The Gourmet Innkeeper: Cooking Monsters in a Fantasy World

A/N: Sorry for the one chap today! It's year end, so I really can't find the time to write as much. T_T Should be better next month tho!

Advanced Happy New Year everyone!

…

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As Syl ate the food, her mind couldn't help but think of the food Finn had prepared for her. It was before they left the Lord's palace. Finn made sure to set up a wonderful meal for everyone.

She had always known that he was a good cook, considering he made palatable food with such limited ingredients when she first met him, but he was far more exceptional than she thought when he had access to more ingredients.

Even the royal chef of the two royal families she ate with could not compare.

Lunch soon ended and, after a short break, the more professional topics were broached. Specifically, the deals and their rewards for taking and protecting her nephew.

After seeing how well they cared for him, she was even more willing to give these things.

"As a token of appreciation, please see the requested runes," Syl said. Behind her, a chest was brought by the servants.

Inside were ten black stones the size of a palm. The family's eyes sparkled, fascinated. "Such quality…"

"It's beautiful…"

"As expected of Elven runes. They cannot compare to ours."

Runes had their origins in Elven civilization, though through the centuries humans had created a few as well, albeit of much inferior quality compared to those made by elves.

Runes contained special magic that could create special functions. It was much like magic tools, but with more specific uses and more power.

These were created by the Elders themselves, and had specific functions like protection, improvement of core absorption, increased attack efficiency, and so on, and to a degree, human runes could not dream of reaching.

In the human territory, these were invaluable. Even in the elven territory, not many would have these.

That said, Syl couldn't help but remember the experiences in the Inn back then.

She felt similar magic signatures all over the inn, but she could not see them. She knew they were there, however. Perhaps, when she reached the required level to make runes, she would be able to see them.

In any case, she pulled her attention back to the present, looking at the royal family with her purple eyes. "I hope these are satisfactory."

"Yes, they are," The King said, nodding. Amusingly, he divided the runes among his family members, not feeling reluctant to send out treasures at all.

He even gave more to them, just keeping one to himself, knowing they'd need it more for their protection.

Syl smiled. The King was not a bad man.

…

"We have prepared accommodation for you and your entourage," the Queen said, shaking her head at her husband's behavior. "You can stay for as long as you need."

"Thank you for the offer, your Highness. We will leave tomorrow."

"Such a rush?"

She smiled, patting her nephew's head. "My brother hopes to see his son soon."

The King and Queen seemed understanding. However, the Queen looked at her teenage daughter and adorable son. "It's still early. I'll send my children to guide you around the palace."

The two flinched and nodded, smiling as if they had been waiting for their instructions. This was especially obvious with the gregarious young prince, who had been holding himself back in an attempt to appear mature.

"Come on, come on! Let's go to the gardens!" Cael led the way across the luxurious halls with expensive artwork displayed every couple of meters. He was also kind enough to describe them, or whatever he knew about them.

Well, to be exact, he explained only the exciting ones that he remembered, some of which were definitely embellished and products of his imagination.

"This is a depiction of the old heroes when magic was strong!"

"This is my ancestor, he defeated a Titan! It's so scary."

"This is my great-grandfather…or great-uncle…killing an apex-level monster! It was very cool according to storybooks."

"This… I think it's one of the queens or something."

Syl smiled gently, listening to the ramblings of the young boy, while her eyes also appreciated the art they were shown. Humans excelled in art and ingenuity, and Syl could attest to this.

The young woman, Princess Claire, matched her pace, also telling her a bit about the artwork her brother skipped or remembered incorrectly. She would even mention some context.

"This is the last work of the famous artist Pierre… he died from an illness a decade ago," she said, her voice lovely like that of a lyrical bird. "This work was done during his twilight years, and it evokes a lot of emotions of a man who simply wants to live longer."

She was referring to one of the romantic artworks, which Prince Cael described as 'Bloody war colored to make it child-friendly'. And with such confidence, too.

They both looked at the good colouring and art style that was unique from the others. "This one costs tens of thousands of gold."

Claire has a small and sweet voice that fits her petite frame and delicate features. She was quite lovely.

Sylwen nodded, interested, and the two women continued to appreciate the rest of the artworks, even if they did not depict grand tales or big fights.

Eventually, the two boys felt impatient.

"Boorringg," the prince said. Meanwhile, the elven prince had an impassive expression on his face, but he was definitely not disagreeing.

Claire gasped. "Cael! Don't be rude!" she exclaimed.

The boy shrugged and grabbed the elven boy's arm. "Let's go, Athie! Let's leave the boring hags behind!"

"CAEL!!"

"We're leaving you behind slowpokes! BYE!" The hyperactive prince announced, and soon they disappeared far into the hallway and to the garden.

Claire was obviously annoyed, though she was cute and demure. She blushed when she realized her slip-up and felt ashamed in front of the other princess, who always seemed to be put together.

"Ah, those boys. They couldn't be any more opposite of each other, but somehow they get along."

"It's good that you have a good relationship," Syl said. "Not many human noble houses, or among Elves, have that." She looked pensive as she stared at the young woman. "It's quite… admirable, actually."

Claire blinked, but her smile was strained.

"Father… he learned from past mistakes," she said. "He himself had killed a few brothers to rise to the throne, some of which were necessary to survive, but others were…not so much."

Her father's first family was no different from how many problematic noble houses were. Their father once had a queen and two concubines, each one with a child.

Those years, according to the old servants, were very stressful as the women would always try to one-up each other, even at the cost of several servants underneath them.

Things changed in one of the Aphelion months. It was particularly intense, with hundreds of thousands of monsters emerging and attacking deep into the safe zones.

At its peak, the monsters even entered the capital, breaking into the palace. Because each concubine had their own knights and their own agendas, some even took advantage of the chaos to get rid of a few rivals.

This caused unprecedented losses instead, and the King was left with no wives and no children by the end of it.

"So, while trying not to be too lax, Father still gave us attention and love. He did not take another woman anymore. He didn't listen to those old fools and elders pushing him to take concubines anymore, instead focusing on administration work and our small family."

"That is very good," Syl said, looking at the younger princess. To be honest, she didn't have many friends, and especially not one of the same gender before.

She wanted to be this one's friend, if not a close acquaintance. Syl awkwardly looked for topics, wondering what young girls liked to talk about.

She couldn't help but recall one of the results in the investigation. "I heard you have quite a few beaus," she said, almost out of nowhere, and immediately felt awkward (not that her face showed any of this).

Claire blinked, but did not think much about it and just answered the question honestly. "I'm not planning on getting married," she said, almost immediately.

Before Syl could ask, she explained. "I will be a cleric, and that kind of magic works best when the user is pure."

This was true. A body untouched by others' energy seemed to be more in sync with a certain type of magic, healing magic.

Of course, it was not limited to virgins. But the quality and power definitely could not be compared.

"I have A-class potential, and this means I can go far…"

"What if you find someone you wish to marry?"

"For now, I do not know of such a man," Claire said, then her expression changed to a teasing one. "What about you?"

Syl did not expect the topic to be thrown back at her. However, inexplicably, the image of a certain red-haired man passed by, making her face soften.

This change did not pass Claire's eyes, as she had been watching Syl's expressions closely. When she saw this, she almost squealed. "Oh my, you're smitten!"

Sylwen blushed lightly but just smiled, and Claire couldn't help but be curious.

Her first impression of Sylwen was like an unapproachable goddess, unbothered by all worldly things.

So she couldn't help but wonder: What kind of man could make such a woman have this kind of expression?