Chapter 19: Friends Acquired

The group makes it past the academic buildings and down towards the old dorms. It’s less than a 10-minute walk.

“Here we are, this is the last line of old dorm buildings. And mine is the separated one at the end” I explain.

I tinkered with my spell stone appliances and toilet so everything except the ice box gets hidden before I leave. The man who sleeps with a machete is a fool every night but one. I think a car guy said that in my last life.

“Just in here” I say.

I open the door and show everyone in.

“Please sit anywhere you like, I’ll prepare cups and drinks, is everyone fine with alcohol I brought from home?” I ask.

Liara and Tim perk up at the question, while Eric and the Princess nod. I take the cups from the pantry area and fill them all with the hard cider I keep in the ice box. I place the cups at a low table in the living room, around which everyone has taken seats.

“This is a sweet alcohol similar to beer that my father has been working on, please give it a try tell me your honest thoughts” I say.

Father should be pleased if the royal family wants more priority stock of his creations, so this just might work out.

Liara is quick to pick up the cup and bring it to her nose.

“It smells like apples, are they from your father’s territory?” she asks.

“Yes they are, we try to find new uses for anything abundant in the area” I answer.

The rest follow suit before taking their first sips.

“Wow it’s sweet, it’s really alcohol Alfred?” Eric asks.

“Aha yes it is, some of our taste testers back home became too drunk to walk not realizing how much they were consuming, so be careful with it” I reply.

“It’s refreshing, and I love the aftertaste, this would be perfect with a meal” Princess Sylvie chimes in.

Tim finishes his cup while the rest give their impressions.

“Do you have any more?” he asks with a satisfied smile before sinking back into the couch.

I return to the icebox and bring a bottle back to the table.

“I’m glad you all like it, and I don’t mind if we finish a bottle, but please be careful. I promise it gets you drunk just like beer” I repeat my warning.

Drinks flow and I’m reminded of my last world, hiding from the sun on a hot day with my friends and drinking until we need to be reminded what we did the night before.

“Alfred, did you kill anything on your hunting trip last weekend?” Liara breaks across the scattered conversations to address me and everyone turns to find out the answer.

“Yes, I harvested a large deer like animal I heard called a paddle horn. The meat has been delicious” I answer, showing a bit of pride.

I haven’t gotten to brag to anyone about my hunt without my family or Shayna around.

“A paddle horn? Those are a delicacy..” the Princess says with wide eyes.

“I ran into another hunter after I processed it and they were shocked when I offered to share some. But it’s a large animal, the return trip would’ve been difficult without giving some away” I say with a shrug.

“Was it male or female?” the Princess asks.

I’m not loving how much information she has, or how many questions she asks.

“Male” I answer.

“Really?” she replies with surprise, “the males are excellent at evading predators, the horns are also used in rare medicines and sell for a significant sum, even to a noble family their price is substantial” she adds with a serious look.

“Oh, is that so? I don’t typically keep animal horns, I hunt for the food and to learn new recipes” I say.

I did keep those horns because they look cool, but they’re in storage.

“Say Alfred, if you have an ice box full of delicacy meat, I wouldn’t mind if you cooked some for us..” Eric says, nearly slurring his words.

Sigh. No one listens to my cider warnings.

“I don’t know if my cooking would be up to royal standards Eric..” I reply.

“Even the royal palace can’t have paddle horn meat with any frequency, it’s been years since I’ve enjoyed it. I would be most grateful if you’d make some” Princess Sylvie says.

The smile on the Princess’s face is one of utter victory. No one in the Kingdom can turn down that request from her, and that's exactly why I wanted to keep my distance. I might need to fake my death.

“In that case, I will begin preparations” I stand and give the group a light bow.

I could scorch it, I mean just cook it carbon black. But my pride as a chef won’t let me.

I open the icebox and make a spatial opening to take out five pre-seasoned steaks, a cut of boar fat for cooking oil and potatoes to make french fries.

I walk to the rear exit with the steaks, drawing everyone’s eyes.

“I prefer steak cooked over a smokier flame so I make them on an outdoor oven” I explain.

Everyone stands to follow me outside, balls, I can’t use fire magic with a crowd.

“I forgot my flint inside, can anyone use fire magic?” I ask.

“Oh I can!” Liara jumps as she answers.

The hard cider is dangerous.

“Great, can you light the wooden pellets in this tray?” I ask.

“Pellets?” she cocks her head.

“They’re just compressed pieces of wood, these ones burn slower and with less heat, they’re great for making a juicy steak” I respond with a smile.

Liara nods acceptingly and lights them with her magic.

“Is that common in the southern region? I’ve never heard of altering wood before using it as a heat source..” the Princess asks with a suspicious look.

“I don’t think anyone else uses them, I read an adventurer’s travel account as a child and he talked about a region that compresses different types of trees into pellets for different types of cooking. I thought it was interesting so I started experimenting with it” I answer.

It’s still just wood, I never thought to switch these out in front of guests.

Luckily the remaining alcohol took center stage once I started peeling potatoes. The smoker has a second pellet tray on the right, but it’s just a decoy and I use a spell stone for higher heat. With it, I’m able to finish the meal outside and sear the steaks so I don’t have any watchful eyes.

Around an hour later I return with nearly perfect plates. Steaks and french fries, it’d only be better with a side of lobster, but I’m never showing those to the Princess.

I set all the plates down and pull out a second bottle of cider after falling prey to Liara’s puppy dog eyes.

“Please enjoy everyone, it’s a basic meal, but it’s one of my favorites” I say.

Unsurprisingly, Tim is the first to cut into the steak and heave a piece into his mouth.

“Woah it really is juicy” he says.

Liara, Eric and Princess Sylvie follow his lead.

“Ah it’s delicious, I haven’t had paddle horn is so long. If you can procure them regularly you could make a name for yourself in the capital” Princess Sylvie says with a devilish smile, “even father would be impressed”

“Man, what did you do to these potatoes? They’re so crunchy on the outside, but perfectly soft inside” Eric asks and looks at me intently.

“They’re battered, it’s like adding a small layer of fried bread on the outside for a crunchier bite. It lets the inside stay softer too” I explain.

Yea I went all out. I know attracting attention runs counter to my goal of fucking off to a far away land, but once I start cooking I can’t stop myself. I’m lucky I didn’t pull seafood out by accident.

“It’s really good Alfred, you learned all this cooking because you like to hunt?” Liara asks next.

“Yes, I brought home a boar when I was very young and asked for lessons from our family’s chef to cook it. I’ve been experimenting with new foods ever since” I reply.

I’m smiling like an idiot, but I really appreciate it when someone likes my food. And faking my death is still on the table.

“Well anytime you want to host a dinner party count me in” says Eric.

“Me too please!” adds Liara, she’s attempting puppy dog eyes, but they’re swimming in hard cider.

“UHUNOM” Tim nods fervently with his mouth full.

Ah well, friends acquired. If I can ditch the Princess, this will be perfect.