Viola turned back to cooking her second idea after the pastry. This time, though, she didn't forget about Grey.
"So, what do you want to know about?"
"First of all, have any thieves been caught before?"
"Of course. Their yearly appearance isn't a new thing. Some say it goes back as far as the festival."
"And when did the festival- Never mind that, what did they say about their organisation?"
Grey didn't question her about the festival. He was actually curious about this village, but he would get to exploring the world after he was strong enough.
"Hehe, what do you think? They said there was no organization."
Grey frowned after hearing this. "Do they just ask or..."
"I don't know, but someone must have done more than just asking at some point all these years."
Of course, they were hinting at interrogating or even torture.
"And no one said anything, right? Then how do they recruit new thieves?"
"From the slums, probably."
"Slums?" Grey didn't see any slums in this village. To be correct, the village was too small for there to be slums.
Unless...
There was another path he hadn't visited.
"Why is there an area for the poor in a small village like this?"
"Actually, no one knows. It was there even before my father was born. I am sure there are jobs for everyone here.
But even the chief doesn't go there. People in the slums also don't want to come here, nor do they accept anyone from the outside."
"You say accept, but... how can they reject anyone?"
"I heard that the last group who tried to go there brought food with them. They went there to help, but when they came back, they had to carry one."
So, they are simply beating others. Doesn't that mean they are hiding something?
"You are thinking that they are hiding something, right?" Viola read his thoughts. "If that is the case, they must have a plan for the last 200 years or more. The slums have been that way for longer than 200 years."
"How come does that mean they don't hide something?"
"No, it means whatever they are hiding isn't something bad for the village. So, we don't have to move. Also, we don't have fighters."
Viola turned back with a bowl of soup in her hands. "Anyway, try this. It is wheat soup with an added flavour."
Even from the smell, Grey understood that the added flavour was pepper. He didn't like spicy food, but he had promised her.
He didn't think it would be too bad anyway. People didn't add too much seasoning. It would be too pricey otherwise, and no one would buy it.
Unfortunately for him, this was a special one prepared for him to taste, so Viola hadn't economized on the seasoning.
Grey brought a spoonful of soup to his mouth, only for his tongue to feel like it was on fire. Seeing this, Viola brought him water with a dejected face.
But Grey didn't take the cup of water from Viola's hands. Instead, he was looking at the empty space in front of him.
Of course, it wasn't empty for Grey.
[Your digestion is enhanced for the next two hours.]
What?
"Did you use the Art of Cooking?"
"Huh?" Viola seemed surprised at first and embarrassed later. But she erased any emotion on her face and said, "Yes, didn't you tell me to use it?"
"I did, but I didn't think you would use it for the next two dishes you cooked for training purposes..."
She actually wasn't going to tell Grey she used her Art. It wasn't possible for anyone to understand whether one was using their Art or not.
Of course, there were exceptions like that one time Grey's one eye turned purple. But they were rare.
So, she was thinking of impressing him. But it hadn't worked.
"How did you know?" She asked.
"Um... My digestion got faster..."
"How can a human know about that?"
"I have a good understanding of my digestive system."
"What? Ugh, never mind that. Yes, this dish enhances your digestive system. But only I should know the full effects."
"Wait, more importantly, how can you make food that enhances my body?"
"Huh? Wait, didn't you know? I thought that since you were familiar with the Art of Cooking, you would know what it entails. I can add effects to the food I make. Why do you think people queue up for my food?"
This was new information. He, of course, didn't know what the Art of Cooking did. He thought it helped with cooking. But this was much stronger than he thought.
Good thing I didn't request to learn her Art...
It wasn't a weak Art at all.
"Then, the reason you want to create food is..."
"I want to go to the academy," she said with reddened cheeks. "My father told me he would only accept it if I could create three original dishes and gather half of the tuition."
"But, you aren't a noble, right? How will you enter the academy?"
"Don't you know? There is a quota for commoners in the academy. But it is only filled out with an exam. And they only accept those with either a strong offensive or support Art.
My Art of Cooking is a support type, and it could be really strong if I can get better at it. Of course, increasing digestion doesn't help me. I need one with increasing power."
This was big news for Grey. He probably couldn't enter through this quota since his wasn't a strong Art. Well, maybe it was, but he hadn't tested it yet.
He also didn't want to let anyone know about his Art. It was dangerous if others knew about it.
Also, the Art of Cooking started to interest him. But he couldn't buy an Art so strong that the owner could be accepted to the academy even if they were a commoner.
Instead, he could maybe invest in it.
"Viola, I am also going to the academy."
"Really? Do you have an Art?"
"It is not the important part. Maybe I can help you."
"How?"
"For your third food, try something with meat."
"Meat? But it will be too expensive to sell."
"Not necessarily. I will teach you a recipe. Also, this is for the academy exam."
"What? Wait, if you don't have the Art of Cooking, how do you know it will have an effect that will help with enhancing an important part of the body?"
Grey did know it. It wasn't hard to guess the effects, but there was a sure way.
He opened his Art of Creation panel.
***
[Your digestion is enhanced for the next two hours.]
Remaining time: 1:57:38
Source: Pepper
***
His Art of Creation had identified the source of the effect. And if he were to refer to the knowledge from his previous life, these sources would only have an enhanced effect.
The pepper already increased one's digestion. But with the Art of Cooking, the effect got stronger.
So, if she were to make a meat dish, it would most probably increase one's muscle strength.
Well, it was not the best guess, but it was close enough.
Also, he gave her the recipe for meatballs, which was mixed with onion and other ingredients, making it cheaper for the festival.
This time, both Grey and Viola tasted it at the same time.
And...
[Your muscle strength is enhanced for the next hour.]
It definitely wasn't a surprise anymore, but Viola was jumping around, happy with the outcome.
Of course, as the owner of the Art of Cooking, she could see the effect even before tasting. But she probably wanted to be sure before getting too happy.
But there was another unexpected event at this time.
[The new taste wasn't acquired.]
[To acquire a new taste, the user must have the Art of Cooking.]
Grey had received an answer to one of his questions about the Art of Creation.
Maybe...