Anyway, part 3 is mostly a buildup chapter, so nothing ground-breaking happens here. We do (finally) get a YujiKiri bathing scene, but since Charlotte scampered off somewhere, we don't get nearly enough doki-dokis and ara-aras from the scene (dammit Charlotte, why'd ya have to leave just before the bath scene!). We do learn that Eugeo's apprently a-okay with being nude with Kirito though... We also meet Corsche's friends in this chapter... and get foreshadowing that another character from the main series will be making their debut in the cakeverse soon...?
Since our typesetter has recovered from his injury enough to work on our projects again, we're planning a Lycoris manga release for next week.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the release. If you have any suggestions/requests for what to work on, feel free to leave a comment or contact us through Twitter/Discord/Email.
Any feedback is appreciated.
-Gsimenas
Credits
Raws: CelestTranslation: Gsimenas
Editing: Gsimenas, emil
Proofreading: JengKay
Translation (choice/nuance) comments:
- The word "trolley" was "wagon" (ワゴン) in the original text. Based on the context, it's referring to something like this, but the word "wagon" gives me the impression of train wagons, so I changed it to "trolley" for more clarity.
- The word "skinship" refers to hanging out naked at a public bath in this case. The original term was hadaka no tsukiai (裸の付き合い), which literally means "socialising in the nude", or idiomatically means "a completely honest relationship", seeing as you can't really hide anything when you're naked. Seeing as Japanese have an obsession with baths, hanging out naked in a bath is considered a way to deepen the bonds of friendship. We went for "skinship" to avoid unwanted implications. While that word technically implies more physical intimacy than we actually get here, you wouldn't know that without looking up a dictionary, so we deemed it to be safer than directly referncing nudeness!
- The phrase "with such great scenery" was just "in such a location" (kono location de) in the original text. I decided to be a bit loose with the translation, as the phrase didn't really work in actual English all that well.
- Aside from instances where actual system commands are recited, Sacred Arts elements are almost always referred to with Japanese expressions (kanji), rather than English words. Since the Japanese kanji terms aren't as sophisticated as the English variants, I translated the element names literally when they are mentioned in actual Japanese. For example, the "cryogenic" element is called the "freezing element" (凍素) outside of commands.
- The chef speaks in a sort-of colloquial old-man style (not saturated with the oldness though), so I tried to make his language sound more colloquial with various non-standard spelling variants and colloquial abbreviations.
- The trio of cleaners use humble speech when talking to Eugeo and Kirito. As such, I added some excessively polite constructs and phrasings into their lines. On the other hand, they go casual when speaking to each other, so I made those lines more casual in turn.
- When honorifics go with names, I left them as is. However, I localised honorifics that went with titles. "Esteemed" is a localisation for "-sama" after a title.
- Itallics mark text that was written in katakana English (I only highlighted the cases where the author uses both English and actual Japanese equivalents for the same thing, or when I needed to emphasise that an English word is used there).
- Single quotation marks (') are quotes that weren't in the original text but were added for the convenience of English speakers to mark implied quotations. I used it mostly to separate Kirito's internal monologue from his narration, as well as mark sound effects and so on. Actual dialogue lines or quotations (with 「」 punctuation marks) within a narration line are indicated with the usual double (") quotation marks.
3
By the time we painstakingly climbed all the way up the Grand Stairs to the fiftieth floor with a change of clothes in bags on hand, then had the Elevating Operator, who was carrying out her work with her usual indifference, ferry us to the eightieth floor, and then finally skipped up the remaining stairs to the ninetieth floor, both Eugeo and I were drenched in sweat.Not sure if I should count it as a blessing, nor have I actually performed any analyses to prove this, exactly, but Underworlder sweat is just pure water and so it doesn't leave any stains or odour when it dries off. Yet this fact apparently offered no reprieve for the sense of discomfort you were subjected to anyway, thus Eugeo began undoing the buttons of his jacket before the great door to the Grand Bath was fully opened.
'Gogohn', rumbled the doors open, beyond which we suddenly found ourselves in a vast bath; forget any dreams of the privacy afforded by a changing room you might have, as you won't be able to find even a single pair of partitioning curtains here that you could use for the job. As we walked down the pathway covered in white steam, we found a bunch of trolleys with baskets set up around the middle of the room; the upper row of baskets were meant for used clothes, while the middle row was meant for any change of clothes you brought along with you. Meanwhile, the lower row of baskets were supplied with pure-white bath towels.
At present, it seemed like no other patrons had arrived before us, as all the baskets were empty. But then, ever since we began frequenting the Grand Bath, the only time we actually did come across any other knight here was on our first day, the time when we barged into the place without a single shred of an idea that we'd find ourselves at the Grand Bath——nor any idea that it was ladies' time at that very moment, to make things worse—which nearly resulted in us being cut down by a towel-clad Alice.
Since we didn't have Charlotte with us today either, I felt no reservations about shedding my clothes and hurling them into a basket.
"Urya!"
I jumped into the bath on the right side with a shout, generating a massive splash. If this were the real world, I'd start off with washing my body and head first...... or so would be the norm for this situation, but Underworlders were pretty open-minded on that subject, while this Grand Bath itself didn't even have any pre-bath washing place in the first place.
Eugeo followed suit shortly afterwards as well, slipping into the hot water toes-first in a refined manner, unlike me. Relaxing the tension in our bodies in sync, "Phew……", we both let out a sigh.
For some time after we had set off from Rulid Village, I did feel a bit awkward about going to the bath or taking a dip in the river with Eugeo, but I've finally grown used to it after three years. I've practically never had any skinship with a boy my age——which was probably the reason for my anxiety, though the same should have applied to Eugeo too. However, since he himself seemed entirely unfazed by the matter from the very start, I had begun to think that it was a common character trait for Underworlders or something, but then I was stumped when he started covering his body with a towel once we started going to the public primary trainee dorm bath at the Swordcraft Academy. Or perhaps, could it be that sharing my Life with Eugeo, when he was about to die from the slash wounds inflicted by a goblin in the cave at the northern End Mountains, had some sort of effect on his consciousness?
Either way, we've grown used to seeing each other's body by now, thus I just spread out in the shape of the 大 kanji and floated up to the surface without paying it any mind. While the representation of liquids and the sensation you get on contact with them feel non-negligibly off in games like SAO and ALO, Underworld liquids, on the other hand, are a picture-perfect copy of the real thing; the somewhat hot water stimulated my skin so well that I lacked the vocabulary to describe the pure pleasure I felt as my stiff muscles relaxed to the very core.
"Uaaa…………"
Following my moan, Eugeo to my right gave me a mild smile.
"Kirito, for all that usual whining of yours about the hassle of taking a bath, you sure do sound awfully ecstatic when you actually do get into a bath, considering those moans you let out each time you do."
"Needing to go all the way up to the ninetieth floor for it is the actual hassle here…… If I were living on this floor, I'd be going in for a dip three times a day."
"You're so totally lying about that. The bath at the Elite Disciple dormitory was just one floor away, yet you never bothered going there unless I brought it up."
"I can't seem to remember the distant past all that well."
After weaseling my way out of the predicament, I followed up right away with this.
"……Though, don't you get the feeling that it kinda does feel like all of that took place in the distant past, despite the fact that it's actually only been a mere three weeks since we graduated from the Swordcraft Academy?"
"Yeah…… I sure do. Wonder if Tiese and Ronye are doing well……"
"Come to think of it, we've yet to celebrate the fact that the two of them have become Elite Disciples, huh. I'd also like to see Liena-sempai again…… I wonder who'd we have to ask for permission to go out to town……"
Both of us sank into thought at the same moment.
The first person to come to mind was our instructor, Scheta-sempai, though all she's ever interested in is forcing us to work our butts off——I mean, teaching us the way of the sword in the training grounds on the fifty-first floor; she's never once even mentioned any regulations about our daily lives.
Knight Commander Bercouli, the man who supervises the entirety of the Integrity Knight Order, would seem like the guy with the authority to grant such permission, though I've never actually managed to come across the guy a single time ever since he showed up at the Grand Kitchen out of the blue last night, when he ate four slices of my prototype cheesecake, nor do I have any idea where I could find him. With Chief Elder Chudelkin, I can't shake the feeling that the only thing I'd get out of him would be, "As if I'd ever grant ya permission for that, hohiihihi", while with Supreme Priest Administrator……there's two options: either she grants us permission like it's no big deal, or she gets so angry that she turns us into plates.
"……Let's ask Alice about that before we hit anyone up directly."
Once I proposed that idea, Eugeo nodded along after making a small splash.
"I was just thinking the same thing. Though, where would we find Alice's room, I wonder……"
"She's a high-ranked knight, so wouldn't it be above the eightieth floor? Who knows, maybe it's right next to the Grand Bath."
"Hey now, Kirito, I sure hope you're not planning on going out to look for it once we step out of the bath."
"Naaah, not even I feel up for that; we really should narrow down the search range a bit first…… and though we could try asking someone about her room, we haven't exactly managed to come across any people whatsoever on these floors. That said, just like with Corsche, this place should at least have a cleaner around."
"You do indeed have a point…… ——Let's try asking the girl when we meet up with her at the Grand Kitchen."
Hearing Eugeo's words, I turned my gaze towards the western wall.
The eastern and western walls at the Grand Bath were made out of latticed windows that spawned all the way up to the ceiling from the floor; we had a clear view of the night sky and its entire gradation of colours, ranging from scarlet to indigo blue. Seeing as we were four hundred metres above ground, you probably wouldn't be able to find a bath or pool this big with such great scenery in the real world. Although I'd usually settle for just a quick dip whenever I take a bath, I could very much see myself spending an hour or so in a place this good.
But that won't be happening today. If Eugeo and I don't manage to supply a shortcake with a double serving of strawberries, in addition to a cheesecake with a double serving of cream, for the extraordinary tea party that'll be held just past noon tomorrow, we'll end up being turned into plates…… I mean, vases. In these circumstances, I would very much love to call off our morning practice, but we already got the entire afternoon off yesterday. While we did barely manage to fulfil Scheta-sensei's condition of 《cutting two centimetres into a steel pillar》 back then, I've got a hunch that she'll move the goalpost to three centimetres next time; more importantly, I don't want her to get the impression that we're neglecting our training.
Hence, we had a pressing need to finish up the two cakes within this night; what's more, we couldn't just half-ass this job either, seeing as we invited Corsche and her two friends along as taste-testers. Since making fresh cream takes up a boatload of time, we had to reach the kitchen by six o'clock.
"……Guess it's about time we took our leave."
Once I uttered that sentence, "Guess so", Eugeo responded with a nod and stood up. Chasing after my partner's well-toned back as he headed up the passageway, I made up my mind: 'Whenever I become a high-ranked knight, I'm so moving into the floor just below this one……'
Having used the Elevating Operator's services to go back down to the fiftieth floor just before the end of her work hours, we then went straight down to the tenth floor, where we mixed in with the monks and nuns in the dining room to eat an ample dinner, before heading into the kitchen.
Dinner time had only just begun, thus the over ten chefs in the vast kitchen were all hectically going about their work at their workstations. Planning out our route to avoid getting in anyone's way, we quickly crossed the room to a corner, where we had had our own exclusive workstation made for us. Putting on white aprons that the head chef had offered us, we thoroughly washed our hands, before getting to work.
First we made the batter for the sponge cake out of wheat flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and butter; then we poured it into two moulds and inserted them into the oven. This step no longer had any chance of failing, so long as we didn't make any mistakes with the quantities for each of the ingredients, or the time the batter had to spend in the oven. However, the actual problem was the next step.
I brought over a large jar of milk from the pantry and poured out all its content into a silver bowl. As I got my large wooden spatula ready, Eugeo held out his right index finger towards the bowl and chanted the verse for his Sacred Art.
"System call. Generate cryogenic element."
The sole freezing element that Eugeo created was dropped right into the middle of the mass of milk. 'Pishi!', the moment I heard this faint sound,
"Urya——h!"
I began mixing the bowl with my spatula. If we were to spill even a single drop of it, we'd end up with an earful from the head chef about it, thus despite moving my hands as fast as physically possible, I limited it to an extent where the milk wouldn't cross over the brim of the bowl. Once the freezing element emitted all its chilliness and disappeared, Eugeo chanted the rite once more.
After three cycles of throwing a freezing element into the batter and then stirring it at high speeds, my spatula started encountering some resistance. The milk's water content had started to freeze. This is where it gets tough——if we cool it down too much, the bowl's contents will freeze up entirely, while if we don't cool it enough, the cream will end up being too watery.
"How's it looking, Kirito?"
Faced with Eugeo's question, I scooped some of the sherbetted milk with my spatula.
"Hmm…… needs just a bit more. Could you make me one half of a freezing element?"
"Don't push for the impossible. I'll try letting it hang in the air for a bit to make it smaller."
Responding as such, Eugeo created a fourth freezing element and let it stay put at the tip of his index finger. With all types of elements, there's a risk that they'll discharge spontaneously, or fly off somewhere if your concentration on them is disturbed, thus it's actually surprisingly difficult to maintain them on your fingertips for dozens of seconds. However, Eugeo continued keeping his freezing element still in once place with an unconcerned(1) look. Just when the element shining in the centre of the white chill hanging in the air lost its radiance to some extent, he muttered, "Here I go."
As ordered, I got a freezing element that had lost half of its energy thrown into the bowl, at which point I began carefully moving my spatula. Thanks to spending basically every night making fresh cream this past week, I've built up an intuition for reaching the ideal state of the cream.
"Eugeo, new bowl and strainer, qui-……"
Before I could even finish that thought, my partner already had a silver strainer in his hands. I poured the milk-turned-sherbet into it. The frozen water content remained on the strainer, allowing only the cream to run down into the bowl like goo.
The moment the last drop fell down from the strainer, I gave a thumbs-up with my right hand in silence. Eugeo then returned what remained on the strainer into the original bowl. With this, we were able to use five litres——in Underworld units, that would be five lirs of milk to produce five hundred millilitres = five hundred millers of fresh cream.
"Hmmh……no matter how many times I see this, it ain't gettin' any less intriguin'."
Hearing a voice coming from behind us all of a sudden, we hurriedly turned around.
Standing there was the white-bearded head chef with white overalls and a white hat. In spite of the fact that he must have been right in the middle of cooking a ton of food in the battleground-like kitchen, there was not a single stain on his clothes, nor his hat.
The head chef wedged his way between me and Eugeo, peering into the bowl with the fresh cream.
"Can I sample this 'ere thin'?"
"G-go right ahead."
Picking up a smallish spoon from the countless number of cutlery hanging on the wall, I held it out to him. Upon taking it from me, the head chef scooped up just a little bit of the fresh cream and carried it up to his mouth. Moving his cheeks exaggeratedly, he slowly took in the taste and nodded.
"……I see now. So this 'ere is what the condensed savouriness of milk tastes like. Despite its richness, it's far easier on the stomach than buttercream…… ya might jus' be able to use it for meat and fish dishes too, rather than just sweets."
'Might' is quite the understatement, considering that I'm pretty sure it's an integral part of French cuisine, though I got the feeling that showing off more real world knowledge than I already have was too dangerous.
"If you need some, we could make it for you anytime, sir."
When I said this instead, something resembling a smile, which was a rare sight for this man, found its way on the chef's lips.
"That so, 'n that case, could'ja make about two hundred millers of the stuff whenever ya have yer hands free?"
"With pleasure. We will make some later in the night and leave it in the pantry for you."
"Thanks for takin' the time to help out, I'll be countin' on ya."
With a broad smirk, the head chef returned the spoon to me and headed back to his workstation. That instant, Eugeo heaved out a sigh.
"I was so sure he was going to scold us for something again."
"Now that you mention it, we actually didn't get an earful for once. Perhaps, our skills as chefs are being gradually recognised."
Once I responded as such, Eugeo took on a rather worried look for some reason.
"Kirito, don't tell me you've given up on becoming a Knight Proper and are now thinking of finding a job at the Grand Kitchen, are you?"
"What gave you that idea. I want to outgrow cake baking as soon as possible myself, I'll have you know……"
Slapping my worrywart partner on the shoulder, I turned my gaze back to our workbench.
"Now then, let's get the finishing touches on this baby done already. Go get the sugar."
"Mm-hmm."
Nodding, Eugeo held out an unglazed ceramic jar. Measuring forty rams(2) of pure white sugar with scales, I added it to the bowl. Next up, I took an eggbeater from the wall and passed it on to Eugeo.
"I'll use Incarnation to protect against any spills, so I entrust the mixing to you."
Having uttered those words, I firmly supported the bowl with both hands. Taking on a serious look, Eugeo gently inserted the silver eggbeater into the fresh cream.
"Here I go."
"I'm ready for ya."
Just as Eugeo began moving his right hand, I covered the top of the bowl with a lid created with my imagination power.
Although my Incarnation power was currently just barely powerful enough to push a ten shear bronze coin atop a table, it was just narrowly possible to use it as a shield against cream droplets that fly out during the mixing. But then again, being skilled at work requiring precision, Eugeo practically didn't generate any splatters from the cream as he continued spinning the eggbeater at high-speed, until eventually the contents of the bowl gradually started building up some viscosity.
When we first tried doing this step, I had the idea that the more we whip the cream, the higher the quality of the whipped cream would be, but when I tried stirring it like crazy back then, it started hardening up midway through for some reason, turning into butter at the very end. Although I don't know if the same applies to the real world, it was necessary to pick out the perfect moment for stopping the mixing, just as was the case with extracting fresh cream. Maintaining my Incarnation barrier, I focused on the cream. The moment I spotted a glassy lustre on the surface of the cream as it visibly turned semi-solid, I shouted out: "Stop now!"
Stopping at that exact moment, Eugeo suddenly took out the eggbeater. Not a single drop of the whipped cream still clinging to the beater fell down.
"Alright, nicely done. You've sure improved your hand with the eggbeater, Eugeo-kun."
Upon my praise, a big grin appeared on my partner's face for a moment, though his smile vanished the very next moment as he answered with the following remark.
"I'm not going to become a chef either, I'll have you know."
The evening eight o'clock bell rang out just as we finished up two sponge cakes with a double serving of strawberries and two cheesecakes with a double serving of cream.
Although dinner time for the monks lasted till eight o'clock, all of them had finished eating and turned in their tableware ten minutes beforehand, which probably doesn't come as a surprise considering what Underworlders are like, thus there was no one else left in the vast dining hall anymore. I had been wondering where the cleaners, grooms and other auxiliary personnel had their meals around here, but now I've heard that there's a device that carries food to them at an exclusive dining hall on another floor. Why can't we all just eat together…… or so I would like to argue, but this system was apparently created simply because there was a space shortage problem, rather than as a way to discriminate against the auxiliary personnel. And I can indeed see the issue here: despite the fact that the Grand Dining Hall was so big that it could probably seat a hundred people, it gets entirely full at peak times, so it would be impossible to cram in dozens of auxiliary personnel in here as well.
Eugeo and I carefully examined the cakes, two of each kind, to select the best iteration of each, which we then placed into a plain-wooden box and stashed them into the refrigerated storeroom inside the pantry. I had no clue what the mechanism for the refrigeration was in there, but if we left the cakes there, they would lose barely any Life till noon tomorrow.
We then moved the remaining cakes on our workbench to large plates, which we then covered with silver lids and carried over to the dining hall. Just then, we saw a petite figure squirm its way inside through the front door at perfect timing. It was Corsche the cleaner——though rather than wearing her usual maid outfit, she had changed into a plain white one-piece and had untied her hair as well. Her current look bore just the slightest resemblance to Yui, the daughter Asuna and I had, whom I hadn't seen in a long while.
Suppressing the prickling pain in my chest, I waved my right hand.
"Hey Corsche, over here, over here."
Once I called out to her, Corsche gave us a slight bow, before beckoning someone at the entrance. Two new figures appeared from there, trotting over behind Corsche.
After exchanging some words in a whispered conversation, the three of them walked up to us as we waited for them at the back of the dining hall. Once they were only two metres away, the trio formed a line and gave deep bows in sync.
"Kirito-sama, Eugeo-sama. We humbly thank you for your gracious invitation to this occasion."
Once Corsche finished her very courteous address, the two friends of hers to her left followed suit.
"I-I am known as Hatoa, the cleaner."
"L…… likewise, Vizec."
Hatoa was a girl in the same outfit as Corsche, while Vizec was a boy in a white shirt and black trousers. They were all the same age——seemingly around six- or seventeen years old, though appearances were misleading at the Central Cathedral. However, it was at least certain that the two beside Corsche were considerably tense. Times like these call for entrusting everything to my easy-going partner.
As if having read that thought of mine, Eugeo glanced at me, before taking on a sweet smile as he replied.
"We're glad you could come over. I'm apprentice knight Eugeo. And this is Kirito. Have all three of you already eaten your dinner?"
"Yes, sir."
At Corsche's reply, Hatoa and Vizec nodded in sync.
"That so, oh well, there shouldn't be a problem with cakes anyway. As Kirito puts it, there's a separate stomach for desserts, after all."
Just as Eugeo was about to turn back to the table behind him with another smile, Vizec let out a loud "Um, excuse me!".
"Hm? What's the matter?"
"Umm…… regarding this matter, Corsche mentioned something about us being offered some cake that the Esteemed Knights have baked……" "Yep, that's about right."
"In that case…… we simply must politely decline your generous offer. We cleaners are forbidden from accepting money or material possessions from esteemed knights and esteemed Sacred Arts masters."
At the words of Vizec, who very much looked the part of an ardently strait-laced boy, Hatoa lowered her gaze dejectedly, while a slight aura of discontent could be felt from Corsche. After blinking incessantly for a while, Eugeo questioned the boy in a calm tone.
"Why is that the case?"
"That would be because that is what the rules say on the matter."
Hearing Vizec's reply, Eugeo ended up holding his tongue. Not like we can do anything about that…… Underworlders generally never broke any rules. Yet over the course of these past three years, I learnt one thing: this wasn't as absolute a restraint as I had imagined at first, apparently.
"Oh, Vizec-kun, no need to worry about that. After all, we didn't gather you here solely to have you eat cake, but rather to have you serve as taste-testers, from whom we could receive valuable feedback. Basically, you can think of this as a work-related activity."
As I made this declaration in as serious an expression and tone as I could muster, Vizec's eyes shot open in shock, while Corsche nodded beside him.
"I had mentioned the same thing myself, though."
'Well, if it is just work…', Vizec easily gave in to my logic, thus we sat the three of them down in a row and set up a load of small plates and forks on the table.
After making eye-contact with Eugeo, I lifted the silver lids covering the two large plates in a swift motion. That very instant, "Wooow……", an interjection escaped from the lips of the boy and the girls. "Y……you mean these are cakes!?"
The high-pitched reaction was blurted out by Hatoa, the most petite one of the group. Vizec followed up as well.
"I was so sure that cakes were supposed to be brown, rectangular, and hard confections……"
"Come on, give them a try."
Saying thus, I picked up a long knife from the table.
In all our tea parties thus far, we had Scheta-sensei slice up the cakes with her 《Black Lily Sword》 Divine Object and then the Supreme Priest would distribute the slices to small plates with her Incarnation, though we would have to make do with divvying up the slices on our own this time. Taking the thinnest and sharpest knife in the kitchen, I first held it up right over the shortcake and then focused my mental resources on the task, before swooping down on the cake.
Then I followed up with a diagonal swoop of the blade, and then yet another diagonal one, dividing the cake into six equal parts. Considering that we've just had dinner, I did get the feeling that the slices were a bit on the big side, though we were at an age that boasted the greatest growth in the cap on Life, which also meant a hearty appetite to boot, so we'd probably be fine on that front. Sliding in the blade of the knife under one of the slices and borrowing some help from Incarnation, I carefully lifted the slice and moved it over to a plate.
'Though a far cry from the divine skills of Scheta-sensei, I'd say the slices aren't half bad……', as I comforted myself with such thoughts, I continued repeating the same process. Once the three of them all had some cake in front of them, I said the following.
"If you notice anything noteworthy, don't hold back and share your thoughts."
Nodding with a serious look on their faces, the three of them took up their forks in sync. Giving an "Itadakimasu" in tandem, they cut identical size bits from the tips of their shortcakes and then carried the slices to their mouths; Hatoa did so without any hesitation whatsoever, Corsche only took a bite after staring fixedly at her piece for a good few seconds, while Vizec still seemed to be faltering a bit with his share.
Three seconds later, considering all the people who have partaken in the cakes Eugeo and I baked, their faces took on the most honest, straightforward, and childishly pure reactions out of the entire bunch. After letting out a short sigh of bliss with smiles so broad that they even brought joy to us, the three of them instantly cut their second slices.
Having consumed the shortcake in but a few minutes, the trio drank some of the black tea with milk that Eugeo had brewed for them, at which point they heaved out a long sigh in sync.
The first to open their mouths was Vizec.
"It was very…… very delicious."
After uttering this in a no-longer stiff tone as a smile befitting his apparent age found its way on his face, he abruptly returned to his straitlaced expression.
"Now, for what I have noticed…… ehm…… I thought it was awfully delicious……"
At that instant, Corsche butted in with a retort in a whisper from the next seat.
"Isn't that just saying the same thing in different words."
"Well sooorry, but that actually is the thought that came to my mind, so what more do you expect from me?"
"Can't you be more specific with what about the cake made it delicious and how?"
"If you're so smart, why don't you describe the specifics yourself then, Corsche."
As Eugeo and I observed the whispered quarrel between the duo in a dumbstruck state.
"Umm, excuse me……", a whisper-like interjection was uttered by Hatoa on the far right. It was so quiet that it was on the verge of being inaudible at all, but it was enough for Corsche and Vizec to hold their tongues.
"Feel free to bring up anything on your mind."
Seemingly encouraged by Eugeo's words, Hatoa continued with her remark.
"Um, I found it incredibly delicious myself as well. It is the first time I have ever eaten something so spongy…… Though……"
After a moment of hesitation, she looked up at me with an intense gaze——
"Eating it reminded me of something, you see. A long…… a very long time ago, I had the pleasure of eating a confection that was as delicious as this one……"
"Whut."
I reflexively bent forward with interest.
"W-what kind of sweet was that?"
"It had happened a truly long time ago, thus I do not recall the fine details…… but as I was cleaning the Grand Stairs, the Esteemed Vice Knight Commander happened to pass by and graced me with confection about this small."
Her thumb and index finger formed a gap about two centimetres in size.
"It was…… glossy brown, round yet a bit pointed down its centre, just like soap foam when it is dripping down, and it felt crunchy upon biting it……"
"Huhmm……?"
With so many details, there was already a certain sweet that came to mind, but I decided to press on for more.
"What's the taste like……"
"Ehm, as I recall…… I was surprised how bitter it felt at first, but then I suddenly felt a sweetness and a strangely nice aroma filling my mouth……"
The moment Hatoa's description reached this point, Vizec to her left burst out, seemingly no longer capable of holding himself back.
"I've never received any sweets like that from the Esteemed Vice Knight Commander."
"Neither have I."
Upon Corsche following up without a moment's delay, Hatoa glanced at the two of them and pouted just the slightest bit.
"You hadn't been there, after all."
'Grrr'…… as the three of them continued glaring at each other, Eugeo posed a question at them in a gentle tone.
"Say guys, you mentioned moments ago that you were forbidden from receiving money and material possessions from knights, so is food considered an exception to that rule?"
Indeed, Hatoa's story ran counter to that rule. Besides, now that I think back on it, I think even the Elevating Operator mentioned something about receiving anpan(3) from the Knight Commander.
At Eugeo's question, Corsche shook her head.
"Oh no, this is no exception; it is likely that Hatoa was honoured with confections by the Esteemed Vice Knight Commander before this rule came into practice. Seeing as the rule was specifically born out of the necessity to address the issue of cleaners and apprentice monks flaunting amongst each other whatever they had been graced with by the esteemed knights, after all."
Just as Corsche gave this explanation, Hatoa hurriedly added on.
"I would never conduct myself in something as disgraceful as flaunting."
"Hmmh……"
I groaned once again. Brown, similar in shape to slimes that come up in local RPGs of a certain country, crunchy, and bittersweet…… with so many details, chocolates are the only thing that come to my mind. Yet I'm pretty sure I've never seen, nor even heard of chocolates being mentioned by name in Underworld, let alone getting the chance to actually eat some myself thus far. So where exactly did this Vice Knight Commander or whatever get their hands on some?
"……What kind of person is this Esteemed Vice Knight Commander?"
At my question, the boy and girls——though they might just be far older than both me and Eugeo actual age-wise——held their tongues for about two seconds, before answering one after the other: Corsche started first, followed by Hatoa and then Vizec.
"The esteemed knight bears the name of Fanatio Synthesis Two-sama."
"Fanatio is a kind personage, though they have seemed somewhat strained for some time now."
"They lead a quartet of Esteemed Knights Proper known as the 《Four Whirling Blades》."
After noting each piece of info in my mind, I threw in an extra question.
"Would you happen to know where I could find this Fanatio-sama?"
The answer came from Vizec.
"When not engaged in official external business, the Esteemed Vice Knight Commander may be found providing tutelage to the great people of the Four Whirling Blades at the Second Training Grounds on the fifty-second floor."
Notes
1. ^ Not sure if it's meant to be a pun or not, but the word for "unconcerned" is 涼しい (suzushii), which would literally mean "cool/chilly".
2. ^ The Underworld unit for grams.
3. ^ Bread rolls filled with red bean paste
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