IVPCB 20

Chapter 20

“Nar. Could you explain in more detail the process of distributing ingredients to the garden?”

“Yes. First, to explain the process—our kitchen delivers fully cooked meals directly to the main castle. However, for areas outside the main castle that are farther away, such as the knights’ order or the garden, we distribute raw ingredients.”

“That makes sense. The people of Sidony value practicality and reason.”

Juran nodded in agreement.

“Yes. So after dividing the ingredients here in the kitchen, we delivered them to the garden once every three days. Since it was just a matter of dropping them off, I’ve had my son Nir do it for the past five years.”

“Hmm… According to your words, you would have checked the ingredients themselves. Then it’s a reasonable inference that the problem occurred during the delivery process.”

The moment Juran finished speaking, everyone’s eyes in the kitchen shot toward Nir.

“Wh-why is everyone looking at me? I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Nir protested in a shrill voice, his face turning bright red.

“Nir, I’m not suspecting you, so calm down for now. Can you just tell me how you delivered them to the garden?”

I soothed the agitated boy in a calm voice. Nir hesitated, glancing at me, then reluctantly opened his mouth.

“I… I left them there.”

“Hm? Where? Can you tell me a bit more specifically?”

“I left them in front of that garden hut! That mage uncle didn’t like me coming into the garden, so he told me to just leave them there!”

Now I roughly understood the situation. Fortunately, as I had initially guessed, it didn’t seem like Aegir had a grudge against the kitchen.

‘Well, I haven’t known him long, but… Aegir doesn’t have a warm personality. He’s not the type to like children or treat them gently either.’

“So Nir, you did that because you were scared of my master—I mean, Cassis?”

“…Yeah. Honestly, isn’t it true? He always has that scary expression! And Dad told me—that mage uncle has been at the castle since Dad was a kid, and he hasn’t aged a bit!”

The fact that Aegir had worked as a gardener at Heliweka Castle for over thirty years, and that he didn’t age because he was a great mage—these were things I already knew.

As is common in many fantasy media, in ‘Seonghada’ as well, swordsmen or mages who had reached a certain level aged significantly slower than ordinary humans and had longer lifespans.

But it seemed the people of Heliweka Castle, including Nir, feared and avoided that fact.

“I, I heard it too.”

At that moment, the small beastman boy with braided hair who had been hiding behind Nar spoke up.

“The reason the mage doesn’t age is because of the female ghost that lives in that garden… Mph!”

“Ner!”

*Thud!*

A dull sound of something falling onto the countertop rang out.

“Oww! Dad, that hurts! Why are you doing that? It’s not like I said something I shouldn’t… Aaaagh!”

The kitchen quickly turned into chaos with various sounds intertwining, all because of what the two boys had said.

Nar had put down his rolling pin and was shouting while covering Ner’s mouth with his right hand, and pulling Nir’s ear with his free left hand.

“Didn’t I tell you not to say useless things!”

At Nar’s following scolding, the boys realized their mistake and shouted “We’re sorry!”

“Ner, you go help Deon stir-fry the onions. Nir, you clean and wash the raspberries!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Okay…”

The two boys instantly turned into gentle lambs and began doing the tasks Nar had assigned.

Once the situation had settled somewhat, Nar wiped the sweat from his forehead with his forearm and let out a deep sigh. And Juran, who had been quietly watching the situation, strode over to Nar’s side and quietly warned him in a whisper.

“I understand the children to some extent, but see that you don’t say unnecessary things.”

Juran’s voice was rather chilly.

‘He seems quite irritated by what the kids were saying, but he’s holding it in.’

It didn’t seem like he was speaking purely out of concern for the ducal family’s prestige or reputation. Rather, it felt like there was some emotion behind it.

A ghost. Delilah. A gardener who doesn’t age and possesses outstanding magical abilities, yet lives in seclusion. The Sacred Tree Nebula.

Perhaps the garden of Heliweka Castle held stories that weren’t fully told in the game.

The curiosity I’d felt since first entering the garden grew even stronger.

‘But I’ll look into the garden little by little later. For now, let’s solve the ingredient problem.’

“Um, Nar. In that case, would it be alright if I came to pick up the ingredients myself from now on?”

“If Anis noona comes, I’m happy! I won’t have to accidentally run into that mage uncle, and I won’t have to walk all the way to the garden either.”

“Nir. Just be quiet.”

“Tch.”

Nir, who had been quietly cleaning the raspberries, butted in and got scolded by Nar.

“Ahem, anyway, I’m in favor too. If you come like that, it’s more reliable and I’d be grateful.”

“Okay. Then let’s do that.”

I answered with a bright smile.

Deon, grilling meat in one corner of the kitchen, made a slightly dissatisfied expression, but somehow the ingredient problem had been settled.

‘Of course, this is just a temporary measure. I’ll need to look into why the ingredients Nir delivered disappeared later.’

As I calmly organized in my mind what I needed to do next, I was about to leave the kitchen.

“By the way, Anis, you said earlier you knew how to cook a bit, right?”

Suddenly Nar spoke to me.

“Yes. Just a little, though.”

I answered, shaking off the ominous feeling that was creeping over me.

“Would you mind helping out in the kitchen a little before you go?”

As expected, my ominous feelings were always right.

‘He wants me to help with kitchen work. Of course I’ll refuse. It’s not my job, and besides, I sneaked out without my master’s knowledge.’

However, just as I was about to refuse, a suddenly appearing quest window stopped me.

—

[QUEST! Help with kitchen work to show your abilities and raise the garden’s standing! — Difficulty C.

You, who have now become a proper ‘apprentice gardener’! You are the face of Heliweka Castle’s garden.

You’ve even excellently solved the ingredient problem for your poor master! (Clap clap clap) But in the process, you’ve taken up the kitchen staff’s time. At this rate, breakfast for the castle will be delayed, you know?

Help with the kitchen cooking, build friendships with the kitchen staff in the process, and try to improve the already rock-bottom perception of the garden! Who knows? It might help with garden work later!

— Success reward: Improved relationships with kitchen staff, future assistance, Gardener Performance +2.

— Failure penalty: Infamy +1, bad reputation for the garden.]

—

‘This is a complete mess.’

That was the first thought that came to my mind upon seeing the quest window. I bit the inside of my lip to barely suppress the sigh that threatened to escape.

‘If this is the case, I’d better accept it.’

I’d confirmed that I wouldn’t die or face immediate problems, but I didn’t want to raise my Infamy any more than necessary. Besides, raising Gardener Performance was a good thing, and who knew what kind of help I might receive from them in the uncertain future.

“It seems you were preparing breakfast, and it looks like the meal preparation has been delayed because of me, so I’ll lend a hand!”

Holding back my sorrow, I answered cheerfully.

“Wait a minute. What makes you think you can trust this girl with cooking?”

At that moment, Deon butted in.

“Just looking at her, you can tell she’s been raised delicately and probably only knows how to be extravagant. Has she ever lifted anything heavier than a teacup?”

He scanned me again with an unpleasant gaze and continued chattering. It seemed I was quite displeasing to him.

Of course, considering my reputation as a villainous young lady, it wasn’t surprising that everything about me would look spoiled.

Still, I did feel a little wronged. Since becoming ‘Anis,’ I hadn’t done anything to incur his displeasure.

‘But what can I do. I’ve even declared that I’ll turn over a new leaf, and getting angry here would only damage my reputation.’

The wisest course of action here was probably persuasion. Even if not Deon, others might also have doubts about my cooking skills.

“Deon, you seem to know my rumors very well.”

“Of course! I’m a devout follower of the Agnes faith, and I support Lady Luna, who came from commoner origins like us. I couldn’t help but hear about your rumors too.”

‘Ah. He’s a die-hard fan of Luna.’

With that one answer, I instantly understood why he had been looking at me unfavorably all this time.

In fact, in ‘Seonghada,’ Luna received a great deal of love and support from the people of the Bergen Empire.

Especially, she was more popular among the commoners than among the nobility. The first reason was her actions toward the relatively marginalized classes who were not yet reached by the temple’s benefits.

The second reason was the perception that Luna was of commoner origin. Luna had grown up believing herself to be a commoner until she was ten.

‘Although after being revealed as the Pope’s daughter at age ten, she lived a life of privilege ever since.’

To the public, her original background seemed more noticeable than that fact.

‘The temple also did a good job of image-making, trying to position Luna as the next Pope candidate.’

I hadn’t known it when playing as Luna, but now I thought that Luna’s surrounding environment was quite convenient.

‘But come to think of it, Anis’s environment has its advantages too, doesn’t it?’

“Then Deon, since you know my rumors so well, did you know that the tea parties at Count Posha’s estate are quite famous?”

And I began my rebuttal, using that advantage.

“…What? How would I know something like that?”

A hint of confusion flickered across Deon’s face again, and I smiled a smile of conviction.