Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

[Eon's POV: ]

"Miss Rosette."

"A very good evening to you as well, Miss."

She was wearing a professional gown, had the whitest clothes among us, and the confidence she had was being reflected in her eyes.

She was attractive looking, had short light brown hair that matched her light brown eyes.

The air around her was that of a professional, something that I've felt from people like grandmother and lady Med.

She knew what her role was in this kitchen, she knew what she had to do and how she was supposed to do it.

She was not very talkative but she was a nice person that did not like me.

'It's not like she hated me either, but as a professional, she just did not like how I was so good.'

She did not know how I knew all the things that I knew, and since she had not seen me struggling with the things I do, she couldn't accept how I was able to do all those things.

"Good evening, good evening. You look confident, hun?"

"I know I've done what I could have."

Her voice was a little on the deeper side, but it was pretty as well.

She was a famous person among the students, especially the students of our cooking class.

[{ *She did a good job as well.* }]

'You think so?'

It was pretty rare to hear her compliment someone like that. Especially ones that we did not interact with much.

[{ *She knows what she's doing. I'd say that much.* }]

As a chef, one had to know what they were doing, or else the end result would not be possible.

The trial and error method did not work in this art form. There was a protocol, some requirements, necessity of the experience, and talent as well.

Someone needed emotions and the ability to infuse those emotions into the food they make.

Science played some role, surely. People used magic and various energies as well, but that was just the techniques. The methods.

What made good food was not just what the senses experience when coming in contact with these things, but also something beyond that.

There was a worldly connection between the chef, the ingredients, and the medium through which they were making what they were making.

'When someone learns how to interact with this connection, these ingredients, and this 'medium' they earn the attention of the world.'

And when they succeed in expressing their true self in their cooking, they are granted the title of a 'master' in this field.

"Hmmm. Alright. Then, shall we start?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She was not a master yet, but she came from a family that had masters as well as grandmasters.

She has lived with those famous and amazing people ever since she was born. A natural liking for cooking was obvious, so she had learned from them ever since a young age.

She was good at many things when it came to the subject of cooking.

Her knife skills were top notch, she could handle a diverse array of ingredients, and she knew many more techniques than the rest of us.

She had experienced and since she had seen some of the best of this world from up close, she also knew how those people made things even with the many restrictions.

'She had a lot of freedom in this test, so she did her best without caring about the others.'

And what she came up with at the end, were some of the finest dishes of this entire test.

"As the entrée, I've prepared the (Carmela infused Blastcorn). They are sprinkled with some spices as well, and the sauce on the side is prepared with some fresh herbs."

What she had prepared then seemed to be a normal bucket of popcorn, however, the ones with keen eyes could tell the thing that looked like a popped corn was not exactly as simple as it looked.

'She used the biggest grains of corn that come from a unique part of the eastern continent, something that people don't use in the cooking process but in alchemy.'

She pressure cooked these things first, then she used a machine to dry freeze them, and when they were ready, she used another complex machine to cook it with hot air produced with a certain kind of charcoal, turning it into the popped corn state.

'She used another unique method to infuse the caramel sauce she had created herself into this product, and to give it the kind of taste she wanted, she used the spices but…'

The sauce she had prepared was not something that should have been part of this whole dish.

"Hmmm… it's good."

The dish itself was complete without that herb sauce since when eaten with the sauce the whole harmony of the perfect dish would be disrupted.

Even the teachers and the judges who tasted it had the kind of expression that said there was something wrong.

They thought but couldn't understand it at first, but then Lady Cleo spoke up with an intrigued voice.

"Does the sauce represent the sorrow born from excessive goodness?"

"Excessive love, yes."

The theme of the test was Sorrow, as we all knew already.

And, she chose a unique way to represent her sorrow in this dish of hers.

"The flavours mix well, the emotions of happiness, joy, and pureness are reflected well in the dish.

Independently, this herb sauce is delicious as well. And both could be pretty good when served separately.

But you presented both of them together. And your presentation makes the sauce look necessary to the whole dish."

Miss Cleo looked visibly impressed by it.

"The idea of little things affecting a perfect something produces a unique kind of sorrow. This right here… is what I call fascinating."

A complement of that level from Lady Cleo with a smile on her face was something all of us present here were surprised to see.

Some students were even shocked since this was the first time she had made that kind of compliment to anyone ever since we started learning from her.

Even the looks on headmasters and teachers who got to taste the extra portions she had prepared were visible to the students…

"I cannot wait for the next ones."

Lady Cleo asked her for the next ones directly. And, with a professional bow, she presented her main course to the esteemed judges.

"As a westerner, Rice has always intrigued me since the people of the east eat it with nearly all dishes.

In this presentation, I've tried to bring the western and eastern cultures together, making the rice a base for the traditional style rice bowl."

She was calling it a rice bowl but, hidden beneath the round covering plate was a giant bowl containing a top layer of stake, a middle layer of gravy, and a lower level of finely stirred fried rice.

"This… looks more appetising than all the other things we've had today, Miss Rosette."

"I'm flattered you think that way, Miss Cleo."

Her presentation was perfect, the bowl she chose was perfect, the way she had placed the stake was impeccable, and the way she decorated the plate under the bowl was even more impressive.

Overall, even though I did not eat any of it, I could tell there was something much more fun in this dish than just the decoration.additionally, the best part of the entire dish was not the stake, nor the dressing on the plate, and not even the gravy underneath the meat.

The best part of that entire dish was the base layer, the rice that somehow made all the difference.

"This is something I'd pay to eat, Miss Rosette."

This compliment from her was the most surprising. Even for the judges.

"Good work."

The sorrow of not being able to eat the best part first, to go through two whole layers of just a little less delicious part was what made this presentation even more satisfying.

She finished the whole bowl clean, and without more words, she moved on to the dessert part— a small cupcake made with various unique ingredients that not all the students present here would have been able to handle.

'It looked a cupcake, but in fact it was something close to an ice cream made with various naturally sweet ingredients, processed with the best care, and was prepared just like the actual professionals.'

It was a very good one as well. It had the taste, the theme, the story, and though not to the students, it was a genuinely interesting topic of discussion for the teachers watching us from the above.

"Hmmm."

And Lady Cleo liked this as well so she didn't say anything more than that, finished the dish, walked up to her, and patted her shoulders.

And without saying anything anymore, she went back to her place.

'Miss Rosette…'

She was a good chef who understood the importance and meaning of cooking.

She was sure to make a good creator as soon as she gets out of this academy.

"Next one."

Rosette walked back to her place after the teacher called for the next person… but before she did, she looked at me with a strong look.

She knew she did her best, and perhaps she knew she was still not going to be the best one among us today.

"Mister Lucifer. Please step forward."

"Yes."

She was looking forward to seeing what I had made.

And she was not the only one who did.

"It's finally your turn, hun?"

"It is nice to see you on this fine evening as well, Miss Cleo."

They were waiting for my turn.

She, the judges, the teachers, the rest of the students, Rein… they were waiting. But now, it was finally my turn.

"Shall we start right away? I can't wait to see what you've cooked for us today."

"Yes, ma'am."

And, I'm excited for this as well…