Upstart Pastry Chef - Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Encounter with the Nightmare Fruit

Having safely arrived in the Royal Capital, we went to Duke Lenaril’s detached villa.

The moment we entered the mansion, the servants bowed in unison.

As expected of Duke Lenaril. Keeping more than twenty servants stationed at a secondary residence he rarely uses is something no ordinary rich man could manage.

The room we were shown to was identical to the one in Duke Lenaril’s main estate. From the layout of the room down to the furnishings.

It was just my guess, but this villa was built to be completely identical to the main residence. They likely eliminated any sense of discomfort so he could feel at ease, even just a little.

"Rich people really are something else."

"I’m a little jealous. If I could increase our workforce by twenty people, we could do so much more in the Arnoldt domain."

"Kurt, that's what you care about?!"

For some reason, Chloe the elf was surprised. I didn't say anything strange.

In truth, what the Arnoldt domain lacks most is manpower.

The beehives have increased quite a bit, and the chicks we received as a reward from Border Baron Fernande are growing healthily.

I want to put more effort into beekeeping and poultry farming to steadily expand their scale.

Furthermore, the pastry shop in Eclava suffers from a chronic shortage of hands.

I want to start new things, too, so above all, I want people.

I asked Border Baron Fernande and resumed recruiting immigrants—which had been paused when we took in the orphans—but people aren't coming easily. My honest thought is that if there are personnel idling away in a place like this, I’d like to put them to work.

"Well, there's no point in wishing for what we don't have. We still have time before dinner. Time for our customary market exploration."

"Kurt-sama, don't you need to rest?"

"I slept a little in the dragon carriage. Tina, thank you for lending me your shoulder."

"Oh, no! You don't need to thank me at all! In fact, I was rather happy to..."

I had hit my limit in the dragon carriage and fallen asleep leaning on Tina's shoulder.

It was only for a short time, but sleeping wrapped in Tina's warmth significantly relieved my fatigue.

"As always, Kurt and Tina flirt without caring about who's watching."

"It just shows how close we are. Anyway, let's go check out the market! I hope there are interesting ingredients."

There are definitely interesting ingredients.

I’ll find a way to track them down.

Getting a map from the servants, we stepped outside.

Just in case, I had concealed a knife in the lining of my clothes. A real knife, not a cake knife.

It was better to assume this city was away territory. Caution would be necessary.

Still, I was surprised.

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as an open-air street market in the Royal Capital.

In places like Eclava, far more people sell goods by spreading a cloth on the street than those owning brick-and-mortar shops.

Eclava is a port town. Traveling merchants moving from city to city are extremely common, so naturally, temporary shops dominate.

In the case of the Royal Capital, however, street vending is considered a blight on the city's beauty and is strictly prohibited.

Buying and selling goods can only take place in proper shops.

Merchants are forbidden from selling directly to customers and are restricted to supplying the stores.

Spotting a store dealing in fruit, I stepped inside.

As a pastry chef, it was a place I couldn't skip.

"They really are expensive..."

Looking at the fruits lined up in one store, I couldn't help but mutter to myself.

It was only natural for them to be pricey. They are crops transported from other cities, and rather than being sold directly by traveling merchants, they are sold to the shop, which then sells them to us.

When that happens, the number of people taking a profit before reaching the customer increases. On top of that, with fewer sellers and no competition, there is no need to drop prices.

For the cost, there were few items that seemed particularly good.

"They really are. We can't afford to buy at these prices."

What we were looking at right now were fruits that could easily be bought in Eclava.

Knowing the prices in Eclava, it felt like some kind of mistake to us.

Perhaps rich people capable of living in the Royal Capital wouldn't care, but these prices were quite tough.

I scanned my eyes over a different shelf.

"Chigo... wait, could this be?!"

A red fruit rested there.

It was labeled as "Chigo," but I recognized it.

This is a strawberry.

An existence that could be called a lover to pastry chefs.

"Kurt-sama, is that red fruit really such an amazing thing?"

"Yeah. I probably have a hundred recipes using this fruit... but it's expensive."

I want this. I want to make sweets using strawberries for the first time in a while. Strawberries are a pastry chef's lover. They are always by your side, thoroughly researched, and deeply cherished.

...Financially, it hurts terribly, but even so, if it's for strawberries, I'll get them even if I have to cut down on this month's food budget.

As I was thinking about this, Tina let out a shriek and was about to collapse, so I hurriedly supported her.

"Kyyaah! This... has a terrible smell! My head..."

She held her nose with tears in her eyes.

What is it? Just as I wondered, I realized the cause. The smell reached me as well. Being a fox beast-person with a sharp nose, Tina had likely noticed it early. Chloe was also pinching her nose with a look of extreme disgust.

I remember this smell.

A cheerful voice echoed inside the shop.

"Pops, I brought in some interesting fruit!"

A young man around my age or slightly older appeared enthusiastically, carrying a basket full of fruit.

It was a fruit larger than Tina's head, featuring a distinctive appearance covered in a yellowish-brown, spiky shell.

Above all, this overwhelming stench.

There was no mistake; this was that fruit.

"Hey, you foolish son! Don't bring such a smelly thing in here! You'll drive the customers away!"

He had a point.

With this, customers would run away, and no new ones would enter.

"But look, it smells bad, but the merchant said it's insanely delicious!"

It seems the person who appeared to be the shopkeeper's son was the one who stocked that thing.

To smell that scent and still buy it makes him quite the challenger, without a doubt.

"It's too smelly! No matter how good it tastes, no one will buy it! I can't even keep it in the shop! Go throw it away, you idiot! I'm deducting the money you spent on stocking it from your pay!"

"That's harsh, Pops! I tried my best to think and pick something interesting, too! It would've definitely become a hot topic!"

"It's not interesting at all! Just hurry up and get out! Besides, you seem to have trusted the merchant's words, but did you eat it yourself?!"

"Like hell I'd eat something this stinky!"

"That's your answer, you jackass! The customers will feel the exact same way! If you serious intend to sell something, test it with your own tongue! If you feel it has enough charm to sell despite the smell, show the resolve and ingenuity to stock another one and smash one open for tasting! A customer isn't going to buy based on the shallow words of a guy who's never even eaten it himself, you octopus!"

It was harsh verbal abuse, but I understood the shopkeeper's feelings.

He was 100% right.

This is smelly—unbelievably smelly. Smelling worse than standing next to a cesspit.

Tina, who is sensitive to smells, was on the verge of fainting. Her eyes were spinning and her whole body went limp; it was painful to watch.

I wanted to take Tina outside right away, but unfortunately, I still had business in this shop.

I wanted to get my hands on this fruit.

A super high-end fruit that gives off a scent like a cesspit... yet still possesses enough power to be called the King of Fruits.

I never thought it would exist in this world.

Its name is Durian. The alluring fruit of the southern tropics.

The young man, who had been thoroughly scolded, turned on his heel to leave. At this rate, he really might throw it away.

This is a chance.

"Mister, that fruit. If you lower the price, I'll buy it. Let's see... if it's half the wholesale cost, I'll take it off your hands."

If someone didn't know what it was, the moment they smelled it, they would lose any intention of eating it.

However, I know the charm of the durian.

As for this boy, if he feels there's no chance of selling it and is about to throw it out, it might be pitiless, but I'll drive a hard bargain.

"Oh, customer over there, you have a sharp eye! But half the wholesale price is a bit..."

As expected of a merchant's son. He tries to get even a little profit.

The shopkeeper strode over and whacked the boy on the head.

"You idiot! Is there any other customer who would buy a thing like this?! What if he changes his mind?! ...We won't accept returns!"

"Yes, I have no intention of returning it. This is my own adventure."

When I said that, the shopkeeper shook his head with a sigh.

"Alright. I'll sell it to you. Just take it away quickly. Other customers can't come in."

"In exchange for taking it, I'd be happy if you could lower the price on these Chigo a bit. Just a thought."

"Ah, fine. If you're paying money for that stinky fruit, I can discount it that much."

I gave an internal victory pose; I got good fruit on the cheap.

And I even got a discount on the Chigo. Even discounted, it was still expensive, though.

I felt a strange sensation on my back.

Tina was tugging at the hem of my clothes, shaking her head side to side with tears in her eyes. She really didn't want me to buy the durian.

She seemed genuinely overwhelmed by the smell.

"It's okay, I'll seal the smell."

I pulled a bag from my breast pocket. As someone who can use earth element magic, I carried around a small amount of soil with me.

Manipulating that soil with magic, I coated the durian in a thin layer so it fit snugly against it. It was a skin made of earth magic that wouldn't let a single breath of air escape. Magic creates a container without any gaps.

If air doesn't leak out, the smell won't reach the outside.

After a moment, Tina finally released her hands from her nose.

"Phew... the smell finally stopped. ...Are you really going to eat that?"

"Of course. That's why I paid good money for it."

Half the wholesale price—it was a heavily driven-down price, but still expensive.

"Let's not. No one eats something that smelly."

"That's true. But a pastry chef is a magician. I can turn this stench into the finest fragrance. Look forward to it."

There are interesting sweets made with durian.

A fruit so magnificent it is called the King of Fruits; there's no way I haven't researched it.

I'll turn this nightmare-like smell into the rich fragrance of the tropics.

Now, once we get back, shall I start making sweets right away?

Naturally, I won't use this for the cake to serve to the royal family, but it can be used for the sweets handed out as an introduction during the daily rounds of greetings.

I'll make sure to let Tina eat a sweet that is supremely interesting and delicious.