Chương 72

Princess Nerissa sat with her back pressed firmly against the cold, rough stone of the boulder. Both of her hands were wrapped tightly around the metal canteen Rudra had given her. She stared at the clearing, completely and utterly bewildered. Just a few minutes ago, she had been preparing to die. Ten of the Empire's most elite, ruthless trackers had her entirely cornered.

Then, the young man had dropped from the sky like a burning meteor, slaughtered the Hounds with a horrifying combination of open-handed slaps and fiery explosions, and proceeded to effortlessly dismantle a highly skilled swordsman using a weapon made of pure bone and fire. He was a monster. A terrifying, unpredictable force of nature. And right now, that exact same monster was aggressively searing a thick slab of meat on an iron skillet while humming a terrible, off-key tune.

"Hey, Kratos, back up," Rudra scolded lightly. He nudged the tiny, half-gold, half-black cub away from the hot iron with the side of his boot.

"You aren't getting any of this. It's way too spicy for you. I'll fry you some fish later."

"Squeak!" the divine beast protested, batting at Rudra's ankle. Nerissa blinked slowly. She looked to her left. The terrifying silver-haired Red Knight was standing a few feet away, awkwardly wringing her hands as she watched the old drunk man sit in the dirt. To her right, the confident swordsman named Haster was lying flat on his back in the grass, happily catching his breath and watching the clouds. Nobody was looking at her. Nerissa frowned, a strange mix of relief and wounded pride welling up inside her.

She was a royal Princess of the mythical Siren Kingdom. The Empress of the Saharan Empire had placed an astronomical bounty on her shimmering blue scales. She was a high-value target, a rare creature of myth and magic. And yet, in this bizarre clearing, she was currently the least interesting thing happening. She was being entirely ignored in favor of whatever was sizzling in that pan.

"I don't understand humans at all," Nerissa muttered to herself, clutching the canteen closer to her chest. In the center of the clearing, Rudra wasn't paying attention to the awkward social dynamics. He was completely in the zone. He reached into his inventory and pulled out his absolute best ingredient: the [Salamander Lord's Heart Meat]. It was the core of a massive Labyrinth Boss, radiating a deep, magical heat just from sitting in his bare hand.

He sliced the premium meat into thick, heavy steaks, his high Dexterity allowing him to make the cuts perfectly uniform. He tossed a block of butter into the hot iron skillet and laid the steaks down. The loud, aggressive sizzle was instantly followed by the rich, fiery aroma of roasted garlic, deep spices, and searing fat exploding across the clearing. Even Nerissa's stomach gave a quiet, involuntary rumble. She quickly covered her stomach with her hands, flushing slightly.

Rudra crusted the meat with his Epic Fire-Crystal Salt and crushed wild peppercorns. As he flipped the heavy steaks, he didn't just casually watch the heat. He focused his mind entirely on the meal. He thought about his brutal week in the Seabreak militia camp, dragging boulders through the dirt until his virtual muscles tore. He thought about wading through the freezing, toxic mud of the Abyssal Pits, refusing to step out even as his health drained away.

He remembered the exact feeling of hitting his absolute limit, and then stubbornly taking one more step anyway. Stop wallowing in the mud, Rudra thought, pressing the spatula down to get a perfect, caramelized crust. Stand up and keep moving forward. A faint, warm, golden light pulsed from the skillet, unseen by the others. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

[An unique-rated dish was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +12 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +300.] [A unique-rated dish has been created for the first time!] [You have acquired the title [First Unique Maker]!] [First Unique Maker] [Dexterity +200] [The experience of [Advanced Cooking (Lv. 1)] has increased slightly!] Rudra pulled the pan off the fire.

He plated the massive, sizzling steak onto a thick wooden board, grabbed a wooden fork, and walked right over to the tree where Winfred was slumped in the dirt. Elysia tensed, taking a half-step forward, but she stopped herself. Rudra shoved the hot wooden board directly into Winfred's trembling hands.

"Eat," Rudra ordered. His voice lacked its usual light-hearted tone. It was flat, firm, and completely uncompromising. Winfred slowly looked up. His sunken, bloodshot eyes stared at the young man standing over him. He wanted to refuse. He wanted to crawl back into his ragged hood and drown in his own grief. But the smell of the spicy, perfectly seared meat made his empty stomach violently ache. He hadn't eaten a real meal in weeks, surviving purely on cheap alcohol and scavenged scraps.

His hands shook as he picked up the wooden fork. He cut a piece of the Salamander steak, the juices running rich and hot over the wood, and put it in his mouth. The moment he bit down, Winfred froze entirely. The [Empathic Cuisine] passive effect kicked in. Winfred didn't just taste the deep, fiery spice and the perfect, crispy crust of the meat. A massive, invisible weight crashed directly into his mind. He felt Rudra's unyielding, scrappy willpower. The sheer, stubborn grit washed over him like a tidal wave.

He felt the burning sensation of muscles pushed past their breaking point. He felt the absolute, unwavering refusal to surrender to the cold, the mud, or the pain. The flavor conveyed a single, overwhelming emotion: the drive to stand back up, no matter how heavy the burden was. The suffocating cloud of depression sitting in Winfred's chest was violently shoved aside by the raw, fiery intent cooked into the food. Winfred dropped the fork.

He grabbed the rest of the warm steak with his bare, calloused hands and started eating frantically. He tore into the meat, chewing and swallowing as tears began to stream down his wrinkled, dirty face. He cried openly, choking on quiet sobs as the warmth spread through his freezing, hollowed-out body.

"Master..." Haster murmured, sitting up in the grass. He had never seen the old man react to anything like this before. Elysia covered her mouth with her hand, her silver eyes shining with unshed tears as she watched her mentor finally eat. When Winfred finished the very last bite, he slowly lowered his greasy hands to his lap. He wiped his face with his dirty, ragged sleeve. When he looked up again, the pathetic, hollow look was completely gone. His bloodshot eyes were clear, sharp, and intensely focused.

A heavy, terrifying aura slowly began to flare around his frail body, blowing the dust and dead leaves away from his ragged clothes. It was the sharp, overwhelming pressure of a master tactician who had commanded armies and felled empires. Winfred placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself off the dirt. He stood up straight, his slouched posture vanishing. He looked at Rudra, offering a deep, respectful nod.

"I am sorry," Winfred said. His voice was no longer a broken, drunken mumble. It was deep, steady, and commanded absolute respect. Winfred turned his head to look at Elysia. The silver-haired knight was practically shaking.

"Elysia," Winfred said, his expression softening with deep regret.

"I have been wallowing in my own failures while you fought for your life. I abandoned my duty to my knights when you needed me the most. I cannot undo my cowardice..." Winfred stepped forward and placed a steady hand on her shoulder.

"But that ends today," the Red Sage declared, his eyes burning with renewed clarity.

"I will help you. We will find out the truth behind what happened to our order." [Quest "Cook a Invigorating Meal" has been completed!] [Affinity with 'Winfred' has increased by 70!] Elysia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. A proud, brilliant smile finally broke across her face.

"Thank you, Sir Winfred."

"Well, that was actually pretty amazing," Haster clapped slowly, pushing himself up from the grass. He walked over, looking at Rudra with a massive grin.

"I've been trying to get him to snap out of that funk for an entire year. You just did it with a single steak."

"It's a really good steak," Rudra shrugged, walking back to pack up his skillet. Over by the boulder, Princess Nerissa watched the entire exchange in absolute silence. Her paranoia was entirely gone, replaced by a quiet, lingering awe. She looked at the empty canteen in her hands, then back at the unmasked cook who had effortlessly healed a broken legend. For the first time since she fled the ocean, the Siren Princess actually felt safe.