Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Sweet Dream Like a Pastry

“Sweets, sweets, delicious sweets♪”

Tina twirled around with a plate piled high with cookies and placed it on the table.

On the table sat wooden cups filled with water, plates of cookies, along with dried meat and a salad of mountain vegetables topped with walnut sauce.

In this impoverished village, dessert couldn’t follow every meal. Today, cookies substituted bread as the main course.

I watched Tina, in high spirits, and just seeing her filled me with happiness.

“Now, Kurt-sama.”

“Yeah.”

We sat down side by side.

It had been a winding journey to get here.

Back in the main house of our hometown, we couldn’t share meals together. Masters dined as masters, and servants as servants.

Since coming to this village, I invited Tina to eat together, but she protested vehemently against the idea of a servant like herself dining with the master, let alone eating the same food. It took three months of persuasion before we finally started eating together.

Then, one day, Tina blushed and timidly asked if she could sit beside me, saying she felt closer to me that way.

Since then, we’ve been sitting side by side like this. Indeed, it does feel closer.

“What’s wrong, Kurt-sama?”

Even after all this time, Tina still asks me about my mealtime mood. When she sits down and tries to look at my face, her eyes naturally look up, making her incredibly adorable.

“It’s nothing… just reminded me of something from the past.”

I clasped my hands in front of my chest.

“I give thanks to the forest and the gods for providing us with today’s sustenance,” Tina also bowed her head in prayer.

It was a custom of the Frangelic religion, the state religion of the Federal Empire. In this country, almost everyone prayed before meals.

After a few seconds of prayer, the meal began.

“What kind of sweets did you make this time?”

Tina asked.

“They’re called cookies. You’ll have to try them to find out.”

I replied with a teasing smile.

With an expectant expression, Tina reached for a cookie and took a bite.

“Mmm! Mm!!”

She exclaimed, hands pressed against her cheeks as she kicked her legs and wagged her tail enthusiastically. This was her typical reaction when she ate something exceptionally delicious.

Seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but feel that it was worth making these sweets from the bottom of my heart.

What a pastry chef needs is an environment to create dishes, the finest ingredients, and above all, someone who enjoys eating sweets.

It’s partly true and partly wrong that love is the best seasoning.

It’s not that love alone makes food taste better. It’s the desire to bring joy to someone who eats it. If that feeling is genuine, then one will put in maximum effort, and that’s what makes it delicious.

“These cookies are so crispy, crumbly, and incredibly sweet! Not only are they sweet, but they also have a rich buttery flavor, yet the aftertaste is refreshing. I’ve never had anything so blissful to eat!”

Tina exclaimed, reaching for another cookie.

With a content smile, she closed her eyes and savored every bite, the crisp sound echoing in the air.

I too picked up a cookie and took a bite.

The sweetness and flavor of honey and the richness of butter spread in my mouth.

The texture and aftertaste were excellent.

If I had to nitpick, it would have been better with slightly better butter and wheat with less gluten.

But that’s just wishing for the impossible. I did my best with what I had.

In the future, as the village becomes more prosperous, I’d like to gradually gather various ingredients. There are many things needed besides honey.

“Cookies are simply made by mixing butter and honey with wheat and baking. They’re known for their sweet and crispy texture. They’re wonderful sweets that can be adapted by adding nuts and various other ingredients.”

I explained.

“Cookies have such a cute name. And, I can’t help but keep eating them because they’re so delicious.”

Tina replied with her mouth full.

“Go ahead and enjoy them.”

I encouraged her.

“Mmm, yummy yum, so delicious.”

Tina mumbled with delight, completely captivated by the cookies. It had been a while since I’d seen Tina like this, forgetting her manners and speaking with her mouth full.

Tina continued to devour the cookies until they were gone.

“Oh.”

Tina exclaimed, looking apologetic as soon as the cookies were finished.

“I’m sorry, Kurt-sama. They were so delicious that I got carried away and ended up eating your share too.”

She apologized.

“It’s okay. You enjoyed my cookies so much. Besides, I had a few myself.”

I reassured her.

“Ugh, I’m really sorry. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

Tina said, almost on the verge of kneeling down to apologize. I couldn’t be angry at her for eating too many cookies.

“Don’t worry about it. I owe everything to you, Tina.”

I said.

Tina was the only one who liked me, despite having no prospects of inheriting the lordship and being unloved by anyone else.

When I decided to leave the main village, everyone opposed the idea of me starting a village. But Tina believed it was possible and followed me into this harsh environment.

She patiently endured beekeeping, which yielded no results until this year, without a single complaint.

No matter how much gratitude I express, it will never be enough. Without Tina, I might have given up on my dreams.

“That’s too much praise. If you say that, Kurt-sama, it’s because you saved me that I’m alive now. If it weren’t for you, I would have died alone in the wilderness.”

Tina replied.

“In that case, we saved each other. That’s good enough. Besides, I can always make cookies when I want to eat them. Oh, speaking of which, the bread I’ve been treating everyone in the village to? Let’s turn it into cookies. It might be too much to do it every time, but I think it’d be nice to treat everyone in the pioneer village to a bit of luxury once a month.”

I suggested.

“That sounds like a great idea! I’m sure everyone will be thrilled! These cookies were so delicious! They were the best thing I’ve ever eaten!”

Tina exclaimed with joy.

“I’m glad to hear that. It’s rewarding for a pastry chef to receive such praise.”

I responded.

“Pastry chef?”

Tina looked puzzled.

Ah, she probably doesn’t know the word “pastry chef.”

“A pastry chef is someone who’s good at making sweets.”

I explained.

“Is that so? Then, Kurt-sama, you’re the world’s best pastry chef!!”

Tina declared.

For a moment, I was speechless.

Tina’s words were the very dream I had always longed for.

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration. In big cities, there are countless people who are much better at making sweets than I am right now. But… yeah. I’d like to become the world’s best pastry chef someday.”

I admitted.

“Don’t worry, Kurt-sama. You will definitely succeed! Because your sweets make me so happy.”

Tina reassured me.

Tina laughs.

Her smile always gives me confidence.

“When Tina says it, it feels achievable. Let’s get started on making cookies for everyone in the village right away. …But, Tina, it’s fine if you eat my share, but if you eat everyone else’s, I’ll definitely get mad.”

I joke.

At my teasing remark, Tina blushes and perks up her fox ears.

“Really, what do you take me for?”
She exclaims.

And so, the unveiling of the truly sweet pastries I made in this world ends in great success.

There are still plenty of pastries I want to make. My dream has only just begun.