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Chapter 32
The chefs standing some distance away, including Renard, unconsciously shrank their shoulders.
To them, Luciella’s right arm had already become nothing more than a blur.
A silver blade traced dozens, hundreds of arcs through the air, raining down with ferocious speed.
Thud. Thud.
Every useless tendon was flung precisely beside the cutting board.
TATATATATATATATANG—!
Then the blade came crashing down mercilessly in the opposite direction of the grain.
The deer muscle fibers—said to be tougher than the sole of a leather boot—were sliced apart as smoothly as butter.
Thin slices of meat, cut to a perfectly uniform thickness, lined up across the cutting board like falling dominoes.
Tap.
With one final sharp impact, Luciella abruptly stopped her knife.
Only about thirty seconds had passed.
Yet the large chunk of venison, enough for three servings, had already been completely dismantled and arranged in the ideal state for cooking.
“Next.”
She transferred the sliced meat into a bowl and selected two kiwis from a fruit basket in the corner of the kitchen.
What she was about to use was a method she had devised by adapting something her mother once taught her.
“Enzymes can break down meat proteins. My company used that principle to sell tenderized meat for convenience stores…”
“Kiwi! Kiwis have enzymes! If you marinate it in kiwi, it’ll smell nice too!”
“Oh my, my daughter’s a genius. So that can actually be applied? I was only trying to teach you science.”
“…Mom, you said you were a food scientist. Why can’t you cook?”
“The world I lived in had miracle machines called microwaves and air fryers, you know…”
Without hesitation, Luciella tossed the kiwis into the air.
The flashing blade sliced through the air several times.
Like magic, the peels flew off in all directions, leaving only the bright green flesh to drop neatly onto the cutting board.
DUDUDUDUDUDU—!
Then she mercilessly smashed the fruit with the broad side of her knife.
Instantly, crushed green juice poured over the thin slices of venison like a waterfall.
Without wasting a second, Luciella mixed the meat and juice together thoroughly.
The required marinating time was ten minutes.
While waiting, she sautéed onions in butter and poured in stock.
Root vegetables and herbs followed, simmering gently in the broth.
Only then did she begin cooking the marinated meat.
Sizzle—
The surface browned instantly.
The aroma of meat juices rose into the air.
She covered the pot, using the residual heat to finish the cooking.
Then she opened the lid again.
The moment she lightly tapped the meat with a fork—
Shhhk.
The once-tough venison had completely changed in texture, effortlessly separating along the grain.
Perfect.
A satisfied smile appeared on Luciella’s face.
She placed the meat into the vegetable broth and added a few more herbs.
When the finished dish was divided into three deep bowls, hot steam rose from each one.
* * *
In a corner of the dining hall sat Bael, Celine, and Dale in silence.
Celine sat upright with her hands resting neatly on her lap.
Outwardly, she looked calm.
Inside, however, she was conflicted.
Was this really the right choice?
Renard’s venison stew held special significance during the Bellaon family’s Hunting Festival.
It symbolized good fortune.
Eating it before entering the hunting grounds was more than just tradition.
It nourished the body.
It also steadied the mind.
She had heard that her mother and grandfather had both done the same.
Yet she had abandoned that tradition and chosen to stand behind Luciella instead.
A line whose outcome nobody could predict.
Was I enchanted that day?
By a single bite of cranberry tart?
Celine bit her lip inwardly.
She knew she was a calculating person.
It was something she had learned from her mother.
Look beyond the surface.
Act through judgment, not emotion.
But now she wasn’t even sure whether this decision had come from judgment—
Or from being briefly captivated by that unforgettable taste.
“…How much longer?”
Dale muttered.
Celine glanced sideways.
Resting his chin on the table, Dale was staring toward the kitchen while unconsciously smacking his lips.
On the opposite side, Bael looked much the same.
He wasn’t openly showing it, but his gaze was fixed stubbornly on the kitchen door.
Celine studied them for a moment.
Were they enchanted too?
At that moment, the kitchen door opened.
Luciella emerged carrying a tray.
Three bowls steamed atop it.
The moment she set them on the table, the aroma arrived first.
The rich, savory scent of venison.
Beneath it, the sweetness of onions sautéed in butter.
Layered over everything else was the fresh fragrance of herbs.
The scents wrapped around her senses.
Celine’s eyes widened.
Venison stew?
She really made this in thirty minutes? That famous lucky dish?
Suspicion filled her face as she inhaled again.
Perhaps there was some trick hidden within it.
“Mmm.”
The aroma differed from Renard’s stew, which she had tasted several times before.
It was more complex.
And…
“Mm.”
Without realizing it, Celine swallowed.
She could tell from the smell alone.
This stew possessed a depth unlike any stew she had ever known.
“Ohhh, thank you for the meal!”
Ignoring Dale, who enthusiastically grabbed his spoon, Celine slowly examined her bowl.
It had supposedly been cooked in only thirty minutes.
Yet the broth was cloudy and rich, as though it had simmered for hours.
The meat submerged within had loosened softly along its fibers.
The root vegetables retained their shape while absorbing the broth.
What is this?
How did she do it?
She lifted a piece of meat with her spoon and placed it in her mouth.
“……”
There was no sensation of chewing.
The meat simply dissolved on her tongue.
It wasn’t bursting with juices.
It just melted slowly and gently away.
For a fleeting moment, the fragrance of kiwi brushed across her tongue before disappearing entirely, leaving behind only the deep, clean flavor of venison itself.
Slurp—
She hurriedly scooped up a spoonful of broth.
Butter, herbs, and stock blended together with a richness that felt as though they had been simmering for an entire day.
As it slid down her throat, warmth settled comfortably in her stomach.
Celine raised her spoon again.
One more bite.
And another.
Clink.
“…!”
When she finally came back to her senses, her spoon was scraping the bottom of an empty bowl.
Turning her head, she found Dale practically licking his bowl clean.
Bael, the quietest of the three, had already finished his meal and was sitting calmly.
The eyes of the boy she had always thought impossible to read were sparkling with quiet satisfaction.
Slowly setting down her spoon, Celine looked toward Luciella.
The girl was standing some distance away, chatting with the other kitchen staff.
Her bright green eyes sparkled as she laughed.
At a glance, she looked no different from any ordinary fourteen-year-old girl.
Was this what it meant?
To look beyond the surface?
This stew—
And the chef named Luciella who created it—
Possessed a depth that could never be understood through appearances alone.
* * *
The Primordial Forest located outside the Imperial Capital stretched endlessly in every direction.
Having retained its form since ancient times, the forest was home to every imaginable kind of beast.
Ordinary woodland animals.
Creatures that should have lived only in oceans or atop mountains.
Such things were occasionally discovered there.
Among its vast territory, the areas suitable for noble hunting expeditions—places free of large predators—were the central and northern sections.
And at the entrance to the northern forest, twenty-one participants stood lined up.
Five of them stood slightly ahead of the others.
The rest had already retreated to the rear as if lacking confidence, or positioned themselves behind Theo or Edwin, seemingly intending to support one of them.
Near Isolde stood two boys who looked nearly eighteen years old.
Theo had formed a group with seven others.
Their intentions were obvious.
Celine stood beside Dale.
A faint, happy smile had been lingering on Dale’s face ever since the meal.
Bael is… over there.
From the spectator area some distance away, Luciella watched the scene alongside the others.
Because the seats were located atop a hill, they offered a view of the entire forest.
However, individual people were too distant to make out clearly.
Once they entered the forest, even that much visibility would disappear.
The Duke issued an order to the elderly head butler standing nearby.
In response, several crystal spheres floated into the air.
A type of magic ordinary people never encountered.
Telekinesis.
So Grandpa Butler is a mage scholar.
Each crystal sphere displayed one participant.
With this, they could observe events inside the forest from afar.
The Duke raised a hand and gave the signal.
The hunt began.
The thunder of hooves erupted all at once as the participants charged toward the forest.
Theo was the fastest.
Celine followed immediately behind him.
But Bael did not move.
“…What is he doing?”
Watching from above, the Duke widened his eyes in frustration.
Cain and the others wore equally puzzled expressions.
At that moment, Estelle, visible within one of the crystal spheres, slightly turned her head.
