The Genius Perfumer of the Fallen Cult - Chapter 68

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Perfumer of the Fallen Religious Order Episode 68

Especially the boy had a very beautiful rose fragrance subtly clinging to him. His face also had a delicate beauty that truly suited that scent. It was a face with promising future.

“A meal has been prepared inside. Please come this way.”

Mennellik’s contemplation was interrupted by the butler’s guidance.

The meal wasn’t elaborate, but light and fragrant dishes were served. Potatoes well-grilled in butter, clam chowder soup, softly kneaded bread and golden-brown roasted chicken.

“Does… does it suit your taste?”

“Yes, it’s very delicious.”

Mennellik felt strangely nervous and glanced at Prim.

Prim lightly savored the aroma each time a dish was served before tasting the food, and he couldn’t understand why he felt like he was being inspected.

Since the master was acting this way, the butler also felt needlessly nervous and swallowed his dry saliva.

As the final course, a plate of cookies was brought out.

“Here are… cookies… prepared for our young guests.”

Especially when placing the plate in front of Prim, his hands trembled enough to make a clattering sound. Meanwhile, the Marseria Priest exclaimed in admiration.

“My goodness, they’re so adorably shaped!”

“I’m glad you like them.”

Seeing Prim hold a gentleman-shaped cookie with both hands and take a bite, the other children also enjoyed their cookies with crunching sounds.

Mennellik, nervous and obsessed with the compulsion to say something, asked hurriedly in a somewhat strained voice.

“H-how is it?”

“The cookies… you mean?”

Prim looked at him while holding the headless cookie. Mennellik awkwardly nodded for now.

Prim tilted her head.

Wasn’t this a situation where she shouldn’t say anything other than that it was good?

‘Ah, does he want me to guess what’s in it?’

“Well, the vanilla beans and cinnamon from the Sephir Islands are of very good quality, and they used flour and almond powder from Mount Solevante, making them nutty and sweet!”

“…Our house was using vanilla beans and cinnamon from the Sephir Islands?”

Those things that cost whatever price you name?

Mennellik unconsciously turned to look at the butler while asking. The butler, whose face had turned pale, quickly glanced toward the kitchen. There seemed to be a commotion coming from inside.

Prim stared at the headless cookie, then squeezed her eyes shut and opened them.

Was this not it? Should she not have said anything? Bianna, sitting beside her, crunched on her cookie while speaking to Rozien only with her eyes.

— She probably took the exam the same way, didn’t she? Killing everyone with that innocent face while knowing nothing.

— …

“My goodness, to serve us sweets made with such precious ingredients. I’m truly delighted, thank you!”

The Marseria Priest said with a bright smile. The butler looked at the Marseria Priest with a deeply moved expression, while looking at Prim made his shoulders tremble involuntarily.

‘Was this why the master was nervous?’

Wasn’t this just like when his master’s teacher, Vittorio Alquezia, had visited? But why did he feel this way looking at a mere ten-year-old child?

“This is my perfume organ.”

After finishing the meal following the minor incident, Mennellik introduced Prim to his perfume laboratory.

Prim slowly looked around the perfume laboratory. Baron Corvus’s perfume organ wasn’t bad either, but this one definitely had a more professional air.

It was only slightly more modest than the perfume organ she had used until her death. Then Prim’s eyes turned to a corner. Something was piled up in a heap, apparently hastily cleaned and organized.

Mennellik, who had been standing beside her in an awkward and stiff posture, followed Prim’s gaze and discovered the miscellaneous items he had forgotten to throw away, hastily covering them with his body.

“A-hem. You said you wanted to do perfumery? What would you like to make?”

“The bergamot seems good this time, so I’d like to try making a fragrance using bergamot.”

At those words, Mennellik stopped.

Gone were his previously creaking movements, and serious, deep eyes were looking at Prim.

“Unfortunately, ‘that bergamot’ fragrance material isn’t here.”

“Pardon?”

“The fragrance material used in this exam was made according to the fragrance extraction method you used in the first exam.”

Prim blinked. It was difficult to understand what Mennellik was saying.

“Don’t you know yet why the second exam was postponed? Didn’t you write about the method of aging bergamot oil in glazed terracotta jars?”

Prim’s eyes widened as she blinked. Beside her, Bianna looked at Rozien as if to say ‘I told you so.’ She had known this would happen from writing answers only she knew!

However, seeing Rozien’s proud expression, she quickly shook her head with a displeased face.

“Since it happened to be bergamot harvest season, we hurriedly bought some from Solevante and made fragrance materials according to your written answer, and all the fragrance materials made that way were used for your exam.”

To reconstruct the fragrance that could be created with that bergamot, they even brought in ambergris, and because they made it so hastily, it could only be completed that very morning.

And in that examination hall, Prim had said ‘the bergamot quality is particularly good.’ As if she knew it was made according to the answer she had written.

“How did you know that aging bergamot in pottery like that would make it even more special?”

“Well…”

She hadn’t even thought that this wouldn’t be properly known at this point in time.

While Prim pondered how to answer, Mennellik slapped his forehead as if somewhat fed up.

“That’s how geniuses are. You were probably going to say something like ‘I just thought that would be good’ or ‘then what else would you use instead of that method?'”

“Oh.”

She hadn’t planned to say that much, but Mennellik asked and answered by himself before reaching a conclusion.

Still, she couldn’t just leave it at that, so Prim hastily added.

“It’s not a method I discovered myself. I read it somewhere and thought everyone did it that way. I’ve never been to Solevante either…”

“Right, of course. So that bergamot isn’t available, but in this situation, what would you like to do?”

Mennellik nodded halfheartedly while pointing to his perfume organ. There was a strong sense that he wouldn’t listen to the excuses that geniuses casually made up.

Prim decided to get to the point. It was fine if the bergamot wasn’t the fragrance she knew. She could solve that problem sufficiently.

“May I try making something right now?”

Mennellik nodded, then looked at Prim’s bare feet as she sat in the chair and rolled up his sleeves.

“Call out the names and I’ll bring them to you.”

“Then, um, eucalyptus, bergamot, galbanum, freesia, tuberose, ylang ylang, musk mallow, sandalwood… and jasmine, neroli, lemon, mimosa, luna ether, and violet leaf alcohol tincture like this.”

At the stream of fragrance material names, Mennellik flinched but brought out various fragrance materials placed high and low, setting out empty glass bottles and scales. As Prim opened fragrance bottles to check them, he hastily added.

“I prepared almost all of this perfumer qualification exam, so I’ve been out of my mind lately. I was also busy creating new fragrances for the second exam perfumery.”

“Yes…? Yes, you must have worked hard…”

Prim looked up and tilted her head. Why was he suddenly talking so long about being busy?

“Ah, if you’re busy and I came…”

“No! No, that’s not what I meant. So, what I’m saying is. Um. Well, there might be some fragrance materials in strange condition, but there are reasons for everything… Of course, I’m doing my best to maintain their quality…”

Mennellik rambled before slapping his forehead once. He found it ridiculous how he kept making excuses in front of this young child, as if he was anxious about being scolded by his teacher for poor perfume organ management.

“Ah, they’re all really good fragrance materials.”

Prim replied like that while brushing her cheek once with the back of her hand.

‘I’m not trash enough to nitpick about quality when borrowing someone else’s perfume organ… Do I look like that?’

Had her expression not been very good? But Rozien had always said her face was as soft as a flower.

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