Kent woke up a little earlier than usual.
Their company had taken over guard duty for the caravan, and his men had taken shifts through the night. As captain, he didn't have to stand watch himself, so he had enjoyed a full night's sleep. He felt fresh, alert, and ready.
After a quick round of warm-up exercises, he began practicing with his cleaver. Sure, Keldrak's body was strong and after leveling up Kent was even stronger than the old Kendrak, but keeping his body in sync with his technique still mattered. Nothing beat daily practice to maintain that balance. If he was lucky, maybe he could even nudge a few stats higher. One or two points could make all the difference.
When he finished his morning routine, he took a seat at the camp and glanced toward the caravan's food supply. The sight of all those ingredients suddenly made his stomach stir. Ever since arriving in this world he'd rarely gone hungry, except for that miserable stretch in the mountains, but he couldn't say he'd eaten well. The caravan's cooking was serviceable, filling but bland, all about survival rather than taste.
For the past month, he hadn't had the luxury to think about food beyond calories. But now, with the caravan's well-stocked supplies, maybe it was time to indulge a little. As a man who had lived alone for years, Kent knew his way around a kitchen and had learned plenty of recipes for his favorite dishes.
It was time to show this world the art of cuisine.
-----
Hmn… what's that delicious smell?
Elena stirred awake, her senses caught by a mesmerizing aroma wafting through the air. As the daughter of a lord, she was no stranger to fine food but this was different. She had never smelled anything like it before.
Stepping down from her cart, she was greeted by an unusual sight. Everyone else was already awake and gathered in a circle around the campfire. Both her guards and the sellswords stood there together, restless and fidgeting like children waiting for a treat.
At the center was Keldrak, the raider-turned-sellsword captain, calmly tending to a frying pan that hissed and sizzled over the fire. Beside it, a pot bubbled softly, releasing that irresistible fragrance into the morning air. So he was the source of it.
As if sensing her presence, Keldrak turned and met her gaze.
"It seems our lady is awake. Perfect timing, breakfast is ready," he said with a smile, giving her a polite nod.
Before Elena could respond, the men erupted into cheers. Judging by their wild, hungry expressions, they'd been enduring that tantalizing smell for far too long. Their eyes glinted like those of starving direwolves spotting prey.
A sudden, absurd thought crossed her mind—if she hadn't woken up just now, would these men have rioted and jumped poor Keldrak for his cooking?
-----
Elena looked down at the meal on her table.
At the center of the plate lay thickly cut slices of pork wrapped in a golden crust, the surface glistening with oil and crackling softly when touched. The inside was tender and juicy, releasing a rich, meaty aroma that mingled with the smoky scent of fried crumbs. Beside it sat a small pile of long, thin potato slices, fried until crisp and sprinkled with salt—simple yet strangely irresistible. A handful of wild greens added a touch of color, their earthy fragrance balancing the heaviness of the fried food. To complete the meal, a bowl of steaming mushroom soup waited nearby, its surface shimmering with herbs and bits of wild fungi, the deep, comforting aroma tying everything together.
Except for the soup, the rest of the dishes were completely new to Elena. But they looked so delicious she could feel her mouth watering. Did barbarian raiders eat this kind of food every day? Was her Silverhart house a fake noble family or something?
Around her, only the sounds of vulgar eating filled the air. The men were devouring their meals like they had been starved for weeks. No one said a word, too busy with their food.
The first to finish was, surprisingly, Ruthard the monk. He stared blankly at his empty bowl, a single tear trembling in his eye.
"Forgive me, dear God... for I have completely succumbed to the sin of gluttony..." he murmured.
Then he turned to Kent, his eyes burning with righteous fury.
"Why did you let me cook all this time when you can make something like this?"
His words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, sending ripples through the group. The three ex-raiders immediately remembered all those meals they had endured. They turned to their captain with bitter faces. Joltul and Loki stayed silent, but Skarn couldn't hold back.
"Yeah, why did you do that? Compared to this, what we've been eating all this time was pig food!"
Ruthard looked crushed. Was his cooking really that bad?
Loki placed a hand on the monk's shoulder.
"Don't feel bad," he said kindly. "It's true, though."
Facing their interrogation, Kent simply shrugged.
"We were too busy trying to survive for me to have the mood to cook. Besides, our food supply wasn't this well-stocked."
Before the sellswords could continue voicing their complaints, Elena spoke up.
"Did you make this meal using only the ingredients from our supply?"
"Pork, lard, flour, old bread crumbs, eggs, potatoes, mushrooms..." Kent nodded, then added quickly, "I did collect some wild herbs around here, though. Don't worry, they're completely safe to eat—"
Elena cut him off, her lovely eyes fixed on him.
"One thousand crowns."
"Eh... what?" Kent blinked, confused.
"Beside the amount in our contract, I'll pay an extra one thousand crowns for you to take over cooking duty for the caravan," Elena declared, her eyes glinting with determination.
Good food could lift the spirits of her men and ease the weariness of long travel. His cooking was worth every coin, perhaps even more. It was a perfectly justified expense.
...Alright, maybe she just wanted to eat his cooking every day.
Kent opened his mouth to protest, but Elena didn't give him the chance.
"You may purchase any ingredients you want in the towns, and I'll cover the cost."
Well, what could he say to that? Kent sighed and nodded in defeat. Guess he was now a sellsword captain working part-time as a cook.
Cheers erupted around the camp. Apparently, everyone approved of their lady's decision.
"For Lady Elena!!!"
And those voices, embarrassingly enough, were from his own men.