Just as Sovell had said earlier, Sieg had survived the torment of Gawain's traditional mashed potatoes and successfully lowered the threshold of what his taste buds could tolerate.
As a Homunculus who, to some extent, had been "born knowing," Sieg's understanding of potatoes, right up until he finished this meal, had been:
"A versatile staple with a short shelf life, poisonous once sprouted, but delicious no matter how they are prepared before that."
But then he ate this... miraculous dinner and, unfortunately driven by his own curiosity, tasted a spoonful of Gawain's mashed potatoes.
In that instant, Sieg wondered whether what he had eaten was really mashed potatoes. It seemed more likely to be sludge from the seaside-there was no flavor beyond salt, unless earthy muck counted as "the taste of food."
Had a certain great Lady of the Lake not come to their rescue, then the following morning... in other words, right now, he probably would not have been the only one dueling that god of mashed-potato warfare.
"Master! Don't lose to him~!"
Astolfo's cheerful encouragement drifted over from the distant spectator seats. After enduring that plate of mashed potatoes, he could still be this bright and optimistic. Was this the benefit of Reason Evaporation?
Sieg suspected he still had not recovered from the trauma of those mashed potatoes. With a major battle looming, he somehow still had the leisure to ramble to himself.
Just then, Sieg suddenly recalled the previous night's dinner.
Aside from Astolfo, the other person seated beside him had been Kriemhild, and she had also tried a spoonful of Gawain's mashed potatoes.
But the very next second after putting that spoonful in her mouth, Kriemhild's face darkened, and she pointed at Gawain as she told Sieg through gritted teeth:
"Give that mashed-potato maker a good