CHAPTER 145
CHAPTER 145
Poison seeps in.
The reason Betelgeuse Duke’s allowance was small was partly due to institutional issues, but more than that, it was because the Duke himself had refused the pension.
After the subjugation of the Demon King of Garumhau, when Betelgeuse Duke returned after losing an arm, the council was shocked.
The Betelgeuse Principality had been reduced to ruins, to the point where it was questionable whether reconstruction was even possible, and for a while they could not even collect taxes from their fiefs. In comparison, the compensation paid as a soldier’s pension was extremely meager.
Due to a revision of the upper limit of military pensions made just two months earlier by Emperor Franz, the pension amount assigned to Betelgeuse Duke was almost insulting.
In response, there had been a movement within the council to take the initiative and adjust Betelgeuse Duke’s compensation to a more realistic level, but Betelgeuse Duke Draken Katze Betelgeuse rejected that proposal.
As an individual, it was truly a noble decision, but as a result, it became the catalyst that led his only daughter Idnia to become so sharp-tongued and severe...
“Fortunately, he is not just a good father in public. Ugh… this brings back old memories. It’s nauseating.”
Idnia recalled her parents on Earth. In public, they were careful not to offend anyone and could not say a single unpleasant word, but at home they would order their daughter around, saying things like bring this, do that, and since I gave you life, you must devote yourself completely to me. They had such a feudal mindset, and yet they were not even well regarded by others.
Unable to speak harshly to others in public, they would drink alcohol and, once intoxicated, release everything they had been holding in and act recklessly, causing trouble like dogs gone wild. Yet they firmly believed their actions were just harmless drunken mistakes anyone could make, and that others would still view them favorably.
Having grown up struggling under such parents, Idnia found the current Betelgeuse Duke quite tolerable by comparison.
“If I work hard and earn more, it will be fine. Fufu. One shilling per person… if all dorm students entrust their cooking, that would bring in about 180 shillings a day. With that, I could even support the finances of the Betelgeuse Principality.”
Even if other dormitories gained 50 additional points and secured a kitchen, could they improve the food like Idnia could?
Not a chance. The difference that MSG made was night and day.
At most, they might separate fish innards to make the flavor slightly cleaner.
In such an overwhelmingly advantageous situation, she could have charged more, but Idnia decided she was satisfied with one shilling.
Because from the beginning, Idnia had planned to, under various pretexts, feed this food to all dorm students anyway.
“I should make everyone consume MSG. They will become excellent promoters across the empire.”
If she exposed the key figures of the future of the Divine Eldar Empire to the taste of MSG, those individuals, once they rose to prominence in their respective fields, would continue to seek MSG. And Idnia, who could produce MSG, would naturally find herself sitting on a fortune.
If she first provided a low-cost sample to get them accustomed to the taste, it would become a steady cash cow afterward.
By simply spreading the gospel(?) of MSG, Idnia would more than earn back the cost of attending the academy.
“Fufu, it feels like I’m a drug dealer spreading drugs. Once they taste MSG, they won’t be able to escape it.”
Idnia had absolute confidence in the power of MSG.
The rumor that Boreas would hand over ingredients to Euros and pay cooking fees in return spread to other dormitories as well.
Everyone was astonished.
“You’re saying the daughter of the Betelgeuse Duke is doing such a lowly task?”
Everyone was shocked that Idnia, a daughter of a prince-elector house, was cooking food in exchange for money.
Of course, rather than lovingly preparing meals herself, it was part of mass catering, but still, the idea of doing labor in exchange for money seemed unbecoming.
“Well, the circumstances are rather special.”
“We do our own laundry too. That used to be done by housemaids...”
If they had not known the unique environment of Dunaiss Academy, they would surely have despised it as improper behavior. However, being within the academy and understanding the circumstances, they could not easily criticize it.
Moreover, since Idnia was highly regarded academically, her actions were seen as practical and unconventional rather than bound by prestige.
“As expected of Idnia. She always exceeds whatever we imagine.”
“With our limited minds, it’s hard to even guess what she is thinking.”
“So how much was it again? One shilling?”
“At that price, shouldn’t we entrust it as well?”
“It’s much cheaper than seasoning costs.”
“And I’ve heard the food tastes quite good.”
“Hmm...”
So they came directly to Idnia.
But for Idnia, dealing with individuals one by one was not feasible, so she had no choice but to respond like this.
“Please unify the opinions of your entire dormitory through your dorm leader. If you do that, I will accept the cooking of your meals as well.”
At that moment, someone approached Idnia.
Surprisingly, it was Professor Magram.
“Professor Magram. We meet often.”
“Ah, Idnia Duke’s daughter. I hear you are demonstrating quite remarkable skill. I understand you have been making rather excellent dishes this time.”
“Dishes would be an exaggeration. It is merely mass catering.”
“Still, I hear you are receiving shillings while handling food for other dormitories?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
Idnia asked in return.
“Within the academy, it would be preferable to use academy coins. They take up no physical space, are linked with student ID brooches, and are convenient for transactions.”
“But there is some loss due to exchange rates.”
Idnia spoke plainly.
The academy was not a currency exchange office, so were they not exploiting students by manipulating exchange rates between academy coins and hard currency?
Magram was slightly taken aback by Idnia’s bluntness, and Idnia quickly changed her expression and acted as if nothing had happened.
“Since this concerns the basic meals necessary for the lives of all students, the price must be kept low. If I used academy coins, I would not be able to maintain it at one shilling per day.
Setting it completely free is also difficult, as I have already invested considerable resources into preparation.”
For now, MSG could be produced almost for free, but as other dorm students had begun using simple biscuits to brew alcohol and other such uses, entrusting meals for all students would exceed MSG supply capacity.
Soon, Idnia would also need to spend money to procure various materials, so charging a fee was only natural.
“Would that be a problem? If so, I will switch to academy coins.”
If Magram insisted on enforcing the use of academy coins, Idnia was willing to comply. She could simply increase the price to account for exchange losses.
The criticism would fall on Magram, and Idnia would merely appear as a victim pressured by a professor.
However, Magram stepped back.
“Hmm, that would not be impossible. However, it is not good for a dormitory to hold too much hard currency. There is a risk of theft.”
As an educator, it was a reasonable piece of advice. Currently, students like Lorenzo, Karl, and Rudolf possessed large sums even within their dormitories, but due to their strong authority and loyal subordinates, theft incidents had not occurred.
In Idnia’s case, however, she had no subordinates and was entirely alone, so valuables in her room could go missing.
It was meant as a warning, but to Idnia, it could not be taken lightly.
“This sounds like a declaration that if I don’t use academy coins, they will be stolen.
Professor Magram is strangely eager to make me use academy coins. He is the kind of person who would go that far.”
Idnia hesitated, wondering if she should signal once more that she was willing to accept academy coins if Magram took the blame.
But perhaps there was no need to go that far...
“I will be careful about theft.”
“Very well. If that is your decision, then so be it.”
Professor Magram said this and smiled.
“Still, it seems you will be earning quite a lot of money. Please make use of the academy shop often. If there is anything you need, feel free to request it and I will stock it for you anytime.”
“Yes, then I would like some seedlings and seeds, please.”
Idnia requested the seedlings and seeds she would need in the future.
Magram accepted the request quite readily. Judging by how easily he provided seeds and seedlings that could not be obtained in Black Cow Village, it seemed there was no need to send Black Wolf for a week after all.
All dormitories ultimately decided to entrust their cooking to the Euros dormitory and Idnia.
With 61 from Zephyrus, 50 from Notos, and 47 from Boreas all delegating their meals, plus 32 Euros dorm students, the total came to a massive daily revenue of 190 shillings.
This dealt a significant blow especially to Notos, which had been selling various seasonings to students through the black market.
As a result, Notos dorm students gathered to devise countermeasures.
“A considerable amount of money is going to the Euros dormitory, or more precisely, to Idnia Duke’s daughter.
Of course, in absolute terms it may not be a huge sum, but many students will have to ask their servants to send them shillings in silver regularly.
So, what do you think?”
Prince Lorenzo demonstrated a soup obtained through a special method to his subordinates.
“It’s just fish bones boiled as they are.
It seems vegetables were sautéed to enhance aroma, then a broth made by boiling fish bones was mixed in.
Salt was used in fish balls, likely to improve the binding of the dough. Remarkable. I did not expect such refined cooking techniques from Betelgeuse. If it were me, I would sauté the fish bones and flesh together when frying the vegetables, then extract the broth… that would break down the bones more finely and create a more unified flavor.”
Rex, one of Lorenzo’s men, was from a family of court chefs.
Because of that, he was highly knowledgeable in cooking and could identify how a dish was prepared just by tasting it.
“If we acquire a kitchen, could we interfere with her business? Rex. Could you lead the cooking to produce something better?”
“At least in terms of cooking methods, I can confidently say we would be superior. However...”
Rex took another sip of the broth, then frowned.
“Strangely, the umami is too good.”
“Really?”
“It has a very high-quality umami… salt? Did they use particularly good salt? No, still, how...”
Rex drank more of the broth again.
Yet he still could not understand it.
“So, you mean there is an unknown seasoning enhancing the flavor?”
“Yes. If such a seasoning exists, it would be worth more than pepper. It would not just affect the academy but could shake the entire spice trade.”
Rex was startled by his own words. The Medici family had amassed immense wealth through eastern trade, particularly the spice trade. A new seasoning capable of impacting that trade?
For the Medici family, uncovering the secret of that seasoning would be imperative.
“The place where Idnia Duke’s daughter prepares her private items is, coincidentally, the Wizard Ball practice room.”
“…Then should we investigate her laboratory?”
If the secret behind Idnia’s cooking lay in a special seasoning, then it must be hidden in the Wizard Ball practice room she had claimed.
“I would not dare to do such a thing. As the heir of the Medici family, a prince-elector of the Divine Eldar Empire, I cannot steal another’s research results. Especially not when the other party is also a daughter of a fellow prince-elector family. However, suppressing the intense curiosity and thirst for knowledge of Notos students would also be difficult. No matter how much I am the dorm leader, mages are fundamentally such beings.”
“….”
In other words, if caught, he would deny everything, but you should handle it cleanly and sensibly on your own.
“Ah, I understand. Then...”
“If additional personnel are needed, feel free to recruit as many as you like. And what about the salon matter?”
“As you instructed, it has been prepared. On tomorrow’s holiday, we have ordered the debtors to bring their friends.”
“I see. Then please host them pleasantly at first.”
Lorenzo said this and took out a deck of trump cards.
The salon acquired by the Notos dormitory through the shop had already been cleaned and arranged. With neat billiard tables and card tables in place, it resembled more of a gambling hall than a salon.
“Let us strike while the students of Dunaiss Academy are still inexperienced.”
Lorenzo skillfully demonstrated a trick of drawing four aces from his hand and smiled.