Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Hargeon.
August 4, x791.
"Does it always take so long for rich people to eat?' Brandish, tired and annoyed from serving Princess Hisui, Duchess Katarina and the rest of their entourage for a little more than an hour, asked as she and Lucy passed each other in the hallway of 8-Island's second floor. "And moving around in this outfit is so much effort. This quest is so tiresome."
"Oh, Brandish, such a tragic life you lead." Lucy said with an exasperated smile while rolling her eyes in amusement. "It's not that bad. Besides, this has got to be the easiest S-Class quest you've ever been on, right? I know it is for me. I mean, I definitely don't have to worry about stuff getting destroyed and having my pay docked, after all."
"Hmph!" Brandish only snorted in annoyance as she continued to walk, heading down to get a few more bottles of wine. "Either way, it's a good thing Cana's not here. She would never shut up about the low-alcohol content wine these noble ladies are drinking."
"Now that…. Is something we can both agree on." Lucy replied as she made her way towards the private room where the nobles were dining. "She would probably drink nearly half of their wine… If not all of it."
Smiling at the last words Lucy muttered, Brandish continued down to the first floor. Eventually, she passed by the kitchen. When she did, she poked her head inside, the sight of Alfonzo and Yajima, one short and one tall, working together to create culinary magic without the use of magic power, a sight to behold.
A moment later, however, she remembered why she looked inside. She then cleared her throat, gaining the two chef's attention.
"Princess Hisui informed me that she's ready for the main course." Brandish said in her usual bored tone. "Also, do we have any more of the sparkling wine they've been drinking all night?"
"We do." Yajima replied with a nod. "If it's not in the fridge, it will be in the large fridge in the store room. I made sure to stock up on quite a bit of it when I was informed that Princess Hisui would be coming."
"Got it." Brandish replied as she stepped inside to check the refrigerator.
"Meanwhile, Alfonzo passed the ingredients he was prepping to Yajima, who was ready to start the actual cooking process.
"Well then, I guess I'd better head up with the duck." Alfonzo said as he created a trolley with his [Metal Magic]. "I'm sure they've never had a dish like this before."
"Nor have I." Yajima said, sounding a bit jealous. "Although I can cook it, and I've tasted it while testing the recipe, I've never made one for myself. The ingredients are just too expensive for me to justify doing so."
"Yeah, because you need the money." Alfonzo scoffed while rolling his eyes. "Are the memories of always paying repair fees after quests with Gramps still haunting you, Old Man?"
Seeing the way Yajima looked away and focused whole-heartedly on his cooking, Alfonzo could not help but laugh. It would seem that his generation was not the only one filled with troublemakers, after all.
Though he enjoyed laughing at Yajima, Alfonzo did not slow down at all. Before taking the duck out of the oven, he placed several empty plates onto the trolley. Then, he cut up a few other ingredients, namely cucumbers and green onions. He then put the plates with those ingredients on to the trolley, as well. After that, he added a few bowls filled with a specially prepared sauce before taking the duck out of the oven and checking its completeness.
"Alright, looks good to go." Alfonzo said with a nod. He then turned to look at Yajima. "Well then, I'll head upstairs."
"Alright." Yajima replied while cooking the next course. "Put on a good show."
"Naturally." Alfonzo replied as he covered the duck and placed it on the trolley.
With that, Alfonzo pushed the trolley out of the kitchen, closely followed by Brandish, who found the wine she was looking for in the kitchen's refrigerator.
"Hey, how come you don't usually cook duck at home?" Brandish asked while walking alongside Alfonzo. "Do you not like duck, or something?"
"No, that's not it at all." Alfonzo replied with a grin. "Other than chocolate, there really isn't anything that I won't eat. Oh, I won't eat okra, either, unless it's in gumbo."
"Mmm… I remember that one time you made the soup-like dish you called gumbo." Brandish said while licking her lips. "That was quite delicious."
"Yeah, that was Dad's specialty." Alfonzo said while smiling sadly. "Even now, I feel like I'm not doing it justice. His was just so much better."
Shaking her head to get the thoughts of Alfonzo's gumbo out of her head, Brandish turned her head to look at his profile. Then, she looked back to the front with a slightly melancholic expression on her face.
'I knew he lost his parents early, too.' Brandish thought to herself. 'But until I heard him talk about his father like that, it didn't really sink in. he always seems so cheerful and confident. Maybe we're more alike than I thought. And it's not just him. So many of the girls have lost their families early.'
While continuing to ponder her similarities with Alfonzo, Elicia, and the others in Alfonzo's harem, Brandish and Alfonzo eventually reached the stairs leading up to the second floor while engulfed in a comfortable silence.
Alfonzo then used his magic to float the trolley up the stairs while he and
Brandish climbed them. Then, before long they arrived in front of the door of the private room.
*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*
"Princess Hisui, we've arrived with tonight's main course." Alfonzo said, loud enough to be heard through the door.
"Please enter." Princess Hisui replied, her voice sounding a bit annoyed.
Smiling wryly, Alfonzo nodded at Brandish, who quickly opened the door. She then stepped inside with the bottles of wine. Alfonzo, while pushing the trolley, followed shortly afterwards. And when he did, he saw Hisui, sitting at the head of the table, frowning at him.
"Good evening, Princess Hisui." Alfonzo said while bowing politely.
"Alfonzo." Hisui replied, her frown making her look rather cute. "I've been friends with Elicia for years ever since she made that first custom dress for me. I even send Amar'e presents on his birthday. You've even had tea with me several times in the past. Yet, no matter how many times I ask you, you still refuse to drop the formalities with me."
Hearing Hisui immediately launch into a tirade upon seeing Fiore's most powerful wizard, the other noble ladies, excluding Katarina, were shocked. Katarina, on the other hand, looked at Alfonzo with a curious gaze. However, that was not to say that she found herself attracted to him. Rather, it was because…
"I've been hearing about this Alfonzo for years.' Katarina thought to herself. 'Yet, I can't remember him from when I read Fairy Tail in the past. And he's not the only one, either. Yoruichi Shihouin, Sun Seto, Marin Kitagawa, and so many more. But all of them, I can remember. They were from other anime and manga series I read before. But this Alfonzo Marcus and his wife, Elicia Taylor, I've never heard of them before. So, just who are they really? Could they be reincarnators like me? I mean, I don't belong in this world, either. But at least I showed up as a character I recognized. Could they be like Self-Inserts? Interesting.'
However, that was not the end of Katarina's thoughts on the matter, as inside her mind, there was a council of Katarinas discussing the issue, as well. Unfortunately, that made her miss most of the conversation between Alfonzo and Hisui.
"*Sigh* Come on, Princess…" Alfonzo said in an exasperated tone.
*Stare!*
"… We had this conversation before, didn't we?" Alfonzo asked, ignoring the kicked puppy stare Hisui was giving him. "When I'm on a quest, I keep things professional. And as it just so happens, I'm on a quest right now."
*Stare!*
Yet, despite Alfonzo's explanation, Hisui seemed as though she was unwilling to budge on the matter. Unfortunately for her, Alfonzo had no intention of budging, either. It was a principal of his to keep business and his private life separate, and that would not change for Hisui, even if she ascended to become Fiore's queen one day.
"Anyway, I've come to serve your main course." Alfonzo said in a tired tone as he rolled the trolley to the foot of the table. "PK Duck and all the fixings that go with it."
With that, Alfonzo took the top off the tray holding the duck.
*Gasp!* x 11
As soon as he did, the sent wafting off the duck immediately saturated the room, causing everyone present to take in a deep breath as the scent hit them. It even caused the meeting between the Council of Katarinas to be halted temporarily. Then, after everyone took a deep breath to fully enjoy the scent, they all looked down at the golden brown roasted duck with crispy skin sitting on top of the trolley.
"I'm so jealous right now." Someone, one of either the knights, Lucy, or Brandish said. Though, it was quiet enough that no one could distinguish the voice's owner.
Smiling at everyone's reaction, Alfonzo, with the use of his [metal magic] created a pair of knives that he grabbed out of the air. He then controlled the metal stake that was driven through the center of the duck and made to inject the fowl with flavor during the cooking process, to cause the duck to float.
At first, when the knights, other than Darkness, the one who was most familiar with Alfonzo, saw the knives appear, they all rested their hands on their weapons. However, after seeing the duck begin to float, they released the hilts of their swords. Though, they did not completely drop their guards with weapons so close to the princess.
Meanwhile, Lucy and Brandish moved to either side of Alfonzo, each holding a number of empty plates. And when the others in the room saw that, they were curious to know what they would do.
And that was when the show started. Swinging his arms fast enough that the only thing that could be seen were flashes of light, Alfonzo quickly disassembled the duck, cutting it into strips of meat and skin. As he did so, different cuts were sent flying to either side. Meanwhile, Lucy and Brandish, with the empty plates in their hands, caught the cuts of meat, making sure that each plate held cuts from different parts of the duck.
*Applause!*
By the time Alfonzo was done, all the plates in Lucy's and Bandish's hands were filled with slices of duck meat or crispy skin and set at the foot of the table. Alfonzo then dispelled the knives and began placing the other plates with the cucumbers, green onions, sauce, and thin pancakes on the table as well.
Then, once the trolley was empty, Alfonzo spread his arms to either side before curling his right arm in front of his abdomen and taking a deep bow.
"Thank you." Alfonzo said, grateful for the applause. "I'm glad you enjoyed the show, and I hope you enjoy your meal."
"Yes, that was truly impressive." Hisui said, speaking for her entourage. "But how exactly is one meant to eat such a dish?"
'That's Peking Duck, isn't it?' Katarina asked herself. 'Yeah, he's definitely a reincarnater. I've been to all the best restaurants in Crocus, yet I've never seen anywhere that serves something like that. Plus, the name he gave it, PK duck was a dead giveaway.'
At the same time, the Council of Katarinas restarted their debate. And the conclusion they came to was the same as the main Katarina.
Unfortunately, the source material for Katarina, "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!" had not been released by the time Alfonzo and Elicia died in the car accident. So, he had no way of knowing that he had run into a third reincarnater during this quest.
"Well, I'm honestly not sure if Your Highness would find this meal appropriate." Alfonzo replied, smiling wryly once again as Hisui pouted at him.
"We were all aware that this dish is to be eaten by hand." Hisui said huffily. "But we have no idea of the proper way to do it."
"Oh, that's what you meant." Alfonzo said. He then muttered under his breath in slight exasperation. "Damn it, Yajima. You told me everything else about the evening but never mentioned that Hisui was aware that a fork and knife were not suitable for this dish. And even when I asked, something always distracted you right before you answered my damn question."
Hearing Alfonzo grumbling to himself, Hisui felt vindicated, as she felt that Alfonzo was calling her by her title just to get under her skin. And when the only word from his grumblings she heard was her own name without anything that sounded like princess coming before it, that thought was solidified.
"This is how it is done, Princess." Alfonzo said, slipping back into his professional persona. "First, you take one of these pancakes. Then, you decide whether you would like to have some of the crispy skin, or succulent meat."
As he spoke, Alfonzo created a pair of tongs. He then picked up one of the pancakes and placed it on an empty plate. Then, when he reached the end of his speech, he looked up to Hisui to get her answer.
"Um…" Hisui said while her gaze shifted between the meat and the skin. She then nodded in the direction of her choice before continuing. "I'll try the skin."
"Understood." Alfonzo replied. "Well then, if you're going with the skin, you pick up a slice and place it on the pancake, crispy side down. Then, you add the sauce, your green onions, and your cucumbers. I would suggest not loading it too much, though. You don't want the flavors from the sauce and the vegetables to overpower the main ingredient, after all."
"Why do you place it crispy side down?" Katarina asked curiously. Because although she knew of Peking Duck from her past life, she never had the pleasure of tasting it before.
"Because if you put it on crispy side up, the sauce and vegetables will cause the skin to lose its texture." Alfonzo explained patiently as he folded the pancake to complete the plate."
Hisui, Katarina, and the rest of their entourage were not the only ones paying attention to the way Alfonzo prepared the piece of skin. Lucy and Brandish were also paying close attention, as well. Because they would be the ones creating the rolled pancakes for the nobles after Alfonzo left.
Meanwhile, once the pancake was rolled, Alfonzo handed the plate to Lucy, who brought it to Hisui for her to taste. All the while, the rest of Hisui's entourage and the knights followed the plate with laser focus. And when Hisui eventually received the plate and picked up the pancake to take a bite, the room was filled with a chorus of gulping.
"Ahn~~~~~~~~~~!" Hisui moaned loudly and sensually after taking the first bite, surprising the other's in the room immensely. Then, while completely forgetting her manners, she spoke with her mouth still full. "Oh my, this is incredible."
While Alfonzo, Lucy, and Brandish were expecting such a reaction, Katarina and the other noble ladies blushed at the sensual moan Hisui let out. As for the knights, three of them were fidgeting awkwardly as the sight of Hisui was a bit too much stimulation for them.
'Oh my, to moan like that in public in front of her friends.' Darkness, the only woman among the knights in the room, thought to herself as her cheeks reddened, though for a different reason than the noble ladies. 'It must be so embarrassing. Luckily, she's the princess. If it were me, perhaps my friends would abandon me. Then, they would spread rumors of how depraved I was in public, causing my family to disown me. Then, like a common harlot, I would have to sell myself for food in the streets…'
As Darkness' thoughts spiraled further and further into depravity, Alfonzo demonstrated the proper way to make one of the pancakes had the meat been chosen as the main ingredient. However, just as he handed the plate to Brandish to be taken to Katarina, he sighed in annoyance.
"*Sigh* Of course the job couldn't be simple, could it?" Alfonzo asked as he tapped his heel on the floor. "[metal Magic: Vibranium Silo Defense]."
Hearing that and feeling Alfonzo flare his magic power, everyone was startled while the knights, even Darkness, drew their weapons, not that it would do her any good. Meanwhile, Brandish quickly set the plate in her hands down in front of Katarina before she joined Lucy in getting ready for combat.
"Alfonzo, what's wrong?" Lucy asked as eh could sense the tall cylinder of Alfonzo's magic power surrounding most of the buildings on the street with her [Magic Power Detection].
"Those damned demons are here." Alfonzo replied as he slowly began unbuttoning his chef uniform. "But I have no idea why. I mean, I've been trying to find them for years with no success. But now they're coming to me. But like I said, the question is, why?"
*Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!*
"Oh, and it looks like that Jackal guy is back again, too." Alfonzo added as he finally took of his uniform. "He wasn't the one who attacked, though. I don't know who the attacker or the other two are, though. But I guess the easiest way to find out is to ask them, right?"
"I'll come with you." Brandish said, eager to get away from the tiresome job of waiting on these ladies.
"Sure." Alfonzo replied. He then turned to look at Lucy. "The two of us should be more than enough for this. Lucy, you stay here and continue attended to our guests. We should be back before long."
"Understood." Lucy said in a solemn tone. She then shifted her expression back into her professional smile. "Now, how would you like your pancake made, Lady Viscount?"
With that, Alfonzo and Brandish quickly left the room and headed towards the restaurant's entrance to engage the attackers.