City ​​of Witches 697

Chapter 697 – #140_Agony And Choice (3)

#697

1.
Linne’s sudden request was a demand that could only be described as ‘out of the blue.’

However, it didn’t take long for the Witch of Freedom to procure the ingredients.

For a witch who lived a long life, gourmet food was an indispensable pleasure.
Even the witches gathered here in Hexennacht were no different.

It was an open secret that when kidnapping slaves to be used in various fields, hotel chefs and patissiers were among the top priorities.

Therefore, Dignity Town had countless contact points that dealt with precious ingredients, and the Witch of Freedom was able to purchase plenty of ingredients using only one-twentieth of the gold bars Linne had given her.

Even so, the fact that she was able to plan a course and purchase the necessary ingredients in just over an hour was entirely thanks to the Witch of Freedom’s proficiency in cooking.

Those designated as apprentice witches by the prophecy agency were all geniuses with outstanding looks and various talents.
Even if they hadn’t become witches, they were a collection of talented gold spoons who would have made their mark in any field.

The Witch of Freedom, ‘Zlata Yustitsia,’ had a talent for cooking as one of her shining abilities.

It was only a hobby, but she had graduated from all three of the world’s top culinary schools with excellent grades and had been recognized for her skills among the exiles.

Although she had been half-pushed into it, it was an opportunity to show off her skills after a long time, so her steps returning to the apothecary were light.

“I’m back!”

When she opened the door, Linne was sitting in the same position as an hour ago.
It was a static welcome that made Zlata, who had been slightly excited, calm down.

There is a grand saying in Japan that praises a beautiful woman: standing, a peony; sitting, a rose; walking, a lily.

Her knees neatly together and her back straight.
Even her neat attire was impeccable.
As far as Zlata knew, Linne was the woman who best fit that saying.

Of course, according to the rumors around her, she was closer to a Yaksha than a pure and innocent young lady.

“I’ll prepare it.”

Anyway, if a woman like that was crazy about a man.
If it was a man she wanted to take care of, feeding him aphrodisiacs and healthy food.

It made her wonder what kind of technique he used.

When she had seen him before, he had looked quite handsome, but he had a rather innocent impression…
Was he a beast at night?
Was he the type who was submissive during the day and dominant at night?

She carefully tucked those thoughts away in her mental storage.
Honestly, Zlata was still scared of Linne.

“Will you wait here?”
“No, I’ll watch too.”
“I can send it to the mansion after it’s finished, you know?”
“I’ll watch.”
“If you insist, then come along.”

Still, Linne was far from the ferocity of the rumors.

In this world, where there were plenty of bitches who would clench their fists and say, ‘Do it right, or else?’ if they had a bit of rank or power.
In comparison, she had paid in advance, and even though she had threatened to cut and kill, she didn’t cause any trouble.

Therefore, Zlata led Linne into the kitchen with a somewhat light heart.

Compared to the exterior of the building, which resembled a shabby antique shop, the kitchen and equipment were state-of-the-art.
There was a small fireplace and even a smoke duct, and the shelves were lined with luxury cooking utensils that would make any chef drool.

Zlata secretly hoped that Linne would be impressed and turned around, but she showed no particular reaction.

“Begin.”

Zlata smiled wryly and dumped the ingredients she had been holding in her arms.

The course she had planned was a fusion medicinal cuisine course that combined kaiseki cuisine with edible magical crops.

Since Eastern medicine had long accepted food as a form of treatment, it was most natural to incorporate herbal cuisine into Eastern-style dishes.

The ingredients gathered were as follows.

Eels that squirmed with vigor, secreting sticky fluids all over their bodies.
Moray eels that could easily cut off a human finger.
Oysters from Brittany, characterized by their delicate texture and hazelnut aroma.
Bear paws, considered an irreplaceable stamina food in the Chinese cultural sphere.
Thigh meat still attached to the fresh bone marrow of a deer.
Even a goat that had been running around the hillside until the day before yesterday.

It was truly a feast of delicacies.

If Zlata’s skills were fully displayed, it would complete a stamina-boosting course that would enable even an octogenarian on the verge of death to drive a three-horse carriage.
It wasn’t just a matter of ‘feeling better,’ but the power of magic would bring about significant effects even with a single meal.

-Thud!

As Zlata finished preparing the eel by piercing its eyes with an awl after washing off the mucus, Linne asked.

“What kind of dishes will you make?”
“It’s not just one, so it’ll be very long if I explain it.”
“It’s alright. Tell me.”
“The oysters will be served raw, lightly blanched in white wine, and then as a vinegared salad. The moray eel will be simmered with medicinal herbs…”

Even for Zlata, an eel of this size would take time.

However, Zlata’s course was so lengthy that she would have to explain it throughout that time, so she thought that Linne would soon lose interest.
It would be somewhat complex and difficult for a non-expert.

“…and finally, you can cleanse your palate with the clear broth I boiled earlier.”

But unexpectedly, Linne showed an exemplary case of listening until the very end.

She didn’t make a fuss by nodding or exclaiming, but she seemed to be engraving it in her mind, like a disciple listening to the core teachings before their master’s death.

The reason was simple.

For Linne, this was a kind of bride training.
Although she was relying on someone else’s hands now, she planned to complete this meal herself someday.

Since she had such an ambition, and was a novice in cooking with the penalty of not being able to taste, she had to not miss a single word of what she said.

“Can I try it myself?”
“Ah, are you going to make it yourself later?”

As soon as Zlata finished speaking, she realized her mistake.
Because the reaction was so praiseworthy, she had momentarily forgotten that she was the ‘Sword Witch’ and had spoken in a somewhat teasing tone.

“That’s right.”

However, Linne nodded her head without any shame.

Zlata was more naive than cynical, so she didn’t think of Linne as a ‘brainless woman being played by her concubine.’
She simply admired, ‘What a commendable attitude!’

“Have you ever cooked before?”
“No.”
“Not even once?”
“No.”
“Hmm, then it’ll be a bit difficult…”

It wasn’t a lie.
What Zlata was about to make was a top-class dish that even seasoned cooks would hesitate to make.
A beginner would only get in the way, let alone help.

“Shall I help you a little? How about doing it this way instead?”

However, Zlata willingly offered a suggestion to Linne.
She had a calculation that it wouldn’t be a loss to put the 22nd-ranked Great Witch in her debt.

“I’ll make one of the main dishes with you. Hmm, the eel dish I mentioned earlier would be good. It’s the easiest one, at least.”

Among eel masters, there is a saying that it takes three years to skewer an eel, five years to cut it, and a lifetime to grill it.
However, the cooking methods for the rest of the ingredients that Zlata was handling were even more bizarre, so she was trying to teach Linne the relatively easy eel rice bowl.

“Hakaryme Don (はかりめ丼) with Kimosui, is it?”

Hakaryme Don is a rice bowl with a whole kabayaki eel on a long skewer.
Kimosui is a clear soup made with the liver of an eel, which is clear and savory.

Zlata, having confirmed Linne’s attentiveness with her accurate answer, nodded.

“Yeah, wouldn’t it be good to brag that you made it yourself? It seems like you want to do that more than leaving it all to me.”
“…Alright.”

Linne thought it was a pretty good idea.

Today, her primary goal was to learn the recipe and have a wonderful meal, but if there was a way to exceed that, there was no reason to refuse.

Linne put on the apron that Zlata had given her and took out a sashimi knife.
The way she held it was quite menacing.

Zlata, horrified by the sight of her looking like she was about to stab someone to death, held out her palm and said.

“Calm down and put that down. I’ve finished preparing the eel, so there’s no need to use a knife.”
“Is that so?”
“I’ll teach you how to cook the rice first.”

Linne’s bride training had taken its first step.

About eight hours later.

“Amazing.”

Zlata couldn’t help but utter a sincere exclamation, not flattery.

“I only did what I was told.”

Linne, who had calmly accepted the praise of her bride training teacher.

Linne, with her sleeves rolled up and an apron on, was decorating the thick eel that had been seasoned with a sweet sauce.
The delicacy of placing the picked chives next to the pickled ginger that bloomed like a flower showed the dignity of a craftsman who had been contemplating plating for a long time.

As you can see from this, what surprised Zlata was not just Linne’s attitude of asking for guidance.
It was because Linne’s learning and execution abilities far exceeded her imagination.

She hadn’t lied.
Despite being of Eastern origin with fair skin, she had to be taught everything, from how to wash rice to why the cooked rice in the pot had to be steamed.

She hadn’t had high expectations in the first place.

Even when she was attending culinary school in disguise, Zlata had to endure the sticky advances of the gold spoon sons who had never even peeled an onion, and she had to taste terrible garbage under the guise of group evaluations.

She had thought, how seriously would they take it, even if she taught them?

But Linne was different.

Once she was taught, she followed everything.
She didn’t ask questions, and she didn’t do things her own way.

As a result, she created an eel rice bowl that was no different from what Zlata had made, a faithful rendition of the recipe.

When she tasted it, it was perfect without any flaws.
The Kimosui, which was originally bland and could easily be ruined by a minor mistake, was also perfect.

At this point, Zlata became curious and instructed her on various things while making other dishes.
Surprisingly, Linne completed all the tasks perfectly without a single mistake.

In particular, the way she handled the knife was so beautiful that it made Linne look like a ‘Sword Spirit’ rather than a Sword Witch.

After all the planned courses were completed.
Linne and Zlata had a time to taste each of the completed dishes.

“Wow, I’m really surprised. Try this. You made it.”

Linne, who had been staring blankly at the eel rice bowl that Zlata had placed on her plate, tasted it without a word.

“Is it delicious?”
“Indeed.”
“Come back if you want to learn more in the future. If you show a little sincerity, I’ll help you with all my heart like today.”
“I understand.”

After the first cooking class ended.
Linne packed the finished food into a lunch box and returned to Hyangwolru.

She wondered what kind of reaction he would have.
Especially, what kind of evaluation he would give to this eel rice bowl. Linne’s steps became lighter with an unknown sense of anticipation, but when she looked for Siwoo, she was met with.

The news that Shin Siwoo had gone to Rosie Alu’s mansion.
She had been so engrossed in contemplation and cooking that she had forgotten Shin Siwoo’s report from yesterday.

“……”

There was no particular problem.

The lunch box that Zlata had lent her was an artifact with superior performance than any other insulated lunch box.
Linne quietly sat at the table and waited for her disciple to return.