Chapter 56

Hahp

Wendy put the hamburger dipped in gravy sauce into her mouth.

And then…

Explosion.

It was an overwhelming explosion.

The taste exploded.

Did Jungwoo just ask Kurt if he was a mage?

Yes. It was as if a grand mage had cast a spell, creating an explosion of flavor in Wendy’s mouth.

Gravy sauce, made from the juices of meat, subtly changes in flavor depending on the type of meat used.

The gravy sauce made from beef is richer than that made from pork, and even within beef, the flavor varies depending on whether it’s from an old cow or a calf.

What if we used the juice from a Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer?

The ingredients used were simple: flour, salt, and butter, without adding vinegar or ketchup, yet it had a fresh fruit aroma, as if various fruit purees were used.

Since only pure juice was used, the aroma was closer to pure fruit rather than the meaty flavor of aged fruit.

If the meat’s juice is this good, not using other ingredients can no longer be called frugality.

Rather, by keeping it simple, the gravy sauce was perfected without excess or deficiency.

The thickness was adjusted with water mixed with flour, making it thick, and the butter made it smooth and savory.

Yet, despite using meat juice, it wasn’t greasy.

Instead, it was refreshing and vibrant.

The citrusy tang from oranges made the mouth water, followed by the rich sweetness of mango, and the lingering aftertaste filled the mouth like biting into a ripe peach.

Even though the sauce alone should have added weight to the already heavy meat dish, it instead seemed to cleanse the palate.

Only after eating this gravy sauce did Wendy realize that the most delicious hamburger she had ever eaten was actually incomplete.

A person born with a disability in a village of disabled people lives happily without knowing they have a disability.

But upon meeting someone from outside and realizing they are disabled, they can no longer be content with their situation.

What made the disabled person unhappy wasn’t the fact of their disability but the ‘knowledge’ that everyone else could walk.

Similarly, Wendy’s situation was akin to the disabled person who had just faced reality.

Once you know how delicious a hamburger dipped in sauce is, you can never go back to eating a hamburger without sauce.

No, it’s not just that.

From now on, could she ever be satisfied eating ordinary food not made by Kurt?

How terrifying is this food?

Perhaps her choice to accept the meal out of light curiosity and interest would lead her to become like an addict hooked on pink hallucinogenic sheep’s wool, unable to return to her previous life.

For a moment, Wendy felt a surge of terror, but her mouth and hands, moving independently of her will, couldn’t stop.

It was a terrifying yet blissful taste.

.

.

.

While Wendy was lost in complex thoughts, eating her hamburger set with an unreadable expression, Jungwoo had no thoughts at all.

Because she had no thoughts.

Why would she need to think while eating such delicious food?

The first-time taste of meat-like yet not meat, paired with a magical broth that made the food several times more delicious.

Undoubtedly, it was the most delicious food Jungwoo had ever eaten in her short seven years of life.

So delicious that even the carrots she usually hated, when dipped in the magical broth, tasted sweet like fruit honey preserves.

And what about the long yellow stick that came with it?

Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

Even the greens she wouldn’t normally glance at, soaked in the tangy oil, were so delicious she could eat them every day.

“It’s delicious! The best food I’ve ever had!”

“Is that so? How delicious is it?”

“A hundred, no, a thousand times better than fruit honey preserves!”

The sadness of Elsee not playing with her?

The excitement of exploring the market?

Even the fear of almost being kidnapped.

All of it was blown away by the impact of that food.

In Jungwoo’s mind, today wasn’t the day Elsee left her to go to school, nor the day she bravely explored the market, nor the day she was scared.

In her mind, today was a magical day when she ate magical food made by the mage lizard uncle.

“Uncle!”

“What? Want more?”

“Yes! More please…! But is today my birthday?”

“Birthday? How would I know your birthday?”

“But it feels like a birthday, it’s so exciting!”

“Is that so? Then it must be Children’s Day.”

“What’s Children’s Day?”

“It’s a day when children get presents.”

“Wow! I wish every day was Children’s Day.”

At that, Kurt silently smiled and cut a piece of his hamburger to give to Jungwoo.

In the end, despite various events, Kurt succeeded in covering bad memories with good ones, which he thought was fortunate.

After all, laughter suits a child.

.

.

.

After finishing the hamburger, fries, and salad, Jungwoo happily returned home under Kurt’s escort.

This was how a little girl from the Adventurer Guild started fearlessly visiting Kurt to get meals.

.

.

.

“Today… I met the mage uncle. The food… was… super… delicious. Ugh!”

After returning from the Adventurer Guild, Jungwoo took a long nap due to fullness, then woke up and wrote about the day’s events in her picture diary.

Though she usually found it bothersome and only drew occasionally, today’s events were something she never wanted to forget, so she took out the blank book her dad gave her for her sixth birthday and drew crookedly with graphite.

Though her picture diary ended with just one line due to her limited vocabulary, it didn’t matter to Jungwoo.

What mattered was drawing the food she ate today.

As she moved the graphite with her clumsy hands, the uneven drawing somehow resembled the hamburger she ate today.

So engrossed in drawing that she forgot her hands were getting dirty, she heard the door open as her dad returned home.

“Jungwoo~! Dad’s home!”

“Ah! Dad!”

Hearing her dad return, Jungwoo tossed aside her nearly finished picture diary and ran to him.

“Our Jungwoo. Were you good?”

“Yes! Today I met the mage uncle and played with him! He made super delicious food with magic!”

“Mage uncle?”

A mage uncle? An imaginary friend?

Common sense suggested that a mage, already a rare figure, wouldn’t play with Jungwoo, so her dad thought her story was just imaginary or a dream.

Though usually a good dad who played with her and listened to her, today he had a much more important gift.

“More importantly, I have a gift for you!”

“A gift?”

“Yes, a backpack!”

“Wow! A backpack! But why?”

“Hahaha. Our Jungwoo is all grown up now. Starting next month, you’ll go to school.”

“School!? I can go to school!?”

“Of course. You’d get bored staying home alone.”

Though Jungwoo’s family wasn’t well-off, and it wasn’t common for a girl from an ordinary family to attend school, her dad felt sorry for her staying home alone every day without her mom.

At least before, Elsee from next door used to play with her, but since last year, Elsee also started school, leaving Jungwoo to guard the house alone.

Seeing the traces of Jungwoo struggling to pass time alone every day was heartbreaking.

So, despite the recent strain, he managed to save enough money to send Jungwoo to school.

“Wow. I’m so excited!”

“Kid, that excited?”

“Of course! I can play with Elsee at school!”

Though the work was hard, seeing Jungwoo’s joy made it all worth it, and her dad patted her head happily.

“Ah! By the way, Children’s Day is when kids get presents, right? Is today Children’s Day?”

“Children’s Day? What’s that?”

“The mage uncle told me! Children’s Day is when kids get presents!”

“Hahaha! Is that so? Then today is Children’s Day!”

“Wow! It’s Children’s Day!”

Laughing heartily, her dad’s joy made Jungwoo beam and cheer.

Though not affluent, a day full of happiness for one family was coming to an end.