LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 78
Corvus guided the guests to a place with a table and a few stool chairs.
He then excused himself for a moment, asking for the guests’ understanding.
In the meantime, Karem quietly called out to Alicia, who was casually swinging her legs.
“Alicia, Alicia.”
“What is it?”
“Is it really okay for me to be here?”
“Huh? Me?”
“It can’t be Alicia. I’m talking about me. Me!”
Alicia tilted her head, drumming her fingers on the table.
“Karem, what’s the problem?”
“Is Corvus really a monster?”
“Yeah, that’s what Papa says. Hoary, hoaried… something like that.”
“Then can I really just come in here?”
Thoughts raced through Karem’s mind.
The monster managing the greenhouse, the valuable and rare plants, animals, and herbs that Alicia had described.
Well, it’s not uncommon for nobles or royals to run greenhouses or zoos, either in this life or the last. But here I am, entering without permission!
Alicia closed her eyes and crossed her arms, struggling inappropriately with her thoughts before opening her eyes.
“This Alicia, though only five years old, has an eye for people!”
Our princess. What on earth does that mean?
Under normal circumstances, I would have felt touched by her admirable words, but Alicia’s declaration did nothing to ease Karem’s anxiety.
While Karem was anxiously fidgeting around Alicia, Corvus approached from beyond the forest, holding a wooden plate.
“Since Princess Alicia has personally brought a second guest after a long time, I proudly present the most confident snack I can offer: date and walnut rolls. Bon appétit.”
What Corvus presented on the plate was just as he said.
It wasn’t anything particularly special.
It looked like stuffed dates filled with walnuts and heavily sprinkled with sugar, resembling the date pastries I had seen a few times in my past life.
“Did you develop this yourself?”
“Yes, I did.”
As soon as Corvus finished speaking, Alicia eagerly began munching on the date rolls.
However, Karem hesitated to take a bite.
Sugar on already sweet dates?
Even though they said they stuffed it with walnuts, Karem could only imagine how sweet it would be!
“Uh, do you perhaps not eat nuts?”
“N-No, I was just thinking about something else for a bit.”
But it would be ruder to just sit there.
Karem squeezed his eyes shut and popped a date and walnut roll into his mouth.
“Mm?”
The taste of the date and walnut roll was just as Karem had anticipated.
The piercing sweetness of the date and the savory flavor of the walnut, with its astringent taste completely removed, danced on his tongue.
However, the texture was unlike what he expected.
The coating didn’t dissolve in his mouth; instead, it rolled around, being crunchy and spreading the nutty taste throughout.
Snack? There was no snack this small, barely bigger than a grain of sand!
But as food? Karem knew of such a dish.
“Couscous?”
“Ah, you really do know your stuff, as expected! Indeed, it is couscous. I toasted it once to remove moisture and enhance the texture. It’s one of the few dishes I can confidently prepare.”
With a satisfying click of his beak, Corvus raised his wings.
Perhaps because of their size, the sharp claws and joints growing like fingers on the bat wings hadn’t caught Karem’s eye.
“Definitely sharp enough to grab food…”
“Just kidding! It’s merely my favorite snack: date and walnut rolls sprinkled with couscous.”
“I have no idea which rhythm I should be following.”
“Caw! Caw! Caw!”
Delighted with Karem’s reaction and feeling pleased with his own joke, Corvus laughed—or rather, cawed—heartily.
“By the way, how are the red witch’s fingers I entrusted to Princess Alicia growing?”
“Oh dear, it’s already grown as tall as my arm in just a few days! Huh? You entrusted it?”
“Indeed. Sorry for the late introduction! I am Corvus, the greenhouse manager.”
Corvus bowed with a dignified posture that matched his deep voice, perching on the stool like a bird in its nest.
“That’s a relief! Red witch’s fingers grow really well in their natural state, but they tend to be oddly finicky once they touch human hands. Though nothing’s impossible, I was a bit worried.”
“Oh… so it has that characteristic.”
Karem thought for a moment that it might be growing well because he had left the care of the plants to Mary. Unbeknownst to him, Corvus clicked his beak.
“And the person I entrusted it to is said to be the most famous cook in the castle. I was curious to see your skills, so I may have asked Alicia a little…”
“Mm!?”
Suddenly, the conversation turned back to him, and the culprit stuffing the round dates and walnut rolls into her cheeks like a squirrel blinked in surprise.
Alicia gulped down the contents of her mouth and flustered, said, “I-I will surely apologize to you, Corvus, for that mistake! But!”
“Huh?”
“It’s also Karem’s fault for spilling such amazing snacks!”
Are you seriously shifting the blame here?
Regardless of Karem’s confusion, Alicia was earnest.
“I was going to remember it until I found Karem while wandering the tower. I had only remembered it until I caught a whiff of that sweet and savory smell. Suddenly, I couldn’t resist a new snack filled with loads of sandy turtle dates!”
What had seemed like an attempt to shift blame was slowly turning into Alicia’s self-justification.
Her excuse, which was not quite an excuse, continued for quite a while until Corvus brought out more date and walnut rolls.
“By the way, about the red witch’s fingers you gave me. So you are growing them in abundance in the greenhouse?”
As Alicia’s interest began to wane, Karem quickly asked Corvus.
“That’s right. Under the orders of Duke Felwinter, we’re cultivating a large quantity of red witch’s fingers in a part of the greenhouse. The results are good so far. Are you interested?”
“Of course!”
“Will Alicia be joining us?”
Eagerly inhaling the supplementary snacks like a pink steamed bun alien, Alicia nodded her head in reply.
As Corvus stood to lead the way, Karem quickly followed suit.
Naturally, Alicia stuffed the remaining snacks into her cheeks and hurried after the group.
Guiding Karem and Alicia, Corvus said, “Under Duke Felwinter’s command, we are focusing on increasing the numbers of red witch’s fingers in the greenhouse. Since the trend is becoming an integral part of Icelandic culture rather than fading away, merely harvesting from the wild has started leading to a supply shortage.”
“A supply shortage? Does that mean prices will go up?”
“Still cheaper than imported spices, but yes.”
It was obvious why a supply shortage was occurring.
Spices with strong aromas and flavors like pepper and ginger had to rely solely on imports from the East.
While they were not quite as expensive as genuine gold like the spices of medieval times, they were nonetheless difficult for commoners to obtain.
But what was this?
A spice that could grow in this cold, harsh Iceland exists!
Ever since Karem demonstrated the non-toxicity of fire witch’s fingers last winter, Coldon had been inhaling fire witch’s fingers from all around, creating a trend that spread to nearby villages, towns, and territories.
Moreover, it even had a warming effect.
It was so effective that one could work up a sweat even in the harsh winter of Iceland, causing hoarding factions to emerge.
“Beyond this greenhouse, the Felwinter family’s direct territories are likely cultivating red witch’s fingers without exception. Here we are.”
In a spacious clearing, there was a cluster of plants adorned with ripe red witch’s fingers.
As Corvus had introduced himself as the greenhouse manager, the plants and fruits looked exceptionally fresh. Even in the gloomy weather, they thrived vibrantly.
“Is the red witch’s finger growing like this?”
“To create the optimal environment, we keep only specific areas cold like the winter in Iceland.”
“Are those glowing rods at the corners of the cluster?”
“Indeed. Would you like to take a closer look?”
Karem approached the cluster as Corvus suggested.
Up close, he saw that the ends of the rods were glowing blue, engraved with unknown characters.
Karem slid his hand into the inside of the cluster.
The biting cold of the Icelandic winter pierced right through him.
“Yikes!”
“I’ve confirmed that it grows robustly even in spring, summer, and autumn, but it seems to thrive the most in winter, producing red witch’s fingers of the highest quality.”
Corvus, who had been boasting proudly, suddenly let out a deep sigh.
“Ha, I wished to experience the incredible talent that sparked a trend in Coldon in just one day, expanding into Iceland. What a pity.”
“Cough! Corvus, was that a mistake?”
“I forgave you long ago, but there’s no helping disappointment.”
In an instant, Corvus brought back a glass of water from somewhere and gently held Alicia’s back, helping her drink slowly.
Speaking of which, he just wanted to taste my food.
Hearing that, Karem could no longer remain silent.
Especially since Corvus had generously shared how to cultivate and propagate red witch’s finger seedlings. He owed him.
Of course, it was more Mary who had taken care of them than Karem, but that wasn’t particularly important.
Karem reached for one of the short and stout red witch’s fingers from the leafy stem, the same kind he had received from Alicia.
“Given how disappointed you are, I can’t just sit idly by.”
“Ah, I didn’t mean to say it to Chef Karem! I was merely saying it for fun to tease Princess Alicia!”
“Corvus?!”
“Oh dear, what a pity.”
Seeing Corvus get all upset made Alicia panic, starting to look like a puppy that had done something wrong.
Watching that, Karem couldn’t help but chuckle and shook his head.
“No, it’s true. I was invited but came empty-handed, so it’s enough just to use this in cooking. Plus, I have something I want to try out.”
“Hmm? Are you talking about the red witch’s finger?”
“Rather, I’m referring to this short, stout one that has a mild spicy taste and a strong grassy aroma, which also has a good texture.”
Karem offered up the squat and plump red witch’s finger, which looked like a bell pepper.
Seeing that, Corvus scratched his beak with his fingertips.
“This is a serious matter.”
“What?”
“If you want to do something with the plants from the greenhouse, aside from me and the members of the Felwinter family, you’ll need Duke’s grace. Yet, you took the fruit without authorization like this…”
“…Am I going to be punished?”
“Certainly. Your hand will be cut off.”
Losing strength in Karem’s hand, the stout red fruit fell to the ground and rolled away.
Hearing that, even Alicia’s complexion turned pale.
“Of course, I’m joking. I have appropriate rights for the proper use of byproducts from the greenhouse. Caw! Caw! Caw!”
Corvus cawed with puffed feathers around his neck.
Seeing that, Karem couldn’t help but shout.
“You were lying!”
“What do you mean lying? It’s just a joke. A joke. Caw!”
“Corvus!”
“Ouch, miss.”
As if to vent Karem’s frustrations, Alicia charged at Corvus, swinging her fist in an attempt to pluck his feathers.
However, she astounding failed to inflict any damage on him.