Let's Play at the Ducal Estate (1)
The Unobserved Area incident Iren had caused in the infirmary seemed to have been quietly swept under the rug.
That was only natural — nothing good would come of the truth getting out. The Academy issued no official statement, and the students all believed it had been nothing more than a minor mishap caused by professors running some reckless experiment.
So today, the Academy was back to its usual routine.
Well — almost. There was just one exception.
"Um, Iren?"
"Hmph."
Iren whipped her head away, pointedly ignoring me. She reacted when I spoke, sure — but that reaction never quite turned into an actual reply.
Was it because I'd seen the thing she'd so desperately wanted to keep hidden?
My feelings right now were a tangled mess. Because when I'd trudged back to the ducal estate yesterday, the young lady had latched onto me with an intensity that defied explanation.
She'd always been clingy, but yesterday the intensity had been on another level. For reasons I still couldn't fathom, she'd heaped praise on me left and right.
So here I was, caught between the warm glow of the young lady's compliments and Iren's ice-cold attitude, completely unable to decide how I was supposed to feel. Was I supposed to be happy about this or not?
One thing was certain: it wasn't entirely a good situation. Sitting right next to Iren like this left me feeling like I was perched on a bed of nails.
"Iren, you don't have to avoid me like that. I even brought something you like."
She shot me a sidelong glance — the kind that said she might as well look and see what I'd brought.
I immediately pulled my secret weapon from my magic pouch. Iren's eyes went wide.
"What's that?"
"Well? Looks delicious, doesn't it?"
What I'd produced was none other than an assortment of chicken skewers! The very food I'd learned little Iren loved, back when I'd met her younger self!
Every ingredient that entered the Katram Estate was held to the absolute highest standard. Not a single flaw could be tolerated in anything Duke Katram or the young lady might eat.
Chicken dishes might seem lowly at a glance, but high-end chicken cuisine held its own against beef or pork without the slightest shame.
These skewers had been made from the finest cuts of leg and breast meat from the absolute best chickens available, grilled over charcoal for more than an hour with meticulous heat control. They were extraordinary.
The Katram household chef had provided the assistance. Assistance only, mind you — I was the one who'd actually made them.
As a side note, they also happened to be one of the young lady's favorite foods. Maybe it was because both she and Iren were highborn, but their tastes seemed to align in places.
The young lady had thoroughly enjoyed them yesterday.
Anyway, Iren was going to love these. Even now, the other students in the classroom were swallowing hard as they stared at the skewers. The aroma alone was heavenly!
"I felt so terrible about yesterday that I got up early this morning to make them. Won't you take some?"
I was confident. The chicken skewers I made earned rave reviews not only from the young lady, but even from Duke Katram, who didn't particularly care for chicken. Even if they didn't completely fix things, they ought to soften Iren's mood at least a little!
I held out the skewers with a self-assured look on my face, and Iren—!
"Hmm. Chicken skewers, huh."
"Huh?"
"I'm not really in the mood right now."
She coolly turned her head away. Had she just… ignored the chicken skewers I'd made? Damn it! Little Iren! Was that information only valid for her childhood self?!
"Iren, you don't like chicken skewers?"
"I do. I'm just not craving them right now."
"J-just try one, at least."
"Sorry, but I pigged out on chicken skewers at home yesterday."
"What…"
Of all the days to have eaten chicken skewers yesterday!
Though, thinking about it, it wasn't that strange. People often turn to their favorite foods when they're stressed.
The silver lining, at least, was that Iren still liked chicken skewers?
In that case, I still had a shot. People ate their favorite foods several days in a row all the time!
Then, suddenly, Carl approached.
"Um, Young Master Katram."
"What? Why'd you come over all of a sudden?"
"If Her Highness isn't going to eat them… could I maybe have just one…"
I briefly considered blasting him across the room. But then a brilliant idea flashed through my mind!
I looked around the classroom. Everyone was gulping at the scent of the chicken skewers I'd brought. A fragrance so lethal it could tempt even the children of nobility!
And thanks to my special processing method, the charcoal-fire aroma was perfectly preserved — so no matter how high-flying these Academy aristocrats were, there was no way they could keep from salivating!
Which meant I had another option.
"Fine, Carl. I'll give you some too. And not just you."
I looked out at the students who were staring hungrily at nothing but the chicken skewers.
"Anyone who wants some can have them. I brought plenty."
The moment the words left my mouth, the students who'd been sitting there swallowing their own spit came swarming over in a rush.
"Really?"
"Young Master Katram, could I possibly have two?"
"I've never smelled anything like this! Even our household chef couldn't manage this!"
The response was fantastic. Some of them were already reaching out before I'd even handed anything over.
I held up a palm to the clamoring nobles.
"But! There's a condition."
Carl, standing at the front of the pack, took the bait.
"What is it?"
"Before you eat, the skewers are going to go through one more special process. And after you eat, you have to describe the taste in extreme detail."
"Anything you want!"
"No problem at all!"
"Just give us the chicken skewers already!"
They were so thoroughly bewitched by the smell that they didn't even ask what process I meant — they just demanded the food. Well, that made things easier for me.
What process could I possibly mean? There was only one spell I'd learned so far that affected the taste of food.
Realistic Fantasy
Whip! Iren's head snapped toward me. More precisely, toward the illusion magic scattering from my hands. She knew what this spell was — that was why she'd turned.
"All right. You can eat now."
For a crowd that had thronged so chaotically, the magic class students accepted their chicken skewers with surprising order.
Carl, first in line, took a delicious bite. Then he cried out in wonder.
"Th-this! I never knew chicken could hold this much juice! And the green onions skewered alongside it cut the oiliness just right, while the charcoal aroma wraps around both the meat and the vegetables in an incredible synergy! This is truly fantastic!"
The next person to receive one was Aaron. Judging by Carl's reaction, Aaron took his skewer with a thoroughly excited expression.
Then he bit in — and froze with a sharp gasp. The students behind him started murmuring.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Is it that good?"
"Hurry up and move, Young Master Aaron!"
"Sp…"
"Sp?"
Aaron blew out a long, shuddering breath. Beside him, Carl started coughing mid-bite.
"Gah!"
"It's so spiiicy!"
Aaron bellowed loud enough to shake the classroom. Hah, hah — panting and gasping, he frantically kept eating the skewer.
"I-it's spicy, but it's delicious! This is the exact heat I've been searching for! Ahh! They never let me eat stuff like this at the manor because they say it's bad for my health!"
"Aaron, what are you talking about? Young Master Katram's chicken skewers all look identical. There's no way yours tastes different from Young Master Raupen's…"
Elena scolded Aaron as she took a skewer of her own. Then her eyes lit up!
"It's sweet?! A chicken skewer that's sweet — I can't believe it! But why does it taste so good? There's some kind of saltiness mixed into the sweetness, and they harmonize perfectly! The sweet-and-salty harmony I'd only ever vaguely imagined!"
It was the same for every other student. Each of them tasted something different, yet every single one heaped the highest praise on it. I snuck a glance at Iren.
Gulp. She was swallowing too. Of course she was. Iren knew exactly what spell I'd cast. Chicken skewers that were already phenomenal, now seasoned with an incredible magical condiment — she could easily imagine just how transcendent that taste must be.
Iren's mouth was working. Perfect! At this rate—!
Bang!
The classroom door flew open with violent force.
"Just what do you all think you're doing?"
"Ah."
Department Head Alketo had appeared. Of all days, first period today was his lecture.
"What is this smell filling my lecture hall? Since when has this place been a dining room?"
The students looked at Alketo with awkward expressions. Even so, they couldn't quite stop chewing. He noticed that too.
"So you can't even stop eating when I've arrived. It seems my assignments have been far too easy of late."
A few students had something close to a seizure. The course Alketo taught was Advanced Multi-Layer Magic Circles. Far from easy, the assignments were infamous for making students' noses bleed on a daily basis.
Hearing him say something like that with a completely blank face — I could understand why some of them were having trauma flashbacks.
But for me, this was actually a golden opportunity. Time to land the finishing blow with him as the final piece.
"Department Head."
"Hm, Katram. So you're the cause of this mess?"
"I just happened to have some excellent chicken skewers on hand. Would you care to try one, Professor?"
"I came here to deliver a lecture. And those skewers — they've been enchanted with illusion magic. A spell that combines with the target's own information and reshapes itself accordingly, is it?"
As expected of the man who headed a department at the continent's foremost educational institution. He'd figured it out instantly.
"That's correct. So if you try one, you won't regret it."
"I have no reason to eat it."
"Actually, you do. I resolved yesterday's incident, didn't I?"
Alketo's eyebrow twitched.
"What is it you want?"
"If you eat one and find it delicious, take back what you just said."
"Is that truly all the compensation you desire?"
"I never wanted compensation in the first place."
"I already know the nature of the magic, so there's no chance I'll find it delicious."
"You won't know until you try it, will you?"
"Hand it over."
I passed a chicken skewer to Alketo. He examined it, then took a refined, aristocratic bite.
Aristocratically.
Aristocratically.
Aristocratic bite after bite after bite. Another bite. One more.
I casually placed another skewer into the hand he naturally extended. Only after sinking his teeth into that second skewer did he flinch in surprise.
"What in the…"
"Must have been incredibly good. I never expected you'd call for a second one without saying a word."
"…Hmph. I already knew you were remarkable. But you continue to surprise me. To think."
Alketo murmured with grave seriousness.
"That a chicken skewer could produce the flavor of my absolute favorite — chocolate melon sherbet salt-grilled."
Every student in the room doubted their own ears. Chocolate melon, what now?
"However, it will leave me with bad breath. Wait five minutes. I shall cleanse my mouth and then begin the lecture."
With that, Alketo left the classroom. Well. That was… fine. That was fine.
After Alketo left, I looked at Iren. She let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Fine. Give me one. Give me two. But one of them without the magic."
"Wouldn't it be better to eat them as deliciously as possible, since you're eating them anyway?"
"I'm going to point out how pathetic you are. Food under Realistic Fantasy becomes whatever taste the eater finds most delicious, right?"
"That's right."
"Just hand them over."
As she requested, I dispelled the magic on one and gave her both. Iren ate the unenchanted skewer first, then the enchanted one.
Watching her eat so heartily made me feel good too— no, it made me feel like her anger was finally easing, which was a relief.
"How is it?"
"Mm, it's good. And."
Iren pointed at the enchanted skewer.
"This one tastes exactly the same."
"What? That's impossible!"
"No matter what you say, they taste the same. How pathetic, Frey. This isn't enough to fix why I'm mad."
"Th-then what would fix it?"
"This weekend, come hang out with me. Stay the night, too."
"What?!"
"Consider it settled."
And as she said it, Iren turned her head away once more. Just what was the problem? The magic had definitely been active!