Chapter 37

Then, let's meet again in Chapter 2.

Once I have accumulated a certain amount of writing, I will post it at a pace similar to Chapter 1.

"Sorry, I got a bit flustered. We're still in the middle of the course."

Chelsea blushed and let go of Jill, returning to her seat. Her tears had already subsided, and her breathing had calmed down.

"No, no. Let's move on to today's main dish!"

The first course served is the appetizer and aperitif. Next comes the pasta dish. The following dish is the main course, which can be either a meat or fish dish. The menu Jill chose is carpaccio.

"This is sea bream... You managed to get it well!"

The Dylarn Magic Kingdom borders the sea. The port cities are second only to the capital in prosperity, and there are many fishing villages outside the cities, so the circulation of seafood is also high. Moreover, magic is involved.

The fish can be transported to the city by being ice-packed in seawater, allowing it to be enjoyed not only as preserved food but also as a delicacy like sashimi. Even without the magic power to freeze tanks or barrels at once, it is possible to make a lot of ice with a few people who have knowledge of magic and put it into ice pots for transportation.

However, because magic is involved, it is relatively more expensive and limited in quantity compared to the meat of sheep or pigs. But this time, Matthew had persuaded a merchant who dealt with food supplies.

"Yes. I used a bit of Matthew's connections... No, I didn't go to the port town. A fisherman from a fishing village caught and froze it, and it happened to enter the market."

"This is a treat. Isn't it!"

"Yeah!"

Lauren and Tina were happily excited.

Seeing their faces, Jill felt relieved. Jill was not as familiar with fish dishes as with other dishes. She had learned basic techniques like filleting and skinning from Conrad, but had few opportunities to practice. If it had been a flatfish or a sea bream, she would have considered changing the menu.

After filleting the sea bream and slicing it like sashimi, Jill did not do much else. She simply drizzled some olive oil, vinegar, and a little lime juice.

"The fat is good. This is a fine sea bream..."

"The ingredients are good, aren't they?"

When Tina praised it, it was a guarantee of genuine evaluation. Jill secretly smiled.

"Feels nostalgic... Oh, right. Conrad once tried to make 'shoyu' for fish, and it was a bit of a hassle."

"Shoyu?"

"Jill, you don't know about it?"

Jill had an idea. It was a term that often appeared in the fish-related cookbooks in 'Acacia.'

"Well, I think it's a black seasoning...? I'm not very familiar with it. I've never tasted it either."

"He was making all sorts of seasonings, but no one had ever tasted shoyu, so we didn't know what it was. It turned out to be a failure in the end."

"Wow... Sounds interesting. I'd like to know more about what kind of trouble Uncle went through."

"Hey, I don't think it's a good idea to dig into embarrassing stories."

"Please, just a little more."

At first, Lauren was hesitant, but various stories came up.

Besides trying to make shoyu, there were other things like competing with the head chef of the best restaurant in town and various other troubles, big and small. Also, not all of Conrad's recipes were accepted, and some were met with resistance, causing him to feel regret.

Each story brought Conrad's face vividly to Jill's mind. His troubled face, his smiling face, his triumphant face, and his embarrassed face when he failed. Indeed, he had lived in this house and this town.

Jill quietly accepted, imagined, and enjoyed this realization. Before she knew it, time had passed, and the plates were empty.

"They were all delicious... It reminded me of the past. Was it following Conrad's course?"

"Ah, so it was a course like that?"

"...You didn't know?"

Lauren looked surprised.

"Uncle didn't leave any documents or records about cooking... I learned everything by word of mouth. There were explanations about courses and etiquette, but they were for the diners, not specific methods or menus."

Jill smiled wryly. But Lauren's doubts deepened.

"Then, how did you put together the course?"

"Well... For the appetizer, Uncle often made similar dishes. The ingredients varied depending on what was available, but he almost always included pumpkin. To me, potage meant pumpkin."

"...What?"

"I wondered why. Even though we could get corn and potatoes, he had a strange fondness for pumpkin. I finally understood when Maureen occasionally made pumpkin soup."

Conrad wanted to convey something about his life in this town in some form. But he couldn't tell them about the books of 'Acacia' that were passed down in this house. As a result, he conveyed it to Jill through various dishes.

"The next dish, Cacio e Pepe, is a basic pasta dish that doesn't exist in Shelland or this country. It's a traditional dish from a distant foreign country that doesn't exist on this island."

"Ah, I remember. He said it was a dish from a country called Italy."

"On the other hand, this carpaccio is a bit mixed."

"Mixed?"

"Actually, carpaccio was originally a meat dish. It involved thinly slicing and pounding beef fillet, then seasoning and eating it raw."

"I didn't know that. Where did you learn it?"

"Uncle mentioned it when he was drunk."

This was partly a lie. Jill had heard that carpaccio was not originally a fish dish, but she hadn't heard the specific origin.

In the 666 books of 'Acacia,' Jill included genres other than handicrafts. There were a few books on Italian cuisine and Japanese cooking techniques, where she learned about the origin of carpaccio.

"Carpaccio was passed on to a country where they don't eat raw beef but do eat raw fish. From there, it was reverse-imported, and 'fish carpaccio' became the standard."

"I remember hearing that raw fish isn't commonly eaten on the continent."

"He valued traditional techniques and dishes passed down from the past, but he also loved dishes that deviated a bit from the norm and creative variations. I tried to remember Uncle's whimsical side when putting together the menu."

"I remember now."

Lauren murmured contentedly. Beside her, Chelsea began to cry softly, remembering the past.

Seeing this, Jill felt as if a long period of mourning had ended.

She could finally accept the fact that he was gone by retracing his footsteps.

At the castle, she was reminded every morning that Conrad was no longer there. When she was heard whispering his name, it was followed by a scolding. At night, she would borrow the kitchen to seek out Conrad's remnants and was mocked for "playing the role of a maid." Seeking his remnants gradually became a way to keep Conrad's expressions and movements from fading from her memory.

But now, she could remember Conrad anytime without doing such things.

Because there were people to mourn with her.

"Good meal. Thank you, Jill."

"Yeah, there's one more dessert. Today, it's macarons."

Jill and Maureen set the table with tea and macarons. They chatted warmly, reminiscing about the deceased. The children nibbled on the sweets, their faces beaming with joy.

"Running a general store is good, but serving meals like this is also nice."

"Hey, why not do it? If you need any help, just let me know. Running a restaurant or a café can be fun."

"That's right. Not many people can brew such delicious tea."

Lauren's words were met with a nod from Chelsea. They enjoyed the dessert together in a solemn manner.

Dessert is the aftertaste of a satisfying meal. This aftertaste seeps into the body and mind like music.

"Hmm... It seems like it could be done without interfering with my main job."

Jill's casual response was met with a faint hope from the people around her.

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