The Personal Chef of the Sorceress Who Can’t Eat Alone

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Going out itself can be tiring, they say.

The cart was filled with byproducts, and perhaps due to fatigue, the subjugation team was moving slower than when they headed toward Drywood Village.

“Seems like it’s taking longer than I expected.”

“Of course, since we loaded it with ice worm byproducts in an empty cart.”

“That’s the third time you’ve answered like that.”

There’s a saying that when three people gather, a dish gets broken.

However, even chatter eventually runs out of topics.

Moreover, Catherine was overwhelmed with the work she brought from the castle.

Well, that was until now.

Catherine, occupying a space in the wagon, dotted the parchment she held. Cautiously sealing the ink pot and setting down her quill, she shouted.

“Damn it! Finally! I’m done! This is a swindle!”

A cheer filled with relief, achievement, and joy. Just from the sound, Karem could grasp Catherine’s emotions.

Who wouldn’t notice a smile like a sunbeam on a face shadowed by fatigue from the moment the subjugation team returned?

“I’m done with the damn thing!”

“Sir Atanitas, does that mean you’re completely free from work now?”

“Yeah! No, not completely. We still lack manpower. Huh, I can’t believe I have to handle such trivial tasks.”

Of course, it was expected. The tasks she handled up to now had piled up during the absence of the designated wizards, and the manpower issue hadn’t been resolved yet.

Still, she could relax for the time being unless something unexpected happened. There would be work piled up in the castle while she was away, but compared to what she had handled until now, that would be merely a matter to finish off in an instant.

“By the way, it’s stacked up like a little hill.”

“Contractor. Should I organize it?”

Catherine, who seemed to be savoring the aftertaste, waved her hand dismissively. Mary couldn’t hide her delight seeing such a bothersome gesture. Unlike the dying-from-work owner, the subordinates were dying from boredom due to a lack of tasks.

“Sir Atanitas.”

“Huh, unless it’s something significant, don’t ask. I want to savor this moment of leisure.”

“No, that’s not it. Do you need something to snack on?”

“I am feeling peckish. Perfect timing.”

There were still some snacks left in the storage.

As Karem promptly dished out some nuts and appropriately cut cheese into a small bowl, Catherine accepted the snack from Mary with her eyes closed.

Crunch-crunch—

“Hmm, even if we’re slow, we should be able to reach the castle by tonight.”

“You can calculate all that?”

“Of course. With all the traveling years I’ve done.”

Catherine said as if it were obvious.

Indeed, even in the medieval era, where there were no navigators, accurate maps, or clocks, there were people who managed their time as meticulously as possible, like merchants.

Considering the positions of stars and landmarks, one could estimate distances based on the experiences of travelers.

“By the way, lunch is coming up soon. Is the meal going to be ice worm again?”

“Well, the only thing available right now is that or what we had on the way.”

“Hmm—”

Catherine sighed in dissatisfaction.

However, this was something even Karem had no way to remedy.

If they had picked something up earlier, he would have been able to prepare various dishes, but without time because they were dragged along with the subjugation team, it was fortunate that they at least brought some basic seasonings.

Though even that was hardly enough to utilize.

“At least having this is better than nothing, right?”

“Is there really no way around this?”

“If we stop even for a moment, we could whip something up.”

“But the subjugation team hasn’t stopped moving since leaving Drywood.”

Marching without a break.

That would be an excellent setup for a rebellion.

But there was a reason behind it.

Winter had come earlier than usual, and if they delayed too long before heavy snow began to fall, getting stranded before returning would be inevitable.

Moreover, unlike when they came, the cart was stuffed with ice worm byproducts.

Speed would increase if they discarded the byproducts, but would they really do that?

That put them in a situation where they had to make up for the marching time.

Though many were filled with grievances, they knew this reason and muttered complaints while keeping their steps steady.

Karem’s presence had spoiled Catherine’s patience, and she ruffled her hair.

“Ha! If I had known, I should have brought some magic tools.”

*

Thanks to that, the subjugation team arrived in Coldon.

Though important tasks like dispersing the subjugation team and settling accounts remained, Catherine brushed most of the work aside, as if indifferent, and returned to the Wizard’s Tower, savoring her newfound freedom like an animal after long captivity.

The time the subjugation team arrived was late evening.

The dinner they had hastily on the way had long been digested, and the dinner banquet at Winterhome had long since ended.

Nevertheless, Catherine was hungry.

Mary felt the same, and Karem was on the same page.

The hungry Karem proposed to his employer.

“It seems we’re all on the same page. How about we all grab a light snack together?”

“At such a late hour?”

Though pretending not to care, Karem thought he could sense excitement in his voice, but he decided to ignore it for Catherine’s dignity.

“Yes. In that sense, Mary.”

“Karem, junior?”

“Could you lend a hand?”

With unanimous consent, Karem headed straight to the pantry and loaded up on ingredients, handing them over to Mary.

Mary felt satisfaction with being trusted for even such small tasks. It wasn’t the important thing, it was the dinner—or rather, the midnight snack.

And during their walk from the Winterhome gate to the Wizard’s Tower, Karem had already decided on what to make.

“We have garlic, flour, eggs, and even leftover olive oil—”

“Karem, junior. Is there anything else we should get?”

“Oh, let’s take this cheese too. The smell is just right, do you know what it is?”

“It’s parmesan cheese.”

When it came to late-night snacks, pasta was a must.

As soon as that thought crossed Karem’s mind, he craved ramen fiercely. Spicy broth and umami flavor that stimulates the taste buds.

However, it was impossible to expect such spicy ramen to be here right now.

Thankfully, there were plenty of culinary ingredients left.

If so, they had to make pasta or simply slurp it down.

Since they even found a cheese with a similar name as well as similar shape, aroma, and taste, it felt like a divine revelation.

*

Though it was hard to come by clear skies in the Kingdom of Seophone, the sky had cleared enough for the moon and stars to be visible, appearing infrequently.

Catherine, resting her chin on the table and tapping it in a quiet restaurant filled with gentle moonlight, suddenly flinched at a strong aroma that started to waft in.

Two distinct kinds of smells drifted through the air.

The sharp scent tickling her nose was undoubtedly garlic.

Behind her nose, there was a faint tang accompanied by the comforting scent of olive oil.

Both were familiar ingredients to her, but she was overwhelmingly curious as to what could be creating such a potent aroma when at that moment, Karem and Mary entered the restaurant with a tray in hand.

“Hey, kid. What on earth did you make that smells so much like garlic…”

“First, it would be quicker to see for yourself.”

“Wait, how much garlic did you use!?”

“About 20 cloves, I think?”

“Oh my god.”

Unlike the Korean who adored garlic, in typical Western cooking, even just one clove or half a clove was considered a lot, and it wasn’t uncommon to crush it and toss it.

Mary promptly set the dish full of explosive garlic aroma in front of Catherine, who couldn’t hide her astonishment.

The dish, served in a large plate, was of a structure she had never seen.

The yellow, thick hair-like food on the plate was coated with garlic and powdered cheese, sprinkled with pepper.

“W-What’s this called?”

“It’s called aglio olio.”

“Okay, I get that it has garlic and olive oil, but…”

“Yes, it’s called aglio olio pasta.”

At those words, Catherine immediately understood why the dish had that name. Even after adding that much cheese powder, the aroma of garlic and olive oil was overwhelming.

The same concern suddenly sprang up in both Catherine and Mary’s minds.

How on earth are you supposed to eat this? Considering its curly shape and the fact that a fork was presented alongside it, it was clear it was not something to be eaten by hand.

And what about pasta?

She had never seen pasta that looked like this.

As if sensing her dilemma, Karem swiftly twirled the noodles on his fork like it was second nature.

“Mary, just twirl it with the fork until it’s a bite-sized portion.”

“Hmm, it seems simple even without knowing the trick.”

Mary immediately twisted the pasta to match Catherine’s small mouth size and offered it.

She hesitated at the intense garlic scent. Of course, with such a strong garlic smell, it was only natural to hesitate if one wasn’t Korean.

Yet, Catherine had never been let down by Karem, so she closed her eyes and accepted the pasta.

As strong as the fragrance was, it was only intense at first.

After that, the scent of parmesan cheese enveloped her mouth in an explosion of savory goodness, and when that began to dull, the tanginess of the olive oil and the spiciness of the pepper came in to correct it.

“Hmm? Hmm?”

“Isn’t it different from what you expected?”

“Yes. It is indeed very different. Hidden beneath the garlic, the savoriness of the parmesan cheese is indeed enhanced by the olive oil, and the richness is balanced by the pepper. This creamy texture…”

“We emulsified the water used to boil the pasta with the oil.”

Catherine truly proved to be someone worthy of cooking for.

Even if they couldn’t use crushed red pepper, it was only a minor flaw.

That was Karem’s intention all along.

“By the way, I’ve never seen pasta look like this. It’s long and all. What’s the name?”

“Uh, I don’t exactly have a name in mind.”

“That won’t do.”

Of course, such a noodle pasta had a familiar name for Karem.

It was commonly known as spaghetti, a very universal and well-known name.

But judging by Catherine’s reaction, Karem could tell that for her at least, this form of pasta was new, so he quickly pretended to be oblivious.

As Catherine pondered, she snapped her fingers.

“Since pasta is a food from the Kingdom of Servianus, the name must fit that region. The long shape resembles a rope (spago), but it’s smaller (spaghetto) and has several strands, so spaghetti seems just right. What do you think, Mary?”

“Without much thought, you’ve already landed on a plausible name.”

“Of course, it’s only natural to come up with fitting names when developing magic and creating magic tools. Kid, what do you think?”

“Um, it rolls off the tongue nicely.”

Food names commonly depend on appearance and origin.

For instance, a meat dish made by the famous Dongpo was called Dongpo pork, and sodas containing cola fruits eventually came to be known as cola.

Considering those things, while Catherine’s naming was quick, it was quite appropriate.

“By the way, with this amount of garlic, oil, and cheese, it feels heavy, yet it goes down surprisingly well. It’s almost magical.”

“Well, being long helps it go down smoothly.”

“Still, I want to eat more.”

“…If you eat another plate of this, I’m sure you’ll gain weight.”

Karem spoke, showing signs of disgust, but Catherine didn’t even scoff.

“Ha, I never gain weight no matter how much I eat.”

“Oh, you too, Contractor?”

Karem turned serious.

“…Please don’t say that in front of others.”

If a woman or any other noble overheard, who knows what mischief might come of it.

Most of all, even though he was a man, he couldn’t help but feel envious.

Karem suppressed his true feelings and cleaned his plate before standing and heading toward the kitchen.

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