novelraw Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Chapter 115. The Saint (3)
Bell's death, the suspicion of Clarisse's connection to Dark Mages, interference that could pour in at any moment, and the stabilisation of CCC Franchise stores. The crises Y&P would have to navigate going forward were many and plentiful.
But the Culinary Revolution still had a long way to go. While living in the safe house out of Bell's sight, there had been ample time, and Jurgen had been preparing the next step alongside Brigitte.
It was Y&P's next business venture.
There had been considerable deliberation over menu selection.
Up until now, Cola and Chicken had been menus thoroughly proven on a global scale. It meant they had been something of a safe bet.
However, the Culinary Revolution had now steadily found its footing.
CCC was selling as if the chicken had grown wings and taken flight. Cola hadn't been making daily headlines the way CCC did, but…… That was closer to Cola having naturally settled in as part of daily life, a signature staple of the North—something that went without saying.
In other words, it was a time when taking a gamble once in a while was perfectly fine.
And so, the item Jurgen had prepared this time was seasoned ribs—or more precisely, seasoned beef short ribs with charcoal grilling.
Three things were needed. Charcoal, beef ribs, and marinade.
First, the charcoal.
'Charcoal grilling?'
'It's a method of cooking meat on a grill rack placed over charcoal.'
'Wow! That sounds exciting!'
In Britannia, the concept of charcoal grilling did not exist. That said, charcoal itself was not absent. It was an essential fuel even for powering the steam turbines of steel mills and factories.
So this was resolved without difficulty.
The next item needed was beef ribs.
Since a cow has as many as thirteen pairs of ribs, the same rib cut could differ enormously in flavour and purpose depending on how it was butchered.
Jurgen's choice here was the 6th, 7th, and 8th rib sections. The prime cut, also known as the flower of the ribs.
If Cola and CCC were foods one could casually buy and eat on any given day with a light heart…… The position Seasoned Ribs was aiming for was that of a food best enjoyed on 'a day to treat oneself.'
'You're selling beef now too?! I'll send some over straight away!'
This too could be procured with ease thanks to Baron Keystone's wholehearted cooperation.
And last, the marinade.
This proved slightly more difficult. The ingredients for the marinade included sugar, minced garlic, pear and apple, cooking wine, and Ganjang (Eastern Continent-style fermented soy sauce).
The rest posed no difficulties. The problem was the Ganjang.
Soybeans could be sourced from the Demon Realm, but wasn't Ganjang something that required fermenting soyabean and ageing it over a long time in earthenware jars?
But there was a way, as there always was.
Instead of traditional production, a different method was adopted. This was resolved by mixing wheat into soaked soybeans and inoculating the mixture with seed koji, a type of fermenting mould. The necessary ageing time was supplemented through the Alchemy technique 'Acceleration.'
After that came Brigitte's time.
'Teacher! Rather than using only the Ganjang you made, shall we try mixing it with Ganjang imported from the Eastern Continent?'
'Teacher! How about kiwi in the tenderising process? I happen to love kiwi!'
'Teacher! The sweetness of the sugar is too one-dimensional! Let's use the Plum Syrup we made before!'
'Teacher! With this sesame oil, rather than adding it directly to the marinade, I think one final touch just before grilling would be better!'
Brigitte's brilliant instincts went beyond simply recreating Seasoned Ribs, producing a marinade optimised for Britannia's palate.
Afterwards, the rib meat was sliced to an appropriate thickness, scored in a crosshatch pattern, and left to marinate…… It was the moment Britannia's very first Seasoned Ribs was born.
And returning to the present.
―Tsssss!
Meat soaked in marinade for twelve hours sizzled as it cooked over blazing charcoal. Brigitte fanned the flames gently and hummed to herself as she grilled the meat through.
Any Korean would know—the smell of Seasoned Ribs on the grill is nothing short of an assault on the senses. Even as it was being grilled in a kitchen fully equipped with ventilation ducts, Stella was sniffing the air.
"What a wonderful smell."
"Jurgen is good at cooking."
"He seems like a homely sort of person. Don't you think so?"
While Stella made her endless attempts at matchmaking. Jurgen and Brigitte brought out a plate stacked high with ribs.
"Oh? I've never seen this dish before."
"R, right. I thought the smell was unfamiliar somehow……."
Penelope tilted her head at the unfamiliar appearance. Having eaten a great many dishes by now, she could tell from the look alone that it was beef, and that Ganjang had been used as the base, but……
"It's called Seasoned Ribs. Y&P Trading Company's new weapon."
"Ah, so this was that menu?"
"It's incredibly incredibly delicious! This is rice steamed in a pressure cooker with sticky rice—you eat it alongside!"
"It's hot, so do take care."
When Jurgen cooked alone, an occasional dish fell short of expectations, but since Brigitte's joining, success was all but guaranteed.
Each of them placed rib into their mouths with expressions full of anticipation.
"Wow……."
Something close to a sigh of admiration escaped them.
The smoky fragrance that had permeated every corner deep within the meat wafted past the tip of the nose.
Expecting a sweet saltiness like that of Seasoned Chicken, yet contrary to the scent, the sweetness was not especially strong. Nor was it too salty. If anything, it felt as though the flavour had drawn out the meat's natural taste to its fullest and then added just the right finishing touch.
The distinctive aroma where the marinade had charred and caramelised slightly against the charcoal. Overflowing juices. Even a tender texture one would never believe came from beef. Everything was perfect.
One felt a deep pang of sympathy for Dominic, who had committed the catastrophe of making advances on a Saint and fled from the dinner table.
"……."
If even the two accustomed to Jurgen's cooking felt this way, Stella needed no further words.
"……What on earth is this?"
Stella was someone with no particular interest in fine food. What could possibly come out of convent meals that emphasised poverty and charity?
Even so, she had held her own modest expectations. The field cooking Hanbin had prepared in the Demon Realm had been excellent.
"How can meat taste like this……?"
But she hadn't known it would be at this level.
As Stella stared at Jurgen with vacant eyes, Jurgen gave a proud nod.
This was the reaction from Stella, who would eat whatever food was put in front of her with middling satisfaction at best.
And it could hardly have been otherwise.
Field cooking was limited in its variety.
Moreover, unlike those days when he had kept himself entirely removed from cooking, nowadays he cooked every single meal. And above all, wasn't this a menu crafted alongside Brigitte, Britannia's ill-fated culinary genius?
"How do you find it? Saint."
"I was genuinely taken aback. It isn't as pungent as it looks, and it pairs wonderfully with this rice."
"I am glad to hear you say so."
Just as intended.
Not a marinade to mask the off-smell of inferior meat— But a refined flavour that drew out the natural beef aroma of the Prime Cut while blending naturally with it. The starting point for opening the premium fine dining market.
'Could I perhaps have this Consecrated instead……?'
Stella found herself harbouring an inadvertently irreverent thought.
***
Hector arrived in Nortaris by train. Amid the bustling crowd of the busy station, Hector in a proper suit and coat was, to anyone's eyes, the very image of 'a person of high standing.'
On top of that, his appearance was so inherently rigid and inflexible that even the street vendors selling newspapers and sweets gave him a wide berth.
"It has been a while since I've been to Nortaris."
Recalling Clarisse's request, a furrow deepened between Hector's brows.
Penelope—the granddaughter-in-line who was disrupting the family order. He did not overthink this request.
Penelope had been someone who couldn't even hold his gaze properly whenever she saw him, going all the way back. He deemed it sufficient to simply go to her in person and put the fear into her.
And if she still refused to listen even then, that was when he would resort to a show of force.
Just then. A feeble hand tugged at the hem of his coat.
"Grandfather, could we walk a little more slowly?"
A young lady with the frail impression of someone who might be blown over by a gust of wind. Hector's own granddaughter, and a second cousin on Penelope's side—Cecily Rosemore.
Her standing within the family was virtually non-existent, for reasons different from Penelope's. Having suffered from an incurable illness, she had spent her childhood confined to her bed, and as a result had never been of use as a piece in a political marriage either.
But even a tiger finds its own cub adorable. To Hector, Cecily was the sole legacy left behind by his disappointing son who had fallen in battle.
"Insisting on tagging along when your health is in no fit state…… tch."
"Even so, I wanted to come at least once."
"Come here—train stations are dusty, haven't I told you? You must keep your scarf properly wrapped."
With rough, unsteady hands, Hector wrapped the scarf to cover her pale cheeks and mouth.
"Grandfather, I have a request……."
"Do you think we've come here for a leisurely outing? We are here on family business, family business."
"Still, there's something I absolutely must try while we're in Nortaris."
"What?"
"Oh, over there. Cola."
Following the direction of her fingertip, a street vendor came into view. On the stall the vendor had laid out sat a bucket of ice, and within it Cola bottles bobbed about. Looking around, passersby too were strolling along drinking Cola, one and all.
"I heard Sister Penelope made it……. I've been wanting to try it ever since."
Anyone else would have scolded her and told her not to talk nonsense, but……
"I'll buy yours too, Grandfather. Won't you have some together with me?"
"Hmm, never mind that. What money do you have?"
"No, I have pocket money I've been saving up."
What could Cecily possibly know, spending all day every day shut up in her room?
"Two bottles of that beverage, if you please."
"Yes! Sir! Fresh cold Cola here!"
When Hector opened his wallet, the vendor deftly popped the bottle caps and placed one in each of their hands.
"Wow, look at all the bubbles, Grandfather."
"Is that so?"
To state the obvious, Hector had never drunk Cola before. It was something made by Penelope, whom he had regarded unfavourably, and in the first place, soldiers drank either strong vodka or water.
"Grandfather! It tastes absolutely amazing! Just like what I read about in the articles! They said it tasted like drinking a night sky full of flowing stars!"
"No, I'm fine."
"You've already bought it. Don't waste it—please just try it once. Just once. All right?"
Cecily was clearly delighted with the Cola she had long been anticipating. Hector drank the Cola with reluctance.
"……!"
And he found himself wearing an unexpectedly flustered expression. The prickling carbonation, a cool and sweet flavour with a refreshing sensation going down the throat. A distinctive fragrance that seeped into the nose.
An unexpectedly distinctive and excellent taste he had not anticipated. On top of that, his parched mouth and the bloated feeling from sitting on the train for so long went down cleanly in one sweep.
He had been told it was a beverage—had they gone and made medicine instead?
"How is it? What do you think, Grandfather?"
"Hmph, enough. Let's go."
Hector moved on with a disgruntled step. Cecily tilted her head, trotted along behind Hector—then abruptly stopped again.
"G, Grandfather."
"What is it?"
"I…… I really wanted to try that too…… is there any way……?"
"That?"
Where Cecily's gaze was directed was the Crispy Crown Chicken Central Station Branch. And the queue of waiting customers wrapped all the way around it.
"That's also something Sister Penelope made, isn't it? Wow, it looks delicious."
"Ahem, so it is. Let's go now. There are far too many people."
Even after Hector gave a hollow cough and moved his feet, there was no sound of footsteps following. Turning back, he found Cecily with her lower lip jutting out, looking up at him with desperate eyes.
"Grandfather……."
"No."
"Graaandfather……."
"Did I not say no!"
Was this the consequence of spoiling her too much?
Hector let out a deep sigh. However much it was Cecily making the request, there were things one could accommodate, and things one had to refuse firmly.
This was clearly the latter. It seemed he had inadvertently cultivated bad habits in Cecily all this while.
"Listen carefully, Cecily."
And then.
.
.
.
A short while later.
"……."
Hector stood with his arms folded, in the middle of the CCC queue. His fingertips drummed against his elbow in dissatisfaction.
"Number 228, pick-up order! Your order is ready!"
At the employee's call, Hector glanced down at his number ticket.
"……."
It was 572.