Chapter 382: Intermission – A Challenge to Express Deliciousness
Pageboy Hague, assigned to the previous Emperor for the Imperial Delegation.
He was doing a completely different job until he was assigned to the delegation to the Western Countries.
His official status is Baron Hagen Venda.
Although unique in many ways, he is an established aristocrat and the head of a baronial family.
Moreover, Baron Hagen Venda’s name was known to all military personnel in the Central Countries.
That’s because he’s always attached to the Imperial Army.
And for his unique magic.
and
It is a magic that only he can use, though that only applies if you consider the Central Countries.
He himself thinks it’s more of a curse than magic.
However, even if it is a curse, he places a lot of importance on the pride of being an important personnel of the Imperial army.
That magic is extremely harsh and he sometimes even threads the line between life and death.
However, even that does not dampen his pride.
Although it was tough, he was happy and took pride in his work.
But…
When a delegation was to be sent to the Western Countries, he was told by the new Emperor Helmut VIII to accompany the delegation.
Of course, he could understand why.
His could only go to places he had visited once.
For that reason, the Emperor probably wanted him to go to the Western Countries once, and then establish the possibility of teleporting back and forth.
Well, he didn’t mind that.
After all, it might help the Empire and leave a better country for his children.
It was different from supplying the military, but he considered it another proud job.
However, joining the delegation as a pageboy was a different matter.
First of all, why did he need to be a pageboy?
He is a baron.
Wouldn’t it be fine to just send him as a member of the delegation?
Was it because it would cause problems if people found out that Baron Hagen Venda had left the Empire?
If that was the case, why not give him a different status and make him a civilian official?
Because he has been involved in military supply for a long time, he was quite good at numbers related to food.
To the point that his capabilities in that field were comparable with the people from the Ministry of Military Affairs.
And yet…
A pageboy.
Of course, it was not like he was being treated badly by his co-workers or his boss, the head page.
They probably didn’t know Hague’s official status, so he was forced to work properly and legitimately.
That was not the problem.
It was about pride in his work.
That’s what it’s all about!
Unfortunately, Hague still does not take pride in his work as a pageboy.
Seeing his co-workers working with pride, he found it dazzling to look at.
He understood that it was a matter of his heart.
That’s why it’s so depressing…
While he wanted to return to a job that he could be proud of, he also hoped that he could at least be able to take pride in his work as a pageboy like his colleagues.
Hague’s only joy in the Holy Capital, where his heart was always unsettled, was the cake and coffee from ‘Cafe Roemer’ diagonally across the Imperial Delegation’s quarters.
It appeared to be a pretty high-end restaurant in the Holy Capital, but the food was delicious and worth the price.
While working for the delegation, Hague was paid as a pageboy.
Of course, as he was a pageboy belonging to the previous Emperor, his salary was quite high.
Moreover, in the Empire, in addition to the pay as a pageboy, as the special supply baron for the Imperial Army, the Venda baron family receives an extremely high salary… and collects taxes from the barony, so there is no problem even if he spent all of his salary.
Therefore, he visited Cafe Roemer once every three days.
By doing so, he managed to relieve stress… he could see the difference himself.
However, on that day, Cafe Roemer was surprisingly crowded.
“Is it okay if you share a table?”
The smiling butler-like young man asked, and Hague nodded.
Then, he was guided to a table that seated two people.
A man in his mid-thirties, about the same age as him, was sitting across from him.
The man also had a surprisingly tired look on his face…
Still, Hague was lucky.
The seat he was shown to was really the last one.
The woman who came in next was sitting on a chair at the entrance, waiting for a seat to become available…
The chairs at Cafe Romer are quite sturdy, and the table is quite spacious.
Having a large table that can be used by one person is great for a cafe!
He didn’t even have to look around to see that the customers were mostly women or couples.
The only male customers were probably Hague and the man in front of him…
Of course, he didn’t feel ashamed.
He felt more pity for the men of the world who didn’t know about such delicious food.
When it comes to delicious food, there is no gender.
Delicious food is delicious!
Mille-feuille and coffee arrived for the man in front of him.
It was probably ‘This month’s Mille-feuille special’.
Hague also ate it during his visit before his previous visit.
It was surprisingly delicious and he remembered having it on his previous visit too.
But today, he chose something different.
All the cakes at Cafe Roemer are delicious!
The man in front of me gently put his fork into the Mille-feuille.
Carefully… surprisingly carefully.
Then, brought it to his mouth.
A wide smile.
Hague also understood that feeling.
Because he experienced it three days ago.
Because he experienced it six days ago.
It was also true that he regretted it a little bit, wondering if he should have done the same today.
However, one minute behind the man in front of him.
Hague also received cake and coffee.
Today’s cake was the classic Mont Blanc!
Slowly insert a fork.
So that he can calm down.
As if to tell himself not to rush.
Then, bring it to his mouth.
As expected, a wide smile.
His choice was not wrong.
That relief, and the deliciousness that went beyond relief.
At that moment, it was a deliciousness that overwhelmed everything… his work as a pageboy or supply worker.
Five minutes of bliss.
After finishing the cake, he took a sip of his coffee.
Supreme bliss.
When he looked over, he saw that the man in front of him was also immersed in the afterglow of bliss.
They looked at each other and smiled a little.
You don’t even know who the other person is, you’ve never had a conversation with them… and yet you can still communicate.
That’s the power of deliciousness.
Words are not necessary.
No explanation needed.
Just eat.
That’s all that is needed.
The two then left the store.
They bowed to each other and parted ways.
The two regained the vitality they had lost.
Hague began walking toward the Imperial Delegation’s quarters.
From behind, he heard a voice calling the man he had just parted ways with earlier.
“Ignis-sama, there you are.”
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-fi and Patreon and unlock early chapter releases! 7 day free trial is available for Bronze tier now!
Read latest chapters at f(r)eewebnov𝒆l Only