The dragon's harem

Arad walked behind the counter and looked at everything Chef Joey left for him to use.

There was a lot of meat, vegetables, and many more spices. Arad could roast a piece of meat, but that won’t be really cooking, would it? No matter how much he thought about it, he had to make something at least acceptable.

Arad needed his food to be simple. Since he isn’t a cook and barely knows what to do. The more complicated he tried to make it, the more mistakes he would make.

He looked at the meat, but each time he looked at it, he wanted to eat it raw or roast it. He thinks of roasting things a lot. Aella can’t eat meat, so even if she isn’t here, she would probably ask him about what he cooked when he gets back home.

Whatever he is going to cook, it has to be something that even she can eat. Meat was already out, so he had to focus on the vegetables and the spices he had. The fewer ingredients he has, the easier his job would be.

Arad reached forward and grabbed one of Chef Joey’s knives and inspected it. The masterfully crafted blade was sharp.

It is so sharp that it can cut through meat and bone with ease; no wonder the cutting board is made from enchanted wood.

He then returned the knife to its place and looked at the vegetables. The carrots stood to him as they were Mc’s favorite, but as far as he knew, neither he nor his wives were rabbits. Except Lunara, if she were here, he would’ve given her one. She unironically loves carrots.

Arad looked at the oils that Chef Joey had and tasted the chilly oil. It was spicy and a bit sweet, but nothing that he could understand how to use. He wants something simpler.

His eyes then shifted to the batter Chef Joey used to fry the fish. He had used three things: a bowl full of flour, one full of the batter, and the last full of bread crumbs.

Arad didn’t know what Chef Joey used for the batter, but since he made it in front of him, he remembers which bottles he used and how he mixed it.

He grabbed the spice bottles that Chef Joey used and sniffed them. One smelled like garlic, another was a bit spicy, one smelled weird, and one he didn’t even know what it was. But the fish was good, so he shrugged.

Arad then looked back at the vegetables and the large stew pot.

This stew reminded him of the thick and rich beef stew that Eris made. Aella hated that thing to the bone; it was everything that elves couldn’t eat in one bowl. Strangely, Arad remembered that Eris preferred to make it with ox tail instead of any other type of meat.

But meat is out of the question, so he pushed the pot away and looked at the pans.

That sandwich that Joey made, full of shredded meat and fried onion, was both sweet and rich. But why does everything have meat in it? Aella can’t eat it… Wait, Cerilla can’t eat it as well!

But meat makes everything taste better; it makes cooking easy. And who doesn’t love meat? Wait, elves can’t eat it, only dark elves.

The more he thought about it, the worse it got. So Arad decided that he won’t use meat today. It was a final decision. He has to make something decent without cheating with meat.

Arad finally decided what he would make.

He picked a clean bowl, threw some flour in it, added the spicy red spices, and the garlic spice thingy that was probably just dried garlic, a lot of salt, a green spice that smelled weird, and another one that was strangely grey in color.

He then picked a mug of milk, cracked a drake’s egg, and mixed everything together. He will fry something.

Arad then looked at Chef Joey’s knife with a smile and picked it up. He always felt better with a sharp blade in his hand. He is more used to such tools than whisks and bowls.

Reverse gripping the knife, Arad gave the vegetables a deadly glare. If they had legs, they would’ve probably run away immediately. His hand flew past the carrot, and it thanked the gods he didn’t pick her. The potato had already died, knowing well that when it comes to frying, it was her fate to die to his knife.

But Arad’s hands flew past all of them and grabbed something round and firm, the humble onion. But no matter how it begged for its life, it wasn’t going to make Arad cry.

With swift moves, he put the poor onion out of its misery and sliced it into rings.

He then quickly removed all of the thin skin on the onion rings and headed to the batter. Arad’s idea was simple. He wanted to take that sweet onion that Chef Joey made and encase it in the crisp outside of the fried fish.

Arad wasn’t much of a cook, but he could see what people did, learn and mimic them. Even Chef Joey had to pause as he saw Arad move with uncanny mastery; his moves closely resembled his own.

Joey had spent over four centuries training his chefs to assist him, but no one was able to mimic him better than Arad did just now. If those moves didn’t belong to Joey, he would’ve suspected that Arad was a seasoned chef.

Arad dredged the onion just as Chef Joey dredged his fish and then fired it until it was golden and crisp. He then immediately served it, “Here it is. I hope it’s at least edible.”

Chef Joey was the first one to pick up a ring and taste it. The crunch, the sweet onion, and the fish seasoning that Arad used. It was a strange mix, but it worked so well together.

“This is just amazing. It would probably be better with seasoning other than fish spices, and a sauce would help a lot. But this is nothing short of masterful.”

Arad looked at him with a proud smile, and he then looked at Claug, Tyal, and Alice as they tasted it. They were pleased as well. “You know what, better? Aella can eat it as well. I’m sure she’ll be happy to taste it.”

Claug looked at him for a second.

“Aella can’t eat this.”

“What?” Arad froze.

“You used milk and eggs for the batter. That’s enough to upset her stomach.” She smiled, and Arad cried. He had failed his mission.