One Cake, Nineteen Mouths

“Hmm-hmm—♬” A little hum escaped my lips without me even realizing it. It was the first time I’d felt this kind of excitement and lightness since falling onto Valkyrie Island. My eyelids were heavy from accumulated fatigue, but my heart felt light as a feather. Sort of like the feeling of waiting for a package to arrive? Well, that made sense—I’d just handed Johnson a long, detailed list of supplies and ingredients. It felt like writing a blank check. Or shopping online without any pictures. The lack of restrictions only made it more fun.

I’d also asked for replacements for the existing kitchen tools. Most of them were antiques over fifty years old, rusted and chipped, and managing them had become nearly impossible. I added ovens, coffee machines, and ice makers to the order as well—things that were practically nonexistent here. I wasn’t sure if they even existed in this world, but I figured I might as well go for it. If they didn’t have them, no big deal. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll bring something close enough.” You never know how things will turn out. When an opportunity comes, you grab it. I just wanted to be free of this outdated kitchen.

Anyway, it had been a while since I’d gone shopping, so I was genuinely enjoying myself. According to Johnson, ingredients could be sourced from the student cafeteria or the nearby ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠continent. He said he could get them in as little as two or three days. Ah, but chocolate was apparently difficult. It was a high-end dessert produced in very small quantities even on the continent. “Still, it’s good that he can at least bring back some cacao beans. And Sofia will probably figure something out too.”

Some of the kitchen supplies needed remodeling, so those would take time. I told him I didn’t mind waiting as long as the work got done—remodeling or even full reconstruction. There was no reason to refuse. The lounge was old and worn out anyway. I felt like I could even serve coffee over a campfire outside during the renovations and still manage somehow.

“Hehe—♪ I hope the order gets approved soon……” Despite my lack of sleep and the dizziness, a small wave of happiness gave me energy. Thanks to that, I managed to push through the morning routine. After Johnson left, I finished roasting the coffee beans and baked basic coffee biscuits following yesterday’s recipe.

—Crackle, pop…! The firewood inside the hearth burned with a pleasant sound. The spent logs kept the biscuits warm while maintaining a gentle ember.

“The coffee today isn’t bad either.”

—Slurp, slurp…! My body kept craving caffeine. It wasn’t enough to chase away the drowsiness completely, but it should at least get me through work hours. Besides, this was the only break time I was allowed right now.

—Rustle, rustle…! I kept pouring coffee and read the book Johnson had given me as a gift. I wanted to take a quick nap, but there was no time if I wanted to win Sofia over. Outwardly I looked relaxed, but the situation was urgent. There was a five-day time limit, and more importantly, whether Sofia could actually bring back chocolate was the key factor.

The main ingredient was still mint, but mint without chocolate just wouldn’t work. What would happen if Sofia tasted mint chocolate—something that didn’t even exist in this world? She’d be so moved she’d probably get addicted to it. Winning Sofia over was practically guaranteed. To perfectly recreate this predetermined ending, chocolate was important, but my baking skills mattered even more. Only with solid fundamentals could something as bizarre as mint chocolate actually taste good in its own weird way.

“This world has a pretty wide variety of desserts too.”

That was why I’d skipped the nap and carefully read the book Johnson gave me. It had been incredibly helpful. It gave proper measurements to someone who had been eyeballing everything before. But something felt off. Even just reading was getting difficult. Was it because I hadn’t slept at all last night? “Yesterday I read that thick book all night and didn’t feel sleepy at all…” After finishing the sponge cake recipe, I felt a slight dizziness. I hadn’t been reading that long, yet the world was spinning.

—Thud! I closed the book after finishing the sponge cake recipe. If I kept reading, I really would fall asleep. It was strange, though. When I read the thicker, more difficult history book, the words had flowed smoothly and stuck in my head. Maybe it was because that one was written in dragon language?

“Haaah…! Thinking is hard when I’m this sleepy. Maybe I should move around to wake myself up?” I muttered to myself and got up. There was something I wanted to try with the remaining time.

—Clink, whoosh…! I filled a pot with water and set it to boil. Then I placed a glass bowl over it—the kind used for mixing salads. —Plop, crack—! Just before the water came to a full boil, I cracked three eggs into the bowl. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠added a bit of sugar, salt, and the leftover coffee grounds from the biscuits.

—Whisk, whisk, whisk, whisk…!! I mixed everything thoroughly with a whisk. The reason for heating the egg mixture was simple: it would create rich foam even without baking soda.

—Stir, stir, stir…!! After properly whipping the eggs, I added ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠milk. Butter would have been nice, but I had to skip it. The milk left at room temperature would have to do (though it definitely wasn’t the same as butter).

“It’s actually rising quite a bit.” After stirring hard enough to make my shoulders ache, the mixture thickened and swelled. Once the ingredients were well combined, I sifted in the flour. The real kneading began now. After sifting the flour finely, I had to keep whisking vigorously. Ah, I should have ordered that magitech automatic whisk. My shoulders were killing me! Still, moving around helped wake me up. Sweat beaded on my forehead.

—Clink, clack…! I wiped my forehead and finished the batter. Following the recipe produced a decent-looking mixture. The flour ratio wasn’t too high, so it stayed slightly soft.

—Glug, glug……! I poured the batter straight into a round pan. It already looked like a cake even before baking. Now came the final step. I tapped the pan to release any trapped air, let it settle, then—

—Whoosh…! —placed it into the blazing hearth. I had to move the biscuits aside for now.

“…Let’s see. How long did it say to bake?” The recipe said about thirty-five minutes over moderate heat, but I had no idea what “moderate” meant here. There wasn’t even a temperature listed. Temperature was crucial in baking. I’d have to ask for a thermometer next time. Being a beginner, I only realized what I needed after actually trying it. You learn by making mistakes in life. As long as I didn’t make mistakes in front of the dragons, it was fine. “I’ll just go by feel. It’s only a test batch anyway.”

I placed the pan at the edge where the fire was weakest and watched the process. Since it was a direct-flame hearth instead of an oven, this was the most nerve-wracking part.

—Creak, thud! —Creak, pop…! I had to open and close the hearth door repeatedly to account for heat loss. I also turned the pan with tongs so the heat wouldn’t hit only one side. About twenty minutes later, the batter finally began to rise. It took on a nice shape and started to brown.

—Rustle! I pulled it out before the color got too dark.

—Steam, steam, steam……. Freshly baked cake released fragrant steam. A rich, sweet aroma filled the air. The shape looked pretty successful, aside from a few uneven spots where air bubbles hadn’t escaped properly. Still, it was a satisfying result considering the limited ingredients. Thanks to the coffee grounds, it smelled a bit like mocha bread. “Mocha bread? Not bad.” I should try making it properly later with stronger coffee, sugar, and flour. It would probably need good fermentation for better rise and texture. Maybe I actually have a talent for baking?

—Thud! Pleased with the result, I put on oven mitts and flipped the pan while muttering to myself. When I took the finished cake out of the pan……

Well, not bad. One and a half stars—I’ll accept that. It was bound to be ordinary. Besides, it was just a test run, so it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like I was serving it to the young ladies yet. When I imagined putting proper mint chocolate on a perfectly baked sponge cake later, I felt like an evil overlord about to conquer the world. I wondered if I was doing the right thing, but now that things had gone this far, no one could stop me.

“Let’s see how it tastes—”

「Ding-dong—!」

Right on cue, the grandfather clock chimed. It was already 1 p.m. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The girls would probably come flooding in soon, just like yesterday. “Don’t tell me they’re going to show up right after lunch again……”

—Bang! The lounge door swung open before I could even finish the thought.

—Haaah…! I’m so tired of eating the food the beastkin make!

—Huuu, it was awful. Today’s lunch……

—Yeah, it was really bad. The same menu two days in a row.

—Isn’t the cafeteria run by beastkin? We should overthrow it at least once. If there aren’t enough ingredients, we’ll just have to show them how to get new ones ourselves.

—I just hope there’s no animal hair in it this time. They shed all year round……

—Still, something sweet should cheer me up right away.

—Right? Today there’s an even sweeter smell than yesterday!

—Hey, Breeder! What’s today’s dessert?!

—Yesterday’s biscuits were good, so I’m even more excited today!

“Ah, w-welcome……!” Wow, they really punched in right on time. More importantly, I was in trouble. I only had the same dessert as yesterday. The special new dessert was still a long way off……