Humanities, Taught by a Potato
The moment the aroma of vegetables and meat, blended in easy harmony, rose from the enormous pot Jane had carried in and filled the dining hall, the children's faces finally brightened.
"Th-that food smells amazing!"
"It does, doesn't it?"
"The potatoes smell really good too. They don't smell like the ones we usually eat!"
"This is gonna be delicious!"
Voices bright with delight began to spread through the children like a contagion, and only then could Aubio and the abbot breathe out in relief.
Around then Blow stepped inside and indicated the bacon-and-onion soup and the potatoes already set out, speaking to the nuns.
"Please serve those first."
"Young master, I believe there is one more dish. Will that one be all right as well?"
"We'll serve that one ourselves in a little while."
No sooner had he finished than the children, the monks, and the nuns came rushing out.
"It looks so good!!"
Potatoes and bowls of soup went onto the children's trays. Once the serving line had stretched into a long row, Blow dashed back to the kitchen.
"Cheese on now, Melo!!"
"Yes!"
"Use every burner we've got! Hans, Jane!"
"Yes!"
At his word, snow-white cheese came cascading down over the corn. Yulia's gaze, however, was not on the corn cheese. It rested on Blow Deblique, sweating in the heat.
Leave cheese at room temperature and it sets almost at once—so that's why he does it this way. He truly gives his all, every single time.
A smile spread over her face as she gave a secret little nod. Then Blow turned, looked at her, and asked in a voice that was nearly pleading.
"Senior, might I ask for your help?"
"Of course, young master! It isn't just anything—it's Cheese Corn Cheese."
The setup was already done, so the corn cheese was finished in no time, and all of them carried it out toward the children. The moment they stepped into the dining hall, the children caught the savory smell and broke into cheers.
"Ch-cheese and corn, I think!"
"Whoa!!"
A few even stood up to stare. Seeing their faces lit so brightly put Blow in a good mood of his own, and a small smile tugged at his mouth.
"Eat up."
He set the corn cheese himself into the empty space beside the potatoes. At the sight of Cheese Corn Cheese sending up white steam with a lively sizzle, excitement filled the children's eyes.
"Saintess, serving is complete."
With that, Blow's party took their seats as well. Marta folded her hands and began the grace before the meal in a clear voice meant to carry through the whole hall.
"Let us pray."
The moment she spoke, the dining hall—which had been buzzing with anticipation—fell silent at once. Blow folded his hands too, pouring into the gesture a quiet hope that everyone would like the food.
Almighty Lunaria, we thank You for gifting us such a feast once again today. Bestow blessing upon the farmers who harvested this food, and grace upon all who labored to prepare it.
When her prayer came to an end, the children's spoons and forks began to dance, and a cheerful uproar rose around the tables.
"Whoa!"
"The potatoes! The potatoes are delicious!!"
"The soup's warm!"
Only then did Blow let out a breath of relief and lift a spoonful of onion soup toward his mouth—just as Liz's voice carried over from the nearest table.
"Look at the cheese stretching!!"
...Saving the corn cheese for last really was the right call.
Feeling that every last scrap of care had been worth it, Blow turned a triumphant smile on Melo, seated beside him. She nodded back.
The abbot, too, tried a spoonful of soup and spoke to Blow in a startled tone.
"Young master, this soup...!"
"It's onion bacon soup."
"Bacon?"
"Yes. It's good simply grilled, but when it's cold outside, I thought a dish that could warm the body would be better. It feels more like something to share, as well."
While Marta's mouth fell open at his words, Aubio—who had been wholly lost in the corn cheese—finally scooped up a spoonful of soup and put it in his mouth.
There was none of the sharp bite one expected of onion, only a gentle sweetness filling his mouth. After that came the salt and depth of the bacon, and then the soup's warm breath spread through him, heating him from the inside and leaving him pleasantly content.
Feeling even that warmth, he spoke to Blow in a voice that had grown a little excited.
"This is truly delicious, Young Master Deblique. I can see why Mr. Sullivan spoke of you as he did!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll leave you the recipe before I go, so please make it for the children from time to time."
"The recipe as well! Thank you so much, Young Master Blow!!"
Aubio, whose wall with him had long since come down, cried out in delight. Meanwhile Blow laid a gentle hand on the shoulder of Melo, who was wholly occupied watching the other children's reactions.
"Our head chef, Melo, will be the one to teach you."
"Melo will?"
Every eye in the room snapped to Melo at once, and her frozen body went rigid with tension. Seeing it, Blow stroked her hair as if to tell her to relax.
"Our Melo is the head chef of my shop, you see."
"Truly?"
"Yes. In the kitchen, both I and Jane here do nothing but assist her."
Having already tasted every dish, the children let out low gasps before they could help themselves.
"Whoa..."
"Melo, you're seriously amazing."
"I didn't know potatoes and onions could taste like this..."
"The red-haired young master is Melo's assistant..."
Melo's cheeks burned hotter at their words. Blow smiled at her.
"Melo, think you can explain it?"
"Yes! I'll sort it out with Hans and tell them!"
"Hahaha. I can hardly believe it."
While the abbot nodded in deep satisfaction, Yulia—needless to say—was winding Cheese Corn Cheese onto her fork with a look of pure happiness.
Blow glanced at her, mystified that so much still remained on her plate when she seemed to be eating nothing but corn cheese. Yulia avoided his eyes and murmured, just loud enough to be heard.
"I—in exchange, I didn't take any potatoes!"
"...I didn't say a word."
"I-it's a server's privilege!"
"You may have more. There should be some left."
The tips of Yulia's ears went red. Even so, the fork winding Cheese Corn Cheese never stopped.
While everyone else was clearly enjoying themselves, Blow looked over at Marta, seated a little apart as she ate. For some time she had been quietly chewing a potato with an expression impossible to read, and for reasons he couldn't name it left him more tense than before.
Reading the look in his eyes, Yulia addressed the saintess in a gentle tone.
"Saintess! The soup and the corn cheese are truly delicious as well."
"Ah... yes! You're right. I've only been eating the potato... I'll try them."
Marta put the corn cheese in her mouth, and at last a faint happiness settled on the saintess's face. Confirming it, Blow pressed a hand to his chest in relief once more—and, ever so casually, wound onto his fork the Cheese Corn Cheese from his own plate, the portion Yulia seemed to keep coveting.
"See? Melo wasn't lying!"
"You're right."
"It's really, really good. The best thing in the world."
"She said even the young ladies like Melo's cooking!"
At the children's table near Blow, Liz was boasting to the others as proudly as if she had cooked it herself, and not a single one of them argued.
Among them, Tommy was ashamed of what he had said to Melo earlier. No matter that he had eaten monastery food his whole life, the flavor he had only imagined now and then—the taste he had only dreamed of—was really coming from the food.
The soup with onion in it had shocked him most of all. Onions were a precious ingredient that appeared only now and then, and he had always disliked them enough to set his aside, so the shock ran all the deeper. If the children beside him hadn't been shouting about how good it was, he probably wouldn't even have brought it to his mouth.
Having already cleared every dish, he found himself looking toward Melo without meaning to—and his eyes met hers as she watched the children's reactions. Melo turned on him a smile that was hard to read, and Tommy, suddenly embarrassed, quickly looked the other way.
As the dinner that had satisfied everyone was drawing to a close, the abbot looked around once and spoke in a calm voice to the saintess, whose plate was already empty.
"Saintess, the prayer after the meal."
"Yes, Abbot. Might I say just one thing before we pray?"
At her sudden words Blow tensed and swallowed dryly.
...Did I season it too heavily?
Thinking so, he looked at Melo beside him. She seemed worried as well, worrying her lip as she waited for whatever came next.
"Yes, of course, Saintess."
After the abbot's words fell, the saintess allowed herself a brief pause, then finally opened her mouth.
"Young master, I truly ate well."
"I'm very glad to hear you say so."
"I was served cooking far too delicious. Of everything I have ever eaten, I think this will be the meal I remember most."
"Thank you for the praise."
"And among all of it... what left the deepest impression on me was this potato."
"The potato?"
"Yes."
At the unexpected answer, Blow could only swallow his surprise.
"Young master, I have eaten a great many potatoes."
"I see."
"Aubio as well, and the abbot, and likely the children here."
At her words some of the children glanced at one another and giggled, while others nodded deeply.
"And yet the potato I ate today was truly delicious. The best of any I have ever had."
"I'm glad it suited your taste."
"I found myself thinking that, through this delicious potato, you were passing a lesson on to me and to the children."
...What on earth? Who's teaching whom?
Flustered by words he couldn't follow, Blow met Jane's eyes beside him. She shook her head as if she didn't understand either.
Marta went on.
"A potato is common—perhaps even a humble ingredient, looked down upon. But even such a potato... I came to understand that what matters is how one prepares it, how one handles it, and how much care one pours into it. The children must have felt it too. That the potatoes they have eaten countless times can become this delicious with only a little attention."
"Mm..."
"I happened to overhear a little of what passed earlier between you and Tommy. And I think it connects with what you said to him then."
"......"
Marta smiled toward Aubio and the abbot, who were nodding in deep agreement—and toward Blow. Blow, however, was utterly bewildered.
...How did it turn out like this?
Struggling to stay calm, he let his eyes travel briefly around the room. Swordsmanship, fire magic, delicious cooking—and now philosophy. The looks the children were giving him were already full of awe.
Confirming it, Blow thought for a moment about what would happen if he insisted the saintess was wrong and said he had only made dinner. One thing was certain: no one would be happy. So he did what he always did, and decided to brazen it out.
"Yes, that's right, Saintess. Thank you for grasping my intention."
"As I thought..."
The saintess smiled, folded her hands, and spoke to him in a tone that had grown noticeably brighter.
"I ate well, Young Master Blow."
No sooner had she finished than voices burst out from every corner.
"Thank you for the meal!!!"
"Melo, it was really, really delicious!!!"
...Right. So long as you're happy, that's enough.
Feeling the cheers, Blow lifted a hand in a casual reply—while Jane stared at him with her mouth pressed into a flat line. He had no choice but to quietly avoid her eyes.
After the meal, before they headed for their lodgings, the rest of the party from the inn—Melo excepted—along with Yulia, the abbot, and Marta gathered apart to say their goodbyes.
"Young Master Blow. I truly ate well."
"Thank you, Abbot."
"Before you leave, you'll stop by once more tomorrow, won't you?"
"Yes. I expect I'll have to."
"Then I shall see you tomorrow."
Then Marta approached. She could not possibly see a thing, and yet Blow felt as if his whole heart were being read. Embarrassed, he lowered his eyes.
"Young Master Blow."
"Yes, Saintess."
"Thank you truly for coming. And might we speak for a little while tomorrow?"
"With me?"
"Yes."
At that, Blow scratched his head and asked in a careful voice.
"When would be convenient for you, Saintess?"
"I rise early in the morning, so if it suits you, before breakfast would be best."
"Then I'll come straight over as soon as I wake."
"Thank you. Aubio will guide you. Sleep well."
With that, Marta withdrew together with the abbot. While Blow stood frozen for a moment, unable to guess what she might want to say tomorrow, Yulia—who had been watching in silence—sidled up to him.
"Young Master Blow!"
"Yes, Senior."
"What will you do now?"
At her bright voice, Blow answered as if it were obvious.
"Hm? Sleep, of course?"
A hint of disappointment settled on Yulia's face, and she said to him:
"You always seemed to drink with Lady Skadi and Herbena..."
"What?"
"At the last company dinner, after Lady Rachel and I left, didn't you have another round?"
Yulia was remembering Skadi's voice, heard from the carriage before she departed, shouting at Blow that they ought to just go and drink. Blow, for his part, was thoroughly flustered, as if some private failing had been laid bare.
"...I did."
"I hear you even had an after-party without me."
"Yes. It just sort of happened..."
Then Yulia asked him in a suggestive tone.
"Then wouldn't drinking with me as well be in keeping with Young Master Blow's own code?"
"Is there such a rule?"
"You're being far too cruel."
Something in Yulia's expression and tone sounded almost tearful. Reading it, Blow swallowed hard and put on a smile.
"Of course! There is such a rule! Melo!"
"Melo's already gone to bed."
When Jane, who had been quietly watching, murmured as much, Blow quickly shifted his gaze to Hans.
"Hans! Could you put together a little something to eat?"
"W-would my humble skill be acceptable?"
"I'll even ask the saintess to bless your gloves..."
"I'll do it at once! To the dining hall!"
"That's more like it."
The tearfulness of a moment ago was nowhere to be found. Yulia Edfolk was smiling. Feeling a certain chill, Blow met Jane's eyes—and then set his feet in motion.