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Chapter 16: Eating with everyone\n \n \n"By the way, what are you cooking?"\n \nMildy peeks into my outdoor kitchen.\n \nRichil seems to be interested as well, and she peeks
over Mildy's shoulder.\n \nI am in the middle of cooking.\n \nI take out the meat that I am preparing.\n \nThe meat is marinating nicely while we are chatting.\n \nI smiled at Mildy's question.\n \n"You'll have to wait till it's ready."\n \nI poured the oil from the dragon's fire bag into the
pot. I put it on the fire and let it heat up.\n \nI dip the meat I prepared earlier in the beaten egg
and coat it with bread crumbs.\n \nAfter checking the oil temperature with chopsticks, I
threw the meat into the oil.\n \nSharararararara....!\n \nThe sound of oil splashing echoed.\n \nThe sound is as sharp as a blade, but maybe our human
instincts made it sound appetizing.\n \nIt smells good...\n \nMildy takes a breath, and her stomach rumbles loudly.\n \n"Mildy, that's rude."\n \n"I can't help it. It looks so delicious."\n \n"Please wait just a little longer."\n \n I smile and
lower the heat a bit. I let the smaller heat cook it thoroughly.\n \nEven with my back to them, I know.\n \nFletty and the others' eyes are fixed on this pot.\n \nFletty gulped down his saliva. Even Garner, who is
usually expressionless, seems to be more relaxed.\n \nCome to think of it, when was the last time I cooked
for other people?\n \nThere was a time when I served fish to my father. I
caught it when I went fishing with the Chief Butler.\n \nI remember that I wanted my father to eat it, so I
cooked the fish myself with the chef's guidance.\n \nIt was fun...\n \nBut in the end, my father never ate it. I remember him
yelling at me that I should train harder if I had time to do such a thing.\n \n"Luciel-kun. It is about time, isn't it?"\n \nWhen I heard Mildy's words, I returned to my senses.\n \nI look at the pot. The meat is already fried nicely to
a golden brown.\n \nI quickly take it and put it on a leaf plate with
dried mandrake leaves.\n \nI also take out koppe-breads (bread rolls) that I had
baked in the oven and the crunchy grass I picked early this morning on my farm.
I slice open the sides and put the crunchy grass and the fried meat in between.\n \n"Sorry to keep you waiting."\n \nChicken fillet scissor bread.\n \n""Oooh!""\n \nFletty and the others' eyes shine.\n \nEven Garner, the only one who didn't join in the
conversation gulped.\n \nAs the name suggests, scissor breads are breads with
stuffing inserted between the slices.\n \nSome breads are cut into slices like the one I made,
while others are placed between two round sliced buns.\n \nThere were two different origins of the name. Some
people called it "scissors bread" because they put it
"in-between" the bread, while others said it was because in the past
they used special "scissors" to cut open the bread.\n \n"Here you go. Please try it."\n \n"I'm really sorry, Luciel-kun. For
everything."\n \n"I am really grateful."\n \n"Itadakimasu."\n \n"Mildy, at least thank Luciel-kun before you
eat."\n \nEach of them holds their bread as they talk to me.\n \n"It's quite heavy when I hold it."\n \n"I thought since you're all knights, you guys
would eat a lot.\nAre they too big?"\n \n"No, this is not a problem. I'm starving now. I
can eat even a monster now."\n \nI replied to Mildy's words with a chuckle.\n \nWe open our mouths widely.\n \nWe all chew on the bread, crunchy grass, and fried
meat all at once.\n \nA pleasant crunching sound echoed in this quiet
mountain.\n \n"Mmm!"\n \n"Nuu!!"\n \n"Muh!"\n \n"Oh----"\n \n""Delicious!!""\n \n \nThe four of them said in unison.\n \n \n"It's so good! I've never had such delicious scissors bread."\n \nWhen Fletty raises his voice, Garner looks as if he is
about to cry and nods his head.\n \n"It's delicious! I ate it without thinking, but this bread is freshly
baked, right? \nThis fried food is also freshly fried. Isn't this a
great luxury?"\n \nMildy's stomach also rumbled.\n \n"The batter is crispy and the meat inside is
juicy and delicious. Also, the bread is soft... The vegetables in between are
also fresh and crunchy."\n \nRichil also spoke up as she chewed her way through the
morsels.\n \n"Isn't this meat a little spicy? It doesn't taste
like ordinary chicken..."\n \nFletty turned to me and asked a question.\n \n"Actually, I don't know the name of this bird
either. I think it's native to this area. Strange, isn't it? This bird has a
slightly spicy taste."\n \n"Such a bird exists? I see. No wonder I've never
eaten one before."\n \nI've lied to them again.\n \nFletty and the others are eating the meat of a monster
called the Burn Prison bird.\n \nIt is a monster beast with flame-like red feathers,
and fire rises from its crown. It is highly resistant against fire.\n \nThe feathers are particularly fire-resistant, but just
eating the meat makes one more resistant against fire.\n \nThe skin of Fletty and the others should not be
affected by the magic sword's fire.\n \nNow they have countermeasures against the magic sword.\n \nThey should be able to beat that magic sword wielder.\n \nThe meat of the Burn Prison bird won't give them
[skill] or [magic], so they won't know they've gained fire resistance.\n \nFletty takes a second bite. Mildy had already finished
her food. She feels happy. As she pats her stomach, she is scolded by Richil
again.\n \nRichil is chewing her food repeatedly and seems to be
taking her time to eat it.\n \nGarner seems to be the same type. He slowly chews and
enjoys his food.\n \nWhen I see the four of them, my face breaks into a
smile.\n \nFor the first time, I knew.\n \nI never knew that eating with other people could make
me so happy.\n \nI've been researching monsters and cooking food to get
stronger, but ...\n \nIt's strange.\n \nI want to cook more food for these people.\n \n"Come on, Luciel-kun. You should eat, too."\n \n"Eh?"\n \n"Eh? Don't just eh... You're hungry too, right?
Let's eat together."\n \n"Together..."\n \nThere is still one scissors bread left.\n \nI don't know how many times I have eaten this dish in
the past 300 years.\n \nEven though it was no longer a dish that could stir my
appetite, my hand naturally moved to the plate.\n \nWhen I lift it up, it feels heavy.\n \nIt feels different from the scissors bread I usually
make.\n \nI hesitate for a moment but open my mouth and bite my
scissors bread.\n \nHammm...\n \n"Yummy..."\n \nI muttered to myself.\n \nThe warm, soft, chewy, freshly made bread.\n \nThe texture of the fried Burn Prison chicken and
crunchy grass sandwiched between them is just too delicious.\n \nI can't get enough of the fluffy, glutinous texture
and the crispiness of the fried bird that goes straight to my brain.\n \nThe bread is warm and sweet with the spiciness of the
Burn Prison chicken mixed in.\n \nSweet and spicy...\n \nThe taste that fascinates people floods into my mouth.\n \nThe meat's texture is also soft and gives my teeth
just the right amount of bounciness, while the delicious juices start to invade
my mouth.\n \nWhat is it?\n \nAlthough I have eaten this dish so many times, maybe
even thousands of times, but the taste moved me.\n \nDid I really make this? My heart is now trembling so
much that I wonder if I really made this.\n \nThe first time I ate it, it was delicious. But when
did I stop enjoying this scissors bread?\n \nBefore I knew it, I was crying.\n \nIt was very delicious.\n \nI am so deeply moved.\n \n"Was it delicious?"\n \nMildy asks.\n \nFletty and the others also look at me.\n \nInstead of feeling sorry for me, they are laughing at
me. But they are not making fun of me.\n \nI can feel the warmth in their smiles as if they are
my family.\n \nWithout wiping away my tears, I put on a smile and
say...\n \n"It's delicious."\n \nAah...\n \nI never knew eating together could make food taste so
delicious.\n \n
