Chapter 14
## Episode 14
Meaning she still wasn't completely close with them yet.
Sensing the situation turning sour, Cookie in Iri's pocket asked.
[How can we get even closer? To get close to your father, we need to raise your Purification Power. Sigh, this is tough. So tough.]
*'No, it's not tough at all.'*
Iri's eyes sparkled.
For Iri, the 'Grandma Expert,' there was a way to get even closer to these 'aunties' too!
"Um, I'll step out for a bit because I'm busy-nimida."
After bowing her head politely and finishing her greeting.
Noma and Nera exchanged glances.
"......She's quite different."
"Right? See?"
Over 30 seconds of silence passed between the two.
The kitchen maids watching whispered to each other.
"Lady Iri stopped their fight?"
"Such a tiny body, but she might be surprisingly amazing."
"Yeah......"
It was a fight even the previous Grand Duke couldn't stop, yet Iri had intervened.
But after 30 seconds.
"What are you doing here? Quit making noise and get lost!"
"This is my kitchen, so you get lost. Right?"
......They started their nerve war again.
The kitchen maids let out long sighs once more.
* * *
"As expected, I figured it out!"
"Gasp, you really figured it out! As expected of a hero......!"
Back in her room, Iri declared solemnly.
"This is!"
"This is?"
"A trashy drama with an elder in the middle!"
"......Huh?"
Iri had seen it before.
Sitting next to her past-life grandma, in the weekend TV dramas......!
"They fought saying 'I know him best! No, I know him best!'"
"What? That seems totally different."
Cookie poured cold water on her.
But Iri knew the secret behind it all!
Iri pulled the bell cord to call the maid sisters.
"Um, I have something to say-nimida."
"Yes?"
At Iri's grave tone, they exchanged looks.
"I need to go back to the kitchen. Could you give me some rice, beans, sesame seeds, and barley?"
"Hmm?"
"Just for a bit-nimida."
* * *
The kitchen maids looked flustered.
Iri, who had left, returned and suddenly started bustling around the kitchen.
"I'll use the kitchen, but I absolutely won't touch the hearth myself. Because I'm a child!"
Even Noma and Nera, in the midst of fighting, stared blankly at Iri.
Iri raised her hand sharply.
"I request it. Please roast some barley!"
"Ah, yes."
"Roast some beans and perilla seeds too—thank you-nimida!"
The maids thought Lady Iri was siding with Nera, the West kitchen chef who mainly did grain dishes.
"Lady Iri, are you interested in grain cooking?"
"Yes-nimida!"
"As expected, so smart. Grain dishes fill you up properly. The direct lineage members preferred grain dishes too."
"I see! Roast it well-nimida!"
"Yes, Lady Iri."
"Grind these grains well too-nimida!"
At Iri's words, Nera's nose rose high while Noma's face twisted.
Noma, the East kitchen chef who favored sweet desserts, looked a bit sour.
At that moment, the well-ground ingredients were ready.
Then Iri said firmly.
"And this dish is a grain food that's also a sweet dessert."
"Pardon? I-Is that possible? That's just a meal replacement......"
Noma's eyes shook, and Iri said solemnly.
"Give me sugar. And milk too-nimida!"
"H-Here."
Grain dish with sugar and milk?
What on earth was she planning?
Moreover, Iri grabbed some ground mugwort powder with eagle eyes and mixed it in.
*'Wh-what's that mixed in?'*
Mixing everything and shaking it vigorously?
By the time the two chefs froze at the never-before-seen recipe.
Iri confidently offered the drink.
"Here, would both of you like a sip?"
Earlier, when the two fought over 'the elder's taste.'
She thought of something that was a grain dish but full of sweet dessert vibes.
And Iri realized it right away.
This was exactly!
Their expressions changed to surprise after one sip each.
"Th-that......"
"What's the exact name of this drink?"
Iri lifted her chin proudly.
What else?
K-Grandma style.
No, Iri-style Misutgaru!
* * *
The taste of the Misutgaru her past-life Hammuni had made!
Iri confidently thought, as a spirited child.
These people would surely love K-Grandma-style Misutgaru too!
And sure enough.
"Huh?"
It was a rare moment of agreement between the two.
The sharp-edged chefs' faces softened subtly.
"How is it-nimida?"
"It fills you up."
"......And it's sweet too."
"Such a novel food?"
Seeing their expressions after tasting the new food, Iri grinned.
*'They fell for it!'*
She could almost hear their hearts opening.
After the five maid sisters and ten manservant brothers, now the kitchen too!
*'Hammuni said it: The one holding the ladle is the true powerholder!'*
Then she was now with two powerholders!
Puffing her shoulders proudly, they asked.
"Could you share the recipe again?"
"Yes-nimida! Write it down together! So, this much sugar, this maaany grains!"
"Yes, yes."
The kitchen maids whispered to each other.
"Have those two ever cooked together so mildly?"
"Never, no."
"The maids said being near Lady Iri feels purifying—seems real."
Their fighting, anger, and malice had long vanished.
The cool Chef Noma was like soft cotton candy.
The cold Chef Nera melted like thin ice.
At that moment.
A faint fog visible only to Iri enveloped them.
A colorless, odorless haze that seemed faintly acrid.
Iri carefully raised her hand, took a light breath in, then out.
Focusing on the fog.
Her mind darkened slightly as the two chefs' magi flowed into her embrace.
Riding the 'Ring of Purification' inside her body, the magi turned into Purification Power.
At that instant, Iri could feel it.
The fog around them slowly lifting.
Their once-irritated eyes filling with warm kindness.
And Cookie, the growth assistant summon in her pocket, murmured.
"As expected of 1-stage magi—purification's quick. Done."
Strangely, her belly felt slowly filling with Purification Power too.
At that moment, Cookie poked its head out from the pocket.
Touching Iri's body, it sent a telepathic message only to her.
[Now, look closely. Cool, huh? I made your personal Purification Status Window.]
A small window appeared before Iri's eyes.
[‘World's Strongest Hero’ Iri's Purification Status Window!]
1-star: Light ‘Seed’
■□□□□ (4 bars left to 2-star, ‘Tree of Light’!)
Seeing the window Cookie displayed, Iri trembled in surprise.
She had just made Misutgaru.
Yet she'd gained such powerful strength!
Was it because the magi vanished?
Or because a peaceful day of agreement finally came?
Their faces looked very relaxed too, but......
*'My skills grew, but it's not time to relax yet! As Master said, tense up most at your best!'*
Herself, who became (almost) 2-star hero with just one Misutgaru.
Then, the great hero's next task was one thing.
Iri recalled her purpose for coming to this kitchen.
"Um, I have a question-nimida."
"Yes?"
"What does the elder—no, Grand Duke Ortejo like?"
At Iri's words.
The kitchen people's eyes shook simultaneously.
