dinner, when there are few customers and the restaurant would normally be closed, Lucia's cakes are sold. ...But at a very low price."

Hermine remained sulky. It was a happy thing to be able to eat delicious things cheaply. As a consumer, that was true. But at the same time, Hermine knew that Lucia's cakes, and the various sweets she made, should be priced properly and enjoyed by many people. They shouldn't be sold cheaply like this, as if they were just some side dish.

Hermine, who loves sweets, found a delicious cake by chance. She tried to advertise it and spread the word. But it didn't work. Because Lucia didn't have a cook's profession. At the 'Paradise of Food,' it meant being a failure. The dishes made by such a person were dismissed without even being tasted. Hermine was still calm enough not to attack them. ...Probably.

"Um, can Lucia make such delicious cakes even though she's not a cook?"

"Yes, I don't have the skill of cooking."

"...But how can you make such delicious cakes without the skill?"

"...The skill I have is called confectionery. It's the skill to make sweets."

Lucia's smile was somewhat sad. Yuri didn't understand the meaning of it. He just said what he thought. Lucia doesn't have the skill of cooking, so she's not a cook. And the skill she has is confectionery, the skill to make sweets. So, Yuri thought of her like this.

"Lucia is a patissier, isn't she?"

With his usual, unassuming smile and tone, Yuri announced it. For him, it was a normal and obvious thing. If a cook makes food, then a patissier makes sweets. Especially since she has the skill of confectionery, which can only be thought of as a specialist in making sweets.

However, at those words, Lucia's eyes widened, and Hermine looked at Yuri suspiciously. They had never heard of such a profession.

"...What is a patissier?"

"Huh? They don't say it around here? In my hometown, a patissier is a specialist in making sweets."

Technically, it's French, but that's not the point. Japan is a country that can easily accept foreign words in daily life. For people who love sweets, a patissier is recognized as a professional in making sweets. If a cook or chef makes food, then a patissier makes sweets or desserts. At least, that's how Yuri sees it.

"...Yuri, so Lucia, who has the skill of confectionery, is a patissier?"

"...I thought so, but is it wrong?"

"I've never heard of such a profession. ...Wait, can you just confirm Lucia's name and profession?"

"Um... I was told by Ali not to appraise people without their permission."

"Is it okay if we agree? Hey, Lucia?"

"...Well, can I ask you to confirm it?"

Appraising people is considered rude, and Yuri was repeatedly told by Ali not to do it without permission. Besides, he had recently gotten into trouble for a small mistake with a subordinate accessory, and he didn't want to make Ali angry. His father is scary.

However, if both parties agree, as Hermine said, he might not get scolded. Besides, Lucia's eyes were serious, and it was hard for a Japanese person to say no when asked so earnestly.

(I'll just try to appraise the requested items...)

Thanks to his training with the magic-eyed Ali, Yuri had acquired a certain skill. It was the ability to extract only the information he wanted when appraising. Normally, all the information visible to the user is revealed when appraising. However, for Yuri, who has the "Eye of God," it would be too much. Handling a large amount of information is troublesome.

This was also true for Ali, who has the magic eye skill. High-level appraisers would be in the same state. Such skilled individuals can adjust the information they see. They don't want to tire themselves by seeing unnecessary parts.

Thus, Yuri could select information. In this case, he just needed to confirm Lucia's name and profession, so he carefully avoided touching any other personal information and stared at Lucia.

--- Name: Lucia

Profession: Patissier, Townsfolk

He avoided seeing other information, so only this was displayed. However, Yuri was puzzled. One point was that he didn't expect the profession to be patissier. Another point was that, despite the fact that patissier was unknown to Lucia and others, it was properly reflected as a profession. It was a mystery.

"...Um, Lucia, your profession is patissier."

"Huh?"

"...Yuri, is that true?"

"Ah, yes. It's true. Your profession is patissier."

"Lucia! Go to the church tomorrow and have it checked!"

"Um, yes...!"

Unlike the bewildered Yuri, Hermine and Lucia's reactions were intense. But it was understandable. They had just found out that Lucia, who was thought to have no profession, actually had a cooking-related profession. This meant that her sweets could be recognized as "made by someone with a profession."

By the way, the reason they were going to the church was that the church had a crystal ball that could see a person's status. If they asked an appraiser, they would only hear the results verbally, but the crystal ball would display the status on the crystal itself. For adventurers, it would be reflected on their guild cards, but for ordinary people, they needed to pay at the church to use the crystal ball. The fee was 10 gold, which was quite reasonable.

"Thank you, Yuri! It's all thanks to you!"

"Huh? Um, I don't really understand, but you're welcome?"

"Already! You don't understand at all! In other words, we found out that Lucia has a cooking-related profession!"

"...Yeah."

"THAT'S WHY! There's a possibility that Lucia's sweets will receive proper evaluation!"

"That's amazing!"

"...You're slow to realize..."

Hermine, pressing her temples, muttered. But she thought it was inevitable, given that the other party was Yuri. And she knew that Yuri had no ill intentions or ulterior motives.

In any case, thanks to Yuri's knowledge, they learned that the profession of patissier exists. And by gaining this recognition, Lucia acquired a profession. Hermine thought this was a kind of miracle. She had only paired Yuri with Lucia to promote delicious sweets. She never expected such a result.

"Thank you, Yuri."

"...Yeah. Um, Lucia, can I have another serving?"

"Of course, I'd be happy to!"

"...Hey, are you listening to me?"

Hermine, looking displeased, pulled on Yuri's cheek, which he was smiling about the additional order. She wasn't using much force, but she was clearly upset, and Yuri, not understanding why, looked troubled and said, "It hurts."

By the way, later, the profession of patissier was officially recognized as a cooking-related profession, and Lucia's sweets became a specialty during tea time.

By the way, professions can be discovered in this way.

They are discovered from ancient documents or ruins, recognized, and then revealed. I look forward to your comments and feedback.