"Hey Dad, I've been working hard all week to make something special for you," Zeo said to his father, who was standing in front of Rebecca's grave.
"Coming right now," he replied.
"Rebecca, I've been raising our son for the past two years. I can confidently say that it's quite an achievement for a seven-year-old in cookery. I can't wait to pass on my technique for cooking demonic beasts, which many people are eager to learn to our son. I'll come back to see you tomorrow morning, my love," Arthur said.
A breeze touched Arthur's face, and it felt like Rebecca was caressing him, making him smile.
Their house was situated near Rebecca's gravesite, and it was rebuilt with the help of Lina. Originally, she wanted it done in a week, but it took almost a month. Initially, she wanted to build a grand mansion for Arthur, but he refused.
Arthur wanted to reconstruct the old house so his son Zeo would always feel at home in it. The architecture took a lot of time since their only source of information about the previous house was the five-year-old boy. Just one phrase from Zeo, "This is not the same," would force them to rebuild it again.
Arthur was sitting on a chair looking at the meal before him. There were three slices of medium-rare meat adorned with glossy red powder, encircled by a thick creamy yellow broth.
Arthur was filled with a sense of gratification as the presentation of the dish was impeccable and looked particularly mouth-watering. The aroma of the meat filled the room and made his mouth water.
Arthur took his fork and cut a piece of the succulent meat, and when he brought it to his lips, he felt contentment. He could not even describe how balanced the meal was. All the ingredients blended together so perfectly. He realized that his son Zeo had put a lot of effort into this specific dish for him, which made him smile despite life's obstacles.
"Zeo, this food is incredible. How did you make it and what did you use?" Arthur asked his son.
Zeo beamed at his father's praise, as it was a compliment from the top chef in Zennethia.
"Dad, I used demonic beast for this dish," he replied.
"Wow, I thought it was fish or birds meat. It looks and tastes like some rare types of fish that can only be found during the summer season."
"No, Father, it's a demonic beast that I got from our local demonic beast butcher."
"I got the meat from the Fearless Ship and the powder from the crushed Sabre Ant - I was astonished by the flavor. It improved the taste of the meal way more than salt, so I decided to substitute it in the entire dish. Also, I utilized the stock of the Ruin Crab."
"Don't tell me all the components you used are the regular demonic beasts here. I'm really proud of you, son. As a cook, we have to make the most of the ingredients in our vicinity to prepare food."
"To be honest, I can't even make demonic beast cuisine without using mana. How did you do it?"
"Dad, I just applied all the fundamentals you taught me - baking, boiling, braising, broiling, frying, grilling, roasting, poaching, sautéing, steaming, and stewing. It was a trial and error process, and I combined all the methods to get this dish. It took me almost a week, though."
"I'm sure you'll be sending this dish to that person living in the back alley. I'm thankful for his insistence that you be pushed to the extremes in cooking. I'm convinced that you'll pass this time as, honestly, I've never tasted a dish like this in my life, even though I'm used to cooking demonic beasts".
"Yes Dad, thank you. I hope I make you proud".
Zeo sprinted as fast as he could to the back alley to find the man. When he got to the tent, he shouted out for the man as loud as he could.
"Uncle, Uncle, today I've got this!".
The man stepped out of the tent and his eyes fell on the pot Zeo was holding.
He sat crossed-legged in front of Zeo, not saying anything.
Zeo never felt the man's attitude was rude, since he'd met him, he'd noticed everyone was very respectful to him. Nobody ever dared to steal from him. The only plausible explanation is that it was related to the man in front of him.
The man took the dish from Zeo and inspected it; then the pot abruptly flew up and was engulfed by a ball of fire.
"I can tell this dish will be something special," the man told Zeo. "I have to heat it up to bring out all the flavors." After he was done heating it, he grabbed a spoonful and closed his eyes to savor the taste. His mouth curved up in a smile and he opened his eyes to look at Zeo.
"You passed the test," he said while smiling.
Hearing those words made Zeo's heart lighten. After two long years, he had finally heard those words. This is the first he saw the man smile since he met him.
"You passed the other test too, kid. I have been watching you since you met me and I think you are the right choice to be my successor. Previously I was planning to give you other test if you passed it so easily , but observing for this past few years convinced me you have good character"
"My name is Kotaro, I am from the Fuuma Clan who previously served the Zennethia King," he continued.
Zeo's mouth dropped open and he staggered backwards.
Kotaro could sense Zeo's surprise and smiled. "You have been chosen for your potential, Zeo. Do not disappoint me."