chapter 48
The imperial palace was thrown into an unexpected chaos.
“The portal has closed? Who on earth dares commit such an unforgivable act in the Garden of Flowers?!”
“Is there really no way to fix this?”
“No… this can’t be… my daughter!”
In the past, anyone who stole a fairy’s possessions and incurred their wrath saw their family wiped out, with their fates unknown. It was a story from a bygone era, decades or even centuries ago.
That spring, the Artwal festivities were naturally halted, and the royal family, who hosted the banquet, considered that day a humiliation.
The shame of the royal family was never recorded in history. Only vague rumors were passed down among nobles, warning them never to do anything foolish when entering the Garden of Flowers.
One must never incur a fairy’s wrath.
For the nobles of the empire, that was common sense.
“Your Majesty… what should we do…!”
With common sense shattered, even the usually solemn nobles and the dignified empress were at a loss, merely floundering in confusion.
With the portal closed, no one could resolve the crisis—until the fairy’s anger subsided.
Even one known as “the Sword of the Empire” was no exception.
Blake clenched his hands until they bled, biting his lower lip in frustration.
Royal family members entered the Garden of Flowers at a different age than the nobles.
While nobles stepped in upon reaching adulthood, Blake had entered at a very young age.
What kind of being was a fairy, as rumored? Everyone said the flower-filled fields, the sky, and the fairies themselves were like a beautiful dream.
Would his own numb, cursed world appear beautiful there?
Those expectations shattered the moment he stepped through the portal.
As soon as he entered, the flowers in the field trembled as if uneasy. Whispers filled with fear echoed:
—You’re cursed.
—A cursed human.
—You dare step where the trees stand.
—You’ll kill us all!
Young Blake’s eyes filled with anxiety at his expectations gone awry.
Then, the fairy appeared. It was nothing but a nightmare.
“…Huh? That ring? A cursed creature like you shouldn’t even have such a thing.”
“Give it to me. Give it to me! That’s mine. I must have it.”
“In return, I’ll give you a gift… right now…”
“How about that? You like it too, don’t you?”
The fairy, having taunted him mercilessly, snatched the ring from his mother and bestowed a curse-like blessing upon him.
“I’ve just made you useful! Say you like it! Ahaha! Ahahahaha!”
The fairy’s mocking laughter rang clearly. Blake held his head, it throbbed painfully.
‘…It’s okay.’
The thudding of his heart felt deafening.
‘It was only a temporary pause due to unforeseen circumstances. Since that day, I’ve constantly slain monsters. Doing so keeps those around me safe.’
He could not forget the fairy’s voice telling him to prove his worth by hunting monsters, lest ruin fall upon those nearby.
All of the fairy’s words came true.
The day he abandoned monster hunting, his mother died.
From that point, his life began moving irreversibly.
‘Soon, we’ll depart for the borderlands. Princess Priscilla will come along. She… will be safe…’
—Really?
A lingering unease seeped into him from beneath his feet.
Had he been gone from his place too long?
Should he not have grown closer to Priscilla?
Perhaps his curiosity toward her…
“…! Magic! Magic readings have vanished!”
At that moment, a palace attendant shouted urgently. All the nobles, flustered, focused on the portal in the garden. Blake, too, fixed his gaze on it.
The violent magical storm that had been tearing through the palace gardens had vanished.
The darkened sky brightened, and all magical threads surrounding the portal disappeared.
After a short while, light poured from the portal.
“…!”
Those who had entered the Garden of Flowers began emerging one by one. Parents, desperate to see their children, dashed forward without regard for decorum to embrace them.
The noble children, held unexpectedly, looked bewildered.
Blake, however, had no time to notice their reactions and urgently searched for someone.
‘Where are you… where…’
As more people emerged, the face he sought was nowhere in sight.
Suppressing his growing anxiety, he scanned the crowd until, at the very end, a tired face stepping through the portal finally came into view.
Before he could even think, his body moved toward that person.
Haa…
This is technology!
He marveled anew at the system’s convenience.
Just by following the afterimage, he had nearly completed making raw chocolate.
He placed a frying pan on the gas stove and roasted cocoa beans. Removing the husks of the roasted beans yielded cocoa nibs. Grinding these finely and compressing them using “Press” magic produced cocoa butter.
Next, he combined the ground cocoa powder, extracted cocoa butter, milk, and the appropriate amount of regular butter in a pot for a double-boil.
“Heat control… perfect. How convenient it is with a gas stove.”
Grateful to Edwin for the kitchen tools, he carefully adjusted the heat. As the mixture melted, the chocolate aroma began wafting.
Once melted, he added an appropriate amount of honey, stirring gently with a spatula to avoid clumps. Finally, the ganache was complete.
“This would be delicious as it is. Absolutely.”
But for the greater joy that awaited, he restrained his hand.
He poured the mixture into a square mold, covered it, and let it set in the fridge for half a day. That evening, he cut the hardened chocolate into squares and rolled them in powder made from leftover cocoa butter.
[Recipe Registered]
—Raw Chocolate Pavé Lv. 5 (new!)
—Additional Stats: Purification +1
A rich, refined chocolate pavé with pronounced cocoa flavor. Honey adds a soft sweetness.
Upon completing the dish, the recipe registered automatically. Level 5. Not bad.
With a racing heart, he carefully picked up a piece and tasted it.
“Mm…!!!”
The rich cocoa flavor hit first. The subtle sweetness of honey coated his tongue, followed by the intense bitterness of cocoa spreading across his mouth.
As he rolled it on his tongue, the chocolate melted quickly with his body heat, transforming into a velvety texture.
The gentle bitterness followed the sweetness, and the deep chocolate aroma filled his nostrils.
Before he could even swallow, it had melted.
‘This… this is…’
The soft, melting sensation and the addictive sweetness felt as if his brain were being massaged.
It was like being carried away on a wave of chocolate.
‘This is truly… human food…!’
The taste was so captivating he felt he could eat the entire batch in one sitting.
A hallucination of floating leisurely on a calm chocolate sea crossed his mind. Coming back to reality, he realized he had eaten several pieces.
‘Ugh. Focus. Don’t eat it all.’
Roasting and grinding cocoa beans didn’t yield much. Excluding the beans set aside for cultivation, nothing remained. If he ate it all, who knew when he’d taste it again?
He barely held onto his sanity, savoring the faint remaining sweetness on his lips.
He stored the remaining chocolate carefully in a jar, adding it to his inventory.
‘I’ll take one out whenever I want something sweet.’
But then…
“…Is it good?”
“…….”
The next day, he unexpectedly had to offer the chocolate jar to the fairy, tears brimming, to save his life.
The fairy ate it diligently without answering his question.
It was a relief that the anger had completely subsided.
‘Damn it… my chocolate…’
For some reason, he felt tears coming. Staring at the half-empty jar, he swallowed the tears flowing in his heart.
