Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Encounter and Kudzu

We departed early in the morning.

For breakfast, we ate the Pinaru fruits. They give you energy.

We had a lunch break once and then I served instant soup made from my own recipe, which I dissolved in hot water, and boiled dry bread. Chloe seemed to like it quite a bit.

There’s a tendency for demand for preserved food to increase during times of war. I should consider if it could become a product along with sweets.

And as Chloe said, we arrived at our destination before evening.

“So, this is the Spirit Village.”

The Spirit Village was located deep in the forest in an open area.

Surrounded by wooden fences, wooden houses lined up, and on the village’s side, orchards thrived.

What stood out was the magnificent waterway with clear streams flowing through it, and around the waterway, lush green grass with large leaves flourished.

That grass extended its vines, wrapping around the surrounding fences and trees, blooming pale pink flowers with a sweet fragrance.

Could it be… With faint hope, I picked one up.

“It’s indeed kudzu, and they’re even cultivating it. And it’s growing so well. You need really good water for this.”

Impressive kudzu.

Kudzu has an inseparable relationship with sweets.

It’s been famous as an ingredient in traditional Japanese sweets for a long time, but recently its excellence has been recognized, and it’s even used in Western sweets.

While agar and gelatin have only two options of “set” or “not set,” kudzu powder can subtly change its firmness depending on the balance of kudzu powder and water. From the chewy texture of water mochi or sesame tofu to the soft and smooth texture of jelly, it can do it all freely. Plus, it doesn’t cloud the taste.

Furthermore, it can be used as a substitute for wheat flour when making cakes. Using it creates a very interesting texture.

“Huh? That weed?” Chloe, the elf, tilted her head in wonder, contrasting with my excitement. “Kudzu is a nuisance!? ”

Kudzu is an extremely useful plant, used not only for food but also for medicine and fodder for horses and goats. I’d even like to bring some back to the Arnoldt territory to cultivate.

…No, that might be impossible. It takes a large amount of clean water to grow them. They’d wither away in Arnoldt.

“Human preferences are strange, aren’t they? If you want, you can pull out as much as you like and take it home.”

“That would be appreciated.”

Deciding to take as much as possible back home on our way back.

With such splendid kudzu, we could probably make excellent kudzu powder from the roots. We’ll make a lot of kudzu powder here in the village before taking it back. Raw kudzu would be too bulky.

“Well then, I’ll take you to the Elder from now… cough, be careful, he’s a bit temperamental.”

With that, we followed Chloe into the village.

◇

“Chloe, are you okay?”

“We were worried when you said you were going to the human village.”

As Chloe entered the village, elves and various other beast people greeted her one after another.

She seems to be quite popular.

“Sorry for worrying everyone. But it was worth it because I brought a human doctor with me.”

As she said that, all eyes turned towards me.

The overwhelming attention made me feel uncomfortable.

“I’m Kurt, the doctor who came here. I’ll be troubling you for a while.”

I greeted them, but there was a certain distance in their response.

Perhaps humans weren’t very welcome here.

I wasn’t too disappointed since I had been informed beforehand.

“Everyone, he’s a human doctor who came all this way. Don’t make such faces.”

Chloe tried her best to smooth things over, but the reactions around us remained unchanged.

“But Chloe, you brought a human, didn’t you?”

“The Elder warned us not to get involved with humans.”

“Yeah, even now the village healers are praying for recovery, so we should wait for that instead.”

The people of the spirit village argued back.

Seeing their reactions, Chloe’s voice rose with anger.

“What are you all saying? If we can’t do anything ourselves, we have no choice but to rely on humans. And it’s not a curse, it’s an illness. Praying won’t change anything! Instead of wasting time on that, let’s make uplifting food or encourage the sick!”

She spoke some very reasonable words, but they didn’t seem to get through.

I gave Chloe’s shoulder a reassuring pat.

“I’m not bothered by it, so don’t worry. Let’s go see the Elder sooner rather than later.”

“Sorry, you came all this way and…”

“It’s fine, I expected this anyway.”

With that, we walked on, receiving sidelong glances.

What concerned me more was the different kind of attention Tina was receiving.

The villagers’ gazes held surprise, nostalgia, and joy.

They seem hesitant to approach Tina, who is shrinking behind me and clutching the hem of my clothes.

What kind of presence was Tina’s mother in this village?

◇

In the village, we were led to a notably large wooden building.

It seemed to be the Elder’s residence.

“Kurt… cough, the Elder lives here. Just wait a moment.”

Chloe knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing an elven woman, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties.

“Chloe, what brings you here today?”

“Farina-san, there are two people I’d like to introduce to the Elder. Is it okay to have him called out?”

“That’s fine, but…”

As she spoke, the elven woman noticed me and let out a gasp.

Then, she widened her eyes as she glanced at Tina behind me.

In a hurry, she retreated into the mansion.

A few moments later, heavy footsteps approached rapidly.

Appearing before us was a man in his mid-thirties with silver fox ears.

He had a solid build and an imposing presence.

The moment he saw Tina, he smiled and tears welled up in his eyes.

“Kururina, you’ve returned, Kururina!”

Then, he rushed towards Tina with a smile on his face.

Tina uttered a short sound and hid behind my back.

However, the man didn’t stop.

“I’ve been so lonely, so lonely. You finally came back to Papa. It must have been tough leaving the village. Now, take your time and rest.”

He embraced me tightly and wept, not Tina.

It felt quite uncomfortable.

“You must have struggled a lot to become this muscular… No, this is too much.”

After a while, he seemed to realize that he was not hugging Tina.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kurt, a human. I was called here by Chloe.”

He announced, and the man in front of me released the embrace.

Then, after looking terribly disappointed, he became serious.

“I apologize for that. A human… No, Kurt. We’ll talk later. There’s something important I need to attend to first.”

I thought he would reject me outright, but surprisingly, the man in front of me remained calm.

He locked onto Tina again.

“Kururinaaa!”

And he rushed forward once more.

This time, Chloe spread her arms and stood in front of Tina.

“Uncle Colt, stop. This girl looks just like Kururina-sama, but she’s someone else.”

Upon hearing that, Colt suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Though his expression remained stern, his silver fox ears drooped as if he was deeply shocked.

Just like Tina when she’s feeling down, I almost couldn’t help but smile.

“But, no matter how you look at it…”

“She’s Tina, Kururina-sama’s daughter.”

The moment Chloe spoke those words, a complex expression appeared on Colt’s face, one that seemed both disappointed and relieved at the same time.

“I see, so you’re not Kururina. But, you’re her daughter… It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?”

The words he uttered were filled with bitterness.

From the conversation so far, I understood who he was.

Silver fox ears, just like Tina’s. And the affection directed towards Kururina, along with the words about her returning. He was probably Tina’s grandfather.

Although he looked to be in his mid-thirties, the appearance age of beastkin couldn’t be relied upon.

Their growth accelerates much faster than humans until around fifteen or sixteen, and then it slows down significantly. Their lifespan is similar to that of humans, and they tend to remain youthful until they die, which is a characteristic of beastkin. In fact, Tina’s grandfather, despite being close to fifty, looked quite youthful.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Kurt. I’ve come to the Spirit Village as a doctor, at Chloe’s request, to heal the epidemic. And this girl is Tina, who has been assisting me.”

With the situation calmed down, I introduced myself.

Colt, Tina’s grandfather, took a deep breath and composed himself before speaking.

“I’m Colt, the leader of the Spirit Village. Thank you for coming all this way. And thank you for bringing my granddaughter. Let’s talk inside. There’s much I want to discuss.”

And so, we were invited into the home of the leader of the Spirit Village and Tina’s grandfather.