Because of that, I had to meet unexpectedly with my brother early in the morning.
Before breakfast, I unwillingly played the part of a fussy, cranky baby, making things difficult for Bettina.
While fussing and crying, I kept pointing insistently toward my brother’s room, and though clearly bewildered, Bettina ended up carrying me there.
My brother quickly realized what was going on and said, “I’ll keep him happy, so Bettina, go tell them you’ll be a little late to the dining hall,” sending the babysitter away.
The main point of our meeting was to discuss with Lansel during breakfast the new plans for today, and to have preparations made for a new dish for lunch, in addition to what we talked about yesterday.
The details weren’t complicated, so my brother understood immediately and headed down for breakfast.
During the morning study session, I wedged myself in as usual, playing at lessons while being held by Bettina.
First, we greeted Zam in the Martial Arts Room, and as expected, Vessel-sensei was shocked at the sight of the wolf.
“A wild wolf being so friendly with people… And standing perfectly still in front of a baby? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”
“Well… I think Root and Zam are both just special cases.”
“Can something so unusual be explained so simply?”
If everyone gets so astonished at things like this, the conversation will never move forward.
When my brother mentioned the successful improvement of the Black Wheat bread and that he wanted to experiment today with how to handle Goroimo, Sensei was amazed at each and every point.
“Cooking methods for Goroimo, you say? By all means, please let me join in!”
“Then today, we’ll prepare lunch here.”
Incidentally, it seems Vessel-sensei has been lodging with an elderly couple in the village for about a year now.
When he first took up the position of tutor, he was invited to live in this mansion, but since he often reads or does research late into the night, he thought he might trouble a house with children and politely declined.
Sensei is the fifth son of a southern noble house, with no prospects of making a name for himself there.
After studying at the University in the Kingdom’s Capital, he decided to live as a researcher.
He’s required to produce results at least every few years and receives some support from the University.
His field of study concerns the lifestyles of traditional rural villages, so this teaching post and lodging are ideal conditions for him.
On top of that, the issues my brother recently raised regarding our domain also intrigue him greatly as a research topic.
With all that in mind, we decided to involve Sensei even more in the developments to come.
After the morning curriculum ended, my brother invited Sensei to the dining room.
Naturally, Bettina, holding me, followed along.
Additionally, the butler Henrik and cook Lansel, who had been briefed the day before, were also gathered.
“As I’ve mentioned before, today I’d like to experiment with Goroimo. Specifically, regarding the poisonous part of the Goroimo—currently, it’s only thought that the area nearer the outside, away from the center, is poisonous, but I suspect we can pinpoint it even further.”
Since this was set up as an academic research session with Sensei, my brother spoke more formally than usual.
“When you cut open a Goroimo, you can see that the area where future sprouts would grow is tinged slightly purple. I suspect that this area is where the poison is concentrated.”
“Hmmm,” Vessel-sensei let out a thoughtful hum.
“That’s a sharp observation, but if it were that obvious, I feel like someone would have identified it already.”
“I think the real problem is how little value Goroimo has in this country. It’s barely even considered sellable, and when it is sold, it’s almost as cheap as trash. That impression comes from its reputation for being poisonous, I suppose, but because it’s so worthless, perhaps no one has ever seriously researched the poison before.”
“Even when used in cooking, people hardly care if some is wasted. Maybe we’re the only ones in the entire domain who have to seriously consider its value.”
“Ah… that does sound plausible.”
“Well, regardless of the reason, my theory can be tested by experiment. Here, we have two Wild Rabbits. We also have plenty of Goroimo scraps that would otherwise be thrown out in the Kitchen. We’ll feed the sprout area to one rabbit, and the area with the sprout removed to the other, then observe what happens next. If only one is poisoned, or both, the results will be clear. So, Sensei, what do you think?”
“—Yes, that sounds like a sound way to verify your hypothesis. The effects of Goroimo poison are said to show up quickly; observing for two hours should be enough.”
“Alright, then. Lansel, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lansel brought out two bowls, showing the contents to confirm everything was as my brother had said in front of the witnesses.
He then placed them in the two Wild Rabbits’ cages, and, having not eaten since being captured yesterday, the rabbits began devouring the contents with incredible gusto.
“This experiment could have been done just with Lansel’s help or even alone, but I want the results to spread, so today I asked Henrik and Sensei to witness it. While we wait for the outcome, I’d like to introduce a new dish made with Goroimo, and have you all taste it and observe the cooking method.”
“A new dish?”
“Yes. Lansel, is everything ready?”
“Yes. Everything you asked for is prepared.”
“Then, please cook it just as I describe from here.”
And so, we all moved to the kitchen.
What we had prepared were: boiled and mashed Goroimo, finely chopped Wild Rabbit meat, Black Wheat Flour, dried Black Wheat bread crumbled into fine bits, plus salt and oil.
The minced rabbit meat is lightly sautéed and salted.
It’s then mixed with the mashed Goroimo, with a little more salt.
The mixture is picked up by hand and shaped into slightly oval patties, a bit smaller than a palm.
A batter of wheat flour mixed with water is applied all over, then rolled in the bread crumbs.
Here, according to ‘Memory’:
‘Normally, you’d use beaten egg here.’
They added, with a note of frustration.
‘Some people say you can’t make this without eggs, but honestly, what a luxury! Try living with nothing before you complain!’
‘And then, getting more and more worked up. Honestly, what are you fighting against…?’
But I digress.
While letting the bread crumbs settle a bit, heat oil in a pot.
Drop in a crumb to test the heat; when it sizzles and floats, it’s ready.
Drop the oval patties boldly into the oil.
When they turn golden brown I think?, they’re done.
“What is this?”
“It’s got such a unique texture.”
“Wow, crunchy—hot—so hot, but it’s delicious!”
“To think, just a lump of Goroimo could taste this amazing…”
The four of them, including the chef himself, voiced their admiration, all eyes focusing on my brother.
He too, ignoring etiquette, skipped the knife and quickly shoveled one into his mouth using just a fork.
“Munch—this is excellent. It’s called ‘Korokke’.”
“The inside is just boiled Goroimo—something we’re all sick of eating here,” Sensei tilted his head, “so why does it taste so shockingly good like this?”
“It seems Goroimo goes really well with oil.”
“Ah!” Bettina exclaimed.
“It’s because it’s wrapped in Black Wheat Flour that’s soaked up the oil. That, and the contrast in texture between the outside and inside, makes for a fun eating experience!”
“That’s apparently the intention behind this cooking method.”
“The flavor of the Wild Rabbit meat also comes through nicely.”
Incidentally, on this point, the ‘Memory’ in my dreams always said, ‘The combination of potatoes and oil is a devil’s ensemble. Most people get hooked instantly.’
And so on.
Also, I am the only one here who cannot experience that ensemble.
After all, as someone who hasn’t been weaned, while I might be able to handle the inside boiled Goroimo, the oil-soaked breaded coating is simply too much for my stomach.
Watching everyone else rejoice at the flavor was a bit of an ordeal for me.
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