Chapter 117

Chapter 118: Maintain Elegance in the Face of Pressure (Three Updates, Please Subscribe!)

Teaching magic isn’t something that happens overnight, and Izay merely exchanged pleasantries for now. The real learning would likely have to wait until after the return from the expedition.

After paying cheerfully, Izay took the spiritual medicine he purchased and left Cadiante Healing Clinic.

In the leisurely afternoon, bathed in warm sunlight, Izay paused in front of “The Bountiful Mistress” tavern.

“Lunch time seems to have passed, but there’s no harm in checking inside, right?”

Looking at the closed sign on the tavern door, Izay blinked and made a decision all by himself.

No matter what, his relationship with the group of girls in the tavern was pretty good.

Especially recently, due to chasing enchantment efficiency, he often missed meal times within his familial group, then would come here to satisfy his hunger when he had free time.

He had heard from Aniya, the catgirl, that Ryu was learning how to cook recently, but he wasn’t sure if it was true…

With this thought in mind, Izay gently pushed open the tavern door.

A pleasant bell rang, but not a single person noticed him immediately.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the commotion coming from the kitchen, including Izay who had just entered.

Thick black smoke wafted out from the somewhat cramped kitchen.

Burnt ingredients and cooking utensils silently explained the chaos of the cooking process.

Ryu, wearing an apron, stood in front of the countertop with her usual calm expression, deep in thought over the dish she had just prepared.

It was a meat cutlet that looked suspiciously dark and a sandwich emitting dangerous wisps of blue smoke.

“Meow… How does one even achieve such results, meow?”

Aniya swayed her tail slightly as she muttered under her breath, instinctively taking a step back.

“That’s a good question, Aniya, and the answer is I don’t know.”

“Cat instincts say something bad will happen, meow…”

Nearby, human girl Lunowa and catgirl Kuroi echoed her sentiments, also stepping back simultaneously, their pretty faces turning pale.

As if recalling some unpleasant memories, all three of them instinctively placed their hands on their stomachs.

“Ah, should we consider this a success?”

Hiel, standing closest to Ryu and acting as her cooking mentor, covered her mouth lightly, her tone surprisingly certain.

“Is it a success?”

Ryu tapped her chin hesitantly, replying with uncertainty.

‘How can anyone possibly think this is a success?!’ x3

The three onlookers collectively complained inwardly.

But it didn’t matter; unless they voiced it directly, neither Hiel nor Ryu would realize their mistake.

To put it simply,

After several days of effort, Aniya, Kuroi, and Lunowa had come to understand:

Ryu’s cooking skills were of a very special kind.

Very special indeed.

She could effortlessly carbonize a half-finished sandwich! The entire process was so mysterious, it compelled one to ponder deeply.

And Hiel, while she actually knew how to cook and was quite proficient at it,

Had one peculiar trait:

The dishes she casually whipped up tasted better than those she meticulously prepared!

When Hiel entered the kitchen with utmost seriousness, she unknowingly created some bizarre dishes, much like Ryu’s current creations.

Without a doubt, to teach Ryu how to cook, Hiel was undoubtedly in serious mode!

In this state, she saw nothing strange about what Ryu had produced!

Then—

The two women in the kitchen turned their profound gazes towards the three companions outside the kitchen who were watching with cold sweat trickling down their foreheads.

‘Don’t come near me, meow!!!’

Aniya screamed mentally, spinning around with unprecedented speed and began wiping the tables with a cloth.

She looked as though she was working diligently.

Ha, tell you a joke: Aniya working diligently!

Hilarious!

Izay couldn’t help but chuckle.

From his perspective, he couldn’t see the deep, unknowing stares of the two experts in the kitchen, but seeing Aniya’s behavior made him unable to hold back…

“Hey… Aniya, come try Ryu’s freshly made dish~”

The next moment, a witch-like voice came from the kitchen.

Whenever Ryu and Hiel finished preparing food, one of the three staff members would be chosen as the lucky one to taste-test.

As for why they themselves didn’t try it first… well, only heaven knows.

“Meow? I’m working, meow…”

Aniya trembled upon hearing the voice, scrubbing the table even harder.

“It’s fine, I can feed you~”

In Aniya’s eyes, Hiel and Ryu carrying the smoking sandwich and meat cutlet from the kitchen were like demons.

“Izay-san?”

Upon stepping out of the kitchen, Ryu immediately spotted the person standing near the entrance.

The elf girl blinked lightly.

Come to think of it, she did hear the doorbell earlier, but since they were already closed, Ryu hadn’t paid much attention, assuming she must’ve imagined it.

“Yo~ Ryu, I was just… passing by…”

Facing the elf girl’s gaze, Izay managed a strained smile.

His “intuition” suddenly gave off a warning.

Something bad was about to happen if he stayed any longer!

Izay regretted entering almost instantly.

“Just passing by, huh…”

Ryu tilted her head slightly upon hearing this, her eyes wandering for a moment.

But she quickly recovered, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her lips.

“If that’s the case, Izay-san arrived at the perfect time. Would you like to try the dish I just made?”

Saying this, the elf girl extended the sandwich and meat cutlet slightly forward.

“…”

At this moment, Izay’s intuition screamed: Brother, danger! Get out quick!

But reason held him back: This is a gesture of goodwill from a young lady, you should accept it.

Then his hand acted on its own.

“Sure~”

The mouth spoke before he could stop it.

Ah, this…

“Then let’s sit down.”

Seeing Izay agree, Ryu couldn’t help but feel a little happy, pulling him to a nearby seat and kindly handing him a fork, then waited beside him.

Around them, Aniya, Kuroi, and Lunowa watched him with the eyes of a hero.

At the dining table, Izay sat upright, taking a deep breath.

Don’t panic, maintain elegance in the face of pressure.

Just a sandwich, surely it wouldn’t knock him out?

Several seconds later, Izay fainted onto the table, unconscious…

“I-Izay-san!?”

“Of course this would happen, meow…”

“Ryu’s cooking power remains as destructive as ever.”

Faint voices of the girls reached his ears.