She began making the marinade for the beef bulgogi. She poured Galbus oil, which had a taste similar to soy sauce, into a mixing bowl. Then, she added sugar, minced garlic, apples, onions, black pepper, and the sesame oil she had unsealed for the first time.
The mixture emitted a sweet and savory aroma that gently tickled her nostrils. Sylvia tasted it lightly with her fingertip and shivered with delight.
“Mmm, my bulgogi marinade.”
The marinade for the beef bulgogi was bright yellow in color, but the taste was undeniably that of traditional bulgogi seasoning. Sylvia worked with excitement, taking out the sirloin, foreleg, and ribeye she had bought and thinly sliced them with her wind magic. The meat, which had presented itself elegantly in the middle of the kitchen, was soon transformed into a vibrant, flavorful bulgogi with the addition of the red marinade.
Using her wind magic, she thoroughly mixed the marinade into the meat, ensuring each piece was well coated. Sylvia repeated the process in another bowl.
When she had filled a large bowl about the length of her arm with marinated meat, which amounted to about five servings, Sylvia heaved a satisfied sigh.
“This should be enough.”
For an average person, this quantity would suffice for around 200 servings, and Sylvia thought it would be more than sufficient. She used her magic to cultivate spinach quickly, cutting off the roots with wind magic and washing them thoroughly with water magic.
When water and fire were generated simultaneously in the air, steam started to rise. Sylvia added a pinch of salt to the spinach and blanched it in hot water. Afterward, the blanched spinach was transferred to ice water, naturally transitioning from hot to cold and preserving its vivid green color.
The chilled spinach was then drained of excess water using wind magic and placed in a large wooden bowl. Sylvia sprinkled it with salt, minced garlic, sesame oil, and crushed sesame seeds.
While she could have used Galbus oil instead of soy sauce, Sylvia preferred her spinach salad with just salt. She tasted a bit and continued to nod her head approvingly.
“Mmm, perfect.”
Sylvia continued to work, effortlessly performing each step in the process. The magical system, her usage of magic circles, and the sequence she imagined in her mind were all so ingrained that she moved as if on autopilot. If someone had watched her, they might have been astonished and unable to comprehend the magical mastery she displayed.
She then prepared seasoned bean sprouts by thinly slicing blanched mung bean sprouts and white parts of scallions. Sylvia added Galbus oil, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, crushed red pepper flakes, and fragrant sesame oil, mixing everything together.
The savory and spicy aroma of the dish was so enticing that it would make anyone’s mouth water. Sylvia tasted it and couldn’t help but be moved to tears. It was the taste she had longed for, a reminder of the past.
For the kimchi substitute, Sylvia used blanched soybean sprouts and the white parts of scallions, sliced and mixed with Galbus oil, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and the ground red pepper flakes she had prepared earlier, along with the nutty flavor of sesame oil.
The combination of flavors created a sensation that felt almost magical. Sylvia savored the taste.
“Oh, it’s really…”
The longing taste brought a tear to her eye. She also retrieved the sweet pickled radish she had made previously and prepared a refreshing orange dressing for the salad.
Lastly, Sylvia began growing various vegetables for the ssam (lettuce wraps). The magical display of vegetables sprouting and flourishing around her was a testament to her mastery of magic and her culinary artistry.
Sylvia grew and cut various types of lettuce for the ssam (lettuce wraps): green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, oakleaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce.
Although she normally enjoyed eating kimchi with her ssam, she knew that making kimchi was still a challenge. She hadn’t found anything similar to the fish sauce she needed, and seafood was scarce in this world. However, she was determined to make kimchi someday, and with that resolution in mind, Sylvia directed her magic into the plant magic circle.
A refreshing floral fragrance filled the air. The kitchen was now filled with dandelions. Sylvia separated the long dandelion leaves and uprooted the rest, placing them in an extra-dimensional paulownia wood container for now.
Dandelions were known for their health benefits but had a somewhat bitter taste that some people disliked. However, Sylvia enjoyed the slight bitterness, which added a unique flavor to her ssam when paired with meat.
Whether they were yellow or white dandelions didn’t make much difference in taste, but Sylvia decided to stick with white dandelions because of something her grandmother had once told her.
She rinsed the lettuce, perilla leaves, and dandelions with ice-cold water and used her wind magic to remove every trace of moisture.
“Wow, this is truly perfect.”
Sylvia had always disliked the feeling of moisture lingering on her hands when handling ssam vegetables. Even after thorough shaking and patting, the moisture always remained. On the other hand, completely dry ssam vegetables weren’t appealing either, so she always washed them just before serving.
“Ugh!”
Chewing on a dandelion leaf, Sylvia shivered.
“Ugh, bitter. But still delicious.”
With a sunny smile, she began to prepare carrots, onions, the green part of the previously saved scallion, and fresh scallions. She washed them and started slicing.
“But when will Eryngium come back? How long is she going to keep avoiding us?”
She couldn’t help but worry as mealtime approached. She understood Eryngium’s feelings, but she couldn’t keep avoiding them forever.
“Well, I guess she’ll come back when she’s ready. Sometimes you can only find out on your own.”
That’s the way it is sometimes.
Sylvia placed the marinated beef on a wide pan and began to stir-fry it with an abundance of sliced vegetables.
“The aroma is really that of bulgogi.”
Tears welled up unexpectedly. She thought she had been handling things well, but her longing for Korea always remained in a corner of her heart.
Shielding her face from the rising steam with her hands, Sylvia sobbed.
“Darn it, I’m going to eat all of this today!”
Using her wind magic, she cleared away the steam and continued to stir-fry the beef in the five wooden bowls. In the meantime, she hadn’t yet cooked the rice. The pure white rice was being cooked to perfection in a large pot, resembling a traditional Korean cauldron.
The Croban Mercenary Corps was led by Felix as the captain, with Hubert as the vice-captain. While they didn’t have specific ranks, Dennis was akin to the deputy captain.
Originally, they had served in the royal knights of the Capitis Royal Family, and Dennis had been the captain of the royal knights. They were considered an elite unit even among the elites, composed of individuals who had survived the harsh world of the ruthless knights through their sheer strength.
Among the ten members, there were three with fire elemental abilities: Bernard, Brian, and Calvin. One had the power of water: Alan. Three possessed the element of wind: George, Ruth, and John. The rest were ice elemental, earth elemental, and lightning elemental users: Karl, Jordan, and Isaac, respectively.
“Can you smell that delicious aroma?”
Isaac, the blond one, sniffed the air and said, “My stomach’s going crazy.”
“Rumble, rumble,” the others followed suit, clutching their growling stomachs and sniffling incessantly.
“Nom, nom.”
With a mouthwatering sound, the members eagerly prepared themselves to feast. While some drooled in anticipation, Felix, in a relaxed manner, began slicing a fresh watermelon.
The sweet scent of the watermelon, ripe and red, caused the members to salivate. However, unlike them, the Lord usually only ate fruits and vegetables, so they couldn’t bring themselves to ask for a bite.
Dennis, who had been silently observing like the rest of the members, finally spoke up and asked Felix, “My Lord, is the watermelon delicious?”
Dennis thought that while he had tasted it before, Felix wouldn’t find it so amazing that he couldn’t resist eating it to such an extent.
Felix casually responded as if it was no big deal, “It’s refreshing, with a good texture.”
None of them could empathize with Felix’s response since they couldn’t understand the concept of taste without being able to experience it.
“I see,” Dennis replied, unable to comprehend Felix’s state. Hubert and the other members also couldn’t grasp it. However, they took solace in the fact that their Lord was eating something, even though they didn’t understand why he seemed so delighted.
“What are we having today? Lady Sylvia’s dishes are always exquisite. How do you manage to provide different dishes each time, many of which we’ve never tasted before?”
“Before, I didn’t know vegetables could taste this good. Fruits tasting good is natural, after all.”
The increasingly unique but delightful aroma filled the living room.
Gulp.
Swallowing their saliva, everyone except Felix continued to chat, their thoughts elsewhere.
“Aren’t fruits usually expensive? Honestly, this is the first time I’ve eaten fruits here.”
Brian, with his red hair, spoke. George, the green-haired one, chimed in with agreement.
“Me too!”
Their conversation continued as Dennis and Hubert joined in. They were so engrossed that they temporarily forgot to use formal language.
“In the past, didn’t only high-ranking nobles eat fruits? In fact, not all nobles ate fruits unless it was a special occasion or a celebration.”
“That’s right.”
Recalling childhood memories from the kingdom, George nodded. Hubert added, “Actually, not all nobles ate fruits regularly unless they were high-ranking.”
“I see.”
Since the Croban Mercenary Corps had no nobles among them, they all nodded in agreement.
Then, they collectively turned their gaze towards Felix.
“So, My Lord, you’re accustomed to fruits.”
Knowing that he was His Royal Highness, everyone nodded in agreement this time. It was finally clear to them why he only ate fruits and vegetables.
Clatter.
“Excuse me, could you please help me for a moment?”
At the welcome sound, the members all stood up in unison.
“I will help!”
“I will help too!”
With resounding cheers, they rushed towards the kitchen.
“Wait a moment! Here, take this. And, Ruth, you hold this.”
Without getting overwhelmed by the surging enthusiasm of her subordinates, Sylvia quickly gave orders.
The wide, shallow pot containing the bulgogi, the fresh greens for wrapping, the seasoned spinach salad, the sweet radish pickle, the spicy bean sprout salad, and the rice were all placed on the dining table. The golden broth flowed around the delicious bulgogi, and the people erupted in cheers.
“What kind of dish is this?”
As they each grabbed their spoons and forks, Felix, who had been eating watermelon, also looked at her with a curious expression.
“It’s called bulgogi. It tastes great even if you wrap it with rice and these vegetables. Come on, let’s eat.”
Sylvia, sitting across from Felix, picked up her chopsticks first. Since using a fork felt awkward to her, she had made chopsticks out of camphorwood. Her calm use of chopsticks caught the attention of everyone at the table.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Calvin, the red-haired member, asked, “What’s that?”
He put down the fork he was about to use and observed the chopsticks that she held.
“Hmm.”
Unable to respond since she already had rice in her mouth, she used hand gestures to open and close the chopsticks, indicating her intent.
“Is this it?”
After swallowing the rice, Sylvia continued to move the chopsticks and asked. Calvin nodded in response.
“These are called chopsticks. They might be a bit challenging at first, but once you get used to them, they’re more comfortable than forks.”
“Wow.”
“Would you like to try it?”
“Is it okay?”
Calvin showed curiosity and interest in learning. Sylvia smiled broadly, got up from her seat, and hurried to the kitchen to fetch the chopsticks she had prepared.
“Alright, those of you who are interested, give it a try.”
The chopsticks, which were held together in the shape of a claw machine, made noise as they moved around in a circular wooden container.
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