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CHAPTER 12……………………………………………………………………………………..
In truth, telling the truth would not help at all.
Even if she said she came from a world where this novel took place and knew modern cooking methods, what could these people possibly do with that information?
If they were so upset, they could try reincarnating themselves.
“Lady Heidi…!”
The chefs seemed to think I was hiding my secret techniques.
Their resentful tone made it obvious as they called my name.
Either way, I still needed to keep working at the Imperial Palace to save money to open my own shop, so building relationships with them wasn’t a bad idea.
“Hmm… there are actually several variations of Royal Chicken Soup. Would you like to see?”
“It would be an honor, Lady Heidi.”
The chefs swarmed around me with bright, eager smiles.
Truly, everything was easy.
“Do you come here often, Lady Heidi?”
As I entered the library, the librarian greeted me warmly with a smile.
Ever since the successful banquet, quite a few people in the palace had begun recognizing me.
Of course, not all of those gazes were friendly.
Fortunately, this librarian was on the friendly side and even recommended various cooking books to me.
After returning her greeting, I quickly headed toward the bookshelves.
The Emperor had subtly shown interest in holding another banquet soon, so I needed to prepare in advance to avoid being overwhelmed when the time came.
‘Since I already did samgyetang… maybe I should try seafood this time.’
Choosing the main dish was always the hardest part.
The Emperor and nobles already had sky-high expectations after the samgyetang—or rather, the Royal Chicken Soup.
To surpass that expectation, I needed a change in direction.
‘I should start by studying the ingredients of this world.’
Before I knew it, I had wandered away from cooking books into a more academic section.
After pulling out three or four volumes, my arms began to feel heavy, so I decided it was time to leave.
‘Well, I can always come back.’
I was heading out to check out the books when a shaky figure caught my eye.
‘What’s with him?’
I frowned.
A thin, frail-looking man was staggering down the aisle, carrying what looked like at least ten books.
One or two books were already slipping dangerously from his arms.
That looks dangerous…
And just as I thought that—
It happened.
The books all came crashing down, and at the same moment, the man collapsed weakly to the floor.
I instinctively ran over.
If it were just books, I would’ve ignored it and assumed he’d pick them up himself. But a person had fallen—how could I not help?
“Are you alright?”
I asked while quickly gathering the books.
“Ugh… uuugh…”
A groan was the only answer.
‘I should call a doctor.’
Anyone allowed to use the imperial library was at least a low-ranking official.
If I left him like this, I didn’t want to be blamed later.
“I-I’m fine.”
The man slowly regained consciousness and lifted his head.
His pale face came into view.
‘…He looks like he hasn’t eaten properly in days.’
Messy brown hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed, blue eyes, and thick glasses that suggested poor eyesight.
Even his clothes were so wrinkled they looked like he had slept in the library.
‘A poor official?’
That would explain why he looked so malnourished.
He also looked quite young—barely an adult, probably a newly appointed palace official.
The man spoke shyly.
“I just… just need to replenish this, so don’t worry.”
Huh?
Replenish what?
While I was still confused, he pulled a fist-sized black lump from a small pouch.
‘…?’
I blinked.
What is that supposed to be?
And then—he started biting into it.
“…What is that?”
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
I immediately regretted it. Of course it was probably some kind of medicine.
But the man’s answer completely shattered my assumption.
“You can tell, right? This is my life’s greatest creation! If you eat just one, you won’t feel hungry all day!”
…?
I was more shocked that the quiet, timid man had suddenly started speaking like a lecturer, but the content was even more absurd.
I carefully asked,
“So… this is a kind of meal?”
“A meal?”
The man glared at me.
His gentle, frail-looking face turned cold.
“Meals are cumbersome, time-consuming, and create endless cleanup… don’t you think so? This is my great invention! It will free humanity from the burden of eating!”
A burden?
I had to suppress the urge to shake my head.
To me, that ugly black lump looked like the real burden.
Of course, cooking does take effort—but that effort is worth it. That’s why I became a chef.
Not something someone who looks half-starved should be lecturing about.
“It’s still unfinished. I’m working on making it smaller right now…”
“Um… how does it taste?”
I was genuinely curious.
It looked absolutely awful, but surely it had to be at least edible?
The man tilted his head.
“Why does taste matter? Once it’s in your stomach, it’s all the same. As long as it keeps you full all day, what difference does taste make?”
“…Ah.”
I was speechless.
Once it’s in your stomach, it’s all the same? So taste doesn’t matter?
That was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.
While I was still dumbfounded, he continued excitedly.
“The day my research is complete, the profession of chef will disappear from this world!”
What kind of lunatic is this?
That was my first thought.
A single replacement food and he thinks chefs will disappear?
And it didn’t even look edible!
Normally, I would’ve just avoided someone like this, but my mouth moved on its own.
“That doesn’t seem likely. Most people enjoy delicious food. There’s a reason the term ‘food culture’ exists.”
“It’s all familiar taste anyway.”
he replied calmly.
“Unless it’s something you’ve never eaten before, you already remember the taste of what you’ve had before, right?”
He tapped the pouch of black lumps.
“So you just imagine those tastes while eating this.”
“…What about food you’ve never tried?”
“If you’ve never tried it, you don’t know the taste. So why would you even want to eat it?”
Strangely logical… or so it sounded for a moment.
But no.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Just seeing you fainting all over the place makes me think your ‘research’ is failing.”
The man looked deeply wronged.
“My body is naturally weak! I wanted to use others as test subjects, but everyone refused, so I became the only test subject. Since fate brought us together, would you participate in my experiment?”
“….”
I was genuinely speechless.
Even though I clearly looked annoyed, he was still asking me to join his experiment.
Did he have no sense at all?
“…I’m a chef, you know.”
“I know.”
“Pardon?”
Now I was even more confused.
It was obvious he knew I was “Chef Heidi” from the start.
And yet he still said chefs would disappear from the world?
“Why don’t you go say that in front of His Majesty? I’m sure he’d find it very entertaining.”
The man nodded.
“He did seem entertained. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to like it very much…”
“…That’s only natural—wait, what?”
