Venison Roast

I expected to be dismissed when I told the Saint I didn't want to be the Salvator, but she just glanced at her companions behind me, pensive. I dared not turn, tensing and anticipating some kind of a surprise attack, but none came, and the Saint peered at me curiously, my skin prickling at the attention.

I have a bad feeling about this.

The Saint sat behind her desk and started writing something. "Since you don't want to be the Salvator, why don't you join my party as my personal chef?"

What?

"Your Grace?" I blurted out in surprise. Out of every option that entered my mind—from psychological coercion to physical force just to use the Salvator title—I didn't expect the Saint offering that instead.

"You should start calling me by my name if we were to travel together as companions, Junpei," she said, not giving me the chance to even reject her proposal, not looking up from the parchment she was writing on. "I assume you know it?"

Jaw slack, I gaped like a fish out of water. "I do, Your Grace, but—"

"It's Estelle, Junpei. It's awkward to be so formal with your own companions."

Behind me, Adeline let out a small, elegant giggle. "Lord Salvator, ah—Junpei, you can't really win this. Rita was recruited the same way."

Rita followed up shortly with a snort. "Yeah, just give it up, Junpei. If she says you're coming, then you're coming."

"See, everyone wants you to come, and I'm sure the rest of my Coren are excited to meet you as well." The Saint finished writing and rolled the parchment up to put it in a box, her starry eyes twinkling back at my stupefied ones.

My birthmark tingled again, and I quickly broke eye-contact with her, perturbed. "I didn't agree to anything."

Looking amused, she leaned back on her seat and smiled as if she didn't just seal my fate. "We leave tomorrow at the earliest, so please pack your belongings tonight. Oh, and may I request venesun for supper? Thank you, Junpei."

Then I was ushered out of the tent, still processing everything.

I guess . . . it's better than being the Salvator? I doubt the Saint wanted me to tag along just to be her chef, but I have no choice on the matter.

Well, I do, if I want to become a traitor for disobeying the Salvare's mandate. Only the prospect of travelling was something to look forward to, seeing as I could expand my culinary horizons this way.

Yeah. I'll think of this as my journey to gather as many recipes as I could before going home to my parents. If I have to defeat the Demon King in the process, then I guess I'll do it too. It'll be better for my family to live in the age of peace anyway.

Sighing, I trudged back to kitchen tent to prepare for supper. It'll keep my mind off of things then.

Venesun—or venison—was already in stock, having hunted a herd a week before we got attacked by the Demon Lieutenant, so all that's left to do was to butcher the remaining carcasses before roasting my selection.

During my preparation, I acquired two helpers who wanted to learn from me. I couldn't refuse them since they looked earnest, so I sent them off to peel and dice and mince the ingredients needed for the dish I was making: slow-cooked venesun roast.

And there were mishaps. After I finished breaking down the carcasses, I turned to my assistants, about to instruct them to help me sear the meat, when I faced huge baskets of ingredients. They thought I was going to cook everything I butchered, so we ended up with more than what was needed.

In the end, it was my mistake for not telling them a specific quantity. Luckily, I only had to use half of the venesun and the prepared ingredients, while the other half, as well as the extras, can be stored safely for the next few days.

A few hours into our work, the rest of the cooks arrived, surprised at the number of pots on the stoves, but they were all willing to help after smelling the aromatics and spices I had added. They pestered me for the recipe, so I shared it, and told them about the extra ingredients in storage, so they'd know to use them as soon as possible.

My assistants also looked so proud of themselves that I didn't have the heart to reprimand them—they did a good job, but they wouldn't let me leave until I gave them further instructions. I had to order them assist the other cooks, yet they took it like it was a divine revelation. I let them think whatever they want.

Since the food was made at the Saint's request, I took one large pot to her tent for her and the Coren to eat—I thought they'd be too busy packing to join everyone in the dining tent. I'm sure the pot will be enough for the three of them.

Once outside, I yelled out my presence and went in at their permission, surprising the women with the pot, and I deposited it beside the largest table at the right side of the tent. "Venesun for the Saint, as requested. I hope you have a large appetite."

Looking at each other, they hesitated, but soon enough, Rita approached the pot and took the lid off, peering in. Adeline brought out their utensils, while the Saint cleared the table, sneaking glances at the pot.

When Rita took a whiff of the food, she groaned and set aside the lid. "Oh, saints. It smells so good. I definitely have an appetite. How'd you even make this so fragrant?"

Curious, Adeline also approached the pot with a large plate in hand and tried to take the meat with tongs, only to gasp in delight when the venesun separated and fell apart easily. "And so tender—how? Our food had never been this succulent!"

Their praises stroked my ego as they continued to marvel over my cooking. When I was still a citizen from Earth, delicious and nutritious food was the norm, so I wasn't surprised at all. I knew people here had their own delicacies too, but I guess some Earth dishes were new to them still.

The Saint, on the other hand, was staring at her companions with a soft smile, before she turned to me. "I don't think the method you used is one we know of. Would you like to share it with us?" She gratefully accepted a plate of shredded roast with the stewed vegetables from Adeline, observing it for a few seconds before handing it over to me. At my confusion, she chuckled and lifted the plate closer to me. "We can talk over supper, can't we? You're one of my Coren now."

I . . . was? I thought I was just her personal chef.

Somehow, this Saint felt different from the one I last saw earlier. While that Saint was firm and disciplined, she still had a little bit of mischief to her, but this one was more muted, more agreeable. There's softer edges to her now, one that framed her beauty well. One would never know and expect her to be dangerous.

Seeing this for the first time shocked me, and while I accepted the plate, I didn't know what to say.

"What are you gawking for, Junpei?" Rita's voice snapped me out from my trance. "Tell us what you did with this dish."

I'll think about it later. For now, let's entertain the others. "I started cooking it since midday."

"Midday?" It was Rita's turn to gawk, before poking at her food. "Was it too difficult to cook this?"

"No, it's fairly easy to prepare. After cooking the outside of the venesun, I put it in a pot with bone broth, fish sauce, garleek, salt, and pieper to cook it slowly. I also added wine and onyuns to make the meat more tender and sweeter the longer it cooks, while the potetos and karoots make sure the taste isn't too overwhelming."

Adeline hummed, pleased and delighted. "I think my chefs back home should learn from you. How is it, Estelle?"

We found ourselves watching the Saint's expression while she mashed her potetos and took her first bite with the roast. "Oh, it's so delicious!" At her sparkling eyes, I looked away, and her Coren took that as a sign to start eating.

After a few surprised noises, Adeline spoke while Rita scarfed down her portion. "I wouldn't mind eating this everyday!"

"Thank you. We can have it for breakfast and lunch tomorrow."

I didn't even notice the Saint finishing her plate in record time until she held up her empty plate for seconds, looking too proud of herself. "Junpei, this dish truly cemented your position as my Coren."

Maras.

Estelle must enjoy tormenting me.