Chapter 2
Mixed Grain Rice Over Holy Water
“Please guide me to the kitchen.”
“Pardon? Did you say the kitchen?”
“The kitchen is the only place where I know how to do anything.”
Cassian nodded and took the lead. The place he guided me to was inside a tent that was far too luxurious to be called camping, lined with lavish silver tableware.
I saw sacks sitting on the ground. Walking closer, I pulled out one of the sacks without hesitation. Chwa-rarrkāwhat came rolling out from inside was rice so blindingly white that it hurt my eyes.
“Is this the rice you feed to the knights?”
Cassian puffed out his chest proudly as he answered.
“That is correct! It is the highest-grade white rice, granted only to the First Knights Templar. Polished seven times over, does it not shine like a gem?”
In my mind, a textbook on ‘Clinical Nutrition’ flipped open with a rustle. Swollen feet, shortness of breath, and rice that looked like pure white snow…
I had a strong feeling that this might be a Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiencyāberiberi.
All the nutrients were in the outer bran, yet they had milled it seven times. In other words, this rice was already nothing more than a nutrient-stripped mass of pure starch.
“Are you insane? Seriously…”
“Saintess?”
This time, I rummaged through a basket placed next to it. It contained nothing but candied fruits, white wheat bread, and fat-heavy meat. As for vegetables, all I could find were a few withered leaves that looked like they had been used merely for decoration. Gripping the basket tightly, I spoke up.
“This isn’t food. This is poisonāsheer poison.”
“Poison, you say! The knight order’s chef prepared this with the utmost care…”
“Care isn’t the problem here! This is simply severe malnutrition!”
At my stern tone, the chef and the knights in the kitchen began to buzz with commotion. I pleaded with them desperately.
“In the storeroomāno, if it’s not in the storeroom, go to a nearby village! Bring me unpolished grains, even if it’s the kind used for bird feed!”
“Saintess, but serving such humble food to the members of the knight order…”
“If you leave them like this, they will die! If you want to save the patients, just bring it to me right now!”
Cassian gave orders as if he had no choice. I made up my mind to make up for my unfinished business with the burnt jeon right here.
After some time had passed, what was placed before me was a sack of grain. Fortunately, the sack was filled with mixed grains that looked like they could indeed be used as bird feed. The contents mostly consisted of brown rice, oats, and barley.
“However, Saintess, to think that something like this could cure…”
“Commander, do you have any other ideas right now then?”
I asked calmly. I wasn’t trying to be stubborn; I was asking because there genuinely was no other way. They claimed to have tried holy water and mages alike, so why were they trembling so much over changing just a single meal?
“Now then, Chef? Please mix these bird-feed-like grains with the rice and cook a meal. The key point is that the bird feed must far outweigh the white rice.”
The chef crossed his arms and slightly crinkled his nose.
“I cannot use any ingredients other than those bestowed by His Majesty.”
What did he say? I stared straight into his eyes.
“You said this rice was bestowed by His Majesty, right? But if all the knights end up dying after eating it, none of us will be safe then.”
As I pointed it out step by step, his pupils shook violently. Yet, far from bending his stubbornness, he stood his ground firmly. Well then, I guess there’s no choice.
“Then it’s fine if I cook it myself, right?”
“That is also unacceptable.”
“Then what on earth is allowed?”
“Nothing is allowed.”
“So you’re saying we should just leave the patients like that?”
“There is nothing wrong with their diet.”
“It looks completely wrong to me, though! If they don’t recover, I’ll take responsibility.”
“And how will you take responsibility? Shall we take the hand you use for cooking?”
The chef spoke with deep sarcasm. His sharp words grated on my nerves. Letting out a short chuckle, I pointed at my right wrist.
“This? Fine, take it then.”
“Saintess!”
Cassian jumped as if he had been struck by lightning. He placed his hand firmly on the chef’s shoulder.
“She is the guest I personally brought here. If they do not recover, it is due to my own lack of faith in God. Are you not being far too harsh?”
“If someone has the nerve to criticize the ingredients granted by His Majesty the King and declare that I am wrong, should they not have the guts to pledge at least a wrist?”
Looking at Cassian’s back as he floundered despite his massive size, I tried to act resolute. However, from the moment I heard him tell me to wager my wrist on this ‘therapeutic diet,’ fear had been creeping up from under my feet. Though I tried my best to remain calm so as not to be pushed around, my mind was already shaken by the chef’s aggressive words.
Still, without a doubt, the patients were suffering from a Vitamin B1 deficiency. There was no time to delay. As time passed, their symptoms would only grow worse. Clearing my throat, I stepped between the two of them. Since someone who pledged a wrist wouldn’t back down, I had to lay down an even bigger stake.
“Is a wrist not enough for you, Mr. Chef? Fine. If a wrist isn’t enough, how about my life?”
“Saintess, please…”
Cassian let out a deep sigh. The chef answered with a sly, sinister smile.
“You certainly have guts. Very well. You must take responsibility for your own words.”
The chef stepped back with a heavy scowl. Only after he stepped aside did the kitchen environment fully come into view. I rolled up my sleeves.
“So I can start now, right?”
When I gave him a smirk, the chef snapped his head away. It seemed to be his own form of resistance. To be this cold-hearted to someone who just put their life on the line… what a dry, soulless man devoid of any human warmth.
“I’m going to cook the mixed grains used for bird feed together with the rice. I’ll also be using some pork and garlic.”
When rich thiamine contained in pork is sautƩed in oil and paired with garlic, the allicin in garlic turns into allithiamine, causing the absorption rate to skyrocket. Literally, it was like opening a high-speed expressway for the absorption of thiamine, Vitamin B1.
“What are you standing around for? If we delay any longer, everyone dies. Move aside.”
“Saintess, I… shall trust you as much as I trust God. Stand down.”
At Cassian’s command, the people who were blocking the ingredients finally backed away this time. I moved around busily as if fighting a war. The very first thing I did was scoop out the mixed grains, pour them into a pot, and add just a tiny pinch of white rice.
The unsoaked mixed grains were bound to be rough and coarse. To solve this problem, a small amount of sugar was needed. I dissolved a little bit of sugar into water, lifted the pot, and set it firmly onto the hearth with a thump.
Cassian was still pouring out many words trying to persuade the chef, mostly emphasizing that the responsibility lay with himself, but the chef simply turned a deaf ear. Goodness. It was impossible to tell whether the chef held immense authority or if Cassian’s standing was just that low.
Standing quietly, I casually asked a knight who was scanning my movements with his eyes.
“Let me ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“How were they treated up until now?”
“We mainly sprinkled holy water on them.”
I swallowed a scoff with effort. Holy water, of all things…
“Rather than holy water, what they need is mixed grain rice.”
Cassian was still trying to persuade the chef. Seeing how pitiful he looked, I intentionally muttered loudly enough for them to hear.
“Oh my, dear Chef, you sure worry about the oddest things. Even when someone has put their life on the line. If you’re really that anxious, why don’t you stand next to me and peel some garlic instead?”
Though I couldn’t see his face, knowing the chef’s personality from what I had seen so far, his face must have distorted quite nicely. But I was the one who was upset here. A determination flared up inside me to get back at him as much as he had been annoying.
“What will you wager, Chef? If the patients recover, that is.”
“What did you say?”
“How about coming to work under me? I risked my life, so does it make any sense for you to take zero risk?”
As he flinched in surprise, I leaned my face close to his and teased him.
“Lacking confidence?”
“Lacking confidence? Hardly… What do you want me to do? Start peeling garlic first?”
Grabbing the garlic, the chef began peeling off the skins with swift movements. Seeing that action filled me with energy. I pulled over the pork that had been prepared nearby.
