Chapter 88

Today is February 14th.

In the courtyard of the lord's mansion on a winter day,

"By the way, Shiki-sama, do you know what chocolate is?"

While watching Yuel playing Frisbee with the small white dragon, Filene, the holy maiden, suddenly said this.

"Yeah, I know... but does it exist in this world? Chocolate?"

While replying to Filene, I also thought it might exist here.

The culinary culture in this world is by no means inferior.

Diverse items, free from the constraints of geography and climate, are produced from the labyrinth, and can be freely transported by item boxes.

For example, if you go to a high-end confectionery shop near the lord's mansion, you might get a tart piled high with tropical fruits that are hard to find in this area.

The price was high enough that I probably couldn't afford it when I was an adventurer.

"Yes, it exists. Unfortunately, the culture of eating chocolate is not very prevalent around here. However, from the diary left behind, we know that the former saint was very fond of it before coming to this world."

"Hmm... so the former saint was from a time when chocolate existed?"

From the characteristic of being able to use sealing magic, I had imagined her to be a kind of yin-yang practitioner. It seems she came from a time when chocolate was widespread in Japan.

Well, I could also use a little bit of supernatural ability in modern Japan, so it's not surprising that there might be real descendants of yin-yang practitioners with such abilities.

"So, what about chocolate?"

"That diary says this: In winter, people give each other chocolate to confirm their love."

"Oh, you mean Valentine's Day and White Day?"

"You know about it!!"

Filene's face brightened as she latched onto my words.

Before I knew it, she was holding both of my hands.

...It's rare to see Filene this excited.

"Confirming love, huh?"

Yuel, who had been playing with the white dragon, was now standing next to me.

It seems she's interested.

I also want to let Yuel taste delicious chocolate and hear her say, "It's delicious!"

"People give each other gifts once a year to confirm their love... I think it's a very beautiful tradition. If we can spread the culture that the former saint talked about through the hands of the current saint, Shiki-sama, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Filene spoke with passion.

"I want to give a gift to my master!"

"Well, such an event isn't a bad thing, is it?"

...Filene's marriage to me was largely a political marriage.

I didn't think she was the romantic type, but it seems my perception was shallow.

"Actually, my faction has a strong trade route with the southern countries of the Medine faith, which are the producers of cocoa beans. A special food used for love confessions... ever since I read that diary, I've thought it was very romantic and would sell like hotcakes! There are many followers of the Medine faith, so if we can get the saint's endorsement and sell it in various places amidst the current demon lord slaying celebration, it will surely become a trend! If successful, it will bring in a substantial amount of funds!"

My perception was not wrong.

Filene, who seemed to lack any sense of romance, spoke.

Even Filene, who usually has a poker face with a smile, was clearly calculating in her head.

"To get the cooperation of the various chambers of commerce, it would be good to have a prototype. In Shiki-sama's world, chocolate was much more widespread than here, right? I would like to borrow your wisdom in creating a saint-approved chocolate. ...Can you help me?"

I hesitated for a moment, but there was no particular reason to refuse.

Rather, this was a chance to do a favor for Filene, who usually causes me trouble.

"Sure. Since we're at it, let's aim to make the most delicious chocolate!"

---

In the kitchen.

It seems Filene had prepared to some extent when she brought up the topic.

She immediately showed us a prototype made from the cocoa beans she had prepared.

It looked like a chocolate drink.

"It's ready. Can you try it right away?"

It was a concoction made by roasting fermented cocoa beans, peeling and crushing them, and then grinding and simmering them, with milk and sugar added.

For the grinding process, she used a magical device that rotated with magic, like a stone mill.

There was no such convenient thing in Elise's kitchen... this must be the difference in funding between a noble's mansion and a commoner's house.

"Hmm, it's a drink, huh?"

I took a sip.

...It's bitter.

The milk is there, but it tastes like a very bitter dark chocolate.

Looking at Yuel, who was also trying it, she seemed to be closing her eyes tightly due to the bitterness.

"Oh, it's delicious. A little bitter, though."

It's not just a little bitter.

"This is delicious in its own way... but the bitterness might be too strong."

"...Is that so? The reason it hasn't taken root around here is this bitterness. Even when diluted with milk, it's still bitter."

It tastes like the bitterness of polyphenols or 100% cocoa, which some people might like, but it's probably not the taste that most people who like chocolate would enjoy.

"The former saint's diary says that chocolate is as sweet as heaven. It doesn't mention the bitterness, so perhaps the chocolate in Shiki-sama's world is different?"

"It's less bitter than this... but it varies. White chocolate, for example, isn't bitter at all."

"White chocolate...? How is it made?"

"Um, how was it...?"

I tried to get my brain, which usually doesn't work much, to function and dig up my memories.

It was a memory from my childhood.

I remember watching a documentary on MHK about the process of making chocolate.

As a child, I used to watch such programs with wide-eyed excitement.

"Wait, it's been too long since I saw it... hmm"

"Please try to remember, Shiki-sama! If this venture succeeds and the chocolate culture spreads throughout the country, the benefits to my faction, which can secure the raw materials, will be immeasurable!"

I heard the holy maiden's pragmatic support.

Is it really that profitable?

When she says things like that, my head starts to do the math.

...I might be just as pragmatic.

Just as my thoughts were starting to drift, I noticed a figure peering into the kitchen from the entrance.

It was Fran.

"Is that chocolate? You're making something unusual. But... drinking it will make you fat..."

Fran also seems to know about chocolate.

Being born into a noble family, I suppose.

She seemed to lose interest and left after that one comment.

She doesn't want to get fat, I guess.

...It makes you fat?

Chocolate makes you fat.

Because it's high in fat and sugar.

Right, fat.

Cocoa beans, as the name suggests, are beans.

Beans can be pressed to extract oil.

I don't remember the details from the documentary I watched as a child, but they did extract oil from cocoa beans.

And it seemed that white chocolate was made using that oil instead of the ground cocoa beans.

White chocolate has the flavor of chocolate but isn't bitter.

Based on my imagination, if you use that oil to extend the ground cocoa beans, you might be able to make less bitter chocolate depending on the ratio.

I told Filene this before I forgot.

"...I see."

She had a thoughtful look on her face.

Well, it would be difficult to extract oil with the equipment in this kitchen, and we can't experiment with white chocolate right now.

It might not even succeed.

...This might not meet Filene's expectations.

"By the way, aren't you going to make solid chocolate?"

"If we don't add plenty of milk, it will be too bitter."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But if it's not something you eat regularly, but something special for Valentine's Day... there might be other ways."

"Other ways?"

I took the leftover material from making the chocolate drink, which had started to cool and solidify, and shaped it into small rings and spheres, then put them in a magical device that acts like a refrigerator.

Once they were solid, I attached the two shapes together.

"Is this... a ring?"

Filene still didn't understand what I was trying to do.

I put the ring-shaped chocolate into a small box from the kitchen and knelt in front of Yuel.

Then, I opened it like a proposal.

"Yuel, I love you."

"......! I love you too!!!!"

I got a passionate response.

It felt good.

Filene seemed to understand, nodding in agreement.

"Shaping chocolate into accessories...?"

"Valentine's Day chocolates often come in boxes that look like jewelry boxes or have beautiful designs. I don't know if it will sell in this world, but I thought this might be an approach."

"It seems worth considering. The details would probably be discussed with the chamber of commerce responsible for production."

Filene said this, and the chocolate prototype session came to an end.

---

About half a month later, a chocolate festival in honor of the saint was held in the labyrinth city.

Filene's skills were impressive.

It seems she successfully improved the fundamental quality of chocolate with the help of the chambers of commerce, and various stalls were lined up with chocolate that had a taste that appealed to the general public.

"Oh, it's delicious...! It's not bitter at all! Would you like to try it, master?"

"Thanks, Yuel. It really is delicious."

I took one piece from the box she offered and gave it back to Yuel.

Currently, I am on a tour... or rather, just sightseeing with Yuel, Ruruka, Elise, and Filene.

"Oh, it's delicious! Hey, Shiki, Fran said it would make you really fat, but it's okay, right? One more piece should be fine, right??"

"I've never tasted chocolate before, but it's really delicious."

Ruruka and Elise also enjoyed it.

It seems the good reputation is spreading, and people are constantly gathering at the stalls lining the street.

"This success is thanks to Shiki-sama's cooperation. Thank you very much."

"I thought you could do this even without my help, Filene."

"This festival has meaning because of the saint, Shiki-sama. Right now, this festival is being held not only in this labyrinth city but also in the capital and other cities."

The abacus in my head started to click.

There's no actual data, but if Filene is supplying all the raw materials, she must be making a fortune.

...Will there be a share for me?

I'm not short of money, but the desire for profit arises.

"Thanks to Shiki-sama, we've been able to extend our reach to places we couldn't before."

Filene suddenly looked at a nearby building.

I think that's... an orphanage.

The building looks quite dilapidated, but there are people working busily, probably reinforcing or rebuilding it.

Supporting orphanages and the like is the domain of the church.

Come to think of it, I've recently noticed that church-led food distribution for the poor is becoming more common.

"...If there's anything else, I'll help. Just let me know."

"Yes, thank you, Shiki-sama."

Filene smiled.

It seems my perception of Filene was wrong.

I thought she was a pragmatic and profit-driven person, but she might be more of a romantic than anyone else.

...I silently vowed to try not to cause her any trouble.

I've posted a new work after a few years.

The Mighty Demon King is "Weak" Again ~The Former Strongest Demon King's Unification of the Demon Realm by "Showing" His Power~

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3827gv/

It's a "showing" demon king story.

I'll be updating daily until the end of this month, so please look forward to it!

Also, the final fifth volume of the healing magic manga is being released at the end of this month.

It's fully adapted to the end of the main story of the original! I would be very happy if you could buy it.

Thank you very much.