Artie stared at the food that had been placed in front of her.
It was monster meat, that much she knew, but she had never seen monster meat presented this way.
The meat was a pleasant golden brown as though it had been glazed in honey, and next to it was a green sauce made out of God knows what.
Yennefer was sitting next to her, her stomach grumbling as she was handed a plate of the meat as well.
Unlike Artie, she did not hesitate. She grabbed the meat immediately, took note of the scent then bit into it.
There was an audible crunch as she began to chew the food, her expression unreadable.
Everyone watched her, half expecting her to spit it out, while Eliron stood there confidently, a smug grin never leaving his face.
Yennefer swallowed, and then a blush of pink filled her cheeks all the way to the tip of her ears, a peasant sigh escaping her lips.
"Mmmmmmm! This… this is delicious!" The pretty elf said, quickly taking another bite off the meat.
"How did you do it? How were you able to cook something this good with what we have?"
Yennefer was already digging into the next meat while Eliron chuckled.
'Is it really that good?' Artie frowned then shook her head. 'No, it can't possibly taste good…'
The hunters all began to salivate, eager to taste the mysterious meat Eliron had cooked up.
"My lord, can we try it too?" Ash asked, eager to have a taste of the food.
Eliron shook his head. "The guests of honour have to try it first." He looked at Artie and glanced at the plate in front of her, inviting her to taste it.
Cold sweat formed on her face. She would have loved to take her time… wait till everyone else had tasted it, but now that Eliron had put her on the spot, she had to taste it.
Artie picked up a piece of the meat and brought it close to her eyes, observing every inch of it.
"W-hat is this called again?"
"Fried monster meat." Eliron answered quickly.
Artie gulped.
'It smells good. I have never seen anything like this…'
'Are the cooking methods optimal? Was that golden substance even healthy? It came from fat, didn't it?'
Her shoulders slumped as she shook off the thoughts from her head.
It didn't matter how much she thought about it, Artie was going to taste it anyway.
So she raised the meat to her mouth, and bit into it, a light crunching sound reaching her ears as she chewed.
The moment the meat touched her tongue, Artie felt vibrations run down her body.
'What is this?'
It was crunchy on the outside, but the inside of the meat was tender, so soft that it was practically melting in her mouth.
But that wasn't all…
'What did he do to create this flavour?'
There was a pleasant blend of spices that had perfectly seeped into the meat, a light peppery taste that didn't overpower the meal, and a light touch of a spice she had never even tasted.
Artie frowned.
'No, this can't be real…'
How was it possible that Eliron, the notorious satanic chef was able to cook something this good?
'Am I still dizzy from the goblin's rocks?'
Artie raised her head and glanced at Eliron, unsure of what to say.
He smiled and pointed at the green sauce next to her. "Try it with the sauce."
She hesitated, but following his instructions, Artie took a little amount of sauce and put it into the meat.
This time, Artie audibly gasped.
She had completely forgotten that they were being observed, letting out a very pleased sigh as she chewed.
Even though she could not believe her own self, Artie had to admit it. 'It… it is delicious!'
"Uhum…" Eliron cleared his throat, bringing her back to reality. "How is it?
Artie's gaze immediately went cold as she wiped her lips with a piece of cloth.
"Well, it's an improvement to your previous—wait!"
She had been talking when Eliron grabbed her plate, about to take it away.
Artie frowned, a light blush on her cheeks as she looked away. "Okay… it's good, it's delicious. Happy now?"
Eliron smirked and placed the plate back. "Enjoy."
•••
Later that day after they had all eaten, Eliron gathered Yennefer, Ash and Artie to a secluded part of the forest, where they sat around in a circle.
"So what is the meeting about?" Yen asked, already looking sleepy.
Eliron pulled out the two monster cores from his pocket, and showed it to them.
"That is the spirit shard from the goblin king right? What is the other one?" Ash asked as he stared at the glowing crystals.
"The second one is from the Magister Mammoth." Eliron answered.
"I'm guessing you already know what these shards are used for?"
Ash and Artie nodded, but Yen looked confused. "What are they for?"
Artie turned to her and said, "Spirit shards are a part of a monster's mana core. They hold the very core of the power they once commanded while they were alive."
"There are many uses for these shards… They form the core for magical staffs and other magical technology. But there are two more popular uses for them."
She raised a finger. "They can be implanted, which would grant you the monster's skills if your body can handle it."
Yennefer listened attentively as Artie explained everything to her.
"Secondly, they can be absorbed, which would give you a huge mana bump. And sometimes, you can even gain a new affinity."
"Still…" Artie looked at Eliron. "Spirit shards are extremely rare, getting two so fast is extremely lucky."
Eliron smiled. 'One would say it was an SSS grade level of luck…' he thought.
"Alright, so I have decided to give these shards to both of you, Ash and Artie."
Immediately those words left his lips, they both stared at him in shock.
Spirit shards were very expensive and invaluable to mages.
Normally, the most sensible thing to do would have been to absorb them for himself, and even if he didn't want to, he could sell them for a small fortune.
Hearing that he wanted to give them the cores was more than shocking.
Ash shook his head. "My lord, this is too much."
"Are you sure about this?" Artie asked. "You basically fought those monsters alone, no one would complain if you took them for yourself."
Eliron glanced at the shimmering cores. "I am sure, and I have made up my mind already."
His reasoning was simple.
During the course of this expedition, Eliron had come to a painful realisation. The wood elves were terribly weak.
He had just been in this world for two weeks and he could probably kill everyone in the village if he chose to.
That alone was a huge reason to worry.
Eliron had read the novel already, and he knew that the high elves were a different kind of beasts.
Mages who had built up their mana for countless centuries, swordsmen who hand honed countless skills over several decades of life.
Just one of their commanders was enough to decimate their village.
These were the types of people they were to go against in the future. Eliron could not do it alone, he cannot possibly be in two places at once, so he had to grow his army somehow.
Even the smallest steps were important, and the more powerful the wood elves became, the greater their chances of survival.
Of course, growing his own strength was vital as well, but he already had mana breathing, as for Yen, she had a far larger mana supply than any of them.
That was why he had picked Artie and Ash.
Artie stared at him, seeing the determination in his eyes. "Thank you for this, truly."
"Thank you my lord!"
Eliron waved his hands. "You were all important in that fight, if you ask me, you more than deserve it."
"Alright, Ash. Come forward. I am going to implant this shard in your core."
There was a short period of silence as Ash positioned himself in front of Elrion.
The red monster shard hovered up into the air, levitating just in front of them as Eliron poured his mana into it.
Then his gaze darkened.
"Prepare your mind, Ash."
"If you are unable to conquer the king's will, then I will have no choice but to destroy your core before he takes hold of you…."