Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Six: Tea Time
“Lady Karen, I bought the ‘Alchemist’s Curry Fried Bread.’”
“Thank you, Harald. Well then, let’s take a break and eat together.”
Karen bustled out of the workshop area and headed to the kitchen. Harald took out the curry fried bread and other purchases from the shopping bag while saying:
“The people at the bakery seemed to be calling it Karen’s… Fried Bread.”
“Hehe. They’re angry, they’re angry.”
With things around Karen being rather tense, they couldn’t protest directly, so this was probably their revenge. It seemed they had noticed that the curry they’d been fed was a panacea.
As Karen chuckled while getting out plates, there was the sound of feet hurrying down from the second floor. She set the plates down and headed toward the stairs by the living room, where Yuluyana stood with sparkling eyes.
“Ms. Karen! When did you make a panacea?!”
“It’s not curry I made!”
“Then what is this?”
He’d apparently come down after noticing the curry aroma. Yuluyana looked puzzled.
Ahim also came down behind Yuluyana. Recently, Ahim had been constantly at the alchemy workshop, sticking close to Yuluyana. Karen was secretly worried that this might actually be the proper conduct of an alchemist’s apprentice. But there were just too many things she wanted to do.
Even after smelling the curry, not even Yuluyana—an S-rank elf alchemist—could tell that Karen hadn’t made it.
To the puzzled Yuluyana, Karen explained:
“When I announced that I’d become a B-rank alchemist, I said I’d publish potion recipes along with it, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did say that.”
After returning home from Fiene’s bakery, Karen had immediately headed to the Alchemists’ Guild and asked Natalia to handle the announcement procedures. She publicly revealed her promotion to B-rank and, at the same time, started selling a book of potion recipes.
“This is curry fried bread made by the bakery using those recipes!”
Actually, Karen had taught them, but she kept that quiet.
The “Alchemist’s Curry Fried Bread” was a new menu item that had appeared in the bakery about a week after Karen announced her promotion to B-rank and that she could make panaceas.
Yuluyana tilted his head as if he didn’t understand what Karen’s explanation meant.
“…Why would a bakery be able to see your recipe, Ms. Karen? Normally, you’d only publish to alchemists, right? And you’d separate them by rank, right? For a panacea recipe, shouldn’t you restrict it so only S-rank and above alchemists can view it?”
As Yuluyana pointed out, potion recipes were usually disclosed based on the alchemist’s rank according to the potions’ grade. The higher the grade, the higher the recipe’s price and the more viewing restrictions there were. But Karen hadn’t imposed any restrictions. She’d published it indiscriminately to non-alchemists as well.
It might be somewhat pricey as a recipe book, but it was still affordable for commoners—a bargain price. Its name was “Cooking Potion Recipe Collection, Volume One.” It was a recipe collection for dishes that were delicious to eat, even if they didn’t become potions. In other words, even bakeries could buy it.
“If I restricted access, I wouldn’t be able to eat curry made by others! And alchemists wouldn’t pursue deliciousness, right? But ordinary people will!”
“You… you published it for that reason? A panacea recipe?”
Yuluyana looked stunned, but didn’t seem to doubt Karen’s words. Karen’s sincerity must have gotten through. She wanted to eat curry made by others besides herself. This was Karen’s complete and honest feeling. She also had the ulterior motive that if she made it available for anyone to buy, even if curry fried bread was sold at the bakery, no one would suspect her closeness to them—but she kept that thought to herself.
“Well, one ingredient in the panacea recipe was written in code, so you haven’t completely published it… But it’s still outrageous, you know?”
“Karen, making Lord Yuluyana look exasperated is quite something.”
Ahim said while skillfully carrying six pieces of bread on plates like a waiter, balancing them on his hands and arms.
Indeed, Yuluyana was always making such expressions.
“You can make it delicious even without the coded ingredient! It’s fine!”
“What exactly is fine? Why do you leak such precious information so easily?”
As Yuluyana grumbled, Thor came back from the garden saying, "Hey, Sis! This bread smells like the bakery near the commoners’ school, right?”
Even if he couldn’t tell whether the curry was a panacea, he could identify the bakery from the bread’s aroma. That was the quality of a B-rank adventurer.
Behind him, Tim came crawling in, drenched in sweat. Now that Karen had gained supporters, Thor was apparently preparing to depart again with his party. Until then, Tim wanted to learn as much as possible, so he was temporarily off duty.
“Tim! Wash off your sweat in the bath before coming inside!”
“I’m exhausted… can’t… walk anymore…” thud
“Good grief…”
After placing the tea set in the living room, Harald came back and picked up Tim, who had collapsed at the back entrance leading to the garden, with a disgusted look.
Though they had once been about the same height, Harald had quickly grown taller, and Tim grinned foolishly as he was carried.
“Hehe… this is handy…”
“I’ll drop you.”
Though many things had changed, Harald and Tim seemed to be the same as before while also building a new relationship.
As Karen watched the two with warm feelings, the doorbell rang.
Stopping Harald from trying to drop Tim, Karen went to the entrance, where Julius stood.
“Mr. Julius! Welcome! Did something happen?”
“I came because I wanted to see your face, but am I intruding?”
“You’re never intruding whenever you come, Mr. Julius!”
“Ah, but we don’t have a portion for you, Master Julius! Want to snatch one from the brats? Maybe Tim’s share?”
When the rude Ahim said that, they heard Tim and Harald shouting from the bathroom: “No way! I’m eating too!" "Quiet!”
It seemed Tim’s impressive magical power allowed him to hear the conversation here.
“Don’t worry, we won’t take your share, Tim. Mr. Julius, let’s split mine.”
“Are you sure, Karen?”
“Of course, Mr. Julius—we’re close enough for that!”
“Well, you are engaged now.”
When Thor, who, unlike Tim, hadn’t broken a sweat, came out of the kitchen with a drink and said that, Ahim, who had been about to return to the living room, stubbed his little toe on the stairs and crouched down.
Thor lightly picked up such an Ahim and tossed him into the living room, then followed after him. Once Harald and a freshly bathed, steaming Tim returned, tea time began.
When Karen sat next to Julius on the sofa, she brought the freshly bought hot curry fried bread to Julius’s lips.
“Here, say ah.”
Told by Karen, Julius shyly opened his mouth and took a bite.
“Hmm… It’s delicious, Karen.”
“Right?!”
“Though anything would taste delicious if you fed it to me.”
“Kyaa!”
Having fulfilled one post-marriage dream ahead of time, Karen let out a delighted squeal.
Tim and Harald ate the curry bread with shining eyes; Ahim wore a lifeless expression; Yuluyana muttered, “The taste is almost identical to the panacea,” while continuing his analysis; and Thor finished his in nearly one bite, licking his fingers. As for Ahim, was the curry too spicy for him? While misunderstanding such things, Karen grinned, watching everyone eat deliciously.
“I’d also like to feed you, Karen. May I?”
“Please do!”
When she handed the curry fried bread to Julius, he brought it to Karen’s lips.
Karen smiled and took a bite of the curry fried bread.
