Chapter 32
# 32
Chapter.8 Grace City’s dinner
“If the crown prince hadn’t suddenly intervened, we could have cornered him on the spot.”
The duke occupied the study and grumbled to himself.
Spending time on a powerless territory like this is itself a waste.
I felt bad because I wasted so much time thanks to the prince.
A powerless territory can only serve as its foundation. Talking about self-esteem and independence is useless.
What does a dinner party mean?
I can’t believe we have to match the pranks of those kids.
Even a banquet at the imperial palace is not enough.
“Hmm, more than that, Medrine. How about this greek? It’s also a good territory to intercept. “If you like it, I will give you this Gracesy.”
The title of count is awarded to class 7 wizards. But it is an honorary position after all. Territory is not given.
But she wanted territory. They are two people who fell in love because they wanted something from each other. That was the reason why Medrine swore allegiance to the dukedom.
The Duke gains great power as a 7th class wizard, and Medrine gains territory.
“The crown prince just needs to keep playing around like that. Increase the nobility of my faction. “If everything goes well, I can give you as much territory as this.”
Duke Taemuran smiled wryly at Medrine. Medrine didn’t think it was funny, but she wanted to gain the territory, so she nodded quietly.
***
Dinner time.
All the nobles were gathered at the long table in the lord’s castle. Everyone except Count Gray, who is deathly ill.
At the head table is the crown prince.
And on either side were the Duke of Taimuran and Baron Gray. And next to the duke sat the Count of Medrine.
“It’s a dinner party where you have to take off your clothes. Isn’t it fun? When I think of you walking around naked. Hehehe!”
The crown prince continued to chuckle and scold Grayke. The more the Gray boy said, the more he could not believe El’s words. There’s a different meaning in there.
If that’s really the case, it means that you really live in a world inside a well. When Graeck felt that way, his worries accelerated. The center and the wide world. In that world.
This incident completely shook young Grayke’s values.
A man like a prince.
A peacock-like bundle of ambition.
The path you must take within it.
If advancing to the center was the way to develop the strength to overcome it all, Graeke thought he would like to experience it once.
‘Of course, the priority now is to avoid this situation. As Master said.’
Graeck began to look at the expressions of the crown prince and the duke while squeezing their hands.
The duke has a sour expression. He was probably more interested in Grace’s answer than in the dinner.
By the time everyone at the table was thinking about something else.
The butler appeared from the kitchen with the first dish. L was cooking in the kitchen.
The first course is water.
A glass of water was placed in front of each person.
The crown prince and the duke looked at the water glass with puzzled expressions.
Unlike ordinary water glasses, this is a thin and long water glass. But what it contains is just water.
“this… “Is it cooking?”
The puzzled prince asked Gray. The duke, who had been annoyed, narrowed his eyebrows and sneered.
“It’s not cooking. However, it is not water from a well or a river, but rather refreshing and refreshing water drawn from bedrock water deep underground. And the flower listed above is a unique species that grows on Mount Gray and is characterized by its sweet scent. “You can think of it as first washing your mouth with fragrant water.”
The Gray boy finished explaining exactly what he heard from El. And then he sat down and drank some water. Then the water flowed down my throat, spreading coolness deep inside my body. Such cool water. I feel refreshed to the core. Plus, the flower scent was very subtle.
The Crown Prince had the same sentiment as Gray. The crown prince’s eyebrows twitched wildly.
“Is this fun? fun!”
The crown prince’s frivolous laughter spread across the table along with his exclamation.
Thanks to this, Graeke gained a little confidence.
The second dish was wild upasam. Should I call it an appetizer with vegetables? Wild Uva made Grayk think that he did not want to live a life of becoming material. It was him.
There are not many soft parts in wild uva. It is a dish where parts such as belly and cheek meat are sliced thinly, grilled, wrapped with lettuce-like vegetables, and seasoned with ssamjang and garlic.
Due to the nature of wild uva, it is light and light, and because it is sliced very thinly, the taste of ssamjang is a little stronger, which serves to stimulate the appetite.
It looks like a vegetable dish at first glance because it is wrapped in lettuce and tied with a fruit stem at the top. However, it is a dish where the harmony of flavors occurs within.
After tasting it, the duke just kept putting Ubassam into his mouth.
In fact, the duke had no interest in the two people’s bet. I was just trying to laugh at the dish, but the dish that came out unexpectedly was amazing and delicious, so I just ate it without saying a word.
The crown prince also looked satisfied. However, he showed an expression that it was not enough.
“This was delicious too. But isn’t it still not enough to defeat me? It’s definitely delicious, but nothing definitive, so look forward to the next dish. Haha!”
The crown prince laughs with excitement, mentioning the bet. The duke looked at the crown prince and shook his head as if he was pitiful.
Medrine said nothing. To her as a wizard, this position itself has almost no meaning. Just eat your food quietly.
“The next dish is… .”
When the third dish appeared, the Gray boy stood up again.
“I will explain the next dish myself.”
But Grake sat down immediately. Because it was the chef himself who brought the third dish.
The crown prince and the duke just looked like they were thinking about something to cook this time.
However, there was one person who reacted strongly.
Medrine knocked over the glass of water she was holding. More than half of the remaining water spills onto and under the table. But Medrine couldn’t even think of avoiding the water.
L also recognized her right away. I wondered why this wizard was here. But a question is just a question.
Elle approached Medrine with a calm expression. The ordinary act of taking a towel and wiping up spilled water. But Medrine had an expression that took my breath away.
My face is frowning and my legs are shaking.
For Elle, Medrine was different from Derriant.
Because Medrine was the highest-class wizard in the empire at the time, she participated in the capital defense battle led by El. Therefore, he is a person who knows El’s true identity.
However, Elle never thought of Medrine as a colleague. He is simply a wizard put forward by the imperial palace, and is completely different from his colleagues who have overcome the Dragon War together from the beginning.
“Why are you spilling your glass of water? “You have to be careful.”
“that that… that… .”
“Stay still. “Stay still.”
From what I heard, he was telling me to stay still because I would clean the table, but the meaning that Medrine took was different. Of course, that is exactly what El intended.
It means to stay still and not say anything about your identity.
Medind just kept his mouth shut. What on earth can he do when even dragons are torn to death?
I kept shaking my legs, but the good news was that no one was interested in the view under the table.
L calmly returned to his seat. And finally, I brought out the main dish. When I opened the lid, an unidentifiable stone appeared. Then everyone’s eyes except Medrine turned to El.
Among the people who turned their gaze, except for Gray, there were faces asking what was going on.
L calmly explained to them.
“This is a stone block made of baked clay.”
“Mud? Are you telling me to eat mud now?”
The crown prince’s expression distorted. I wondered if they had served some dishonest food to make a bet.
“Is this your answer?”
The duke also jumped up with a look of satisfaction on his face. Now that they have caught the pod, their expressions show that they are excited to attack it.
“Could you please wait a moment?”
El started smashing the round lump of clay with a hammer. The lump of mud breaks and green leaves reveal themselves. Not only the Crown Prince and the Duke, but also the Gray Boy looked surprised when something unexpected emerged from the mud, which was nothing more than a boulder.
“As you can see, the outside is nothing but clay. But even if it looks like clay on the outside, it can be hiding something else inside.”
As soon as the crown prince heard those words, he looked at El. With a slight frown.
“This dish uses mud and leaves to double and triple conceal itself. Behind the insignificant and rough mud, this delicate leaf deceives people once more. And within it… .”
El peeled off all the leaves.
Inside, a beautifully ripe Palen cue appeared. The smell of chicken. The smell of chicken coated in mud and grilled over an open fire spread throughout the table. The unique rich aroma of chicken stimulates the appetite.
The inside of the yellow, darkly ripe Palen cue contained various medicinal ingredients.
“Palen cue is said to be one of the most rare foods in the world. Not only that, but there are also medicinal herbs that are good for your body hidden in PalenQ. This medicine is something special. You need to treat it well to make Palenque taste good. “If you use it too strongly, it will ruin the taste of Palenque.”
“That’s Palenque? “Are you talking about that Palenque that is so difficult to catch that it is legendary?”
The Duke reacted violently, as if intoxicated by the smell of chicken, and held out his hand. The smell of palen cue baked in mud was unbearable.
El first tore the Palenque leg to the crown prince and placed it on a bowl. And another leg for the duke.
And then he tore the body part and handed it over to Gray.
The duke, who held the chicken leg in his hand before the crown prince, let out an enthusiastic exclamation.
“Oh oh? “Is this delicious?”
A feast of soft chicken legs with a chewy texture. The taste of chicken with its rich flavor is enough to make even a peacock make a fuss. The fact that it was a legendary monster that had never been eaten before was also a seasoning that piqued the Duke’s interest.
However, the crown prince silently glared at Palenque like a mute, then looked at El again.
“Where does the noble being who lives embrace the people in his arms? “In harmony, like this Palenque.”
At El’s words, the prince dropped the chicken leg he was holding.
“Why are you so embarrassed? This is a story about cooking. And if you really have a good mask on, it shouldn’t come off when you pound it like the clay in this dish.”