I became a food developer

As the cola craze spread across the empire's capital, not everyone was thrilled.

Third Prince Leon did so.

He found Coke's popularity 'bizarre'.

Think about it.

Over the years, the empire has experienced several waves of fashion.

But never before has the empire been so excited by a single drink.

The popularity of cola was showing a strange tendency to become overheated.

To the Third Prince, it seemed like the word 'enthusiasm' was not enough to describe it.

But no one found that strange. Everyone was busy praising Coke.

As if I was 'enchanted'.

There, the Third Prince came up with a frightening hypothesis.

'It's black magic. If it weren't for black magic, no one would be so addicted to a drink like cola.'

It may have been a far-fetched delusion, but the atmosphere in the empire was so heated that it was difficult to accept it without incorporating such a delusion.

The devil's drink is spreading throughout the empire.

It would be reasonable to think so.

If that's the case, then this strangely heated atmosphere could be explained to some extent.

The appearance of the cola added confidence to the Third Prince's inference.

"Donovan, look at this bubbling black liquid. Doesn't it look like a boiling pond at the bottom of hell?"

"Hmm, it certainly looks ominous. But it's hard to conclude that it's black magic just from this… …"

The Third Prince had a hard time accepting the fact that something like this was popular in the empire.

However, the idea that cola is a product of black magic is purely speculation.

The Third Prince secretly stole the original ingredient of cola, 'cola stock', and had its contents examined to obtain evidence to support his hypothesis.

The results were shocking.

"I can't figure it out."

"…you are the one who said that."

The old wizard, who was the royal court magician and the third prince's teacher, failed to analyze the contents of the colastock.

"It looks like the White Tower has locked the stock. Huh, why are you doing such useless things… … "

The old wizard added that the White Tower Lord himself had put a lock on Colastok, but the third prince did not pay attention to that story.

I didn't have the presence of mind to do that.

'Black magic has appeared in the empire… …!'

Because the truth we arrived at was so horrifying.

And I shuddered with fear.

This drink called cola had already spread 'throughout the empire'.

If this is the work of someone with ill will towards the Empire… … .

"…Emergency, emergency."

The Third Prince immediately reported this fact to the Vatican.

However, the Vatican, which should have been the first to react to black magic, remained silent.

'Why on earth is the Vatican not taking any action?'

The Third Prince was pleased, but the Vatican maintained a wait-and-see attitude until more concrete evidence was available.

It was indeed a response worthy of the Vatican, one that was both tiresome and tedious.

The Third Prince decided that if the Vatican did not step in, he must step in and resolve this black magic situation.

That was the reason the Third Prince visited the White Tower.

*

'Is this really the devil's den?'

The third prince, who visited the White Tower, felt nervous inside.

The strangely old exterior of the magic tower, and the wizards eating bizarre sweets they've never seen before.

At first glance, it was an ordinary scene, but when you apply black magic to it, it couldn't be more eerie.

The wizard who was eating Pringles was flustered by the gaze of the 3rd prince.

"Would you like some?"

"That's it. But what is that?"

"P, Pringles is a new product from Bontop."

"It looks unusual. What is it made of?"

"It's a potato chip."

also.

The third prince nodded inwardly.

Potatoes are a typical devil's fruit that grows from the ground.

The Third Prince had never heard of potatoes being used for food anywhere on the continent.

'Are you trying to spread potatoes throughout the empire?'

The third prince, who was sighing inwardly, looked back at the escort who came with him and asked.

"Do you still think my words are a leap of faith?"

"Hmm, actually, at first I was half-doubtful, but this is… …"

The Third Prince's escort, Donovan, trailed off.

At first, he thought that the Third Prince was acting alone.

The third prince, who was very suspicious, had a tendency to over-interpret everything.

This time, I thought it was a similar thing and didn't think much of it.

But once I arrived at the White Tower, the Third Prince's words sounded persuasive.

It was as if all the wizards of the White Tower passing by had conspired together to hold an unidentifiable snack called 'Pringles'.

'Heh, heh heh. This is sweet mayo cheese flavor... ... .'

'I like butter popcorn…'

Wizards have also been seen muttering strange, incomprehensible words while eating sweets.

Sweet mayo cheese, butter popcorn, Donovan, these were all words I had never heard before.

like…

okay.

It felt like I was at a drug party.

Even the fact that the raw material for the drug was 'potato' shook Donovan's heart at the Third Prince's claim of black magic.

"… This may really be black magic, Your Majesty."

"Finally, Kyung-do understands my heart."

"I'm sorry for doubting you."

"Okay, then I'll get to that."

The Third Prince was pleased with the thought that he had made the right decision to bring Donovan along.

"Now all that remains is to find and capture the warlock."

But finding the warlock turned out to be surprisingly easy.

"Oh, what should I do, Yu-ri is out right now… … Oh, she's over there!"

The White Tower Master, who had been looking around the lobby in a fluster, pointed to a wizard who had just entered and exited the tower.

"There he is! That kid is the developer of Coke!"

'It's ordinary.'

The developer of the cola that White Tower was referring to was a young man with an innocent appearance.

He didn't look like a warlock who had made a contract with the devil at all. But that made him look even more suspicious.

I heard that black magicians are a group of people who are good at hiding themselves and living.

'I don't know how you managed to avoid the eyes of the Vatican, but my eyes are not fooled.'

The third prince vowed to take off the mask of that wicked demon.

*

"… Yuri Greyot meets His Imperial Highness the Third Prince."

"That's enough of the courtesy."

The Third Prince raised his hand to stop me from kneeling.

"I heard you made cola."

"That's right. Is that why you came to me?"

"At first it was like that, but when I came here, I saw that they had developed something else. Fringules?"

"You mean Pringles?"

"Yeah, I guess that was the name."

'what?'

I tilted my head.

The third prince's gaze looking at me did not look kind for some reason.

'Did they catch you trying to leave?'

"I have one question for you."

"Go ahead."

The third prince leaned towards me, sitting across from me, and rested his chin on the back of his hand.

"There are many crops in the empire."

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the reception room changed to that of an interrogation room.

"Is there a special reason why, among all those crops, you chose the 'devil fruit' potato to make cookies?"

"There is no particularly special reason."

"Then why did you use it?"

"It's delicious."

The third prince twisted his lips.

"I can't say."

"…yes?"

"How were Coke and Pringles developed?"

"Well, an idea just occurred to me─"

"Don't try to deceive me by saying that you created it with your own ideas."

"… … ."

I was a little surprised.

What, what do you know?

"I heard that all the foods there are deceptive."

Processed foods are all things that deceive humans.

'…Do you really know?'

It was when I was feeling a bit uneasy about the strangely fitting words.

"Your product must have been tainted with the dark magic of the demon world."

"… … ."

It was only then that I realized that the Third Prince was seriously mistaken about something.

Somehow, from the beginning, I didn't like the way you looked at me.

"Your Majesty, this is not some kind of black magic. It is a stock food made through alchemy."

"Are you trying to argue that it's not devil food when you used a devil fruit?"

"So potatoes aren't like a devil's fruit."

It's too much to call a perfectly good crop a devil fruit just because it's ugly.

"So you're going to keep doing that?"

The Third Prince asked the wizard directly, as he was avoiding answering.

"Okay. Then tell me, what is this cola made of?"

"Well, that is…"

"I guess I can't say it after all."

"Stock information is not originally meant to be shared."

The Third Prince looked back at his escort, Donovan.

"The wizard is right. It is illegal to dig up information about stocks, Your Majesty."

"hmm."

The third prince, speechless, remained silent for a moment.

But that was only on the surface, as a conversation was taking place between the Third Prince and Donovan through magical powers.

─Donovan, what did you think?

─It seems like you're hiding something.

─I see. That's what I saw too.

Donovan was a knight, but he was also good at psychoanalysis.

While the Third Prince was talking to the wizard, Donovan was constantly analyzing the wizard's facial expressions.

What the wizard is hiding is probably 'black magic'.

But even if he knew this, it wasn't easy for the prince to reveal the magician's identity.

Because the empire was a country based on the principle of 'evidence adoption'.

Even if he was a prince, he couldn't pressure the magician of the magic tower without clear evidence.

'Then I guess I'll have to dig a little deeper.'

"If you can't reveal the contents of the stock, I'll just eat the stock myself. Is that possible?"

"It's possible, but is that okay? If you eat the stock directly, it will be very stimulating."

"Okay, then give it to me."

"I warned you that it would be very stimulating."

The third prince ignored the warning and ate both the Cola Stock and the Pringles Stock in one gulp.

Because even simple stimulation wouldn't work on him, a strong man who had mastered Sword Aura.

'Hmm, not much for a warning-'

And the thought didn't go any further.

"…majesty!"

Donovan accepted the falling Third Prince.

"I told you not to eat that."

I clicked my tongue. The unconscious third prince's body was convulsing.

"It was black magic after all… …!"

"Don't worry, you'll come to your senses soon. You just lost consciousness for a moment due to the strong stimulation."

As I said, the Third Prince regained consciousness shortly thereafter.

"… Hmm."

"majesty!"

"Donovan, you're too close. Get away."

"yes."

As Donovan stepped aside, Third Prince Leon looked at me.

Looking at the blushing face of the Third Prince, I suddenly became curious and asked.

"How was it?"

"… It was ecstatic. It felt like I was riding on top of a dragon, feeling the wind and touring the continent."

The description of the taste is quite specific.

"What do you call these?"

I was about to answer with a stock, but I paused for a moment. That wasn't the answer the Third Prince wanted.

"It's a processed food."

"Processed foods… … ."

The third prince muttered the word processed food as if savoring it, and left the magic tower, saying that he would come back again.

*

The third prince was silent all the way back to the palace in a carriage.

The third prince, who had been contemplating something with his head down, finally opened his mouth.

"Donovan."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I guess I was mistaken."

"What do you mean you got it wrong…?"

"It's not black magic."

What the White Tower spread wasn't black magic or anything like that.

"It's even more amazing than that."

Because black magic could never make you feel this way.

Although it was a short time, the Third Prince truly experienced the ecstasy of ascending to heaven and looking down on the continent.

The third prince, who had been wondering what it was all the way to the palace, finally found the answer.

"It seems like they've developed a new magic at the White Tower."

"!!"

Donovan's eyes opened wide.

New magic… … !

Although he was a knight and had no knowledge of magic, he knew what new magic meant.

Magic is derived from and branches out from one magic that is its root.

The birth of a new magic meant the birth of a 'root', which was called a 'school'.

And it was more than a hundred years ago that a new school of thought emerged in the empire.

The Third Prince hinted that a new school of magic had appeared in the world of magic.

"As soon as you return to the Imperial Palace, tell them to raise funds to support the White Tower."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After finishing speaking, Third Prince Leon muttered while looking at the window passing by.

"… … Processed foods, are they processed because they are so processed?"

'National support funds' were allocated to the White Tower.

The problem was that there was no item that said what support was for. Neither the department in charge nor the Lord of Matap knew why.

However, there was one card inserted in the file from the imperial family.

[Celebrating the birth of a new magic. ─ Third Prince Leon Hitzhark]

"…What kind of person do you really do?"