"This is the Art of Stealing."
What?
The way Roget answered his question seemed weird. Why did he know about the Art of Stealing?
Of course, as the chief of the village that was home to pickpockets that came out every year, he needed to know at least this much. But Grey felt a bit weird hearing this.
"How much did they steal from you?" Roget asked. He was the son of an old friend. Maybe he could help this young man a bit.
"30 gold coins."
But the answer wasn't what he was expecting at all.
"What?! What do you mean by 30 gold coins? Do you perhaps mean silver?"
"No, it was 30 gold coins," Grey answered in an irritated voice. He didn't want to be questioned about it. "I was on my way to the capital to join the academy."
There was no way Roget could compensate him for his loss. Even 30 silver coins would be too much.
"To be correct, it was 30 gold and 52 silver coins. And some change."
Roget felt like his tongue was about to fall. Even the "change" mentioned was probably an amount important to people living here.
"I-I can compensate that much money."
"Huh? I am not here so that you can compensate me. You told me you would explain what happened. Tell me so that I can find them myself."
"Find them? We are not sure, but we believe that the thieves are a big group. It is not something you can deal with by yourself."
"Don't worry about it. I will be okay." Then, Grey went silent for a second and lowered his head. When he raised it back, his cheeks were a bit red. "I told you that you don't have to compensate me, but... I don't have anywhere I can sleep. So..."
"Sigh... Don't worry, I will give you a room in my house. For Talas's sake, if nothing else..."
***
They talked a bit more before Roget readied a room for Grey.
But Grey's mind was only on the money that was stolen.
I wish I had separated the gold and silver coins, at least.
But he couldn't change the past. So, instead, he decided to sleep early so that he could look for clues the next day.
---
The next day, Grey woke up a bit later than normal. In the past two weeks, he had been sleeping outside since he was traveling.
And, now that he was on a proper bed, he slept like a log without realizing.
When he woke up, Roget was already awake. He had even prepared breakfast for Grey.
Of course, he felt bad for Grey. No matter what, he was a guest in this village while Roget was the chief of the village. So, he felt responsible for what happened to Grey, the son of his old friend.
After eating his food, Grey left the house. Apart from looking for clues regarding the thief, he also wanted to look around.
Even though he didn't have any money, he didn't want to spend his time here without doing anything.
Roget also forced two silvers into his hand when he was leaving. Grey didn't like the gesture, but he had to accept it since Roget didn't let go.
Two silver would be enough since this village was still far away from the capital, thus much cheaper.
He went back to the shopping area. He didn't think there would be something in the living area, and he didn't have any information about the third one.
There wouldn't be any pickpocketing before the evening anyway. So, he decided to spend this time gathering information.
And his first goal was Viola, the only grown-up he knew in this village apart from Roget.
"You are back! Was the food good?" She asked behind the stall when he reached there. There wasn't anyone waiting since there was no food at this hour.
"Yes, it was. Thank you. When will you start with the next batch? I want to taste it again."
Actually, Grey was thinking about what Luca said. She was cooking the food she sold with the Art of Cooking, while cooking the ones Luca and they ate normally.
So, he wanted to try the food made with the Art of Cooking and compare the two.
Unfortunately, he didn't like the answer he received.
"Sorry, but I won't be selling anything till the festival?"
"What? Why, though?"
"I am working on a new food. If I cook what my father invented, I won't be able to do it."
"Do what?"
"Ah, I was talking to myself. Don't worry about it."
Grey was dejected, but it wasn't that big of a deal. So, instead, he decided to ask, "Is it okay if I ask you a few questions, then?"
"Of course, but are you sure? You can still visit my father's shop and eat pasta there. His pasta is much better than mine.
Grey took a note of it. "I will do that later. I actually encountered a problem yesterday."
Then, he explained what had happened yesterday to Viola. Of course, he wasn't here to request help. They had just met. He just wanted to ask a few questions.
"I see. I can help you, but I don't have much time to train. Hmm... If you don't have any money, how about this: become my food taste for today as I train, and I will answer your questions while training."
Viola thought that this worked well for Grey since he didn't need to spend money on food if he accepted.
On the other hand, Grey was thinking about all the dangerous food he would be eating. But he had no reason to refuse. He would get what he was here for.
Grey accepted the offer in the end.
"Perfect," Viola clapped her hands. "Then, please help me disassemble this stall and carry it to the kitchen. I will assemble it at the center for the festival."
Grey felt like he was deceived.
***
When they entered Viola's decrepit storage building, Grey encountered the same view as yesterday. It was still clean. But there was an exception this time.
"Wear these," Viola said, handing him a pair of gloves, shoe covers, and a head cover.
Seeing Grey look at them, she started explaining, "These two are for your hands, and these two-"
"I know what they are." Grey just hadn't thought he would need them since he didn't yesterday.
"Ah, perfect, then. Since you will be entering the kitchen today, you will need them. Also, please don't sneeze or cough inside."
There were a lot of rules, but he didn't hate them.
At least she makes clean food.
This world was well behind Earth in terms of knowledge and science. So, most didn't even wash their hands after eating.
But maybe he was wrong. Maybe only some of the people in his village were a bit behind since he hadn't seen any unhygienic acts from people living here.
"Hey, are you okay?
"Ah, yes. I will do as you said."
After Grey accepted the conditions, they entered the kitchen. It was as big as the storage.
Viola didn't wait for him and started preparing some food first.
She must have gained inspiration. I can wait a bit.
Grey watched as Viola focused on cooking something. It seemed like pastry before cooking. Viola started talking at that moment.
"While cooking food, one should be careful not to waste. Also, even the smallest amount of error could change the taste of the food."
Is she talking to me or herself?
But Grey didn't interfere and continued listening.
"Clean food is the best food. Think about the customers' feelings when cooking."
The monologue continued for half an hour. In the meantime, Grey made sure that Viola was talking to herself.
Maybe she was trying to remember what she learned. No matter what, she was only working as a cook for less than two months.
She prepared a large pan and put the small pieces of dough in it, putting the pan on top of the fire.
At that moment, Grey's eyes opened wide.
[Art of Cooking can be acquired!]