Chapter 71
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: School Lunches Are My Specialty. (2)
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At the exact moment he ladled it with the serving spoon, Dominic was certain.
'Nailed it!'
The color, the aroma, the thickness.
It was all the familiar instant three-minute OXXki curry.
Of course, the amount of ingredients was incomparable, and it carried a far more luxurious fragrance—a premium version, to be sure—but the undeniable truth was that he had finally succeeded in recreating the Korean-style curry he had so desperately wanted.
"Here you go. It probably won't have quite as strong a scent as before."
Dominic even brought out the porcelain bowls he hadn't offered to the uncles.
It felt rewarding to have stocked the kitchen with dwarf-made limited-edition tableware, leveraging his position as both collaborator and major investor.
A large, oval-shaped, plain white porcelain bowl without a single pattern.
On one side sat a mound of plump, steaming rice cooked in the cauldron.
Next came the curry.
He scooped it generously from the bottom of the still-steaming pot. Thanks to the tomatoes, it had a slightly redder hue than standard OXXki curry, making it look even more appetizing.
'Gotta keep the tomatoes in from now on.'
With a confident smile, he slid one plate over to Ian.
"Mm... Well then, bon appétit."
Ian hadn't let it show, but his mouth had been watering nonstop.
Even though he wasn't one for spices, what Dominic had made this time felt almost entirely free of any off-putting notes.
Still cautious, Ian dipped the tip of his spoon into the golden sauce and touched it to his tongue first.
"...!"
Ian's eyes widened like a startled rabbit at the unfamiliar taste and aroma.
'What the hell is this? What kind of flavor is that?!'
If a spice from some distant desert somehow evoked the familiar tastes of the south, was his palate just broken?
He had spent his entire time in the desert surviving on nothing but bread, vegetables, and fruit because the food never suited him. So he was dead certain that the dish before him had nothing to do with the desert.
"How is it? Is the spice and flavor still too intense?"
Dominic looked at him anxiously, seeking his verdict.
Now it all made sense—why Dominic had grabbed him and begged for a taste test.
"It's unfamiliar. Most Imperials would probably be shocked by a taste they've never tried before."
"...Not good?"
"No. It's a pleasant kind of unfamiliarity. Exotic, yet comforting. If even I don't find the spices too off-putting, then it should be fine for practically everyone except a rare few. If this powder starts selling on the market, I'd even buy some myself."
Dominic threw an uppercut into the air at those words.
They were exactly what he'd been waiting to hear.
"But regular commoners might find it a bit burdensome. Rice isn't exactly easy to come by."
"Ah, it should work fine with noodles too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. If you thin out the broth to more of a soup consistency, finely chop the ingredients, and simmer it down fully, it could turn into something like a pasta sauce."
He had envisioned a curry-sauce pasta—a slight twist on Japanese-style curry udon—from the moment he first decided to develop curry.
He himself ate rice every day, but for most people, it was still an exotic ingredient.
"It'd pair well with a plain, butter-light bread too. Though you'd want it thicker in that case, right?"
"Grilling meat basted in this sauce sounds good too."
"Ugh... Now you're even nailing the applications."
For the first time in a while, the two were perfectly in sync.
"It'll be one of the staple dishes in the cafeteria once it's up and running."
"Ah, speaking of which, the construction seems to be wrapping up. A little late, though?"
"My fault for not checking sooner. The students must've had it rough. Sorry about that."
"Eh, they seemed pretty thrilled just to get meals at a discount."
Dominic, who hadn't paid much attention to the academy construction, only learned there was no cafeteria building after the academy had already opened.
[Why isn't there a cafeteria?]
[Huh? It's not a barracks—why would an academy need a cafeteria?]
The city's administrators were all alumni of the capital academy, so he'd trusted them completely. But a cultural difference had caused the oversight.
'My mistake.'
Dominic had his own side to the story.
How was he supposed to know whether academies had cafeterias if he'd never attended one?
The administrators had been debating how many students per dorm room, so it hadn't even occurred to him that they might skip a cafeteria.
On the flip side, the administrators had their own gripes.
[We've never even heard of an academy with a cafeteria. Isn't it common sense that students eat at nearby restaurants during mealtimes?]
Academies in this world were for noble children or wealthy commoners.
They had no reason to eat fixed-time group meals that ignored personal tastes. The Imperial Academy even had students who brought their own chefs to live in the dorms, so cafeterias were practically unheard of.
[Our students are commoners! Mostly work-study kids who have to earn their own tuition. Start cafeteria construction ASAP, and in the meantime, negotiate with nearby restaurants for lunches. At least provide lunch! They have circumstances too!]
He couldn't offer free meals like in his past life.
Even though money was rolling in, word getting out that he was subsidizing academy students with taxes would definitely spark backlash.
'The academy isn't mandatory education, after all.'
But Dominic didn't want his students starving while studying either. His only option was to slash cafeteria prices and ease their burden!
The biggest advantage of mass-produced school meals: bulk-buying ingredients, bulk-cooking, and bulk-serving.
'If they can at least fill up once a day properly, they'll make it through somehow.'
Back in his past life, during lean university days with tight living expenses.
Dominic had benefited greatly from the national policy of university 'one-thousand-won breakfasts.' He knew full well how much solace a hearty, cheap meal could bring someone scraping by.
"You've finally wrapped up that nagging task, so you can stretch out and sleep soundly tonight. Congrats."
"Sigh, I wish. Unfortunately, it's overtime again today."
"More stuff to make?"
Ian tilted his head at Dominic's question.
"The cafeteria doesn't run itself just because construction's done. I need to draft guidelines for staff training, order kitchen equipment from the forge for mass cooking, check on furniture... But most urgently, I need to compile recipes."
"Recipes? Your cooking skills are already legendary— is compiling them really that hard?"
"Heh. So you're acknowledging it?"
"......"
"Kidding, kidding. Mass school meals can't run on one chef's talent alone. You have to serve dozens or hundreds of portions exactly on time. And to keep prices affordable for students, you can't splurge on fancy ingredients."
"Mm..."
"That's why I need to organize simple recipes using ingredients that are easy to source seasonally. That way, the cafeteria can keep running even without me."
"...Why go to such lengths?"
It was a fundamental question.
"We eat to live, so why not make it tasty, cheap, and filling?"
The answer wasn't particularly philosophical or brimming with grand mission.
Yet somehow, Ian felt it would stick with him for a long time.
"How were classes today?"
"Don't ask. They're getting harder by the day."
"Heh. Herbology isn't exactly a walk in the park. You're even learning foreign herbs now, right?"
"Ugh, studying never ends. I've been reviewing so much I don't sleep until dawn every night. What about you—starting practicals soon?"
"Yeah, next week. Stonehammer's forge! It's like a dream. Sure, as an apprentice student, I won't meet the dwarf himself, but..."
"Still, that's huge! All the artisans there are his disciples, so it's basically learning from Stonehammer himself."
"Haha, you think so?"
Two students who had just finished morning classes at the academy encouraged each other as they walked across the grounds.
Childhood friends from the same village, they had decided to enroll right after hearing about Evergreen Academy from their village chief.
'If we'd hesitated and missed this chance... Just thinking about it is terrifying!'
'Gotta make my little siblings apply too!'
Balancing work and classes wasn't easy, but getting this kind of education felt like a dream come true.
On top of that, their work pay—after deducting tuition and minimal dorm fees—came back surprisingly generous.
'I figured they'd skim a good chunk off the top...'
He felt bad for his initial suspicious outlook.
"How's your mom doing, anyway?"
"Yeah, she's getting better, thankfully. Good thing I had some savings. We could afford all the medicine without skimping."
Unlike his dreamlike life here, his family back home was always on shaky ground.
Ollie, the herbology major, had emptied his pocket money to send home for his mother's injury meds from a work accident.
'Wonder if I can actually finish the academy.'
He might have to take a completion certificate after midterms and head home.
Graduating would make things much better later, but he couldn't be sure his aging parents would hold out that long.
"You sent them all your living expenses too?"
"...They said the cafeteria starts lunch service today, so..."
"Right! The mayor's got real cooking chops, so it'll be decent for sure! Let's check it out!"
"...Yeah."
Unlike usual, the two headed to the academy's cafeteria.
Quite a few classmates were going that way too. But the faces of those heading to the cafeteria in unison were etched with exhaustion.
Faces filled more with anxiety over their situations and futures than any excitement.
'They deduct it from paychecks like dorm fees, so it's not like I need cash right now...'
Lunch at the cafeteria would be deducted from wages like dorm costs.
But the price was dirt cheap.
Lunches from contracted restaurants ran at about 70% of normal menu prices, but cafeteria lunch was even lower—less than 30% of standard meal costs.
'Way under half price... Probably just vegetable soup or something.'
Ollie was grateful to his friend for suggesting cafeteria food first, considering his empty pockets.
Besides, when you were broke, what choice did you have?
"...Huh?"
"This is the cafeteria...?"
But the cafeteria they entered far exceeded their expectations.
"Tomato pasta or curry... rice... to choose from?"
"Curry rice? What's that?"
"No idea..."
"Ah, over there!"
The two friends pointed to students already served and eating.
Their plates held appetizing food smothered in an unfamiliar golden sauce.
For the cafeteria's opening day, Dominic had dipped into his own reserves to supply rice.
[First time trying curry? Gotta go curry rice! No arguments!]
Or so he'd declared.
Gulp.
"Wanna get one each and split?"
"S-Sure?"
A choice only possible between childhood friends.
They lined up at different counters per menu, then met at a table.
The portions looked like at least 1.5 servings, stuffed full of generous ingredients—better than most restaurant fare.
Exchanging glances, the two hurriedly shoveled food into their mouths.
"...It's good."
"Right?! Whoa!"
"...Damn it."
Ollie, studying herbology, stared down at his heaping bowl and let a low curse slip through unexpected emotion.
It felt like all those tearful dawns of worry were being soothed by a single bowl of rice.
Through the cafeteria window, the still-under-construction town hall was visible.
'Gotta make it big and shake the mayor's hand someday.'
Ollie's spoon moved faster.
'I-I wanted to try that too... We said we'd share, but...'
His friend, watching Ollie, couldn't bring himself to suggest swapping and could only smack his lips at the dwindling curry rice.