Lina's Cooking

The three of them continued chatting in Ye Wei'an's room for a long time, talking about everything from childhood mischief to the sights and customs of Suzar.

Before they knew it, the sunset outside had painted half the sky red.

Lina stood up and eagerly suggested, "We've been so caught up talking that we've lost track of time. It'll be dinnertime soon. Young Master, I've spent the past four years keeping up with my cooking experiments. Now that you're back, I have to make you a dish myself to welcome you home! Trust me, you're going to love it this time."

"No! Please, no!"

The Spellfire Sorcerer, who had remained unmoved even when facing Grumman the Berserker, suddenly shot out of his chair as if someone had hit him with a powerful Cause Fear spell.

"Lina, you really don't have to! You're the head maid now, practically a manager. Just let the cooks handle it. Please don't trouble yourself!"

Ailian's reaction was the complete opposite of Ye Wei'an's. The girl swallowed in eager anticipation.

"Young Master, why are you still like this?" Lina stopped and pouted sadly. "Why have you never liked my cooking, not even when you were little? Those dishes are the things I put the most effort into. Just look at Ailian—she always devours them."

Ailian nodded vigorously beside her.

Looking at the eager light in Lina's eyes, Ye Wei'an couldn't help recalling the "delicacies" from the original owner's memories, packed with horseradish, pickled fish, and some mysterious fermented substance. His stomach gave a faint, involuntary spasm.

"It's... it's not the taste." Ye Wei'an avoided her gaze, desperately trying to come up with an excuse. "The problem is me. I got used to the bland food they serve at the Wizard's in Suzar, and my stomach's grown weak. I'm afraid it can't handle Rashemen's... its wild, hearty cuisine anymore. Really."

Lina sighed in disappointment but didn't press the issue.

Muttering that "the food in Suzar must have spoiled him," she hurried off to supervise the cooks in the kitchen.

Only after her gray figure disappeared at the end of the corridor did Ye Wei'an slump back into his chair, utterly drained.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with lingering fear, "Whew... I nearly died right here at home."

Ailian had been disappointed that she wouldn't get to taste Lina's cooking. "Young Master, you're exaggerating! Lina's dishes are amazing. She creates complex flavors by combining all kinds of spices, and every bite is a surprise. I absolutely love them!"

"A surprise? More like a shock." Ye Wei'an glared at her. "Complex, conflicting flavors don't make a dish good. That's a catastrophe! Not everyone has a stomach like yours that can digest steel."

That reminded him of a few sanity-shattering scenes from the original owner's memories.

"Remember what happened a few years ago? The castle had finally managed to get hold of some dried squid, and I got a few pieces too. Seafood like that is delicious with just a little cooking. But what did Lina do? She threw all kinds of strange seasonings into the pot—licorice, horseradish, cinnamon, pepper... Then she added a whole heap of overcooked purple cabbage, and, on a sudden whim, tossed in a big spoonful of sheep's eyeballs!"

As Ye Wei'an spoke, he shuddered involuntarily. "When she brought the dish out, the squid tentacles, dyed a deep purple, writhed like actual tentacles in the bubbles. All around them floated a swarm of sheep's eyeballs, staring blankly into the void... That wasn't food. It was some eldritch deity summoned by the faithful of the Old Ones! What normal person could eat that?"

"I could." Ailian looked completely unbothered. She even licked her lips as if savoring the memory. "You didn't touch a single bite that time, Young Master. I ate the whole thing myself. You have no idea how good those bursting eyeballs tasted with the faint bitterness of licorice..."

Ye Wei'an was utterly speechless. He looked at the little maid whose taste had gone completely off the rails and sighed heavily.

"Enough. Don't say another word. I can't understand fans of your 'family cooking.' Once I have my own estate, I'll set aside a 'special kitchen' for you, so you won't contaminate the main one."

For a while afterward, Ye Wei'an sat quietly in his room and read.

It was the textbook he had used at the Battlemage Academy: An Introduction to the Eight Schools of Magic.

In the original owner's memories, the densely packed arcane models and obscure spell syntax had been as good as gibberish.

But now, everything was different.

He had mastered the power of Spellfire.

Spellfire was the Weave's most fundamental power, and as someone who wielded it, he had a profound understanding of the essence of magic.

It was like someone accustomed to reading source code picking up a simple script. The problems that had once stumped the original owner now seemed crystal clear.

Even though he was a Sorcerer, a class that relied on instinctive spellcasting, the insight Spellfire had given him still let him read these Wizard tomes with ease.

Ailian wasn't idle either. In the spacious sitting room, she practiced the Monk's fighting techniques, grunting as she went through the motions.

"Young Master, do you think I could punch through plate armor now?" Ailian wiped away her sweat and turned around to ask excitedly.

"If you want to dirty my carpet, go ahead and try," Ye Wei'an replied without looking up. "Before that, learn to control your presence. Otherwise, you'll be seen through at a glance again, just like today."

Just then, someone gently knocked on the door.

"Young Master Ye Wei'an, dinner is ready. The madam invites you downstairs," a servant called from outside.

"Good. I'm coming."

Ye Wei'an put down his book and prepared to go downstairs.

As Ailian helped him straighten his clothes, she muttered, "Young Master, do you really have to eat at the same table as people like that? Just thinking about facing that hypocritical woman makes me feel like I'm going to throw up the candied fruit in my stomach. And Lucas will definitely be there too..."

"It's the first day I've been home after such a long journey. Of course I'm having dinner with 'the family,'" Ye Wei'an replied calmly.

When Ye Wei'an entered the dining room, Madam Elena was already seated at one side of the long table beneath the glittering alchemical chandelier.

Beside her sat his twelve-year-old half-brother, Lucas.

Though still young, Lucas had sharp, spiteful features. He was grinning as he reached out to tug on the hair of a maid carrying a dish.

The maid kept her head bowed, her body trembling, but she didn't even dare try to pull away.

When she saw Ye Wei'an enter, Lucas's attention immediately shifted to him.

The maid fled as if she'd been granted a reprieve.

Lucas launched straight into it.

"Well, if it isn't my 'noble' Wizard brother. I hear that besides wasting money, the only thing you learned in Suzar was how to bully those farmers with their hoes once you came home. By Sharess, if I were you, I'd hide in my room and study those moldy old books instead of coming out here and ruining everyone's appetite."

Before Ye Wei'an could respond, Madam Elena scolded him. "Luke, mind your manners. Whatever else he is, he's still your older brother!"

Though she had initially known nothing about Ye Wei'an's situation, she'd had the whole afternoon to pry the truth out of the soldiers under his command and learn what he had done in Firefall Town.

She didn't know how powerful his magic was, but Selina was certain that this bastard son was nothing like he had been four years ago.

He was ruthless and decisive when dealing with enemies, yet tactful and shrewd in other situations.

A man like that was far beyond what her cowardly son, who only dared to act tough at home, could handle.

She didn't want Lucas provoking him.

Lucas had been wearing a smug expression.

But the moment his mother spoke, he shut his mouth.

Ye Wei'an could tell that his cowering silence wasn't respect. It seemed more like an involuntary response to being under someone's thumb for a long time.

"Sit down, Ye Wei'an." Madam Elena turned to him, her face once again wearing that flawless, hypocritical smile. "Lucas is still young. I spoiled him, so don't take it to heart. By Sharess's grace, our family is finally able to sit down and have a proper meal together."

"You're too kind, Madam. It's good for children to be lively. At home, you can put up with all sorts of things. But out in the world, they might accidentally provoke someone they can't afford to offend." Ye Wei'an calmly pulled out a chair and sat down.