The Secret of the Greenhouse (3)
Corvus led his guests over to a spot where a table and a few stool chairs had been set out.
He then asked them to excuse him for a moment and stepped away.
In the meantime, Karem quietly called out to Alicia, who was casually swinging her legs.
"Lady Alicia. Lady Alicia."
"What is it?"
"Is it really all right for me to be in here?"
"Hm? Me?"
"Not you, Lady Alicia. Me. I'm talking about me."
Alicia drummed both arms against the table, then tilted her head.
"Karem. What exactly is the problem supposed to be?"
"Is Corvus really a monster?"
"Yeah, Papa said so. Hori, Horid... something like that."
"And I'm still allowed to just walk right in like this?"
Any number of things were racing through Karem's mind.
A monster who managed the greenhouse. All the precious, rare plants and animals Alicia had described, not to mention the medicinal herbs.
Well, nobles and royals running botanical gardens or menageries was common enough in both his past life and this one. But the fact remained that he had entered without permission in the first place.
Alicia closed her eyes, folded her arms, and looked uncharacteristically deep in thought before opening them again.
"I, Alicia, may only be six years old, but I know how to judge people!"
My dear little lady, what is that even supposed to mean?
Under ordinary circumstances he might have been a little moved by the earnest declaration, but Alicia's words did nothing at all to ease Karem's anxiety.
While Karem fretted over Alicia, Corvus emerged from beyond the trees, wooden plates in hand.
"Since Lady Alicia has personally brought a second guest for the first time in ages, I have brought the snack I am most confident in presenting—date palm and walnut rolls. Bon appétit."
The items Corvus set down on the plates were exactly as he had described.
There was nothing particularly special about them.
They were simply hollowed-out date palms stuffed with walnuts and liberally dusted with sugar—looking very much like the candied dates Karem had seen a few times in his previous life.
"Did you develop these yourself?"
"Yes. I created them."
The moment Corvus finished speaking, Alicia began happily stuffing herself with the date rolls.
Karem, however, could not quite bring himself to reach for one.
Dates that were already intensely sweet, and then sugar on top of that?
Even with walnuts filling the centers, he could imagine just how cloying they would be simply by looking at them.
"? Are you unable to eat nuts, by any chance?"
"Ah—no. I was just thinking about something else for a moment."
But remaining still any longer would have been even ruder.
Karem steeled himself and popped one of the powder-dusted date palm and walnut rolls into his mouth.
"Hm?"
The taste of the date palm and walnut roll was exactly what Karem had expected.
The piercing sweetness of the date palm and the rich, savory flavor of walnuts whose skins had been completely removed of any astringency.
But the texture against his tongue was nothing like he had imagined.
The powder coating the outside did not melt in his mouth; instead it rolled around and then crunched with a crisp, nutty flavor that spread across his palate.
Cookies? There were no cookies this small, barely larger than grains of sand, that rolled around like that.
But as food? Karem knew of one dish like this.
"Couscous?"
"Oh-ho. Famous as it is, I see you recognize it. Yes, it is indeed couscous. I lightly toasted it over the fire to drive off the moisture and improve the texture. With hands like these, it is one of the few dishes I can prepare with confidence."
Corvus clicked his beak and lifted both wings.
Perhaps their size had kept them from being noticeable before, but sharp claws and joints had grown like fingers from the parts of the bat-like wings where talons would normally be.
"Certainly, with how sharp they are, handling ingredients would be..."
"I am joking. It is simply that my favorite snack happens to be date palm and walnut rolls sprinkled with couscous."
"I seriously never know which beat I'm supposed to dance to with you."
"Caaaaw! Caaaaw! Caaaaw!"
Pleased with Karem's reaction—and considering it one of his better jokes—Corvus laughed heartily. Or rather, he cawed.
"By the way, how is the Red Witch's Finger seedling I sent through Lady Alicia coming along? Are you raising it well?"
"Ugh, it's only been a few days and it's already grown as thick as my forearm. Wait—sent?"
"Yes. I have been remiss in introducing myself. I am Corvus, keeper of the greenhouse."
With a voice to match his dignified bearing, Corvus bowed with precise formality, then settled onto a stool the way a bird might settle onto a nest.
"That is a relief, then. Red Witch's Fingers grow vigorously in the wild, yet the moment human hands get involved they become strangely finicky. I was a little concerned, though of course they can still be cultivated."
"Ah... I didn't know they had that trait."
It occurred to Karem that the seedling had thrived precisely because he had dumped all the care onto Mary. Unaware of that fact, Corvus merely clicked his beak.
"And when I heard that the person who had been entrusted with the seedling was the most famous chef in the castle, I grew curious about his skill and asked a small favor of Lady Alicia..."
"Mmph?!"
The conversation had suddenly swung back around to the very person who had been stuffing her chubby cheeks like a squirrel, chewing away at date palm and walnut rolls with abandon.
Alicia gulped down the contents of her mouth and spoke in a fluster.
"Th-that was clearly Alicia's mistake, so I will apologize to you, Corvus. However!"
"Hm?"
"The fault also lies with Karem for churning out such amazing snacks left and right!"
Wait, you're shifting the blame onto me now?
Whether Karem was flustered or not, Alicia was completely serious.
"I swore I would never forget and kept it in mind the whole time I was wandering the tower looking for Karem! I only remembered until I smelled that sweet, savory aroma. And then suddenly there was a brand-new snack—and one that used a whole mountain of sand-turtle date palms at that—so of course Alicia couldn't possibly—"
What had started as blame-shifting soon turned into Alicia's self-justification.
Her non-excuse of an excuse went on for quite some time until Corvus brought out more date palm and walnut rolls, at which point it finally ended.
"By the way, you gave us the Red Witch's Finger seedling. Does that mean you're growing them in bulk here in the greenhouse?"
Once Alicia's attention had wandered, Karem quickly asked Corvus.
"Yes. On Lord Felwinter's orders, we are cultivating Red Witch's Fingers in large quantities in part of the greenhouse. The results so far have been excellent. Are you interested?"
"Of course."
"Will Lady Alicia be coming as well?"
Alicia, who was inhaling the replenished snacks like a pink steamed-bun alien, answered with a nod.
The moment Corvus rose from his seat, Karem stood right up after him.
Naturally, Alicia crammed the remaining snacks into her cheeks and hurried after the others with quick little steps.
As he guided Karem and Alicia, Corvus spoke.
"Per Lord Felwinter's command, the Red Witch's Fingers grown in the greenhouse are currently focused on increasing their numbers. Rather than the trend dying down, they are being absorbed into Iceland's new culture, and a mild shortage is beginning to appear if we rely solely on wild foraging."
"A shortage? Does that mean the price is rising?"
"Still cheaper than imported spices, of course."
The reason for the shortage was obvious.
Spices with intense aroma and flavor—pepper, ginger, and the like—still had to be imported entirely from the East.
They were not quite as expensive as medieval spices priced like gold, but even so they remained difficult for commoners to obtain.
And yet, what do you know?
There was a spice that grew even in this cold, barren Iceland.
Ever since Karem had proven that the Firemaw was non-toxic, Coldon had been gobbling up every last Firemaw in the vicinity since the previous winter, and the craze had spread to neighboring villages, towns, and territories.
On top of that, it even had a warming effect.
It was so reliable that people broke a sweat even in Iceland's brutal winter, and factions that bought them up in bulk had already begun to appear.
"Besides this greenhouse, every direct territory of the Felwinter family is cultivating Red Witch's Fingers without exception. Here we are."
In a wide clearing stood a colony of plants heavy with dangling Red Witch's Fingers.
Just as Corvus had introduced himself as the greenhouse keeper, the plants and fruit looked vibrant. Even under the gloomy sky they were lush and green with life.
"This many Red Witch's Fingers?"
"To grow them under optimal conditions, we keep only a certain zone as cold as an Icelandic winter."
"Those glowing rods at every corner of the colony—are those...?"
"Precisely. Would you like a closer look?"
Karem approached the colony as Corvus suggested.
Up close, the tips of the rods—covered in densely carved unknown characters—bore blue polyhedrons that shone with light.
Karem cautiously extended a hand into the heart of the colony.
The bone-chilling cold of an Icelandic winter sank straight into him.
"Whoa!"
"We confirmed that they grow vigorously in spring, summer, and autumn weather as well, but they are at their liveliest in winter—and that is when the highest-quality Red Witch's Fingers are produced."
Corvus spoke with pride, then suddenly let out a deep sigh.
"Haa. I so wanted to taste the astonishing skill that started a fad in Coldon in a single day and is now spreading across Iceland. It is truly a shame."
"Hic! Corvus. Y-you said you were letting it go, hic! Didn't you?"
"I forgave you long ago, but I cannot help feeling disappointed."
In the blink of an eye Corvus produced a cup of water from somewhere, supported the hiccupping Alicia by the nape of her neck, and slowly helped her drink.
So he wanted to try my cooking, huh.
Hearing that, Karem could not simply stand by.
Besides, Corvus was the one who had generously taught him how to raise and propagate Red Witch's Finger seedlings. There was a debt of gratitude.
Of course Mary had been the one putting in more of the actual work than Karem, but that was hardly important.
Karem plucked a short, small, yet plump Red Witch's Finger—identical to the ones Alicia had delivered—from a stem thick with leaves.
"If you're that disappointed, I can't just leave it alone."
"Ah, I was not speaking to Chef Karem. I was merely teasing Lady Alicia because it is amusing."
"Corvus?!"
"Oh dear, how am I supposed to live with this disappointment."
Alicia pouted and swatted at Corvus's feathered body, only to start watching him with the guilty eyes of a puppy that had done something wrong the moment he kept lamenting how sorry he was.
Watching the scene, Karem let out a short laugh and shook his head.
"No. I was invited and came empty-handed, so settling the matter with a dish is more than enough. Besides, there's something I've been wanting to try."
"Hm? You mean the Red Witch's Finger?"
"More specifically, this short, plump specimen—milder in heat, stronger in grassy aroma, and excellent in texture."
Karem made a show of plucking a short, fat Red Witch's Finger that looked just like a bell pepper and held it out.
Seeing it, Corvus scratched his beak with a fingertip.
"This is a problem."
"Pardon?"
"Anyone wishing to use the greenhouse plants—other than myself or a member of the Felwinter family—must first obtain the Duke's permission. And yet you have already picked the fruit without that permission."
"...Have I committed an act that will get me punished?"
"Yes. Your hand will be cut off."
The strength left Karem's hand, and the plump red fruit dropped to the ground and rolled away.
Even Alicia's face went pale at those words.
"Of course I am joking. I do have the authority to make reasonable use of the greenhouse's by-products. Caaaaw! Caaaaw! Caaaaw!"
Corvus clicked his beak and cawed so hard the feathers around his neck puffed out.
At the sight, Karem shouted without thinking.
"That was a lie?!"
"A lie? It was a joke. A joke. Caaaaw!"
"Corvus!"
"Oh my, young lady."
As if determined to vent Karem's outrage for him, Alicia charged at Corvus.
She swung her fists and tried to yank out feathers.
Yet she managed to inflict surprisingly little damage on him at all.
Attached Material
— Date Palm & Walnut Rolls —
