Production Class?
The sugar-buttered brown sugar toast and the hardtack had one more advantage besides being delicious. The sugar formed a crisp coating on the outside, so the bread kept its satisfying crunch for not just a day or two, but even three or four. Of course, you had to be careful in summer when temperatures climbed above thirty degrees—the sugar would melt. But in early winter weather like this, it still tasted fresh even after several days. That was why I was on my second day of eating it.
“Hmm. Master, no matter how much time we have, I’m getting tired of this now.”
“Then for dinner I’ll make French toast…”
“…Master. I’m getting tired of that too. Sugar toast, egg toast, more toast… haa. There was a time when I would’ve been happy just to have any bread at all. Now even simple flavors feel like a chore to eat.”
Yanne frowned, as if she found her own change strange.
“It feels like my palate has become too refined. Does that make me greedy for only wanting delicious things?”
She seemed genuinely confused about whether she should hate or welcome this new version of herself.
“Just a little while ago, I would’ve been thrilled to have jerky. But after learning about the taste of pepper and other seasonings from you, Master, I can’t go back to eating plain jerky, bread, or meat anymore.”
Yanne might have been bewildered, but watching her made me realize just how much she had changed.
“That’s perfectly natural. If you’d never known those flavors, you could’ve lived without them. But once a person discovers something new, it’s only human to chase that taste.”
“But… is it really okay for me to become like that? Those fancy foods cost a lot of money. You might be able to afford it, Master, but I…”
“Rich nobles and wealthy people are the ones who eat them, sure. But who makes that food? A cook, right?”
“Ah!”
Quick-witted as always, Yanne caught on immediately.
“To make good food, you naturally have to understand how it tastes.”
At the idea that knowing flavor was necessary for cooking, Yanne’s face finally brightened.
“So even someone like me—a servant—can have a refined palate.”
“Exactly. You don’t have to be a noble or a rich person to pursue good taste. In fact, you need to, if you want to create it. You can already make French toast and a few other things now, can’t you?”
“Yes! I can make sugar-butter toast and hardtack too. I think I can do everything you’ve taught me, Master. I’ll take care of the cooking from now on. Hehe.”
Once she understood that pursuing delicious flavors wasn’t mere greed but something she needed to do for her Master, Yanne’s drooping spirits revived completely.
Watching her, I felt both glad and a little wistful. When someone had a clear purpose like this, they needed to taste a wide variety of flavors and experience new things. That was how their perspective on food would broaden and sharpen. At her young age, she should be trying all sorts of unfamiliar foods—salads, cooked grains, noodles, seafood, and more—so she wouldn’t develop rigid ideas and could expand her range.
Only then would she be able to create truly diverse dishes later, even fusing different cultural cuisines without being locked into one style.
But realistically, with no chili peppers or soy sauce available, there was no way to widen Yanne’s culinary spectrum right now. I needed to plant those seeds quickly, show her many flavors, and raise her properly. That was the only way I’d eventually be able to lie back comfortably and let her feed me fried shrimp.
“Also, Master. For the next request, I think we should gather more information about the area even if we don’t form a party. We nearly got into serious trouble because we headed out without knowing anything, just because it was a gathering quest.”
“Y-yeah. I’ll admit that. I really didn’t expect unicorns or fairies to be there. Once we reach Durendal Castle, let’s head up to the capital, Daiven.”
“Magician Jinu! We were worried sick because you only filled out the paperwork and left immediately.”
The vice guild master, Eld, expressed his concern the moment he saw me. He explained that while there were no monsters in Hool Lake, many people went missing after entering the swamps at night, and asked if anything had happened.
“I was going to explain what to watch out for when forming a party, but you left first and that left me in a difficult position. I’m truly relieved you returned safely.”
From the vice guild master’s words alone, it seemed he had no idea that fairies and unicorns roamed the swamps. I considered sharing the information but decided against it. If I mentioned them, some mercenary band might form to hunt the creatures.
“Fortunately, my companion knew about Hool Lake. Here are the five stalks of Blue Moonlight Grass from the gathering request.”
When I placed the moonlight grass I had set aside at the inn onto the counter, Eld’s eyes widened in shock.
“H-how did you obtain fully mature moonlight grass? It shouldn’t be possible for them to grow like this at this time of year.”
Eld had said that even stalks that weren’t fully matured—with leaves that hadn’t turned completely blue at the tips—would be acceptable. Seeing fully grown, mature plants naturally left him stunned.
“They were blooming beautifully near the swamp entrance where the sunlight reaches well. Will this complete the request?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
Eld personally recorded the completion of the request and paid me the five gold for the commission fee plus an additional ten silver bonus, exactly as discussed.
After receiving the money, I realized that these gathering requests brought in better income than the treatment fees mercenaries usually earned. Thanks to the three types of buffs, four stalks had become over twenty in just a few hours. If I grew only the herbs used in alchemy and sold them, I could easily become filthy rich. Since I could cultivate them in the flowerbed inside the house, earning money would be simple.
I thought a buff sorcerer was a support class, but it turns out I’m actually a production class.
I smiled while looking at the profitable moonlight grass.
“By any chance, did you build up your training in the gathering field? Is that why this suits your aptitude?”
“Not exactly, but I am quite interested in the herbs used for alchemy.”
“Then would you like to try another request? This time if you properly gather party members…”
“Unfortunately, even if there’s a good request, I don’t think I can take it. Something has come up and I need to go to the capital, Daiven. With that in mind, if there’s a merchant caravan heading to the capital, I’d like to pay the joining fee and travel with them. Could you look into it for me?”
“Ah. You’re heading to the capital?”
At the news that I was leaving Durendal, Eld’s shoulders slumped as if all the energy had drained out of him.
“Since you’re a magician and willing to pay the joining fee, it should be easy to arrange. I’ll send someone to the inn where you’re staying.”
With the request completed, I left the guild feeling refreshed and headed to the horse market. If I was joining a caravan, I would need a horse.
There were about twenty horses at the market. Despite the name, it wasn’t a proper horse market—just a small-scale trading area on one side of the livestock market. Still, the selection varied widely: horses with well-developed chest muscles that looked like they could serve as war mounts, and old horses that seemed to have been sold off after years of farm work.
The horse I wanted to buy was one of the older ones.
“An old horse is twelve gold. You don’t look like a farmer, though. Why do you want that one?”
“I have a long journey ahead, and this one seems most suitable. Here’s twelve gold. Doesn’t it come with a saddle?”
“If you want the saddle too, that’s basically robbery. Go buy one from the fellow over there repairing the tack. A saddle alone costs two gold.”
Horses were expensive, so the equipment for them was naturally pricey as well. The old brown horse still bore the marks of pulling a plow on its shoulders and chest. It was quick-witted; when I took the reins, it followed obediently.
I bought a saddle from the tack repairman and replaced the bit, reins, and bridle with more comfortable versions. Then Yanne and I headed out to the river outside the castle walls again.
“Master, the capital is a long way off. Will an old horse like this be able to handle it? Besides, if it was used for farming, it probably hasn’t traveled long distances before, right?”
“That might be true. But younger horses are stronger and tend not to listen well to people. They want to do as they please. An old gelded horse that was used for farming is the most obedient.”
This was something I had learned while working at the horse market. Whether human or animal, gelding caused hormonal changes that made the temperament gentler and the spirit milder. That was why old gelded horses were recommended for beginners. On top of that, since it had been trained with the whip while doing hard farm work like plowing or carrying harvests, even a novice could handle it easily.
Of course, being old meant it lacked strength, but I could solve that somehow with buffs. Although the cold winter winds hadn’t arrived yet, I built a campfire, led the horse into the water, and washed its body. Using a brush made of thin wire, I combed and cleaned its coat. The old horse seemed to enjoy it; it let out a low snort and leaned its head against me.
Judging by the condition of its coat, its previous owner hadn’t brushed or washed it properly. After the bath, I stood it near the campfire so it could feel the warmth. I took out a stalk of rapeseed flower from my inventory and gave it to the horse. It chewed enthusiastically, just like a unicorn would. When I applied the three buffs—active, healing, and growth—the horse even forgot to keep chewing and simply stood there in a daze.
The cool sensation spreading through areas that had always ached must have felt wonderful. Realizing that the person who had given it this comfort was standing right in front of it, the horse lowered its head and rubbed it against my hand.
“It’s smart enough to understand that I’m doing this for its sake, so it’ll probably try its best to be considerate when someone rides it. You’ll be the one feeding it and riding it, Yanne, so you should name it.”
“Me? Not you, Master?”
“That’s right. The distance to the capital is great. No matter how healthy you are, it’ll be hard on a young girl’s body. My plan is to load you and our luggage onto the horse while I hold the reins and walk.”
“But still… you’ll be walking while I ride? That doesn’t seem right.”
“No, you need to be the one riding so we won’t be attacked.”
“Ah, is it the same reason you’re changing from a magician’s outfit to a mercenary’s?”
“Exactly. People absolutely won’t attack first if they see a child riding a horse.”
Yanne could only nod at my explanation.
“Then I’ll name the horse Uncle.”
Yanne gave it the name meaning “uncle,” which seemed perfect for the old horse’s gentle personality. She stroked its body all over, then offered it some of the grain she had bought for the geese. Uncle nodded his head up and down happily as he ate.
“Let’s get along well. It’s going to be a very long journey.”
“Since it’s the beginning of winter, there probably won’t be any caravans heading to the capital, Daiven, for a while. However, there is a procession going to Booktoria, the city of learning and academies.”
I had naturally assumed we would join a merchant caravan—that was the classic cliché—but the guild’s Eld informed me there was a group heading to Booktoria. Since Booktoria lay on the road to the capital Daiven, the direction was correct. I was curious what kind of procession it was.
“What kind of group is it?”
“It’s the traveling party of young nobles from various territories who will be enrolling in Booktoria’s academy at the start of next year.”
“I see. Then there will be attendants and various other people with them.”
“Yes. There will be escort knights and mercenaries, and merchants or ordinary people who pay the joining fee to travel with them.”
Although they held no titles themselves, they were children of nobles, so proper escorts would be provided. And quite a few people would likely trust that protection enough to join them.
“Then, Magician Jinu, will you join them as well?”
“Yes. Please submit my application to join that procession.”