Arcane Chef - Slice of Life x Adventure LitRPG

Entering the dining hall, I found it had completely transformed from the first visit. There were now banners adorning the walls, with several long tables leading towards the head of the room, where there was a clear segregation between the large communal tables and the royal chairs at one end. To either side of them sat two tables, with four others.

I was led through the room by Kathrine, walking alongside the rows of tables, which I assumed were to hold all the lesser nobles, eventually arriving at the table on the left of the royals, where another brazier sat, along with a cushion covered in a black and red blanket.

“Thanks for the cushion,” I whispered.

Kathrine just gave me a smile, and although I didn’t think Lily would show up for this food, it was a thoughtful gesture. Crisplet, however, was quick to get into the brazier. I took my seat at the table that held four chairs with Liane, as Kathrine, Elijah, and Luis all went to the royal table.

It was strange, as right now the room was empty, and it wasn’t until we’d taken our seats before others filed in, escorted by a staff member to their appropriate seats.

I wondered who would join us at this table.

As the dining room filled, I felt the gazes of everyone as they entered, saw the whispers, though I couldn’t hear them, likely all with questions about what had just transpired, not that I could give them any answers anyway.

The other tables were filled at the front by the major houses, including the ones who had just been promoted, yet no one was placed at my table yet.

Looking over, I saw the King and Queen still had not entered yet, either.

Soon two individuals came to my table; only one I had ever seen before, and I hoped he would not be sitting here. The other didn’t even look like a human. Their skin was a blue-grey. They wore a light blue silk suit that had sapphires threaded through it in a shape I didn’t recognise, but when I looked at their face, it wasn’t the long silky black hair or sharp bone structure that caught me. It was the eyes.

They appeared almost as sharp as Lily’s, only they were purple, a deep, dark purple.

The man escorting them; I was hoping I wouldn’t see again today, since it was Gerald. The look he gave was halfway between a sneer and terror. However, it didn’t last long, as he’d only made it close enough to gesture to the guest when a very familiar pressure appeared beside me.

To his credit, the unknown guest only broke out into a giant smile at the sight and continued to sit down at the table, while Gerald faltered before finding somewhere else to be.

“How curious. I expected this dinner to be a dull affair. How incredibly wrong I was,” the person said.

“We’ve not met. My name is Trevor, Liane, Crisplet, and that is Lily,” I said, gesturing.

Liane just nodded, saying nothing.

“Indeed, we have not met. Your outfits are curious. You speak like a native of this land but dress as an ambassador. I am Lestillia Tanal, ambassador to the Rotalin Islands,” they said.

“I’ve never heard of it, but pleasure to meet you.”

“And yourself? Are you an ambassador? Perhaps the children of one, and that’s how you have the accent?” Lestillia asked.

“No, I’m from here. I was an orphan,” I said simply.

Liane let out a small snort of laughter.

Lestillia looked at me strangely, studying me. “How did you come to acquire these pet—”

They never got to finish their sentence before Lily’s head snapped to them, the glare and significant increase in pressure even causing a couple of small shrieks from nearby tables.

I reached down to run my hand down the back of Lily, to try to calm the situation.

“I will warn you now. Lily and Crisplet are not bound to me in any way. They are their own beings and understand you perfectly well. I would advise you against insulting them.”

“Noted,” Lestillia said, looking considerably paler, which was impressive for skin that was already the blue-grey it was.

“Then I will rephrase the question. Who are these two beings to you?” Lestillia asked.

“My friends.”

The conversation subsided for a moment as the King and Queen were announced and made their entry into the dining hall. I nearly forgot to rise, if not for Liane dragging me up with her.

Once they sat, everyone joined in sitting down. The only people who didn’t rise were the person sitting at my table, along with the princes and princess.

“You’re an odd pair,” Lestillia said, still staring at me.

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

Lestillia smiled. “You’re both seated directly next to the royals. Neither of you are wearing kingdom colours, and you’re with two companions who would, under normal circumstances, never be allowed in here, and not only that, but they have made furniture specifically for them. This would be reserved for royalty of other kingdoms, not an orphan. Certainly not an orphan of this one.”

“I can see how that would be odd. Tell me about yourself. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve never seen someone look like you before,” I asked, changing the subject from myself.

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“Don’t suppose you would have. We rarely travel outside of trade. Tell me, what do you know of the world, where the land masses are?” Lestillia asked.

Shrugging, “I know the demons are to the south, and there is another continent to the east, and Alira is somewhere up north in a volcanic region.”

I said it without even thinking, and as the words left my lips, I realised I had given away too much in that moment. It might have been known where Alira lived, but I didn’t know that.

“And you, Miss Liane?” Lestillia asked.

Liane shrugged. “Pretty much the same.”

Lestillia didn’t react to it at the very least. “So, just minimal knowledge right now. Rotalin is far to the east of the demonic isle, though the journey here is not so easy, but we are native to those rocks and call it home, though we mostly live below them.”

I wanted to ask questions about that, if they lived underground, but I was interrupted by dinner starting to arrive. A small bowl of what looked to be a vibrant orange soup was placed in front of me.

“A delicate Kipperworm and Railen seed soup, served with iron grain bread.”

I had no idea what any of it was, besides the bread, which I recognised, but I was more than happy to try something new. The next surprise arrived when two more plates were delivered, but not to the table. The first was a plate of what appeared to be blue wood chips.

“Sir, the chef has prepared a mana-rich wood for yourself, the chipped bark of a mana willow.”

These were then given to Crisplet in his brazier, Crisplet letting off a giant burst of sparks. The next plate had a steak on it that had been barely seared, by the looks of it.

“And for you, the chef has prepared a speciality steak which he has marinated in an enclosed high-mana environment for several days to create a mana-dense Buvul steak of the highest quality.”

For the second time I had seen, Lily actually ate a meal from someone else. It sounded like they had tried to emulate my mana infusion. I wondered if they could get buffs on the food or not.

Lestillia had not touched their soup yet, instead just watching as the staff served the food.

“I fear you may both be misleading me somewhat,” Lestillia said.

Confused, “Sorry?”

Lestillia leant forward, and in a hushed whisper, “We sit in a hall filled with family representatives of every noble family in this kingdom. They have all been served exactly the same meal, the same meal that I have and you have, and yet your companions receive not just special treatment, but incredibly rare gifts that are just to be burnt. Why?”

Liane spoke up before I had a chance. “That’s between him and the royal family.”

Lestillia didn’t ask any follow-up questions, just leaning back in their chair, where they slowly started to eat their soup.

Once the plates were clean, I knew it might be rude, but I really needed to ask.

“Sorry for asking, Lestillia, but what are you, exactly?”

Liane nudged me with her elbow. Clearly, I had been a bit too rude with that question, but luckily it wasn’t taken the wrong way. Lestillia let out a melodic laugh.

“It’s fine, Miss Liane. The curiosity of youth shouldn’t be stopped. Our race is called Kharv. Jokingly, it’s said our name comes from our ability to carve into the rocks to make our homes and cities. However, I’m sure the real reason is far more dull.”

The next dish was delivered to the table. This time it was just two small bites, both using fish. It was the perfect blend of saltiness and fresh, fishy taste. There was also a heat that was in the back of my throat, like a dull warmth.

“How long does it take to get here from your home?” I asked curiously.

“Four months, usually. It would be a lot faster if we could come past the demonic isle, or even straight through the middle, but those waters are far too dangerous.”

Even Liane looked shocked at that. “Four months at sea? What do you even trade if you need to travel that far?”

“Food and magical equipment. Diet is limited living underground, so we rely on trade to add some spice to it,” Lestillia explained.

The topic of food had me very interested. “What sort of food?”

“Usually meat and grain, items we can store in rings and that will last, though I’ve heard rumours of jerky that buffs the consumer. I would like to get my hands on that. However, you might have heard of it, the Ember Cafe. They limit sales. Nothing wholesale,” Lestillia said.

I went silent at that. Were they saying it because they knew of my connection?

“We’ve seen it, but not been able to get a seat. Seems very busy,” Liane jumped in, saving me.

“To think a shop like that could just pop out of nowhere. I also heard they had an actual dragon show up, though rumours are it was just illusion magic to drum up business. Still, a neat trick,” Lestillia laughed.

The conversation was interrupted by the next meal. This time it appeared to be a bird of some kind. The meat was dark, very dark, and there was a perfect golden-brown crust on the outside. It smelled like the perfect blend of herbs, with garlic grass and onions.

It was served on top of a large mushroom that appeared to be stuffed with cheese. I couldn’t tell yet.

“Next is a seared herb-crusted rok fillet, served on a cheese and garlic grass stuffed field mushroom, on the side we have a rich red wine jus.”

I noticed two more plates coming to our table.

“For you, Lily, we have a lightly seared rok fillet, aged in a storage box with shadow mana crystals. And Crisplet, we have the core of an Emberwood tree. It is known for having a rich concentration of fire mana.”

The look on Lestillia’s face said everything I needed to know. What they were giving Crisplet and Lily was rare. Selfishly, I was wondering if I could cook these items, especially Emberwood.

Maybe I could trade some fire magic food for some fire ingredients?

The meal was beyond delicious, and I noticed Crisplet’s flame burned hotter and brighter, and Lily didn’t leave anything on her own plate.

Before dessert came out, a well-dressed man who reminded me a lot of Archie approached the table. “Lord Ashmoon, Lady Ashmoon, you and your companions are invited to after-dinner drinks with the royal family.”

“Thank you. I’d love to,” I responded. This was part of my training. If the royals invited me somewhere, I was to follow.

As the man walked away, I caught Lestillia’s eye. “Lord and Lady? You nearly had me with the orphanage tale.”

I chuckled. “It wasn’t a tale. We’re both from orphanages. I was only granted my surname this month, and Liane joined my house as my sister.”

It looked like they didn’t know what to say, but I was saved by dessert.

The last plate was placed in front of me, and it looked to be made of three golden wafers. Between each one were perfectly formed pearls of cream, but far more dense. Over the top was a golden caramel sauce that was dusted with ground powdered sugar and small pieces of citrus fruit, with several small berries.

It looked divine, and when I put my spoon to the dessert, the wafer cracked like glass. The taste was out of this world. I was sure that if they donated a piece of this as an offering to the temple, the goddess would take it.

There was a delicate caramel flavour from the sauce, but the sweetness was cut away by a citrus tang in the cream, or icing, while the wafer provided the perfect texture.

This was by far the best dessert I had ever had.

“Trev, tell me this one is in the book,” Liane whispered.

I had to agree. I needed to check.