The mountain air returned all at once, thin and cold. The worst time of summer had left the sky, now the sun was on its way to its rest from this part of the world.
The ground steadied beneath his boots as he and Claire left the void. Just like before, Claire went down to her knees and retched. But from the sound of it, it seemed like her stomach simply had nothing left to give out.
Ludwig waited, his eyes now roamed free to the crimson painted Ashfrost Mountain. The last time he saw this kind of scenery while having his body truly in Ortus was a long time ago. Maybe around 3 or 4 years ago to be exact.
Back then he was with someone, just like now. But that girl wasn't retching like Claire but hugging him while talking in her usual ditzy attitude.
But before his mind could take a long reminiscing walk about her, Ludwig let out a long breath. Just remembering felt like he was stabbed in the heart. He didn't want to remember it, not because he was burying the issue, but because he chose to live in the present.
Ludwig turned around as Claire's retching stopped.
"I will never get used to that." She said as she brushed the snow that was clinging to the knee area of her leather pants.
Ludwig shoved down his emotion from earlier and smirked like he usually did. "Oh you will get used to it soon enough. Trust me."
She gave him a look that promised paperwork if he continued, then glanced toward the building of the restaurant. "Let's go. I'd like to sit before gravity changes its mind again."
They crossed the short stretch toward the Checkpoint without hurry. The building looked the same as always, unassuming against the mountain, warm light spilling from its windows, and the see-through interior of the top-most floor.
When Ludwig pushed the door open, the bell chimed with its usual tone. Inside, the rhythm of dinner service was already in place. Bilo moved around the kithcen with careful steps, Valerie's laugh carried faintly from the hall, and Vilera stood near the counter reviewing a slate before handing instructions to Zhark.
Vilera's eyes lifted when she saw them.
"You're back earlier than expected." She observed.
Ludwig chuckled before answering. "I disagree. It's longer than it should. Anything happened while I was away?"
A small smile appeared on Vilera's face before she answered. "Nothing to be reported. Well, let's just say we need to be extra careful with Raon today."
Ludwig's brows went up as he walked deeper into the restaurant with Claire in tow. "Why's that?"
"There's no pudding today." She said seriously.
Ludwig's whole body stopped moving as if he accidentally put himself in time freeze rather than his opponent. Claire too, she moved her head so fast before she just looked at Vilera like she had just said Konoha had declared war against them.
But since it was just Raon, that tension quickly bubbled up into laughter. It echoed through the hall, making the already high atmosphere turn festive.
Pudding, that was one weapon to counter the little dragon's whim. He and the cats ate it so much that Ludwig had to order more from Akane at some point. Of course it's not just because of him. He simply miscalculated just how people love sweet stuff.
Back to Raon, it shouldn't be a big problem. Akane had sent a new dessert for today. And he had a hunch that as long as it was sweet, Raon wouldn't have any problem with that.
"By the way, what's the new menu?" Ludwig asked. "And why did she not tell us yesterday?"
Valerie moved and asked Bilo to get her a sample from the Statis storage before turning back to him. "She forgot. And the new dessert is… Tiramisu."
"Tiramisu?" Ludwig repeated. "Did it have a slight bitterness?"
Just as he asked, a small portion of Tiramisu appeared on the bar table. Complete with a pair of spoons for him and Claire.
Ludwig picked up one of the spoons without comment and cut through the surface.
The cocoa powder on top was not as fine as he used to, but it's still evenly dusted. It left a faint imprint on the metal before giving way to the cream beneath. The mascarpone layer held its shape instead of collapsing, which meant the ratio had been respected.
He drew the spoon downward through the layers instead of lifting immediately, checking how the sponge yielded beneath the cream. It resisted for half a breath, then gave way cleanly. The portion stayed intact on the spoon.
Then, he tasted it.
The sweetness arrived first, but it did not linger. The coffee followed in a softened line, present without pushing forward. The bitterness stayed where it belonged, supporting instead of overpowering.
He let it settle before taking another bite.
The sponge was soaked properly. Moist, but not oversaturated. The layers remained distinct. Whoever assembled it had not rushed the soak.
Claire watched him in silence, then took her own spoon and cut a smaller portion.
"Well?" She asked after tasting.
"A good Tiramisu. But I'm not sure whether Raon will like it or not. There's some bitterness in it."
Claire hummed at his answer. As someone who was used to alcohol and coffee, she shouldn't taste the bitterness as something bad. But for some people who didn't enjoy coffee and alcohol…
"No, Boss! There shouldn't be any bitterness in a dessert! That's a blasphemy!"
They would react like Valerie.
"Dessert is supposed to be sweet." Valerie crossed her arms as if personally offended by the concept.
"It is sweet." Ludwig replied.
"There's coffee in it."
"Indeed?"
"And coffee is bitter."
"Well..." Ludwig chuckled at her last argument, if he could even call it that. To simply call coffee as bitter was an oversimplification. It's not bitter, it's taste was just so subtle it needed people that knew how to drink it to truly enjoy it. But of course, he wouldn't say that. Logic didn't work on Valerie. "Just sometimes. It's not always."
She shook her head. "No. If I want bitterness, I'll drink something bitter. If I want dessert, I want dessert."
Claire watched the exchange with a faint smile. "That's fair."
Valerie shifted her eyes to Claire and nodded enthusiastically. "It's about feeling good, Boss. You eat dessert to feel good."
Ludwig did not argue that. Instead, he just took another small bite. The bitterness was indeed there like what Valerie said. But it was controlled. It was simply there to prevent the sweetness from becoming too heavy.
Still, he understood preference.
It wasn't as if he never questioned combinations himself. There were flavors that felt misplaced no matter how many people defended them. Mint in chocolate, for example. The cool edge against something meant to be warm and dense. He had tried it more than once. Yet, it felt repulsive every time.
And there's also pineapple on pizza. Sweet acidity bleeding into melted cheese. He had tasted it once out of curiosity. After the first slice, he promised it would his last slice of pizza with pineapple with it. He sided with the Italians in the matter.
Those two make him realized a truth about food. Taste was structure, yes. But it was also expectation.
Claire took another bite and glanced at Valerie. "You don't like it?"
"I didn't say that." Valerie replied quickly. "I just think dessert shouldn't have bitterness."
Claire laughed at her answer while Ludwig hummed. Her twin, though. It seemed like she wasn't impressed at all with the display of her.
"Well, let's see how Raon will react later, shall we?' Ludwig put the spoon down before looking at the kitchen. "Anything needs to be remade, Bilo?"
Bilo stepped closer to Ludwig and answered. "No, Chef. We still have plenty of stew. I also just made another batch of the fish batter. The sauce for the steak is ready as well."
Ludwig hummed and let a smile appear on his face. That faun over there had grown quite a lot compared to his self back in Selena's house. He used to be shaking just from getting responsibility from him. But now, he could cover the kitchen himself.
Though, he still had rooms to grow. Like deciding whether something was enough or deciding what menu they should make, etc.
In truth, all of his employees had grown. But Bilo was the only one whose growth was so visible. And the one who's not visible? Valerie. Should he even expand on that?
"So, can I take a break tonight?" Ludwig asked.
The question wasn't answered immediately. His employee that heard his words just looked at them.
And finally, "Yes, Chef, please rest."
"He's right, Boss." Valerie agreed. "You've been working nonstop after coming back from Tempest. You can get a rest tonight."
Ludwig glanced from one face to another, measuring the tone rather than the words. There was no forced enthusiasm in it. No attempt to flatter him into compliance. Just a simple assessment from people who had been watching him longer than he thought.
"I'm not collapsing yet. You know who am i, right?" He said, though without resistance.
"We know. The trickster of Time himself. But, you still need rest, Boss." Vilera replied calmly. She had set the spoon down and folded her hands around her teacup. "And, If you collapse, it's already too late."
"That's dramatic." Ludwig said.
"It's a good assessment." Claire corrected.
Ludwig leaned back slightly against the counter, arms folding without thought. The kitchen did not look fragile. Stations were in order. Ingredients prepped. Oil filtered. Stock portioned. Nothing felt rushed.
He exhaled through his nose.
"Alright, I'll leave dinner to you." He said at last before reaching for the tiramisu again, cutting a smaller piece this time. He did not analyze it again.
By the time he finished the rest of the Tiramisu, not without fighting Claire for it, the restaurant door opened. No one turned immediately. Service still continued. Dishes clinked, oil murmured faintly in its container, and someone in the hall asked for more ale.
Ludwig set the spoon down as the bell finished chiming.
Looker stepped inside without hurry, coat still carrying the outside air with him. When he tried to find someone who accompanied him, he didn't find it even after the door closed. MEaning, he's alone.
Ludwig threw a smile at Looker before he jumped from the stool to the floor. "Agent."
"Chef." Looker answered as he stepped closer. There's no tension nor warmth in his tone, just pure greetings.
Looker took his gloves off first before extending his hand towards Ludwig. As they shook hands, the agent opened his mouth. "I see I've interrupted something important."
"Indeed. But nothing worth mentioning." Ludwig chuckled. "Just dessert politics."
Looker's mouth twitched, almost imperceptibly. "I've dealt with worse."
"I know you have." He chuckled before continuing. "By the way, I doubt you are here for the food. So, does anything happen?"
One Bonus chapter for 50 powerstone.
Leave a review, ratings, a comment, or gib me your powerstone please~
And to those who want to read 50 chapters ahead, be my Patron at https://www.p*treon.com/c/imjustaboy_/membership
Or just search Imjustaboy_ in the search bar. Thankiess!