Chapter 4: Lords Incurable Disease (3)

Chapter 4: Lords Incurable Disease (3)

The room assigned to Dominic wasn't extravagantly opulent, but it was meticulously arranged in a traditional style, fitting for a guest bedroom.

The bed appeared exceptionally comfortable at first glance, yet Dominic had a nagging suspicion that it might prove to be deceiving.

'I need to formulate a dietary plan...'

It wasn't that he had never devised dietary plans for patients before. After initially obtaining his nutritionist license and before working at a school, he had spent approximately a year working at a hospital cafeteria. He was confident in his ability to provide dietary options, including low-sodium choices.

'But I lack experience with VIPs. This is causing me considerable stress.'

This was the issue at hand.

Dominic had always organized group meals; he had never provided personalized nutritional counseling for VIPs.

[Is it different dealing with VIPs?]

[Of course, you don't have to think about the cost of ingredients. You only need to focus on the nutritional balance. It's not a mass meal, so you don't have to worry about the cooking method either. Actually, in a cafeteria, you need to match the budget, please the chefs; it's kinda tough, right?]

[True. Then it should be easy?]

[Not entirely. The expectations for quality are different. If you spend that much money and the meal is no different from school food, you'd get fired immediately. It's like walking on a tightrope.]

One of his colleagues, who earned a six-figure salary, had provided dietary consultations for VIPs. If Dominic had known it would come to this, he would have inquired for more details, a regret that was now eating away at him.

But he couldn't dwell on regret forever.

'First of all, fatty parts are off the table. Alcohol is also obviously a no-go... I wonder if they like vegetables. Hmm.'

Sitting at a gleaming, polished mahogany desk, Dominic was about to seek assistance when he opted to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"Ah, you surprised me! You're still here? ... The whole time?"

"Lord has instructed me to serve you day and night."

Upon opening the door, a young knight, who appeared to be of the same age as Dominic, was standing like a statue, fully armed.

'This isn't service; it's surveillance.'

However, he couldn't voice his thoughts. After all, the law is distant, but a fist is near.

Suppressing his startled heartbeat with both hands, he spoke.

"I need to know about Lord's lifestyle and health status to plan the diet. I was thinking of meeting the attending physician or the chef in charge. Ah, I also need the opinions of the servants..."

"Impossible."

"...Excuse me?"

"Everything you mentioned is highly confidential and related to the Lord. You, as an outsider, neither need nor are allowed to know."

"But..."

"Know your place."

There was no getting through to this guy.

The knight looked like he could be the center of an idol group with his handsome face, but the cold aura he exuded made Dominic realize you can't judge a book by its cover.

"Still, I was asked to prepare a meal plan..."

"That was likely not a serious request from the Lord. Probably just a precaution. All you need to do is prepare a healthy menu and send it to the kitchen."

"...Fine."

Although not satisfied, Dominic couldn't push it further.

With Lord out of sight, annoying this blond knight served no purpose.

'Well, if anything goes wrong later, it's all his fault.'

As he was organizing his thoughts to turn around,

"How could food possibly cure any illness? Really..."

"It's on the first floor, to the far left."

Dominic quickly returned to the room to grab a pen and paper for notes. It was a bit cumbersome, but it couldn't be helped.

"Repeating myself, going to the kitchen will be futile."

"Yes, yes."

"The chefs won't share their recipes, even at knifepoint. You won't learn much."

"Oh, that's a big problem."

The knight seemed genuinely concerned, but Dominic responded with a lackluster tone.

'What is he trying to do? Tsk, got myself into a troublesome situation.'

Somewhat offended by Dominic's attitude, the blonde knight internally clicked his tongue.

He seemed to have some reputation, but he looked no older than him, probably just a village chief from a small town.

It was hard to believe that this person could hold the key to curing the Lord's illness, which even the famous healers in the vicinity had failed to treat.

Moreover, this young village chief pointed out that the cause of the master's illness was food.

'Surely it was fatty meat, right? Then there must be a problem with the chef's recipe. Could it be poison?... No, if it were poison, it wouldn't have gone unnoticed. So is this person just a scam artist?'

If Dominic had heard the knight's thoughts, he would have beaten his chest in frustration.

The young knight still couldn't understand that perfectly good food could harm the body.

"Quack doctor?"

"Ah, no, you misunderstand, chef."

Pushing the knight's confusion aside, the first person Dominic encountered as he went to the kitchen was that very chef who had been grilling the tripe.

"I thought the young village chief got into trouble because you were taken by the knights."

"Isn't the fact that I'm safe proof that I'm not a quack doctor?"

"Well, true. But why are you here?"

The misunderstanding was cleared up in an instant.

"I've been tasked with overseeing the Lord's diet for a while."

However, the kitchen's atmosphere instantly turned icy at Dominic's words.

They thought this young guy had stolen their position.

"Don't misunderstand! The chef's position remains the same! I'm simply responsible for determining which ingredients suit the Lord and which do not."

"...Really?"

"Aye, dont misunderstand. I'm your assistant, in charge of, whats it called, ingredient management."

"Hmm, under me?"

"Yes, lets put it that way."

"Good, then there's no problem!"

Finally, the chef took his knife out of the cutting board.

'Kitchen politics are the same everywhere, ugh!'

If he had asked for the recipe of all the food the Lord has eaten so far, or said he would personally prepare and serve the food, he would have been beaten senseless.

A command from above is a command, and kitchen order is kitchen order, as the rule goes.

"But ingredients that dont suit the Lord, what are those? Do such things exist?"

At the chef's words, Dominic grinned.

"Of course. People have different constitutions, after all."

Not only the chef but also the blonde knight, who had been standing with his arms crossed as if uninterested, seemed to take a sneaky glance.