The Dandok Root's Hidden Power
The man preparing breakfast for the Yo clan's Great Chief Iris and the other leading figures of the clan held a deep sense of pride in his position.
He possessed the temperament that matched that pride.
Greed for ingredients was one of those traits.
*The soil scent is strong, but the aroma is pleasant. It seems to carry the same fragrance and properties as a good medicinal herb...*
He arrived at the kitchen the moment he decided to take a short nap.
It was to conduct a full-scale research on the daikon radish he had preserved yesterday.
As a result, in the dimly lit kitchen, he lit a lamp, bit into, peeled, and tasted the daikon radish until he reached that state.
The fragrance that penetrated deep into the chest and washed away the pain suggested it was beneficial for the bronchi.
By the clear-minded feeling that grew with each bite, it also helped with fatigue.
He sorted through the properties one by one, noting the efficacy he felt in his body.
“Ah...”
Even if this level of daikon radish could be considered medicine, Edgar referred to it as an ingredient.
That meant he could enjoy the bitter taste of this root-like material in a delicious way.
Hurk concluded that and came up with a plan to remove the bitter taste of the daikon radish.
He first tried roasting it, and the aroma came out wonderfully.
The bitter taste he had tried to eliminate still remained.
So he next chose the method of soaking in seasoning.
He also used a method to gently extract the properties of the herbs.
Among them, there were often things whose medicinal effect was too strong and needed to be alleviated.
Then, the idea of soaking the daikon radish in water came to mind.
*This too...*
If soaked in water for too long, the taste would escape.
But shortening the soaking time too much was also a problem.
That was the reason Hurk twisted his head and groaned.
While he was grilling and stir-frying the daikon radish, the darkness gradually lifted, and a faint morning sunlight seeped into the kitchen.
He first turned off the flame he had lit on the kitchen stove to cool his head, sat down in front of the daikon radish, and let out a sigh.
With the headache, his enthusiasm overflowed.
Hurk's unfocused eyes swept across the kitchen.
“Yes!”
Then, suddenly he shouted and shot up from his seat.
To confirm whether the intense idea that had flashed like lightning was correct or not.
The result was success.
*It must be saltwater.*
Just not plain water, but appropriately soaked in saltwater to extract the bitter taste.
Hurk chewed the daikon radish whose bitter taste had clearly decreased and chuckled.
“Are you too eager to work even in the morning?”
Now that the bitter taste was removed, he would start the full-scale research to enhance the flavor.
So he had been trying various cooking methods that came to mind.
Then, unexpectedly, a guest stepped into the kitchen.
In the Yo clan, a princess even more noble than a commoner was Freesia.
“Princess! What brings you to the kitchen so early?”
Even though the princess was a precious person, after seeing her face so often, one naturally becomes familiar.
Hurk was only briefly surprised; he bowed his head without any fuss because of that familiarity.
“That human brought something strange. Is that... that thing?”
Freesia looked at a few chunks of daikon radish revealing their white insides on the cutting board and asked.
All the chunks had been thinly sliced and soaked in saltwater.
“Yes. It was called daikon radish. I had only just learned how to handle it, so I was thinking of preparing a dish.”
“May I try it too?”
“Yes. Please have a taste.”
How could he refuse a command from her?
Hurk, slightly tense, carefully observed Freesia tasting the raw daikon radish.
The fresh sound of biting into the raw daikon radish tickled their ears.
“Ah... It has a soil scent. But it's not bad. Just remove the bitterness.”
After chewing and swallowing the raw daikon radish, Freesia murmured in amazement.
The fragrance and taste spreading in her mouth, close to medicinal herbs, was surprising.
The surprise made her forget the bitterness for a moment, but of course only for a moment.
Soon Freesia's brows furrowed neatly.
“It seems like a very good ingredient for the body. It could even be a tonic.”
If it was a fifty-year-old daikon radish, it could even be considered a tonic.
If Edgar had been there, he would surely have thought the same.
However, since Hurk didn't know that fact, he simply spoke what he felt.
“This daikon radish... First, put it on our table too. Please.”
The 'we' she referred to was Iris and the other senior members.
Hurk understood to that extent and nodded in agreement.
“I understand. I will put it on the guest table as well.”
“Since he gathered it, I naturally have to eat it.”
Then, please do.
Freesia left only those words and stepped out of the kitchen.
Although it was a place she came to play whenever she was bored, if she stayed too long, it would be a burden.
*
After some time passed and the morning meal was finished.
Freesia immediately headed to the building where Edgar was staying.
The building was extremely spacious and ornate for Edgar to use.
It was possible to sense that the two mothers showed respect to him.
“Where did you get that from?”
Even coming to find him right after breakfast.
Was the princess surprisingly idle?
Edgar, sitting opposite her and looking at Freesia asking questions with a surprised expression, let out a bewildered look.
Then, quickly collecting himself, he answered in a calm voice.
“Yes. I happened to find it by chance while going to a nearby mountain.”
“Is that so? Humans usually search for and eat such things too? If I hadn't known, I wouldn't have thought of digging it up.”
It was not only the Yo clan that didn't know about the daikon radish.
Humans who disliked the Yo clan also didn't know what the daikon radish was.
Their staple root vegetables were extremely limited.
“No. Ordinary people don't eat daikon radish either. They probably don't even know what it is.”
“But how did you know?”
Naturally, since ordinary people didn't know, he had to be suspicious.
Edgar opened his mouth, looking at Freesia with a suspicious gaze.
He had no intention of hiding the fact that he could see item information.
It would only deepen suspicion if he tried to hide it, and the words would tangle as they were.
“I can see the properties when I touch things.”
“...What?”
Freesia widened her eyes in disbelief.
It was only natural to react that way when such an absurd thing was said about properties being visible.
“Is that real?”
“Yes. If you concentrate and touch it, you can see it. Even though I lack knowledge about furniture, I know this table is made of walnut thanks to that.”
“Ah...”
Eyes for seeing furniture could be trained.
Therefore, it was difficult for Freesia to believe straightforwardly.
However, if those words were true?
*Shall I test her a little?*
Let me check.
Freesia, thinking that way, removed the ring from her finger and placed it on the table.
“I'm a bit reluctant to believe your words directly. It will make me feel uncomfortable, but I want to confirm. Is that okay?”
“Yes.”
It would feel uncomfortable.
Edgar picked up the ring without any particular significance.
As if to convey his desire to know.
Soon, the information about the ring popped into his mind.
[Argos's Ring: A ring crafted from silver and jade. Reduces curses. High-grade item.]
Reduces curses.
At first glance, it was hard to understand, but Edgar understood exactly what it meant.
For example, if the curse accumulated when killing one person was 10, it meant reducing it below that.
“A ring that reduces curses. But... who is Argos? Is it a person's name?”
“Eh...!”
The moment Edgar's lips uttered Argos's name.
Freesia involuntarily swallowed air.
She had naturally taken the name of a human artisan she shouldn't know.
Still, thinking there might be some doubt, she searched her pouch and placed a few additional potion bottles on the table.
“These too, check them.”
Freesia's voice, demanding an answer, trembled.
It was because the surprise still hadn't subsided.
Edgar internally chuckled, as if performing magic.
[Health Recovery Potion: A medicine made by combining herbs grown in Yo clan territory. Increases depleted stamina. Middle-grade item.]
[Cursed Dispel Potion: Has the effect of reducing or eliminating accumulated curses or mana in the body. Middle-grade item.]
[Stamina Potion: When consumed, you get a rush. Lasts for two days. High-grade item.]
Why did the princess have a stamina potion, and why was only this one high-grade?
Edgar's heart raced with this bizarre situation, but his voice remained calm.
“This is a stamina potion. This is a curse dispeller. And this is...”
In the world. A human without any knowledge of medicines could recite even the herbal combinations smoothly.
Freesia truly could not distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.
Even though it was what she had ordered, her head had become too dizzy.
“My god...!”
“From the reaction, it seems all are correct answers.”
“Yes. All are correct answers.”
Edgar lowered his head and let out a sigh of relief.
While the princess who had asked the question was still not coming out of the huge shock.
Freesia, still with a dazed gaze, gathered the items on the table.
Then, without saying a word, she left the place, looking like someone possessed.
Edgar watched Freesia's back with pity and soon turned his gaze forward.
Turning his head to look at the door was quite painful.
Meanwhile, Freesia immediately returned to her room and lay on the bed.
The potion bottles and ring she had put in her pouch clinked against each other.
The action Edgar had shown. The shock from that remained like a lingering aftertaste.
“Huu...”
Freesia let out a long sigh and slowly sat up.
She had been lying dazed on the bed for a while before she could come out of the shock.
She quickly calmed her mind and left the room, heading to the office where Iris was.
Her mother, as the Great Chief, always had work to do, so she spent most of the daytime in the office.
Freesia stood in front of the office door and addressed the attendant nearby.
“Tell her.”
The attendant nodded and raised his voice.
“Yes. Great Chief. The princess has come.”
“Enter.”
Soon, Iris's clear voice came from inside the door.
Unlike a few days ago, Freesia entered the office only after the attendant opened the door.
“So, what is the matter today?”
Iris asked with a smile after setting down her pen.
Freesia answered in a somewhat subdued voice.
“I have something to tell you.”