The Culinary Duel Begins!!!
Sara's invitation. Head Chef Bart's sudden outburst. And the appearance of Ralph Leoris — this entire sequence of events had unfolded exactly as I'd expected.
If your affection rating sat at twenty or higher, there was a set chance you'd receive an invitation from Sara. Raise a cooking-related skill to Level 5 or above, and Head Chef Bart would issue his challenge. And the first time you visited the Leoris Mansion, you would meet Ralph Leoris.
Every one of these situations was a case I'd run into at least once in the original game — scenes this Legend Route veteran had watched more times than I could count.
The one thing I hadn't accounted for, however, was the presence of Arsha Swordhorn.
Was there a route in the original where Arsha received Sara's invitation?
If it wasn't in this veteran's memory, then it plainly had never existed. Sara Leoris and Arsha Swordhorn becoming friends was a development from the middle-to-late stretch of the story. Until then, the two of them barely exchanged a proper conversation unless it involved a duel. The usual pattern was Arsha sniping a few barbed remarks and Sara firing right back. Even after they became friends, I didn't recall there ever being an event where one invited the other over.
So this isn't completely identical to the Legend Route I know.
A situation I didn't know.
A route I didn't know.
And an ending I didn't know.
My heart was pounding.
The appearance of new content always set a veteran's heart racing. More than any anxiety that I might pick the wrong option, it was the hunger for an unknown future that had me thrilled.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Ralph Leoris. People are generous enough to call me the Red-Haired Sage."
A steadfast energy lived in his voice, and his eyes were gentle with kindness and wisdom. A tall man reminiscent of a lion with a crimson mane brought a hand to his chest as he introduced himself. For the head of the Leoris family — a man whose single word could shake the kingdom — he had an unexpectedly light air about him. And yet the immense presence rolling off him made it unmistakably clear that he existed on a plane far removed from ordinary men.
Arsha Swordhorn shot up from her seat.
"It is an honor to meet the Red-Haired Sage in person. I am Arsha Swordhorn, the humble daughter of the Swordhorn family."
The etiquette was so flawless the word noble sprang to mind all by itself. She looked for all the world like a knight receiving her dubbing from the king. Arsha Swordhorn introduced herself with a courtesy as sharp and precise as a blade.
"Lately my ears have been filled with nothing but talk of the Swordhorn family. They say the young lady of Swordhorn is so strong, so brilliant — and now that I see you myself, I understand why. For my daughter to bring home such a famous friend... this is a happy day indeed."
Ralph Leoris's gaze traveled from Arsha Swordhorn toward Sierra. Sierra shrank a little under the eyes of the Royal Capital's foremost great noble, but she managed a proper introduction all the same.
"I-I'm Sierra Grimkeeper. I'm a commoner. Thank you for inviting me to such a magnificent mansion."
Her voice trembled somewhat, but that was only to be expected when facing a great noble like Ralph Leoris. All things considered, it was a decent introduction.
"Haha. It was Sara who invited you, not me. Make yourselves at home."
Just as in the original, Ralph was not a man who fussed over station. To hold that much power and authority, and still be that kind... how many people like him existed in the real world?
"I'm Johann Baker. Likewise a commoner."
I offered a light bow as I greeted him.
"What a remarkably handsome young man! Hmm. Sara, I was already surprised you'd brought friends home — but a boy? Don't tell me..."
"Th-that's not it at all!"
Sara squawked and shook her head hard under her father's teasing look.
"I invited him because of how impressive he was during the entrance examination! There's nothing personal about it whatsoever! Father, you really are such a fool!"
At Sara's words, Arsha's and Ralph's gazes shifted at the same time. Arsha's eyes, in particular, were like a pair of sharpened needles. I felt like I was about to get stabbed. Ow, that stings.
"Oho. I'd like to hear more about that."
Ralph stroked his chin and joined us at the table as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He flicked his fingers, and a chair that hadn't been there a moment before popped into existence — as if he'd pulled it straight from an inventory. Given that the man in question was the Red-Haired Sage, nobody so much as blinked.
"Sara Leoris. I want to hear the details as well."
Arsha turned a lingering, intent look on Sara. Sara, wearing the face of someone who had just said something she shouldn't have, glanced at me in a fluster. It was as if she were asking, Can I tell them? Well, I didn't see why not. It wasn't as though she were about to badmouth me.
I gave a small nod, and Sara sighed and recounted what had happened during the entrance examination. As she spoke, Arsha's stiff expression turned sharp, and the end of that gaze found me. Ralph, on the other hand, regarded me with a face gone all soft, like jelly.
"To think the Academy entrance examination had such a hidden element..."
That was Ralph. He was an Academy graduate himself. According to the lore, the only person ever to score a perfect mark on the Academy examination was the Witch of the Cross. Even Ralph Leoris had failed to achieve a perfect score.
"Master! You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll bring out the meal at once."
Head Chef Bart spoke up at the sight of Ralph joining the table. Ralph waved a hand lightly.
"No need for a meal. I'd like something light — a dessert, perhaps."
A smile touched Ralph's lips as he looked at me.
"Johann, was it? I hear you're quite skilled at making desserts."
"Yes, yes! Johann's bread and pastries are incredible!"
Sierra chimed in from beside me, thoroughly delighted. The flustered look she'd worn at the start was gone. When it came to me, Sierra had never been one to hold back.
"M-Master! There's no way a greenhorn like that could produce a dessert worthy of your palate! This Bart shall bring out a dessert at once. Have you not always said my desserts are the finest!?"
Visit the Leoris family with a cooking skill at Level 5 or higher, and an impromptu cooking contest event would trigger. The rewards were useful for raising cooking skills, which made it an event you couldn't afford to skip if you were grinding affection.
"I know the head chef's skill well. But I'm rather curious about my daughter's friend's abilities... Aha! Then we'll do it like this. Both of you will make a dessert. I'll be the one to judge whose is more delicious."
Ralph Leoris was enjoying this. The merry crinkle of his eyes proved it. It was a lightness unbecoming of a great noble — and that, precisely, was the charm of Ralph Leoris as a character.
"Understood! This Bart shall prove that I alone am the chef worthy of Master's dignity and palate!"
Bart delivered the exact same line he did in the original game. The way his eyes blazed was genuinely fierce.
"Father! You invite guests over and then make them cook?! Johann, please ignore my foolish father's words."
Sara floundered, trying to get the situation under control, but I shook my head.
"It's fine. I rather enjoy making desserts, actually."
I couldn't very well pass up those juicy rewards.
And with that, the impromptu culinary duel began. The theme: dessert. There were four judges in total — Sara Leoris, Arsha Swordhorn, Sierra Grimkeeper, and Ralph Leoris. It was a scene you couldn't see in the original no matter which route you took.
"A wet-behind-the-ears brat, laying his hands on kitchen tools... Back in my day, you couldn't even dream of it unless you were on dish duty."
The kitchen of the Leoris Mansion was lavish beyond all measure. The kitchen itself was larger than my entire house, and there were no fewer than ten chefs, Bart included.
"I won't go easy on you just because you're the young lady's guest."
Bart's eyes flashed as he spoke. In his own field, he was a stubborn old man who refused to compromise on a single thing — which was exactly why his skill was as high as it was, and exactly why he had become the exclusive chef of the Leoris family.
In the original game, Bart's Culinary skill was Level 10. For reference, my current Baking level was 5.
There were three ways to beat Bart.
The first was to win the cooking contest honestly — that is, to visit the Leoris Mansion with a cooking skill of Level 10 or higher. Since my skill was already sitting at 5, that was impossible.
The second was to slip a laxative into Bart's ingredients. He would then be dismissed from the Leoris family for serving food that caused food poisoning, and the rumor would spread so thoroughly through the Royal Capital that he would end up a wretched street vagrant. Afterward, walking the back alleys gave you a set chance of being attacked by "Enraged Bart." The rewards on that path were the juiciest of the three, but it wasn't a route that left a clean aftertaste, so it wasn't the one I was taking this time.
The last was to cook with a Secret Recipe and win the contest that way — the cleanest method of clearing the Culinary Duel event without ever reaching Culinary Level 10.
"Use whatever tools you like. The result will be the same either way. Hahaha!"
Bart's confidence was tremendous. He didn't seem to entertain the possibility of losing at all. Which, to be fair, was only natural.
I took my time surveying the kitchen tools. There were extraordinarily expensive utensils, and ingredients far more expensive still, in abundance. Fortunately, every ingredient the Secret Recipe called for was here.
"Haaah... Father really is such a fool."
Sara pressed her fingers to her forehead and shook her head. Inviting guests over and then putting them to work cooking... had the other party not been a commoner, the gossip would have run rampant through high society and still not been enough. Her father's sudden impulses always tied Sara's chest in knots.
"Haha. It's fun, isn't it? Don't you think so, young lady of Swordhorn?"
Ralph sent a look Arsha's way, and an awkward expression surfaced atop her stiff features. It was a question she had no good way to answer. From the standpoint of noble etiquette, Ralph's conduct was clearly beyond all common sense. But pointing that out boldly to his face was something she simply could not do.
"Miss Swordhorn. Please ignore my foolish father's words. I truly cannot understand why people call him the Red-Haired Sage."
"....I understand."
"Nnngh! To be resented even by my own daughter and her friend! This father's heart feels as though it's crumbling like a cookie."
Sara Leoris was right. The man truly did not suit the epithet of sage in the slightest. The powerful presence I'd felt at first meeting seemed to melt away like spring snow.
"He's a rather... unique person."
At Sierra's remark, Arsha nodded. Whether you looked at him as a commoner or as a noble, Ralph Leoris was a man of an exceedingly peculiar character.
"The dish is complete!"
An hour had passed since Johann and Bart had entered the kitchen. The first to emerge was Bart, wearing a look of utter confidence.
"The dish I have prepared is a chocolate soufflé cake."
The dessert resting on Bart's serving cart was a fluffy soufflé cake, still breathing a gentle warmth.
"This is the first dessert I ever presented to Master. My teacher always said that the fundamentals are what matter most. And this dish is the very essence of everything I learned from him — the fundamentals, distilled."
"The head chef's soufflé cake has never disappointed me."
Ralph folded his arms, nodding, and added his weight to Bart's explanation.
"Please, taste it! A soufflé is at its finest while still warm."
Sara, Arsha, Sierra, and Ralph all lifted their spoons together. The cake was as plush as lamb's wool, so tender it yielded the instant the spoon so much as touched it. From within, a sweet chocolate sauce oozed forth like lava. The sweetness of the chocolate and the texture of the cake paired together fantastically. It was by no means a dish that flaunted any dazzling technique — but just as Bart had said about staying true to the fundamentals, it was a cake without a single thing to criticize, the finest of its kind. Had this been a different world entirely, their clothes would have split at the seams as they let out sweet, helpless moans.
"You outdid yourself today. Beating this dish won't be easy."
Ralph chuckled as he spoke. As if on cue, the moment the four of them finished tasting Bart's cake, Johann stepped out of the kitchen.
"Perfect timing. The dessert I prepared is a cold one, you see."
On Johann's dessert tray sat a cup of ice cream. The color of what was inside, however, was a little unusual.
"That is... what is that?"
Arsha tilted her head, and Johann answered with a look of complete confidence.