“It’s just like you said, boss. Just about all we can use the crushed berries for is to make sauce.”
I brought Lilka and Ruston along over to Plura’s kitchen. A bear-like man dressed like a chef was in there stirring a pot.
“So, what’s this proposition of yours...?” Plura asked.
“I have a simple recipe for a treat. Could you try it out for me?”
I got eggs and milk from Lilka, and bread from Ruston. I then lined them up on the kitchen table, along with a small jar that Mia brought over.
A short while later, a deep and sweet aroma filled the narrow kitchen.
“With such simple ingredients and preparation...?”
“I see...”
The head chef and Plura were both at a loss for words after tossing the golden baguette into their mouths. All I did was teach them how to make it, by the way. You really had to give it to the pros; it was better than what I made, even though this was his first try.
The slight stiffness that remained could likely be addressed somehow or other by letting it soak a little longer. The accent of the walnut-like nuts gave it a nice touch too.
“It certainly is delicious. But the fact that yellow is the only visible color makes it somewhat insufficient for high-class goods... Just adding some berry sauce to it won’t match the strong taste of the recipe either...”
“So how about adding a whole lot of this right on top of it?”
I opened the jar that Mia brought over. It was filled with a viscous amber liquid; this was our copper honey. It was quite ironic that it was the first time during the festival that I was doing something more in line with my principal occupation.
“Honey would make it high class, huh?” The head chef dipped the tip of his spatula into the jar and gave it a taste. “It’s got a docile aroma for honey. Seems like this’ll be easy to use for confections.”
Everyone gave the pain perdu another taste after smothering it in honey. Lilka capitulated immediately, saying, “It’s so sweet I could die from happiness.”
“...It’s a little different from our usual style, but this powerful sweetness is certainly a valid dessert to follow up after the delicate one-plate lunch,” Plura said with a nod.
Okay, with that, our ace in the hole is ready for the final day.
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s amazing! Look! Those uppity nobles are forming a queue! It’s unbelievable!” Lilka exclaimed as she watched the customers waiting in the passageway under the midday sun.
We doubled the seating capacity of the Food Court, and that was now full. We were attracting people quite actively from both the school building and the gazebos on either side of us. We even had customers seated at simple desks that we only threw a tablecloth over.
“I saw the two Carlests in the school building earlier. They were utterly beside themselves,” I said.
“I’m looking forward to the rankings, given this momentum. But was that really the wisest option? Wasn’t that a valuable recipe...?”
“That’s simply the obligation of the one managing the Food Court, Plura.”
“The price you sold us the honey at is practically the same as handing it out for free, too.”
“That’s our fair and reasonable pricing. It is copper honey, after all.”
“Really? The rich scent of honey makes it difficult to use, depending on the confection being made. However, the honey you sell doesn’t have that sort of eccentricity. Would it be possible for us to procure some later?”
“We plan on ramping up our production after this is over, so it should be fine. I’ll talk it over with my father. But first...”
“Yeah, we have to do something about this rush. Hahaha, it’s like this is the very center of the festival now.”
I looked at the overflowing Food Court together with Plura, as we then split off to the sides grinning.
Now then, we managed to crush our opponent’s plans. Now we just had to obstruct them from doing anything more. I had asked Claudia to intensify the patrols around the courtyard for Alfina’s sake. As for the last matter...