Chapter 58
Chapter 58. Witch × Young Lady (3)
Bubble bubble bubble.
Water boiled in a large pot.
Inside were the mushrooms Penelope had picked and seasonings, cabbage, beef, and such that Isolde had pulled from her cloak.
Isolde silently boiled the mushroom hot pot with an unreadable expression.
With Isolde wearing a witch's hat and stirring the pot with a ladle, she looked exactly like a witch making suspicious potions.
'......There aren't really any poisonous mushrooms, right?'
She swallowed those words.
Somehow, Penelope found Isolde a bit difficult.
Social standing aside, she was an alchemist Penelope had admired since long ago.
Wasn't she the great alchemist who had participated in the Great Subjugation with that Hanbin?
To think she was camping in the Demon Realm eating mushroom hot pot alone with such a person—she thought the world was truly unpredictable even when you thought you understood it.
"Ah, right. Isolde."
"Yeah."
"I feel like I didn't properly thank you yesterday. For working on my magic circuits......"
"You did."
"I was in no state then, and I didn't know I'd feel it this much."
When she said cleaning, she'd just thought she'd done something casually nice.
But today, using 'Fox Flower,' she really felt it.
Originally, Penelope used magic while unconsciously avoiding circuits that didn't work as intended.
But today, magic power circulated tautly through every circuit, each strand of magic circuits throughout her body vivid enough to picture in her head.
Compared to now, Penelope's previous magic was practically like playing piano with only three fingers.
"Your favor for future generations, I thank you once again."
Penelope politely showed Isolde the crown of her voluminous hair.
"Is there anyone around you who hates you?"
"Pardon?"
Isolde brought up another contextless statement.
However, she'd roughly finished grasping Isolde's unpredictable personality.
'People who hate me?'
Penelope thought about it briefly.
"......It'd be faster to choose people who like me."
"Me too."
"Oh."
Just as she let out an exclamation at the strange sense of kinship, the mushroom hot pot was completed.
"It's done. Eat."
"I'll enjoy it. Ah, please eat first."
When Penelope scooped the hot pot into a bowl, she was speechless at that fierce visual.
She'd picked the less colorful mushrooms at least, but it didn't look very appetizing.
Especially since her palate had become picky from getting meals from Jurgen, hadn't it?
"Huh?"
But when she actually took a bite.......
It was delicious enough to make her salivary glands ache sharply.
First, there was no poison to make her collapse, coughing blood, the cabbage was crispy, and the mushrooms were chewy.
Moreover, this broth had a somewhat familiar taste.
That sauce made in the Eastern Continent.
She remembered it because Jurgen used it quite often.
"Is there soy sauce in the broth?"
"Right, specifically tsuyu."
"It's incredibly delicious. You're even good at cooking...... You're amazing."
It wasn't flattery, but sincere.
At this point, Jurgen's words that cooking and alchemy had commonalities seemed to be true.
"It's a recipe Hanbin taught me."
"As expected of Hanbin. He's good at cooking too."
"He's good at cleaning too."
Isolde spoke offhandedly and slurped the broth.
Now's the time!
Watching Isolde answer casually, Penelope, who'd been timing it, asked.
"By the way...... what kind of person is Hanbin?"
"Hanbin?"
"Yes!"
Actually, she'd wanted to keep asking.
If it was Isolde, she was Hanbin's comrade during the Great Subjugation.
She was one of the people who'd seen him most closely.
Hadn't she already obtained the precious information that Hanbin was good at cooking and cleaning?
As his devoted fan, she couldn't just let this golden opportunity pass.
Isolde tilted her head this way and that, pondering, then spoke.
"Hmm...... His voice is low. And resonant."
"He's picky about food, so he only eats what he cooks."
"When he wakes up, his hair sticks up strangely."
"And...... um...... uhmm......"
Watching Isolde count on her fingers and struggle, Penelope checked whether she was maintaining her social smile properly.
How should she put it, this wasn't the story she'd expected.
These stories had absolutely no substance.
Perhaps they weren't that close?
"Rather than that...... I'm curious what kind of person he is in more human terms."
"Human terms......"
Isolde nodded slowly as if she understood.
"Hanbin treasures his comrades."
"......"
She waited for words to follow, but Isolde slurped her broth again.
It didn't seem like she was being evasive because she didn't want to talk.
She just seemed to be really bad at communication.
"Any interesting anecdotes or anything like that?"
"Interesting anecdotes?"
This time, after pondering for a long while, Isolde answered.
"It was always fun being with Hanbin. Probably."
It might be her imagination.
But the moment she said that, Isolde looked lonely.
So much so that she felt she shouldn't ask more.
"How about you?"
"Pardon?"
"Your colleague who made Cola with you."
"Ah, you mean Jurgen?"
"Yeah."
She'd thought it was another contextless remark, but it wasn't.
When she recalled Jurgen, the bad feelings from yesterday crawled back up.
"He's sly and incredibly shameless. And he's a liar."
"And?"
Still, she couldn't just badmouth him.
"Um, he takes good care of his colleagues. He's good at cooking, works hard at cleaning. Somehow he overlaps a lot with Hanbin."
"Have you ever fought with that person?"
An unexpected follow-up question came.
From the conversation context, she'd expected Isolde had no particular interest in her personality.......
"I fought with him for the first time recently."
As soon as she finished speaking, Isolde questioned her.
"Whose fault was it?"
"Of course Jurgen was at fault."
If only he hadn't hidden the secret so tightly, no wait.
If only he hadn't shared it with Serena while leaving only Penelope out, she wouldn't have been this upset.
"Will you reconcile?"
"I-I'll see what Jurgen does. But...... um, I'll probably reconcile."
"How?"
"Actually it wasn't a big fight."
Isolde showed tremendous interest in this topic.
Her words increased dramatically, and her already close face was even closer than before.
Was this story that interesting?
"What if you were at fault in the fight? How would you reconcile?"
"Well...... I'd apologize and give a gift, I suppose."
It might be her imagination, but Isolde's eyes shone slightly.
"What if Jurgen was very angry? Would a gift still work?"
"If he was very angry?"
It was quite unexpected since she hadn't seen Isolde as the type who liked this style of Q&A.
She wanted to answer sincerely, but.......
Penelope didn't really know that either.
Above all, she couldn't really imagine Jurgen being extremely angry.
Jurgen was one of the most magnanimous people Penelope had ever met.
Hadn't he casually overlooked even Penelope's early noble-lady-style discipline attempts?
That Jurgen extremely angry?
Honestly, it would be quite scary.
"Still, if we fought that badly, just a gift...... wouldn't be enough, would it?"
"......"
Isolde didn't answer for a very long time.
Her body had also moved slightly away from Penelope at some point.
"Right."
This answer also felt a bit lonely.
***
When summer approached, Renoir Workshop became a sauna.
Because the corrugated iron roof heated up in the blazing sun and radiated heat.
Not only was there no proper cooling equipment, but it was also full of devices that produced hot heat inside.......
Someone with low blood pressure might faint if just left standing still for 30 minutes.
"Phew, it's hot. I'm really going to die like this."
Serena, wearing rough work clothes, wiped the beads of sweat flowing down her forehead with her sleeve.
Unlike her grumbling mouth, her cheeks had a bright smile deep enough to dimple.
Serena was full of motivation these days.
The ice box and Cola vending machine production that Jurgen had planned.
She was pouring all her energy into both, sleeping in the workshop when possible.
Before, she'd done it half-forcedly because she was scared of Penelope and Jurgen, but not anymore.
Jurgen was the great senior who'd saved her life.
Penelope was, um, probably......? A friend.
Not only that, but a benefactor who'd freed Serena from an arranged marriage by even yielding the viscountcy title.
Of course, that didn't mean she'd completely stopped being scared of them.......
They said a person should devote their life to someone who recognized them.
She honestly had no intention of devoting her life (because she was scared), but instead decided to dedicate the best results!
"Everyone take a break!"
"Yes! Miss!"
"Miss has become quite spirited lately."
"She used to have a gloomy side, but she always smiles now so it's nice to see, isn't it?"
"Hey, bring some cold Cola!"
The Renoir Workshop employees also welcomed Serena's change.
Just as Serena received a cold Cola bottle and gulped it down.
A visitor arrived.
"Miss Serena, do you have time?"
It was Jurgen.
Serena immediately put down the Cola bottle and bowed 90 degrees to Jurgen.
"You're here? Senior Jurgen?"
"Can't we do something about that title? Miss Serena is now a proper viscount too, isn't she?"
"Hey, since father is here, I'm not a viscount yet."
Just as there couldn't be two counts in one family, the same applied to first-generation noble viscountcies.
Of course, the recommendation letter itself had been submitted, so when Serena became head of the family later, she'd definitely receive the viscountcy, but.
"Is it about the vending machine? I actually had some things I wanted to ask."
"No, it's not that. I have something I'd like to consult with Miss Serena about."
"Consultation? With me?"
"That's right."
Serena blinked her large eyes.
Jurgen was a great senior to whom she owed a great debt, and at some point had become established as a role model.
Not only was he well-versed in mechanical engineering, his personal power was tremendous, and he was also savvy about high society politics, wasn't he?
For him to request consultation.
"C-could someone like me be helpful?"
"Of course, Miss Serena."
Since her appearance was so disheveled, Serena first requested shower time and then guided Jurgen to the reception room.
"Please wait just a moment. I'll be right back."
While waiting for Serena in the reception room, Jurgen fidgeted with his thumb.
Actually, everything was going well.
He'd secured full cooperation commitments from Baron Keystone and Branch Manager Belheim.
The culinary revolution he'd aimed for was properly on track.
As soon as the Cola bottling system was fully established, he planned to move to the next step.
Having laid the foundation with beverages, he planned to use that capital and influence as a foundation to properly spread 'cuisine.'
How long had it been since he'd devoted himself to one thing while thinking only of pure aspiration and goals?
These were truly rewarding and fulfilling days.
However, the past he'd been avoiding didn't disappear and returned.
How should he express it?
Right.
Karma.
The past that a person accumulated throughout their life presented the bill as if it was time to settle accounts.
Vic had been a loyal subordinate who'd stayed by Hanbin's side from the Secret Burial Unit days through the Great Subjugation.
Isolde had been a good teacher and a lifesaver.
When they discovered the wicked Order bastards conducting 'The Devourer's' summoning ritual.
Hanbin had tried to sacrifice himself.
Because both people were precious to Hanbin.
However, Isolde used her 'Life' without any consultation to modify Vic's circuits.
She stopped the avatar's summoning.
As a result.
Vic was forgotten from everyone's memory except the two people who'd been at the 'ritual.'
Along with that, she lost her self and reason, reduced to the mere form of a monster.
That day, Hanbin lost his most precious comrade.
The teacher who'd once guided Hanbin became an incomprehensible, strange existence.
Hanbin gave up forgiving Isolde, gave up hating her, and even gave up understanding her.
But now it was time to face what he'd postponed.
Forgive Isolde, hate her, or continue as eternal strangers just like now.
"Um, excuse me...... Jurgen?"
Lost in thought, Serena gently poked his shoulder.
Perhaps because she'd come in a hurry, her hair wasn't properly dried and the ends were damp.
"Hmm? When did you arrive?"
"A little while ago. You weren't saying anything with such a scary expression for a while......"
"Ah, sorry. I was organizing my thoughts."
"That can happen. So...... what's the problem? Honestly, I'm not confident I can help well, but...... I can at least be a teddy bear substitute."
"Thank you."
Actually, Serena wasn't confident she could consult skillfully.
However, Serena also wanted to do something for Jurgen.
"I had a big fight with someone. Now I don't know how to view that person, how to treat them. I can't get a grasp at all. So I'd like to hear Miss Serena's thoughts."
"Could you explain in a bit more detail?"
"So......"
Since he couldn't tell Serena everything, the consultation was quite vague.
Serena, who'd been seriously listening to Jurgen's consultation request, immediately noticed that point.
'This is too vague?'
Even when explaining machine operating methods she'd never heard of, Jurgen was clear and lucid.
But right now?
Even conveying information like 'I fought with so-and-so and don't know what to do' had terrible delivery.
He was deliberately speaking in roundabout ways.
Which meant.
Because it was somehow awkward and embarrassing consultation?
"Aha!"
A large lightbulb went off in Serena's head.
'This...... must be relationship advice, right?'
Fought with someone!
Don't know how to view them! Can't get a grasp on how to treat them!
Wasn't this exactly consultation after lovers fought?
"Jurgen, did you perhaps fight with a woman?"
"Oh? How did you know? That's right."
At Jurgen's answer, Serena mentally banged the table.
Right, right.
This totally makes sense.
'It really is relationship advice!'
Finally, Serena found confidence.
Because this field was the only specialty area that this Serena Renoir was confident about.
"Don't worry! Senior!"
"Hmm?"
Serena had never once,
No, never once in her life shown such confident spirit as she patted her chest.
"I'm an expert in that area, you see."
Indeed, just as she said.
Serena's hobby was reading.
Especially romance novels.
She was a romance expert who'd read through over a thousand romance novels.