The Herb King

The ladies were shocked when they witnessed Aethelwolf's skill in cooking. Whether it was his knife cutting or the way he prepares the ingredients, every movement seemed perfect as if it was done by a professional chef!

"I thought he was just messing around when he said that he will cook for us." Samira muttered silently while looking at Aethelwolf's figure with a shining gaze.

Soon, the tantalizing aroma of the steak lingered inside the kitchen and it even spread throughout the clinic.

Samira and the others gulped heavily when smelled the meaty aroma. Their anticipation for Aethelwolf's food intensified after they inhaled the tempting aroma.

Hm?

Leric turned his head and saw a bunch of heads peeking through the door. Seeing this, he chuckled and focused on his cooking.

The steak was easy to cook and it didn't need any complicated process. After about ten minutes, the steak was ready to be served. He wasn't a fan of well-done steak, so he cooked the meat medium rare.

Leric turned off the fire for the steak and placed it on a huge plate. He was going to serve for fifteen people so he bought a huge cut of magical beast meat. He then cut the steak into small pieces and drizzled the remaining sauce on the pan into the meat. He also placed the thyme on top of the dish to complete his plating.

Leric set the steak aside.

The ramen was also cooked.

He turned off the fire and placed the cooked ramen inside a huge bowl. He then added all sorts of toppings on top of the bowl which includes, ajitama (soft-boiled egg), chashu (thinly-sliced braised pork), some bean sprouts, scallions, and some corn kernels.

After plating the two dishes, he turned his head to the door and said. "Go and set up the table and chairs. The food is now ready."

Hearing this, the ladies immediately ran to the table and search for the plates and cutlery. They also prepared the chairs and placed enough chairs for everyone.

Leric came out with a huge plate and a huge bowl hovering above him.

"All of you sit down first and I'll explain what these two dishes are." Leric said as he gently placed the huge plate and the huge bowl at the center of the table.

Looking at the two dishes, the ladies couldn't help but salivate. Just the smell alone made their stomachs rumble and they couldn't wait to try them out. Even the refined Samira couldn't hide the drool on her face.

Leric pointed at the steak and gave a portion to the ladies one by one. The meat he used was big and everyone received five small pieces each. "This one right here is steak, but the ingredients I used are not the same as what you guys are used to. You must have noticed that I added different types of seasonings while I was cooking this dish." He then pointed at the ramen and gave them a portion each. "This one is called ramen. You might not have heard of it since this type of food is unique. I think only a few people know how to prepare this dish."

After explaining the two dishes, Leric sat down and said. "Alright. You guys can eat now."

"Finally! I almost failed to hold myself back. The two dishes you prepared smell really good, Sir Aethelwolf!"

"I didn't that you can actually cook this well." Samira muttered incredulously after taking a small bite of the steak. She thought that Aethelwolf made a mistake when she saw that the center portion of the slices was oozing with red liquid, but when she bit into the meat, it felt as if it had melted on her tongue! She did not taste blood at all and the hesitation she had for the reddish liquid vanished.

"The red liquid you see at the center of those slices is not blood. It is called myoglobin, but it will be a very long explanation if I tell you guys about it." Leric said with a smile. He was happy that they liked his cooking. In truth, he felt a bit nervous despite his confidence in his talent [Chef] that was already at Level 4.

"Sir Aethelwolf, the steak you cooked is even better than the ones we ate in Neil's Steakhouse! Can I learn how to cook this from you?" A girl with a long ponytail asked him with a hopeful expression. She didn't want Leric to do all the menial tasks so she want to learn his skills in cooking.

"I also want to learn cooking from you, Sir Aethelwolf!"

"Me too!"

Seeing their eager looks, Leric couldn't decline them. He nodded his head gently as he said. "Alright. If we have time, I will teach you guys how to cook steak. Ramen is quite difficult to prepare so that will have to wait."

"Yey!" The ladies cheered in unison.

"You guys should try the ramen as well. You will be surprised by its taste."

"Okay!"

They grabbed their spoons and scooped a small amount of ramen soup. They then brought their spoons into their mouths and sipped the soup. When the rich flavor of the soup touched their tongues, their eyes lit up in ecstasy.

"Wow! It's delicious! The taste of the various seasonings and toppings accentuated each other to form a unique flavor!"

"Incredible! I'm in love with this dish!"

"Tastes good, right? This is ramen and making the noodles requires technical skills and experience. If you want to learn how to cook it, you should watch how I make the noodles first." Leric said.

"Noodles? What's that?"

"This thing right here." Leric twirled a small number of ramen noodles on his fork and showed it to everyone.

"Oh? This thing is soft and it melts in your mouth really quickly. I bet this one is very difficult to prepare."

"It's actually not that difficult, but the preparation just needs a lot of time. The process also requires a lot of energy. You guys will know soon after you see me prepare it." Leric didn't plan to hide anything from them since they are now his workers. It would be great if they could pick up his skills in cooking so that he wouldn't need to cook the meals for them.

The meal was filled with laughter as they chatted eagerly about the dishes.