At 04.15 A.M.E
I awoke at 04.15 A.M.E because I set the sleeping magic duration at that time. Well, I need to organize and check something before going to the encampment at around 9 A.M.E. I turned my head to my bed and I saw Ayumi still sleeping soundly like a princess. I poked and pinched her cheek many times, stroke her hair and smell it. Then, I kissed her cheek and her lips.
"Ayumi…it's morning already, wake up." I whispered to her right ear and then bit it.
"Ngghhh…H-Haru…good morning…"
She slowly opened her eyes. But, after seeing my face that close to her face, she blushed and quickly moved away to another side of bed. Seeing that, I smiled gently to her but suddenly her eyes are spinning and her face become redder. I can't help but laugh seeing her.
Well, since I still locked the door, Ayumi can't escape from my room. So, we take a bath together in the small hot spring inside my room. We dipped together and chatted something funny to ease her mind from the sweet moment last night. She enjoyed our talk while feeling restless around me and knowing that, I quickly embrace her and hold her close to me.
"Um…Haru…" She is little surprised when I do that.
"…I want to savor this memory together for eternity, who knows…this is will be our last…"
I looked at her and suddenly her face becomes sad. She puts her hand on my right shoulder and cling to me.
Long after that, I headed to shower area to wash my body. But when I was washing my body, she grabbed my shoulders gently.
"Umm…let me…wash your…back…" I was little surprised after hearing that. Then, she washed my back and hair gently and carefully, but the most surprising thing was when she used her…chest to wash my back. I endured hard to control my feeling and lust, exactly for ten minerval without looking back.
"Mmm…I'm…done…" She stands up and walks to shower next to me. Then I stand up and walk behind her but suddenly I hug her from behind. She was surprised but she didn't reject me. I kissed her nape while whispering,
"Let me return, the favor…"
"Kyah! Umm…umm…!"
"Look, the "marks" are still over your neck…"
"U-umm…" She nodded weakly.
I begin to wash her back and she does the front. It took ten minerval because I also need to wash her hair, but after I washed her back, my hands slowly crawling on her stomach and then moved to her chest. She was surprised and grabbed my hand quickly. Well, it's normal reaction for me, but after few seckina, she released her grip from my hands.
"J-just…this time, okay…?" She blushed hard.
Uwaaah! Her reaction is so cute yet dangerous, but I don't want to overstep my boundary before marrying her, so I finished this quickly. I think that I need to get out from that steamy yet wicked atmosphere of hot spring as fast as I can. I walked out from there to my bedroom, opened my cupboard and dressed before she gets out from there.
After I finished, she walked out from the room, moved back to changing room on the left side of cupboard, and dressed. Then, we walked out together to kitchen. Along the way, I woke up my party members that were still sleeping like a princess.
"Um…I will cook the breakfast."
"Hmm? Let me help you, as you can see, I want to make full [Calorie Meal] that often used on the army."
"Eh? Are there any?" She guessed.
"Did you forget? We often ate that on the barrack back then. But that thing was gross and plain, so I tried to make my own calorie meat at mansion with Ameryl and Ken's help and with many trials and error, as well as Ken's sacrifice when he ate my experiments. I finally can make many varieties of [Calorie Meal] with good taste!"
"Oh…! I would like to taste that!"
Ayumi touches her lips and imagining something. We kept chatting until we reached the kitchen. On there, Khazim, Igrei and Danberium were making a hot coffee and a stone…?
"Oh-ho…Morning'cha Boss and Pale Princess…got a good night life?"
"We didn't do anything Khazim-san, look if I did something to her, our hair will be turned black right now."
"Heh, guess ye're not lyin'!" Khazim looked at me with smug face.
"By the way, what are YOU DOING in front of MY ROOM, last night?" I show my frightful smirk to him.
"Bffpptt…!!! Cough, cough…!" Khazim spluttered out his coffee.
"Gah! Do not think I am pervert like those boys and girls last night out of blue! I just returned from the Smithing Room and I saw bunch of people were doing something in front of your room. I asked them but that pervert playboy asked me to quiet. But you suddenly opened the door and the three of us smacked by that shit until we hit the wall. Dang, if there wasn't a relaxation magic, my back will still be aching till now!"
"BAHAHAHAHA!!!" Dan and Igrei laughed together.
"Pickin' a fight huh, belly drums?!"
"Now, now…three of you please don't fight!" Ayumi tries to calm them down.
��She is right, we shouldn't fight right now! Oh right, rather than fighting…did you want to eat my special made [Calorie Meal]? I promise they aren't gross like those in the military barracks!"
[Calorie Meal] or [Cavalirey Fod] in Elven language is a food that normally served in military academy's barracks for the cadets or normal military barracks for the soldiers. This food portion is small and sometimes it just one small tablet, but it can filled you up for almost a day (it depends on their ingredients type and quantity). Normally, this military food taste is…gross and plain, even you want to puke when chewing that…thing.
Every race has their own [Calorie Meal] and it created from their domestic plants or animals. For example, the stone(?) that Khazim made actually was…Dwarf's [Calorie Meal] and it tasted like a dirt, mixed with mud and it crunchy like a stone and jar…hoek. Strangely, they said that was delicious, but with "I want to puke" expression.
(Uh, Khazim…aren't your face has turned into blue?)
"KHAZIM'S FACE HAS TURNED INTO BLUE! HE IS CHOKED! SOMEONE BRING OUT THE WATER!" Igrei tries to help Khazim choking out that stone by pushing his back with magic.
(Guess…I was right. Luckily, I spluttered it) I thought that while giving Igrei a glass of water.
The Dwarf's [Calorie Meal] tastes like a stone and earth, The Elf's military meal taste really bitter, mixed with sour and salty, but it different depends on the race. I recall Ignish Elf's meal has very spicy taste when Tempest Elf's military meal has…strange and funny taste. What the hell that they put in there.
The Fairy's military meal taste overly sweet with fragrance of fruits, honey or flower. The fragrance itself isn't bad and the shape is really appealing, but the taste is disgustingly sweet. Are all of the Fairies have sweet tooth or what? When I was eating their meal, I can't even swallow that sugary whole meal without my taste bud going sensory overdrive from the overwhelming sweetness.
(King Oberon, please do something about that) I can't help but wished for The Maker to give him a revelation.
Mermaid Race's military meal tastes so…fishy and salty, with that awful smell, yuck. Herbivore Demi-Humans' military meals taste like grass…if you are lucky, you can find edible vegetable or fruit tastes, but it's freaking rare because the production cost will be higher than usual. Meanwhile, Carnivore Demi-Humans' military meals taste like…raw meat.
Bloodsucker races' military meals taste horrible. It's a combination between raw meat, demonic beast's raw meat and fresh blood. Those two are the worst thing I've ever eaten in my life. Rania once offered me two military meals from Arachne Familia and another Insect Familia, two small cubes with strange color and smell. I quickly refused that and moved back as far as I can.
"Nah, I will make my own creation military meal! I promise it won't taste horrible like that stone before. Eh…" After I said that, The Dwarves are staring me with unpleasant gazes.
(I'm sorry everyone, I don't mean it like that, but I just saying the reality, so please don't give that look)
Panicked, I quickly opened my inventory and took out all ingredients that I need but because I maybe only make eight or nine varieties, I just need a little from all ingredients.
"Let's begin. First, we need to measure the amount of flour and water."
My [Calorie Meal] has a lot of combination between nutrients but they mainly consist of carbohydrate and protein. Well, I need wheat flour and rice flour combined with chicken meat, cow meat, salmon, chicken egg, octopus, crab, shrimp, squid, trout and bass. Normally, I don't need to use bass, but today is an exception.
"Is that…Largemouth Bass? Hell, that mouth is so big…" Dan amazed with the size of the fish.
"What will we do with this fish, Boss?"
"Open the belly, pick the innards, wash it with water, and pick the bones before cutting it into two. Ayumi, help me please. Dwarves can help to cut the vegetables, fruits and meats."
Well then, I have a lot of fruits and vegetables here…hmm, I can't mix the fruits with meats because it will be disgusting. Therefore, I need spices that grow in specific parts around Sylph Elf and Holy Elf Kingdom's territories. There are [Medena Grass], [Auvrigal Flower], [Liokal Leaf], [Vanter Root], [Opassel Flower], [Erei Honey], [Faerfer Herb], [Barekk Salt], [Uniel Sugar], [White Ailol Pepperium], [Tocas Pepper] and the last one is [Aracia Mushroom].
I need to mince the meats and then boil it until soft. Well, I can't boil the seafoods more than 15 minerval because they will become hard to chew. I also can't process the salmon with poor and wrong cooking methods because you will destroy the nutrients inside it and the meat of the fish itself. For the broth, I can't mix fish, seafood, chicken and meat broth together because it will have disgusting smell and taste. I have decided that I will use them separately.
"Done, so what will make these meats and fruits into?" Ayumi asked me with cheerful tone.
I opened one flour sack, "Well, normally we will just make simple foods from Human Race. Did you know the famous foods Svedenia Province, Vermillion Francois Empire, Imperium Romanum, Xiantian Land, and Yamato Island that using these materials?"
"Oh! Umm…Meatball, Croissant, Pizza, Pasta, Dim Sum, Shaomai, Takoyaki, Taiyaki, Tamagoyaki, Karaage, Grilled Salmon with Soy Sauce…eh, what was the name again?"
"Correct, but we will only make few of them, not all."
"Sounds tasty, I had eaten that meatball thing, but I think it served with cow meat broth?" said Khazim while trying to remember.
"That's from Xiantian Land and few countries in East Aseanae Continent. In Svedenia Province, it served dry."
Before I make the [Calorie Meal], I made simple chicken soup to warm their body and when I looked back, their bows had already empty.
"Hmm…that was so freakin' delicious! We Dwarves never had a chance to eat chicken soup in our life because we live underground. We can't farm chicken underground because the plants that they usually eat can't grow there. We must rely on the Medfor Dwarven Kingdom that located on surface, well only a half of it." Said Khazim while he wiping his mouth.
"Yea, not to mention the price for chicken meat is also expensive there." Dan nodded in agreement.
"You are a talented cook, Boss. Why don't open a restaurant instead?
"You are also talented to become a house husband, kukuku…" Igrei giggled at me.
"My dream is to become an adventurer, not a Knight, or King. Lastly, Igrei-san, don't tease me like that please."
The Dwarves and Ayumi laughed over it. Maybe they still haven't understood why men on the [Upper World] can cook better than the women, since the Dwarf males can't cook, they can only handle smithing, building, etc. After our long chat, finally the cow meat has become smooth and fragrance. Now, let's take it off from stove.
I asked the Dwarves to make the dough for bread, doughnut and meatball while I asked Ayumi to mince the meats. Meanwhile, I cut the fruits, vegetables and exotic ingredients that I bought from special market in Northlandia. After they are done making the dough, poured the other ingredients, rested it and mixed it with the meats, I turned on the stove and oven. I picked the frying pan, pouring oil on it and let it heat up.
Ayumi fried the Takoyaki first, so another frying food will have "egg" taste. After that, she fried the meatballs, and lastly the doughnut. We fried the seafoods in different pan to prevent the taste mixed up. Meanwhile, Khazim and Igrei put the Croissant and another bread to oven after it heated up perfectly.
Where were the exotic ingredients? Well, I mixed them with the doughs and I'm not allowing anyone other than me to mix it by themself. Why? It was because they were extremely dangerous ingredients. If you are not used to it or you don't possess high cooking skills, these ingredients can kill anyone who consumes it in sec. It's similar with Pufferfish that is popular in Yamato Island, if the chefs don't possess a good cooking skill they can say goodbye to their head soon after their costumers ate it.
"It's done!" I wiped my sweats from my forehead,
We have done creating 1000 pieces of Takoyaki, Croissant, Fruit Bread (From Apple, Pineapple, etc.,), Meatballs (From Chicken, Salmon, Crab, Bass or Cow's meat), Doughnuts (Sweet and Savory), Fried Squids, Fried Octopus, Karaage, Fried Shrimp, Pasta, Pizza, and Onigiri.
"You know these foods are worth for ten Eelvariash or more and it won't spoil. Thanks to Ayumi and my racial skills as well as your help, we can finish these cheap and simple foods sooner than I expected."
"You must be joking…this is…extravagant…" Dan is speechless.
"Yeah…even though Boss called these only mere cheap foods before, but this is freakin' not cheap at all! What the fuck with this attractive smell and shape?! It attracts us like when a Mermaid calling for boy on the beach!"
"Boss, how many octopus that you put in your inventory?!" Khazim asked me with surprised voice.
"It's secret, hehe. Anyway, I will store 800 of it in my inventory and I won't share it to you."
"BOSS, BOSS! PLEASE DON'T BE SO CRUEL! I KNOW I WAS RUDE TO YOU BACK THEN! BUT PLEASE GIVE THIS OLD DWARF ONE OF THESE FOODS BEFORE HE DIES!"
"What the hell are you saying? I won't share this with you because I don't want, but it because I don't want your stomach hurt. Also, you won't die. No one is allowed to die in the battle without my permission, understand?"
"This is good with ale—" Igrei picked his ale from his inventory.
"No ale before battle."
I quickly snatched that from Igrei and gave him a menacing look. Now, all of them are looking at me with puppy eyes. What the hell is that?! Your face looks more stupid than usual.