A mid-level (middle-aged) office worker's laid-back industrial revolution in another world - Chapter 163

Translator: Jasper Kadowaki | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Tea and snacks were served to each person in the parlor. 

“Well, then. This is today’s main attraction… Are you all full?” asked Takeo, though he already knew the response. 

“I can still eat,” said Grandpa Elvis. 

“Seeing this new dish, the contented feeling I had just a moment ago has been blown away,” said the king. 

“I’m excited for this,” said William. 

The three Elvis siblings just stared, making no attempts at speaking. 

“Um… Layla-san? Lady Alice? Master Smith? …Is something wrong?” asked Takeo. 

“Takeo-sama… Hurry up with your explanation!” said Alice, glaring at him. 

Takeo cracked a bitter smile while thinking to himself, I suppose you want me to rush through it, then??

“All right, all right. Here is my explanation of the dish. This is authentic whipped cream made from fresh cream. The fresh cream was thickened through frothing, and sugar has been added to make it sweet. Today, we have an imitation shortcake dish.”

“It’s… and imitation?” asked Layla. 

“Yes. Personally, I would have liked to use fresh strawberries, but this time around, we have used dried strawberries. That’s why it’s an “imitation”. I thought I might mention that.”

“Did something go wrong?” asked King Azupal. 

“Before dinner, just now, I had the kitchen staff, butlers, and maids try some of this. They were all smiles, as usual. Isn’t that right, Frederick-san?” asked Takeo. 

“Yes. However, the sweets chef was in tears,” said Frederick. 

“Hmm, yes. That sounds like the usual scene,” said Grandpa Elvis. 

Grandpa Elvis, Alice, and Smith all gave a slight smile. 

“Now, my explanation is finished. Please, start eating whenever you are ready,” said Takeo. 

As usual, everyone began eating at the “P” sound in “Please”. 

Takeo had tried to quickly give permission to start eating, but they got the jump on him… Takeo narrowed his eyes as he watched them try the cake. 

Grandpa Elvis, Smith, King Azupal, and William were all eating with wide smiles on their faces. 

Layla and Alice both took one bite and looked over at Takeo with wide eyes as if to say, “You can make something this delicious, too?”

“Are you enjoying it?” asked Takeo. 

Nobody spoke up to respond. Everyone just wordlessly nodded. 

“All of you… You all make such wonderful expressions every time you try my food,” said Takeo, with a smile. 

..

.

They all finished eating, very quickly. 

“Ah, that was heavenly…” said King Azupal, ecstatically. 

No one else voiced their opinions, but they were all enjoying the lingering feelings of bliss. 

Takeo watched their reactions with a wide grin across his face. 

“My, my. Would you look at your faces! You all look ready to melt,” he said. 

“Of course we do. Your sweets taste like something from a different world,” said William. 

“Yes, I’ve never had something like this before… That cream melted in my mouth, and its sweetness spread throughout my mouth… Excellent,” said Layla. 

“And it went well with that chiffon cake, too. The cream was nice and fluffy, of course, but even the cake felt fluffy as I ate it,” said Alice.

“The strong tea went well with everything, too. After the sweetness of the cake, the tea is so refreshing, and the sweetness doesn’t linger,” said Smith, giving a good review, as well. 

“Hmm, yes. It got good reviews from everyone. Takeo, thank you for your hard work,” said Grandpa Elvis. 

“No, no. I’m just the inventor. The people that actually made the cake were the chefs who faithfully recreated the dish by following my directions. Please give them your appreciation,” said Takeo. 

“Hmm, yes. I will thank them, later. By the way, you said you gave everyone in the manor some to eat?” asked Grandpa Elvis. 

“Yes, as always,” said Takeo. 

“Hmm? Takeo, you said that you gave the servants in the manor some to eat, but are you saying that you do that every time?” asked the king. 

“Yes, Alan-san. Whenever I make something, I want to show my appreciation for them by sharing delicious food with them. Well, the amount they get to eat ends up quite small compared to Grandpa Elvis, Lady Alice, and Master Smith, though,” said Takeo, smiling sadly. [Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

“Lately, thanks to Takeo-sama’s cooking, the servants here have become much more satisfied with their jobs,” said Frederick. 

“Hmm, yes. That’s a good thing. Are there no complaints?” asked Grandpa Elvis. 

“I haven’t heard any. Managing the cleaning of Takeo-sama and Lady Alice’s room has become the most popular post in the manor… The veterans always want to take that particular job,” said Frederick. 

“…Why is that?” asked Alice, as if to say, I don’t get it.

“Well, they say, ‘We want to show our gratitude to Takeo-sama since he feeds us such delicious food’,” said Frederick, “The second most popular is Master Smith’s room, and the third most popular is the Count’s.”

“That’s quite interesting,” said King Azupal, laughing softly. 

“I’m not quite satisfied with that ranking,” said Grandpa Elvis, appearing a little troubled. 

“It only makes sense that Takeo-san would become so popular if he’s serving good this delicious,” said William, nodding. 

“All right… Well, I guess I will make some sweets that the butlers and maids can take with them,” said Takeo. 

“What?!” cried everyone present. 

“Huh? What’s wrong?” asked Takeo, surprised by everyone’s surprise. 

“…Count Elvis… Is Takeo always like this?” asked the king. 

“Yes, he always says things like that, quite suddenly,” said Grand Elvis. 

“Takeo-san – everyone is already happy with you, you know? You want to take it further?” asked Layla. 

“Well, it’s just that I always start making food so abruptly. I kind of feel bad about that. I thought that maybe I could make some sweets that people could take with them and eat whenever they have a moment to rest. That way, I think they might have more fun at their jobs,” said Takeo. 

Everyone was speechless. 

Alice and Smith had no way to respond. 

“And what would you make, then?” asked William. 

“Uhh… You have hard candy, here, right?” asked Takeo. 

“Yes, we have hard candy. It’s common everywhere,” said Alice. 

“Have you ever heard of caramel?” asked Takeo. 

“Cara…mel? …Hmm… No, I’ve never heard of it,” said Alice. “Sister Layla, have you ever heard of such a thing?”

“No, I don’t think it exists in the royal capital, either. What is it like?” asked Layla. 

“It’s sugar, milk, and honey, boiled down. It’s a soft candy,” said Takeo. 

“I don’t know about that, either,” said the king. 

“It melts quicker in your mouth than hard candy does, so it’s perfect for raising your blood sugar whenever you’re tired,” said Takeo. “But… There’s one thing…” 

Takeo smiled, a little sadly. 

“Hm? What’s wrong?” asked Grandpa Elvis. 

“Cooking it is an ordeal, or shall I say… It’s a test of strength,” said Takeo. 

“Oh, is it that troublesome?” asked King Azupal. 

“…It takes one hour… For about one-third of the way between the ringing of bells, one has to stir the mixture over a fire to prevent any burning… That one part is quite hard… I’ll try making some today before going to sleep. That way, I can deal with it before the kitchen gets busy… The final product should be ready before morning, too,” said Takeo. 

“What?” exclaimed everyone. 

Takeo grunted, deep in thought. 

“Well, Takeo-sama, do you really mean to do it, today?” asked Alice. 

“…You want to try some, don’t you?” asked Takeo. 

“Well… Yes, but…” said Alice, conflicted by the fact that she couldn’t hide wanting to try it. 

“Well, I’ll discuss it with the head chef, later,” said Takeo. 

“Hmm, yes. That’s probably best,” said Grandpa Elvis. [Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]