Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Gathering Ingredients for Sweets

Finally, the eve of the selection ceremony arrived.

I was training in the morning.

In my hands was the naginata that Tina and I had created together.

The naginata had a Japanese sword blade attached to the tip of a spear, and mine was of a type with relatively little curvature. Increasing the curvature makes slashing easier, while decreasing it makes thrusting easier. Mine was more focused on thrusting.

My sword skill had reached level III already. Right now, it was more important to get used to the new weapon, so I focused on ingraining the movements into my body.

“Hah!”

I tested combinations of thrusts and slashes.

My body moved smoothly, and I could hear the sound of the wind cutting.

Since the naginata was based on my longtime partner, the spear, I paid close attention not to change the grip or the balance too much. It fit well with my body.

Finally, I tried a combination of slashes followed by thrusts, anticipating dodges and following up on opponents in an unfavorable position.

I imagined cutting down the virtual enemies in my mind.

“Phew…”

I stopped moving and took a deep breath, closing my eyes.

I replayed today’s training in my head, considering the issues and possible improvements.

The main problem was that my movements had become faster than anticipated due to the sword skill, and the adjustment was insufficient. I adjusted my mental image of my movements upward.

Then, I opened my eyes and tried out the improved form.

Yeah, it felt better. It was at least a bit better.

Let’s call it a day for today’s training.

“Kurt-sama! Well done!”

Tina rushes over, handing me a cloth to wipe off my sweat.

“Thank you, Tina.”

“Your movements are getting smoother and faster.”

“Yeah, I can feel it too. But I feel like I’m struggling to control my speed. It’s like trying to tame a wild horse. And even now, I’m not giving it my all. I still haven’t reached my full potential.”

The sudden increase in speed makes it feel unnatural, so I’m keeping my strength within a manageable range.

“You’ll be fine, Kurt-sama! You’ll figure it out in no time.”

“Even for me, it might take some time. But I think I can beat Yorg if I go at about 60% of my full strength.”

To unleash the martial arts ingrained in my body, I need to keep my strength within that range.

But if I were to unleash an all-out strike without holding back, I could use my full strength.

“It seems like a waste.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’ll keep training to be able to use my full strength whenever I need to.”

Strength might not be necessary to become a pastry chef, but I want the power to protect my people as a lord and to help those I care about.

“I’ll help you too, in my own way.”

“Tina, your help is invaluable. Without you, I couldn’t have made this naginata. Come to think of it, this weapon we’ve created together could be considered our child.”

“Your child and mine…”

Tina blushes and gazes at my naginata with a dreamy expression.

“I’m thinking of giving it a name. I wanted to give it a name inspired by Tina. The silver shine. Silver Flash. I want to name it that. Is that okay with you, Tina?”

When I picture Tina in my mind, I imagine her silver hair and tail. She’s like a light to me. With her silver radiance in mind, I decided on Silver Flash.

“…Kurt-sama and my child.”

Tina seems lost in her own world with a dreamy expression.

I gently place my hand on her head to bring her back to reality. But she doesn’t seem to snap out of it, so I lightly flick her fox ears.

“K-Kurt-sama!?”

Finally, she seems to return to reality.

“Can I name my partner after Silver Flash, inspired by you, Tina?”

“Of course! Please do!”

“Thank you. It makes me feel like I’m fighting alongside you, Tina.”

Tina looks up at me and smiles.

“I’m also happy to always be with you, Kurt-sama. I’ll infuse my feelings into Silver Flash!”

Tina touches the blade of the naginata and concentrates deeply.

She’s putting in so much effort that her silver fox ears stand upright and her fluffy tail stretches toward the sky.

“I’ve put a lot of energy into it, so it should help you, Kurt-sama!”

Tina’s breathing heavily.

She’s so serious that it doesn’t sound like a joke anymore.

I chuckled and gently stroked Tina’s head, causing her to squint.

“What are you planning to do today, Kurt-sama?”

“Today, I’ll be preparing for tomorrow’s selection ceremony and taking a break, I suppose.”

“Are you done with your special training?”

“Yeah, I’ve done all I can. Now, it’s just about getting my body and mind in perfect condition. Heal will take care of any physical fatigue.”

In fact, on the day I obtained Silver Flash, I swung it tirelessly to get used to it without any rest or sleep. With Heal, there’s no need for sleep.

But deliberately getting a few hours of sleep last night and taking breaks today are to refresh my mind. To ease mental fatigue, sleep and leisure are necessary.

“All right, Tina. Let’s go on a date today. Will you accompany me, my princess?”

Leaning Silver Flash against the wall, I reached out my hand to Tina with a gallant gesture.

“Wherever you wish, my prince.”

Tina blushed and took my hand.

She’s so accommodating, immediately playing along with my joke.

I firmly held Tina’s hand as we walked into the forest.

◇

“Kurt-sama, I found some wild yams.”

“Tina, well done.”

Tina and I were gathering blessings from the forest.

Though we called it a date, it was just the two of us leisurely walking through the mountains, gathering things to eat.

Still, we were enjoying ourselves.

“This isn’t bad at all.”

And actually, gathering ingredients for tomorrow’s pastry-making is one of the main purposes.

“Tina, I’ll leave the burr gourd fruits to you. I’ll take care of the wild yams.”

“Leave the burr gourd fruits to me!”

Surprisingly, not widely known, burr gourd vines wrap around nearby trees and bear small purple fruits.

The burr gourd fruits are boiled and eaten with salt. They’re fluffy like potatoes with a faint taste reminiscent of chestnuts. They’re incredibly delicious.

I’ll make them the main staple for a while, substituting bread. It’ll save on wheat flour.

Tina diligently collected burr gourd fruits and placed them in the basket she was carrying.

“Now, it’s my turn.”

If you dig the ground following the wild yam vines, you’ll naturally find wild yams.

However, digging for wild yams requires tremendous patience.

After all, wild yams can grow over a meter long.

That means you have to dig that deep. Trying to forcefully pull them out may just snap them in half. Plus, you have to be very careful not to break them while digging around them.

“Kurt-sama, the vines are quite thick, so it must be a big one.”

“Yeah. I’m looking forward to digging it up.”

Usually, you can imagine the size of the underground wild yam from the leaves and vines.

This wild yam is a jackpot. It means it’s going to be quite a struggle to dig it up.

“Shouldn’t we have brought a shovel?”

“Not necessary.”

I have earth magic.

I appeal to the earth spirits. I can feel the condition of the soil around the wild yam as if I were holding it in my hands.

“Could you please move aside?”

When I address the soil, it starts to shift.

The soil around the wild yam is moved aside, revealing the yam lying bare in the hole.

Tina, who was gathering burr gourd fruits, looks over with sparkling eyes.

“Wow, Kurt-sama, your earth magic is so convenient! With this, we can dig up wild yams all day!”

“Yeah, it’s quietly handy.”

A specimen over a meter long would normally take over two hours to dig up.

“What should we do with the wild yam? Use it as soup ingredients? Grate it as a side dish? Oh, and, and…”

Tina, who loves wild yams, lists various cooking methods one after another.

“Sorry, Tina. This isn’t for us. I’m thinking of using this as ingredients for the pastry I want to serve after the Selection Ceremony, along with my greetings as the new lord.”

After the Selection Ceremony, there will be a festival.

There, about two hundred people, including villagers from various villages and Count Fernande’s entourage, will appear.

Count Fernande will provide the eggs, but everything else needs to be prepared on our own.

Our current ingredients won’t be enough.

Using wild yams could reduce the amount of wheat used by a third.

By using a ratio of 2:1 for wild yams to wheat, we can create a moist dough.

I might be able to ask my father for assistance with the ingredients, but I don’t want to. I want to gather the ingredients with my own strength.

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

Tina looks disappointed. I smile wryly at her.

“If that’s the case, let’s search for more wild yams. If we find a lot, we might be able to secure enough for us to eat too.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best!”

Tina twitches her fox ears and listens intently.

It seems she’s seriously searching for more wild yams.

“But we don’t have much time. We need to search the forest for other ingredients for the pastry as well.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll find them quickly.”

With determination, Tina strides ahead, and I follow after her with a wry smile.

Now, we still have plenty of ingredients to find to make the best dessert.

Let’s search hard.