Chapter 17: Special Chocolate!
[You choose option two: make chocolate seriously.]
[Please perform a Mana check.]
Damn it, even this part needs a dice roll?!
Eikou thought to himself, why is that, I just want to seriously make a piece of chocolate, why does even an ordinary exam have to drag TRPG elements in!
But thinking positively, if he rolled a great success, wouldn't that mean he performs far beyond normal?
[However, you have been guided by Jeanne Alter.]
[With her direct instruction, the difficulty of this check has decreased significantly.]
Well then, that's acceptable…
Eikou nodded.
A die fell right in front of him.
But when he saw the number showing on the die, his heart instantly turned half cold.
[Result: E – great failure.]
They said the difficulty decreased, yet in the end it's still a great failure roll…
No matter how he looked at it there was no reduction in difficulty at all, still as unlucky as ever!
But at this point, Eikou gradually accepted the fate of the dice.
Well, failure is failure, anyway a few failures in a daily exam won't cause an irreparable disaster.
At worst he'd just make a piece of "hard-to-eat chocolate," if it's really inedible he could always start over.
[You follow Jeanne Alter's instructions, processing the chocolate according to her theory.]
[Add cocoa powder, mix in honey, milk powder, coconut oil and other spices…]
[Begin heating, stir evenly, place dried nuts in the mold to decide the flavor…]
[Pour the cooked chocolate into the heart-shaped mold, then put it to chill…]
[You have successfully made… a mashed potato heart!]
"Why did it turn into mashed potatoes!!"
Both Eikou and Jeanne Alter shouted in unison.
Damn it, is Gawain's mashed potato dish still haunting me!
"Explain to me what on earth this is,"
Jeanne Alter grabbed his collar tightly, questioning him harshly,
"The process and ingredients were all correct, so why did we end up with mashed potatoes, where did all the chocolate go!"
Eikou turned his head away in embarrassment, trying to justify: "Maybe… maybe this is the idealistic power of Type-Moon, the power of the love can change objective reality?"
"Idealistic my ass, is your head full of mashed potatoes?"
Jeanne Alter scolded angrily, then casually tossed the pile of mashed potatoes to Shinji-kun, the one in charge of kitchen waste.
"Forget it, time's running out, now isn't the moment to interrogate you," she said, "Ingredients are still left, but class is almost over. If we don't make a proper dish this time you'll definitely fail, got it?"
"Got it completely."
Eikou nodded seriously.
If he still couldn't make chocolate this time, then when the class bell rang it would mean he'd fail.
Never mind the prize, even keeping his current credits would be hard.
And credits were one of the important sources of Mana; how could he let that go!
"Alright, this time I have to put in all my resolve and make a perfect chocolate!"
Eikou shouted with determination.
[You start making chocolate again.]
[This time, which way do you choose to make chocolate?]
"I choose the third way, adding bold personal creativity!"
Since he had to roll dice anyway, he chose option three, to challenge the limits of chocolate.
Failing would be no different than before, but if successful maybe this chocolate would be extremely delicious!
[You have chosen to make chocolate in a completely different way.]
[You will use your rich experience, along with the abilities you excel at, to research chocolate and attempt to develop a brand-new recipe.]
[The recipe you choose is ——]
["Disaster With Women EX", "Protection of the Lake B", "Hero Creation E"]
[Please pass three skill checks, plus one Mana check.]
[You need to succeed in a total of four consecutive checks.]
What kind of chocolate recipe is this, why can I even use skills to cook!
Moreover, if I had known in advance I'd have to pass so many checks, I would have obediently chosen option two.
But the arrow has left the bow and can't be taken back, Eikou could only grit his teeth and roll four dice in a row.
Four dice nearly hit the ground at the same time in front of him.
[Disaster With Women check – success, Protection of the Lake check – great success…]
[Hero Creation check – success…]
All three skill checks succeeded, even Protection of the Lake came out with a great success!
But he still couldn't breathe easy yet,
Because the most important check deciding the chocolate's flavor wasn't done.
[Mana check in progress…]
[Result: C – success.]
[You have successfully made a heart-shaped chocolate, releasing a rich aroma along with a mysterious Mana aura.]
[You have obtained "Special Chocolate for Fairy of the Lake".]
["Special Chocolate for Fairy of the Lake": a specially crafted chocolate dedicated to Morgan. For others, this is a very delicious chocolate, but when she eats it, unexpected effects will occur.]
Looking at the freshly made chocolate,
whether in appearance or taste, it was undeniably top-class.
And the Mana aura emanating from it was a temptation hard to resist for a Servant.
"A bit strange, but it looks pretty good…"
Eikou showed a cautious, thoughtful look.
He felt a bit uneasy about the influence of those skill checks.
If those skills became the recipe for chocolate, then after Morgan ate it there would definitely be all sorts of special effects.
"..."
Eikou tried to guess the side effects of this chocolate,
if Morgan ate it then…
"My skill Disaster With Women might deepen the relationship with Morgan, that's probably why it's noted as Special Chocolate;"
"And Hero Creation and Protection of the Lake will probably boost Morgan's power, that must be it."
Moreover, the Protection of the Lake skill even rolled a great success,
Especially since that skill originally belongs to Morgan – the Fairy Queen herself.
Therefore, this really is the supreme chocolate specially crafted for Morgan!
"Hm… Looks like this time you did pretty well,"
Jeanne Alter stood beside him, looking at the chocolate in his hand, as if breathing a sigh of relief,
"Though it feels a little strange, it should be tasty. Congratulations, even an idiot like you finally passed."
"Thank you so much, Jeanne Alter!" Eikou said with a cheerful smile.
The Dragon Witch blushed, quietly hiding her hand behind her back, as if rummaging for something.
She took a deep breath, then softly moved her pink lips to speak:
"Actually, just now…"
"I was worried you'd make another mess like mashed potatoes, so I couldn't help but use the leftover ingredients to casually make one, in case you had nothing to submit to the judges, at least you'd have a substitute."
"Now it seems there's no need for it, but throwing it away would be wasteful…"
"Anyway, I can be considered someone who follows the principle of frugality…"
Both of Jeanne Alter's cheeks were flushed, her speaking pace unconsciously faster, and she even stuttered a little.
Her face red, her golden eyes glanced aside,
The Dragon Witch pulled out from behind her a piece of chocolate,
it was a heart-shaped chocolate.
"Here, take it, eat it."