Chapter Seven: Verification of the Hypothesis
After parting ways with Sieg, Karen handed Sara a prepared sheet of paper.
“What’s this?”
“This is our future treatment plan. I wasn’t sure if I should give it to you, but is it alright?”
“I will take it.”
It was something she had intended to hand over if she had the chance to meet the person in charge. Karen thought it would be easier to communicate if the other party was informed of her intentions in advance.
“…A dietary therapy, is it? This is a term I’ve never seen before.”
“The goal is to build a body that can withstand magical power through diet.”
“So there isn’t some kind of potion that can suppress the magical power?”
Sara’s shoulders drooped dejectedly. Karen’s potions were based on her past-life knowledge. Unfortunately, anything related to magical power was out of her expertise. However, Karen was confident in handing this over because she firmly believed her potions could help Sieg.
“Well then, I was just about to guide you to the kitchen, so please come with me.”
“May I ask about the grade of the magical tool that Master Sieg is using?”
“It is a rare grade.”
“So how long do it last?”
“Around a month before it break. Wearing it doesn’t completely alleviate the heat, but it does provide some relief to the body.”
“Rare and only lasts a month, and it’s not even fully effective…”
Frieda had considered buying one for Lyos many times. But even the common ones were expensive. There were five grades: common, uncommon, rare, double-rare, and legendary. The legendary ones could supposedly suppress magical power perfectly. How long they last without breaking was unknown.
As Karen and Sara were talking, they arrived at the well-organized kitchen.
There was no one there.
“Where are the cooks?”
“To allow you to use it freely, the cooks have been assigned to the main building’s kitchen. This manor lacks dedicated facilities for the alchemist, so the east wing’s kitchen has been remodeled for alchemy use.”
Now that it was mentioned, the kitchen did seem more like an alchemy lab, with magical metal pots, distillation equipment, beakers, and flasks, rather than a typical kitchen.
“I was hoping to ask them about what kind of things Master Sieg likes to eat, or what his favorite foods are…”
“I can answer that for you. I’m the one who is always by Master Sieg’s side.”
“So you are trusted by him.”
Earlier, Sieg also seemed to be entrusting himself to Sara.
“Rather, it’s because everyone else shows their emotions too much on their faces. That’s why I’m the one attending to him now.”
“Shows their emotions too much?”
“Everyone here adores Master Sieg. So they often inadvertently make sad expressions in front of him. Master Sieg is a perceptive person, and even the slightest change in expression makes him hide his own distressed feelings. That’s why I, with my rather blank expression, have been allowed to serve him.”
“Master Sieg is such a kind child, right?”
“Yes. He is a very kind person.”
The reason why Sara had tried to hide her tears from Sieg earlier became clear. She was acting composed to not show her emotions to Sieg.
“What did Master Sieg eat for breakfast?”
“…He hardly ate anything this morning.”
“How about last night?”
“Last night, he sipped a spoonful of chicken stew.”
That’s practically the same as not eating anything at all. Lyos had been desperately trying to get better, so he did eat. But he would often vomit afterward. After Karen’s various efforts, he gradually stopped vomiting.
“Do you have a record of what Master Sieg has eaten?”
“Yes, I’ve been keeping a record, thinking it might be useful.”
“That’s excellent work. Let me see it.”
Karen flipped through the notebook that Sara handed her. It meticulously recorded the prepared dishes and what Sieg had consumed from them.
“Master Sieg seems to like chicken.”
“Yes. Recently, he also seems to prefer foods with a stronger sourness.”
“That must be easier to eat when he has no appetite.”
Karen was not a doctor. But in her previous world, her boyfriend disliked hospitals and medicines, so she used cooking and herbal teas to help restore his health, which gave her a bit of knowledge about healthy foods.
“Maybe his stomach is weak…”
“The doctor who previously examined Master Sieg said the same.”
“Is he a competent doctor?”
“Yes, he is the palace physician.”
If the country’s top doctor said so, then Karen’s assessment was likely not wrong.
Even if the stomach was irritated, it should be easily treatable with a recovery potion or medicine. The problem was that the body’s functions, including the stomach, had become weakened. This weakened state had become the new normal, so even recovery potions didn’t work.
“This is really…”
Karen stopped herself from carelessly saying "This is really miracle that he’s still alive," as she already understood that although his body was being eroded by magical power, it was also magical power that kept him alive.
“Please bring me apples, cinnamon, honey, sugar, and lemons.”
“Understood.”
Karen shifted her focus and requested Sara. The foods she ate in her previous life mostly exist here as well. While some ingredients were unfamiliar, they likely existed but simply weren’t distributed widely.
The first layer of a dungeon that Karen had once visited was a vast forest. Because dungeons were connected to another dimension, the seasons and climate didn’t matter, and various plants grew there. She had seen things that weren’t circulated growing in the dungeon.
After Karen put on an apron and washed her hands, Sara returned.
“All the ingredients were in the food storage room. Even if we don’t have something, I can have it brought immediately. I’ve been instructed to prepare anything needed for the treatment.”
“Anything?”
“Yes, anything.”
“…I don’t need it right away. Cumin, cardamom, caraway, clove, star anise, cayenne pepper, coriander, turmeric—”
“Let me make a note.”
She already knows the names of these spices from her previous world. They have beneficial effects on the stomach and can help with a lack of appetite. It’s not just because she wants to make a certain… dish. She has sworn in her heart that she will make that dish only after Sieg has fully recovered.
“Then today, I’d like to make an apple compôte.”
“I think Master Sieg will like that too.”
Since there were also records of him enjoying sweet things, Sara’s nod was like a seal of approval. Karen picked up one of the pots, but Sara spoke up:
“That pot is for alchemy. For cooking, please use this one.”
“What I’m about to make is both a dish and a potion.”
“Huh? With apples?”
Sara’s eyes widened as Karen picked up the apples. In this world, there are healing magic and potions, so the effects of ordinary plants are very subtle.
Perhaps no one in this world had as deep an understanding of food and plants as Karen did. Because she "understood," all that was needed was "magical power" to turn it into a potion.
“This is my first time making this, so it all depends on whether my hypothesis is correct.”
“I will pray to the Goddess that your hypothesis is correct.”
Sara folded her hands and assumed a praying pose. Karen was eager to verify the validity of her hypothesis, so she began cooking swiftly.
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