21st Century Archmage

‘It sure is jam-packed.’

For the first time in a while, I had time to walk around the covert. It has been so crazy lately that I haven’t had the luxury of looking around my little neighborhood.

Kwaaaaa!

Kiuuuuuuuuuu!

“Hurry up and prepare for patrols!”

“You there, I said to put on the 2-seater saddle today!”

Weyn Covert had transformed into an open-air market. Just one year ago, this place was a deserted plot of land without a single proper wyvern, but now, it was bustling with squawking wyverns, crewmates, soldiers, and temporary buildings scattered everywhere.

‘I should hurry along with the moving preparations.’

There were a lot of important branches and goods that had to be kept hidden from the public eye, however, the covert was too small. Once spring arrived, I’d have to accelerate construction of the castle that would become the center of the territory.

“All hail!”

As I walked around the hangars, I reached a place where several soldiers were standing guard.

‘What’re they standing guard for in the covert?’

“Thank you for your efforts. What are you guarding here?”

“I do not know, sir. Orders came from the top and we have been keeping guard all day long.”

Even the soldiers on guard didn’t know what they were guarding.

‘It can’t be magic crystals… is something going on?’

I combed my memory, but the important stuff was kept in the HQ building, where the guard was the strongest.

“Open the door.”

“As you command!”

In Nerman, I had the authority to go anywhere I wanted, no matter where it was. The soldiers heeded my command at once, opening the side door of the hangar.

‘What’s this smell?’

A familiar smell drifted my way from the open door.

I walked into the hangar.

“Light!”

The inside was dark, so I cast the 1st Circle spell, Light.

Driven by my mana, the Light spell instantly illuminated the hangar with a flash.

“Aren’t these… spices?”

In our first trade with the Kesmire pirates, we received spices as a bonus. They were valuable ingredients produced in the eastern continent.

“But this smell is…”

We had received these goods several months ago, but I had never opened them up. Fate did not allow me to luxuriously use spices in my food. Plus, spices were such valuable ingredients that you could compare them to gold. Because the pirates of the Kesmire Archipelago had taken control of the sea, they could not be easily acquired, coupled with the fact that the eastern continent was also an isolated place, so I heard that there wasn’t much trade with them in the first place. That’s why only very rich nobles used spices in their food.

‘That smells like black pepper, and my god? Is that hot pepper?”

My nose wasn’t as sensitive as a dog’s, but I had pretty keen senses. I could parse out the smells of black pepper and hot pepper from the various smells in the air.

‘Kimchi… wow!!!’

As soon as I thought of hot pepper, the winter kimchi my mom always made came to mind. If I was at home, the kimchi-making-season would be done around now, and fresh, spicy kimchi would adorn our joyful meals every day.

With a rustle, I removed the enspelled fabric. 

I knew that there would be no fresh vegetables until spring came, so all the fruits and vegetables from the autumn harvest were being stored somewhere in the covert, with a 3rd Circle preservation spell—something any 3rd circle mage could cast—on them.

This magic fabric, which could maintain mana, had 3rd Circle magic on it, too. If ordinary chili pepper was stored like this in Korea, you’d be called a nutcase, but it was only a natural course of action here, where they were treated as valuable spices that had crossed an ocean.

“Ohhhh!”

Under the fabric were red, dried hot peppers. They looked a bit smaller than the ones on Earth, but their spicy aroma was the real deal.

“Huhuhu… Thank you, Mom!”

Whenever we made kimchi, my mother always used me as manual labor. She’d set me to peeling onions and garlic, as well as slathering the seasoning paste, which took time and energy. Because it was a repeated tradition, I was a master when it came to making kimchi. I was forced to follow her instructions because my mom had a ridiculous claim that a man should know how to make kimchi before getting married, but right now, I could only send my heartfelt thanks for her teachings and opinion.

“There’s garlic here, onion, and napa cabbage. Uhuhu! It’s kimchi time! Kimchi!”

This continent wasn’t all that different from Earth. Napa cabbage and daikon radish had different names here, but they looked and tasted similar. The only difference was that the ones we had here were about twice as large.

“Oh! Isn’t this ginger?!”

Back when I first got these, I wondered why Chrisia bothered to give me spices like these, so I even gave some as a present to Count Yaix when he was going back to the empire. The thought that I might be able to eat kimchi completely dashed away my indifference, and I opened all the spices, sniffing them intently. I was able to find black pepper and dried ginger, necessary spices for making kimchi.

“Oh! Mom!”

Mom burst from my lips yet again.

“We’ve got the napa cabbage, and plenty of other veggies stored up. So all I have to do is figure out the salted seafood. I can make kimchi.” 

While listing off all the seasonings and vegetables necessary for kimchi, I remembered the salted seafood, but it wasn’t a big concern. My mom usually used salted shrimp, so all I had to do was use the shrimp commonly found in the sea in front of Denfors.

I ran outside in a hurry. For me, someone who had been living off of bread and meat, kimchi was the greatest gift from the gods. I couldn’t be calm about it.

“Bebeto!”

Going outside, I loudly shouted for my private taxi, Bebeto.

* * *

“Lala, lalala~”

I hummed as I sprinkled the right amount of salt into sliced napa cabbage.

“M-My lord…”

Lucia’s mom and the kitchen maids stared uneasily at me, who had appeared out of nowhere and commandeered the kitchen. They were all aghast at the sight of their awe-inspiring lord cutting hundreds of napa cabbages.

“Are the loto and atpa prepared?”

“Y-Yes. We have done everything you instructed, my lord. But what kind of dish are you preparing, sir? Please, let us do it.”

The women were terrified by the fact that a noble, no, their lord, was in the kitchen, personally cutting napa cabbage and sprinkling salt. Even though I appreciated their willingness to help, this was something I had to do myself.

‘The salting is done, and the salt water is also ready.’

In front of me was a large wooden container filled with salt water, in which I would let the napa cabbage and radish rest. An egg was floating in the water, which let me know that the water was salted just right. I put the salted napa cabbage into the container with a splash. The cabbage, which we would normally salt in the bathroom in our apartment, went right in.

‘Shall we make the salted shrimp now?’

The covert had a traditional kitchen. The large kitchen that was normally clean thanks to Lucia’s mom’s tidy personality had become a total mess due to all the things I started. It was only the beginning, though, and this time, I turned to pour the shrimp I caught during the day into a big stone bowl. Then, I sprinkled salt over it. I wanted fermentation, not spoilage, so I used salt, the enemy of spoilage.

‘Without magic, I would have had to wait a long time.’

Salted seafood wasn’t something you could make in a day or two, but I had magic. I decided to use one of the many status spells, a magic for spoilage, to make the salted shrimp.

“Decay!”

Flash!

“Oh my!”

“M-Magic!”

Decay was a 3rd Circle transformation spell. Red mana flashed at my chant and covered the stone bowl, shocking the servants. Using magic to make food was something ordinary citizens could never even imagine. For commoners, who only knew how to cook food the normal way, ‘magic food’ existed only in their dreams.

“You are all excused. Take a break until tomorrow.”

The servants, who had tearfully peeled the garlic and onions, went from uneasy gazes to joyful ones at my words. It wasn’t like I worked them to the bone, but for a worker, the workplace was a testing ground of one’s patience, after all.

“My lord, I will stay here,” said Lucia’s mom, who had watched my every action. I had returned to her the house and store stolen from her in the past, but she remained in charge of the food for me and the important knights. Her eyes gleamed as she watched what I did.

“Do as you please.”

It was harmless to let one person help me anyway. But they had to be capable of enduring the smell of the seasonings used in kimchi.

‘Step one is done. Now I just have to wait for the napa cabbage to be done salting.’

Thanks to my discovery of hot pepper flakes, the day had become very joyful. I would have liked to attempt soy sauce and doenjang right away too, but I had to shelve those thoughts. I was more than happy enough with just kimchi in these busy times, so I decided to wait for another day.

TN: Doenjang is fermented soybean paste, similar to miso.

‘I’ve got the baked earthenware jars, so all I’ve got to do is dig a hole, right?’ 

I saw kimchi jars in the ground back at my grandpa’s house in the countryside. People in Kallian also put cucumbers and various foods into jars to ferment them. I could guess that they had come up with those methods in order to supplement inadequate vitamins and minerals.

“Leave everything like this until tomorrow morning.”

“Understood, my lord.”

‘It’s finally kimchi time. Huhuhu.’

After completing the ingredient prep, I felt a flush of pride. I was someone who could find joy in the little things. Carrying a large yellow earthenware pot with ease, I opened the kitchen side door and went outside.

‘This place looks good.’

After going outside, I decided to bury the pot in a place that got a lot of sunlight.

‘Gnome, what are you up to?’

And then, I inwardly called Gnome.

The earthen dwarf, Gnome, instantly surged up from the ground at my feet.

“It’s been a while, has the Spirit King been doing well?”

“…”

At my joking query, Gnome blinked eyes made of dirt at me. How would a mere lower earth spirit possibly be acquainted with the Spirit King?

“Be sure to let them know that I wish them good health. Can you bury this here for me?”

Gnome nodded twice on impulse.

I put down the jar with a thud, and as soon as I did so, the jar began to sink into the ground like magic.

“OK, that’s perfect!” When the jar was down to its neck in dirt, I shouted an ok. “Thanks for your hard work. See you next time.”

Gnome disappeared without a sound.

“Spirits are truly kind.”

The spirits were far more trustworthy than humans.

“Wait a sec! Come to think of it, I wonder how Sylphiria is doing?”

I thought of Sylphiria, the archspirit I lured to my side in the spur of the moment, but couldn’t yet summon. However, because I now had chocolate-vanilla swirl mana that elevated me to the same stage as a 7th Circle mage, I suddenly remembered Sylphiria, who I had completely forgotten. The ultimate saintess-level figure of Sylphiria with her silver armor and long, silver hair flashed in my mind.

I was tempted, but I decided to wait. I heard that the forced summon of a spirit would come with great pain. There was no need to endure agony just to ask her how she was doing. Also, Sylphiria had a female body shape. For now, even if it was a spirit, I wanted to be careful with all women.

“It’s already evening. I should sleep early in order to finish the kimchi tomorrow. Huhu.”

After one, long, worthwhile day, I was a bit tired. I went to my room, where my plushy bed awaited me, driven by the thought that I would only be able to make the kimchi if I quickly slept and opened my eyes in the morning. 

I had the noble aspiration to make at least one chunk of kimchi, even if the apocalypse were to come the next day. I merely prayed that the continent wouldn’t disappear into thin air overnight. Because even if my days were numbered, as long as I could eat one chunk of kimchi, I would have no regrets.

* * *

“A new weapon, you say?”

“Yes. As shocking as it is, a new model of Blessed Spear with dramatically improved range and speed as well as a wyvern ballista have been developed in Nerman.”

“Dramatically? Didn’t the magic towers declare that the spears could not be developed any further? So how can a spear with dramatically improved range and speed show up?! Who the hell made such a thing?!” yelled Bajran Empire’s Duke Ormere, who had been spending every day on his toes due to the emperor’s greatly worsening health.

He could not help but yell in shock at the words of his confidant, Viscount Parquess. So much money and time had been invested in order to enhance the functions of Blessed Spears. However, because no further improvements could be expected from additional investment, the Blessed Spears in current use became the standard on the continent. Even the magic towers had clearly stated that they had given up, so not a single person came forward to dispute that claim. So Duke Ormere’s shock upon hearing that a revolutionary Blessed Spear appeared in Nerman was very reasonable.

“We have not yet been able to acquire the new model of spear, so the exact specifications are not yet known. But after aggregating the words of the Havis soldiers, knights, and Skyknights who recently invaded Nerman, it is assumed that the new spears have an additional 1km of range compared to the current models.”

“W-What? 1 KILOMETER?! Not 100 meters, but 1 km?!!”

It took a lot to surprise Duke Ormere, but this news made him exclaim in astonishment. If the effective range was 1 km greater, a trained Skyknight could fire several more spears. Unless one had a considerable advantage in numbers, a foe armed with these new Blessed Spears would be terrifying to face.

“We are doing our best to gather all the information possible. The merchant groups and every magic tower are doing everything they can to acquire the new model, as well. Soon, we’ll know the exact details.”

“Unbelievable. How can such a thing come from Nerman, a place without any proper mages…”

“Also, it is known that the ballistas are also a weapon that cannot be ignored.”

“And what exactly is it? If it’s a long-range weapon against wyverns, we have such a thing as well, no?”

“These are on a different level.”

“Different level?”

“Yes. Once again, the exact specs are unknown, but it is thought to guarantee an effective range of at least 2 km.”

“2 KILOMETERS?! Something that isn’t a Blessed Spear, but a mere ballista, has a range of 2 km?! Doesn’t that mean that a castle or fort with those ballistas can’t be carpet bombed at close range?”

All empires and kingdoms had ballistas prepared for wyvern attack. The ballistas were enspelled with magic and used mithril arrowheads. However, it was still difficult for them to penetrate the armor and sturdy hide of a wyvern. Physical force alone was not enough to pierce enspelled armor and wyvern hide.

“I believe so. We need exact information regarding that weapon as well, but according to our approximate estimations, it can kill wyverns at an effective range of around 2 km.”

“What… How can this be? How can such a ridiculous weapon show up…”

It was not unheard of for a regular ballista to hit a range of 2 km. But that wasn’t against a wyvern—if a ballista was effective against a wyvern at that range, defense would be much easier.

“Nerman is suspicious.”

Ormere made a regretful expression. “Mm… We should have eliminated him once and for all back then.”

He was regretted time and time again that they hadn’t eliminated Kyre during the emperor’s birthday celebration.

“What would you like to do, sir? We can use the war with the Havis Kingdom to dispatch an imperial inspector,” said Parquess, his eyes gleaming like a rat.

“No. We need not pointlessly increase his guard against us.”

“Then…”

“For now, collect as much information about the new spears and ballistas through the magic towers and merchant groups. Right now, it’s not him who should be our focus of attention, but… the crown.”

According to the priests working to prolong the emperor’s life, he had two months at most. The position of emperor had always been a noble seat that could only be gained through the permission of the God of Fate, something even a crown prince could not defy. Ormere could not afford to relax and loosen his surveillance of the Imperial Family and the nobles.

‘The other dukes, including Duke Garvit, sensed trouble and have been staying in the capital. There’s no need to divide our forces right now.’

Ormere was well aware that power was something that could change hands at a moment’s notice. Until the moment his nephew, the Crown Prince, was seated on the emperor’s throne, Ormere’s days would be full of tension.

‘Kyre… Just wait a little.’

If the Crown Prince became the emperor, the new spears and ballistas would become a non-issue. It wasn’t a publicly-known fact, but there were nearly a thousand wyverns in the Imperial Family and Bajran’s army, and the number of wyverns serving all the nobles was no less than that, as well. If that incredible force was used in the name of an Imperial Mandate, something as tiny and insignificant as Nerman could be crushed in a single day.

“How goes the surveillance of those three?”

“There are plenty of eyes on them. We have already won over most of the Imperial Knights. As soon as you give the command, they can be imprisoned at once.”

Ormere’s quiet question was answered by a whisper from Parquess. 

All the groundwork for taking over the Bajran Empire was laid out. Now, as soon as the Emperor died, everything would be finished.

Any weeds that could possibly endanger the Crown Prince’s authority would disappear without a trace.

* * *

“My lord, what is this?”

Early at the break of dawn, I went down to the kitchen. The thought that I could eat kimchi kept me from sleeping well, and when I figured enough time had passed, I scrambled to the kitchen. Perhaps rumors had spread, because Derval came over and frowned as soon as he stepped in. The smell of garlic, onion, and shrimp that had fermented nicely overnight had filled the kitchen.

“Can’t you see that I’m making food?”

“But why are you preparing it personally, my liege? Lucia’s mother is over there, and there are servants for that, as well,” said Derval in disbelief.

“It’s a special food that only I know how to make. So pay no heed.”

“Still… For you to personally make food is…”

Something like this probably didn’t exist in Derval’s common sense. For nobles and knights, cooking was useless manual labor that had nothing to do with duty or territory management. But for a noble, and the count ruling over Nerman at that, to be happy looking at well-salted cabbage, wasn’t just strange, but downright peculiar.

Derval’s words went through one ear and out the other as I swiftly cut radish for the seasoning paste.

‘Oho! So swordsmanship could be helpful for a time like this, huh!’

Back when I was in Korea, thanks to learning kumdo, slicing radish was my area of expertise. But the way I was slicing radish now was on a completely different level from back then. Even if I closed my eyes, I could produce sliced radish as perfect as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

“My lord, the soup thickened with flour is ready.”

“Well done.”

Lucia’s mom reported that the flour paste was all cooked.

“Derval, go bring me some of those pears over there.”

He wasn’t happy, but Derval moved instinctively to follow my command.

I cut the pears neatly as well, my knife rapping methodically against the cutting board.

‘Darn, I should have harvested some oysters, too.’

I wanted to replicate my mom’s kimchi, but I still lacked the knowhow.

‘It’s time to make the seasoning paste now.’

All the ingredients were prepared in no time, like in some kind cooking program. The carrots, radish, apples, pear, and spring onion I took from the provisions warehouse, as well as minced garlic, onions, and ginger, were all ready to go.

“Kyre-nim.”

‘Eh? Isn’t that Aramis?’

I was about to throw all the prepped ingredients into a large wooden container and mix them together when I heard Aramis’ voice.

“Ah, why are you he—”

“Rumors have spread all over the covert… about Kyre-nim making some kind of strange food.”

My precious kimchi was being called a strange food. I could see why. The representative food of South Korea, kimchi, was unimaginable with the food culture of the Kallian people. I should be thankful that it wasn’t rumored to be food eaten by demons.

“Haha. Welcome, welcome. Since you’re here, please help me a little.”

“Hoho. Of course.”

“Saintess…”

“Sir Paladins, please wait outside.”

“U-Understood.”

Aramis was capable of ordering people around now. She dismissed the paladins who wanted to interfere in her chance to play house with me.

“Alrighty, I recommend that everyone plug their noses with a towel.”

“…?”

The three people in the room looked at me weird.

‘I warned you, don’t say I didn’t. Huhuhu.’

These guys wouldn’t be able to anticipate the price for ignoring my words.

With a flop, I first poured the flour paste Lucia’s mom made into the wooden container, which I then topped with the prepared ingredients.

‘Is it that fascinating? It’s not some witch’s brew.’

The three people looked fascinated by my steps. For my onlookers, I pulled out the star of today.

Red hot pepper, pulverized into fine powder using magic, went into the container. Small peppers were said to be spicier, and it really did seem to be true, because the spicy aroma was no joke.

“Ah!”

“Gah!”

“Ack!”

The three people had been watching me up close, and they all cried out at the tear gas kicked up into the air.

‘Mmhm, this is exactly the right smell.’

For the first time in a while, I was able to experience the hot’n’spicy aroma of hot pepper flakes again.

“Cough, cough.”

“M-My liege… what IS that?!”

“I’m crying… what to do?”

“I told you to cover your faces with a towel, didn’t I?”

I wasn’t a sadist who derived pleasure from the pain of others, but somehow, it was a delight to see these three crying and sniffling.

‘It’s not over yet.’

Garlic and ginger followed the hot pepper flakes. Then, I picked up the bowl of shrimp I caught and cut up yesterday.

‘Tada! Here we goooo!’

And then, I opened the lid of the second star of today, the shrimp fermented with spoilage magic.

“AH!”

“Gaaaah!”

“Urk!”

My three onlookers did not disappoint me this time, as well. Holding their mouths, they fled the kitchen to escape the pungent, nicely fermented salted shrimp.

“Tsk tsk. What pitifully feeble stomachs.”

Salted shrimp couldn’t even come close to the intensity of other salted seafood, but Derval, Aramis, and Lucia’s mom reacted dramatically to it. Well fermented fish extract would have rendered them unconscious, no doubt.

“La la, lalalala~”

I began to mix the ingredients in the large wooden container by hand. Following the proverb that food was made tasty by hard work, I made the kimchi seasoning with great care and love.

“It’s done.”

A short while later, the kimchi seasoning awash in crimson hues was complete.

I tasted it with one finger.

“HAA! Nnnghhhh!”

Tears spilled unbidden out of my eyes. This piercing spiciness, just how long had it been? I felt a sense of delight that only someone who had eaten spicy ramen without kimchi could know. The taste made me impatient, and I hurriedly raised the napa cabbage, which I had washed out as soon as I came into the kitchen.

And then, without a shred of hesitation, I began to slather the wilted cabbage with the seasoning.

“Alleluia~”

A chorus came bursting from my lips as my hands slathered the seasoning into the cabbage without missing a single spot. This was kimchi, a food that could not be replaced by any other.

I put a piece of well-slathered kimchi into my mouth.

“AHHH!!!”

The moment it touched my tongue, the piercing spiciness combined with the kimchi’s crispness created a symphony of delight. I resisted my surging tears as I chewed, feeling great emotion.

I uttered thanks to God. Even if the continent were to collapse, I had nothing to regret. It wasn’t as good as my mom’s kimchi, but the first kimchi on this continent, a Kang Hyuk-made kimchi that was far better than most kimchi out there. It would be a huge hit on home shopping channels.

TN: In Korea, there are a lot of televised advertisements, called home shopping, selling a very diverse range of products, from makeup to bras and even food.

“I apologize… Kyre-nim.”

I was riding a swell of emotion when Aramis returned to my side.

“I apologize for running away when it is a dish that makes you so happy.”

Aramis, kind, kind Aramis, offered an apology, even though she was the one who experienced a new kind of pain.

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“But what is this food called? It looks very spicy.”

“It is called kimchi. Where I come from, it is eaten as a side dish.”

“Kim-chee? Even its name is unique.”

‘Kim-chee? Huhu. Your pronunciation is adorable.’

Everything Aramis did was adorable, after all.

“May I also give it a try?”

“But your hands will feel the spice…”

“Hoho. Kyre-nim, you’re a man. There’s no way I can’t do this when even a man is doing it, no? I may look like this, but there’s no dish I can’t make.”

With a bright peal of laughter, Aramis sat down next to me.

‘Huhu. It feels like we’re newlyweds.’

As long as I was with the angelic Aramis, even hell would be a happy place. I gazed at Aramis, who took a wilted cabbage with a serious expression and slathered the seasoning paste.

“Wooow! You’re right, my hands can feel the spice.”

It would have been nice to have some rubber gloves, but there was no way such a thing would exist here. I had done this from a young age, so I was used to it, but Aramis had never touched such a spicy seasoning before. Still, she never retracted her hands from the seasoning.

She began to slather the cabbage with the seasoning, just like how I did it.

‘How could the gods bear to send such an angel down to earth…’

Simply looking at her made my heart thump. I filled my eyes with her actions.

“You should spread it all the way in there, like this.”

There were no other people, so I spoke at ease. Aramis was treated as a saintess by the paladins and all the people of Nerman, but to me, she was just my beautiful girlfriend.

“Ah… Hoho. This is more fun than expected.”

The smell of the seasoning must be fierce to her, but Aramis laughed happily, showing her neat teeth.

A smile appeared on my lips as well.

A person that could make you happy just by being next to them…

To me, Aramis was that person.