SSS Rank Chef: Rising In The World Of Magic

That evening, Nina came home to see Lukas sitting inside. He was still, his legs crossed as he took in deep breaths. Right in front of him, was a small pot and a plate that had three flat breads.

'Is that…' he thought, frowning as she watched her brother inhale in short bursts and let out a long exhale.

Then, she shook her head. He had tried it multiple times but it was never successful. To become a knight, one needed talent and training. As far as she'd seen, Lukas did not have the required talent and nor could he train thanks to to immense work that he would have to do at the farm.

Even though she had no expectations, she sat down opposite to him and pulled the plate of bread towards her. Only then, did she realise that it wasn't the regular one they usually ate.

'There's something stuffed inside? You can do that?' she asked herself as she picked one up, tore it and put the morsel in her mouth.

The mildly hard exterior of wheat coupled with the soft flavoured mashed potato inside rejuvenated her almost instantly. It was perfectly spiced and salted but she also noticed a slight hint of sweetness.

'Since when did Lukas learn how to cook? Maybe one of the villagers gave us some… yes, that's probably what happened.'

While she thought, her hand continued to move as she stuffed herself like she hadn't eaten in days. In just a few minutes, the plate was empty. She had no reservations and nor did she feel guilty about eating too much, not after working hard in the farm for an entire day.

She then took a spoon and scooped out a generous amount of mashed potato before stuffing it directly in her mouth.

'So good… but weird. Why are there chillies in it?' she mused as she turned to look at him, only to see that his eyes were wide open.

Lukas silently watched her eat with a smile on his face, clearly happy with seeing her expression of satisfaction. Until she shot him the look.

"What? You don't like it?"

"N-No. I mean, it's good. Who gave this to you?" she asked and this time, Lukas was stumped as he did not know how to respond.

The Lukas in the past had never cooked anything in his entire life. He did not know how to explain his mysterious knowledge.

Two siblings sat in their small hut as they stared at each other. One waiting for an answer while the other brainstormed for a way to get out of his predicament.

'Right….' he thought as he came to a realisation, 'This might be risky but she's my sister. 'She should be able to keep a secret.'

"Well… yesterday I got a dream." he said, lying through his teeth, "And in that dream, I met a divine being. I was blessed."

For a few moments, Nina looked confused until she realised what he meant. Her mouth opened wide in shock and awe as she stared at him, "You…. you received a talent?"

Lukas nodded happily as he pointed at the food, "I know how to cook now and the food I make will be magical. It's better if we keep this a secret though."

Nina's head bobbed like a toy while she continued to stare at him in awe.

"You really were blessed?"

"Yeah…. and we should move. You won't have to deal with Oleg and we'll also be able to find better opportunities. I've already talked to the village chief and he's agreed to pay us Three Hundred and fifty silver coins for our land."

Hearing this, she pursed her lips and glared at him.

Momentarily, Lukas was surprised when he saw her reaction but soon, she nodded.

"Next time tell me before you do something like this."

"Ah… got it. I thought you always wanted to leave this place since you've been talking about life in the towns and the capital. You also complain a lot about Oleg, so I assumed that you would have made the same decision."

Nina shook her head, "I would, but it doesn't feel good when your family hides things from you and makes huge decision behind your back. How would you feel if I suddenly decide to marry someone and marry that person before telling you?"

Lukas nodded slowly, understanding her point of view.

"I apologise. I'll talk to you about the important decisions in the future."

"Good. But are you sure? Do you really want to leave this village when Clara plans on staying here?"

'This….' he thought, not knowing how to respond. Clara was a nice girl from their village and the old Lukas fancied her.

'I don't like her tho… she's pretty but she's got a big head.'

He let out a sigh and put on an act, "Sometimes, we must realise that moving on is the best option. Maybe I'll find someone else in the future."

Nina gave him a serious look before nodding, "Yes. Don't worry I'll find someone for you."

'Yeah sure…' he thought, not paying much attention to her words as he stood up, "I'm a knight now. I succeeded."

For the second time in an hour, Nina felt like she was hit on the head by a huge hammer. First, he hit her with the news of getting a talent and now, he smacked her with "I'm a knight now". A part of her felt like she wanted to smack him for treating such important things like they were a common occurrence.

At the end, no matter what thoughts she had, she ended up sighing, "Anything else?"

Lukas nodded, his expression serious. Seeing this, Nina straightened her back as she expected another blow.

"You should follow the method in dad's book. You'll become a knight too. The stuff you just ate buffs perception, and you know how important it is."

"Me? Knight? I'm a girl…"

"You're not going out to war. This is just so you can defend yourself in unexpected situations. Come on, get to work. Don't you wish to be strong?"

Nina felt numb as she nodded mindlessly and took the book from her brother before setting it aside. She had already read the contents inside and knew it all by heart.

Slowly, she took in deep breaths while trying to feel the mana in the atmosphere near her.

Lukas watched her start and walked out of the hut to take a breath of fresh air.

"Status."