Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Prologue – A New Routine

After the engagement with Farne was settled, I spent a night at the Arnoldt estate before returning to my village.

Even though we were engaged, Farne had various preparations to attend to, so she returned to the Fernande Marchioness Estate.

Upon arriving in the village, everyone knew that I would become the next lord, and they celebrated grandly for me… It seems they heard from those who returned ahead of me.

I went home once to freshen up before heading out again. Today, there’s important work to be done.

“Wow, there are so many chickens!”

Tina’s eyes sparkled.

Ahead of her gaze, two carriages arranged by the Fernande Marchioness Estate stood side by side, unloading chickens from their cargo beds and carrying them into the coop prepared for them.

Yes, it’s the long-awaited arrival of the chickens.

One of the most essential ingredients for a pastry chef, eggs, will now be consistently available.

“Not only are there a lot, but their quality is also good. I was confident from the moment I saw the eggs, but these are excellent chickens.”

Observing the chickens, they seemed well-fed, healthy, and young. They’re likely to lay plenty of good eggs. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Fernande Marchioness for this.

“Yes, they’re wonderful chickens. They’re big, plump, and look so tender… Mmm…”

Tina drooled.

It seemed like she was getting into a battle-ready mode, with her fluffy tail standing straight and her fox ears twitching. She seemed ready to pounce at any moment.

“Tina, you mustn’t eat them.”

“W-What are you talking about? I-I’m not thinking about that… at all.”

Tina replied with visible agitation, subtly turning her face away, which made her intentions quite clear.

“Don’t worry, we’ll eventually have enough for eating. For now, we prioritize increasing the numbers rather than collecting eggs. We’ll keep some of the males for meat. Our dinner table will become richer.”

We received nearly fifty chickens, but it’s still not enough.

To distribute chickens to each village, we decided to prioritize increasing the numbers for now, considering eggs as occasional luxuries.

“Chicken meat! Wow, should we grill it, stew it, or… well, whatever we do, I’m looking forward to it!”

Tina was already thinking about future meals, even though the chicks haven’t hatched yet.

I understand her sentiment. We rarely eat meat, usually only when we hunt wild boars, deer, or ducks.

While they’re delicious, domesticated meat has a different kind of flavor. Above all, having a stable meat supply is exhilarating.

“Yeah, I’m excited too. Especially when you cook, Tina.”

I unconsciously stroke Tina’s head.

The feel of her fluffy hair and ears is comforting. Tina squints her eyes and leans against me.

After a while, Tina tightly grabs the hem of my clothes.

Thinking something is wrong, I look at her, and she’s staring at the carriage that didn’t bring chickens.

Instead, it’s loaded with lumber and bricks.

Several such carriages have arrived since earlier.

“It seems Farne is serious about her engagement with Kurt, doesn’t it?”

Tina murmurs somewhat sadly.

“Yeah.”

Several carpenters have been diligently working since earlier.

They’re unloading materials for building houses from the carriage.

It seems they dismantled a previously assembled house and brought it here to rebuild it.

It’s likely a measure to shorten the construction period.

The finished house is bound to be incredibly luxurious.

The one they’re currently building is for Farne and the servants to live in.

Even if we promise not to cross any lines until marriage, nobody would believe that we’d live under the same roof. So, it seems that Count Fernande intends to build a house in my village, assign servants for surveillance, and then send Farne here.

It’s surprising to see the scale of Count Fernande’s actions, building a house for the sake of an engagement.

The plan is for Farne to come to the village once the house is ready.

In two weeks, the details will be finalized during Farne’s engagement announcement and my visit to Count Fernande’s territory to make sweets for the Duke. We’ll need to finalize the schedule then.

I need to think about the sweets recipe.

The Duke is a woman who likes roses. I plan to make cookies that preserve well and highlight the beauty and fragrance of roses, so I’ve asked Count Fernande to gather the ingredients. But I’m also considering further improvements.

“Still, it’s quite impressive. To nonchalantly decide to build a house like this.”

“That’s the Count for you. He’s almost as important as the king, so he can do things like this.”

The Count holds such a position. It’s incomparable to someone like Arnoldt, who barely inherited his title of viscount. You could say he’s on cloud nine.

The only ones with positions equal to or higher than the Count are the royal family and the Duke’s family.

“Kurt-sama, you’re amazing. To be noticed by someone like that…”

Tina says proudly, but beneath her words, there’s an unhidden sense of loneliness and sadness. Perhaps she thinks she’s losing me.

I pull her close, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

“Tina, I’m sorry. I wanted to refuse that engagement. It’s just… I didn’t want to see you sad. But my position didn’t allow it. I feel bad about it, Tina.”

“I… I didn’t mean it that way. From the start, you and I come from different worlds.”

Tina’s voice is filled with sadness.

There’s a common belief that nobles should marry nobles. There’s even a tendency to avoid marriages with beastfolk like Tina.

But I couldn’t care less about such conventions.

Being with Tina, not making her sad, that’s what matters most.

Because of Tina, I didn’t give up on my dreams. Because of Tina, I’ve come this far. And I want to be with her forever.

“Just knowing that makes me happy. Kurt-sama, please think about what will truly make you happy. That’s what makes me happiest.”

Tina starts to walk away.

“Tina, I… I understand. I’ll think about my own happiness.”

Tina nods.

She must be misunderstanding. My happiness is seeing Tina happy.

Since pushing further would only lead to more arguments, I leave it at that.

I’ll find the best way to be with Tina.

◇

After finishing the chicken delivery, I sneak into the chicken coop and quietly use healing magic on the chickens.

With so many of them, some are sick or injured, and others are tired from the long journey.

My healing magic works on creatures other than humans. I once used it on some wheat that was wilting, and it sprang back to life. After using healing magic, the chickens seem to be growing better than before.

A mischievous thought crosses my mind.

With humans, I can use healing magic to awaken their latent magical abilities by healing the organs responsible for generating magic.

I’ve always been curious about it. Can it be done even if they’re not human?

I look at the chickens with the all-seeing eyes I gained as a side effect of Heal Heal. Healing magic restores things to their normal state, so you need to understand what “normal” is. That’s how I gained this insight.

“As I thought, it’s possible.”

Chickens do have organs that can generate magic. Of course, they’re broken and unusable right now. But I can fix them.

If chickens can use magic, perhaps they’ll lay more eggs.

“Heal.”

Though I have a bad feeling about it, I can’t resist the temptation. I use Heal Heal on the weakest chicken, which is sick and has a broken leg from bumping into something during transportation. It’s on the brink of death.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

The chicken leaps up energetically.

Then, it runs straight into the wall, its body filled with magic, breaking through it and fleeing into the forest.

“Well, that’s to be expected.”

If they can escape, they will.

I decided to avoid using magics in chickens in the future.

Afterward, I inspect the coop and collect eggs with cracks in them before heading back home.

These eggs will spoil soon and won’t hatch, of course.

I’ll serve them at today’s table.

Tina will surely be delighted with egg dishes.