READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 47
“Humans are said to be animals of adaptation.”
As time passed, perhaps she had adapted to the smell, Catherine regained her composure.
Mary, who had truly lost her wits over the shocking scent she encountered for the first time, managed to get up from the floor, though she was still staggering.
I don’t know if this applies to house fairies, though.
Catherine, still shaken, clutched her dizzy head.
Karem hesitantly asked Catherine, just to be sure.
“Oh my gosh. I’ve smelled something like this before, but it really is a shocking odor.”
“You said it’s garum, right?”
“Yes. I can never forget the shockingly fishy odor I encountered in Servianus. Was this why it was sealed so tightly?”
Garum.
Karem knew it from a video channel that covered the history of ancient cookery he had watched in his past life.
The name of the fermented fish sauce that was said to have been made in Ancient Rome was indeed memorable.
They say it’s similar to my past life, but it’s still garum—could this be convergent evolution?
Karem accepted that notion. The history of human gastronomy is indeed a history of umami.
Catherine, muttering as if recalling an unpleasant memory, paused at Karem’s actions.
“Huh? The dish? Why the sudden interest?”
“Well, you have to taste it first.”
“Are you crazy!?”
“Ah, no way!!!”
Mary, who was standing far away and could barely come closer, shrieked, but Karem showed no hesitation.
He carefully tilted the barrel to prevent any spills.
Though the two had already adapted their noses, the shockingly awful smell unleashed upon opening paralyzed Catherine and Mary’s legs.
And the state of garum, which Karem had never seen before in all his reincarnations, was surprisingly ordinary.
No, it was intriguing.
“It has an impression quite different from the smell.”
The rich golden liquid was so clear and clean that scratches at the bottom of the bowl were visible, reminiscent of olive oil.
Catherine, who seemed the most shocked, frowned at the contents of the bowl.
“Huh? No impurities at all?”
“Impurities, you say?”
“Yes. Moreover, the color is entirely different.”
“It seems it was a different color than this one.”
“What I saw was dark brown. It wasn’t this transparent. The manufacturing process might be different?”
Is that so? At that moment, Karem thought, and Mary began to panic.
“No! Karem, you mustn’t! Absolutely not!”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“What are you trying to make with a liquid that’s no different from a mimic that’s different inside and out!?”
“No way, how did you know!?”
“Your face says it all!”
Karem instinctively touched his mouth.
Sure enough, the corners of the boy’s mouth had lifted right before he was about to grasp the three divine things.
But although garum—or fish sauce—was problematic, the greatest obstacle remained.
Catherine. If Karem was going to do something with chili, it was clear that history would repeat itself.
To avoid another situation where ice would be shoved down her throat, he had to somehow convince her.
The danger aside, the Fire Witch Finger was something Catherine had been managing herself.
And as soon as Catherine saw Karem’s face, she smacked her forehead.
Why must he wear that scheming expression with these things?
However, Karem had never betrayed her expectations.
Not that she could recall. There was one time he had forgotten a snack while trying to make a sacrificial offering in Wintersend.
A tinge of disappointment and curiosity.
Catherine, slightly tilting her head in thought, finally sighed deeply and waved her hand toward Karem.
“Ugh, fine. Just go ahead and do it.”
“Huh? I haven’t said anything yet?”
“Contractor!?”
Mary screamed in betrayal, but Catherine raised her hand to stop her.
“Just as Mary said, it’s obvious from your face.”
“If that’s the case…”
Karem pushed the borrowed gloves toward Catherine and extended both hands.
“Huh? What is it?”
“Please hand me the dried Fire Witch Finger!”
“Weren’t you only going to use that one!?”
“There are no thresholds, you know.”
This time, he really didn’t feel trustworthy.
*
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*
“I still have things to do!!!”
As soon as she saw the ingredients gathered in the kitchen, Mary darted away like a cat that spotted a cucumber, leaving a cloud of dust behind.
What she left on the table was nothing of particular note.
A basket of radishes the size of a purple fist, and an onion.
From Catherine’s ingredient storage, a leather pouch the size of an adult head stuffed with Fire Witch Fingers.
“Fire Witch—wow. That’s quite a long name.”
“That’s why in the industry, they shorten it to ‘Fire Finger.'”
“Got it. Is this all the Fire Finger bags?”
“Yep. This is all that’s left after burning down 5 crowns worth of them in Wintersend.”
Karem nodded as he checked the contents of the pouch.
As soon as his hand touched it, a burning pain surged, and he grasped a couple of dry Fire Fingers.
Karem couldn’t help but marvel quietly.
They were completely dry, without a single trace of moisture.
He wondered if, with this amount, it would be just barely possible—or perhaps slightly insufficient.
Kimchi cubes.
Naturally, cabbage for kimchi didn’t exist.
He had no intention of settling for something as silly as cabbage kimchi, so it was only natural that his choices narrowed down to kimchi cubes.
Of course, they weren’t as big or thick as modern ones.
About the size of a fist or slightly larger, similar to a radish?
Karem promptly chopped the radish into kimchi cube-sized pieces.
It didn’t really matter that they were cubed, and thankfully, they tasted good enough without spiciness, just like in his past life.
“What, are you trying to make a salad?”
“Wouldn’t it be closer to pickles?”
“Ah, if that’s the case. But what about vinegar?”
“I’ll add the vinegar later.”
As he salted the radishes laid in a large bowl, Karem had more things to do.
He wasted no time pouring the Fire Fingers straight into the mortar.
Catherine was stunned.
Not just one, but the entire pouch? What was he thinking?
“Are you really planning to use all of that!?”
“Honestly, this might be just on the brink of too little.”
“What exactly are you trying to make?”
“Um. First, I’ll grind this, then mix in various seasonings.”
“…And will that seasoning include garum as well?”
Yep. Karem vigorously nodded.
Great, now I really have no clue, and seeing Catherine retreat, Karem immediately started to pound the mortar.
Thanks to how thoroughly dry it was, the Fire Fingers crumbled in the mortar like autumn leaves, bursting into powder the moment he struck it.
The particles were slightly thicker than flour.
After that, he did nothing particularly special.
He took the salted radishes, ground up ginger, garlic, and onion, added salt, and instead of apples, added apple jam and honey mixed with a bit of water with flour.
Then Karem picked up the much-anticipated fish sauce, garum.
“Wow, pickles with garum in them.”
“Well then, if we’re talking about that, it’s like when you’d want to ask for permission to use the Fire Fingers—”
“Right. Right. I already feel like I’ll regret it, so let’s finish this before I cancel.”
With those words, Karem poured all the small amount of garum from the little bowl.
To be honest, he had some worries.
Not from the odor of the Fire Finger or garum.
Wasn’t garum famous for being made from fish innards used whole, rich with parasites adored by the ancient Romans?
But thinking it through, if parasites really were a problem, something would have manifested during Karem’s ten years of serf life.
Even if a problem arose, he had a loyal belief that Catherine would somehow see to it, and so far, that wasn’t a wrong thought.
Of course, it made sense that he’d be caught at the waist from thought.
This fact was still unknown to anyone.
The time it took to perfect the kimchi cubes was utterly fleeting compared to preparing the ingredients.
He mixed the cubes carefully until the seasoning evenly coated them.
In the meantime, Mary, who had fled from the kitchen to escape the smell, had returned.
Naturally, she stared at Karem with a look of utter disgust.
Not just Mary, but Catherine shared the same look.
“Karem, I have a question,” Mary said.
“Uh, didn’t you just run away?”
“I didn’t run; I just went out to clear the snow piled around the tower.”
“Of course, you did.”
In fact, it seemed like Mary had been outside, as snowflakes that hadn’t melted clung to her hair.
Mary corrected Karem’s misunderstandings and asked again.
“Is it okay for you to do that with your bare hands?”
“Huh? I washed them thoroughly before mixing.”
“That’s not what I meant. Doesn’t it hurt?”
Catherine nodded as if she shared the same sentiment.
As they said that, Karem was currently mixing the kimchi cubes with his bare hands, covered in seasonings.
To be honest, they looked so absurdly red and sticky that they felt threatening, yet the odor was oddly ambiguous—neither good nor bad.
It smelled like it might be fishy but was obscured by the pungent aromas of garlic and onion.
But he would touch that with his bare hands?
Karem tilted his head at Catherine’s and Mary’s questions.
Of course, it was true that at first, it hurt.
He had some regrets that he probably should have worn leather gloves.
But perhaps due to memories of his past life.
Or maybe because he had sufficiently adapted to spiciness, right now he only felt a burning sensation with no pain.
“It just feels a bit warm, like my body temperature has risen.”
“….Aren’t you a little too young to have such strange tastes?”
“Eh?”
“No, I mean, who in their right mind would handle a poisonous plant that hurts just from touching it, with bare hands and try to eat it?”
“Don’t tell me the Grand Wizard said that?”
As Karem looked at Catherine, her expression suggested she had some unimaginable abilities.
Just as she was about to get worked up, she paused.
“Anyway, it’s complete.”
Karem thoroughly washed his hands, now smeared in seasoning, and placed the bowl on the table.
Though it was called pickles, since it hadn’t fermented yet, it was a bit closer to salad at the moment.
Ignoring the horrified looks from Catherine and Mary, Karem took a piece with a fork and ate it.
Spicy, fiery sensations mixed with a crisp texture enveloped him, and the various sweet flavors followed by a sour taste from the honey disguised any fishiness, leaving only the umami from the fish sauce.
Nevertheless.
It was still a far cry from what he had had in his past life.
Perhaps it was due to the apple jam and honey that replaced the plum syrup.
After all the trouble he went through to make it, it left him feeling a bit dissatisfied.
Specifically, it felt like half-finished spicy pickled radish.
“Well, it’s edible, at least.”
“Edible enough, you say.”
“Yes. Would you like to try some?”
Karem offered the bowl filled with kimchi cubes along with a fresh fork.
Hah, I’m curious, but do I really eat this? Maybe it feels a bit uneasy, but I did eat it down okay, right?
The fishiness doesn’t seem to have increased. But still, it’s made with that garum, right?
The master and the servant went through different processes yet arrived at the same conclusion.
“You, kiddo. I’ll gather my thoughts before trying it.”
“I’ll put off the chance for later.”
It was not outright rejection, but more of a close avoidance.
Still, as it was not completely refused, Karem nodded his head.
Even if not now, perhaps it could change in flavor once it’s fermented.
“In any case, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Huh? Just like that?”
“Today is the day of the exchange meeting. If I just pack this into the barrel, the timing will be just right.”
“Speaking of which, wasn’t there an exchange meeting? Have you adapted a bit?”
“Oh dear. The flattery hasn’t yet…”
As Karem reflected on his ongoing exchanges with the head chef Zigmeser that occurred a few times a week, he looked down at the barrel as he began to pack the kimchi cubes.
Should I let Zigmeser try this too?
A sudden curiosity sparked.