The Tongue Makes You Splurge
The Tongue Makes You Splurge
Only eats grains?
I instantly thought of elves.
'The emperor clearly had no knowledge of the secret of the Palace of the Thunder Dragon.'
The World Tree Object, which I had named the Spear of Longinus.
A magical device that, upon touching the ground, transforms the entire area into a lightning strike zone.
The emperor knew nothing about the existence of the object, nor the reason why the great farmlands were so fertile.
So I had assumed that long ago, some emperor had placed the object in the Palace of the Thunder Dragon, and the information passed down through generations had been lost.
'But what if it wasn't the emperor, but the empress who held the key to the secret?'
Elves are a long-lived species.
If the empress is truly an elf, could she not be the very person who brought the object long ago?
'Ears.'
I quickly examined Yuzel's ears.
Round, with no pointed feeling at all.
At a glance, ears of a pure human, as if not a single drop of elven blood was mixed in.
"Yuzel, your mother... that is, Her Majesty the Empress, how old is she?"
"My mother? She is 33 years old. Because she gave birth to me when she was 15."
I can't definitively say she's actually 33.
If the empress truly is an elf, she wouldn't have told her daughter the truth plainly.
On the other hand, it's confusing.
'Maybe the empress isn't an elf but simply a vegan who hates meat. Am I overthinking this?'
The fact that the empress only eats grains.
The fact that the emperor knows so little.
Have I jumped to too many conclusions based on these two things?
'Let's formulate a hypothesis and prepare, but refrain from excessive leaps in logic.'
I organized my thoughts that way for now.
"But why is Her Highness the Imperial Consort always with His Majesty even though Her Majesty the Empress is here? That's why I thought she was the Empress."
"Because my mother is a rather free spirit, she rarely stays in the palace. She spends more than 9 months a year outside the palace."
That is suspicious.
I literally just told myself to refrain from excessive leaps in logic a few seconds ago!
"She doesn't just disappear like a runaway without any news for a long time, right?"
"No. She mainly stays at the imperial farmlands or villas near the capital city. She says the inside of the imperial palace is stifling."
"You resemble her."
"Excuse me? I occasionally go out for a change of scenery, but I don't abandon my family like my mother does."
Is that something to say for a girl who threw away her family and status as an imperial princess to settle down as a maid in the north?
'The empress might know something about the object. Let's assume that and prepare.'
Probability that Yuzel is a half-elf, currently 5%.
***
After the auction ended, Count Yunes and the nobles were about to return immediately to the Pioneer Base.
However, upon hearing that the Hot Hot Bakery would shortly begin selling white bread and castella, they stopped in their tracks.
"To receive Ainshuvan flour, one must wait at least 3 months. Shouldn't we eat our fill while we can?"
"Well said!"
Not only the expedition nobles but also nobles who had flocked from various regions to purchase flour postponed their return to their territories and waited for the opening.
Finally, opening day arrived.
In front of the bakery, a crowd of noble carriages had gathered since early morning, waiting.
One could compare it to the line of vehicles waiting for stars on the red carpet at a modern Earth awards ceremony.
"This cafe can only be used with flour exchange tickets!"
"Only with Monopoly notes!"
The nobles did not know what Monopoly meant, but they thought it was a cool word that rolled off the tongue nicely.
"Monopoly notes, truly a beautiful word. Don't you agree?"
"Indeed. I do not know its meaning, but the word itself feels as if it carries a solid power."
Finally, the doors opened, and the carriages vied to enter.
Count Yunes's party also took their seats.
Upon seeing the price list, the Count's party widened their eyes.
"Wh-what kind of price is this so wicked!"
[White Bread Capturing the White Snowfields]
[10 Monopoly : 500g]
[Castella Illuminated by the Fading Sunset]
[10 Monopoly : 500g]
Since 1 Monopoly equals 1kg of flour, it was a price a whopping 20 times the original cost.
Looking around at other tables, everyone's faces were filled with complaints about how expensive it was.
Just then, Hildea's voice was heard.
"Are you dissatisfied with the price, Your Excellency Count Yunes?"
"Th-that is not the case... uheok?"
Count Yunes, who turned around to hurriedly make excuses, widened his eyes.
The urgency of noble dignity—that getting caught grumbling about high prices would be a huge embarrassment—flew away.
Hildea was not in her usual military uniform but in the exact same uniform as the hall staff.
White blouse, neat black vest, black trousers covering the ankles.
The Count's party almost rubbed their eyes at the tidy attire reminiscent of a male palace attendant.
"D-Duke Valkenhart? Why are you dressed in the same clothes as the hall staff...."
"Since it is the first day of opening, I came out to check if there are any inconveniences for our noble guests. It is not just me."
Only then did the Count's party see Rebecca and Elenoa, dressed in the same trouser suits, walking around the hall taking orders.
'If only they had been in maid outfits....'
Some nobles harbored such irreverent thoughts, but did not voice them.
"Your Excellency Count Yunes, even if it is the same flour, completely different dishes are created depending on how it is cooked.
Especially castella, made through a secret recipe, is a dish that is difficult to reproduce even with Ainshuvan flour."
"I have never thought the menu prices were expensive. Rather, I was surprised and worried if the shop could be maintained by receiving only this much for operating such a luxurious establishment."
"As expected, Your Excellency Count Yunes has magnanimity as vast as the sea. I am broadening my horizons today on what the leisure of imperial nobility truly is."
Hildea smiled brightly and took the order.
'Keuk, 20 times the original cost....'
From the perspective of a high-end shop catering to nobles, it is not expensive at all.
But to the Count's party, the flour itself was so precious.
If it had been gold coins, they would have paid with a smile even if it were 100 times the cost, not 20.
It felt like the flour they had painstakingly purchased was being taken away again, so their stomachs couldn't help but churn.
"The dishes you ordered are here."
As freshly baked breads, steaming with vapor, came out, Count Yunes's party felt their hearts ease.
But the color of the water in the cups was strange.
"Duke Valkenhart, what kind of beverage is this? Why is the color so black?"
"It is service. It is called barracks coffee. It goes very well with bread, so please give it a try."
"...."
Everyone had a reluctant expression.
As it was a dull, dark brown color, they were cautious about putting it in their mouths.
"I will guarantee it on my honor. It is very delicious, so please try it quickly."
Under the subtle pressure urging him to try it, try it, Count Yunes had no choice but to pick up the coffee cup.
"Not like that. First, take a bite of the white bread, and then drink the coffee."
"Ah, I see."
Count Yunes carefully bit into the white bread.
A mild and sweet flavor spread throughout his mouth, and a happiness that almost brought tears washed over him.
'Yes, this taste...!'
The past few days since the auction ended.
Count Yunes had been suffering, eating tasteless wheat bread mixed with burnt bran and a musty grain smell.
But at this moment, he felt perfectly compensated for that pain.
And unable to resist Hildea's silent urging glance, he let a sip of coffee flow into his mouth.
"...!"
Count Yunes widened his eyes.
The other nobles crowded in the same space also had their faces covered in shock.
'H-how can this taste be?'
First, a slightly bitter taste lingers on the tip of the tongue.
Originally, it is a taste that would have felt unfamiliar and unpleasant.
But as it mixes with the bread crumbs remaining in the mouth, it creates an incredible harmony.
As if they were made to be eaten together from the start, it perfectly enhances the flavor of the bread.
Before long, the nobles began silently and hurriedly alternating between eating bread and drinking coffee.
At some tables, there were brave nobles attempting to savor the aroma of the coffee alone.
They were all lost in ecstatic expressions, closing their eyes or falling into contemplation, absorbed in tasting the sweet and bitter flavor that moistened their mouths.
The plates were empty before they knew it.
"G-give me one more plate! No, no, give me 10 more plates each! 10 cups of barracks coffee! No, 20 cups!"
"Barracks coffee is 10 Monopoly per cup. Is that all right?"
"As much as you want! I have plenty of Monopoly!"
The nobles each possessed 1,000 Monopoly.
This was because Piel had distributed exactly 1 ton of flour per family.
'Just a little bit more, just a little...!'
Barracks coffee, white bread, and castella.
In this sweet dream created by the fantastic combination, the nobles decided to stay just a little bit longer.
***
The kitchen is running like crazy.
The fire mages are sweating profusely, baking bread.
The uniformed airborne knight order members make barracks coffee by mixing instant coffee into water boiled with kerosene burners.
I glanced at Hildea and Rebecca at the counter.
'The uniforms look good on them.'
They are the same trouser suits as the other male employees, but the sophisticated feel exudes elegance.
With the two Masters personally attending the hall, the nobles are not causing a ruckus over the prices.
Occasionally, I saw young nobles sneaking glances at the two women, but since they're customers spending big money, I decided to be lenient.
After all, I am the generous Northern Commander.
"Heung, Colonel-nim. It's strange. I thought Duke Delpode would come visit the cafe."
"That person doesn't have any Monopoly rights."
"Still, to not show up even after smelling this white bread and castella, something seems to be wrong?"
Luna pounded her fist regretfully.
"We really need to quickly corrupt Duke Delpode too and bring him into the airborne fold."
"...You have ambitious dreams."
"I'm telling you, it'll definitely work. Even that haughty elf surrendered, so no matter if he's a Sword Master over 100 years old, once he tastes Samhae Gwiju and samgyeopsal lettuce wraps, he won't be able to resist coming over."
The business went incredibly well.
In the end, we had to declare closing before lunchtime.
It wasn't that we ran out of stock.
As long as I am here, flour is unlimited 'within the remaining budget limit.'
What ran out was not stock, but rather....
"Big trouble. We've used up all the Monopoly notes...."
"How can this be. That large amount of Monopoly notes is completely gone...."
"Ca-can't we put it on credit?"
"A noble aristocrat asking for credit? What exactly do you take dignity for?"
"Huhut, you know? In the north, if you utter the word credit, your head gets split by a machete."
Hildea and Rebecca crushed the nobles who were crying and chanting about credit.
'Wow, that's surprising. To think they'd squander all their Monopoly rights at the bakery on coffee, white bread, and castella.'
I thought they'd use about one or two hundred, and exchange the remaining seven or eight hundred for flour three months later.
I didn't expect the nobles 'whose tongues were titillated' to come out like that, recklessly thinking, 'Just eat it now!'
'Then I guess I have to issue more Monopoly... right?'
I've already secured enough external supplies to keep the entire north running without external goods for more than 5 years.
I was pondering what to receive in exchange for issuing Monopoly....
Hildea and Rebecca came to me.
"Piel Colonel, there's a noble asking to borrow Monopoly by offering their own territory as collateral, what should we do?"
"Piel, they say they'll mass-produce commoner supplies and pay it back by next winter? What should I tell them?"