Chapter 100: Evan D. Sherden, Improving (4)
Evan D. Sherden, Improving (4)
“I’m very busy.” As soon as the owner, who was now the co-representative of the Brotherhood Skewers, saw Evan, he spoke curtly, “Haven’t you noticed? I’ve to deal with a lot of customers now as the restaurant’s popularity has increased dramatically.”
“But you just grill skewers, right?”
The owner couldn’t refute what Evan said to him, so he nodded while putting a large skewer to his mouth.
“That’s because you are one of the most talented chefs in the dungeon city… Alright, listen. We are planning on opening new branches of the Brotherhood Skewers. Your role is to teach the new staff.”
“How many are we talking about?”
“There are two new shops that we will be opening. We will also be hiring two new chefs who are already very skilled, so you’ll have a good time teaching them. Both of them have definitely acquired licenses for cooking monster meat too.”
The second branch of Brotherhood Skewers would be opened in the Royal City of the Silk Line Country, and the third one would be established in the dungeon city of Mana Road in the Mado Country. In fact, other than these two, there weren’t many places where you could enjoy the infamous grilled monster skewers.
The successful points of the Brotherhood Skewers included three major ones: the first was the monster meat, the second was their special sauce, and the third was the staff that grilled them. Passing on the technique and making the sauce in large quantities and delivering it, there wasn’t that much of a big problem as the first one.
Consistently supplying the monster meat was the problem, which couldn’t be done unless the dungeon was crowded with people, and the circulation was smooth.
“Actually, I’m still a little worried. I wonder if the skewers I grill will be liked by the people of the Royal City, or in other countries…”
“Do you remember that, at my birthday party, there wasn’t a single soul who criticized your skewers even a little or said something negative about them? They were all nobles of the Royal City and people from other countries too.”
“Yes, I do actually. It was a really memorable day,” at Evan’s words, the owner nodded, recalling the scenes of that party. His skewers were not only praised highly by the adventurers and the explorers, but also by nobles who normally only bought valuable edibles to stuff their mouths.
Some of them couldn’t even find the words for praise, so they simply admired the deliciousness of the skewers.
“On that day, I realized that I was also a great cook, after all.”
“You are. I always knew from the beginning.”
“You are a very weird person… Anyway, it’s a job that I’ve already done before, so I see no reason to refuse. I will try to please the Royal City and the other countries with my skewers.”
“That is the exact determination and initiative I want. You are the only one who can uplift anyone’s mood with your appetizing skewers!”
Flavorsome cooking was one of the keys to the happiness of life. It might have sounded like something Evan, who drank poisonous tea every day like water, wouldn’t believe in, but this time he was sincere.
The reason he was trying to develop poison tolerance in the first place was that he wanted to eat without any hesitation.
“If you ever want to cook any more dishes other than skewers, just consult with me anytime. I will help you with all my power.”
“But why are you supporting me like this? You’re the reason I didn’t give up and supported my dream of living. Are you doing all this for the money?”
“Money, that’s only one of the reasons. I already have a lot of money.”
Of course, it was true that the more money you had, the better. However, he couldn’t risk telling the owner that he was only taking advantage of him because of money.
“Then, what is it?”
“I just want to eat something delectable every week. And it’s good if other people also get to eat it together with their families and friends, right?”
“Huh…”
“You can make people open their eyes to a higher level of taste, stimulate others to make newer and more delicious dishes, and ultimately move the world’s food culture one step forward. How do you feel about that?”
“Just as I thought, you are very good at exaggeration. In this way, you can even lead people to believe that a worm can transform into a dragon,” the owner laughed. But his eyes were cold. He was starting to dream of a future that he could not even begin to imagine.
“…Still, it’s a nice exaggeration. I really like it.”
“Is that the case? Then the development of the food culture in this country, or dare I say, the world, is in the hands of the owner. Go get it!”
“I know that, and now start calling me by my name. It’s Yu Bain.”
“Your name is really cool. But I’ll still call you the owner.”
“It’s not like you’ll forget my name or something. It’s my name, my name!”
“I’ll be leaving now. See you later, owner!”
After having lunch at Brotherhood Skewers, Evan headed towards his alchemy class. Alchemy theory classes and practical skills were now halved, as the other half of the time was allocated to the Elixir’s inquiry.
“I bet your alchemy will progress in only a few steps just by working on this task, boy, without a doubt.”
“We’re trying to learn about the core of alchemy, so of course they would.”
“Okay, now you’ve got a pretty good idea already. Then, let’s first summarize the core ingredients of the Elixir. We have all the data, so let’s review it together.”
The only material they had right now was the feather of the Phoenix.
In other words, since they were able to discover a Phoenix’s feather, which was considered a symbol of fantasy and myth until now, there was a possibility they could also obtain any number of other materials.
“Fortunately, from ancient times, this country called the Silk Line has been the center of all kinds of events. There is no other environment like this where we will be able to find the rest of the materials to finally brew the Elixir.”
They thoroughly explored various myths, legends, stories, and rumors related to the Elixir. They also focused on the materials they believed could be made with human hands, especially relating to the subject.
Of course, even if humans could make some of them, in the end, they still had to obtain the materials necessary to make the Elixir.
“It’s worth searching through other dungeons for as long as it takes. And I’m not only talking about the floors that were explored already, but also those still uncharted.”
“Is there any chance that some of these materials have already passed into human hands? If we can get them somehow…”
“Such a thought came to my mind too, once. However, in such times where most of alchemy is forgotten or ignored, is there anyone who would still be able to recognize the ingredients of the Elixir? Even if there was someone who had acquired it, it would have been discarded or used in vain.”
“Then it’s already too late…”
“It’s okay, Evan.” The eyes of the legendary alchemist, who had regained the long-lost aspiration due to the hope given by the Phoenix’s feather, seemed to be burning with fire.
“As long as we can confirm that they exist, that’s it. Either we can recreate it, or find it again. I am so convinced.”
“…Okay. Grandpa. I believe you.”
“Good. Then, shall we start again?”
What a fascinating thing it was to explore the secrets that were never revealed in the Yo-Ma Great War series!
Bernard’s and Evan’s goal was the same, and it seemed that the passions of the two were entangled in a huge flame. Hanna had sensed that they were working in earnest and didn’t even come close to them. When Bernard realized that, he seemed a little depressed, but Evan decided not to give it much thought.
“Then, starting today, I will also teach Little Arisha. Compared to Master Evan, there are many shortcomings, but we can try…”
After the alchemy class, Evan returned to the mansion to take a noble class in the hot late afternoon.
Originally, Evan took classes separately from his older brother, Eric, but from now on, he started to take with him as well as Arisha, who was staying with him at the mansion.
Evan couldn’t forget that Count Pellati’s little pearl was staying here.
“Because studying is not just learning what you don’t know. It’s also the process of reflecting on what you’ve learned and creating something new out of it. Right, teacher?”
“You are truly wise, Lady Arisha. I am happy to be teaching someone just as talented as you are.”
Evan was a student who was praised by almost all tutors, and Arisha was also never lagging, so most of the classes were conducted with an atmosphere where the three of them discussed rather than actually learned.
Evan knew that these would increase his Royal studies skills, so he went to the classes with all his heart. Up until now, his strong resolve had helped him survive anywhere!
Of course, Evan was doing all of these different types of training together now.
“Master Evan always seems to enjoy the tea. If it’s not harmful to the body, can I have one too?”
“Oh, the old mixes may have been okay, but now, if someone without poison tolerance drinks them, they might die. Therefore, you can’t have it.”
“Master Evan, are you having tea again in the middle of class!?” the tutor exclaimed with exasperation as he had caught Evan drinking it for the nth time.
It wasn’t soon after that the class ended.
Arisha was looking at the tea, which Evan was drinking with a very interested expression, but fortunately, she wasn’t an idiot who was over the top curious about it. She also seemed to understand Evan’s intentions fully.
“That looks fun.”
“It’s really not.”
“You’re scared of me, right?”
“If you already know that, then why are you looking at me so up close?”
Even if Evan knew that he wouldn’t let this death sign activate in the future, he still thought he wouldn’t be able to find the courage to face the number one cause of his death for a long time.
Arisha didn’t waver at Evan’s words and just smiled sloppily (which Evan seemed to like).
“Why are you scared of me then?”
“You and I don’t have matching thoughts.”
“No, we definitely fit together. We’ll also get engaged soon.”
Evan stepped back with an anxious look on his face.
If Arisha suddenly came up with a story about the Yo-Ma Great War series, he was confident he would get a heart attack on the spot.
“See you tomorrow, Master Evan, Ms. Arisha.”
After class, Evan got up from his seat faster than anyone else and quickly made excuses to get away from Arisha.
“Actually, I have to go to training right now. Starting today, I promised to train the other children with Shine and Belois.”
At this, Arisha replied, “And I’m also a preliminary member, so it is of utmost importance that I participate in the training too.”
Then he realized something. This very reason had backed him up in a corner, and he couldn’t escape. As he thought about it, he also realized that he would be spending most of his time with Arisha in the future.
Evan was struck with horror. However, Arisha just tilted her head, looking at him quizzically.
“Ah, Lady Arisha also came along.”
“We are all waiting for you to start the training, Master Evan.”
The Marquis’ training center had been reserved for the Dungeon Knights. All of the preliminary members of the Dungeon Knights had already gathered there and were waiting for him. Then after some time, they saw Evan approaching them with Arisha by his side.
“Okay. Lady Arisha is also one of you now.”
“Please take care of me, Belois.”
“I will, Lady Arisha,” Belois spoke while looking at Arisha with cold eyes. Arisha responded with the same expression.
Evan was instinctively convinced that the two would not get along very well. Shine approached him and whispered in his ear.
“Master Evan, how should we start?”
“Let us start with a general training method.”
Only
Today was the first day to start the full-fledged training of the Dungeon Knights with the Rookie Training Act.
However, as most of them were outsiders and newcomers, Shine did not know how to train or instruct them. It was very embarrassing for him, but he had no other choice.
“Anyways Master, you’re bound in a rather sticky relationship. And as I have no experience other than rushing into battles, I’ll leave it to you, hehe.”
“It seems that I have to live with such people just as you are living with that ghost, for the rest of your life.”
“For the rest of my life!? What is that supposed to mean, Master!”
After Evan and Shine stopped talking to each other, the Dungeon Knights Squad’s training began in earnest. This training method, born of overlapping experience and Shine’s talent, would bring some remarkable changes to the weak newcomers.
As Evan saw them training, he guessed how much they would improve throughout a year or two.
Only half a year later, the results were mindblowing.