SWNOVELXO chapter 227
Chapter 227 – Side Story: Liberal Arts Lecture – 1
Bellium Academy has a lot of liberal arts classes. Tea ceremony, chess, sumi-e, Western painting, mountain climbing, swimming, walking, etc. All of them are designed to give students a break, and thanks to that, there are no exams.
If I had to pick the most popular course among them, it would be cooking. It’s not because of anything else, but because it’s one of the few liberal arts courses where I can compete with other students.
When I see people looking for competition even in liberal arts classes that are supposed to be fun, I think that human nature never goes away.
“Women can legitimately show off how good their cooking skills are, and men can compliment such women’s cooking and try to advance their relationship. Wouldn’t it be more surprising if they weren’t popular?”
For such vulgar reasons, cooking classes were always a class that had to be filled to capacity. The competition to register for classes was also often fierce.
“They say that today the saint is with us in a special way. Please welcome her with warm cheers.”
However, if the people who came to listen to the lecture were the only saint and crown prince on the continent, the story would be different.
-Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
A thunderous applause erupted. The old female professor in charge of the lecture was also clapping with a pleased smile. Rosaria responded with an embarrassed face.
“I didn’t know that the saint was interested in cooking.”
“Haha… … I suddenly want to try it. I’m not very good at it though.”
“No one is good at anything from the beginning.”
The female professor nodded with a relaxed expression appropriate for people her age.
“I was like that too. I would burn the meat, I couldn’t get the soup to taste right, and the food I made would always end up with a split side. But all those experiences have accumulated to become what I am now. I hope the saint also enjoys this place to the fullest.”
A kindly smiling face turned to the person next to Rosaria.
“We have many guests today. Even His Highness the Crown Prince is here. I am so honored and at a loss for what to do.”
“What kind of honor is that? I’ve been in this position for over thirty years. Isn’t that enough to prove my abilities?”
“Thank you for saying so. May I guide you now?”
“Let’s do that.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The female professor turned around. The students sitting in front of the kitchen assistant looked puzzled.
“Everyone, today His Highness the Crown Prince has specially provided us with ingredients for use in the palace. So let’s change the plan. Let’s try something a little more luxurious than the recipe I announced last week.”
Once again, thunderous applause erupted. It was clear that the eyes looking at Laura were brimming with loyalty.
Bellium Academy does provide good ingredients for lectures, but they are nothing compared to the best ingredients used in the palace.
Moreover, the professor is the type who doesn’t care what to do with the leftover ingredients as long as they are cooked to his specifications. In fact, he actively encourages people to take them with them since they can’t be reused.
Not only can you taste the ingredients used in the palace for free, but you can even take the leftovers with you, so cheers erupt.
“Today’s dish is Côte d’Agnos with Espagnole sauce… … .”
While the professor was explaining the recipe, the maids came in one by one and laid down the ingredients one by one. “Wow!” exclamations automatically erupted from all over.
We moved to the kitchen assistant’s magic tool at the very end of the kitchen, which had been specially reserved as we had been told in advance. Rosaria and Latina took their places with great pomp.
“Please do not forget the terms of the bet, Your Majesty.”
“You Latina, you should think about what to do after you lose.”
Rosaria and Latina. Those two were the reason we came to the cooking class today. The conversation somehow led to a bet on who could cook better.
Priscilla, Elisier, Leona, and Laura heard the inside story and joined in, thinking it was fun. The chairman was busy for various reasons and couldn’t come, and Nika was being held captive by Beatrice.
Karna was so busy running around due to the Gate incident that it was hard to even see his face.
“Then let’s do Rosaria and Latina first, and the rest next. Is that okay?”
“Of course. It’s okay.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Okay. I’ll do that.”
I am the judge.
I did, but I didn’t really plan on giving it a strict score. I’d give it full marks if it was just a dish that people could eat. Those two people might grumble about it, but it’s better than one person getting hurt.
Anyway, even if it’s not me, they are the type of people who will decide the outcome somehow.
“Okay, then let’s begin.”
As I said, Rosaria and Latina started cooking in earnest. We took a step back and watched them with interest.
“… … .”
But why is Latina putting whole pieces of meat in the water when it’s not even boiling? Even if they’re top-quality ingredients, that doesn’t mean they can be cooked in such an unsophisticated way.
Compared to Latina, who started cooking something out of the ordinary, Rosaria started making a salad in a classic way, mixing the vegetables that had been washed in water with dressing sauce. Laura whispered to her.
“It seems like I can already see the results.”
“… … Let’s watch until the end. They’re probably going to make Ohyangjangyuk or Dongpayuk.”
“Well, that’s fortunate. If that expensive meat had been used to make boiled pork, the royal chef would have grabbed the back of his neck.”
Both dishes require a long boil to be tasty, but surprisingly, there was a magic tool that worked in that way. The principle? Of course, it was magic. Asking whether it was possible was meaningless in the face of magic.
“Okay, focus.”
The female professor knocked on the desk. The students who had been glancing this way instead of straight ahead turned their heads hesitantly.
It’s understandable that they’re interested in this, but it’s not good for the conversation to leak out. They surrounded the area using perception-obstructing magic and soundproofing magic. The students who noticed their intentions only then completely turned their attention away.
“Here, here’s the salad.”
Rosaria, who had not even prepared anything, was the first to bring out a salad bowl. It was a salad with lettuce, chicory, and cucumber as the main ingredients, and various vegetables and cherry tomatoes garnished.
I took a bite of the lettuce. The crisp sound and the refreshing taste of the salad dressing spread through my mouth, and the raw yet classic salad flavor stimulated my tongue.
“how is it?”
“It tastes just like salad. It’s delicious. It looks like you’re quite familiar with making it.”
“I used to eat it a lot when I was taking care of my body.”
Rosaria briefly took a pose that women often use when taking pictures on StarStar. Thinking about it, Rosaria said that she worked quite hard on her body and appearance before becoming a Bing.
I was sure that the response would be amazing if I uploaded it to Byulstar, so I even took a few pictures, but I hesitated for fear of weird people coming to visit, and eventually gave up on even creating an ID.
“… … .”
“… … .”
While I was almost done with my salad bowl, Rosaria just stood there blankly. Our eyes met.
“Why, why?”
“What about other dishes? Are you sure this is all for now?”
“uh?”
Rosaria froze in place, and only after exactly three seconds did she begin to move again.
“Ha, hahahaha! Look at my mind! I forgot to make the next dish! I’ll go and be back!”
Rosaria, who let out an unnatural laugh that anyone could tell was coming from somewhere, returned to the kitchen counter. Her hands grabbed the apron before the ingredients and wrapped it around her body.
Although it was a strange outfit because of a certain body part that was so distinctive, it still served the original function of an apron.
“I was going to end it with salad.”
“I guess I was going to end it with salad.”
Leona and Priscilla’s mutterings overlapped. Laura, who was picking out cherry tomatoes and poking other vegetables with a fork, also spoke up.
“I guess an appetizer is a kind of dish, but… … who would ask for a dish and only bring a salad?”
“But you made a good salad, didn’t you? I’m sure it wasn’t an empty promise that you ate a lot of it.”
“Isn’t salad harder to mess up?”
“… … .”
Rosaria was just staring at the top-quality ingredients in front of her as if she really had no idea what to make.
Meanwhile, Latina confidently put down her plate.
“It’s all done.”
Boiled lamb placed on a plate.
“… … ?”
That was the end of it.
At my gaze, which asked if this was really the end, Latina nodded, then said, “Ah,” and brought out the gravy sauce and poured it all over it.
“I almost forgot the sauce. Now it’s really done.”
“If the royal chef finds out, he’ll grab me by the scruff of the neck.”
“… … Is there anything else, Latina?”
“I saw that Rosaria only served a salad. That’s not a dish. So if I serve only what I can call a dish, I win. That’s the most efficient way to win.”
Rosaria, who was picking up something from behind and starting to swing her sword, flinched.
“But Rosaria started again. Then shouldn’t you do it properly too?”
Latina gaped, her mouth wide open, as if she had been hit in the head.
Something was creaky from the start.
“It’s a battle between a dragon and a tiger.”
“I don’t think this is the kind of idiom that should be used in situations like this?”
Laura and Elisier reviewed the two people’s results and gave their opinions. It was difficult to decide between the two. Of course, in a negative way.
Rosaria and Latina were furious after hearing the harsh criticism. Neither of them made dishes that were completely inedible, but since they were evaluated as not being inedible in a cooking competition, they were already in a bad mood.
“Both of you, just watch quietly. I’ll show you what’s cooking.”
Elisier was the first to stride to the empty seat. Leona followed her, cutely clenching her fists and silently shouting “Fighting!” Laura stood in the remaining seat with a worried look on her face.
Priscilla was left alone next to me, looking through the manual for her magic tool. Judging from her groaning face, it seemed like something wasn’t working out.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“That’s right… Can I ask you one thing?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“The recipe says to leave it on step 3 for 10 minutes. So I was wondering if I leave it on step 6 so that I only have to boil it for 5 minutes?”
“… … .”
That’s right. I heard that this kid was a homebody before he became a thief.