Chapter 41

【Light Sphere】

Jill, who had entered the building, cast a spell.

Then, a small sphere-like object was created in the palm of Jill's hand.

It emitted light and rose toward the ceiling, floating like a feather.

The light sphere illuminated the interior of the building in white, making it seem as if it were daytime.

"Hey, Jill, can you use that kind of magic?"

"Uh, yeah... I guess this is the first time I've shown it to you."

At that moment, Jill was completely unconscious. She felt like, "Oh, it's dark, I need to turn on the light," and chose a more convenient spell than just a simple [Light] magic. But she thought that explaining it as "a spell I used in a dream that worked in reality" would be confusing, so she brushed it off casually.

"Anyway, where do you think the suspicious thing is? There should be a magical artifact that serves as the demon's core..."

"If it's suspicious, it's probably the counter, right?"

"Alright, let's check it out."

Jill casually placed her hand on the counter.

The cool sensation of the wood immediately made her pull her hand away.

"Ah, the magic reacted. Everyone, be quiet."

As Jill spoke, something strange happened.

A dark, mist-like substance appeared from under the counter.

"Ah!?"

Carol, about to scream, was silenced by Jill's finger to her lips.

"It's okay, it won't harm you. Please be quiet."

"Y-Yes..."

"Thank you. Please, speak up."

Jill, without any fear, prompted the mist-like substance to speak.

"Don't move..."

"Okay, I won't move."

"Don't move..."

"What's your name?"

"Don't move..."

"What's the name of your creator?"

"Don't move..."

Jill continued to ask various questions.

But the black mist showed no reaction.

It didn't attack, but it also didn't show any signs of speaking anything other than "Don't move."

However, Jill began to have a certain conviction.

"Are you Roger Brown?"

The name Jill mentioned was that of the deceased owner.

But even after revealing this, the black mist gave no response.

"Don't move..."

"Is this wrong...? Then I need to think more simply..."

"Um, Jill, are you okay?"

Matthew, worried, asked.

But Jill, focused on what was in front of her, answered without turning to Matthew.

"I'll try a few more words. If that doesn't work, we'll start over."

"Ha... Okay."

"Alright... 'I am Roger Brown.'"

"..."

"No, that's not right. Brown is the surname he took after becoming a commoner... maybe the surname he had when he fell... 'I am Roger Andromarius.'"

"Roger Andromarius. Please provide your date of birth for verification."

"Star Calendar 519, Ice Month, 13th."

When Jill gave the date, a change occurred.

The black mist turned into a faintly glowing green.

"Security function, temporarily suspended."

"Hehehe, using your name and date of birth as a password is a bit too easy for a demon creator. But creating a demon that can respond so properly is very impressive."

Jill, with a triumphant smile, stroked the green mist.

The mist remained passive, showing no hostility.

Matthew, timidly, asked a question.

"Um, Jill. Does this mean... a password was needed?"

"Yes, that's right. It seems there was a function to warn with magic if someone didn't say the password. I read in a book that, in such cases, stating one's name is the most common."

"I see..."

Matthew, who seemed less afraid, approached and closely examined the green mist.

"Is this what it means to have intelligence without a soul? This demon was judging based solely on whether the password was said, regardless of the person's appearance or voice."

"Yes. It can only perform set actions. If it were more complex, it could check bloodlines or distinguish by general appearance and voice quality. And it could increase the number of patterns like 'if this phrase is said, respond this way' to act more like a human."

"Indeed, you are very knowledgeable."

Matthew, impressed, let out a sigh of admiration.

Meanwhile, Carol was completely lost.

"Well, now we can move or renovate the counter."

Jill muttered, relieved.

But the demon, as if to dampen the mood, began to speak in a monotone.

"The storage is currently locked. To unlock or deactivate, an offering is required."

"Huh?"

"To unlock or deactivate, an offering is required."

The mist repeated the same words.

"Sorry, Jill. What does this mean...?"

"Probably... the function to issue warnings or repel intruders has stopped. But the function to 'lock' something is still active... that's what it means."

"Lock... It's like... guarding treasure, isn't it?"

"Well, the demon itself said 'storage,' so there must be something."

Jill patted and lightly tapped the counter.

But she tilted her head, puzzled.

"Hmm, I don't feel anything special..."

"Jill, can this counter be moved easily? It's too big, isn't it?"

"You're right."

"If something were hidden under it, it would be perfect, wouldn't it?"

"Ah, I see. Maybe there's something like a storage space under the floor...?"

Jill casually tapped the floor under the table.

Comparing the sound with other areas, it was indeed different.

There was some space here.

The three looked at each other silently and nodded.

"To unlock or deactivate, an offering is required."

"Got it, got it. Just wait a moment."

Jill, brushing off the mist's words, looked at Carol.

"What should we do?"

"Um, please handle it as you see fit."

Carol gave an ambiguous smile.

"Then, shall we investigate?"

"Leaving it as is and renovating would be bad, right? If it's valuable, it would be a problem, and if it's dangerous, it would be even worse."

"I agree. Let's continue the investigation."

Jill, saying this, turned to the mist and asked.

"Does the offering have to be anything specific?"

"Confectionery of Andromarius is desired."

"...Confectionery of Andromarius?"

All three were puzzled and tilted their heads.

◆

What the demon wanted as a cake was completely unknown at the time.

In the end, they decided to disperse for the day.

The next day, Jill decided to head to the restaurant 'Rosinante.' She thought the owner, Laurent, might know about magical cakes.

"Confectionery of Andromarius. Well, I know what I know."

As Jill expected, Laurent nodded, saying he knew. But he stroked his bald head and had a somewhat reluctant expression.

"You know... but you have a subtle look on your face."

"I really only know what I know. I can't just go in and out of a rival store, and I only ate it once, though I was curious."

"Ah, I see."

"The only thing I can say is that it was truly beyond imagination. Even Conrad praised it without reservation."

"Really? That good?"

Jill was genuinely surprised.

It wasn't just that her uncle Conrad had praised it.

Jill knew that Laurent was a highly skilled chef.

For him to praise someone else's cake as if he had completely conceded defeat was significant.

"Right... how should I describe that mysterious cake..."

"Does it use some special ingredients?"

"No. It's a regular appareil... a mixture of eggs and milk, like a custard. It's the same as a pudding. Well, you can add various toppings and flavorings."

"Like a pudding?"

"I can't express it well. Ah, right. Hey, Mars! Come here for a moment!"

A voice, somewhere between a child's and an adult's, replied, "Sure."

Then, the sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed.

"Ah, hello, Jill."

Mars, Laurent's son, descended from the second floor and greeted her politely. His gentle face resembled Laurent's, but his slender build and abundant hair were different.

"Mars, do you remember the cake from Andromarius? You liked it a lot when you were a kid, right?"

"Roger's place? I remember, but it was when I was three or four years old."

"Even a partial memory is fine. Explain to them what the cake was like."

"Hmm... how should I put it?"

Mars scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"Sorry, Mars."

"No, it's okay... The taste itself wasn't particularly unusual. I remember there was a sponge on top, custard in the middle... and the bottom part was like a firm pudding... I think."

"I see, a three-layer cake."

"No, that's not it."

Jill muttered, but Mars shook his head.

"Huh?"

"It's not separate. As you eat, you realize the sponge turns into custard, and the custard turns into pudding. There are no distinct layers."

"...Why?"

"I don't know... I wish I could recreate it, but I can't."

Mars sighed, throwing up his hands.

Jill became even more confused.

"Laurent, you mentioned using an appareil. Do you know the recipe?"

"Yes. A long time ago, when Roger was dying, I visited him, and he taught me a bit. He said he didn't use any special ingredients. I don't think he used anything unusual, based on the taste. But he didn't tell me how to bake it or what kind of effort was involved."

Laurent said this with a somewhat regretful look.

"Indeed, sponge and pudding aren't unusual ingredients... but...?"

"I thought it was a sponge and pudding baked separately with cream in between, but it's different. The layers were strangely blended, creating an interesting texture."

"The layers are blended. No distinct layers. ...The mystery deepens."

"I think there's some trick. I'd love to see this cake again. But why are you investigating this cake?"

"Ah, that's..."

Jill hesitated. "I'll offer it to a demon" was a difficult explanation.

So Jill explained that she was thinking of renting the building where 'Café Andromarius' used to be. She mentioned the 'demon' vaguely but explained that the cake was needed to calm the spirit.

"Jill, I don't understand much about ghosts or spirits... but if the spirit disturbance calms down, does that mean the spirit can rest?"

"No... I can't say for sure if it can rest. I'm not an expert on ghosts or souls."

"Hmm?"

Laurent looked puzzled at Jill.

"But the building is spreading bad rumors, and I can improve that situation. I can assert that Roger didn't hate and curse people after his death, and I can prove it."

Jill didn't have any particular attachment to the deceased.

It was just a matter of following through, and her intellectual curiosity about demons and fascination with the counter were not insignificant. But she had no intention of giving up and saying it wasn't worth it.

"Probably, the owner of the café, Roger, had something he wanted to protect even after his death. I'm probably the only one who can protect it and pass it on to the heirs. So, I'll do my best."

"Alright..."

"Also, I feel sorry for the heir. I can relate to inheriting a haunted house."

Laurent laughed and then, with a serious expression, said:

"If that's the case, I'll do my best to help. We weren't close friends, but we were rivals."

"Ah, right..."

Jill remembered the story Carol had told her.

In this area, three stores competed for dominance.

The café 'Andromarius.'

The dining bar 'Red Eyebrow.'

And the restaurant 'Rosinante.'

"Let's try to recreate it. The Andromarius cake."

"Sure!"

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