The Frugal Mage

The Age of Mayonnaise had truly begun.

This was what Rayven thought as he finished his sandwich…

Rayven was about to make his third one when the door suddenly creaked open.

"Rayven? You here?" a familiar voice called.

It was Nara, the younger of the two swordswomen, her dark hair tied up in a simple tail, and she still looked sweaty.

She entered first, dragging her training sword behind her as it seemed that she had just finished a sparring session. Following behind was Miki, and she seemed quite happy seeing Rayven after a long while.

Well, Rayven had been busy with the Eterna Script Trading business and rarely had the chance to meet them…

Rayven greeted the two as he found the lid of the jar to cover his mayonnaise.

Well, he didn't make a lot of them, and it was definitely not enough for him.

However, the smell of fresh bread and the faint hint of lemon in the air made them realize that Rayven was doing something in the kitchen...

Nara wrinkled her nose. "What's that smell? I'm really hungry… Can we have that too?"

Miki tilted her head as she spotted the bread and the jar on the table.

"Bread… and… something creamy?"

Rayven cleared his throat as he decided to just share it with them.

'They can help with whisking anyway. Since they're sword practitioners, they should be better at whisking…' He thought.

"Ahem. You are witnessing history in the making. This, ladies, is mayonnaise."

"...Mayon-what now?" Nara asked, plopping herself into a chair without invitation.

Rayven pointed to the jar. "Mayonnaise! A revolutionary sauce from-" He almost slipped my previous world, but caught himself just in time. "…from a recipe that no one here has ever thought of. It will change the way we eat forever."

Nara leaned forward suspiciously. She already knew that Rayven was a great businessman with his previous actions.

He'd probably do great even if he sold garbage with the way he speaks.

Still, she couldn't help but like how confident Rayven was when he was trying to 'sell' something.'

"Hmmm… Looks like yellow slime to me."

Before Rayven could scold her, Miki stepped closer, as her curiosity piqued.

She picked up the knife he'd left behind and spread a careful layer onto a slice of bread. "Smells… interesting."

Rayven nearly forgot to breathe as he watched her take a bite.

Her eyes widened slightly.

She chewed. And then, she actually smiled.

"This is… good. The taste is new to me but it's pleasant." Miki said. Her tone was calm, but it was approving.

'That's right… There's no way someone would dislike the taste of mayonnaise.'

Rayven's chest swelled with pride.

If this had been his old body, he would have swooped in with a pick-up line right then and there. As it was, being trapped in the body of a nearly fifteen-year-old, all he could do was cough awkwardly and mutter, "Of course it's good. I made it."

Nara, seeing Miki's reaction, quickly grabbed a slice for herself. She slathered on way too much mayo and bit into it with enthusiasm.

"Mmmph! Oh wow! This is creamy! Tasty! Way better than that hard cheese bread we had on the road!" she mumbled through a full mouth.

Rayven smirked. "Told you. It's the revolution of taste."

The three of them sat together at the table, sharing bread, passing the jar around like it was some priceless treasure.

However, he didn't make a lot of it since he was simply testing his memory.

At one point, Nara scraped the bottom of the jar with a finger. "Hey, we're running out!"

"Don't eat it all at once…" Rayven scolded as he snatched the jar away.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to whisk this by hand? My arm almost fell off!"

Miki chuckled softly. "Then we'd better make more. Because I want some with our next meal."

Rayven paused, seeing Miki chuckle. His heart skipped a beat… If only he were older again…

"Ahem... I'll make more." He said.

"Great… This stuff could sell…" Nara said as she looked at the empty jar.

"We could use it for missions. Bread and dried meat get boring fast… Add this, and we'd actually look forward to meals! Does it have a long shelf life?"

"Yes… That's right." Rayven replied.

Miki gave a small nod. "So it stores well… Not like stew or soup. Soldiers, merchants, travelers… They'd all pay for something like this."

Rayven also thought of this and agreed to her.

"Exactly. That's the plan. This mayonnaise will conquer the world."

Nara burst out laughing. "You sound like a villain! 'Bow before me, for I have mayonnaise!'"

Rayven shook his head at this.

"Mock me all you want, but you'll thank me when you're dipping roasted meat in this divine sauce."

Miki set her bread down and looked at him seriously. "You want to sell this, don't you? You'll need people you can trust."

Rayven hesitated for only a second before nodding.

"Yes. And I want both of you involved. You've already tasted it… You know its potential. I'll handle the recipe, but you two could help me with the production or maybe with the marketing. Guards, escorts, merchants… you meet the kinds of people who would become our first customers."

Nara's eyes sparkled with excitement. "We get to eat it and make money? I'm in!"

Miki also liked the idea of earning money since she could purchase better sword and equipment.

"This truly has potential, I'll support you. But you'll need more than just a jar and bread. You'll need a proper plan."

Rayven grinned. His mind was already thinking of various possibilities. Sandwich stalls? Tavern partnerships? Mayonnaise jars sold in a store? The possibilities were endless.

And so, Rayven decided to teach these two trusted individuals about the method of making Mayonnaise. After all, there was no way he could do this by himself.

As expected, the two realized that whisking was a bit too tiring.

'I should probably consider making a mixer… a mayonnaise-making machine.' Rayven mused as he knew that doing it by hand for mass production would simply not work. There should be a standard taste, and that could only be done if it were done with the help of a precise machine.

"Alright… I'll work on that…"