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Non-Canon: REMINDER! This page is considered as among one of the many pure game contents found exclusive in Mass for the Dead only. It includes the new standalone characters that had a first-time appearance in the game. Meanwhile, the old characters had a different role and fate than from the main storyline in the official books. For that reason, it has no connections to the canon story materials of Overlord Light Novel series. The content that you had read here are based on the Overlord mobile game. |
A Sweet Plan (甘き企みのうちに) is a game event in Mass for the Dead that was released on January 31, 2024 to February 14, 2024.
Background[]
A new chocolate confectionery, a specialty of the Sorcerer Kingdom, was about to make its debut once again at E-Rantel. On the other hand, the high expectations of the people grew into a thirst for more new products. In the pursuit of new foreign currency, a man unexpectedly came forward...——-[1]
Incident[]
The story starts off on the 9th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, in the Bar where Sous-chef is bartending there for those seeking solace in between their daily duties. Said solace is disturbed when a voice shouts "...Are you seriously saying that?" This distracts the Sous-chef from cleaning his glasses to see what the commotion is about. It is coming from the counter from none other than Demiurge who is talking with his fellow Floor Guardian, Cocytus. From what he overhears, Cocytus answers that he is serious, lamenting that he is not as useful as the others. The conversation draws the myconid's full attention due to Cocytus's tense atmosphere.
Demiurge asks why his comrade would think that is the case, to which Cocytus replies that the other Guardians are working in the human city for the sake of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Guardians such as Albedo, Aura Bella Fiora, and Mare Bello Fiore have established themselves as personnel of the Sorcerer Kingdom, while Shalltear Bloodfallen and Sebas Tian have undercover identities.
Thanks to them Nazarick's influence over E-Rantel is growing. Meanwhile Cocytus role is to defend Momonga and Nazarick. He is well aware that this is an important role. As a person in this position, he cannot be expected to take the same duties as Victim or Gargantua lightly. But he still envies the other Guardians when he sees their activities done outside Nazarick.
Demiurge sympathizes with Cocytus as the other Floor Guardian's appearance makes visiting a human city to be troublesome. While that what Cocytus says is true, Demiurge states that his friend is making a great contribution, such as the lizardmen village and his work in winning them over. Most importantly Momonga is aware of this and so does Demiurge. Above all the demi-humans put their trust in Cocytus so there is no such thing as Cocytus be "unhelpful".
Demiurge offers a phrase to Cocytus: "the right person for the job" and its meaning to give the right person a role that fits his or her ability and nature. He offers Cocytus his opinion that he is in the right place, and is sure he is well on his way to being a force to be reckoned with. Cocytus accepts the praise albeit grudgingly, but even Demiurge can see that he doesn't understand and detects his smoldering sense of impatience. As a friend, Demiurge wants to do something about it, but is at a loss of how and wonders if there was anything he could do.
Around the same time in E-Rantel, the protagonist and Slimeko are listening to Pluton Ainzach about the sales of items handled by the Adventurer's Guild. The guildmaster is grateful for the protagonist and the Sorcerer Kingdom, although the protagonist detects credit to the guildmaster always helping him in mutual respect. Still Ainzach feels indebt to the aid given to the guild. Recently, people who buy chocolate sweets have begun to bring in requests, and some people have come forward as aspiring adventurers. If that happens, it wouldn't be surprising to Ainzach if there was some trouble from other guilds. But they've been able to avoid that for now because the Adventurer's Guild uses a portion of their profits to pay for charity projects carried out by the guild.
To the protagonist it seems that the effect of attracting customers to the Adventurer's Guild is going well. He asks if there are any opinions raised by customers. Ainzach thinks for a moment, regarding the Golden Chocolate In A Bottle products. There was a customer who said, "Aren't there going to be new products that are different from those?'' The demand for a new product comes as surprise to the protagonist.
A sentiment shared by Ainzach as it could be said it is an exaggeration to say that it feels like a world away from when chocolate was first introduced as a luxury confectionery from the Sorcerer Kingdom, but to be honest, he didn't expect it to become this popular. This gives the protagonist some thought on how chocolate was originally a luxury item and now considered common item. The latest product being the Golden Chocolate In A Bottle developed with the aid of Nazarick.
Ainzach in this case, hopes that the "chilled chocolate" idea that will be introduced using the refrigerator will meet customers' expectations. The protagonist also hopes so and thinks to himself that the chocolate development is what it is now because they never stopped improving it. In that case he decides that he needs to report this to Momonga.[2]
The next day, the homunculus returned to Nazarick and reported to Momonga about the incident at the Adventurer's Guild. There in the Round Table Room, Momonga and his gathered Floor Guardians deliberated on the rising demand for new chocolates sparked by the Golden Chocolate In A Bottle. And that the Adventurer's Guild will be releasing a new line of "chilled chocolate" soon. Given the current high expectations of customers, it is worth considering whether simply cooling chocolate is sufficient.
Demiurge concludes that the Sorcerer Kingdom may need to develop new products in addition to "chilled chocolate." Albedo is unhappy as it is just one after another with humans that exceeds a certain extent.
The homunculus agrees as even though they are already using limited resources, humans want endless new chocolate sweets. While it is true that humans are greedy despite their fragility, Demiurge adds that from the protagonist's report, it's giving the Adventurer's Guild a fair amount of profit, so he doesn't think it's a bad story. Shalltear concurs, but questions if the new thing they'll be releasing next time is "chilled chocolate", since chilling'' is not considered a new feature and asks if it really that easy to apply?
Momonga is even unsure himself, but the exchange wouldn't be a bad idea if they could win the favor of humans. He then asks if anyone has any good ideas. Out of the assembled Floor Guardians, Cocytus requests Momonga to leave this task to him. His participation comes as a surprise to many in the room. Cocytus makes a case for why the development of a "chilled chocolate" should be left to him, one being that he is capable of working ice magic.
Albedo voices her skepticism of Cocytus being right for the task and adds her opinion to Momonga that someone more qualified be left to him. To explain why, there are many aspects of Cocytus that are far removed from humans. So is it really possible to for him to understand human tastes and preferences? In addition how could Cocytus be given such as task in developing products for humans when he can't access human cities.
Momonga thinks on these points, and while Albedo is right especially on the issue of making food for a completely different race seems like a high hurdle, he wants a second opinion, thus turning to Demiurge. The male demon states that what Albedo said is true. Cocytus has many differences from humans. However, he also believes that it is a different matter to declare that it is impossible to carry out the mission based on this. For example, if they are "too different from humans," they could be assisted by someone "closer to humans" to fulfill their mission without any problems. Hence why he disagrees is dismissing Cocytus being unfit to handle the task.
This reasoning comes as a surprise to Momonga as Demiurge normally is more strict in his logic. He wonders if the demon has something on his mind. To Momonga while it may be a naive idea, he wants to respect the autonomy of NPCs as much as possible. If they are forced to avoid risks all the time, even those who can grow will not be able to grow. So Momonga gives his blessing Cocytus for the task to be left in his hands.
The decision shocks Albedo as she can't believe that Momonga would give permission, but seeing Demiurge's attitude she concludes that means there's some kind of intention. Cocytus on the other hand is left elated. That said, there is a point to Albedo's concerns. Therefore, in order to proceed with the mission, Momonga wants to enlist the help of someone who knows human taste. He selects the role of assistant to Cocytus to being Narberal who he believes is suitable, as she is familiar with human cities, and probably knows human tastes. Also, in private, their two creators, Warrior Takemikazuchi and Nishikienrai, were good friends so it might be easier to work together.
Of course, Cocytus can ask for help from others if necessary. For that purpose, Momonga will also allow them to go to each floor. Cocytus thanks his master for such consideration. Momonga tells Cocytus that this isn't an official or urgent matter so he would like him to think about it and make suggestions when he has time between duties. Thus was the beginning of Cocytus' development of a new cold yet hot chocolate confectionery.
At the 9th Floor hallway, while Shalltear headed to the Throne Room to subjugate the Chaos Beasts, she thought back to Cocytus' situation earlier. From what she can tell, Shalltear muses that Cocytus, must have been really excited. And while she cannot say how he feels, will not miss the opportunity to help him.
A few hours later. Demiurge was quietly drinking a glass to himself at the bar. Sous-chef politely interrupts the demon's brooding stating that the its almost time. On that note, Cocytus finally arrives to meet Demiurge. The 5th Floor Guardians apologizes for the wait. Taking a seat, Cocytus thanks Demiurge for defending him against the opposition to his candidacy for the task, and knows he did so out of concern for him.
Demiurge though feigns ignorance of what had happened, allowing Cocytus to interpret it as that. Albedo's concerns were also valid. However, since Cocytus have never been to E-Rantel, Demiurge thought that you could come up with some ideas. Cocytus won't be a hindrance to security work, so there's a lot of value in trying to develop chocolate under his own initiative. The reason Albedo did not object in the end and above all, the Supreme Being gave permission was with these interests in mind. So Cocytus doesn't need to thank him.
On the topic of the future product line of chocolate, Cocytus ponders on what could further be improved as the previous chocolate items was portable, and its ingenuity in not melting in your hands is wonderful. But if it gets cold, it may cancel out the charm. There is room for improvement if they can reduce the consumption of the finite chocolate ingredients and use ingredients that are better suited for chilling. But on this Cocytus confesses he is not a good person to make a concrete plan for this, especially when it comes to taste. Demiurge agrees and states that is why Momonga probably assigned Narberal to assist him.
The Sous-chef comes over with a snack for the two. It draws Cocytus attention as it is raw chocolate confection. He came up with this idea when developing the last chocolate confectionery, and the cook tried making it with the help of a regular maid. Cocytus tries it finding the chocolate is soft, and yet doesn't look like it's melting. The taste and aroma makes Demiurge wonder if its mixed with liqueur.
Sous-chef confirms that he mixed chocolate dough with fresh cream and liqueur and chilled it. Therefore, it contains more water than regular chocolate. It makes sense to Cocytus, since it contains a lot of water, it means it will melt in the mouth. The Sous-chef adds that however, it also became softer, so it wasn't suitable for carrying around. The cook heard this time around that they would be developing a different type of chocolate than the previous chocolate item so he doesn't know if it will be helpful, but he would definitely like Cocytus to try it.
Cocytus is silent, but Demiurge offers thanks for the meal, complimenting the snack going well with today's sake. This leaves the Sous-chef in awe as he never expected that Demiurge would praise this. He also adds that this treat seems like a good stimulus for Cocytus as well.
Cocytus muses that the past, they have made various prototypes of chocolates in Nazarick. Once again, he believes that listening to the opinions of those who came before is a shortcut to improvement and thus thanks the cook. Demiurge beams with pride in Cocytus is gathering information and wishes him good luck. Cocytus thanks him and excuses himself to meet with Narberal. Both the Sous-chef and Demiurge smile as Cocytus walks out with his own on his face.[3]
After leaving the shot bar, Cocytus met with Narberal in a meeting room about the mission. He apologizes for any possible trouble he may have caused her by having been assigned to him. Though Narberal finds it no trouble and is in fact happy to help. Cocytus then goes on to explain that the "chilled chocolates" will soon be on sale at E-Rantel and will not be the same as the "Golden Chocolate In A Bottle," and they think that they should prepare a special product for chilling.
They will use this as a stepping stone to gather information from those involved in chocolate development in Nazarick. Narberal suggest they go to Albedo as she had previously collaborated with the Overseer Guardian to create a prototype chocolate confectionery. Cocytus will do so, as he is the only one who can gather information in Nazarick. Furthermore Momonga has told him to ask Narberal two questions in the course of his duties.
Narberal then plans to head to E-Rantel to ask the humans on their opinions. But first wants Narberal to tell him about her chocolate candy making since he was occupied with Nazarick's security when it happened. Narberal remembers that her chocolate dish was Crispy Delicious Bites, effectively burnt chocolate a name she gave it in honor of her creator. From there on, Cocytus hears from Narberal about the hardships of making chocolate sweets and how the girls did their best.
Around the same time in the Round Table Room, Cocytus and his friends were discussing their future plans. At the head of the meeting, Albedo tells her colleague that Cocytus is proposing a new chocolate candy product. She asks Demiurge if he thinks Cocytus will be able to work it, which causes Demiurge to ask if she is worried that he will fail. The Overseer Guardian denies this, but states she can't say that there aren't any concerns.
Judging from the situation at that time, Cocytus himself didn't seem to have any concrete plans, so Albedo guesses he'll start by making plans with Narberal. But there are still questions on whether they be able to find an effective "strategy"...in the end, it all depends on that. Demiurge find this so, but discloses that Cocytus felt frustrated that he was not being of any use in E-Rantel. Although it was born out of such a situation as a motivator, respecting his independence will be beneficial to both his growth and Nazarick.
The demon suspects Momonga probably anticipated this and why he readily agreed. Albedo asks if this is why the other demon is sure Cocytus will succeed. Demiurge merely replies that's up to him...but at least it will have the effect of improving the atmosphere within Nazarick. He has faith in Cocytus as he also understands the importance of listening to the opinions of his predecessors, so he will probably try to take some action. So for now they will just keep an eye on him.
Later at the Canteen, Foire and Cixous are being interviewed by Cocytus of when they tried making chocolate sweets. The general maids find the presence of Cocytus at the establishment to be nothing but out of the ordinary. But once learning that the Floor Guardians is gathering information on the development of chocolate confectionery and willingness to hear about their experience, they oblige him.
The maids had already heard from Pestonya Shortcake Wanko that a new type of chocolate with a chilled theme will be created for selfish humans. If there is any way they could help, they are more than eager. Foire tells the Floor Guardian as result of Momonga's instructions to make "sweets for gifts to humans,'' there were four types of chocolate sweets that they and the Guardians made. What they made was a chocolate cake that was designed to be an orthodox luxury sweet. Shalltear and Solution's sweets was a vegetable mixed with chocolate. Aura and Yuri have devised a chocolate that had nuts kneaded into it and is topped with nuts known to humans. Albedo and Narberal made magically charred chocolate sweets.
And finally the colored sweets as noted by Cocytus. This causes the maids to end up adoring the aforementioned sweet candy much to Cocytus's amusement. Later Pestonya arrives with a trolley, containing tea and snacks for the Floor Guardian. She suggests Cocytus take a break from his interview. The snacks being provided by the Head Chef for him to try. The dish is new to Cocytus, which Pestonya explains is called monaka, a recently new confection created by the Head Chef with some aid from the Patissier.
The Head Maid excuses her self, but not before reminding the two general maids to follow shortly. Cocytus voices that this is the first time he has ever heard of the confection. Cixous the goes to explain more about the food, and that the cooks took inspiration from reading the knowledge gathered by the Supreme Beings in Ashurbanipal. Her words give Cocytus his own inspiration on the books found in the library.[4]
Meanwhile that night, Narberal, who went to the city of E-Rantel, visited the protagonist in his suite at an inn, informing him, Soi and Slimeko that Cocytus would be leading the development of a new chocolate product. More than that Momonga has Cocytus's support to further improve "chilled chocolate,'' and hence why the maid is helping out as well. This comes as a surprise, to Slimeko and Soi, though the latter feels that when it comes to improving "chilled chocolate", Cocytus is definitely the right person.
The protagonist is all for further improvements to the idea of chilling chocolate and that it's reassuring to see Cocytus taking the initiative. Soi deduces Narberal wants to collect local opinions. This is confirmed by Narberal, adding that Momonga- told Cocytus to do this project in between duties rather than as an urgent matter. Even so, Narberal plans to act immediately to give information to Cocytus quickly.
Since there will no doubt also be prototypes, Slimeko asks if Narberal will also be the taster? That's Narberal's intention, however, she honestly, finds it is a heavier burden for her to hear opinions from humans. Even though she said it was to gather information, the maid isn't sure if she could listen well. In that case, let Soi offers to cooperate as well, and to use it as a good opportunity to show their gratitude to the Adventurer's Guild. This is met in agreement by the protagonist as when it comes to trade goods from Sorcerer Kingdom, his adventurer team is also involved.
Slimeko has a few people they could gain opinions from, the ones who often gets bought chocolates at the Adventurer's Guild. Like the Sunlight Scripture and Swords of Darkness. That being said, the protagonist thinks they should talk to Nigun Grid Luin as it seems that he not only buys enough of the chocolate for himself, but also for the other members of his team, as portable food. Also, everyone from Swords of Darkness often buys them for when they go out on requests.
If that's the case, Soi suggests that the protagonist and Surako go ask the people from the Sunlight Scripture to interview them. While Narberal and her hit up with the Swords of Darkness. They then all decided to head to the Adventurer's Guild as they go there to buy chocolate.
Before heading out, Slimeko raises a question on what Cocytus is doing these days? Narberal after hearing from the general maids, heard that the Floor Guardian was going to do some reading at Ashurbanipal.
On the 10th Floor in Ashurbanipal, Cocytus is with Mare, who he asked to be his guide, were searching for literature related to chocolate sweets. The amount of references they find is astounding to Cocytus that it would not be unnatural for other to exist in other locations of the library. Mare soon comes with a stack of book about making chocolate from just one section of the library. Cocytus is grateful for the assistance as he was wondering which bookshelf he should go to first.
Mare asks perhaps they should bring Aura on this task later, as Momonga highly praised the chocolates they made last time when they were making chocolate. This is declined by Cocytus as Momonga told him that it is not urgent and that he should take time out from his duties. He is afraid that Momonga means for him not to interfere with everyone's work. Still Cocytus is very grateful for Mare's kindness in helping him select the books. The thanks is appreciated by Mare, who then leaves to prepare for a subjugation on his floor.
Cocytus then spends the time reading through the material brought by Mare. From the literature, he finds references to the sweets his peers had made, such as Ganache Poivron Rouge which served as the basis for Shalltear's dish. Other materials contain contents on the development of chocolate, explaining the creativity and ingenuity of the developers. This leads Cocytus in associating ingenuity as the key to success for his task. Cocytus feels that this is his trait, as being a warrior who was created by Warrior Takemikazuchi, he has an outer skin like no one else, and is confident of his strength just like his coldness. It strengthens his resolve as a warrior who will risk his whole self for the protection of Nazarick. As Cocytus reads through the material Mare selected, he is reminded once again of "the different side of himself" - the side that is different from others. Cocytus' hand stops on a page as he continues to read the literature.
Mare who arrived at the 6th Floor hurried forward, worrying about Cocytus. On the other side, Aura chides her brother for being late as the Crack will soon activate.[5]
While Cocytus was thinking about the ingenuity he could do in the library...at the lobby of the Adventurer's Guild, Nigun and Ian Als Heim are being spoken to by the protagonist about the new "chilled chocolate" product. Ian is surprised by the novelty. The protagonist explains that some other young women are doing the same interviews with chocolate buyers in anticipation of the new product.
Although it was in advance, the protagonist states that he wanted to see if the people who had purchased the product so far would be interested in it or not. Ian expressed that he would be worried that he won't be able to carry it around unless he refrigerates it, but would like to try a new taste.
Nigun had though that chocolate was initially a drink in the Sorcerer Kingdom, but concedes that he doesn't know if it's suitable when chilled, but he'd definitely like to try it. Having said that, he would be in trouble if the current chocolate candies could no longer be used as military food, so I would like to see this not affect the production of that food.
In the interview with the Swords of Darkness, the adventurers welcome the questions. Though Lukrut Volve is curious as to why Narberal is investigating this. Ninya answers that its probably a desire to be helpful to the protagonist. Back on topic, Lukrut answers that in regards to "chilled chocolate" he can't imagine what will change when it's chilled. Peter Mauk thinks that it should be fine as long as it doesn't become hard and difficult to eat as there are some foods that become hard and hard to chew if they are too cold.
Narberal listens to their opinion, with silent disgust of their answers. Ninya however, seems to think it would be interesting to say that changing the temperature of food can make it taste different so she would like to try it no matter what it is. But if the price goes up that much, Lukrut might want something that's worth it. That said, Dyne Woodwonder looking forward to experiencing new textures but asks if it will make their tongue feel numb? Lukrut asks on the texture of the product, if it tastes better when chilled, is it also better when burned? Narberal answers that if one wishes, one can bake the whole chocolate with electric shock, taking Lukrut by surprise as if she is serious. Soi brushes Narberal's comment as a joke to avoid misunderstanding.
After that, the protagonist and the others finished interviewing the chocolate buyers and shared information with each other back at the hotel. From what Slimeko heard from customers, it seems like everyone who buys chocolate has high expectations. Just being able to reconfirm that fact would have been enough to make this interview worthwhile. Afterwards, Slimeko adds she spoke to the guildmaster, and he seemed happy to hear positive opinions about the new chocolate product.
However, Narberal states she hasn't heard much from the stories she's heard. She wonder if this will be of any use to Cocytus. Soi believes otherwise as there was also talk of baking chocolate with electricity. The burnt chocolate that Narberal did before for example, which Soi thinks they can use again this time.
Narberal is worried at hearing this as she isn't sure that the new chocolate creation will end up being the same like before as she has no way to adjust. Thankfully Soi reminds, Narberal she has Cocytus with helping her on this endeavor so it won't be the same. The chocolate drink seemed worth a try too to Slimeko. In her mind, she had imagines that the next chocolate drink being warm, but as the protagonist points out that there is a shift in thinking. If it tastes good chilled, is it also good burnt?
Narberal wonders about this and especially how critical Cocytus will be in this task. Soi seeing her sister feel inspired ask if the other maid has found a clue of what to do, which Narberal think perhaps maybe that she is on to something.
On the 9th Floor at the Bar, Cocytus is sitting at the counter with his companion, Narberal, who had returned from E-Rantel. Narberal states she has gathered some information, but is unsure of where they should proceed. From her information, Cocytus muses that it was fortuitous that she was able to reaffirm everyone's efforts to achieve this goal, but he also realized how unworthy he is. That the light of the dagger's path has been seen, and while that's not a mistake, it is regrettable that he have not yet found it.
Narberal too feels like she can do something with what we've talked about so far though the tip still eludes her. Someone in the bar notes that the two are grasping at something, yet it is vague. Said person is revealed to be Yuri, who offers her assistance. Having heard that they tried gathering information, makes a suggestion that it would be better to put it into practice than worry about it.
Sous-chef offers to lend a hand, since he and Yuri can cook so Narberal could sample the chocolate sweets that were made previously. In fact, Cixous and others are already working on it, as after talking to Cocytus, even he felt like making it again.
Cocytus initially tries to decline as he doesn't want to waste real chocolate ingredients, but another voice interrupts, being Demiurge stating that even this sample tasting would not shrink their supply of chocolate. He delivers a message from Momonga that it is natural for them to use materials to create new products as part of their business. And informs that Momonga tried using the Cauldron of the Daghdha the other day, heard that it was possible to make chocolate as well so long as gold coins were paid..
Cocytus is stunned but is enlightened as they could make chocolate candy that is more valuable than the gold required to produce it, so it is not a problem. Demiurge reminds Cocytus that Momonga is trying to value your independence. At the same time, he feels bad that Cocytus and Narberal are worrying more than necessary as both of them are honest, for better or for worse.
At the same time, the Overlord was in the middle of a self-reflection session in his office experiencing an emotional bout before his undead status calmed him down. He truly hopes Cocytus is doing fine with his task, as at that time, he said it wasn't an urgent matter. When Momonga was an office worker, he used to get sent with projects like that, and he would get irritated, and hopes Cocytus's work doesn't turn out the same as his.
Cixous who is serving as his attending maid asks if he has any concerns? Momonga lies stating he is fine as he mentally fusses over the past issues. Remembering that Demiurge was also cooperative, Momonga calms down by telling himself to just trust my subordinates and wait. To Cixous the undead asks her to help with the chocolate prototype, and assist Narberal and Cocytus. The maid already reports that she, Foire and others are working hard to recreate the chocolate sweets of the past, inspired by Cocytus's enthusiasm so she thinks there will be a tasting party soon. At hearing her state that they are already cooperating brings Momonga to emotional happiness, proud at his subordinates independence.[6]
At the Canteen, Pestonya greets Cocytus and Narberal as they have been expecting them. Cixous guides them in for today is the tasting event. Among present at the event are Demiurge, Yuri, Albedo, Shalltear and Aura. The attendance of his fellows stuns Cocytus, which Aura responds that it's for the benefit of the Sorcerer Kingdom, so they came to take a moment to take a look at it while on duty.
Others like Shalltear and Albedo came to check on the chocolate prototype that were reproduced by the maids. Yuri wishes Narberal luck as this will be an experience of eating food in a human city that will be of use to Cocytus. Narberal though asks how should she tell Cocytus about the taste? Cocytus repeated the phrase he told her in the bar, advising her that she will know how when it comes to her.
Without further ado Pestonya begins the tasting event. Cixous then proceeds in the same order as the previous tasting session. It being a reenactment of what happened before, Demiurge acts as the facilitator. As soon as they were informed that the tasting session would be in the format where Narberal would give her impressions one by one after each sample, the first item is brought out in a wagon.
It is the Chocolate Layered Cake, co-created by general maids Foire and Cixous. As Foire is away on duty with Momonga, Cixous explains on her behalf that the dish was created to give a sense of luxury and allow one to enjoy chocolate in an elegant manner. Adding to that it is decorated with couverture and fresh cream. Narberal at Demiurge's instruction proceeds to taste the cake, finding it elegantly moist, rich and satisfying dish and in one word...fluffy.
The second dish is chocolate made by Shalltear and Solution, which the Healthy Blood Marriage. Since Solution is in E-Rantel, Shalltear explains that the by combining chocolate and vegetables, it makes a "healthy" dish that is well-received by humans. The red part is a vegetable called paprika. Narberal tries it and states that it's beautiful to look at and the rustic texture is fun, giving it the word crispy.
The third dish is one by Albedo and Narberal herself, also known as Crispy Delicious Bites. Albedo tells the gathered that the chocolate is based on fondant chocolate. That by charring it with the [Electro Sphere]l, it has a unique texture. Narberal made it in the past, but asks the maid to try her creation again. Narberal finds the chocolate to be enjoyable as it has both the pleasant aroma of burnt chocolate and the rich, melting chocolate inside. In one word...sakutoro,
Demiurge then announces that from now on, there will be chocolate sweets called "dagashi" that uses grain as the core, and used rich colored chocolate from the Golden Chocolate In A Bottle, that has been processed into a pill form that won't melt in your hands. He then queries Cocytus, if he gained anything from the presentation. Cocytus is grateful for the words that were spoken to him from this event. From that Demiurge takes that Cocytus has gotten an idea.
Albedo and Shalltear ask what his idea is. The image that Cocytus pictures for the future of chocolate is summed up in three words: fluffy, crispy, and sakutoro. But Narberal is clueless on what that means, only for Cocytus to tell her he is confident that he can make what is needed through the use of his swordsmanship.
Leaving his stunned companions, Cocytus took Narberal to a section of the frozen 5th Floor. Upon examining the ice in the area, teh Floor Guardian accesses that the purity and density of the ice is enough. Cocytus tells Narberal that he had once upon a time, made an ice statue of Momonga, which Narberal remembers it was during the New Year's martial arts demonstrations. Although it was a cutting process where failure was not an option, the precision and boldness of the sword technique was truly spectacular. She thinks that only Cocytus could accomplish that.
Cocytus then offers to show her his skills, and draws his sword and standing next to a nearby icicle. Narberal watching him silently, noted she was overwhelmed by his serious presence, which resembled murderous intent. Cocytus displayed multiple and instantaneous sword movements, and what appeared there was the ice statue of the Momonga that Narberal had seen before. But besides that Cocytus points out to the shaved ice he had created from his swordplay, which are fluffy and crunchy which he took inspiration in the literature. But admits substance is a little bit hard to make. To achieve "sakutoro'' if they add liquid chocolate to this, it will create a new kind of chocolate confectionary with a texture that has never been seen before.
Narberal has a idea, concerning about heating the chocolate. In other words, the "plan involving liquid chocolate" that Cocytus suggested is exactly that. In addition, coming to this place made her realize one more thing. Humans were looking for a "numb" feeling, in other words, she is going to add her lightning to chocolate. Cocytus understands as if Narberals adds electric shocks to the chocolate, the taste will numb the tongue, but asks won't change it since chocolate is not covered with electric shocks.
But the maid has some idea of how, through a method which may not directly create a "numbing" sensation from the chocolate. However, lightning strikes also have other effects. Like when she made her chocolate with Albedo before. It would require the chocolate to be burnt, but Narberal had once heard that ice is a difficult conductor of electricity. If that's the case, her lightning magic will be less powerful, and she'll probably be able to gently melt the chocolate. With Cocytus's cold air and the environment of the 5th floor, she should be able to lower the power of her [Electro Sphere].
When the [Electro Sphere] is popped, the melted chocolate will be absorbed into the shaved ice that Cocytus just produced. The concept is worth a try by Cocytus and the two resolve to make their chocolate creation, using their abilities to complement each other.[7]
Aftermath[]
When Momonga received the news that the prototype of the new chocolate was completed, he immediately went to the Canteen with his on duty maid who announced his arrival. The first thing Momonga saw when he stepped into the dining room was Cocytus and Narberal chocolatier outfits looking confident along with the rest of the Floor Guardians, general maids and the protagonist.
To Momonga, the fact that everyone is present like this means that they have created a work they are confident in. He wonders what kind of new work they will create this time and asks they completed a chocolate candy that becomes delicious when chilled. Cocytus confirms that they have though offers his apologies for making the undead travel to the Canteen. Momonga doesn't care as judging from everyone's lively demeanor, it seems like it's going to be a good thing from his perspective.
Momonga asks how the new food tastes, and Albedo described it in three words: "fluffy, "crunchy," and "sakutoro.'' The words perplex Momonga, and his silence mistakenly is misinterpreted by Demiurge that their master is in awe. He then provides an explanation, first, Cocytus used his sword skills to create "shaved ice" made from fine ice, and then used the power of Narberal's equipment to pour melted chocolate on top of it.
The chocolate cools and hardens, but when Narberal fires an [Electro Sphere] at the shaved ice, the ice attenuates the electric shock, resulting in the ice melting and heat intertwined with the chocolate that melts like syrup, creating a dish with an exquisite texture. In other words, the combination of sweetness and coldness creates a numbing sensation on the tongue - they succeeded in adding the sensation that humans desire.
Pestonya adds alone the flavors will be diluted by the ice, so at the Head Chef's suggestion, they added fresh cream and other ingredients to give it a better texture and taste. The resulting product is similar to chocolate gelato, but the electric foaming creates a lot of air in the chocolate, allowing one to enjoy both the unique light texture and the thick chocolate.
Momonga is amazed as like they came up with something that has a new texture without being bound by the framework of "chocolate sweets." The protagonist reports that after sampling the confection this time, he is confident that it will meet the needs of the people of the city, just as everyone has said. Due to the protagonist's stellar review, Momonga orders for arrangement for this to become a new trade item for the Sorcerer Kingdom.
A few days after the presentation to Momonga. As soon as the "Chilled Chocolate Confectionary'', newly developed by the Sorcerer Kingdom was released at the Adventurer's Guild, it quickly became the talk of the town. Adventurers having bought the sweet, find it a novelty as it is not only cold, but the feeling of it melting in their mouth is irresistible. The sweet being at the border between melting and not melting is an interesting feature. There is talk that there will be limited sales, so many have lined up at the guild early to get a taste.
The Chilled Chocolate Confectionary is more expensive because of the cooling and distribution process, but it also has an unprecedented texture, the rarity of melting and disappearing quickly, hence the limited availability but seems to be popular among chocolate lovers.
Ainzach meeting with the protagonist and Surako, calls it a wonderful product, but was surprised that they would sell something with such a short shelf life. The product as he is told is a new invention by volunteers from a Sorcerer Kingdom. Surako adds that it was very difficult to keep the things made in the Sorcerer Kingdom from melting while transporting them to E-Rantel.
Ian and Nigun are seen to having bought the confections and find it delicious. Others like Ninya, Lukrut, Peter and Dyne agree to the sweet taste. Even though it is in limited quantity, it looks like it may be limited to enthusiasts for a while. While it could be a problem, the protagonist suggests that they should consider selecting buyers by lottery in advance. Though that is a problem that they will solve for another time, as the two agents secretly thank Cocytus, Narberal and everyone in Nazarick.
At the bar, Demiurge tells Cocytus that a report from the protagonist came earlier. It seems that the chocolate confection the 5th Floor Guardian developed is popular at E-Rantel. This is all good news for the two. Demiurge is glad that the shipping problem was resolved somehow. Even though Cocytus came up with this product, it would be a problem through poor transportation as it will melt on the way.
Cocytus credits Demiurge in helping solve the issue, by using a refrigerator with a reinforced freezer and put it on a summon's back as a means of transportation was brilliant. The demon appreciates his compliment, though in the end the refrigerator was Cocytus's previous invention. In any case, according to Momonga, he plans to take other measures soon, so let's make an effective plan then. Cocytus is assured Demiurge will take care of it as no one can match his planning. To which Demiure recites his quote that he told Cocytus, it's all about being "the right person in the right place."
Even if Demiurge has some wisdom, his sword skills and cold air skills are nowhere near as good as Cocytus who is always ready as a warrior. It really couldn't have been possible without him. Cocytus acknowledges this after being in contact with and talking with everyone in Nazarick during this time. Cocytus is glad that he was able to do what he could do, and that he was able to help Nazarick move smoothly. It was good to hear about everyone's work.
Demiurge is delighted that Cocytus learning about everyone's roles led him to rediscover the value of his own role. Adding that Momonga is probably happy too. The reason why Momonga approved his proposal this time is probably because he believed that this was a good opportunity for "growth" that he is always seeking from them.
Any case Demiurge thanks Demiurge for him granting the opportunity and offers anything he could do to repay him. To celebrate, the Sous-chef offers to make some cocktails, but Cocytus instead has tea as he ruminates on how he and a certain other helped benefit Nazarick, thanking his friends for all their support.
Cocytus is broken out of his reverie, by Narberal who came looking for him. Cocytus had promised Narberal to practice with the maid before, which Demiurge encourages him to follow through. After some goodbyes, Cocytus and Narberal leave the par. Once they was out of sight, Demiurge and the Sous-chef looked at each other again and smiled.[8]
References[]
- ↑ A Sweet Plan Episode 0: Prologue
- ↑ A Sweet Plan Episode 1: Individual Demands
- ↑ A Sweet Plan Episode 2: The Challenge of Cocytus
- ↑ A Sweet Plan Episode 3: The First Foothold
- ↑ A Sweet Plan Episode 4: Warm the Dead
- ↑ A Sweet Plan Episode 5: The Tip of the Clues
- ↑ A Sweet Plan Episode 6: Looking Back and Beyond
- ↑ A Sweet Plan Episode 7: Story Supply Results