Chapter 35
In that moment, I accidentally dropped my knife. Luckily, thanks to the tablecloth, it didn’t make a loud sound. I stared intently at the salt crystals clinging to the bread.
‘I can’t distribute this all the way to seaweed paste, but I could expand the range of products a bit, right?’
Not a bad choice. Even if it doesn’t fulfill the marquis’s condition of “freshness,” increasing distribution could make life a little better for the people in the territory.
The method seemed simple enough, but as long as no one knew about the jars, other territories couldn’t just copy it immediately.
“People’s lives in the territory matter more than them eating seafood fresh.”
I murmured to myself while tapping the table. Focusing on helping the people rather than on freshness cleared the fog in my mind.
‘I wonder if the by-products could be used somehow?’
That reminded me of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, when they fed kids cod liver oil. Of course, I’d need to think more about how to extract and distribute it, but if processing like that were possible…!
I immediately rang the bell to have the meal cleared. What I needed right now wasn’t a fork or knife, but paper and pen.
“Clear everything away, and bring me paper and a pen.”
The maids still didn’t respond at first. But soon enough, they cleared the meal as I wished and brought me a quill and stationery.
‘Where did I plan to send a letter? Well, as long as I can write it down, it doesn’t matter.’
The stationery was so beautiful it could almost induce guilt—ivory-colored with embossed roses. But I had to write quickly before my memory faded.
First, let’s write down the preserved foods. Making soy sauce marinated crabs would be nice too, but producing and fermenting soy sauce itself takes too much time.
What’s simple?
Shrimp paste immediately came to mind. Wash the shrimp, layer it with salt, and let it ferment in the shade to make shrimp paste.
‘I should note that fish meat can be dried into dried fish as well.’
Judging from the smoked salmon yesterday, it seemed this world already processed fish somewhat. So I decided to list all the methods I knew, eliminating those that were already in use.
Salted cod, dried pollock, gwamegi… even mackerel liver is delicious.
As I wrote, I realized everything was Korean cuisine. I worried whether people in this world would like it, but if I considered that too much, I wouldn’t write anything at all.
Is there a sunny spot in the marquis’s territory, where the sea breeze reaches? I resolved to find a place to process fish as soon as possible and put down my pen.
I could also roam around and play with Lewin. In theory, perfect.
I folded the paper neatly and put it in the scented pouch hanging on my clothes hanger. Now it was time to meet Dorian and Lewin. I tugged the cord to call a maid.
“Excuse me.”
“Come in.”
A youthful voice. Considering I was a commoner in the marquis’s residence, I spoke politely. Responding to my knock, a young-looking maid bowed her head and entered the room.
I asked directly.
“Could you bring me commoner clothing?”
“Commoner clothing?”
“Yes.”
The clothes I wore or had packed weren’t flashy, but the fabric was far too fine. Even a brief glance would reveal I was a noble.
There was no need to reveal my noble status when going to inspect the land. After a brief hesitation, the maid went out and returned with clothing I could wear immediately.
I thanked her as I took the clothes.
“Thank you. I’ll prepare everything myself.”
Noble clothing was tricky to put on, but commoner clothes could be worn alone. Besides, I didn’t like relying on strangers for such things.
When I ran the tutoring center, I always bathed and dressed alone.
I put on the clothes the maid brought. The fabric felt better than what I wore running the tutoring center. It must belong to one of the staff.
A twinge of guilt arose at wearing such fine clothes without permission. I’d buy a gift on the way back.
Having changed, I opened the door and stepped into the corridor. A knight walking nearby noticed me and asked:
“Where are you going?”
“Ah, do you know where the marquis is?”
I asked with anticipation. He pointed outside.
“The marquis is at the training grounds.”
That reminded me that I’d spoken with the marquis about swordsmanship yesterday. Even if magic disappeared, would aura remain?
“How do I get to the training grounds?”
“If you exit through the right back gate, it’s closer. If you’re unsure, you can go out the main gate and circle right. It’s quite a distance, so better find someone to guide you at the entrance.”
The knight tried earnestly to explain the route. It was mostly meaningless gestures for me, as I had only been to the banquet hall or guest rooms, but I appreciated it.
“Thank you.”
I turned and walked down the corridor. Not knowing the back gate, it seemed better to find a guide at the main gate.
I wondered if Dorian could use aura in the original story.
From what I had read, the protagonists never met Dorian. What they could experience about him were not his sunset-red irises or subtle musk scent, but the stench of the marquis’s cellar and dried bloodstains.
The “incident” I saw in my dream had passed for Dorian.
I couldn’t believe he was the same person now swinging a sword at the training grounds. But if Lewin died, he would become that.
A man who suits blood more than roses.
In the original, Dorian probably could use aura, making him the perfect villain. Villains in romance fantasy are rarely weak.
He needed overwhelming magic and aura to match the role.
I hoped Lewin’s death wouldn’t be the trigger for Dorian to gain aura. Hartman existed, but sometimes he was away. It would be better to have many who could oppose Hiram.
Lost in thought, I soon reached the main gate. I stopped a knight guarding the entrance.
“Hello, could you take me to the training grounds?”
“……A guest of the marquis?”
The knight asked as he looked at me. I nodded.
“I want to see the marquis.”
“Follow me.”
I trailed behind him. While everyone in the marquis’s residence wore plate armor, the marquis’s knights wore leather.
Perhaps the cliff location made the security looser, or maybe no recent intrusions made them relaxed.
The knight in tough leather boots strode across the grass. Being on a cliff with few trees, the summer sun beat down directly. Sweat formed quickly on my forehead and neck.
Now I understood why knights patrolling the mansion suggested finding a guide—the training grounds were far from the residence.
“Are the training grounds quite large?”
I asked to slow my pace as he walked too fast. He nodded.
“Yes. Under the marquis’s command, they have a variety of facilities for systematic training. The facilities are good too.”
“Is it to learn aura?”
“Most likely.”
The knight nodded again. Good, his pace slowed slightly. I quickened my steps to keep the distance from growing.
Currently, aura was undervalued compared to mana because it couldn’t activate magical tools and had to be earned.
“I guess the marquis doesn’t have many magical tools at the residence, focusing on the training grounds instead.”
“Indeed, the marquis doesn’t enjoy using magical tools.”
“Because they’re heavy?”
“Never thought of it that way….”
He scratched his chin.
“Certainly, carrying magical tools on the sea is risky. But beyond that… I’m not sure.”
“I see.”
I nodded. Heavy, bulky magical tools could be useless at sea, and those small enough to calm winds or protect a ship probably didn’t exist.
Perhaps that’s why the family, closely tied to the sea, avoids them. I tried to dismiss the thought.
What mattered was the training grounds specialized for training—perfect for opening aura.
It would be ideal if Dorian could unlock aura while here. Maybe that’s why he went to the training grounds.
I wished I knew the exact conditions for opening aura. I had briefly looked for books at the academy, but found nothing.
‘Still, I feel like there should be something in the marquis’s residence.’
Once formally inducted into the marquis family, I’d be able to access the study and perhaps find a method. I needed Dorian to unlock aura as soon as possible.
A faint scent of iron and earth came with the wind. Sure enough, ahead were the training grounds built atop rocks.
Considering most training grounds were just a few wooden barracks in an open space, this building was elaborate.
As I approached, I heard shouts.
“Haap!”
“Oh….”
It was Dorian’s kiai. I bowed in gratitude to the knight who brought me this far.
“Thank you. I’ll go in alone.”
“Yes. You should return in time for dinner with the marquis.”
The knight saluted politely and walked away. I crossed the short grass field, watching him disappear.
So now, it’s just Dorian and me in the training grounds.
The musk scent seemed to rise as the salty tang cleared. Since that carriage day, Dorian hadn’t been using musk.
Whoosh!
A sword swished behind me, snapping me back to focus.
