With far too much time on her hands, the fake Elena—namely, Quinta Spica 9, Lila—muttered to herself as she cooked.
"I wonder if he'll come again today..."
The tower was fully furnished with everything necessary for daily life, including facilities for preparing her own meals.
Having been denied access to reading materials, the fake Elena had taken up cooking purely to stave off boredom.
Of course, being an automata, she had no physiological need for food.
Even so, to blend seamlessly into human society, she was capable of consuming meals.
Furthermore, coarse as it might sound, she was capable of producing simulated bodily waste internally.
However, since it was strictly simulated, anyone who analyzed its chemical composition would see through the deception instantly; yet no one would ever go out of their way to check such a thing.
In the worst-case scenario, Laojun could always use a transporter to send in actual waste as needed.
...Setting that aside.
Three meals a day were delivered to her, but regardless of that, the fake Elena cooked for herself and treated whoever brought the food.
This had all begun when she complained of having nothing to do out of sheer boredom, choosing cooking as the one activity she could manage within the tower.
She had requested a few basic ingredients and somewhat expensive spices like black pepper and chili peppers, and thus began her culinary endeavors.
At first, assuming it was merely an ojou-sama passing the time with a harmless hobby, the task of delivering meals had been left to ordinary soldiers. However, when one soldier returned carrying a mouthwatering aroma and was questioned about it, he confessed that the dish the fake Elena had prepared was exceptionally delicious.
While rank-and-file soldiers had brought the meals the first two times, from the third delivery onward—having heard the soldier's account—the research lab's laboratory chief, Rokou B. Sihalo, began delivering them in person.
Then, at noon on June 23, the third day of the fake Elena's confinement:
Rokou B. Sihalo arrived, his expression brimming with quiet anticipation.
He carried no prepared meals in his hands. Instead, he brought only leftover ingredients from the mess hall.
Over the past three days, he had learned that the food prepared by the fake Elena was far tastier than anything served in their own dining facilities.
No matter what scraps he brought her, the fake Elena effortlessly transformed them into something delicious.
After all, if she ever ran into trouble, she could simply consult Laojun via her built-in manacam to access recipes accumulated by the 5-Color Maids over the course of four hundred years.
"What kind of dish is it today?"
Rokou's face was alight with eager anticipation.
"A stir-fry."
Even with random odds and ends, a quick toss in hot oil could produce something quite delectable depending on the chef's skill.
What the fake Elena had prepared was a vegetable stir-fry made from what looked like kitchen scraps—korot (carrot) tips, ganran (cabbage) cores, wilted bisuna (eggplant), and sinewy scrap meat seasoned with a touch of pepper and fried in vegetable oil—along with fried rice made by tossing cold leftover rice with green natsumame (green peas) and scraps of ham.
Both dishes required precise heat control and the arm strength to toss a heavy steel wok, but neither posed the slightest problem for the fake Elena.
"Oh, this looks marvelous."
The haughty attitude Rokou B. Sihalo had displayed on the first day was completely gone, replaced by good humor and the pure joy of tasting the fake Elena's home-cooked food.
"I might have made a bit too much since I didn't want anything to go to waste, so please, eat as much as you like."
The fake Elena said this with an innocent, composed smile.
"Oh, thank you very much."
Watching the fake Elena take a delicate bite first, Rokou eagerly dug into the fried rice.
"This is incredible!"
"I am glad it suits your palate."
"These stir-fried vegetables are wonderful too. I can hardly believe you used mere scraps."
"With a little ingenuity, any ingredient can become delicious."
"Indeed, quite so."
Nodding in agreement, Rokou never slowed his pace, thoroughly polishing off an amount of fried rice and stir-fry three times larger than the fake Elena's portion.
"Thank you for the wonderful meal."
"It was my pleasure."
Having finished his meal, Rokou B. Sihalo left the tower in high spirits.
Watching him depart, the fake Elena chuckled quietly to herself once she was alone.
(I might not do it as smoothly as Elena-san, but I'll win them over little by little.)
As Rokou B. Sihalo made his way from the tower back toward the research lab, someone suddenly called out to him.
Standing in his path was Dopa Noreth, the captain of the Duke's Royal Guard. He was a rough, abrasive man, but his loyalty was beyond question.
His cold, gray eyes fixed intently on Rokou B. Sihalo.
"Lord Noreth, is something the matter?"
"Hmph....I came to see what was going on after receiving word that you've been frequenting the tower lately."
"...Who told you that?"
"That fellow Karion. I had my doubts, but you just stepped out of the tower, didn't you? What were you doing in there with the hostage?"
"...Well, the truth is..."
Dopa Noreth was the captain of the Royal Guard, clearly outranking Rokou B. Sihalo.
Left with no viable excuse, Rokou confessed the entire story without holding anything back.
"...And so, I was investigating whether Elena might prove useful to us."
Naturally, he framed his visits as an official investigation conducted strictly for the good of the realm.
"Hmph. So this woman named Elena is skilled in the kitchen, you say?"
"Yes. Using virtually the same ingredients we eat, she creates dishes that are vastly superior in flavor."
Hearing this, Dopa Noreth fell silent, pondering for a moment.
"Very well. I will accompany you this evening. I shall judge with my own tongue whether what you say holds true."
Thus, he reached his decision.
Then, at six o'clock that evening:
"Oh my, a new guest."
Dopa Noreth arrived at the fake Elena's quarters alongside Rokou B. Sihalo.
"Elena-dono, this is Dopa Noreth, captain of His Highness the Duke's Royal Guard."
"I am Dopa Noreth."
"I am Elena."
With introductions out of the way, Elena set the evening meal across the table.
"I was worried I might have prepared a bit too much, but I am delighted you could join us, Lord Dopa."
In reality, Laojun, who had been monitoring the castle grounds via the Peeper, had already tipped her off about Dopa Noreth's impending visit.
"Hmph. What are these dishes?"
"Vegetable scrap soup, bread porridge, scrap-meat hamburger steaks, and deep-fried small fish."
The "vegetable scrap soup" consisted of the peelings and tough ends of korot (carrots), devil's potatoes, ganran (cabbage), and marunegi (onions), simmered low and slow with tough sinew and seasoned lightly with salt and a pinch of black pepper.
The "bread porridge" was made by soaking stale, rock-hard bread in a rich broth of natsumame (peas) and simmering it until soft and tender.
The "scrap-meat hamburger steaks" were crafted by mincing tough sinew and trimmings from Cowbull (beef), Glass Boar (pork), and kokarisk (chicken), then blending the meat with flour and breadcrumbs to form savory patties. Lacking Worcestershire sauce, she had topped them with homemade ketchup cooked down from fresh tomatle (tomatoes).
The "deep-fried small fish" used fingerlings under five centimeters in length, each carefully gutted before being fried to a delicate, crispy crunch. Sparing no effort during the prep work was the secret.
"Mmh..."
"Well, how is it, Lord Noreth?"
Watching Dopa Noreth taste the fake Elena's cooking, Rokou B. Sihalo asked with a smug grin.
"...It's delicious."
Looking distinctly vexed to admit it, Dopa Noreth gave his verdict.