The Other World Dining Hall Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Tiramisu

 

On Satur’s day, the great priestess serving the G.o.ddess of Light called Katarina graciously rewarded and spoke to the boy in front of her.

[Son of the greatest one, white child. What kind of direction is suitable for this time?]

She knew the reason why she was called, but she accepted with the expression of grat.i.tude.

There were not many people of this world that Katarina who had the greatest power among the priests of the White G.o.ddess that controlled light and could even transform into a dragon respected.

…The boy was one of those not many existences.

[Good. Such a formal greeting. You will know.]

A boy with white skin, silver hair and glowing gold eyes of a dragon perceived Katarina’s att.i.tude as a matter of course and issued an order.

He knew. He was a “child of white” that was chosen by the benevolent White G.o.d that was sent to her faithful followers.

 

Of the six pillars reigning this world, the White G.o.ddess, the most merciful G.o.d, liked humans.

Because humans were the weakest race with fragile flesh and poor magical powers among the believers that lived in the continents.

 

For those weak people, the benevolent White G.o.ddess descended before her followers once in a hundred years.

And the descending White G.o.ddess gave a drop of her blood to an innocent human baby who was born from a mother’s womb and a man’s seed that were carefully selected for that day.

An ordinary human’s soul would instantly be crushed, turned to insanity and transformed into a monster without intelligence. That was why the blood of White G.o.ddess that controlled life could only be given to a baby.

The “white child” was born with the power of the great dragon that any great priest could not reach and they were brought up to lead the believers.

 

And the white child of this generation that was born about 10 years ago liked the otherworld confectionary.

[It’s Nekoya. We can obtain “tiramisu” over there.

…That d.a.m.nable door. It keeps rejecting me.]

His line of sight pointed to the place where the door was located and he clicked his tongue.

Three years ago, the white child who kept a close eye on the confectionaries of that restaurant tried to kidnap the owner. He was then thrown away like a cat from that door by the Red woman and was rejected from that day on.

Even if he tried to touch it, he couldn’t do so.

Also, the white child was afraid.

In this world, except for the lovely white mother, there was a red woman who could easily match his power.

Therefore, the white child sent a trusted priestess who served him to the place to obtain his favourite sweet.

[…Yes, I understand. I shall depart.]

Katarina accepted the command with slight pleasure. Her black eyes turned golden with vertical pupils and he grew a pair of dragon wings covered with fine feathers before flying away.

[Umu. I’m counting on you. And it’s supposed to be Valentine’s Day that occurred once a year. If today was the festival day, you can also get chocolate.]

She heard those words before he flew to the door’s direction.

 

It would take 2 days on foot but Katarina flew so she was able to reach the wilderness.

The environment was so rough that corn and k.u.mara couldn’t grow, the summer sun shone brightly in the wilderness where cactus with its sharp spikes grew.

The area was empty as there was a proper highway not far away, so the secret of this wilderness was hidden.

[It’s also troubling for that child as well.]

Katarina landed in front of the front door. She retracted her wings and turned her eyes back to normal

before she heaved a sigh.

The door was protected by the curse that the white child had applied.

If one didn’t have the dragon’s eyes, they couldn’t see it as it was covered by the art of illusion using the sunlight.

Well, this was fine.

However, if one carelessly approached the door, the light of judgment would mercilessly slaughter even monsters and demons with strong body.

Katarina secretly dispelled the magic that was set in the wilderness.

It was possible to be set once again by the white child himself, but she would cancel it again next time.

[…Yos.h.i.+, let’s go.]

She confirmed the deathly magic had disappeared and grasped the handle.

 

‘Chirinchirin’, the door opened and the sound of bell that n.o.body heard echoed.

While listening to it, she pa.s.sed through the door and went to the otherworld.

 

The otherworld dining hall was the same as ever.

The customers who had arrived were eating the food they ordered.

(How unlucky. It seems I’m a little early.)

She confirmed that there was no paper on the wall expressing “Happy Valentine’s Day” written, so she felt a bit sorry.

[Welcome to Nekoya!]

While she looked around the area before seating, she was greeted by the waitress.

Seeing the pair of goat horns growing from her temple, in the land where Katarina lived, it was a sign of an abominable evil spirit.

[Ee, good day. It’s a bit sudden, but can I order?]

However, this was a different world. Unnecessary rashness was prohibited.

Katarina smiled at the waitress.

[Yes of course! What would you like to order?]

The waitress… Aletta replied while smiling.

It was not uncommon for customers to come in and order suddenly.

This woman with cocoa skin and cream coloured hair was such a type.

[Then, I would like to takeaway a whole tiramisu cake. Oh, I would like to eat it here as well, so I wonder if you can serve me a serving. For the drink I want the one made by Karao1 beans… I mean cocoa.]

 

[Yes! Thank you very much! I’ll serve it to you soon! …A, yes. Another serving of chicken curry.]

Aletta returned to the kitchen after listening to the order while Katarina looked around.

(Well then… where should I seat?)

Katarina was a white priestess. She was also a great priestess that was entrusted with taking care of the white child.

(The blue over there… I wonder if should stop by at the side of Lucia’s clan.)

Together with the blue mermaid priestess that had dragon legs eating the meat dish of land animal accompanied by an unfamiliar boy were the great priestess of the Red G.o.ddess and a human priest eating eggs that were enveloped by meat.

(If it comes to it… that’s right.)

Then after thinking a while, she decided where to seat.

[I’m sorry, Celestine-san. Can I seat next to you?]

Katarina spoke to the group of priestess serving the White G.o.ddess who she first saw a few years ago.

They wore thick, unfamiliar robes though it was midsummer and wore weirdly shaped gold and silver necklaces. At first sight, they didn’t seem to be followers of White G.o.ddess.

However, the power of light flowing in them was undoubtedly the power of the White G.o.ddess.

Katarina was aware that they served the same G.o.ddess.

[Ee. There’s no problem, Katarina-sama.]

Celestine, the senior priestess wearing a gold necklace and was the strongest in the group, replied smilingly.

She was a priestess from the Sand Country which was as hot as summer all year long and her thin clothing showed her burned brown skin despite midwinter.

She was likely to be a high priestess that’s travelling incognito or ashamed for not being able to endure the temptation of sweetness like Celestine.

…That was why Celestine felt a sense of closeness.

[Are you ordering your usual, Katarina-sama?]

[Ee. You too?]

Instead of answering, the two people smiled.

They only communicated with it. Because,

[Thank you for waiting! A set of pound cake with black tea and a set of tiramisu with cocoa!]

 

 

Yes, because those two were fascinated with cake.

 

A plate and a cup were placed before Katarina.

 

 

On the plate was a cake made of black and white stacked alternately.

The black “cake fabric” which was kneaded with soft cocoa powder and white “cream cheese” using cow milk were beautiful.

Then the grinded cocoa powder was sprinkled softly on top of the cake.

(Well, let’s eat… I would like to taste the cake that fascinated the white child.)

She made a little excuse in her mind and started to eat.

She tried the hot chocolate first.

The steam rose with its sweet scent and the taste gently spread in her mouth.

The soft taste of steamed milk, the scent of bitter cacao and the sweetness of sugar harmonized together.

(Un. This degree of oiliness tasted nice.)

It’s better for this drink if the degree of cacao oil did not overpower the original taste of milk.

The Karao beans that Katarina knew… the seeds of the Karao fruit contained a large amount of oil.

Thanks to that, it could be drank if it’s refined, people could drink it as a medicine… it was too bitter to be drank as a beverage, so Katarina disliked it.

However, this hot chocolate was different.

The powder that this drink was made from was created by thoroughly extracting the oiliness of Karao beans.

It was easy to drink thanks to that.

(Well… next is the tiramisu.)

After enjoying the hot chocolate, she started on her cake.

Using her fork, she cut a little of the upper edge of the cake.

Above the fork was white cream sprinkled with cacao powder.

She took it to her mouth… and her face instinctively loosened.

(This is really delicious… I wish we could make it in our world.)

Sugar was added to the sweet mellow cheese.

It was so soft that it melted in her mouth.

And within that sweetness, there was a hint of bitterness.

The bitter taste of unsweetened cacao powder accented the overall taste.

 

And it was on her second bite that she was pushed by the taste.

She cut the black cake layer this time.

The cake dough was soaked with otherworld tea named coffee.

Its bitterness was different from cacao beans.

(Cake is limited to tiramisu after all.)

Every cake here was delicious, but none compared to the complex flavor of tiramisu.

The different layers had different flavors by simultaneously eating the overlapping ones.

Custard cream that was created from abundant amount of eggs was used for the lower part of the cake.

Here, a little alcohol was added, the peculiar bitter taste of liquor had good compatibility with the strong sweet taste of custard.

And the bottom part was what that supported the cake.

It was a hard baked confectionary.

That baked part had crisp savoury flavor.

It gives crispy texture to tiramisu that was almost entirely made of cream and soft cake.

 

Each layer had several different tastes mixing together, giving birth to different flavor combinations.

This complexity was tiramisu’s appeal.

When thinking such, she had finished the cake.

[Can you give me another tiramisu?]

[Yes, thank you very much!]

Katarina ordered another one without hesitation.

 

After fully enjoying her tiramisu and chatting happily with other white priestesses, Katarina exited the door with her takeaway.

[Well… I must hurry and return.]

As she muttered so, she grew her wings.

After all, she still needed to give the cake to the white child.

He was probably waiting silently while thinking that she was “late”.

She needed to hurry home.

[Really, such a troublesome child. To think he told a high priestess to run an errand.]

Katarina smiled as she muttered.

Her reason was not just “side benefits”.

[…Maa, this is nothing like my mother would do, but I don’t mind.]

After such words, she flew away.

To give a sweet cake to her son who became the white child as soon as he was born.

…Giving bird to a baby chick, just like a mother bird.

 

TN: Rather twisted that her child had higher position and ordering his mother around.

Karao – Cocoa.