A Bug In Fate

Chocolate...?

That was the first thought that crossed Alden’s mind.

Memories from his previous life surfaced one after another.

The rich aroma.

The bittersweet taste.

Countless desserts made from cocoa.

For a brief moment, he simply stood there, staring at the bean in his hand.

"Excuse me, sir?"

The woman’s voice pulled him back to reality.

Alden blinked a few times before realizing he had been standing there in silence for quite a while.

"Ah... sorry about that."

He quickly calmed his emotions and looked back at the tray.

"So... how much is one pouch?"

"One gold coin per pouch."

Alden’s eyebrows rose slightly.

"Huh... they’re cheaper than I expected."

The woman nodded.

"They aren’t considered a primary ingredient, and very few people actually buy them."

She glanced at the tray before continuing.

"Most of our stock ends up being sold to herbalists or alchemists. Ordinary customers usually ignore them."

Alden looked down at the bean in his hand again.

Looks like nobody in this world has discovered chocolate yet...

The corners of his lips slowly curled into a smile.

...Interesting.

A very dangerous idea...

Slowly began taking shape inside Alden’s mind.

A simple idea.

Yet one that had the potential to completely change the tastes of both nobles and commoners alike.

A brand-new delicacy could soon find its place beside fine wine and the countless luxuries served at noble banquets.

And who knew...

Perhaps one day it might even stop a dispute between nobles.

After all, he had just finished reading about how a banquet had once started a conflict between two noble families.

Maybe...

This time, another banquet would become famous for ending one instead.

"I’ll take five pouches."

Alden placed five gold coins on the counter.

The woman nodded politely before packing five pouches of Cacora Beans and handing them over.

"Thank you for your purchase."

Alden stored the pouches away and immediately left the shop.

His steps remained as relaxed as ever, but the excitement bubbling inside him was impossible to hide.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

Let’s see if this world is ready for chocolate.

---

Alden pushed open the door of the V-Light Inn and stepped inside.

Near the counter, Mary was on her knees, wiping the wooden floor with a soaked cloth.

"Hey."

"You always seem busy."

Alden greeted her as he slowly made his way toward the counter.

His steps were unusually careful.

He had no intention of slipping and ruining the little bit of reputation he had managed to build.

Stay positive, Alden... stay positive.

Just imagining himself falling flat on the freshly cleaned floor made him shudder.

Mary finished wiping one last spot before standing up.

She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked Alden up and down.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"What happened this time?" she asked.

"I have a feeling you didn’t come back without causing some kind of trouble."

Alden stopped in front of the counter and leaned against it with a grin.

"I want to ask what exactly you think of me..."

He let out a light chuckle.

"But my gut is telling me I’d regret hearing the answer."

Mary couldn’t help but laugh.

"Trust your instincts."

"They’ll help you live a long life."

The two shared a laugh.

At some point, their conversations had become so natural that they sounded less like those between an innkeeper and a guest, and more like old friends teasing each other.

After the laughter died down, Mary tilted her head.

"So, what brings you back?"

Alden rubbed the back of his head.

"Actually... I was wondering if I could borrow your kitchen for a few hours."

Mary blinked.

"The kitchen?"

"Sure."

She paused for a moment before narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"But... can you even cook?"

Alden looked genuinely offended.

"Seriously?"

"Now you’re doubting my abilities too?"

Mary burst into laughter.

"Haha! I was only asking."

She smiled and pointed toward the back of the inn.

"Go ahead. If you need any... help..."

She deliberately emphasized the last word with a teasing smile.

"...I’ll be around."

Alden shook his head helplessly.

"Thanks."

Without wasting any more time, he headed toward the kitchen.

As soon as he stepped inside, his eyes swept across the room.

Most of the equipment looked familiar, large pots, chopping boards, knives, and stone stoves.

There were also a few strange utensils he had never seen before, likely tools unique to this world.

Well... close enough.

Alden rolled up his sleeves.

"Time to introduce this world to chocolate."

---

Alden began the fermentation process, keeping a close eye on the beans before activating Mana Sense.

"Hmm... interesting."

Tiny mana-rich microorganisms lay dormant within the beans. As he carefully infused them with a steady stream of mana, the dormant organisms gradually awakened and began multiplying at an astonishing rate.

The beans themselves were naturally rich in mana, providing the perfect environment for their growth. The tiny organisms devoured the nutrients within the beans while releasing faint traces of mana in return, accelerating the entire process.

Alden watched with fascination as the mana flowing through the beans gradually changed. It became smoother... more stable... almost as if the beans themselves were maturing.

What should have taken several hours...

Finished in barely ten minutes.

"That should be enough."

"If not..."

"I can always try again... hehe."

He nodded to himself before moving on.

"Next step."

Carrying the fermented beans, Alden stepped outside, completely ignoring Mary’s curious stare.

He spread them across a clean cloth beneath the warm sunlight.

Only a few moments passed before the beans began emitting a faint crimson glow.

"...What?"

Alden froze.

For several seconds, he simply stood there, staring at the beans.

The crimson light wasn’t an illusion.

Each bean pulsed gently, almost as though something inside had awakened.

He instinctively picked one up and turned it over in his fingers.

The glow remained.

It wasn’t coming from the cloth.

Nor was it a reflection of the sunlight.

The bean itself was shining.

Ah... of course.

A world filled with mana.

A realization suddenly struck him.

He let out a quiet laugh at his own stupidity.

What exactly was I expecting?

I was trying to recreate chocolate from Earth... in a world where even plants absorb mana.

Of course they wouldn’t behave exactly the same.

Thinking about it calmly, it actually made perfect sense.

In a world where mana existed in every corner of nature, ordinary plants would naturally possess extraordinary properties.

Some herbs could strengthen cultivators.

Others could become deadly poisons.

So why couldn’t these beans undergo a completely different fermentation process?

His eyes instinctively lifted toward the sky.

Even in broad daylight, the world’s twin moons were still faintly visible. The sunlight drowned out most of their brilliance, yet one of them continued to radiate a subtle crimson hue.

For a brief moment...

Alden simply stared at it.

Then, slowly...

His gaze returned to the beans.

They were glowing with that very same crimson light.

The rhythm of the glow even seemed strangely synchronized with the crimson moon itself.

"...No way."

A strange thought surfaced in his mind.

Don’t tell me... the moon is affecting the fermentation?

---

The thought sounded absurd.

Yet nothing else could explain what he was seeing.

Alden looked around before picking up another pouch of Cacora Beans that hadn’t been fermented yet.

He poured a handful of fresh beans onto the cloth beside the glowing ones.

The difference was immediate.

The fresh beans remained dull and lifeless, while the fermented ones continued to pulse with a faint crimson glow.

"...I see."

"So the difference lies in the fermentation."

Alden crouched down and activated Mana Sense once again, carefully observing both batches.

The mana within the fermented beans was noticeably different, but beyond that, he couldn’t discover anything unusual.

He watched them for a few more minutes, hoping to notice another change.

Nothing happened.

After spending enough time making things in both his previous life and this one, he had learned one universal rule.

If something is working... don’t touch it.

Experimenting was important.

Ruining a successful process because of unnecessary curiosity wasn’t.

So, instead of interfering, Alden simply waited.

Several minutes later, the crimson glow gradually faded until the beans returned to their ordinary appearance.

Maybe they’ve absorbed enough...

Or perhaps the process had simply reached its limit.

Either way, he had no intention of wasting any more time.

Picking up the fermented beans, Alden carried them back into the kitchen.

"The next step..."

He murmured with anticipation as he prepared to continue making the world’s very first chocolate.

---

Alden returned to the kitchen and poured the fermented Cacora Beans onto a heavy iron pan before igniting the stove.

"Next..."

"Roasting."

He stirred the beans slowly over the fire, making sure the heat spread evenly.

As the minutes passed, a rich, earthy aroma gradually filled the kitchen. The bitter scent from earlier slowly mellowed, replaced by something warmer... deeper.

Alden’s eyes lit up.

That’s it...

He continued stirring patiently.

Then—

Crack.

Crack. Crack.

Tiny cracks spread across the hard shells one after another.

A smile slowly appeared on Alden’s face.

"Haha..."

"Perfect."

Whatever the end result would be, one thing was certain.

Alden was genuinely enjoying the process.