181. Cream Bun Chef (1)
For the past few days, HunGyo had been constantly watching Lamba.
As he watched her, he kept thinking about what her deficiency might be.
But?
There was only one answer.
‘Cream buns.’
Ever since the old Battle of Summoners days, Lamba had always obsessively searched for cream buns.
Why was that?
—Lamba.
—Mm? What now!
Lamba, who had been diligently swinging her staff in the main training ground, frowned.
Lately, she had been feeling an openly obvious gaze on her from far away.
—Is it because it looks like I’m not working hard enough? Here, look at me! Just today alone, I’ve swung it over 1,000 times! At this point my arms are so numb I don’t even feel pain anymore!
—That is not why I called you.
—Then?
—Why do you like cream buns?
—Cream buns?
Lamba tilted her head adorably.
—Why are you asking that?
—I am curious.
—No, I mean, why are you asking something so obvious?
—Hm?
At HunGyo’s reaction, she took a deep breath, then began passionately preaching about the charm of cream buns with eyes full of fervor.
—Isn’t it obvious they’re good because they taste good? First of all. Think about how perfectly the outside and inside of a cream bun harmonize. Stop thinking only about swinging swords and spears all day long! You should think about harmony in food too!
—.....?
HunGyo frowned and took a slight step back.
What was she even talking about right now?
—The outside is slightly crisp yet soft, and then when you take one bite! Ahng! the cream spreads out from inside in this suuuper soft burst! Once you taste that, all the worries in the world disappear, your vision turns white, and everything feels sweet, sweet. And just think about the richness of that cream, melting softly on the tip of your tongue.......
—Wait.
HunGyo hurriedly raised a hand.
If he listened any longer, he felt like his ears would start bleeding.
—There is another reason besides that.
—Another reason? There isn’t anything like that......?
—By your logic, there are countless delicious foods besides cream buns. If you go to the cafeteria in the building right now, it is full of incredible dishes.
Hmph.
Lamba puffed out her cheeks.
—I just like them!
—Just?
—Yep!
—There is nothing in this world that one likes “just because”.
—What are you talking about? You just like training, don’t you, HunGyo?
—......
Well, that—
HunGyo took a step back.
Because he could not think of a rebuttal right away.
—Hmph, and besides.
Lamba placed both hands on her hips.
—I said I like cream buns because I like cream buns, so if you ask me why I like cream buns, what am I supposed to say!
—Hmm.
Was Lamba always this articulate?
Even so, something still felt strangely off.
HunGyo’s Instructor skill awakened the latent abilities of summons. And that Instructor skill was telling him something.
That the answer would be found in cream buns.
‘Besides.’
The fairies in HunGyo’s knowledge had little greed.
They were a race that simply lived in the forest together with nature.
And yet such a fairy, was obsessively attached to cream buns like that?
There was definitely something there.
In the end, HunGyo asked his lord for help.
—My lord.
“Hm?”
Baek Jinwoo, who had been training his breathing technique, looked up.
—You told me before to say something if I needed help.. I would like to ask a favor.
“What is it?”
—Please ask Lamba why she likes cream buns. It is related to her latent ability.
“Oh, really?”
If it was about that, then of course he should help.
Baek Jinwoo immediately summoned Lamba.
—Jinwoooooo!
“Lamba.”
—Hm?
“Why do you like cream buns?”
—Eek?!
Lamba whipped her head around and glared at HunGyo.
So because she avoided answering, he went and tattled to Jinwoo?
You bastard! That was the look in her eyes.
—I-I don’t know. I just like them?
—Are you planning to lie to my lord?
—Lie?! Since when did I ever!
As Lamba stubbornly pushed back instead, even Baek Jinwoo’s expression turned odd.
What?
So there really was something?
“Lamba. Is it hard for you to talk about?”
—Ughh, it’s not like that.
“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to force yourself to say it.”
As mentioned before.
A summon’s latent ability lay in something like deficiency or trauma.
Even though Baek Jinwoo knew that, he did not want to poke at it.
Truly.
More important than latent ability was mutual understanding with his summons.
“Should we go eat cream buns? We promised last time, remember? Cream buns made by a Michelin three-star chef! I said I’d buy them for you.”
Though he did wonder whether a chef like that would really make such a thing.
Still, after living long enough, this was what he had learned.
If you had money, there was nothing you could not do.
—Hooey-ssi.
But Lamba’s expression was strange.
She chewed her lips as if debating whether or not to say something, then finally let out a deep sigh.
—Huu, Jinwoo.
“Hm?”
—I’m working up the courage to say this!
“Okay.”
She was going to say it on her own first.
Then it was only proper to listen.
—I actually... had a mom.
“Mom?”
—Yeah, us fairies have kingdoms too, and families........ Of course, now they’re all dead and gone. The world was destroyed.
Destroyed.
‘Huh.’
The same situation as Aila.
‘Then all summons must be.......’
Were they all being brought from worlds destroyed by some unknown existence?
—The last thing my mom made for me was a cream bun. Actually, that memory is why I like cream buns. Hyaaaah! Why do I have to drag up something I’d gone out of my way to forget! It’s all because of that HunGyo bastard.
—……
HunGyo blinked.
Then he immediately lowered his head.
—I am sorry.
HunGyo, this guy.
So he was the kind of man who cleanly admitted it when he was wrong?
—No, it’s okay. It’s not like I don’t know why you kept asking me about it. Actually, yeah...... I still can’t forget the taste from back then...... I’m saying this because I’m trying to be brave, but honestly, eating cream buns doesn’t make me purely happy.
—Huh?
What did she say?
Then had she been forcing herself to eat them all this time?
That did not seem to be the case.
—Cream buns do taste good, but if I’m being honest, a big part of why I eat them is because I miss that taste.
Flutter.
Just as Lamba floated into the air and laid everything bare—
[Sudden Quest Triggered!]
[A sudden quest has arrived for ‘Wind Fairy’ (EX-grade)!]
[Would you like to open the quest?]
[Y/N]
Huh?
A quest suddenly appeared.
‘It’s exactly the same as when it happened with the Explosive Dragon.’
In the case of the Explosive Dragon, something like this had appeared the moment it met Hwang Jiwoo.
Does a quest like this appear when unlocking not just the subconscious, but the true subconscious?
—Um, what is this?
Lamba must have sensed the strangeness too, because she stopped talking and looked at Baek Jinwoo.
For now.
The moment he pressed Yes, the quest unfurled before him.
[Sudden Quest!]
[Find the Wind Fairy’s Old Memories!]
[The Wind Fairy still cannot forget her late mother’s cream bun recipe! Recreate the exact same dish her mother once made and present it to her as a gift!]
[Time Limit: None]
Ugh.
So, in other words.
I have to make that old cream bun and feed it to Lamba?
That is what unlocking her latent ability is?
‘This is insane.’
* * *
But.
How in the world are we supposed to recreate that cream bun?
“Lamba.”
—Mhm.
“I want to try recreating the cream bun your mom used to make for you...... Would that make you feel a little better?”
—Uh…
Lamba’s eyes gradually began to widen.
—W-whaaaat? Really?
Then she became unbelievably happy.
—Then I’d absolutely love that! I haven’t been able to eat it all this time because it just didn’t exist!
“Then could you describe how it’s made, or what it tastes like?”
—Ummm, honestly, I don’t know. It was just delicious the moment I ate it! You’d understand if you tasted it yourself...... but I absolutely can’t explain it in words. I’m not a chef, so how would I knowww.
Hng.
This makes things a bit troublesome.
“HunGyo.”
—Yes, my lord.
“What should we do in a case like this?”
—…I do not know either.
HunGyo knew how to cook too......
But that and accurately recreating a certain type of cream bun with no information at all were entirely different matters.
* * *
After thinking it over, Baek Jinwoo decided to ask Yoo Jia.
“Hmm.”
In the CEO office, she sat there with her hand on her chin in thought, then snapped her fingers.
“How about this?”
“What?”
“We hold a cream bun contest.”
“...A contest?”
A competition?
“We were originally planning to hire a dedicated baker just for Lamba, right?”
“We were.”
“Why not just put out a public announcement to bakers and chefs all over the world? Offer a hefty entry fee and prize money. Then all the people around the world who are confident in their cream buns will come flocking in, and maybe among them there’ll be one that tastes like what Lamba remembers.”
Oh.
That actually was a somewhat realistic approach.
And money kept piling up even now, so the burden was small.
“But.”
So he asked.
“Can modern chefs really recreate fairy food exactly?”
“Hmm, then just make the theme fairies from the start.”
“Ah, so they’d have to do at least some research into fairies too?”
“Since Lamba will be the judge anyway.”
Oho.
Nice!
That does not sound like a bad method!
“Lamba will probably like it too.”
“I may as well ask. Lamba.”
As Baek Jinwoo waved his hand,
Lamba was summoned into the air.
—Mhm! Jinwooo! Oh, Jia’s here too~
“Hehe, nice to see you. We’re thinking of holding a cream bun contest.”
Yoo Jia calmly explained it to Lamba.
Drip.
As she listened, drool began pouring from Lamba’s mouth.
—H-heeeeee.
She was even trembling all over.
—J-just thinking about it makes me so happy! I love it! I love it so much! I’m absolutely in favor!
Whew.
If Lamba likes it?
Even if it fails, it is still worth going through with.
“Okay.”
Baek Jinwoo nodded.
“Let’s put the announcement up right away.”
* * *
The next day.
A certain notice began circulating through communities all around the world.
It was an announcement put out by SKY, the world’s greatest guild.
[Cream Bun Contest Announcement.
Yoobaek and SKY jointly invite bakers and chefs from around the world to participate in the Cream Bun Contest!
<Competition Overview>
Theme: Fairies
Eligibility: All chefs and bakers worldwide (relevant qualifications required)
Deadline: None
<Support Provided>
Ingredients and cooking stations fully prepared: No need to bring anything!
Participant support: Full travel and accommodation expenses covered!
<Judging and Benefits>
Judge: Wind Fairy
Winner’s Reward: Official employment at the SKY Guild as the Wind Fairy’s exclusive cream bun chef (annual salary: 10 billion won)
If hired, all SKY Guild employee benefits will also be provided!
If employment is declined: prize money of 10 billion won
Bakers and chefs confident in their cream buns are highly encouraged to participate.
Yoobaek Representative
Yoo Jia]
In a way, it was a completely absurd announcement.
The reaction in the community this time was absolute chaos.
ㄴ Wow, damn. What kind of insane competition is this?
ㄴWind Fairy....... Isn’t that Baek Jinwoo’s summon?
ㄴ Damn, hiring a high-paid chef for the sake of a summon. What even is this...... Is this the level of bond you need to be the best in the world?
ㄴ I’m reflecting on myself and leaving. I’ve just been feeding my wolf raw meat.......
ㄴ At least you feed it. I starve mine.
ㄴ 10 billion? A chef’s annual salary is 10 billion? I have to challenge this no matter what.
ㄴ? I’m going right now to learn how to make cream buns.
ㄴ You’re only heading there now? I already bought recipe books and started practicing.
ㄴ First I’m going to get a baker’s license. Starting today, my dream is to make cream buns.
The previous guild recruitment announcement had only caused a stir domestically.
But this announcement was different.
The whole world was beginning to get excited.
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