At that moment, the slice of bread was already topped with a slice of ham, a strip of bacon, no fried egg, but lots and lots of shredded cheese, so much that it was piled high.
As the flame from the blowtorch licked at it, Bianka watched the shredded cheese begin to melt, its color changing from pale yellow to golden, and finally to a faint orange, stopping just at the right moment before it blackened.
At the same time, Bianka noticed that the edges of the bread, which served as the base, had become crispy. Cecilia had not only melted the cheese but also heated all the ingredients.
"Usually, Siegfried does this, but he's not here today, so we'll have to make do."
Cecilia seemed to have noticed Bianka's gaze and gave her an apologetic smile. She then pushed the plate with the blowtorched sandwich in front of Bianka.
"Remember to blow on it before you eat," Cecilia said with a smile.
This... is for me?
Bianka hesitated, but her body was honest, her mouth already watering. The act of swallowing was impossible to hide. Cecilia caught this detail and, with a smile, pushed the plate a little closer.
The ham and bacon, seared by the blowtorch, exuded a rich, meaty aroma, which mixed with the strong scent of the hot cheese. For Bianka, who had only tasted sour and bitter for the past month, it was almost unbearable.
Do I even have to bear it?
A single glance at Cecilia was enough to instill trust in Bianka. Both her intuition and the experiences of the past day had convinced her that they were good people.
Having figured this out, Bianka first gave Cecilia another silent thank you, then reached out, carefully picked up the substantial sandwich, and brought it to her lips.
Taking a bite, the first flavor to burst forth was the crispy, toasted edge of the bread. The crunchy texture provided the most satisfying feedback, and at the same time, the rich aroma of wheat that exploded in her mouth activated her taste buds.
After her taste buds were activated, the flavors of the ham and bacon briefly neutralized each other, satisfying the craving for saltiness and aroma that her activated taste buds desired.
At this point, the slight sweetness of the bread itself also came through, the three flavors having different levels of richness, but at this moment, they were perfectly balanced.
It was the cheese and butter!
The cheese, with its richest flavor, enveloped the three ingredients, whose flavors should have been completely opposite. Without careful tasting and a delicate palate, one would only experience a satisfyingly delicious taste.
But Bianka had the ability to distinguish the subtle flavors beneath the rich, milky aroma of the cheese, to know where each flavor molecule landed. There was no awkwardness between them, because the butter had already covered any flaws that might have arisen from the conflict with its richest flavor!
But why didn't this rich flavor make her feel the slightest bit膩?
Bianka couldn't help but stick out her little tongue and lick her lips, drawing a sliver of lettuce into her mouth.
So that's it... That was the purpose of the lettuce. Whether it was the bread, the ham, the bacon, or the cheese and butter, all these ingredients were just adding to the flavor.
These flavors were layered on top of each other, competing for the attention of the taste buds. But the taste buds could only handle so much. With so many flavors vying for dominance, the taste buds would only become fatigued and feel overwhelmed.
And the crisp, refreshing, and sweet lettuce was the best "subtraction" for this equation. After experiencing those rich, heavy, or intensely stimulating flavors, the faintest taste of the lettuce, which only appeared after chewing, cleaned up the mess, bringing the most perfect and graceful end to this feast of flavors...
What a wonderful taste... the perfect combination, the sequence of flavors that complemented the characteristics of the ingredients, and the just-right temperature...
Like the morning drum and the evening bell, a flash of enlightenment suddenly burst in Bianka's eyes.
Was this the purpose of the blowtorch?
Not just to melt the cheese on the ingredients in place of an oven, but also to control the heat, toasting the edges of the bread while keeping the center soft.
Most importantly: as the cheese and butter melted into a rich dressing for the sandwich, only the precise control of a blowtorch, only the small-scale heating of a blowtorch could achieve this—without damaging the crisp texture and the cool, refreshing quality of the lettuce!
"How is it, do you like it?" Cecilia propped her face up with her hands, smiling as she watched Bianka's expression change from surprise to amazement and then to complete immersion. A small sense of pride swelled within her.
"Mhm!" Bianka's cheeks were puffed out.
She nodded excitedly, then quickly chewed a couple of times, swallowed reluctantly, and then opened her mouth again, taking another large bite of the sandwich. She squinted her eyes, her face filled with happiness.
Indeed, the greatest pleasure in life is good food~ Someone who can cook this well must be a good person!
Just like Rita...
Bianka's chewing suddenly paused. The joy of being immersed in the food quickly disappeared, and the gloom that had been with her for the past month came rushing back.
I wonder what Rita is doing now...
She had no way of knowing Rita's current situation, but... she was probably doing better than her, right?
Although this sandwich was a rare delicacy even in the Fire MOTHs, it wasn't unheard of. And Rita herself was a good cook, and there were plenty of ingredients in the Fire MOTHs.
She wouldn't have to sleep in a cave or in the ruins like she had for the past few days. The best she had had was a night's sleep on a barely intact bed in an abandoned room, without a blanket.
The beds in the villa were very soft, just as soft as the one she had slept in yesterday. There were blankets, and she wouldn't be cold at night...
Thinking of this, Bianka felt a little more at ease.
As for whether Rita and the others missed her, whether a "Durandal No. 2" had appeared after she ran away, Bianka didn't want to think about it.
If they didn't miss her, she would be a little disappointed. But if they did miss her...
She couldn't go back. If Rita and the others were always burdened with such longing, wouldn't that be too pitiful for them?
It was best if they didn't think about her, and ate well and slept well... Bianka silently sent this blessing to Rita and the others.
At this moment, a hundred kilometers outside the City of Sighs, in the desert, Rita silently put away her nutrient solution, brushed off the sand from her clothes, and looked at the sand-filled horizon.
"Bianka-sama... where are you?"