Consommé soup.
It is one of the French soups, and I believe 『Consommé』 meant “completed” or “perfected”.
Recalling the shock I felt when I drank an authentic version of such a perfected soup, I decided to make it as the ultimate cuisine this time.
It is a beautiful, clear amber-colored soup, and there must be no cloudiness whatsoever.
I had to make a beautiful, clear soup that did not even have oil floating on it, despite using meat… but…
「…M’lord. The light did not disappear.」
「That is right…」
「Hmm. It is a beautiful soup.」
Yes… It is beautiful.
Looking inside, it had a beautiful color halfway between amber and gold, and as intended, it was so clear that there was not even a slight cloudiness, nor any oil floating.
The aroma was undeniably delicious, yet because it was glowing, we were hesitating.
Hmm… I could not keep staring at the glowing soup forever, so I had to make up my mind…
…Surely, since I did not put in anything strange, I would not become muscular.
「Ready? Let us drink on three.」
「Is it really okay? You did not put in anything strange, right?」
「There is no way I would put anything strange in it when Shiro and I are drinking it too…」
「Why am I not included in that!? Ah, did it glow because you put in an aphrodisiac that only affects adult women!? Please do not mix such things into the cooking, if M’lord wishes, I will drink it without it!」
Was that her way of saying she trusted me?
I might be able to make such an aphrodisiac, but I did not have it, nor did I plan to use it.
「Hmm. If you will not drink, Shiro will.」
Eh… Shiro-san?
Hey, why can you drink it without any hesitation!?
Even though the light weakened when poured into the bowl, it was still glowing!
「Ah… Shiro-san… It was a noble sacrifice. If your stomach hurts, I will find a medicine that is not too bitter. If your mouth keeps glowing, what should I…」
——Clink.
「!?」
「Hae? That sound just now… Was it the sound of teeth hitting? From Shiro-san? Eh? It is a soup without ingredients, right?」
「Nuaah…………… Suuu……… Nu faaa……………………」
Ignoring Shion’s commotion beside her, Shiro took her time to savor the taste, and after swallowing, she seemed to be enjoying the aftertaste.
Without even looking at us who were waiting for her impression, she scooped up the soup with a spoon again, but her movements were surprisingly gentle, unlike the usual Shiro.
Normally, Shiro would scoop a full spoonful and drink it vigorously, or put her mouth to the bowl and gulp it down. But now, she moved slowly and carefully so as not to spill a single drop, even reducing the amount on the spoon slightly to prevent spilling.
「Hmm… Mmm………… Mmhoo… Haaaaa…」
Shiro drank one mouthful of the soup deliciously and let out a melted sigh of admiration. At the same time, our throats gulped as we stared intently at her.
「M-M’lord…」
「Ah. Let us drink too!」
By now, whether it was glowing or not did not matter.
Seeing Shiro’s reaction, there was no way we could care about anything other than how delicious it was.
Following Shiro’s example, we carefully poured it into our bowls and simultaneously brought it to our mouths using spoons.
——Clink.
「「!?」」
Uoooooh!?
I instantly understood why Shiro had accidentally bitten down.
Even though the amount in my mouth was just a small amount of soup, I felt an overwhelming presence as if I had stuffed my mouth with meat.
Not only was the presence of the meat violent, but I could also feel the umami and richness of the aromatic vegetables behind it, as if it filled every gap in my mouth.
I felt it was a waste to swallow it, but perhaps because there was soup in my mouth, I had to breathe through my nose, and even that breathing felt delicious.
By sensing the aroma from within and taking in fresh air, could I be feeling the umami of the soup more delicately?
Eventually, I swallowed it… and this was also good.
I could feel where it passed through my throat and into my stomach, and even after it settled in my stomach, I could still feel its presence.
It was natural to let out a sigh of admiration involuntarily.
After swallowing, exhaling, and then inhaling through my mouth, the satisfaction of that one mouthful was so immense that I fell into the illusion that I was even tasting the aftertaste in my lungs.
The fact that this was the satisfaction of soup, not solid food, was nothing short of astonishing.
「…It is delicious.」
「Ah… It is delicious.」
Exchanging only these words, we again took some on our spoons and carefully brought it to our mouths.
We could not waste even a single drop.
It was a soup so impactful that even a single drop was shocking.
After finishing the soup in the small bowls, a silence descended upon the three of us as if we were in a trance.
It was delicious… simply delicious.
「This is… dangerous.」
「Hmm. Dangerous.」
「It is dangerous…」
Saying only this, did we all think the same thing? We gulped simultaneously.
I wanted to taste just one more cup… just one more mouthful…
No, no! If I continued like this, I might drink it all!
「Ah! M’lord!? Why are you putting it away!?」
「Hmm. I want another cup.」
「No, we will definitely drink it all if we leave it out. Do not forget our purpose.」
This soup was made to win the tournament, so it would be bad if we drank it all.
There was not enough time to make it again, and I could not think of any other cuisine better than this on the spot.
「Nnn! Just one more cup!」
「Just one mouthful is fine! I want my mouth to be ravaged by the meat-sama again!」
「No, no. We will lose control. Come on, switch your minds! I am also about to lose to the temptation, so switch! If there is any left after the tournament, I will give it to you…」
Come on, do not pout forever.
I will store this carefully in the magical space.
Later, tasting it alone secretly… I will not do that.
「Master! Oh? Is yours already donessy?」
「Hmm, ah, Renge. Well, yes. Perfectly.」
「Ooh! Wendy is putting her heart and soul into making hers over here. She is quite serious, so be preparedssu!」
Oh, what is Wendy making?
I wanted to peek since we were here, but perhaps it was better to wait until the day of the tournament.
「…Hmph.」
「Sigh… Since we do not know that taste, it cannot be helped, but you are quite confident…」
「Wh-What is with these two? They are looking down on me with such smug faces…」
The two crossed their arms and looked down, but Shiro was completely looking up due to her height.
「Are you that confident? Then I want to taste it.」
「Ah. Sure.」
「「Eh!?」」
Their smug faces collapsed instantly, and they turned shocked faces toward me.
Why did they look as if they had seen something impossible?
「Lord, that is unfair! Shiro too! Shiro wants to taste!」
「That is right! Why are we not allowed, but Renge-san is!? It will disappear!」
「No, there is still some margin for one cup. Besides, Renge was concerned about us, so as a thank you, one cup should be fine, right?」
I had made a large quantity, so one cup for tasting would not make it disappear.
However, a second cup was forbidden.
I knew that if I drank a second cup, I would not stop at three or four.
Ah… Even pouring one cup from storage was tempting… Grr.
「Ooh… It is glowingssu!?」
「Ah… You do not need to worry about that too much.」
「Hmm. You should worry. If a poison test is needed, Shiro will do it.」
「Ah! That is unfair, Shiro-san! I will do the poison test! Just one mouthful is fine!」
「No, since master made it, a poison test is not necessaryssu… Besides, I can share a mouthful each?」
When Renge scooped up the soup and offered it to Shiro and Sion, the two froze.
They knelt down, looking as if they were worshipping Renge… Perhaps they saw a halo shining behind her.
「Renge… Shiro believed in Renge. I will repay this debt someday. As a large debt.」
「Me too, Renge-san… I aim to become a kind and generous person like you…!」
「Eh? What is this, master…」
「Hmm! Do not move, or you will spill it!」
「That is right! Even a single drop is a waste!」
「Eeeh!? I was respected just now, but now I am being scolded fiercely!? This is scaryssu!」
Hmm… There should be no addiction, right?
I also wanted to drink it, but not to that extent… It should probably be fine.
Afterward, Shiro and Shion received one mouthful each from Renge and displayed the same reaction as before. Seeing this, Renge drank some herself, clicked her teeth in surprise, and regretted giving away that one mouthful.
Well, she seemed to understand that the debt was large, and while regretting how to get it repaid, she returned to Wendy and the others.
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