Chapter 35

The golden, smooth surface of the cream reflected the kitchen light, dazzlingly sparkling.

And what about its aroma?

The rich, sweet scent, generously infused with milk and butter, stimulates the senses.

It was only natural.

Considering the amount of sugar poured into it, it had to be sweet.

The radiant appearance of this custard cream.

Honestly, it would be enough to just scoop it up with a spoon without any further preparation.

But here, we’re going the extra mile to make a fruit custard sandwich.

Though “fruit” doesn’t mean a variety of fruits.

Just the fruit of the Predatory Water used earlier to make Menbosha.

That’s what we’re using.

The fruit of Predatory Water has the effect of dissolving the mutated mana left in monster meat, but even aside from that, its citrus-like refreshing flavor makes it a perfectly suitable ingredient.

Except its price is hundreds of times that of regular fruit.

Today, I only used half a fruit of Predatory Water for the Menbosha, but even that was worth as much as the shell of a Sea Golem’s claw.

So, it’s only right to use the Predatory Water fruit generously.

First, peel the Predatory Water fruit and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Then, grind the peeled skin into a powder-like consistency using a knife.

A grater would be best for this, but since I don’t have one, I’ll have to make do.

I wanted to bring all my cooking tools, but traveling makes that impossible.

The ground skin of the Predatory Water fruit has no sweetness or sourness, but it carries the distinct citrus aroma, which deepens the flavor when mixed with cream.

Next, cut the leftover bread from making Menbosha into the same size as before.

Generously spread the custard cream on top.

For a fruit jam sandwich meant as a meal, a thin layer would suffice, but since this is a dessert, I’ll pile it on for a fluffy, voluminous feel.

Then, sprinkle half of the bread with the ground Predatory Water skin as a topping, leaving the other half with just custard cream.

Both the citrus aroma from the cream and the pure custard flavor have their own unique appeal.

On the sandwich with the skin topping, place the cut Predatory Water fruit, add more custard cream to cover the fruit, and then top it with another slice of bread.

For the side without the skin topping, add even more custard cream generously before covering it with bread.

As for the leftover bread corners, no need to cook them separately—just dip them into the remaining custard cream and enjoy.

Today’s dessert menu:

Fruit Custard Sandwich made with Three-legged Fowl and Predatory Water fruit.

…

After sharing a few sandwiches with the innkeeper, I returned to the table with a bowl.

“This isn’t Menbosha…”

“W-well, even if it’s not Menbosha, I’ll still eat it gratefully…”

The two, who had been speaking with disappointed expressions, soon stopped talking as the sweet aroma from the sandwich filled the air.

Their eyes trembled with a mix of excitement and fear, as if wondering what kind of food I had made this time.

“After a meal, it’s fitting to finish with something sweet rather than just regular food.”

“S-sweet food…!?”

“Is it like Rainbow Honey Donuts!?”

“Rainbow Honey Donuts!? What’s that!? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

At the mention of sweet food, Mari immediately thought of the donuts she had eaten before, wiping the drool from her mouth and exclaiming. Karina, hearing the name for the first time but intrigued by how delicious it sounded, asked Mari about it.

Rainbow Honey Donuts.

They were a slightly altered version of honey bread from my past life in Korea.

The honey donuts I had back then weren’t bad, but strictly speaking, they weren’t exactly high-quality desserts.

Moreover, the ones I made back then didn’t even have nuts sprinkled on them, so they were more like a downgraded version.

Honestly, the low quality of the food was masked by the performance of the Rainbow Honey.

But this fruit sandwich is different.

Even by the standards of my past life, this dish might not be perfect, but at least it meets the basics.

I confidently smiled at the two, who were already building anticipation for the fruit sandwich.

“It’ll have a slightly more sophisticated sweetness than that. Back then, I didn’t have enough ingredients to make something impressive.”

“The Rainbow Honey Donuts we had back then… weren’t impressive?”

“So, what exactly are Rainbow Honey Donuts?”

As the two fussed, I pushed the bowl with the fruit sandwich toward them.

The rich aroma of the custard cream and the tangy scent of the Predatory Water fruit grew stronger as they got closer.

The intoxicating scent made them stop talking and focus on the sandwich on the plate.

“….”

“….”

“Just try it.”

With that, I picked up a fruit sandwich and put it in my mouth.

…

Kurt swallowed the custard sandwich, and soon Mari, with sparkling eyes, picked one up too. Karina, with trembling hands, followed suit.

*Gulp*

Of course, Karina loved sweet things.

How many people in this world actually dislike sweets?

But regardless of her preferences, her reputation in the Adventurer Guild was that of a tough barbarian warrior from the north.

Being someone who cared about others’ perceptions, she found it awkward to openly enjoy sweet treats, so she rarely indulged.

No, even before others’ opinions, there was another issue.

In this world, sweet foods were incredibly expensive.

Even as a silver-ranked adventurer, she couldn’t afford to casually snack on such luxuries.

So, the only sweetness she usually enjoyed came from the fresh, fruity sweetness of fruits.

And on particularly good days, she’d buy honey to dip bread in or enjoy fruits preserved in honey.

For Karina, who couldn’t cook, that was the extent of her sweet indulgence.

High-end restaurants frequented by nobles and wealthy merchants were out of reach, both financially and due to her fear of judgment.

But Karina was happy with what she had.

On good days, she’d open her treasured jar of honey and savor a spoonful, content for hours.

That was Karina.

But the subtle yet rich sweetness wafting from the custard sandwich she now held made all her previous indulgences seem like child’s play.

Even before tasting it, the aroma alone was intoxicating.

*Gulp*

Her mouth watered uncontrollably, and she swallowed dryly for what felt like the hundredth time.

With trembling hands, Karina brought the custard sandwich to her mouth.

And soon, she tasted a new world.

The first thing she noticed was the softness of the bread, something she had tasted many times before.

Made purely from flour, it lacked the deep flavor of rye bread but instead offered a softness that rye couldn’t match.

The bread itself had little flavor, and removing the crust only made it even milder.

But in exchange, it gained an overwhelming fluffiness.

It felt like chewing on clouds.

But that thought was shattered in less than a second.

Because in her mouth, she truly felt “clouds.”

Fluffy.

Beyond fluffy—dreamily soft.

Not quite solid like bread, nor liquid like soup, but something unfamiliar yet enchanting—the flavor of custard cream.

It began to dominate her mouth.

As she chewed the bread, the custard cream oozed out, spreading between the bread and her teeth.

The rich dairy fat from the milk and butter clung to her mouth, forcing its aroma upon her.

Only then did Karina realize that the white bread wasn’t just for texture.

Bread made purely from flour lacks the deep flavor of rye.

But in this custard sandwich, the lack of bread flavor allowed the custard cream to take center stage.

If it were made with rye, the flavors would clash, preventing the deep, rich taste of the custard from shining.

But with this pure flour bread.

Removing the crust ensured that the bread’s flavor wouldn’t interfere, leaving the custard cream as the star.

But that wasn’t all.

The custard cream wasn’t just about the deep dairy flavor.

It was a kind of sweetness she had never experienced before.

Different from the fresh, fruity sweetness of ripe seasonal fruits, and unlike the intense sweetness of honey, which she could rarely afford.

This was a soft sweetness only possible with cream.

A product of human history and ingenuity, not nature.

The custard cream’s sweetness spread luxuriously in her mouth.

For the first time in her life, she experienced a soft sweetness that melted her tongue and mind, blending perfectly with the creamy texture.

“Ah……. Hehe…….”

Karina, unaware that her facial muscles had completely relaxed into a goofy smile, savored the custard sandwich in her mouth.

“Ehehe…….”

It was a blissful moment.

…

“It’s delicious! So delicious! Incredibly delicious!”

“Ehehe……. I’ve never had such a delicious sweet treat before.”

Mari kept exclaiming in admiration, though her vocabulary couldn’t quite capture her amazement.

Karina, who usually had a half-relaxed expression when eating my food, now had her facial muscles completely slack, smiling goofily like Mari.

This side looks a bit pitiful too.

“Ah! This sandwich has fruit in it!”

“Miss Marisia! Is that true!?”

After praising the custard sandwich, the two soon realized the other sandwich had a different flavor and became engrossed in it again.

Come to think of it, the reaction to this seems better than Menbosha.

I guess sweets are unbeatable.

But I worked so hard on the Menbosha.

…