Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 168 : If You Fall Down, Stand Up Again

As a trial product... it seems to have failed a bit.

In front of her, a black, bubbling substance that could hardly be called food was boiling in the pot.

It looked like some kind of terrifying dark lava.

To think that someone could actually make a dish that looked like something from hell, and that person was herself—knocking on her head, Yvonne couldn't help but have such self-deprecating thoughts.

The smell wasn't quite right either... Although she knew the main ingredients for curry in general, the specific amount of each spice—and which spices should be combined—these more detailed formulas still needed repeated trials.

With so many types of spices, this experiment had entered into…

"This... is it really edible..."

The chef scratched his head, making such a comment.

The color of curry doesn't give a good sensory impression to begin with,

And her failure made this pot of mush turn into an even more terrifying color.

It felt like some bitter ingredient had been added too much, causing it to become like this.

The spice formula still had issues...

Elsa had come to her side at some point, using a spoon to scoop up some of the ominous-smelling black mush and put it in her mouth.

"Wait... Don't eat it!"

"Cough cough... Cough cough cough—!!"

Yvonne hurriedly got her a glass of water,

"Quickly rinse your mouth and spit it out! What if you get an upset stomach?!"

However, Elsa swallowed it.

"It's fine~ Truly inedible things would be spit out after the first bite. What Evie made is still far from that level!"

"Even if you say that, I can't be happy at all..."

Yvonne felt somewhat discouraged.

Thinking carefully, when she made curry before, she always used instant curry roux or curry powder. Trying to create a food that originally didn't exist in this world from scratch was indeed too difficult.

She had already wasted quite a lot of ingredients, and her tongue had become numb from tasting too many spices... But Yvonne felt it was still far from the 'curry' taste in her memory.

"Come to think of it... 'curry' represents the taste of home."

The word 'curry' comes from Tamil, meaning 'many spices cooked together', but although it originated in India, it was ultimately popularized in a certain island nation in the Far East.

"The taste of home?"

"Yes, because it's a dish that every household makes."

She couldn't remember exactly which work she had seen it in, but in Japan, geishas and maikos in the red-light districts and bars were absolutely forbidden from serving curry dishes to customers.

In the flower streets filled almost entirely with male customers, the most important thing was how to prevent customers from having second thoughts and lingering there to seek pleasure.

Therefore, the smell of curry that would make men think of home was absolutely not allowed to appear.

"Smelling this scent... makes one think of home?"

"That's right."

Yvonne restarted the stove.

White incandescent lights, various cooking aromas wafting from households from time to time.

As the bubbling boiling pot sent steam rising to the kitchen ceiling, enveloping the white light emitting from the incandescent lamp, further softening that light, the appetite-stimulating curry spread its aroma, and the rice cooker made a clicking sound—

Curry was just such a food with strong family connotations.

"I see..."

Sitting at the dining table, propping up her head while waiting to taste test, Elsa nodded thoughtfully after hearing Yvonne's explanation.

So that's why you wanted to recreate it?

Evie is so easy to guess...

But... can you really make it...

Yvonne had somewhat lost confidence, as the progress in developing curry was slower than she had imagined. At this rate of combining and arranging these spices, who knows when she could make real curry.

Perhaps some important ingredient wasn't even available among these oddly shaped otherworld spices.

If that were the case, no matter how much she tried, she might never be able to recreate it.

The repeated process of failure made Yvonne feel increasingly downhearted.

The confidence and enthusiasm she had before starting gradually turned into disappointment.

"Maybe I'm just not good at cooking after all..."

"That's not true at all!"

"Sigh..."

"Evie smells so strongly~~"

"Let me hug you, comfort me a bit..."

But... what exactly should I do...

Propping up her head and thinking, finally touching her hair by her ear, Elsa had a sudden inspiration.

Got it!

"Evie, look—"

"Hm?"

"—Little mustache!"

Curling up two strands of hair, she placed them above her lips, pursing her mouth, making the hair look like her own mustache.

If one feels embarrassed about making a fool of oneself, at such times, to cheer up the other person, one only needs to do something even more embarrassing!

First stunned for a moment.

"What is that... so silly!! But so funny—"

The hand originally wrapped around her neck was now barely hanging on due to laughter.

"...Wait, is it really that funny?"

"I can't take it anymore..."

Seeing the other person laugh so heartily, it instead made Elsa, who had made such a silly gesture, start to feel embarrassed.

"Because it's the same shape as Father's mustache... so..."

Covering her mouth, trying hard to stifle her laughter, Yvonne still couldn't stop laughing and straighten up.

"Evie's sense of humor is so strange!!"

"Puhahahahaha—"

Isn't it because you're too cute?

Wiping away the tears of laughter with her sleeve, Yvonne felt the previous bad mood instantly swept away.

"Alright—then let's keep working hard!"

She felt full of motivation.

Although she might fall down while running headlong,

She would definitely stand up again.

Because if she stayed lying on the ground, the person in her arms would be sad.

She especially didn't want to disappoint her.

"...Wait, Bebe? What are you doing here?"

"Wuya—"

Just then, the little one also came over. She climbed onto the chair next to the wooden table in the kitchen, stood up, and then, imitating Elsa, pressed her fluffy big tail to her face,

"—Guzi (mustache)!"

The fluffy tail hanging on her face looked just like a dark Santa Claus beard.

The little one confidently showed it to her two mamas, repeating the pronunciation Elsa had made earlier.

"Wait, did Bebe just speak?!"

"Really...!!"

Although somewhat unclear, this was the first time Bebe had pronounced a complete noun so clearly, and judging by her expression, she also understood what this word meant—

"My goodness... Bebe—you must be a genius!!"

Elsa excitedly picked her up, happily spinning around on the spot. You should know, she's not even a year old yet—this is really amazing!

Hearing the praise for herself, Bebe spoke even more enthusiastically:

"Guzi~ Guzi~ Guzi~~~"

"But... her first word after 'Mama' is actually 'mustache'..."

Realizing this point, Yvonne and Elsa helplessly glanced at each other, then burst out laughing simultaneously.

·

·

It must be said, Bebe truly was their lucky star.

"Waa~~"

When swinging her tail, she accidentally knocked over a bottle containing ground fennel powder placed nearby, spilling some into the pot. Instantly, a familiar fragrance wafted out.

"Ah—That's the smell!!"

Yvonne hurriedly wrote down the formula for this pot on a nearby piece of paper.

"Turmeric... cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander seeds, mustard, sage, black pepper... I see, it also needs fennel?"

This time... finally!!

Yvonne placed these raw materials in a stone mill, mixing and grinding them into a fine yellow powder.

"Is this curry powder?"

Elsa looked curiously at the powder in front of her.

"That's right."

Because it was made from dried and roasted spices ground into powder, this powder was not easily spoiled and wouldn't attract insects. As long as it was kept dry, it could be preserved for a long time.

The manufacturing process wasn't complicated, but due to the uniqueness of the formula, it wasn't easily imitated by others.

In other words, this special spice... was now completely in their own hands!

"That's amazing~~ Evie!"

"No time to waste, let's make some curry rice!"

This otherworld had a unique type of spicy yellow tree pepper. Yvonne used fire magic to dry it and grind it into powder, then mixed it with the finished curry powder. Based on the amount of chili added, she made three different levels of spiciness: 'mild', 'medium', and 'extra spicy' curry powder.

If she were to choose for herself, of course it would be extra spicy. But thinking that Elsa might cry from the spiciness, she finally chose mild.

The good thing about curry is that you can make a big pot at once.

"Everyone gets a share today~~!"

The household servants were also gathered together; everyone today was a taster for the new recipe.

Hot steaming rice, topped with golden curry sauce, instantly filled the entire mansion with the aroma of curry.

"This is... curry!!"

The rich curry flavor perfectly blended with the ingredients. Taking a bite, that rich and creamy curry exploded in the mouth, instantly immersing the whole person in a world of curry.

The vegetables and meat chunks cut to just the right size in the finishing touch—especially the potatoes. The chunked potatoes cooked to a half-melted state made the curry sauce even thicker, and after absorbing this special flavor, they completely merged with the curry.

Strange spices... strange flavor! —It's impossible to stop!!

Poured over rice, one would want to lick the plate clean after finishing.

"Awoo~~~ Gali~~~ Gali~~~"

Waving her little spoon, this was the second word Bebe learned that day.

·

"What is this..."

Looking at the strange package that had been mailed, Sister Delia was full of questions.

The sender was still Linda, who often exchanged specialties with her, but this time, the mailing address had changed to Greenwoam.

"'Curry'...?"

Pronouncing the name of the ingredient marked on it,

Delia held the packet containing yellow powder to her nose and tried to smell it, but nearly sneezed.

Strange fragrance... Could this be some new type of spice?

The attached note, written in neat and orderly handwriting, detailed the cooking method for curry.

"I see... It can be cooked together with vegetables and meat..."

At the end of the letter, there was also a suggestion clearly written in Elsa's handwriting:

'Sister Delia! Adding a boiled parmifo will make it very delicious, I've already tried it. Curry cooked this way will have a sweet taste, I think the younger brothers and sisters should like it—'

"Sweet curry..."

It sounds like an interesting dish.

Rubbing the words on the letter paper, feeling that unique scent from the elf, Delia narrowed her eyes and showed an understanding smile.

But just then, an ominous shadow gathered behind her,

"—Lord Ulo."

The black shadow took shape behind Delia.

Removing the black hood, the silver-haired nun frowned slightly.

"I believe I've said before, that name cannot be mentioned here."

"My apologies... Lady Delia."

The shadow immediately corrected itself.

It was prayer time now, and the children were all obediently chanting prayers to the Goddess in the hall.

Hearing the tender prayer sounds coming from not far away, the silver-haired nun finally relaxed.

"Now that the only threatening Demon King has been recruited under your command, and our comrades have successfully infiltrated the royal family of Oz Kingdom, the situation can be said to be fully under control... Why haven't you taken action yet?"

"............"

Her gaze was as cold as if it could plunge one into an icy cave. A massive amount of magic power leaked out slightly along with her emotional fluctuations, making the surrounding air suddenly feel extremely oppressive, as if it had been solidified.

"—Are you telling me how to do things?"

After being shocked by the magical power, the figure in the shadow clearly showed great wavering, falling to its knees with a thud, apologizing to the Demon King:

"Th-this subordinate absolutely did not mean to speculate about your actions!! This subordinate only wanted to know... what exactly are your plans for the future?"

"You don't need to know. I have my own arrangements... Also, do not appear without my summons."

"...Yes."

After being commanded, a buzzing tremor gradually faded away, and the shadow dissipated at the end of the corridor.

Seeing the shadow disappear, Delia put her nun's headdress back on.

"—!"

However, upon turning around, she saw Annie holding the doll Fiel had given her, looking confused.

"...What's wrong, Annie?"

Although surprised, Delia still put on her usual warm and gentle expression.

"Um... Sister Delia... The prayer is already finished? Everyone is looking for you..."

Annie curiously looked around behind Delia.

She seemed to have just seen Sister Delia talking to something...

But... what exactly was it?

There was clearly no one there...

"Alright, I'll be right there."

Delia extended her hand with a slightly lower body temperature and patted Annie's upturned red hair.

"Come, let's go together."

"Mm!"

The black-clad clergy member took the little girl's hand and walked towards the church.