The Sleeping Devil

I was currently in the kitchen, watching Licht struggle with the millstone.

I've finally been able to start the chocolate improvement experiment that was postponed due to the tea party preparations. I had never seen real cocoa or anything like that in my previous life, but the cocoa beans they showed me were much larger than what I had imagined, almost big enough for me to hold in both hands.

The palm-sized beans have been fermented, roasted once, and then cracked open. After that, they used wind magic to blow away the shells, and the rest was crushed with a millstone.

"Is Licht getting used to the castle now?"

"Yes, everyone is treating me kindly."

It seems like Licht has already met Cork, and he's getting along well with the people working in the castle, which is a relief.

The millstone Licht was tirelessly turning has a simple design, with a round, flat stone with a handle mounted on a deeper dish-shaped stone base. There's a single pouring spout in the deeper dish, and the liquid chocolate base was slowly flowing out. The color is a dark brown, almost black, and the aroma is much better than the store-bought chocolate I had in my previous life. I couldn't resist and reached out for a taste.

"Ugh... It's really bitter, as expected."

The sweet aroma of chocolate betrayed me, and a gritty bitterness lingered on my tongue.

"The cocoa beans that this chocolate is made from had an even stronger bitterness, and I felt nauseous for a while after swallowing them."

Cork laughed and, still smiling, took over from Licht to turn the millstone. They were turning it at the same speed without any hesitation, and Licht was looking at Cork with admiration in his eyes.

"The taste might be salvageable with the right balance of milk and sugar, but I'm bothered by the impurities and grittiness. I'll make some improvements to the millstone, and then it should be a matter of kneading it for a long time."

We decided to knead the ground chocolate in a larger bowl this time. Normally, it would just be mixed with sugar and solidified like this, so I wanted to try all the possible improvements. I think chocolate needs to be kneaded for several days, but this is an experiment to see if it changes at all through kneading.

"Are you going to knead it further from here?"

"We'll do three experiments. One will remain as it is, one will be kneaded for half a day, and one will be kneaded for two days with shifts. Can we gather enough personnel for that? We'll provide extra compensation, so it's okay to use maids or servants."

"If that's the case, I'm sure there will be plenty of applicants, and it's going to be quite a task. Let me contact a few people here."

"That would be a big help, Cork. And one more thing, can your usual craftsman work on processing the stone?"

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Cork agreed readily, saying, "It's a new tool, isn't it?"

We left the kneading to the assistant cook and started working on today's cooking. We added slightly colored sugar and warm milk to the mixture, and while stirring, it gradually took on the familiar color of milk chocolate. We skipped tempering as we couldn't determine the temperature.

"Oh, this has become quite smooth! It's very easy to eat!"

"That's right! I'm looking forward to the finished product!"

We tasted it together for a bit, and then we poured it into molds and let it cool and solidify. Even so, it still had some bitterness and clung to the tongue.

While waiting for it to set, we had some tea to relax.

"Licht, have you found something of interest?"

"No, well... I've never really thought about choosing a profession, so I'm not sure what I can do..."

"You can't use magic, right? In that case, maybe a cook, gardener, or a knight, or perhaps a civil servant."

It seems that among the assistant officials, those specialized in administrative support rarely have the opportunity to use magic. While Licht can use basic spells, he can't use more advanced spells. When he tries to chant the original spell name, he panics and can't complete the incantation.

"I'm not very smart, so being a cook or a civil servant..."

"Choosing a profession you dislike can be tough in the long run. Since you have this opportunity, how about joining Sheriel in her swordsmanship class later?"

"To directly request training from Sir Sergio! That's too audacious!"

Licht was bending backward, shaking his head vigorously, but since this was more like a trial experience, I didn't think there was much to worry about. I was somewhat concerned about how Sir Sergio teaches since it's unique.

"Isn't it easier to start by observing the knight's training instead of joining right away? Father is full of energy, so you'll be fine, I'm sure."

"Licht! This is a rare opportunity! It's thanks to Lady Sheriel's generosity. As loyal subjects, we should gratefully accept it!"

"...Then, I'll just watch... Thank you for allowing me to join."

With Cork's encouragement, Licht agreed to participate in the swordsmanship class. As we chatted about the reputation of the sweets at the tea party and other events in the castle, the chocolate had solidified enough to be removed from the molds.

"The color is lighter, isn't it? But it definitely tastes sweeter than before."

It's easier to eat than the chocolate I had tasted once, but it's still more like medicine than a sweet. I relayed some points for potential improvement.

"The problem is that it doesn't have a long shelf life. It would be great if we could dry the milk into powder."

"Dry it? That's possible; we have magical tools for removing moisture."

What a handy magical tool! According to Cork, it's used for drying herbs and, for larger ones, even refining salt from seawater. It's not a type of magic that anyone can use; it's a magic circle left behind by Gifted ones from ancient times.

"I'd like to try using that powder in the next experiment. Can you prepare it for me?"

"As you wish!"

The chocolate improvement experiment was postponed for two days, and Licht and I headed to the swordsmanship class.

"So, today, I'd like Licht to join in the practice as well."

"No problem. It's about time Sheriel had some protection too."

That's right. Perhaps due to my hair color or suspicions about my background, I still hadn't found someone to act as my protector. Because of this, I couldn't go outside the castle and continued my usual daily routine.

After some warm-up exercises, Licht was also given a blunted sword. Although he had become quite robust since coming here, I couldn't help but worry if this was the right style for him. Sergio's training was Spartan, emphasizing practicality and instinctual perception.

"Well then, for now, Licht, mimic Sheriel's posture with the sword. Watch Sheriel's movements for a while. After that, you'll strike me the same way."

As expected, the instruction was to watch and learn, and I repeated the basic movements while striking Sergio. Recently, Sergio had even started standing and receiving my attacks, and I adapted by experimenting, such as jumping or aiming for his legs. It was said that if I could move Sergio even a step, we would move on to the next stage, but that proved to be quite challenging.

"Oh, did you take it easy on me today? Well, I suppose it's fine. It's Licht's turn now."

I hadn't been slacking off, but it seemed that Sergio wasn't satisfied. Catching my breath with a raspy voice, I observed Licht's initial training. Licht lowered his head and began striking without hesitation, copying my swordsmanship perfectly.

His usual lack of confidence seemed to have disappeared entirely, and he swung the sword as if in a trance.

Sergio seemed surprised by this and briefly widened his eyes, but then he smiled happily while receiving Licht's strikes.

"Did you also learn swordsmanship at the temple?"

"N-no. At the temple... I was just a practice dummy."

"Boys are often fascinated by swordsmanship, aren't they?"

The conversation between the clanging of metal didn't seem to be syncing up well, but it appeared to be true that this was Licht's first time swinging a sword.

Observing with curiosity, Sergio suddenly increased his sword speed and grazed Licht's cheek.

---Dangerous!

However, Licht didn't flinch and stepped forward. Sergio, who seemed on the verge of losing his balance, skillfully twisted his wrist and flicked Licht's sword away.

"Father! That was dangerous! Licht, you're being too reckless! Your cheek is cut."

I rushed to Licht's side, and he gently touched his cheek, staring at his fingertip smeared with blood. The bleeding had already stopped, and there was only a thin line left.

"Hmm, it seems Licht has no fear of death or pain. That might make him suitable for knighthood. With the blessing of life, he also has high healing abilities. And is he skilled at imitation? Is it a Gift?"

"I just... At the temple, there was no one to teach me anything, so all I could do was mimic."

"In an environment where I had to learn work and magic to avoid punishment, I had desperately observed and learned from others' techniques. That seemed to be how I developed this particular skill."

Sergio patted Licht's shoulder with a pleased expression and raised his head.

"You might make a good knight. You seem to have the talent for it. Do you want the power to protect Sheriel?"

"I do!"

"Yes, that's right. Your physical abilities haven't caught up yet, but with training, you'll manage. I'm here, too, so you'll get stronger and stronger."

Is that really the right reason? I was concerned about his lack of fear, and I might regret having him choose a profession for my sake later. Moreover, Sergio's hopeful gaze made me feel somewhat conflicted.

"I started learning first, though..."

"Hehe, you've gained a good rival. You'll have to go all out next time; otherwise, Licht will surpass you in no time."

What a situation. I've been managing with advantages from my past life and enhancements I started using shortly after birth. Still, it seemed I might be overtaken easily. Being surpassed like this would leave me with no place to stand as a member of the Beriard family.

"It won't be so easy to surpass me."

"I hope not. It will be interesting to see what expression Didier makes when he returns."