Cooking Together

I stepped forward to assess the damage and see what, exactly, they had been trying to prepare.

"Just... what was the plan here, Fee? What were you trying to make?"

She looked at me blankly. Don’t ask me. Please.

Had she really started 'cooking' without even deciding on a dish? I was almost impressed. It took a certain kind of reckless courage to approach a stove with that much ignorance.

"For now, just show me the ingredients we have left," I said.

"I understand-no," Fee replied.

She scurried off and returned with a variety of supplies. There were a few piles of vegetables and some meat. While the vegetables looked familiar enough, the meat was a different story entirely.

"...Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes. It's Huge Giant Lizard meat-no."

The cut Fee had brought out looked remarkably similar to Dragon meat. There was also a staggering amount of it.

"Look... who is going to eat all of this?"

"...Ram?"

"Well, I suppose that makes sense."

If we ended up with leftovers, I could always shove them into his bottomless stomach. If we were back in my own territory, I’d simply store it in a proper larder, but here...

"With Giant Lizard Meat, it’s best not to overcomplicate things. We should just grill it. Sprinkle on a few spices and it’ll be edible enough."

"But if that's all we do, it doesn't count as Cooking-no!" Fee protested.

"Save those lines for when you can actually cook," I countered. "Step one: make it edible. That is the only thing that matters right now."

"Muu... If you insist-no."

Fee began grilling the meat as instructed. While she was occupied, I decided to prepare a side dish. I wasn't exactly a master chef myself; my repertoire was mostly limited to basic grilling. However, I knew a few things I could manage with the ingredients on hand.

Hamburg Steak, huh...

I recalled making it a few times in my previous life. My memory of the recipe was a bit hazy, but I was confident the result would be infinitely better than the 'Substance X' they had produced earlier.

I didn't even need a kitchen knife. By utilizing Magic Power, I could handle the prep work with ease. I tossed a vegetable that looked like an onion into the air and unleashed a refined burst of Wind Magic, mincing it into perfect pieces before it even hit the counter.

Suddenly, I heard a duo of whimpers. Elu and Luna, who had been standing nearby, were both clutching their faces as tears streamed down their cheeks.

"Ugh, it stings..."

"...It hurts."

"Are you two okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Yes... we're fine," Elu managed to reply, though her eyes were red and watery.

"Don't worry, I'm done cutting the onions."

"...Onions?"

Apparently, they went by a different name in this world. Regardless, once the onions were prepped, I moved on to mincing the Giant Lizard Meat.

I happened to glance over at Fee. She was supposed to be simply grilling meat, yet somehow, disaster was already striking again.

"...Isn't that looking a little black?"

"I'm just searing it well-no."

"It looks like a lump of charcoal."

"It's just your imagination-no," Fee said, pointedly looking toward the horizon.

I can't look away for a second.

"Haa... Fine. I'll handle the grilling too. Just go set the table, alright?"

"...I understand-no."

She looked disappointed, but given that her contribution was currently a carbonized remains of a lizard, she nodded obediently. In the end, I was the one who prepared the entire meal.

Once the food was ready, I gathered everyone around the table.

"It looks so delicious-no..." Fee whispered, her eyes wide.

"Lord Yuri... I didn't realize you were skilled at Cooking as well," Emilina added, though she sounded a bit frustrated.

From what I’d gathered, the two of them had been the ones spearheading this culinary disaster. Emilina likely felt a sting of pride seeing me swoop in to fix their mess.

"It looks very good."

"Delicious."

Luna had already started eating. I watched her scarf down the food and felt a wry smile tug at my lips.

"By the way, where’s Ram? I don't see him."

"He's still sleeping-no."

"Ah... right. He’s still out."

Ram was tough enough that he’d survived Fee’s 'cooking' with nothing more than a long nap. If I had been the one to eat it... The mere thought sent a cold shiver down my spine.

"Well, eat your fill. We'll be leaving town soon, and then it’s back to camping under the stars."

"True," Emilina agreed. "Our primary objective is to reach the Imperial Capital and deliver the letter to the Emperor."

"...Welcome," Luna mumbled, her mouth stuffed to capacity.

With the way she was eating, it looked more like she was the one being 'welcomed' to a feast. I decided to keep that observation to myself.

As the meal continued, Elu approached me, looking uncharacteristically shy.

"Hmm? What is it, Elu? Not hungry?"

"No, it's not that... Could you please accept this?"

She held out a necklace. Looking closer, I realized it was a matching set with the one she wore; only the color of the gemstone was different.

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes! I... I heard that it was your birthday, Lord Yuri."

"Oh—... right. Come to think of it, I guess it is."

I hadn't even realized. I’d rarely had the occasion to celebrate my birthday in the past, so I hadn't given it a second thought. Wait. So the reason Fee—who can’t cook to save her life—was so desperate to make a meal was to celebrate for me?

The realization that they were all trying to celebrate my birth brought a genuine warmth to my chest.

"Thank you. I'll treasure it."

As I fastened the necklace, Elu gave me a radiant, happy smile. I wonder... if I poured some Magic Power into this stone, I could probably turn it into a Magic Tool. I decided that was a thought best left unsaid.

Then, Luna stepped forward and handed me a staff that looked incredibly expensive.

"Nn."

"Luna, is this for me too? I can't take this; it looks way too valuable—"

"It was cheap."

"Eh? Really?"

"I haggled."

She didn't look like she was lying, but I had a feeling she was leaving out some very important details. The rest of the group was wearing the same wry smiles I was. Still, she’d gone to that trouble for my sake. Prying would only be rude.

"Thank you, Luna," I said, accepting the gift. "I appreciate it."