chapter 14

"Congratulations on your promotion, Yuri Greyat, 'Colonel'."

"You can call me as usual. It's just an honorary title anyway."

I was awarded the honorary rank of Colonel by the military for my contributions to canned food.

Since then, everyone I met had the same reaction.

Anyway.

"It's been a while, Third Prince."

"Since Thanksgiving, so it's been a year."

"Time flies so quickly."

Living in the magic tower, I didn't even realize a year had passed.

"I'm still grateful for your promotion of Pringles during Thanksgiving."

Thanks to that, I almost got charged with blasphemy, but it was all thanks to the Third Prince that Pringles succeeded.

If the Third Prince hadn't stepped in, Pringles would still be labeled as a snack made with demon fruit and wouldn't have been released.

"I heard you were under disciplinary action, but you look fine, so that's a relief."

The Third Prince had been under house arrest by the royal family until recently due to his unexpected actions during Thanksgiving.

If it weren't for his status, anyone else would have been executed for blasphemy.

Well, he did replace the holy feast with Pringles and cola.

But surprisingly, the Third Prince looked better after his disciplinary period.

Usually, people lose weight during such times, but the Third Prince seemed to have gained some.

His once sharp jawline had softened, making his appearance less severe.

"Actually, it was good. I didn't have to attend those tedious events."

The Third Prince seemed quite satisfied with his disciplinary life.

"I've tried the new processed foods. You've come up with something amazing again."

The Third Prince looked at me with admiration.

"Food that doesn't spoil even after a hundred years, processed food never ceases to amaze."

"Thank you for your kind words."

"It's not just kind words. The royal family was in an uproar."

The empire has imposed strict controls on canned goods to prevent them from leaking to other countries.

If caught exporting canned goods, it's immediate execution.

Of course, such a terror policy can't completely control information.

With over a million soldiers in the empire, it's impossible that none would leak canned goods.

The Third Prince seemed aware of this and didn't seem too concerned.

"But I still prefer gelato and ice cream over canned food."

The Third Prince's words made me curious.

"Which one do you prefer more?"

Recently, it's been a trend in the capital to debate whether gelato or ice cream is more delicious.

Although canned food had a significant impact, it was mostly within the military.

Outside the south, many didn't even know about canned food.

On the other hand, gelato and ice cream were so popular that people came to the capital just to try them.

Gelato and ice cream.

Both were attractive desserts.

Which one did the Third Prince prefer?

"Both products have their own charm. It's meaningless to argue which is better."

The Third Prince, aware of the debates in the capital, chuckled.

"Of course, I prefer gelato."

So, he's a gelato fan.

"By the way, I heard rumors that you're planning to join the military."

What's this about?

"Me, joining the military?"

"Wasn't that the case?"

"I have no intention of doing so, so you can ignore the rumors."

Why would I voluntarily join the military?

The military was the last place I wanted to be, with no freedom whatsoever.

Probably because I received the honorary title of Colonel, baseless rumors started circulating.

On the other hand, the Third Prince seemed relieved by my reaction.

"That's a relief."

"Was that why you came to see me?"

"If you joined the military, there'd be no one to make processed foods."

It was absurd but not unreasonable.

The Third Prince seemed genuinely interested in processed foods.

"So, when are you planning to make the next processed food?"

He immediately asked.

"I'm still thinking about it."

I did have something in mind.

'Buldak Bokkeummyeon.'

A processed food that sparked a spicy challenge craze worldwide.

The problem was that this world wasn't ready for it yet.

People in this world love sweet and salty flavors but have no tolerance for spiciness.

Spiciness isn't exactly a 'taste.'

Taste is sensed by taste buds, which detect sweet, salty, bitter, and sour flavors.

'Spiciness' isn't among them.

Spiciness is a pain sensation from capsaicin.

People in this world have no immunity to this pain, making them like newborns when it comes to spiciness.

So, while I spread sweet and salty flavors, I never considered introducing spiciness.

Our magic tower was too poor for that. One failure could be disastrous.

'Maybe it's time to try.'

With the Third Prince, the church, and the recent sponsorship from Duke Hughes, the White Magic Tower was financially comfortable.

It seemed like a good time to challenge spiciness.

Of course, I couldn't just release Buldak Bokkeummyeon right away.

Just like someone returning from the moon needs time to adjust to Earth's gravity, people in this world need time to adapt to spiciness.

And the perfect food for this adaptation phase was obvious.

'Ramen.'

The original spicy instant noodle, boiled in water with powder soup and noodles.

A popular instant noodle dish enjoyed by all.

Ramen.

That's what I planned to make next.

*

Ramen was my favorite processed food in my past life.

It was easy to cook and guaranteed delicious, making it a perfect meal substitute.

The boiling red broth, the steaming smoke, the chewy, curly noodles.

I brought this vivid memory of ramen back to life in this world using magic.

Although it was a fleeting dream, like a midsummer night's dream.

"This is ramen."

It was the ramen from my memories.

'Ah, my mouth is watering.'

Seeing ramen again after so long was emotionally moving.

Who would have thought I'd see that red broth in this world?

It was a nostalgic experience for me, but others didn't seem to share the sentiment.

"Ugh, my eyes are burning."

Ranya stepped back, turning her head as if her eyes were stinging.

"...Brother, I just remembered some pending research. I'll head up first. Good luck."

"Research? What research?"

"Haha, I need to contribute to developing new canned food menus."

"There are plenty of people researching that, stay here."

Canned food research is a national effort, where do you think you're sneaking off to?

I caught Second Priest Sion trying to slip away.

"Brother, I'm not good with spicy food..."

"It's delicious, trust me."

Of course, it would take time for people in this world to adapt to spiciness.

I didn't expect them to understand spiciness right away-

"Wow, this is delicious!"

"...See? It's good."

"Well, she's always been a bit..."

"A bit what?"

Choose your words carefully.

"Ahem, nothing."

Sion awkwardly dodged the question.

"Hoo, hoo, this is spicy but really tasty."

Aria kept eating despite the spiciness, her tongue flicking in and out.

I knew from the way she mixed gelato and ice cream that Aria had unique tastes.

The fact that she understood spiciness right away was proof of her uniqueness.

"The texture is amazing!"

Her chopstick skills were clumsy, but she enjoyed it.

Seeing her eat so well made me proud.

'Lia has good taste.'

I take back what I said about her being unique.

"What are you doing? It's getting cold. Eat up."

"...Ah, yes."

Sion reluctantly picked up his chopsticks.

By the way, chopsticks exist in this world too. Eastern countries here use them.

Living utensils develop according to human needs, so tableware is similar across worlds.

Anyway, as Ranya and Sion started tasting the ramen, something happened.

"...I heard the news! Is it true you're joining the military?"

Saintess Yusepin visited the magic tower.

Her purpose was the same as the Third Prince's.

"You came at the right time."

"...Huh? Right time?"

"Saintess, try this."

"W-what is this?"

"It's called ramen."

I fed the retreating Saintess some ramen myself.