Refuse Harem
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Prius
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 125 – Dear Tenma, I Want to Vent My Stress XIII
Suddenly, a nice scent tickled his nostrils.
When Lars awoke, he blinked as that fragrant smell stirred his appetite.
“Lars, you’ve awoken at just the right time. We’re done cooking, so you should eat too.”
As her green-colored eyes, which didn’t lose to the verdant color of the mountains, stared at him, Lars vaguely thought they were beautiful as he received something.
“Here’s your portion.”
“T-thank you very much! …Huh? What happened to me again?”
It seemed that he had fallen asleep while leaning against the tree before he knew it. However, he couldn’t recall why he was asleep in a place like this and tilted his head in confusion.
He smelled the nice scent again. The thing Sophie passed to him was a large leaf with some roasted meat and edible wild plants on it. Apparently, that was the source of the smell.
When he looked around, he saw the copper star students eating with great enthusiasm. Everyone was eating vigorously as if trying to fill their stomachs as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Luca was staring at the food on the leaf.
Luca looked doubtful for a while, then raised his head after coming to a decision and timidly asked Sophie.
“Sophie-sama… the lunches we’ve had so far, was it Sophie-sama who cooked…”
“Luca, look at this seasoning.”
Before he finished saying it, Sophie showed the container containing the seasoning in front of him.
“It contains soybeans, salt, wheat, and alcohol.”
“Y-yes?”
“By mixing these well, it would produce ‘black drop.’ If there’s a mistake in the manufacturing process, it won’t come out correctly.”
“Yes?’
“Mixing every single material like this, doesn’t it remind you of science?”
“Hah?”
“Using ‘black drop’ to prep the chicken meat and grill them causes a chemical reaction that gives it a savory roast color. It’s known as the Maillard reaction.”
“Mail…lard?”
“There are a lot of applied sciences in everyday life. In other words, what I did was science experimentation, not cooking. And the result of said experimentation is the food in front of us.”
“Haah…?”
Luca made a confused reply toward the things that Sophie said since he didn’t understand what she meant.
“Look at this leaf. Do you know why this leaf is used as a plate? This leaf contains a bactericidal effect, which means…”
“Ojou-san, why not drop the small talk and eat instead?”
Marcus, who already ate his potion, said so.
“Oh my, what do you mean by small talk?”
“Luca, you should eat it quickly. Yes, young master over there as well.”
Marcus ignored Sophie’s complaint and called out to Lars, who was dumbfounded.
Luca and Lars started to eat as they were told, and they muttered it was delicious the moment they took a bite.
“But really, this is amazing. Even though you merely did a little extra, it became this tasty.”
As Marcus took the “black drop” container from Sophie’s hand, he shook the container in admiration.
“I used not only ‘black drop’ but also the wild plant to eliminate the odor. But since Marcus thinks it is delicious, it means the taste of ‘black drop’ is suitable for the palate of the commoner!”
“Even if it’s suitable, it is a luxury good, right? We can’t afford it.”
Marcus frowned in dismay.
“We are still selling it as a luxury good for now, but we’ll eventually sell it for cheap, so it’s okay. But I want to improve the taste of portable food first. As expected, things that knights consume should be nutritional, but they should be tasty and nutritious at the same time.”
At that word, Lars questioned, “Why did it suddenly become talk about portable food?” but when he looked carefully, he noticed Sophie was eating something different than what they ate.
“Sophie-sama, what’s that?”
“It’s a portable food that Marcus brought for an emergency. These seem to be staples for the knights of the kingdom.”
Marcus tried to stop Sophie from eating it since it was not only a small portion, but it also wasn’t suitable for a person who bears the purple star, but Sophie said she wanted to try it so she ate it and soon decided to improve it.
“I wouldn’t approve of the mindset that everything’s the same as long as it fills the stomach. Yes, I definitely won’t…”
Her mouth might be smiling, but they wondered why they felt a dark aura swaying around her.
“Really?! Ojou, you’ll make the portable food tastier?!”
Conrad, who was a lump of idiocy according to Marcus, happily approached Sophie.
“Yes, leave it to me. Since I dare to say it, I’ll definitely make it happen.”
“B-but, Sophie-sama has an important task to do!”
Lars didn’t understand how things developed in the current situation since he was asleep earlier, but he hurriedly tried to stop Sophie’s words. The reason Sophie came to “The King’s Sword” was to accomplish a great task of the sewage plan. It was definitely not to improve the portable food of knights.
“Oh my, I could do both at the same time. Lars will help me, right?”
“Heh? Y-yes, of course!”
Lars, who was conditioned to be a yes man at everything by reflex, answered without thinking too deeply.
“His Highness already gave me permission to do business with the Linier Merchant Group and the task at the same time, so you don’t have to be worried about that.”
Ferio gave her permission to do the business of the Linier Merchant Group as long as it didn’t interfere with the sewage plan. Ferio thought it would be easier for Sophie to gain fame if the Linier Merchant Group was involved, but it seemed that Sophie at this time had forgotten that Ferio told her to raise her fame and recognition for three years.
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