A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special - Chapter 41

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 41. Dinner Service (3)

While the potatoes roasted, Jefran decided to cook the steaks. He set the beef carefully onto the heated Frying Pan.
“How should the doneness break down?”
“Three well-done, five medium, three medium-rare, and two rare, Chef.”
As Jefran’s nearly supernatural Knife Technique began, the thick tenderloin portions were trimmed into perfect portions.
“The potatoes should be ready. Pull them out and mash them.”
“Yes, Chef!”
While Dezir Armang arranged the mashed potatoes on plates with Plating, perfectly trimmed steaks went onto each heated pan.
After that, all the meat was cooked and the main course completed, and there were no problems slicing the prepared Chocolate Cake uniformly.
It had gone remarkably smoothly. Once everything was finished, Jefran spoke in a somewhat softer voice.
“You may rest now.”
“Thank you, Chef.”
Dezir Armang sat down in a chair set off to one side.
As he settled and looked calmly around, details he’d missed in the initial rush began to come into focus.
Then something caught his eye.
Round and oval in shape, a subdued green in color—an ingredient he hadn’t used once throughout the entire meal preparation.
Dezir Armang opened his mouth.
“Chef, do you care for Plums?”
As Dezir Armang gestured with his eyes toward the table, Jefran followed his gaze and spotted the Plum.
“Ah, so that’s what you mean. Yes, I believe that was the name. It’s a fruit that isn’t produced in this region, yet somehow you know of it. The merchant company that provided our supplies gave me one to try, and I kept it, but though the aroma is pleasant, the taste is quite sour—I couldn’t figure out how to use it, so I was just about to throw it away.”
‘I see. So that’s how it is.’
The mystery was solved.
Dezir Armang checked the Plum’s condition, its freshness, and whether its fragrance remained intact.
‘This is definitely connected to the Quest.’
Whenever something with a story appeared in the Shadow World, it was always somehow related to Quest progression.
Considering this Plum now.
It was an ingredient left behind in the Kitchen where the cooking Quest was progressing.
An ingredient that had been left unused because its application was unknown.
‘And I was even given a hint.’
Jefran had said it: the aroma is pleasant but the taste is too sour. That remark was a hint to try utilizing the fragrance. Even casual, passing remarks become hints that aid in conquering the Shadow World.
‘Now that the Clear is assured, giving me something like this is probably presenting an Excess Achievement objective.’
Before the inference even finished, a notification chimed.

-You have discovered the Hidden Quest ‘Dinner Service—Excess Achievement’.
Create a dish using Plum. The Plum is a fruit not produced in this region. Jefran knows nothing of Plums. You must lead the cooking forward.
If it suits the Lord’s taste, additional rewards will be granted.
If it does not suit the Lord’s taste, there will be penalties.

“Chef, would you be open to serving tea as a dessert accompaniment?”
Jefran turned to look at Dezir Armang. The knife cutting through the cake stilled.
“Of course we should prepare something. But the guests have apparently taken a dislike to the tea leaves I usually use, so I’ve been wondering what to do.”
“What if you tried this?”
Dezir Armang held up the Plum. Jefran spoke.
“Plum? You can work with Plum?”
Dezir Armang nodded.
“Hmm.”
He seemed to be considering. Then came another notification.

-Jefran’s Favorability toward you is currently ‘Positive’.
Your Favorability is inciting Jefran to make positive judgments about you.

“Well, fine. There’s no harm in trusting you once.”
“Thank you, Chef!”
“Tell me specifically what ingredients you’ll need.”
Dezir Armang recalled from memory the ingredients needed to make Plum Tea. He had listened carefully when Fram taught him, so recalling the ingredients was not difficult.
‘Once the Shadow World is over, I should treat Fram to something delicious.’

* * *

As the dessert went out, a notification chimed.

-You have successfully completed your service.
You presented a dish of your own creation.
Quest Over-completion!

-The Lord learns your name. You have achieved the objective of the connected quest that was meant to follow. The Cooking Quest is cancelled.
The Cleaning 1 Quest is cancelled.
The Cleaning 2 Quest is cancelled.
The Dishwashing Quest is cancelled.

Dezir Armang remained in the Kitchen washing dishes. All the rough kitchen work, dishwashing included, fell to him as the assistant. The clatter of plates echoed through the quiet Kitchen.
At that moment, Jefran, who had been checking tomorrow’s ingredients, suddenly posed a question to Dezir.
“Did you come up with that tea yourself?”
“No, sir. I learned it from a friend.”
“Regardless—you can make that Plum Tea again, yes?”
“Of course.”
“Anytime, as long as the ingredients are provided?”
“Anytime at all. But why ask such a thing? Did the Lord perhaps take a liking to the tea I made and ask if I could brew it more often?”
“This kid—you’ve got an answer for everything.”
Snap.
Jefran flicked Dezir’s forehead with a sharp tap.
Watching Dezir clutch his forehead, Jefran chuckled with clear amusement and said, “Stop the dishes for a moment and sit here.”
Dezir obeyed. There was no seat left except beside Jefran.
As he sat down, Jefran spoke.
“That’s right. Just as you said, the Lord mentioned he’d like you to brew tea for him more often.”

-As a reward for Over-completion, you are granted an Attendant Position. The Attendant Position will provide useful clues for executing the quests that follow.

“Does that mean I won’t have to work in the Kitchen anymore?”

“Then I’d better take it. I’d rather not get beaten to death by the chef.”
“Now hold on—this kid really is something!”
Jefran patted Dezir’s back with his palm, hard as a pot lid. There was no malice in it—if anything, it was a gesture of familiarity.

-Jefran has taken a liking to your joke. Your Favorability with Jefran rises to ‘Trust’.

‘Though granted, every joke comes with the enormous risk of taking a blow or two.’
Jefran continued.
“Let me be clear—I didn’t hire you just because the tea tasted excellent. The tea itself was ordinary enough, but the freshness you brought to it, something I’d never tasted before—that’s what I valued. So the question is: what must you do going forward?”
“I must work hard to brew even more delicious tea, Chef.”
“Good. Never forget that.”
“I won’t, Chef.”
He rose from his seat.
“Finish the dishes quickly and get some sleep. Tomorrow we’re going to purchase plums. It’s a vital lesson—a cook must personally inspect the ingredients with their own eyes.”
“Understood, Chef.”
With his conversation with Jefran finished, Dezir Armang entered his quarters. That night, a notification sounded.

-Jefran, who held high Favorability toward you, has recommended you to the Lord as an Attendant. He emphasizes your ‘diligence’ and ‘competence’ to the Lord.

-Your Rank has been changed to Attendant. The quality of your food rations improves. Your range of movement expands to the Inner Castle.

The next morning, Dezir Armang rode in a carriage with Jefran. It rolled along a straight highway stretching away from the Inner Castle.
It was Lidong, when breath began to mist in the air—that threshold season when autumn had just ended and winter was about to begin.
Dezir rested his chin against the rattling window frame and gazed out.
White smoke billowed from the chimneys. The streets were well maintained. As they crossed the drawbridge, he caught sight of the Territory’s people living stable lives under capable governance.
He’d never met the Lord before, but it was clear the man ruled his fiefdom with considerable skill. The smiles on the children playing in the streets were radiant.
“Hmm?”
Dezir noticed something odd.
As the distance from the Territory’s center grew, his unease deepened. The smiles had vanished completely from people’s faces.
Beyond some invisible boundary, the residential neighborhoods he’d glimpsed earlier were gone. In their place stood crude hovels—logs haphazardly cut and assembled. All the vitality of the Territory had vanished, replaced by faces caked with dust, worn and haggard. The contrast was deeply unsettling.
“Jefran, what is this place?”
Jefran clicked his tongue.
“It’s the Vagrant Settlement. Lately, more and more displaced wanderers have been arriving in our Territory.”
“That’s rather unusual.”
“In what way?”
“I’ve never heard of a fiefdom that welcomes so many vagrants.”
Vagrants were those who drifted without shelter. Some had legitimate reasons for their plight, but others had surely been banished for crimes. To accept them meant the Territory was knowingly bearing some burden—
‘And yet there are far too many of them here.’
The Vagrant Settlement had grown to rival the size of the Territory’s residential district.
“Our Lord is generous toward them. It started small at first—the Lord gave them shelter and provisions. Then word spread. This is the result.” Jefran gestured toward the sprawl. “You can see the problem, yes? But the Lord says that with winter approaching, he’ll look after them until then. You know how bitter our winters are—without the Territory’s acceptance, they’d perish. I understand the Lord’s compassion, but honestly, with supplies already dwindling, reason says we should refuse. I’m not alone in thinking this way. They do nothing but drain our resources.”

“I see.”
Dezir exhaled heavily.
‘It’s like watching the relationship between Hebrionne’s Beta and Alpha all over again.’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————