LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 80
Szzzzzz—
As soon as the oven opened, a burst of scorching heat erupted outward.
The sound of sizzling began to spread around the nest, pushing through the air like a wave.
Bzzzzzz, sizzle—
In the tray, bacon wrapped around the Fire Witch Finger was bubbling up rapidly in the pool of bacon grease, crackling and frying.
With every gentle vibration, the oil splashed as if responding to the stimulus, causing the bacon enveloping the Paprus to fry vigorously.
Under the intense heat, the bacon curled into a rich brown, and cream cheese started to ooze out from between the gaps of the Fire Witch Finger, unable to hold its own.
But the oven’s heat wasn’t going to let that be.
The cream cheese that escaped from the crevices of the Fire Witch Finger and bacon began to lose its moisture, clearly roasted by the heat coming from all sides.
The cream cheese turned a light brown and stuck to the bacon, melding with the melted fat released from the bacon as it sizzled further.
Some bits were stuck, while others dripped down, forming a cheesy crust—the sight enough to make even the one who opened the oven swallow nervously.
“Oh no, this might burn completely at this rate.”
Snapping out of his daze, Karem quickly pulled the tray containing the Paprus out.
Fortunately, Karem’s worries turned out to be unfounded.
The color of the bacon surrounding the Paprus was a dull brown, likely due to the dimness in the oven, yet in the light of the gloomy greenhouse, it appeared a bright brown, frying in the bacon grease.
Karem was slightly worried, realizing perhaps too much cream cheese had leaked out from the numerous Paprus, but thanks to the bacon grease, the crust formed beautifully and didn’t stick to the tray.
“Your Highness Alicia, this tray just came out of the oven. It’s dangerous to get too close!”
“But Corvus! That color! That smell! Isn’t it too much to tell me to hold back after seeing and smelling that?!”
“If you say so, Karem. Please hurry, before the princess gets even more restless.”
Without waiting for a response, Karem swiftly transferred the Paprus to a pre-prepared wooden dish with tongs.
“Ow!”
“Hey Karem, weren’t you being careful?”
Karem winced as the hot bacon grease splattered at Alicia’s scolding, his cheek twitching slightly.
Who do you think is making me move this fast anyway?
Yet instead of arguing, Karem decided to stack all the Paprus on the wooden plate before more bacon grease splattered.
“Hmm, honestly, I was a bit reluctant about using the Fire Witch Finger due to its raw scent, but seeing it cooked like this gives off a unique aroma.”
“Raw scent? You mean the Fire Witch Finger has that kind of smell?”
“Well, I’m a monster and all, so my senses here are quite a bit sharper than most others.”
As he said this, Corvus tapped the two nostrils near the root of his beak with his claws.
Raw scent? Karem paused for a moment, before he quickly pieced it together.
If it’s the raw scent of the green pepper, then it definitely varies according to people’s tastes.
People sometimes tolerate eating cucumber, but rarely can they stand the smell of the green pepper.
So it wasn’t surprising a monster, whose senses are quite sharper than humans, couldn’t handle it.
But wait, do crows have food preferences too? No, maybe being a monster is just different?
Karem contemplated Corvus’s species deeply.
On the table prepared by Corvus, the dishes were stacked like a pyramid.
“Your Highness Alicia, here’s a fork.”
“Ah! I can’t hold back any longer!”
Alicia snatched the fork off the table, rapidly stabbing into the apex of the pyramid, like an owl zeroing in on its prey.
“Yum!”
The first bite started with the bacon wrapped around the Paprus.
As it entered her mouth, the bacon added a crispy texture and nuttiness that shattered like a crumbling mountain.
Then came the Fire Witch Finger encased in the bacon.
With a crunch, Alicia thought she might have made a mistake.
As she unconsciously reached for the appealing smell, the item in her mouth happened to be the whole Fire Witch Finger, yet it wasn’t that spicy at all?
On the contrary, as the unique taste and raw scent faded away, a delightful flavor resembling sweet onions, garlic, and nuts mingled with hints of smoky firewood began to spread in Alicia’s mouth.
And as the two outer shells tore apart, the cream cheese burst out explosively, beginning to take over her mouth.
The greasy sensation of bacon and dairy was long overshadowed by the meager spiciness that lingered from the Fire Witch Finger.
With each bite, the bacon pieces kept releasing their delightful taste.
“Yum! Mmm!”
“Hmm, I wonder if the flavor is as good as the smell.”
“Princess Alicia’s reaction is the answer.”
“Oh, the princess does that even when eating regular cookies.”
Corvus dug around the Paprus with his fork, moving it around lightly before dropping it into his beak.
And, just like a person chewing food, he began to open and close his beak.
‘Isn’t it strange that a crow with a beak does not swallow whole…?’
While Karem was intensely curious about how their skull structure was, he dismissed it as he saw Corvus earnestly savoring the Paprus.
“Wow, the raw scent really disappeared. Rather, this unique flavor is quite intriguing.”
“Doesn’t it taste all right?”
Corvus nodded rapidly, moving his beak in agreement.
“Is the cream cheese? There shouldn’t be any nuts in it, right?”
“Yeah. But why…?”
“Well, it seems like the flavor of walnuts or pine nuts is coming through. And this unique taste… what on earth is it?”
Honestly, Karem felt a bit uneasy.
Humans have selective taste due to various reasons such as taste buds and genetic backgrounds; it was hard to guess what kind of taste a monster like Corvus would have.
But thankfully, Corvus’s species seemed to share a similar sense of taste with humans.
Before long, Corvus pushed the fork aside and began picking up the Paprus one by one with his claws to stuff them into his beak.
Though not as quick as Alicia, it was still quite impressive.
By the way, nuts? Could it be that something went bad?
It wasn’t until Karem finished eating the Paprus that he understood.
The crispiness of the bacon and the density of the cream cheese.
Aside from that, every time the Fire Witch Finger crunched, he could distinctly taste the roasted tomato, garlic, onion, and various nuts wafting through.
Then added to that was the strong charred note from the oven.
Karem had recognized this exquisite flavor and aroma from his past life.
Romesco
A typical Spanish national sauce made from roasting and peeling off the skin of red peppers and tomatoes, mixed with various nuts and spices.
He never imagined he would catch a hint of tomato in a place like this.
At this moment, he was more than certain that the Fire Witch Finger was entirely different from a pepper.
“It must all be converging through evolutionary adaptation.”
“I don’t know about the spiciness, but there’s definitely a warm energy spreading from head to tip of my beak.”
“Even if it’s a mutant Fire Witch Finger, at the end of the day it’s still a Fire Witch Finger. Removing the flesh and seeds makes it less spicy.”
“Ah, so that’s why?”
The hottest parts of peppers are their seeds and central cores.
It seemed that the Fire Witch Finger, adapted similarly, shared that characteristic as well.
Of course, despite being a monster, Corvus didn’t seem to mind the spice, considering it fit to follow the trend of enjoying the Paprus.
“Corvus! Are you seriously eating that much by yourself—?”
“Oh, Your Highness Alicia! Do you feel that addictive umami taste in this nut or garlic, not to mention the onion?”
“It’s slightly sour yet sweet, that umami feeling?”
“Yes, that umami feeling! If the seeds from the variant that Karem prepared, what flavors could arise from it?”
At Corvus’s words, Karem paused while munching on the Paprus, tilting his head in curiosity.
“Are you referring to crossbreeding?”
“Oh, only a few scholars know such professional terms. Do you understand?”
“I’ve only heard it passing by, so I merely grasp the gist.”
Karem shook his head and waved his hands.
He was startled at the familiar term that casually slipped out, but as it was, that was all of it.
However, he never expected to hear such a specific term spoken from a monster’s beak.
“The Fire Witch Fingers you used, Karem, were all variants.”
“They were shorter and chunkier compared to the regular ones.”
“After all, children resemble their parents. If only we cultivated just the remaining seeds after trimming, we might lessen the spiciness and retain that unique taste in the Fire Witch Fingers.”
Alicia wrapped the remaining Paprus in her hands and bit into it.
“Corvus. That sounds like it would take forever to do.”
“Well, cultivating usually takes time.”
Corvus clicked his beak, scratching with his claws.
“For me, there’s nothing but time, so it’s no problem.”
“Hmm, is there anything I can help Alicia with?”
“Shall we plant the seeds together? When the fruits bear, we could taste them together.”
“Sure!”
Karem quickly raised his hand to chime in.
“Can I have a bit too when the fruit comes out?”
“Of course. You’re into cooking too?”
“This slightly addictive sour and umami flavor is certainly concerning.”
Well, naturally it would be, considering it was tomato-based.
Garum, Fire Witch Finger, and now a hint of tomato!
Karem felt like he was on the brink of collecting infinity stones.
As Corvus was munching on the Paprus, his wings and head were in motion, eliciting a snap from his claws.
“Oh, I just realized we forgot about drinks!”
“Tight timing to be reminding us now…”
“Certainly.”
Time had passed quickly, and then he noticed through the greenhouse glass, the gloomy sky was dyed a scarlet hue, with the sun peeking out faintly past the clouds, starting to dip down.
“Hmm, it’s almost time for dinner to start.”
“Indeed. Karem, would you mind escorting the princess to the Great Hall?”
“Of course.”
Karem only needed to return to the tower before sunset, but Alicia was different.
The Felwinter family had to attend the Dinner Banquet unless there was a special reason not to.
“Then, Your Highness Alicia, shall we go now?”
“Huh? Okay, I have to eat dinner, so I’ll just finish this here.”
“…You’ve already devoured half by yourself.”
“This is… a snack, so it’s fine!”
Oh dear, is that so?
Against the invincible logic defense of Alicia, Karem had no retort.
“Then, Your Highness Alicia, is it time to head back?”
“Right. Corvus, I’m off now. Karem, you come along!”
*
*
*
As twilight descended upon the Great Hall, people began to gather one after another.
Seated at the tables, they passed the time by snacking on fruits and snacks laid out before dinner was served.
In the bustling atmosphere, it was momentarily upon Alicia and Karem entering, drawing attention until the crowd dispersed again.
If it were any other royal, perhaps; but because it was Alicia, it was all the more so.
The most freely spirited soul of Winterhome.
It was common to see her dashing about here and there, often with someone in tow.
To the residents of the castle, it had become nothing short of a routine sight.
They merely thought of the latest victim as the chief magic consultant’s cook.
Surveying the empty royal seats, Alicia placed her hands on her hips.
“Hey, I arrived first today!”
“Then I should take my leave.”
“I’ll see you next time!”
Karem couldn’t shake off the sudden rush of fatigue.
However, he still saw Alicia rush toward the royal seats.
Though still young himself, he found a shiver of energy at Alicia’s lively spirit, spotting someone beckoning from the corner of his vision.
Though tiredness blurred his sight, aligning his focus on the gesture quickly revealed who it was.
Catherine, taking small bites of the fruits Meri had peeled for her while seated.
Following the employer’s gesture, Karem trudged over and sat down in the empty seat beside her.
“You arrived sooner than I expected?”
“Well, the princess of the Felwinter family was with me.”
“Well, it’s true a member of the Felwinter family can’t skip dinner.”
As Catherine stated, watching Alicia rush up to claim her seat at the royal table.
“So how was the greenhouse tour?”
“It was enjoyable in its own way. I discovered new possibilities with the Fire Witch Finger—Oh! Did you know about ‘that’ from Corvus?”
“‘That’? Ah.”
Catherine nodded as if she understood what Karem meant.
And subtly moved her fingers through the air.
Karem had grown used to the muffling magic by now.
“Well, it’s common for those in power to keep dangerous, beautiful monsters or wild beasts as ornamental pets.”
“Like a zoo?”
“Exactly, that sort of feeling.”
“A monster serving as the greenhouse caretaker too?”
“Well, does that sound too outlandish?”
Certainly, Corvus, declaring himself a monster, felt rather strangely out of place, Karem thought.
It was more plausible that he had been cursed and deformed rather than outright being a monster.
A reality where monsters enjoyed nonsensical jokes and relished farming grew quite different from the monsters Karem previously observed.
In the midst of these discussions, it seemed the preparations had completed, as servants began to bring out dishes filled to the brim. Even though his stomach was still purring from the Paprus, Karem felt his mouth water at the varied scents.
Before long, the people from the Felwinter family had taken their seats at the royal table.
Just as Alfred sat down, people immediately began their meals.
“Oh, if you have any plans in two days, make sure to cancel them in advance. I need to go out.”
Catherine spoke to Karem, who was eagerly moving a large, mouthwatering ribeye steak onto his plate.
“Huh? Going out?”
“Yes. I’m heading to inspect the estate that was assigned to the tower. It will take half a day by wagon.”
“I will prepare lunch and snacks for the journey.”
Just as she wanted it, Catherine blinked and then focused back on the steak Meri was offering her.
Karem promptly turned his attention to the massive ribeye steak, which likely weighed around 400g on his plate.
Attached Information
-400g Ribeye Steak-
