I haven’t really decided on a set of rules or morals for myself. I do what I want without attracting too much attention and smash people that a reasonable person would say are bad guys. I’ll put more thought into it once my training is done, but I still suck at baking. I need to make some moves with Jen.
School reopened a week after the Princess was kidnapped. I got more attention than I wanted on the first day, but I successfully made Eric the hero and mastermind behind keeping the Princess safe. I imagine he’ll play along.
I make my way to the dining hall, planning to chat with Jen.
I spot her placing bread out and walk over. “Hey, Jen! I missed you last week!”
She marches up to me, but stops to look me over like a parent. “Alfred! I heard you were hurt!? But you seem alright?”
“I’m completely fine. The whole thing got exaggerated. It was just a few idiots with swords attacking a school that teaches sword fighting. I think they were dropped on their heads as babies.”
“You shouldn’t be so relaxed about it! The academy is making some changes, so eat all the bread you can this week, ok?”
My heart drops. “Wait- what!? Are you leaving the academy?”
Jen nods and purses her lips before opening them. “The academy is shifting more funds into security, and a shop in the capital offered a great deal on bread, so I won’t be needed here.”
“That’s awful.” My bread… and my bread teacher. I’ll never replicate pizza without her. I have to hire her today. “Jen, do you have plans for what to do next?”
“I’ll probably head back home and work at my parents’ inn again. It’ll be hard to find another job that pays well enough to live in the capital.”
An opening!
“Would you stay in the capital if you could?”
“Of course, but it’s not realistic, Alfred.”
I stick my chest out and mimic my father’s negotiation voice. “I’ll match what you would’ve been paid through the end of the school year. In exchange, I want you to tutor me in breads and baking.”
“Wha- Alfred, I can’t ask you to do that for me. I’m aware the students here come from well-off families, but that’s too much…”
“It’s not charity, Jen, I am an awful baker. You’ve already improved my abilities just by giving me some light instructions, but I’m a remedial student at best. I would be grateful if you accepted the position as my tutor.” I finish with a bow, and stay in that position.
“Ah, Alfred... don’t bow, people will stare…”
I grin ear to ear at the floor. “I will lift my head as soon as you accept.”
“AH, ok, ok, I accept! Please stop, we’re attracting attention…”
Looking up, her face is a little red.
“We have a deal. I live in the old dorms down the hill, so I have a full kitchen. If working there is ok then I’ll register you as an attendant with the school so you maintain access to the grounds.”
“Oh, you have a kitchen? I wasn’t sure where we would cook; that’s perfect.”
“When would you like to start?" I ask, "I’ll be available on weekdays after classes, starting roughly two hours before the campus dinner bell.”
“I can start this Friday. I’ll be done at the same time!”
For someone who took convincing, she seems chipper.
“Then we’ll meet here. Thank you, Jen, I will work my hardest.” I can’t suppress another evil grin… or another, deeper bow.
“AH, stop please, you said you’d stop...” The blush returns to her face. “Friday it is, go talk to your friends before everyone thinks you’re weird…”
***
Friday comes fast, and my first day in Jen’s baking school is set to begin. We meet at the main campus dining hall, then head down the stone path towards my dorm.
“It’s the last one right here, please come in,” I say while opening my door and gesturing for Jen to follow me.
Her eyes scan the room from the staircase on the left to the separated kitchen on the right. “Wow, it’s huge. Are all campus dorms this big??”
“I don’t think so, but this one is further from classes, so no one wanted it.”
“How could they pass this up? You have a house and- is that a garden entrance?”
This goes on for a while, until we start working through the ingredients I keep.
“Right, let’s see you have various grains... hmm, this one would be best for bread...” Jen says, pulling a bag of grain from the pantry, “dry yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil!?”
“Oh, right, I don’t have much, but apparently it’s found in the northern continent. I like it, so I’ll try to get more over winter break.”
“It’s expensive, not even the academy could afford to use it.”
It was a present from the King for helping his daughter, so it makes sense that it’s pricey. It’s not as good as my old world’s olive oil, but it’s probably better than using animal fat for everything.
“Alfred, do you have eggs?” Jen asks.
“Yes, I keep them in the ice box.”
“I’ll take a look... they’re on the smaller side, so we may deviate from the recipes I gave you.” Jen’s eyes scan the ice box and land on the line of cider bottles before turning to look at me, “You’re a little young to be drinking so much...”
“Aha, it’s not what you think; well, it’s alcohol, but it’s my own brew made with apples. Even the Princess approved of the taste. You’re welcome to have some.”
But I’ve made a mistake. Some people like the Princess.
“The Princess!? You have drinking parties with the Princess!?”
“It’s nothing so scandalous, Jen. Several of us came here for a cold drink when it was hot outside. Then the Princess asked me to cook since I had just harvested a paddle horn.”
“PADDLE HORN!? The delicacy animal only found in dangerous parts of the eastern forests??”
I’m too excited about baking, but I can probably be more honest with Jen.
“Well, yes, I’ve been hunting since I was quite young, so the eastern forests have been fun. If we can make a decent bread in time for dinner, I’ll make you a paddlehorn steak.” My cheeks hurt from smiling this much, but I’m throwing a lot at her.
“You would!?” Jen yells and brings a hand up to cover her mouth, “but it’s so valuable... but I may never have the chance again…”
Jen comes back to her senses, and we start working on the dough needed for dinner. She has me use more eggs than I typically would, knead the dough significantly longer, and cover it with a warm, moist towel while it rises.
With those tips alone, I’m over the moon. It would’ve taken a lot more experimenting to figure out what I learned today. So, I’m going all out for dinner.
Paddle horn steaks go on the smoker while I make a batter to toss french fries, and for a finishing touch, I break into my lobster reserves to make two tails in garlic butter.
Jen and I confirm the bread dough has doubled in size before placing it into the oven.
“Now we just wait,” Jen says, wearing a satisfied smile, “can I help you with any of the dinner preparations?”
“Not a chance, you’re my teacher, not my servant. You can try some of the brew in the ice box, just be careful with it. It tastes very sweet, but it will get you drunk the same as any beer.”
I always give this warning, but it’s rarely listened to.
“Hah, I’m not a lush, Alfred, though I do like sweets...”
Yea, she’s gonna pass out on the couch. I pour us glasses of hard apple cider and return to the smoker.
“WHAAA- it’s so good! Alfred!” Jen stomps out of the dorm and into the garden area, “I’ve never had alcohol with so little bitterness, you really made this!?”
“I’m glad you like it. I read about similar brews when I was a child and experimented for years before I arrived at this. I call it hard apple cider.”
“Hard apple cider, does your family sell it? You could make a fortune...” Gold coins spin through her eyes like a slot machine.
“I’m not sure if they’ve started making it yet," I answer and think about how quickly father would've started working on it, "I gave my father the recipe before I left for the academy, but it takes a little time to brew, and you need a skilled wind magic user to make it more bubbly.”
As we talk, I place a pan with garlic butter and lobster tails on the smoker, before starting to heat boar fat on the side for french fries.
“Everything is looking good, should be done just after the bread.” I’m still smiling like an idiot, but I’m having a lot of fun.
“What’s the meat in the shell? Do paddlehorns have shells?”
“Oh no, those are lobster tails. It’s a type of seafood that’s incredible as a side with paddlehorn. I can’t show my teacher a mediocre meal.”
“It feels weird being called a nobleman’s teacher... maybe don’t say it in front of other people. It’d be better if people think I’m your attendant or chef at school.”
“You worry too much about appearances. Birth being more important than talent will eventually make this world burn.”
“That’s an odd thing to say for someone born into a noble family, doesn’t your family have territory they govern?”
“Yes, my father is the domain lord for the southern lands. He’s dedicated to improving the lives of everyone there, so I’m proud to be his son, but I doubt he’s the most qualified person for the job…”
“He’s qualified by birth, just like you are. I think you’d do well governing the area when you’re older.”
“Maybe, but I’m not interested. You’ll understand better once we eat.”
With the oil hot, I fry the battered potato sticks to a crispy texture before using the hot burner to sear the paddle horn steaks. I plate everything and bring it to the living room. I place two plates at the table while Jen carves the fresh bread for us, and before we sit to eat, I refill our ciders.
“The bread looks just like yours, Jen, I’m excited to try it,” I say as I watch her work.
“Aha, thank you, everything you made looks and smells great. The potatoes are especially interesting.”
“They’re just battered, I can show you sometime if you like them. But let’s dig in while it’s hot!”
I prompt Jen to sit and start the meal with me.
“Yes, thanks for cooking.”
“Happy to, please enjoy.”
I start on my meal while Jen delicately cuts her paddlehorn steak, then brings it to her mouth. I catch myself staring, as her lips are the same color as the inside of the steak.
Jen’s eyes light up as the flavor reaches her tongue. “OH wow, it really melts in your mouth.” But she’s voracious, and immediately onto the potatoes. “Wha- crispy outside, but so soft inside…”
Then she pokes at the shell on her plate. “What about the seafood – lobster you said? Did you buy it somewhere? I haven’t seen it in the capital.”
“That’s a long story, but it’s not a well-known seafood. They’re caught with traps along with some other shelled creatures. I opened the top of the shell already, so you should be able to pull it out and slice into it easily.”
Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen any other shelled seafood since I’ve been to the capital. Not that I go out much.
Jen uses her fork to remove the lobster tail from its shell, then cuts a piece off and runs it through the garlic butter sauce it’s served with. She raises it to her mouth and takes a bite.
“No, really, where did you get this?" Jen asks, "It’s so soft, and the butter sauce adds to the flavor and creaminess.”
“If I tell people where to get them, they’ll be hunted to extinction, and I enjoy them too much to let that happen…”
“Between the paddlehorn and lobster, this is really a luxury meal. I was surprised that you held a dinner party for the Princess, but if you served this, I understand.”
“I didn’t share the lobster with the Princess, please keep that secret," I request, "I was afraid the royal family would want my entire supply.”
That would be a real concern. Though the Princess probably wouldn’t screw me with how I helped her escape a kidnapping attempt. She’s still a Princess though.
“I get to try something the royals haven’t even had!? Is that ok!?” Jen yelps without stopping her knife from slicing through another piece of lobster tail.
“There’s no law that says every new recipe has to be given to the King. People normally do things like that because it will earn them the favor of the royal family. And I have no interest in that.”
“Huh… so you like to cook and hunt... and you don’t like royal politics... are you sure you’re a noble?”
“I don’t really have a choice in the matter, though I could run away to a different country.”
Before Father agreed to disinherit me, I was most definitely going to run away and live as Sio forever.
“You’d really run away from such a privileged position? Most people in the kingdom dream of being a noble...”
“Every position is different, but my future as a noble would be living like a tree stuck to the ground in the southern territories. If I had never left, I wouldn’t have eaten paddlehorn or discovered lobster. And I wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn from such a talented baker.”
Heavy moods make me anxious.
“You’re kind, Alfred, but you don’t sound happy with your life.”
“Not exactly. I would be unhappy if I had to live like my father. But we’ve already reached an agreement that will grant me the freedom I desire.”
She shouldn’t be concerned for me. Life is going better than I could’ve imagined.
“Oh? So, you won’t have to move back to the southern region?”
“I’ll visit, but I want to travel across the world. Imagine all the different plants, animals, and recipes out there, I want to learn about them all.”
“Do you think there’s that much we don’t have in this country?”
“Of course, I used to read all kinds of adventurer travel logs. The things they describe are so different from what we have on this continent. I’m actually hoping we can try making something described in those books after the winter break.”
I’m so used to that bullshit story, I almost believe it when I say it.
“What is it you’re thinking of making?” Jen asks, looking especially curious.
“It’s called a pizza – you make a bread dough as a base and roll it into a thin circle, top it with a cooked red sauce using a fruit that can’t be found here, then cover it in cheese and cook it in a woodfired oven.”
“Hmm, it sounds good, but do you know where to get the fruit?”
“I’m hoping the northern continent has it. I’ll be going there over winter break to look for ingredients.”
“Is winter break even long enough to make the trip? And how will you bring supplies back so far? I’m sure you’re strong from hunting, but that place is across the ocean…”
It feels nice to be honest with someone, and Jen shouldn’t have the ability to screw me, but I don’t want to ruin this.
“Not to worry, I’ve secured the fastest horses and a private boat. I’ll be back in time for classes with quite the haul.”
“Right, I’m sure the expense isn’t a big deal for nobles…”
Oh, I should figure out how much I owe her.
“That reminds me, I’m matching the school’s pay for you. How much is it?”
“I get two silver a week, and an extra two to help cover living expenses at the end of each month,” Jen answers.
I reach into my fake chest pocket to pull ten gold coins and ten silver coins from storage, then place both on the table in front of her.
“Here, the gold is your payment for the instruction, and the silvers are an expense budget if you want to buy anything to show me or to help with cooking. If you run out, just ask for more, don’t dip into what I’m paying you.”
“Th-That’s more than we agreed on... and you have most of the ingredients already…”
“I never would’ve placed a moist, warm towel over the dough while it was rising. My family chef back home never did that either. You have valuable knowledge that I’m interested in learning, so please accept the money. Unless you want more…”
“Th-That’s ok! This is plenty, I will humbly accept,” she says, bowing her head quickly.
“Perfect, let’s keep working on bread and maybe pastries until winter break, then we’ll experiment with the ingredients I bring back.”
I’m really looking forward to it. Finals should be easy, then I’m free for a few weeks so long as I stop by my family’s estate for a day or two.