Sil and Bron brought over a boar they had caught three days ago.
It was barely a meter long.
At first, I thought it was a juvenile, but apparently, that was a full-grown adult in these parts.
The differences from our village were a bit jarring. The reason I was only "a bit" surprised was that Instructor Frau and Instructor Yuri had warned us repeatedly before we left. They had been so thorough it was almost overbearing.
"Ho, it seems tonight's banquet shall be a lively affair."
Translation) Is this dinner? For real? I’m totally looking forward to it.
The Count's Son, whom Sil had punched a while back, arrived with carpentry tools in hand. He had joined our club for some reason. Perhaps he’d taken a liking to the bath. He was already plotting to build a larger bathroom, even though he hadn't even known how to use a saw until yesterday.
"As for tonight's dinner, noble speech is forbidden."
"Ah, quite so. I forgot myself."
Three teachers stood behind him. Apparently, they were here to inspect the newly formed club and decide which of them would serve as our supervisor. They had been hanging around since yesterday.
Last night, after dinner, the three of them had actually come to blows over who would get the position. I didn't think we were that much of a burden...
They returned again today, but I still hadn't heard who won. I hoped the inspection itself was going well.
I focused on preparing the meal while these thoughts drifted through my head. It had become too much for me to handle alone, so I had a few others helping me. Their cooking skills were... well, "wild" was the best way to put it.
First off, let’s wash our hands. Don't try to use ingredients that fell on the ground. Wash the vegetables with water. That’s not how you hold a kitchen knife.
Think of magic fire as just the initial spark. It’s hard to cook using only magic fire, and besides, can you even focus on anything else while maintaining the flames?
No, you don't need to call servants from your family home. Try to do it with your own hands.
Teaching people was harder than I’d imagined. I wondered if Instructors Hakuren, Frau, and Yuri had gone through the same struggles with us.
...No, I liked to believe we were more competent than these people.
Please, don't use magic just to chop vegetables. See? You just sent them flying.
The next day.
The three of us were summoned by the Academy Director. She presented us with a single wooden board. The characters carved into it formed a petition. It was a formal request for the improvement of the dormitory meals.
Wait, why was she showing this to us?
When I turned a questioning gaze toward the Director, she gestured for me to look at the signatures. Five names were listed as the petitioners. None of them were ours.
That was only natural; I’d never heard of this petition. If I’d known about it while we were still living in the dorms, I might have signed it, but it had nothing to do with us now that we had moved out.
When I told the Director as much, she let out a heavy sigh. It turned out the five people who had signed the petition were members of our club. Now that she mentioned it... those names did sound familiar.
"It’s not as if we incited them or anything," I said.
"I am aware of that. However, the majority of the students who have associated with you have grown dissatisfied with the dormitory food."
"Um..."
The only culprit I could think of was our nightly dinners. Every night felt like a small party. But even so, there were only forty—maybe fifty—people there last night. Compared to the total student body, that was a drop in the bucket. It was hard to say it was our responsibility.
Wasn't the real cause just that the dormitory food tasted bad?
"I admit the dormitory food is not good," the Director conceded. "It is prepared solely to ensure the students do not starve."
"If you know that, wouldn't the problem be solved if you just made it taste better?"
"We lack the technique."
"...Eh?"
"The era of food shortages lasted far too long. It is impossible to expect someone who has spent their life cooking merely to stave off hunger to suddenly produce a gourmet meal."
She had a point.
"Therefore, I have a request for you."
Wait, she didn't mean...?
"Would you be willing to cooperate in improving the quality of the dormitory meals?"
I knew how this worked. This was an "order" disguised as a "request" that I wasn't allowed to refuse. Still, I had to put up some resistance.
"We don’t mind helping, but we are primarily students. We have much to learn here, so we could only assist during our free time..."
Translation) We’ll help, but only when we feel like it.
"I have heard that you are all exceptionally gifted students."
Translation) You’re not getting away.
"Hahaha. Thank you very much."
Translation) No way, forget it.
"Starting today, I shall send the dormitory cooks to your location. Please train them."
Translation) This conversation is over. I’m counting on you.
Darn it. As expected of the Director, she was a formidable opponent. H-however, I couldn't just back down empty-handed.
"It feels a bit shameless to ask, but if the dormitory meals improve, will we receive some sort of reward?"
Translation) Give us something in return. Make it worth our while.
"Naturally, I have considered that. You may look forward to it."
Translation) Tell me what you want.
"I look forward to it then. However... it would be a shame to place too much of a burden on the Academy. Actually, we are facing a bit of a problem. Would you be able to help us resolve it?"
Translation) Oh? In that case, can I dump this difficult task on you?
"I cannot imagine there is a problem that would trouble you, but please, let me hear it."
Translation) Don't underestimate me.
"Actually, we’ve been looking for a shop run by an acquaintance here in the capital, but we can't seem to find it. Could you help us? It’s called Uncle Michael's Shop..."
Translation) We’re seriously stuck here, so please help us out.
"Understood. I will leave the matter of the dormitory meals in your hands."
Translation) Hmph, easy. I’ll show you what the Academy Director can do.
That was the best I could do. Sil and Bron had stayed quiet beside me the whole time—I assumed they were okay with this. If they had a problem, they should have spoken up to the Director themselves.
At noon, ten cooks arrived. Four from the boys' dormitory, four from the girls' dormitory, and two from the teachers' dormitory.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that they all knew how to handle a kitchen knife. Their understanding of hygiene was also up to standard. As expected.
However, their culinary skills were severely lacking. Just grilling and boiling wasn't going to be enough. Well, I wasn't an expert from the start either. We would just have to work hard together.