LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 51
After Wintersend, many people had to return to their dull routines, and for these countless individuals, the tasting event was a constant source of stimulation and shock.
Even those who couldn’t attend the event due to circumstances couldn’t call it a lie.
After all, there were plenty of people who had tasted it in response to Karem’s provocation.
And the audience watching it was certainly not just one or two people.
And thus, curiosity arose.
However, they couldn’t satisfy their curiosity immediately.
“No, is there no Fire Witch Finger here as well?”
“There’s none! None at all! It’s freezing to death, what kind of madness is this?”
That was to be expected.
Due to its peculiar intense spiciness, even pharmacists and healers refrain from using it as medicine because it contains small amounts of poison.
There were indeed occasional searches by local wizards and alchemists, but unlike other magical/alchemical materials, it rarely showed up outside the city, making it not particularly expensive.
The quantities held by Winterhome and Catherine were reborn as Flower of and cubed radish.
At least the items in Coldon had all been used for the tasting event and were in short supply.
The best way to attract people’s attention is to create a sense of scarcity.
And those who sensed this deficiency thought.
“Oh, this could be worth money!”
Thus, the first to act were the merchants and adventurers.
“Wow. I never thought the day would come when Fire Witch Finger would be worth money.”
“Hey! Stop talking nonsense and get your eyes cleared up!”
“Alright! Seriously. What’s the rush? Be careful!”
Kuh-huh-huh!
Even if the outer castle walls in midwinter are equally dangerous, there’s no business that can resist the allure of shining gold coins.
Before long, Fire Witch Finger began to flow into Coldon.
And the curiosity that had been rampant in Coldon quickly turned into a trend and spread up and down.
“Ughhh…! W-What! It’s bearable, hee-!”
“Hah, not spicy at all? My mouth feels like it’s on fire!!!!!!”
“Huff! Huff! One more bite! Huff! Huff! One more bite!!!”
The cause of this spread was none other than the audience being influenced by Karem?
More precisely, it was the men of Coldon who had been unable to participate in the earlier tasting.
Naturally, flames erupting from the mouths of those who had eaten was expected.
And the ones who had tasted it previously added oil to the fire.
“Ha! A man from Coldon, no, from Iceland should be able to handle at least this much!!!”
“You still haven’t tasted it? That’s why I prepared it for you! Fresh and crunchy Fire Witch Finger!”
“Are you saying you won’t eat it? I went out of my way to fetch it for you!?”
Those who had suffered the pain from the Fire Witch Finger were armed with the mentality that they couldn’t be the only ones to suffer and eagerly coerced those who hadn’t eaten into it under the guise of encouragement.
And thus, those who were “coerced” repeated the cycle of forcing those who hadn’t eaten to eat again, completing an infinite loop.
And, as expected, this vicious trend was also spreading to the nobles.
“You there. Make a dish with this fruit.”
“Excuse me? My lord? You mean this red fruit?”
However, it wasn’t suitable for the noble who could not eat the raw fruit of something that they couldn’t even tell whether it was a vegetable or a spice.
The chefs employed by the nobility, faced with the sudden appearance of the rumored Fire Witch Finger, writhed in unexpected pain.
And realizing that there were many like them, the chefs secretly gathered in one place to discuss.
“Huff! Huff! Damn, you can’t compare this to onions or garlic.”
“Isn’t it more like a spice that is the love child of a demon and pepper? What on earth are we supposed to do with this?”
“Oh my god. I’ve heard that monsters either freak out or go berserk after eating this, and now I see why.”
Anyway, since they had to make something with the Fire Witch Finger, the chefs continued to complain while tasting the peppery, demon-like fruits.
Even though it was an ingredient they never would have imagined.
But the chefs decided to think differently.
“After all, it’s not unusual for employers to suddenly present strange ingredients or requirements, is it? Let’s think hard about its uses.”
The spiciness of the pepper will eventually become familiar.
So they did just that.
As time passed and the fiery sensations in their mouths began to subside, several quite plausible ideas started to arise among the gathered chefs.
“This spiciness. Hah! If we just adjust the amount, it could add a great stimulus to common flavors.”
“Regardless of anything else, it’s certain we need to add honey or sugar for use. No, perhaps it’d be better to use jam instead?”
“Ahhh!? My eyes! My nooowwn!? I accidentally rubbed my eyes…..!!!!!”
“Ugh. I can’t quite capture the off-flavors, but I’ll definitely have to use other spices as well.”
“With a color this rich, it’s rather fascinating.”
“What good is sweetness alone? There’s a lack of sourness. We should test everything from vinegar to lemon and lime.”
And thus, the chefs put their tongues and passion to the test with the Fire Witch Finger, incorporating it into their dishes, and it made its way to the tables of employers — nobles and power holders as well as merchants.
“Could it be— you say this is delicious? I can’t tell at all due to the pain in my tongue…”
“Come on, you’re saying you only had a bite the size of a fingernail? That’s rather unmanly of you, don’t you think?”
“Bring everything on the plate here!!!”
Trends flow from the top down.
Just like how the queen’s chef’s Bechamel sauce became foundational to almost all Western cuisine, it began to spread throughout Coldon.
“Ahem! Hrum! You. The stew seems quite spicy today, doesn’t it?”
“Why? Is the hangover stew I carefully cooked for you unworthy for someone who came in drunk? Surely you’re not— being unmanly and saying it’s too spicy to eat-”
“Who said they can’t eat because it’s spicy! Goodness! Hooroorough! Gah! One more bowl!”
Of course, half of them were sacrificial lambs, forced to eat out of their wounded pride, with no chance to refuse.
Not to mention that their wives were also a bit riled up.
But in the end, the fiery spiciness of the tongue tends to be what the brain wants.
Especially when such spiciness can be expected to become familiar.
Furthermore, how could one refuse such a new stimulus in an exceedingly dull routine?
“Hmm! Oh! This stimulation felt on the tongue!”
“Why is this painfully stimulating sensation so addictive!?”
“I added less of the Fire Witch Powder and added honey wine for a smoother taste. It should be a bit gentler.”
“Let’s devour this spicy nightmare and blow away the fatigue!”
“Huff! Even in winter, it’s so hot I might just die!”
And thus, the people of Coldon lost their aversion almost immediately due to their pride and the realization that they couldn’t be the only ones suffering, and to the surprisingly addictive stimulation.
Naturally, this trend started to flow back into the heart of Coldon.
Winterhome.
*
*
Whenever giant snowflakes as big as fists piled down from the gloomy evening sky of Iceland, the oven in the kitchen of the Wizard’s Tower was growing cold.
Normally, the fire would be blazing in the oven and stove, filling the air with the clear sounds of metal clashing against the cutting board.
The kitchen, which should have been hot and noisy in preparation for dinner, resembled a snowy night with not a single breeze passing through.
The reason was simple.
Karem wasn’t in the kitchen right now.
Then why was the cook not in the kitchen?
The reason was even simpler.
He wasn’t in the Wizard’s Tower at that moment.
Karem was currently in the Great Hall of the family mansion with Catherine and Mary.
During that time, Catherine’s work had piled up so much that she simply couldn’t spare the time.
But now that all the backlog had been cleared up, the three residing in the Wizard’s Tower were obliged to attend dinner, according to the long-standing tradition of Winterhome.
“Karem, junior.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Looking at this sight, what thoughts come to your mind?”
Karem couldn’t bring himself to answer her question.
Seeing his silence, Catherine crossed her arms and nodded.
“Right. I understand. I feel the same way.”
“Sir Atanitas?”
“Don’t call me that. Little brat, you’ve unleashed a deadly poison into the heart of Winterhome.”
The Great Hall was the widest indoor space in the mansion of Winterhome.
Thanks to its characteristics, it served as an audience room, reception room, and restaurant all in one.
The Great Hall, which shared the history of the Felwinter family, was filled with a familiar aroma for Karem.
Specifically, that spicy scent that stimulates the nasal passages.
You could say that pepper was generously used, but faintly spicy aromas wafted through many of the main dishes, excluding the bread and desserts.
And the people were eating those dishes, dripping with sweat.
Catherine was indeed right.
Karem realized that he had unleashed a deadly poison.
Upon reflection, it was quite a strange situation.
Even in modern times where spiciness is widely popular, it was obvious that it is a matter of preference.
Unless they were laced with some kind of drug, such a uniform response shouldn’t exist.
Catherine also agreed on this.
However.
“There was nothing at all that could be classified as an addictive potion or drug. Not even hallucinogenic mushrooms or posies.”
“And yet, such reactions are occurring?”
“Exactly. They are purely eating it because it’s delicious.”
“Then…”
There was only one answer.
Karem turned his head.
At the very back of the Great Hall, the members of the Felwinter family continued to eat, all expressing exclamations of wonder.
Together with some servants, Chef Zigmeser was personally serving the dishes.
Upon locking eyes with Alfred as he threw a spicy Ice Worm pie onto the bright red plate of the blushing Alicia, he winked as if to ask how it tasted.
The people’s reactions were, in some ways understandably so.
Being the head chef of Winterhome meant he was the leading figure in the culinary scene of Coldon.
In addition, combined with a dwarf’s characteristic craftsmanship.
Familiar flavors can be terrifying, but unfamiliar ones tend to provoke.
Even if they had never heard of flavors they didn’t like, Zigmeser’s skill had now added varying degrees of spiciness to the dishes.
It was only natural that people caught off guard by the sudden new stimulation in a familiar taste would lose their composure.
“This is definitely much more edible than the pickles you made before, little one.”
“I can’t sense it at all myself.”
From the rich red oil floating in the stew, the spicy-sweet sauce drizzled over grilled dishes, to the mountain of poultry that glimmered in reddish-brown.
Every main dish that Mary presented was spicy to her.
It wasn’t quite to the point of being inedible, but what on earth was going on prior?
“Is your taste skewed?”
“Rather, I’ve grown accustomed to it. Here, just a moment.”
Calling out to a servant, one rushed over and served a spicy Ice Worm pie on his plate with both hands.
The tender meat, lovingly cooked and enveloped in a seasoning made from various herbs, spices, and onions, radiated a brilliant red hue.
The golden layers of pastry visible from the crisp pie filled the senses even by mere sight.
Karem immediately picked up a piece of the pie and took a big bite.
Crisp! The texture was crunchy but had no resistance; it was a contradictory sensation.
The savory pastry and the rich Ice Worm meat, combined with the spices, made it feel not oily at all.
However.
“Still, I can’t say I understand it.”
The spiciness was not well pronounced as the aroma suggested.
It felt like the pepper had just come out for a quick bath, offering a light warmth.
If it were Karem from his past life, he might’ve jokingly remarked that there was nothing spicy about this at all.
As Karem focused on dinner, Mary spoke up for him.
“Karem, junior. That taste of yours is a bit abnormal.”
“Hmm, I suppose that’s the case.”
“Yes. Admitting it, aren’t you?”
Yet Karem realized something.
Or rather, it was more accurate to say that he remembered.
When it comes to cooking, it shouldn’t be just about satisfying your own taste; you should consider the preferences of others as well.
He had forgotten the most basic principle.
Then tomorrow, the only thing he would prepare would be just that.
Because at least there wouldn’t be anyone saying it’s inedible.
That uniquely sticky, sweet-sour but savory and spicy sauce.
The tender insides, steamed to perfection in a crispy batter, bursting with moisture from the ingredients.
“If it’s seasoned chicken, there shouldn’t be anyone who dislikes it.”
“…Hey, brat.”
“Oh, unlike the cube radish, I’ll make sure that from now on, spicy dishes can be enjoyed by others as well!”