Fiery Support
*Grind grind grind...! Thud thud thud!!* The heavy mortar pulverized the chocolate—its surface etched like dragon scales—into fine crumbs. Just enough pressure to break it down without destroying it completely. Anyone watching would’ve wondered why I was wasting such expensive chocolate, but they’d be wrong. This was an essential ingredient for the dough, a seasoning that would add sweetness and moisture.
*Swish swish swish...!* While the mortar worked the chocolate, the whisk moved in rapid circles, blending the softened dough. I kept whipping until it reached the perfect consistency.
*Bubble bubble...!* I was tempering the chocolate over a double boiler, preparing it for the outer coating. Though I needed a large quantity, the process went smoothly.
*Drip drip...!* “Careful not to spill any……!” Derke muttered to herself as she poured milk into a bowl beside me, her round eyes sparkling with intense focus. With only two of us working, tasks unfolded simultaneously—cleanly and perfectly.
‘Thank goodness. Without Derke, I’d still be stuck making dough.’ The Wraith Legion made everything run smoothly, cutting the time I felt I needed in half. Faintly shimmering wraiths moved busily at her command. Thanks to Derke’s refreshing breeze, my own movements grew quicker and more confident.
Now everything was ready. We had reached the stage where we could begin in earnest. Starting now, we wouldn’t be late.
“If you’ve finished grinding that, pour it into the dough, would you?” I murmured into the air, addressing the wraith still pounding away with the mortar. The heavy stone mortar tilted through the air and emptied its contents over the dough.
*Rustle!* Finely ground chocolate powder rained down onto the mixture. The particles were far smaller than the chocolate chips we had sprinkled on the mint chocolate chip cake, embedding themselves throughout the dough.
“Good. Now stir it gently so everything mixes evenly. Please.”
*Swish, swish...!* The wraith obeyed, and the dough—once a blend of butter, eggs, and flour—turned a deep, rich black.
‘Cocoa powder would have been nice, but this works too.’ Without it, I had ground the chocolate into powder and mixed it in instead. The result wasn’t bad at all; the chocolate would make the final product even moister and more intensely sweet.
‘By the way, being able to command the wraiths directly…… This is incredibly convenient.’ Before we started cooking, Derke had granted me temporary authority to use them for the duration of the task.
*Kiss♥* All it had taken was a simple French kiss. Derke had insisted it was part of the contract and told me to stay still, but thinking back, she had probably just wanted to kiss me. Whatever the reason, the convenience was undeniable. I still couldn’t control them completely at will, but simple commands came easily. Derke had explained that because we were bound by a pact, this was only natural.
‘Then why did you kiss me just now?’
Looking at the dark, glossy dough, I was reminded of brownies. If baked until perfectly moist, it couldn’t possibly taste bad.
*Bubble bubble...!* The chocolate in the double boiler had fully melted. All that remained was to shape it and bake. Ah, right—how was the whipping coming along?
“Hehe, hihihi-♪” Derke, who had been whipping butter and boiled milk, let out a delighted laugh. The bowl was now filled with a generous amount of fluffy cream.
*Squish, squish, squish...!!* Everything was progressing smoothly. The pure white cream continued to swell and rise. In no time at all, she had produced a perfectly whipped cream.
“Derke? Mind if I have a taste?”
“Okay-yap-! I just finished it anyway-desu-yong-!” Derke answered confidently, lifting the whisk. Perhaps it was thanks to spending the past few days as my assistant—she now handled whipping with ease. What a capable little dragon.
*Poke!* I dipped my finger straight into the cream and tasted it.
“Mm, this isn’t bad at—” The texture was soft and fluffy, and a wave of sweetness flooded my mouth. It was so intensely sweet that my lips nearly froze in place.
“Cough…! S-Sweet? Way too sweet?!”
“Hehe-? Is it really that sweet-desu-yong? Derke thinks it’s just right…!”
“Derke, how much sugar did you put in?”
“As much as Derke wanted-yap-!”
No wonder she had been giggling so happily. Her eyes looked slightly glazed too. She must have been sneaking tastes while whipping. Watching her like this reminded me of that famous culinary researcher and restaurateur who loved sugar. Still, just how much sugar had she added for her to already be tipsy from it?
‘…But maybe this is fine.’ I had felt the same way with the star-shaped candy-covered hardtack. Nothing captured the young ladies’ tastes quite like something sweet. There was no need to remake it.
“Well done. Everything else seems ready too, so could you put the cream into a piping bag?”
“Got it-yap-!” Derke answered energetically and began scooping the whipped cream with a spatula. I joined her, filling another piping bag with the chocolate-powdered dough. Using the wraiths would have been easier, but this required a direct touch—to activate Derke’s special skill, [Dragon’s Hand Taste].
‘What’s this? They seem to be doing pretty well over there too?’
‘Cooking tools floating in midair……?!’
‘Don’t mind them! There are two of them! We’re three! And we’re already finishing up!’
As we continued our smooth preparations, voices drifted over from across the kitchen. The beastkin chefs were muttering among themselves, clearly trying to keep an eye on us. Peeking into their station, I saw them placing something black and white onto biscuits and letting it harden.
‘The black one looks like melted chocolate, but what’s the white stuff?’ Their reactions drew my attention. They were supposed to be our rivals, after all. Still, whatever they were making was none of my concern.
*Stretch, stretch-!* I was busy enough with my own tasks. The dough was ready, so it was time to shape it. Using the piping bag, I piped the dough into thick, round discs. Because the chocolate hadn’t been ground into perfect powder, tiny chocolate crystals dotted the surface between the dough.
‘It’s a little different from the shape I had in mind, but the extra sweetness makes up for it.’ Once baked, it would be nearly complete. No matter what they were making, it wouldn’t taste better than what I was creating.
*Rattle, creak...!* With that confidence, I opened the oven door I had already lit earlier. I needed to get the dough baking without delay—the baking time was the most critical factor.
*Creak...!* “Huh…? Hold on. Why is the heat so weak?” Just as I was about to slide the tray of dough inside, I had to stop everything.
*Crackle, pop...!* When I opened the oven, all I saw was a tiny campfire. There should have been a strong, blazing heat, but only a feeble flame clung weakly to the firewood.
‘Idiots. Looks like it’s their first time using a large-capacity oven.’
‘Maintaining initial heat is key with these big ovens……’
‘Kekeke, we should’ve told them they used up all the fire-maintenance oil.’
The beastkin chefs laughed smugly, certain of their victory. At first they had whispered quietly, but now they were speaking loud enough for everyone to hear—bold enough to mock me while I stood beside a dragon.
“Huff…! Hah-! Cough, ack…?!” It was fortunate that Derke was peering into the oven trying to revive the flames…… If she had heard them, the Wraith Legion would have gained three new souls. Wait? That didn’t sound so bad. Forget the dessert contest—should I just tell Derke?
‘If there are no competitors, isn’t that victory?’
My heart grew restless again, like the dying embers in the oven, as I searched for another solution. Then—
“You guys! What did you just say?!”
“Huh? That voice……”
A bright, ringing voice suddenly echoed from inside the kitchen. I looked up and the first thing I noticed were sharp teeth. A cheerful voice that matched those shark-like fangs scolded the beastkin chefs.
“What did you just mutter about?!”
“…Raylin?”
The owner of the voice was none other than Raylin. She was still wearing her training uniform, apparently having just returned after finishing her drills for a meal.
“Ang? Why aren’t you saying anything? Say it again-?!” Raylin, dressed in her boldly revealing training clothes, shouted at them. The empty bowl in her hand suggested she had just finished eating.
“…I came to personally compliment you because the spaghetti was so good, and now you’re badmouthing our Whitey-?!”
“T-That’s not it…! I mean……!”
The three beastkin chefs couldn’t even squeak under Raylin’s fierce glare. I couldn’t have been happier about her sudden appearance.
“Ah, Miss…!”
“Hohawa-? Whitey? When it’s just the two of us, I told you to call me Noona—”
“Senior, what brings you here-desu-yong-?”
“Aah? So you weren’t alone……”
Raylin turned at my voice and flashed a playful smile—only for it to freeze the moment Derke popped up. She even slumped her shoulders, muttering something like, “I really wanted to hear ‘Noona’ today…… How disappointing.”
But her resignation didn’t last long.
*Grab!* Raylin suddenly seized Maruti by the collar.
“…Anyway, Whitey? Want me to take care of these guys for you?!”
It was a fiery change of heart worthy of a Flame Dragon.
“Hiiiik-! P-Please spare me! I’ve committed a grave sin……!”
Maruti, dangling in the air with his legs kicking, begged for his life. I was tempted to accept her offer, but……
“It’s fine. Since you’re here, could you light the fire for us? Now that you’ve arrived, our numbers are perfect.”
“Eh? Whitey?”
No matter how powerful Raylin was, openly punishing chefs under Benetric’s orders would get her disciplined. Besides, there was no reason to avoid a proper head-on victory now. After all, I had the dragons’ powerful bonuses on my side—Derke’s [Dragon’s Hand Taste], and Raylin’s……
“…Well, fine! I actually like that straightforward side of you even more!”
*Fwoooosh!!!* Raylin’s [Flame Dragon’s Inferno] ignited the oven. With both bonuses now active, I felt like I couldn’t lose even if I tried. The Flame Dragon’s heat filled me with boiling confidence. This time, I had the distinct feeling that a true masterpiece was about to be born.