774 Affinity Supper ⑤ - Post-food Confectionery

"So, finally, it's a treat."

After the Giva and Mallorian dishes had been cleaned up, after a lot of bickering, the after-dinner sweets were served.

Last time it was a treat that stood out for Mizola flowers, but what kind of treat will be served tonight? Even if it wasn't Tour-Din, expectations were about to swell.

"Dia specializes in confectionery. Although Varcus is called the cook's bi-perfection, if it's just a confectionery battle, Dia won't take the fall."

The last crochet opens as the voice of Eurifia sounds like that.

But then again, we were supposed to raise our voices of surprise.

"This is... amazing beauty"

Rayna-Lew crushes as she feels.

Tour-Din also stared at Dia's confectionery, opening his eyes as wide as they could.

This time the confectionery also stood out for something.

Without having to listen to the commentary, the title is "The Night Sky".

On a plate, a night sky of stars appeared.

The background is dark blue with a tendency to gradient.

There, there's a silver star glittering. It's also the belt of a nebula when it comes to the heavenly river.

Is this glow a sugar worker?

In silver, slightly reddish or greenish stars are also arranged. It still never occurred to me that cultivation as an artist would also be essential to build such a beauty.

The dishes are oval shaped with some depth, where the starry sky is laid.

Whether or not we can scratch this with a spoon or not, it was hard for us to pretend at first sight.

"I left it up to Dia regarding today's dedication, but only the confectionery came from me to place an order. This is one of the most impressive confectionery I've ever made from Dia."

With an inadvertent smile, Fermes spoke that way.

"I've never seen such a beautiful treat before. I was studying astronomy in Wang Du, so would I feel that way? [M] It's a shame to eat it."

"But if you didn't eat it, the sweets would melt and collapse. Before that happens, let's have it."

Led by Eurifia, the people of the Marquis de Genos take the keys. Even with all this stunning confectionery, I guess it's still something they're used to seeing.

I burned the brilliant craftsmanship to my eyes and then decided to be Eurifias.

I suddenly didn't feel like twitching in the middle, so I take the edges modestly quicker.

The dark blue night sky was soft as cream, with yellow and white fuwano dough hidden beneath it.

When you soak it up, a beautiful night sky is cut out in the spoon. What a surreal look, based on fuwano dough baked in yellow and white.

When I carried it into my mouth, the strong sweetness, acidity and sobriety ran through my mouth like a twirl.

It is sweet naturally because it is confectionery, the acidity seems to be aromatic or Amantha berry-based, and the sobriety to be vanilla.

It also has a minty flavour. I haven't seen many people use Yural before, but Dia seems to be taking advantage of it.

Nevertheless, it had a deep taste.

The acidity and sobriety remain brilliantly harmonious, without disturbing the sweetness of the lead role. When it comes to berry-based western confectionery made with mint, it is classified as a somewhat complex flavor for me, but I could still say it properly.

Besides, this texture is also exquisite.

The dark blue night sky is somewhat finely crafted, with a jelly finish, and the fuwano dough is snugly baked. The sugar confectionery star texture was a pleasant accent there.

"I guess you can feel something like this in the starry sky."

Fermes, who seems to have finally spoken of the confectionery, snapped with a slightly distant voice.

You would mean Dia. Dia smiled softly, watching Fermes.

"Starry skies to me are hard, cold, and reminiscent of sweetness and bitterness. But this is how you ended up with a sweet, sour and refreshing flavor. This means you recognize the starry sky as something like that."

"It's the left-handed one... what a beautiful starry sky tastes like, and it's a treat I made while dreaming about it"

"Yeah. Of course you can't speak of the starry sky, so there's no such thing as the right answer. People have their own impressions of the starry sky."

That said, Fermes smiled with a grin.

Stick around, I guess I'm not complaining about this flavoring.

(In the first place, you never imagined the taste of the starry sky. You mean Dia, as well as Fermes, is quite a romantic)

With that in mind, I turned my gaze toward Tour-Din and Odifia.

Tour-Din is eating the starry sky in the face of seriousness itself, and Odifia stares wholeheartedly at its side.

Eventually realizing it, Tour-Din smiled gently at Odifia.

"It's okay. I won't make Odifia anxious by saying things I don't care about anymore."

Odifia nodded "Yeah," then inserted a spoon into his confection.

Georg-Zaza, who was watching it sideways, called "hey" to Dia on the fence.

"I think this treat is delicious, too. I don't really like Castle Town cuisine, but I think your dishes are roughly delicious."

"Thank you. It's an honor for you to say that."

"... the Marquis are happy to be as good as you."

And, Georg-Zaza had a rare and badly toothed feeling.

Dia leans her little neck, smiling softly.

"Perhaps you, too, would like to know how Princess Odifia feels?

Tour-din looks back at Dia as surprised.

Odifia also looked at Dia a little anxiously with her spoon turned.

But Dia had such a soft face.

"Princess Odifia seems to be better suited to your mouth than my luscious treats. I can't help you, unless I'm sorry."

"Yes, no, I guess I and others just happened to have a taste for Odifia..."

"Yes, it must have happened,"

Gently narrowed Dia's eyes gaze equally at Tour-Din and Odifia.

"When I was a child, I had a meeting with your loved ones, which happened to coincide with cooking and touring that perfectly matched my tastes. I'm sure it's the same thing."

"Same as that......"

"Yes, in that night I was to be distracted by something called a delicious meal. But when I was invited to several similar meetings afterwards, it didn't even move my mind that far. I was so disappointed that I was just lost in my first extravagant dish... but a while later, you gave me another chance to mouth the first cook's dish."

Dia narrowed her eyes even more as she missed those days.

"And when I had spoken of the dish, I was sure. I was fascinated by this dish of yours… no one else, only his dish shook my heart. Even an equally prestigious cook would never cook the same dish. Even dishes made in similar ways feel completely separate to me. That is how I became a disciple to that cook, who is the only one for me."

"So you're saying that for Odifia, Tour-Din will be the only one"

To George-Zaza's words, Dia nods quietly, "Yes".

"I'm sure Princess Odifia has such a delicate tongue… or a bigoted temper as I do"

"Well, if you were a bigot, all the humans in this world would be bigots."

When Eurifia said in a voice containing laughter, Dia finally gave a euphoria.

"I hope you will forgive me for my disrespectful words addressed to your master's bloody Princess Odifia."

"There's no way I can blame you for this, is there?... Thanks, Dia"

That being said, Eurifia laughed at the straw Odifia.

"Damn, I guess that's what it means. Even if 99 out of 100 people chose Dia's confectionery, it means that Tour-Din's confectionery tastes best to you."

"Yeah," he nodded, then Odifia glanced up at his mother with a high profile.

"But... if you were in the 100, there would be one other person besides Odifia who would hang out with Tour-Din."

"Absolutely. Dia and Tour-Din are just as good at making sweets."

Thanks to Dia, the soothing air seemed to have returned on the spot. George-Zaza also looks relieved.

There, Fermes brought a sneak laugh.

"Is there something about cooking that resembles a love affair? As Dia and Eurifia say, it was as if they were talking about love."

"Alas, I'm surprised those words pop out of your mouth. No matter how many hot eyes your lady sends, you're blind."

With your ladylike grace, Eurifia responded to Fermes.

Fermes laughs, still tickling like a toddler.

"Diplomat, I should behave in moderation. Sooner or later, you will return to the king's capital."

"Nice work.... If you weren't my lord, I might have misunderstood that you were in love with Asta."

"There seem to be a few nobles in the Wang capital who have a small family name, but what I hold in Asta is a different thought from love"

Really smiling innocently, Fermes came back to me.

"Or did you mislead Asta into something?

"Oh, no, never that...... yes, it's okay"

"Really? I hope you're not worried about I-Fa either."

I glanced at Ey-Fa while I sighed inside telling her not to say anything extra.

As you can see, Ai-Fa is eating up his teeth with his face red.

"Again and again, I don't want to interfere with Asta's life. Of course, when Asta reaches the point of inappropriate conduct as a Genos citizen, she is in a position to be restrained as a diplomat… Asta will not end up like that."

"Yeah. You trust Asta."

"Yes, if Asta is a People Without Stars, she won't go the wrong way."

Smiling gracefully, Fermes carries the cup of tea into his mouth.

Then a low voice, "Then…" echoed from the other side of Ai-Fa.

"Doesn't that mean you trust The Starless People, not Asta herself?

Sitting on the other side of the Ai-Fa is Gazran-Rutim.

Hearing that voice felt a lot cracklier.

"Oh, that's true. As a diplomat, it could have been an inappropriate statement. But this is an informal rapport, so I hope you'll forgive me."

When Fermes answered around smiling, Gazran-Rutim quietly thanked him.

"It's my pleasure to apologize for giving you the slip."

"It's not a tip-off or anything. I want Gazran-Rutim to talk a lot."

And, Fermes' eyes floated a much darker light.

"Gazran-Rutim today looks a little cheerful after all. Could it be... that Gazran-Rutim has done all he can to me?

"... no. I sincerely hope to bond correctly with you."

"Really? So, why are you looking down on me like that?

I can add a little sweet sound to Fermes' voice.

Gazran-Rutim intercepting it had a much tougher face.

"I've been thinking about how I should behave in order to deepen my bond with you. I apologize for any loss of respect."

"I'd be happy if you didn't strain your shoulders like that and spoke with ease. I'm not such a big person. [M] He's a very boring person compared to the people by the woods."

Gazran-Rutim slowly shook his neck sideways, keeping the same look.

"If you were a very common person, I guess that means I don't know anything about this world. … If I didn't know the world outside the woods until a while ago, I guess that's the natural story."

"Not at all. I don't know anyone else with a clear brain like you. Though you are a hunter by the woods, you are a rare man with the same comprehension and analytical skills as a scholar in the capital."

With that said, Fermes embarked on himself slightly.

"And thou art a hunter that lives in the woods, and thou hast the power to perceive this world in thine body. I think you see more truth in this world than I do, Gazran-Rutim."

"Not at all. I 'm-"

"Does that mean that playing that gazran-rutim makes me look like an alien being?

I gently whispered Gazran-Rutim's words, and Fermes overlapped them that way.

Yes - even when we first met, Fermes had these ways of speaking.

"What do I look like in Gazran-Rutim's eyes? If you could tell me, I'd be glad to."

Once Gazran-Rutim closed his eyelids, he stared at Fermes' soft smile.

His eyes are lit with sharp light when it comes to eagles.

And - for as long as Fermes' eyes were filled with, you know, evil lights that sucked in his soul.

"I would like to cling to words like that. As a folk by the woods, I will not be allowed to disrespect you, the diplomat of the king's capital."

"That bothers you more and more. This is an informal dinner party, so there's nothing to think about. No matter how rude you say it, let's not ask."

After saying it that way, Fermes chuckled.

"Besides, I don't think Gazran-Rutim would say so rude a word. If you wish to bond correctly with me, please tell me the truth."

"... Whatever I may say, can you promise me that I will not hold the people by the woods accountable?

"Yeah, of course. You will not make yourself responsible, not only for the people by the woods. By Western God, I promise you."

"Then -" Gazran-Rutim corrected his residence.

"Think of it as a shallow assumption of a human being who doesn't know the reason, and listen. It makes me feel like you're very far away."

"A distant being?

"Yes. You have done so and are no longer present on this occasion. But it's kind of like sitting alone far away... and that's what makes it seem like you're watching what we're doing in a puppet play."

Gazran-Rutim went on to say so in his usual serene voice.

Just those eyes, they still blink sharply.

"You are so excited when you talk about myths and gods. And when we talk about Asta and the people by the woods, it feels the same way. For you, human beings… are in the same line as dolls used in puppet plays or characters in books?"

"I see..." Fermes combined his white fingertips on the table.

"This is how I interact directly with you. Even so, it feels like only one person is looking down from the height, does that mean?

"It's not high. It's just far away.... I wonder if you're really getting this word, to the point where it makes me suspicious"

That being said, Gazran-Rutim shook his head sideways again small.

"When I'm exchanging words with you, it makes me feel as if I'm a puppet play doll. There's no way to speak to a puppet's play doll about a spectator."

"I see. If you see a puppet as a god, a spectator as a bystander, you're probably shooting a target unexpectedly"

Fermes raised his face as he looked up at the chandelier over his head as he hid that hideous eye in his eyelids.

"Again, you seem to have a rare observational eye and analytical power, Gazran-Rutim. Your words have penetrated my heart."

"... how rude of you to say it, doesn't it make you angry?

"I have no reason to be angry. You just told me your impression."

Fermes can flaunt her shapely lips.

It is an expression that even looks innocent because of the hidden demonic eyes.

"The truth is, what the hell is going on? It's just that I've been one of these people since the beginning. I didn't neglect the world because of something, and I'm going to be honest with others."

"I know. You must be sincerely merciful of everything in this world. It's just... it's just that it's in different positions."

"A tourist of the puppet's play, is it? I really liked that word."

Fermes laughed as he shrugged, then opened his eyelids and turned back to Gazran-Rutim.

From those eyes, the demonic light is extinguished.

"Whatever it is, I'm not thinking about pushing the puppet away and sitting on its seat. Can you believe that?

"Yes, if you were such a man, the people of the woods would never forgive you so much."

Gazran-Rutim grabbed his right fist, which he had placed on the table, and put a painful light in his eyes.

"I sincerely hope to bond with you correctly. It may be a strange way to put it… but it is only then that I think you will be able to achieve your happiness as a human being"

"Hehe. Then why don't you just stay on this side?

"No," Gazran-Rutim replied, smiling with a sad-looking face.

"I can't do that. I don't think even that Camua-Josh can do that."

"Is it Camua-Josh? He's also a rooted bystander, but he really enjoys going wild on stage."

Fermes smiled satisfactorily.

"Thank you, Gazran-Rutim. Talking to you is, after all, a great pleasure for me. Please continue to talk to me in order to bond correctly."

"... Yes. I hope so."

"I'm sorry that other people have been hanging out for so long. You must have been bored.

I was distracted by the interaction between the two of them, so I finally returned to me and checked the situation around me.

George-Zaza, Tour-din and Raina-Lou, plus Odifia and Dia, are a bit of a decent facade.

Melfried is completely faceless and unable to read inside, and Eurifia leans her little nook at the thought.

And Ai-Fa - he was laying his eyes down with a very difficult face as to whether he was trying to understand the current question.

"Though I got a lot of hiccups about what Gazran-Rutim was going to tell me... I didn't really get it. That was as comfortable as listening to questions from scholars."

Eventually Eurifia said so to take the place back.

"But well, bumping into each other's true feelings isn't a bad thing. Hey, you?

Melfried only replied, "Uhm."

After all, it is unclear how you feel. Maybe he was rebelling the conversation between the two in his head, just like I-Fa.

(Of a puppet play, a spectator... I don't even feel like I know... I don't know what it's like)

As far as I'm concerned, that's all I could think about.

The only thing I know is that even for me, Gazran-Rutim is the most enlightened person I know.

That gazran-rutim never spoke of his will. As such, he must be flesh-pressed by the truth.

So, what can we do - so far, I wasn't sure about that.