Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter 1.4

4

The seventh day of the violet month arrived.

As planned, we went ahead and closed the stalls for the day, and headed over to the castle town early. Our group included myself, Rimee Ruu, and Toor Deen, with Ai Fa and Shin Ruu as guards.

There were two reasons Shin Ruu in particular had been chosen. The first was that the guards we had recently been using continuously, Dan and Deem Rutim, had finally returned to hunting duty. Deem Rutim had apparently recovered around when we returned from Dabagg, while Dan Rutim had gotten so worked up after the incident with the lord of the forest that he had demanded that he be allowed back onto active duty, though he had at least agreed not to push himself.

As a result, there wasn’t anyone left unengaged under the Ruu clan. Donda and Darmu Ruu were too injured to take this job. Even Ai Fa and Dan Rutim were barely healthy enough to act as guards—though they could still beat down just about anyone from around town if they fought through the pain, even if they weren’t able to hunt giba just yet.

Still, the Ruu clan had decided that their members could take a day off from hunting if need be, so it wasn’t all that serious of an issue. As for why Shin Ruu in particular was chosen out of their many hunters, it was in order to meet a request from the castle town.

“As this job will be a tea party for noble ladies, if you are to have bodyguards accompany you, we ask that you please choose young ones who are as benign in appearance as possible,” a messenger from the castle town had conveyed to us.

Though it was definitely rude, perhaps the request was only natural, considering they had met Donda Ruu and Gulaf Zaza. If we brought along hunters from the north who wore their giba pelts and skulls, they could easily make those graceful noble ladies faint on the spot.

But at any rate, once all those factors had been taken into account, the young Ruu branch house head Shin Ruu was chosen. Having him take time off to join us wouldn’t make as much of a difference on the hunt as borrowing someone like Rau Lea would have. And as for Ludo Ruu, he needed to provide support for the acting clan head Jiza Ruu. And Shin Ruu looked every bit as “benign” as the other two options regardless.

“I can’t say I’m particularly happy to have been chosen for a reason like that, but I’m proud to have the chance to lend you my aid, Asuta,” Shin Ruu told me as the totos carriage we were riding in passed through the gates to the castle town. Still, his expression did have a touch more melancholy about it than usual. I had heard from Ludo Ruu that he felt bothered about not being chosen to help take down the lord of the forest, which had me worried, but I immediately realized that it was a needless fear.

“Lala Ruu was really loud about how unfair it was. I can’t say I understand why she would want to head to the castle town of her own volition,” Shin Ruu said.

“It’s probably because Reina and Rimee Ruu have been the ones to accompany me to the castle town as chefs each time I’ve gone. And Lala Ruu seems to be an unusually curious girl.”

“Hmm... It’s true that being selected to assist you would be a great honor for a chef. Still, I’m only going as a mere guard, and I don’t see any reason to call that unfair.”

“Some things go beyond logical reasoning.”

I wasn’t sure whether or not that answer satisfied Shin Ruu, but he looked pensive. “Hmm...”

Beside him was Rimee Ruu, who looked like she was really enjoying herself with Toor Deen. Toor Deen had a surprising tendency to open up easily to intense women like Yamiru Lea and Lem Dom, but Rimee Ruu was so sociable and earnest that it was no surprise that the other girl would feel comfortable around her too, even offering Rimee Ruu a reserved smile after having been pretty tense earlier in the morning.

The last member of our group was Ai Fa.

Though the roads were flat once we entered the castle town and this totos carriage definitely had better suspension than our wagon, the way here must have had an impact on her. She had remained silent with a sour look on her face as she nonchalantly held her abdomen under her cloak.

The ride seemed to go on forever. Apparently, our destination this time was even farther in than the Turan manor we had been visiting up until now. I didn’t know the precise location and probably wouldn’t have any real grasp of it even if someone told me, but based on the name, The White Bird, it could even be within the grounds of the castle itself.

Supposedly, there would be eight ladies attending. It felt every bit as wild to have people of the forest’s edge prepare a tea party for a gathering of noblewomen as it did to have me man the kitchen for an important welcome banquet. But Eulifia seemed to be truly bold and fearless, and I figured it was a good thing if there were eight noble ladies out there who weren’t afraid of the people of the forest’s edge.

My thoughts stayed on that topic as we swayed along in the totos carriage until the vehicle finally stopped again and the door at the rear opened.

“My apologies for the wait. Please, watch your step,” instructed the soldier clad in white armor who had guided us to this point. Perhaps I was just imagining things, but I thought this soldier looked quite young and graceful.

When we went ahead and got down from the carriage, a truly unexpected sight awaited us.

We were in the middle of a front garden paved with white stone. There was a white stone palace in front of us with similarly white stone walls stretching out on either side and behind us. No matter where I turned my eyes, it was all white. Rather than gray bricks, everything around us looked to be made of slick marble.

It’s seeming more and more accurate to call it the city of stone.

Bricks were one thing, but it must have taken extraordinary effort to carve out such natural rock. And this wasn’t even the castle itself, but just a smaller structure built for noblewomen to hold tea parties. It was hitting me yet again just how well-off Genos was as a town.

The house of Turan only held the title of count. So this is the difference when it comes to dealing with a ducal house instead, huh?

Though it was likely just a one-story building, it was still rather tall and looked quite impressive. A roof stretched out over our heads, supported by stone pillars. It was a gorgeous yet worn building, in a way that reminded me of Greek ruins.

“This way, please. Allow me to first show you to the bathhouse.”

Under the soldier’s guidance, we passed through a large set of double doors.

The hallway was also made of stone, and unlike the Turan manor, there were no rugs laid out. There were windows up high for illumination, and plenty of light was coming in. Though, there was so much that it made the white stone look almost blinding.

After a short walk, we came to a wall at the end of the hallway. There were two doors there, and two more halls stretched out endlessly off to the left and right.

“Gentlemen should use the right door, and ladies the left.”

“Ah, so there are separate baths for men and women? At the Turan manor we used the same one in turns.”

“Yes. Here at The White Bird, they are separate.”

Naturally, Ai Fa looked displeased, but we had to split up anyway while cleansing ourselves, so there was no great difference there. Shin Ruu and I walked toward the right door while Ai Fa, Rimee Ruu, and Toor Deen moved to the left. We entrusted the ingredients and cooking tools we had prepared to the pages, who would carry them to the kitchen.

On the other side of the door, a young page boy unsurprisingly awaited us. Ai Fa’s group undoubtedly found a maid in their bathroom.

“Allow me to take charge of your clothing.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Since we were all the same gender, there was no need for restraint. I went ahead and stripped down, tossing my clothing into the basket the page held out. Once I was in my birthday suit, the page politely brought his hands together and gracefully bowed to Shin Ruu.

“If you will be accompanying our other guest, then we ask that you bathe as well.”

“I wasn’t really planning to go into the kitchen,” Shin Ruu replied. “I can just keep watch outside the door, so there shouldn’t be any need to cleanse myself, right?”

His eyes still pointed downward, the page shook his head, “No. All guests who visit here at The White Bird are asked to bathe. Unless by ‘outside the door’ you meant outside of the palace.”

“No, I meant outside of the kitchen.”

“In that case, we ask that you please bathe.”

Shin Ruu seemed to hesitate for just a moment, but then he silently started removing his clothing. He didn’t seem to have any issue with the act of bathing itself, but rather felt hesitant to part with his blade. Still, it required a certain amount of resolve to come this far in the first place. Even a hunter of the forest’s edge couldn’t do anything against one or two hundred soldiers, so in a sense, he and Ai Fa were kind of acting as guards in name only. Even so, if the folks from the castle town betrayed our trust, a hunter could at least make it past the stone walls on their own and alert the forest’s edge of the urgent situation. Thus, coming as guards to the castle town was still an important task.

At any rate, Shin Ruu and I were now in the nude as the page led us through the next door. There we found the now familiar sight of a steam bath filled with the smell of mugwort.

Using the towel the youth handed me, I went ahead and thoroughly wiped down my steamy body. Though it wasn’t as refreshing as bathing in the Lanto river, I had started finding these steam baths pleasant too after having used them a number of times.

Meanwhile, Shin Ruu was glancing all around as he halfheartedly wiped himself down. As I looked at him, I decided to start a conversation. “Huh, you look thin, but you’ve got just as much muscle on you as Ludo Ruu. Of course, I guess that’s only natural when it comes to you hunters.”

“You’re also rather sturdy for a chef. You look like a man who just turned thirteen and started training as a hunter.”

“Yeah, Ai Fa said something similar before. Ah, it’s not like I showed her my naked body, though!”

“Nobody claimed you did.”

I guess this was what it was like, hanging out with someone in the nude. At any rate, I hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to Shin Ruu lately, so I was rather enjoying it.

Once we finished scrubbing off all the dirt and grime, we used the water from a container farther in to thoroughly wash our hair and bodies, completing the task of cleansing ourselves.

“Well then, this way, please,” the page stated once he saw we were done, turning toward a door on the right.

But then, Shin Ruu called out, “Hold on. We entered through the door on the opposite side. Just where exactly are you leading us?”

“To the changing room. Please, come this way,” the page stated, showing no concern as he opened the door.

Shin Ruu passed by me and went through the door first.

Awaiting us there was another stone-built room just like before. However, I didn’t see the basket stuffed with our clothing. Instead, there was a large table in the middle of the room, atop which sat some unfamiliar attire.

“Allow me to assist you in changing.”

“So we can’t continue on without wearing this?”

The boy just gave a deep bow in response to Shin Ruu’s question.

The Ruu hunter reached out toward the table with an intense look on his face. What he picked up was a longsword laid there alongside the clothing. It was around the same length as the blades used at the forest’s edge. When he drew it from its white leather sheath, we could see that it was a well-polished silver blade.

The sword was around eighty centimeters long, with a somewhat thin width of around seven or eight centimeters, and a thickness of only a single centimeter, adding up to a rather heavy straight sword. After looking it over and running a finger along the side of the blade, Shin Ruu suddenly gave a slash through thin air.

If a giba had been there, it surely would have had its skull cracked. His slash was so impressive that it felt as if it would leave a scorching trail through the air.

With a single nod, Shin Ruu returned the blade to its sheath. “It’s a fine blade. I’m sure it must have been expensive.”

“Allow me to assist you in changing...” the page repeated. Though he was even younger than us, his expression and movements were undisturbed, despite his skin going a shade or so paler. I couldn’t help but find that commendable.

Once we were done changing, Shin Ruu made for quite the impressive sight. He was dressed in the same sort of beautiful white attire worn by military officers of Genos. There was none of the armor that the soldiers wore. However, there was a silver sash diagonally over his chest and elegant embroidery along the cuffs and collar, looking akin to a dress suit.

He was also wearing white leather boots, and a second sash around his waist, which the sword was hanging from by his hip. There were fasteners made with an amber-looking stone at the seam of the torso portion, and the whole outfit looked to be made of a high-quality fabric.

If I had to give my opinion, I’d say Shin Ruu also had quite the good-looking face himself. He didn’t possess the powerful uniqueness I saw in Ludo Ruu, Rau Lea, or even Darmu Ruu, but he had eyes like you would expect to see on someone of East Asian descent, a high-bridged nose, a slender face, long blackish-brown hair, and an air of intelligence lingering about him in general.

And since he was, of course, a hunter of the forest’s edge, there was an intensity and strength about him hidden under that gentle exterior that no one from around town could ever hope to match. With that attire on, he looked as if he was some young noble lord of a storied lineage.

Meanwhile, the cooking uniform I put on wasn’t much different from the one I wore at the Turan manor. Sure enough, it was entirely white, with an apron and hat, designed such that only my hands and face were exposed. But it was plenty loose, so it didn’t feel tight and stuffy at all.

“You look very natural, Asuta. But I’m sure I look like an utter fool, right?”

“Not at all. In fact, I’d say you look more like a noble than an officer, even.”

“That’s a bad joke. I’m just glad Lala Ruu isn’t with us...”

For the people of the forest’s edge, being compared to a noble probably wasn’t a compliment. But if Lala Ruu saw him like this, I was certain her reaction would be to stare at him in awe, not laugh or be perplexed.

“Well then, this way, please.” The page boy opened yet another door. As I walked onward, I couldn’t help but wonder just how many doors we would pass through before reaching the kitchen, only to find the women already waiting there for us.

Instantly, I was left at a loss for words.

Ai Fa was standing there clad in the same sort of white military attire as Shin Ruu.

“What’s with that look? If you have something to say, then out with it already,” Ai Fa grumbled, clearly displeased.

And yet, all I could say was, “It’s nothing...”

What a truly gallant figure she struck. Her blonde hair and dark skin created a wonderful contrast with the white uniform. Just like Shin Ruu, she had the appearance of an awe-inspiring young warrior.

Back when she rescued me, Ai Fa had dressed up like a princess, and I found this was catching me off guard just as much as that had. The most fitting way to describe her would probably be a beauty dressed in men’s attire. The men’s clothing did nothing to dull the appeal of her graceful body and long limbs. Instead, it looked amazing on her.

“That is a truly wonderful look on you, Lady Ai Fa.”

When I heard that, I turned around to find Sheila standing there with her eyes narrowed blissfully. Apparently, she had been the one to help the women dress.

“Yeah, doesn’t she look cool? I wish everyone back at the forest’s edge could see,” Rimee Ruu chimed in. She and Toor Deen were dressed in matching clothes. Collared tops with skirts that fell midway down their shins and white aprons in front. Honestly, it made them look like tiny little maids.

Though they didn’t have hats on, they were wearing something that looked like hairbands. In all likelihood this building wasn’t equipped with outfits for such young chefs, so they ended up dressed in something close to the maid attire Sheila wore.

“From here on out, I shall guide you. We ask that you first greet the noble ladies,” Sheila stated, opening yet another door. Now dressed as a cook, a couple maids, and a pair of young warriors, we all followed after her.

We were led all over the place, along hallways more spacious than even the ones in the Turan manor. Eventually, we arrived in front of an especially large and splendid door. On either side of it stood two soldiers dressed the same as Ai Fa and Shin Ruu. Sheila solemnly announced our arrival, and one of the two men silently opened the way for us. The light that poured in lit up the hallway brighter than ever before.

It was an outdoor garden. The ground was coated in green grass rather than stone, but there was a narrow stone path leading toward the center, where I spotted a large circular open-air shelter, under which the noble ladies were already enjoying their tea.

“Lady Eulifia, I have brought our guests from the forest’s edge.”

“My, thank you. You’re...Sheila from the house of Daleim, correct?”

This was my first time seeing Eulifia in roughly a month. Today she had her hair tied up high again and wore a dress as she elegantly sipped from a clay cup. She looked to be around halfway through her twenties and was a graceful young noblewoman with a bright shine in her eyes.

However, there were other people present that I was actually surprised to see. And not just one or two. Even discounting Eulifia, I still recognized half of the eight women gathered there.

“When news of you preparing a tea party spread, Asuta, we ended up with a substantial crowd. It seems you’ve made quite a few friends,” Eulifia said with an amused smile as she pointed toward the other guests with a pale white finger. “This isn’t a stuffy formal gathering, so feel free to catch up as you please. After that, I will introduce you to the rest of the guests.”

After expressing my gratitude to Eulifia, I turned back toward the other women. However, I couldn’t quite decide who I should be calling out to first. As I was dithering, the most energetic member of the group shot me a smile.

“Long time no see, Asuta. Lord Polarth kindly got in contact with me, which is how I ended up attending.” It was none other than Diel, the metalworker’s daughter from Jagar with multiple shades of brown in her hair, talking the way she always did in polite society. She had a blue dress on over her small frame and wore a silver hair ornament in her bangs. Normally, she had an intentionally boyish air about her, but this is how she usually looked when we met in the castle town.

“I spoke, with Polarth, as well. I am, looking forward, to tasting, your sweets,” Arishuna, the star reader with Sym blood who was a guest of the castle, chimed in from the opposite seat. She was wearing a cloak just as always, but it was a fine one not meant for traveling and wasn’t overly adorned, so she didn’t look too out of place surrounded by noblewomen in dresses.

It was a surprise, seeing her and Diel sitting casually at the same table together, considering how the latter had shown clear animosity toward easterners when she happened to have a chance meeting with Shumiral in the past.

Seated beside Arishuna was a woman who was looking at me with obvious antipathy right from the start. Though it took a moment for it to click, this was none other than one of Varkas’s apprentices, Shilly Rou.

Though she had worn her dark-brown hair up tight when cooking, right now it flowed down to her back. Though she was dressed in a much more modest outfit than the other ladies, her milky-white dress still had plenty of frills and adornments, and her hair had decorative strands and beautiful stones braided into it, so I wouldn’t even bat an eye had she been introduced to me as a noble’s daughter or the like.

“Varkas strongly wished to join us here today, but he had work to attend to this morning that he simply couldn’t neglect, so he asked to have her attend in his place.” Eulifia sent a smile toward Shilly Rou. “Since she is the most skilled confectioner of Varkas’s apprentices, I would have loved to have her work the kitchen as well, but that request was firmly refused. I shall simply have to enjoy her skills at another opportunity.”

Shilly Rou gave a bow, but her gaze remained fixed even then. Her devotion to Varkas was so strong that she seemed to see me as an enemy. For now, I made a mental note that Shilly Rou’s field of expertise was making sweets.

Then there was one last person I recognized. And out of all of them, she was absolutely the most surprising. She was as adorable as a delicate french doll, wearing a dress covered in frills and ribbons. It was none other than the head of the house of Turan, Lefreya.

Since her father Cyclaeus and uncle Ciluel had been charged as criminals, she had been appointed as the head of her house despite her young age. But as she herself had committed the crime of kidnapping me, she was supposed to be forbidden from participating socially as a noble.

Of course, now that Cyclaeus had been judged, I saw no reason to despise her personally. And I trusted that she felt much the same on her end. Whether or not she knew anything of what was running through my mind, Lefreya wore the same standoffish look as always as she met my gaze.

“There were certainly voices claiming it was too soon to invite her to such an event. But it must be so tough, being shut up in that manor all the time, right? So I extended a special invitation.”

When Eulifia said that, Lefreya gave a polite nod in response and then spoke in a prim and proper tone. “Asuta, the manor where I was born and raised is currently being used by the ducal house of Genos. It seems that as planned, it is becoming a place for welcoming honored guests.”

“Oh, gotcha... Er, I mean, is that so?”

“Hmph. Though it isn’t much, I wished to deliver that news to you personally. After all, who can say how many times we will be able to meet again in the future,” Lefreya stated as she shot a dubious look at the space next to me. “By the way, do you have any business with Sanjura, perhaps? If so, I can summon him here.”

When I followed her gaze, I ended up gulping. Ai Fa and Shin Ruu, though dressed like handsome young warriors, were glaring like the hunters they were, their eyes blazing bright and furious.

Sanjura’s here too?

Sanjura was Lefreya’s attendant, and was the one to carry out my kidnapping in the post town some time ago. I couldn’t see him anywhere, but Ai Fa and Shin Ruu silently stared at one of the pillars supporting the roof.

The noblewomen whose names I didn’t know were making a commotion among themselves, while Eulifia looked upon the two hunters with great interest.

With a light furrowing of her brow, Lefreya called out, “Sanjura,” at which a tall figure emerged from behind the stone pillar. It was the man himself, wearing the same attire as Ai Fa and Shin Ruu.

“It has been, some time, Asuta... And the same to all of you, from the forest’s edge, as well.”

“I never expected to encounter you here...” Ai Fa quietly muttered.

It wasn’t as if he was showing any animosity, but he was fully on guard. That was only natural, given the wild, animalistic intensity being shown by the two hunters.

However, the light shining in Shin Ruu’s eyes was even brighter than Ai Fa’s. Though Ai Fa had seen Sanjura multiple times since his and Lefreya’s crimes were judged, this would be the first reunion for Shin Ruu.

“I am here, to guard Lefreya. I have no reason, to act rudely toward you guests, from the forest’s edge, so please, be at ease.”

“I hear tell you’ve already been judged by the laws of Genos... It is against the ways of the forest’s edge to treat those who have already been punished as if they are still criminals,” Shin Ruu replied, his voice even lower than Ai Fa’s. “However, I will never forget how you deceived Asuta for as long as I live. That, and the disgrace I felt for failing to protect him.”

Sanjura gave a polite bow. I was sure he didn’t intend to provoke the young hunter, but I worried that his expressionless response, like the kind you’d expect from a follower of Sym, could go over really badly.

“Is that enough of a reunion? If so, then allow me to introduce the other ladies present,” Eulifia nonchalantly chimed in with a chuckle. “First is my eldest daughter, Odifia.”

The girl was even smaller than Lefreya. She too looked like a french doll, just of a different size, and she was glancing around at us without reserve.

If she was Eulifia’s daughter, that meant she was Melfried’s child as well. She seemed to have gotten her gray eyes and mask-like expressionless face from her father, but she was still only five or so at most.

“This is Lady Besta of the house of Viscount Talfon, and this is Lady Selanju of Viscount Madel’s house. They were unable to attend the previous welcome banquet, so I reached out to them first for this occasion.”

Though they didn’t seem to be sisters or anything, the two noble ladies had similar facial features and just generally resembled each other in the impression they gave. They appeared to be around my age and were presently looking at Ai Fa and Shin Ruu with concern.

“The head chef for the house of Daleim, Yang, is currently getting ready in the kitchen. The plan for today is to have a tasting competition between him and you three chefs from the forest’s edge.”

“Huh? We’re doing a tasting competition?”

I still didn’t really understand anything about how such things went, but from what I could recall, it was a type of amusement enjoyed by nobles where they awarded points to dishes. Comparing tastes and matching our skills with one another was one thing, but I wasn’t too fond of the idea of assigning points and making it a contest.

“It’s nothing that formal. After all, it isn’t as if we all have tongues as well trained as yours. But please understand that the prize awarded for your services will be determined by the points given.”

“A prize? I heard from the leading clan heads that the payment would be twenty white coins per person...”

“That is the amount for the chef who earns the least points. Third place will be granted thirty white coins, second place forty, and first place fifty.”

So they had brought 140 white coins for a single tea party? That was more than the Fa and Ruu clans put together earned from our stalls in an entire day.

“Normally, we would not award this much, but since we summoned you when you are all so busy, we wished to express our gratitude. Well then, we shall look forward to when the noon bell rings out.”

Unable to say a word about not wanting to deal with a tasting competition, we were led to the kitchen.

In the meantime, I could hear Ai Fa and Shin Ruu whispering to one another, Ai Fa first. “If we trust Duke Genos’s words, then that Lefreya girl no longer possesses the strength to harm any people of the forest’s edge. There shouldn’t be any need to be on guard around that Sanjura man... And yet, I don’t like the thought of having to face him while injured.”

“You have even more perceptive eyes than mine, don’t you, Ai Fa? How would you describe that man’s skill in comparison to the hunters of the forest’s edge?”

“Well...I suppose I would say that he would be a match for Ludo Ruu, at least.”

“Ludo Ruu, huh? Which means that’s who I need to become strong enough to surpass.” I couldn’t help but worry, so I went to cut in between them. But before I could say anything, Shin Ruu added, “It’s nothing serious. I just feel like if I’m not going to have another chance to cross blades with that man, then I’m going to have to hone my skills to be much greater than they are now. Otherwise, I’ll spend my whole life afraid of my own weakness.”

“Oh, I see...”

Shin Ruu had been the closest at hand back when I was kidnapped by Sanjura. Even if The Sledgehammer’s owner, Nail, had been taken hostage, I had still been taken away right in front of the young Ruu hunter’s eyes, so he was left with more self-blame than anyone else.

It made my heart ache, thinking back to when I returned safely, how shaken and overcome with joy this normally composed young hunter had been, with warm tears pouring from his eyes.

“Don’t start digging up old memories for no good reason, Asuta...” Shin Ruu said with a glare, his face going a bit red.

“Whoa, I’m impressed. You’re just as perceptive as Ai Fa.”

“What do you mean? You just wear your thoughts and feelings on your face in a really obvious way, Asuta.”

I felt terribly apologetic as Sheila guided us through the door to the kitchen.

It was smaller than I expected, but it was still around twenty-six square meters, and the sweet scent wafting through the air was readily apparent. From across the room, Yang called out, “Ah, Sir Asuta,” with a bow of his head. “I look forward to working alongside you today. Please, go ahead and use that entire half of the work area.”

“Thank you. Um, I only heard there would be a taste contest for the first time after coming here today...”

“It is much the same for me. Still, knowing Lady Eulifia’s wont, I had my suspicions,” Yang replied, a gentle smile on his slender face.

As his introduction earlier had explained, Yang was the head chef for the house of Daleim. Currently, he was working a stall and cooking for an inn in order to help introduce new ingredients into the post town. Polarth had asked me to work toward the same goal, so his aim was a desire I shared.

He was a very solemn man, but a highly trustworthy one as well. He had to be approaching fifty, but he didn’t look arrogant at all as he worked, and I truly respected him.

“I, of course, personally know how skilled you are, Sir Asuta, as well as those you have instructed, so even if I end up in fourth place, I would not think it a shame. Still, I had heard that chefs who were as skilled as you would be attending, but I certainly never expected them to be so young.”

“I’m a person of the forest’s edge, the youngest daughter of the main Ruu house, Rimee Ruu! Here’s to working together today!”

“Ah, I’m a member of the Deen clan by the name of Toor Deen... I look forward to working alongside you.”

One of the young girls dressed like maids was bursting with energy, while the other timidly introduced herself.

In response, Yang politely bowed his head and said, “I look forward to working alongside you as well.”

“As you can see, they’re younger than I am, but they might be even more skilled than me when it comes to making sweets. Still, I’ll be trying my best so I don’t get embarrassed by the outcome.”

“It seems preparing sweets is not your field of expertise, correct, Sir Asuta? Meanwhile, while it may be presumptuous to say so, I consider that to be my greatest strength. I suppose this may finally put us on equal footing when it comes to a tasting competition,” Yang said, showing me a kindly smile. His expression was shockingly tranquil, free of any haughtiness or competitiveness whatsoever.