Chapter Thirteen

Dismantling horned rabbits weren't enough to distract me from my worry, so I asked Belfry to teach me something new. He took the opportunity to walk me through taking apart small birds, a small boar, and a mid-sized stag.

"I wouldn't normally show you how to dismantle a stag this early, but stags are still considered common kills, so there's no danger of paying damages if you screw it up. And dismantling a mid-sized beast allows you to accumulates points faster than butchering smaller game. Remember, you need to average somewhere around twenty-five points a day to get the full two thousand by the end of your three month contract period."

I wasn't too concerned about that. According to my contract, failing to meet the contract quota simply meant I wouldn't earn the fulfillment bonus at the end of three months and the Guild would have the right not to renew my contract. I didn't really care about the bonus since my recipes were bringing in plenty of money and I doubted the Guild would turn me away for any reason at this point. I was their golden goose.

Still, I'd made a promise and I wanted to do my best to get as close to the two thousand as I could. I wanted to learn as much as I could, too. There were so many types of meat moving around the workshop, many of which I'd never seen or eaten before.

When I was done with the stag, I turned it in and received a large copper piece for my work. It was only half of what I could have potentially gotten, but I didn't think it was too bad considering it was my first try.

I cleaned up and returned to the workshop, taking the opportunity to watch some of the others dismantle rarer beasts and monsters. In the large bay, three men were working together to butcher a bear with thick red fur. In the middle bay, two teams of four men were working their way through a pile of man-sized birds—cockatrices, I was told.

The small game bay had almost a dozen men working on three different piles of game. The three men I'd befriended previously—Mika, Orlando, and Roger—were there, going through baskets of horned rabbits like they were going out of style. Half the other men were skinning fat snakes while the rest worked on various fish.

I decided to check out another basket of horned rabbits and join them. I still had plenty of time before sunset and it didn't hurt to stock up dismantling points for days I might need to miss.

"Hey, Al," Mika greeted with a warm smile. He moved over a bit to give me room at the worktable next to him. "You're just the man to ask. Rumor is the Chief is going back to Adventuring. You know anything about it?"

I nodded as I pulled out my first rabbit and got to work. "I don't think he's made it official yet, but he mentioned the possibility. Right now, he's escorting my little brother into the dungeon to Tame his first pet."

"Any idea who is next in line for Chief?" Orlando asked from across the worktable.

"My impression was Belfry," I said. "Again, nothing has been made official, so that could possibly change."

"I doubt it," Roger offered. "Belfry's spent the most time training under the Chief and he's the most dedicated out of all the dismantlers. It makes sense for him to take over the Workshop. I don't know how Margo is going to take it, though."

"Margo usually works evenings and nights," Mika explained. "I doubt you've met her, but she's been here as long as Belfry."

"Maybe both of them will be made Chief," I mused. "One for the day shift and one for the night shift."

"You should suggest that to Chief Durham," another guy at the table commented. "It'd make it easier for both of them if the duties were split and we wouldn't have to wait for someone to fetch the Chief when there's problems. There would always be someone in charge on site." Several of the other guys nodded in agreement and I made a note to mention it when I had the chance.

"So how are things with you and the Chief?" another stranger asked. "You two looked like you're getting pretty cozy together. You even delivered him lunch."

I blushed, which was probably answer enough. "We're doing fine, thanks."

"You settling in okay?" Mika asked.

Again, I nodded. "Construction work is already beginning on my first restaurant and things are pretty comfortable at the boarding house where I'm living."

"What happened earlier? I heard you got into a scuffle in the dining hall."

"Gossip travels fast. It was just some jerk who didn't want to take no for an answer. He's lucky I'm the one who laid him out and not the Chief. I have a feeling he wouldn't have survived."

Orlando whistled in appreciation. "Someone hit on you in front of the Chief? What kind of idiot would do that?"

"It was B-Rank Kirijo," Roger said. "I was at the front desk, checking something with Melanie when it happened. Our boy here threatened to dismantle Kirijo's balls with a skinning knife, then laid him out in two hits."

"Two hits and a kick, actually," I corrected. "It was an uppercut to knock his head back, a jab to his throat to make it hard to breathe, then I kicked out his knee to make sure he went down and wouldn't get back up right away."

"Where'd a handsome man like you learn to fight?" one of the strangers at the table asked.

I rolled my eyes at the flattery, finished up the rabbit I was working on, and started another. "You might think I'm handsome now, but I didn't always look like this. I've encountered my share of bullies growing up."

"Still, taking out a B-Rank isn't something people can usually do so easily," Mika commented.

I huffed. "Ranking here is based on attributes. It has nothing to do with skill. Back home, there were entire schools of fighting taught around using lesser strength to overcome stronger opponents. It's not what you have, but how you use it."

"That's what she said." I didn't know who said it, but everyone snorted and laughed.

"To be honest, I didn't expect it to go so well," I admitted. "I just knew I had to try something or else everyone would think I can't protect myself when the Chief isn't around."

"You should cook more," Roger commented. Everyone else nodded, but I didn't get it.

"Why? What does cooking have to do with protecting myself?"

Mika put down his skinning knife and turned to me. "You don't remember the importance of leveling up? I'm guessing no one has reminded you about it, either."

I shook my head and he sighed.

"When you level up, your attributes improve. How you level up is determined by your job title. You're probably gaining experience by learning how to dismantle beasts and monsters, but actually cooking meals will make a chef like you level up even faster."

Orlando bobbed his head in agreement with Mika. "Most S-Ranks have really easy to level job titles like fighter or explorer. All they have to do is go into a dungeon and they're guaranteed to gain levels. Merchants level the slowest since it takes hundred and even thousands of trades to improve. As a chef, the meals you make are what will make you stronger. I can't believe no one told you that."

"Does anyone know what Chief Durham's job title is?" I asked.

"I heard he was blessed with three," Orlando replied. "Fighter, Explorer, and Cartographer. He reached S-Rank mostly through exploring and map-making, though. Nearly all the maps we have of the dungeon were drawn by him."

"Does that mean he hasn't leveled up at all since he's been working as Chief?"

"Pretty much, but I don't think that kind of thing matters when you have attributes like his. The last time he had his Guild card updated, I think I heard his stats were all over a thousand. Rumor is, he wasn't far from making demigod status when he suddenly quit."

Now I was even more confused. "I thought demigods were a type of race? How is it also a rank?"

As Mika picked up his knife and went back to work, he explained, "There's two types of demigods. There's the ones who are born and ones who work hard and achieve it with effort. For the ones who work hard, it happens naturally after you surpass the upper levels of S-Rank and the Gods approve of you. It's kind of like a rebirth, except you keep all your memories. Your attributes are knocked back down to the starting level and your racial status is changed to demigod. Afterward, it's harder to level up, but every attribute point is worth double a normal person's. A D-Rank demigod is typically better than an A-rank human."

Roger added, "Your job titles are also changed to reflect your status as a demigod, making it so you can earn levels by teaching followers. The Priests say it's possible to go even higher than demigod and earn the right to become a lower God capable of traveling back and forth to the heavens, but we don't have any records of anyone actually doing that."

"The King would probably be the closest to achieving such glory, but guys like us wouldn't have any way of knowing for sure. Most of us will spend the next ten years trying to go up one rank in one attribute. Something like demigod status or lower God status is completely out of reach."

"I'm close to A-Rank," Mika announced. He instantly received praise from everyone else, but he waved them away with a grin. "I'm lucky because I got the rare title of Veterinarian. The Priests says it means I gain levels really fast by dismantling."

"That's not right," I replied before I could think better of it. Several people turned to me with raised eyebrows. "We have Veterinarians back home. The title isn't about dismantling animals. It's a title for doctors or healers who specialize in helping animals. You're leveling up through dismantling because you're learning about the anatomy of different species, but you could level up even faster if you used your knowledge to fix injured beasts."

Mika rolled that around in his head. "That would explain why I have Lesser Healing Magic. I'll give it a try the next time I see an injured pet wandering around."

"What about plumbers?" Orlando asked eagerly. "The Priests couldn't explain it very well."

"That has to do with water pipes," I replied. "Try fixing water pumps and exploring the sewers."

His nose wrinkled in disgust. "I think I'll stick to dismantling, thank you very much. I'll take blood over shit any day."

I shrugged. "It's your choice, but you should talk to my little brother. He's a craftsman and he could probably tell you more about plumbing than I could."

I talked with the guys for a while longer, learning a few of the other men's names, and spent some time helping the ones with rare titles. The most interesting one was a guy named Ian with the 'mortician' title. He and everyone else freaked when I told him he'd level faster by dismantling human bodies.

"I'm not saying to go around killing people," I spluttered. "Back home, morticians usually worked with the police—our version of peacekeepers—to help identify how people died. It's an honorable job that allows you to speak on behalf of the dead. Sometimes criminals try to make murder look like an accident, right? But morticians can examine a body and find clues to identify the actual cause of death. It's kind of like tracking in a way. It's a very specialized job requiring you to have lots of knowledge on all kinds of subjects. You're probably still leveling up by doing dismantling work because you're learning about general anatomy. You're probably becoming good at recognizing what kind of weapons killed these animals, too. In a murder case, that kind of information can help the peacekeepers identify suspects, especially if the weapon has a unique design."

One of the men laughed. "You guys make me glad I have a simple job title. There's no mistaking what a butcher is supposed to be doing." He brought his knife down with a flourish, accidentally tearing through the skin of the snake he'd been taking apart. He held up the destroyed skin with a grimace.

Mika laughed. "And you wonder why you're still C-Rank. You're going to have to do better than that, Master Butcher."

I hung around for another hour, dismantling the rest of my basket of rabbits, then cleaned up and headed into the Guild to check with Frank before I went home. He was in his office like he always was, but he wasn't alone. A peacekeeper in a signature blue surcoat was standing in front of his desk.

"Al," Frank greeted when I poked my head inside. "Just the man I needed to see. Come in, please. Sir Green would like to speak with you about the incident earlier. I hear you ran into some trouble during your lunch with Lord Durham."

I didn't like that a peacekeeper had been called, but I'd never been the type to run from the cops. I went inside, shutting the door behind me, and claimed one of the chairs in front of Frank's desk. I did my best to look innocent. The peacekeeper took the other chair and gave me a smile meant to put me at ease. It didn't.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Albert," he said. "The man you assaulted—"

"Defended myself against," I corrected.

"Excuse me?"

"He put his hands on me first," I explained. "I was defending myself from his assault. When you say I assaulted him, it makes it sound like I attacked him without reason."

"Could you tell me your version of events? The man you fought has made a claim against you for the cost of healing services."

I was instantly suspicious. "I thought the Grand Duke made healing free in Alisfar."

"He claims the damage to his knee required specialized services costing him five gold coins."

"I find it odd he was able to locate such a specialist so quickly," Frank interjected. "The incident only happened a few hours ago."

"I found it suspicious as well, which is why I'm investigating the claim," the peacekeeper replied. "From the witness accounts I've gathered so far, it seems likely the gentleman started the fight with the intent of getting beaten. No one else can think of another reason someone would so blatantly put his hands on Lord Durham's dining companion. Of course, Lord Durham himself would have been the target. I don't think anyone expected Lord Albert to stand up for himself like he did."

"Why would someone purposely put themselves in a position to get beaten?" I asked.

Frank answered, "It's extortion. If the Chief had been the one to pummel the man, it's easy to think someone of his status would pay the restitution simply to make the whole matter disappear. It'd be easier than trying to defend himself and possibly having to testify in court under truth spell."

"If that is what's happening here, I'd prefer if it didn't bear fruit," the peacekeeper added. "Can I ask for your support in this matter, Lord Albert?"

"You can. I have the money to pay restitution, but the asshole doesn't deserve it. If this has to go to court, then so be it. I'm not giving him a single copper coin when I'm the one who was attacked. He's out of his mind if he thinks he can get gold from me."

"Then please allow me to take your statement of events."

I told him everything I could in bald terms and I could see the twinkle in his eyes when I recounted the way I'd threatened the guy's balls with my skinning knife. When I was done, the peacekeeper asked, "In your estimation, did you use the minimum force necessary to subjugate your assailant?"

"I did," I confirmed. "My rank has recently increased, but I don't know how to apply my improved attributes yet. I'd say I hit him with the force of a C-Rank. At least, it didn't feel any different from my normal punches. I'm pretty sure I broke his knee when I kicked it, but I was scared when my punches didn't make him go down. I had to do something so he couldn't lunge at me."

"That should be enough for me to pursue this further," the peacekeeper said in relief.

"What happens now?" I asked.

"Now I take your claim back to headquarters and log it in," he replied. "Your version will be presented to the claimant and he'll have the option to revoke his claim or forward it to the courts. If he revokes it, that's the end of it. If he forwards it, you'll be informed of the time and location of the trial by special messenger."

"Can I make a counter-claim?" I asked.

The peacekeeper leaned toward me. "What do you mean?"

"It sounds like his claim is that I retaliated with too much force," I pointed out. "That means he must have admitted to starting a fight with me. Isn't that a punishable offense?"

"It is, but he's already paid the fine for initiating a brawl," he said. "As a victim, you'll receive half the fine once the overlying claim has been settled."

"So he pays a small fine and gets a chance at a big payday," I summarized in disappointment. "I hope there's a bigger fine for making a false claim."

"There is, which is why I doubt he'll pursue this once I make it clear you won't be responding to his extortion. If he does, he'll be digging himself into a hole. The truth spell doesn't leave room for equivocation and half-truths like many people believe. He'll be lucky to escape prison time if he lets it go so far."

I asked a few more questions, making sure I understood the local laws and all the aspects of the charges—the claim—made against me. I felt much more at ease once I learned there was no possible way for me to be arrested for fighting. Too many witnesses agreed I'd been the one attacked. If the guy had drawn a weapon, I would have been within my rights to murder him. There was no question of my right to defend myself. The only question was whether I owed him money for hurting him more than necessary.

After the peacekeeper left, I turned to Frank and asked, "Is there any way I can hire someone to investigate this Kirijo person on my behalf?"

My request bewildered Frank. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Something about this just doesn't feel right. That guy smelled like he'd been in the dungeon for the last month, but I heard he's a B-Rank. Why would he try to pick a fight with an S-Rank like Rafe?"

"You're thinking he had a reason other than extortion in mind?"

"I think he was desperate," I said. "What happens to Adventurers who don't find success in the dungeon? What do they do for their livelihood during the month the dungeon is closed?"

Frank steepled his fingers on his desk and gave my question serious thought. His furry Bearkin ears twitched in agitation. "Most of them find temporary contract jobs to tide them over or they rely on the resources of their Advents if they'd joined one, but many of the more unskilled, unaffiliated Adventurers rely on the charity of the temples."

"B-Rank means Kirijo should have made plenty of money during the last month to tide him over. It also means he's not afraid of hard work, so why is a guy like that resorting to extortion? I'm wondering if this is a case like those we saw back home where the destitute would purposely cause trouble to get themselves thrown in jail where they'll be fed and sheltered for free."

Frank's expression filled with curiosity once he understood where I was coming from. "I have a friend I can ask to investigate for me. She's quite good at going unnoticed and asking the right questions. Let me ask you, though. What do you plan to do with the information you uncover? Will you feel sorry for him and give in to his extortion?"

"Hell no," I replied instantly. "Nothing is going to change there. I'm not going to give myself the reputation of being a sad sack who falls for every poor-me story I come across, especially when he chose to do something heinous rather than ask for help. Consider the investigation more of a professional interest. I'd like to know how the poor are being fed and if there's any measures I can take to improve the lives of the homeless. I'm also curious how a B-Rank can be such a high rank without having any kind of savings to fall back on. Personally, I can only think of three possible reasons. Either he squandered his money, his money was stolen, or he had a bad run of luck. The first instance means people in the Guild need better education, the second means a deeper investigation needs to be made, and the third means he needs some hope things will turn around."

"I'll send a message to my friend and send a message when she has something for you. For now, let's put the matter aside. I have something far more important to discuss with you."

"If this is about Rafe suiting up as an Adventurer, you'll have to talk directly to him. I don't speak for him."

"It's not that, although I'm sure the Guildmaster is expecting his visit soon. It's about an invitation I received earlier today. Lord Takahashi left it with me, knowing you'd be by at some point."

Frank pulled a pair of envelopes from the stacks of paper on his desk and slid them across to me. The wax seal on them were dusted with gold and I recognized the emblem as being the same one on the royal carriage, meaning the invitation was from the Grand Duke himself. One was addressed to me and the other was addressed to Jason.

I pried open the seal on mine with my thumbnail and pulled out a series of five matching cards tucked inside.

I read it aloud, "Grand Duke Weiss Doombreaker requests the honor of your presence on the sixth day of High Spring, at six o'clock in the evening, for an informal banquet welcoming the Earth Advent and its members to the fair city of Alisfar. Admit: 1"

"Although he specifies 'Earth Advent', this is his way of inviting all the transmigrated people like you and putting you in the same room together. I have no doubt he hopes to build a friendship with as many of you as possible for the sake of helping the town, but it's not like he can leave the castle and take a jaunt down here to say hello. I hope you'll go. The Grand Duke is an honorable man and I can say with near certainty he bears no ill will with his invitation. He even included extra invitations so you could invite anyone you want to make you feel safer."

I nearly forgot Frank didn't know I'd already met with the Grand Duke. I decided not to tell him.

"I'll go," I said. "Since Jason has his own set of invitations, I only need an invite for myself, Rafe, and Iris. That leaves two. Would you like one?"

"Myself and the Guildmaster are already invited, as were the other Guild heads and supporters."

"That makes this harder. I'm assuming the Priests from the Sanctuary were already invited, too. I'm scared to give it to any of the friends I've made in the Workshop. There's no telling which of them might be harboring a crush on me. Even the married ones are suspect since you guys are okay with polygamy."

"You might consider giving them to Rafe, if you're not going to use them," Frank suggested. "He might have someone he wants to invite."

A flare of jealousy rose up in me, even though I know Frank didn't mean it that way. "Nope," I said. "I think I'll give them to Jason. He's made quite a few friends at school and he might need extra. Is there anything else we need to take care of? I was only intending to check in before I went home."

"Yes, I was going to ask if you'd like to set up a bank account for future royalty payments," he replied, setting a contract prominently in the center of his desk. "This would allow us to pay you without the messy business of counting out coins at the end of each day."

"Sounds good." He walked me through the paperwork and explained how I could use my Guild card as a type of magic credit card at Guild-affiliated businesses. I'd need to go at least once a week to pay the accumulated debt at the bank, but having an account would save me a lot of hassle in the long run. For example, they had a special service where they would automatically exchange any coin over a dedicated amount into an equal value of gems and precious goods. I could even specify which goods I wanted, creating a personalized asset vault. It was something most veteran Adventurers did, since a stock of trade goods could get them over lean times better than coin might.

"The bank doesn't seem big enough for every Adventurer to have their own Vault," I commented.

"Bankers use Spacial Magic," Frank replied as he read over the contract I'd signed, double-checking to make sure everything had been filled in correctly. He made it sound like Spacial Magic was something everyone knew about. I tapped on his desk until I got his attention and waved for him to expand on the explanation. "The Item Box blessing is a type of spacial magic. Those who can control it can create spaces and set magic circles to limit accessibility. Surely you've heard of magic bags that hold more than they should? Add in a magic circle and you can have an unlimited amount of vaults behind the same door. Some Adventurers, especially Demonkin, commission entire homes made inside something like a magic bag so they can carry it with them wherever they go."

"That sounds interesting. How much does something like that usually cost?"

"You're talking three and four large Orichalcum just to create the space and another small Orichalcum to build something inside it."

I grimaced. "I was thinking it might be good to have something like that for Jason to have his own workshop and me to have a greenhouse, but it sounds like it'd be cheaper to stick with buying an actual house for now."

Frank agreed. "The bigger the pocket space, the more it costs when anchoring it to a moving object such as a bag. You're better off anchoring it to a door inside your home for starters, then transferring the anchor later if you want to move. But I'd talk it over with Rafe before you made any final decisions. If I recall correctly, he has a magic bag he can show you."

"Does anyone try to use that as a way to avoid paying taxes?" I asked. "Hiding stuff in a magic bag, I mean."

Frank rolled his eyes. "If you can afford something like that, why would you need to avoid paying taxes? It'd be easier just to pay them the maximum of a large mithril and send the tax collectors on their way. They'd have no need to make a property assessment and their interests will shift to accounting for coins in your possession. Trying to use a bank vault to hide your possessions is pointless, too. The bank keeps records on everything it protects and taxmen have free access to those records."

"What about using your Item Box to hide stuff?"

"I'm sure there's some who try, but it's said those who abuse a blessing of the Gods will lose it. Any other questions? As much as I like chatting, I'd like to get home to my wife before sunset. If you still have questions tomorrow, I'll be happy to answer them."

Glancing out the window, I noticed the light was beginning to wane. Sunset wasn't too far off, which meant I needed to get home, too. I collected the Grand Duke's invitation and said my farewells to Frank, then headed out of the Guild at a quick pace. On the way home, I tried to think of something I could make that wouldn't take hours to prepare.

It turned out I didn't need to worry about it. Iris had picked up the recipe for vegetable soup in the marketplace and taken the opportunity of an empty house to practice making it. The scent hit me hard as soon as I walked in the door.

"You're a Goddess, Iris," I called through the house. I heard Iris' laughter coming from the kitchen and followed it. She stood next to the stove, stirring the pot of soup with a chilled glass of wine in her hand. "Celebrating without me?"

"Oh, hush you," she retorted with a smile. "Come taste this. Tell me if I got it right. I might have tried to put my own spin on it—call it a throwback to my days of one-upping the neighbor's wives. I think it's an improvement, but I'm not sure."

I sipped the spoonful she held out for me and groaned the instant the flavor touched my lips. "Definite improvement. Let me see—you added salt, pepper, and I think I detect a hint of lemon juice. I bet you were curious to use some after watching the kids make lemonade."

"Just a dash. I think it gives it a nice bite. I thought about adding wine, but I didn't know how you'd feel about it with Jason in the house."

"Cooking will burn off the alcohol, so it's up to you," I replied. "It tastes great how it is, but my family are firm believers that wine makes everything better. Do you care if I make a side dish? Grilled cheese goes great with vegetable soup and all it takes is sliced bread, cheese, and butter."

"Sure, but try the new bread I got at the market earlier. They're calling it a wheat loaf and it's from a foreign baker who just arrived in town. Rumor is she's intending to open a new bakery over by Mill Street. And get this—she says she knows how to make over twenty varieties of bread and she's giving out the recipe to five of them to anyone who purchases a loaf from one of her stalls while the bakery is being built. I have the cards here if you want to look at them."

She opened a kitchen drawer and pulled them out to show me. I grinned as I flipped through them—wheat loaf, sourdough, baguettes, scones, and pancakes.

"Scones are a lot like the biscuits I already made you. Pancakes are great for breakfast, but Jason usually eats his with syrup. I'm working on securing some. Wheat loaf, sourdough, and baguettes are good, basic breads with different flavors. They're good foundation breads with a lot of different uses."

"Oh? You already know all of them?"

I shook my head. "I can do scones and pancakes, but I need the recipes for the others, so this is good. It makes me a little irritated, though. I started first, but Janet has jumped ahead of me. It makes me feel like I'm not working hard enough."

Iris frowned as she poured me a glass of wine and passed it over. I chilled it with Ice Magic, then sipped as I considered my next move. "Is Janet the Lady Baker all the rumors are about?" she asked.

"She is. She arrived here the same time I did, so we've met. I was the one who introduced her to the Guild and got her on track to open a bakery. It sucks. I feels like I'm aimless right now while the pizza parlor is being built. I want to get out there, too, and spread my recipes throughout the city, but I know so many dishes it's hard to decide where to start first. A lot of what I know is reliant on ingredients I don't have, which makes it even harder. Plus, I'm limited since so many things I know how to make require silverware to eat. I'll decide to make something, then realize I can't."

"Don't focus on what you can't do, dear," Iris advised. "Here, I'll help. Go fetch the inkpot and a sheaf of paper."

From the look on her face, I didn't think I was going to be able to dissuade her, so I went into the sitting area to get the items she wanted. While I was out there, I pulled off my apron and stowed it in my Item Box, then pulled off my boots to get comfortable. My house shoes were right next to the front door, reminding me I should have removed my boots before tracking dirt all the way into the kitchen. I'd have to sweep up after dinner.

As soon as I set the inkpot and paper on the kitchen counter, she pointed me toward the pantry. "Consider this a challenge. Write down the recipes for tomorrow's meals using what's available. I want a unique breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. It doesn't matter if they need utensils, but no baked goods allowed."

I gave her an American salute. "Yes, ma'am." Then I got to work. Being able to sip wine while I dug through the pantry and talk to Iris helped take the pressure off, making me realize how much the feeling of 'I need to be doing something' had been stifling my enthusiasm as a cook. It only took half an hour to meet Iris' demand once I wasn't worrying about the fate of the cooking world as a whole.

"How does this sound? For breakfast, we have egg crepes with strawberry jam, cinnamon apple oatmeal, and hashbrowns. For lunch, I can do a ham and vegetable quiche. And, for dinner, I can try my hand at making braised rabbit, broccoli and mushroom casserole, and stuffed bell peppers."

"I only understood half of that, but I'm sure it'll all be delicious. Do you feel better now?"

"I do," I admitted as I jotted down a few other ideas the Guild could use. Skewered meatballs. Homemade sausages. The stuffed bell peppers and quiche. Stromboli and fishcakes. Mulled wine.

I flipped to a new page and started another list as ideas started flowing for the other restaurant they wanted me to open. Paninis in the make-your-own-sandwich shop. Clam chowder, minestrone, and rabbit stew for the soups. Actually, if the sandwich shop was the make-your-own kind, I could probably have a soup of the day and not create a whole separate soup shop. That'd cut down a lot of the recipes I needed to prepare.

There was no getting around the need for utensils in the Italian place, so I'd go with the typical favorites—spaghetti, alfredo, manicotti, lasagna, ravioli, risotto, caprese salad, and all my Aunties' traditional favorites.

I needed to get in touch with a cheesemaker at some point. Mozzarella wasn't the only kind I'd been taught to make at home. I also knew how to make ricotta, mascarpone, and cream cheese. Janet was going to love me once I shared those secrets. I wish I knew how to make feta, parmesan, and gouda, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

When I thought about it, sausage making should be its own thing, too. Maybe I should aim to open a workshop like Janet's bread workshop? It was something worth mentioning to Frank. Sausages were the basics for a lot of different types of cuisine, plus it could utilize a bunch of the cuts of meat currently being wasted by the dismantling workshop. Teaching the Guild how to make sausages would potentially double their income overnight and provide a lot of jobs for currently out-of-work Adventurers.

"What has you thinking so hard over there, dear?" Iris asked.

"Sorry," I replied with a grin. "I have to admit you got a lot of ideas flowing. I realized there's a bunch of ways I can start helping out the city without actually needing to cook anything myself. Tomorrow, I'm going to have Frank put me in touch with a cheese-making workshop and then talk to him about opening a sausage factory. I'm going to have him put me in touch with some brewers, too. I'm not a wine expert, but I do know one or two things they might find interesting. White wine and champagne, for instance. I'd like to know what they're doing with their failures, too. I don't think they know red wine vinegar can be used in cooking. I've only seen plain vinegar in the market. Then there's apple cider. Brewers might be interested in making it, which would allow me to get my hands on apple cider vinegar."

"That sounds like a lot you want to do," she commented. "Is it possible for one man to do so much in a day?"

"It is, but that's the thing—I won't actually be doing much, if any of the work. Once I teach them the process, other people can manage the production. I don't expect I'll need more than an hour or two to explain things. The sausages will be the hard part. I won't be able to show them an example until my meat grinder gets made. Hopefully the tool craftsman the Guild hired for me will have something soon. Until then, I need to tell the dismantling workshop to start saving the intestines they get from sheep, pigs, and cattle. I'm pretty sure they've been throwing them all away."

"You can't really use animal intestines in cooking, can you?" she asked, sounding horrified by the thought.

"Once they're cleaned out, you can stuff them with finely minced meat, tie them off, and cook them. That's what sausages are. I know it probably sounds nasty to you, but it's a staple food my people have been eating since ancient times and they're really good. Depending on what you mix into the meat before you stuff the sausage, you can completely change the flavor. It's something you can eat with your hands, too, so it'll probably catch on really fast here."

Iris didn't seem convinced, but she smiled at me anyway. "You seem really happy."

"I am—now, thanks to you. I want to improve the cuisine in Alisfar, but there's so many directions I could go I found myself floundering about how to get started. It didn't feel like enough to teach a few dishes to the Guild or start work on a pizzeria. Those things don't do a lot about helping people cook at home like what Janet did with sharing recipe cards."

"Is there anything I could do to help?" she asked.

I thought about that for a minute, then nodded. "Yes, actually, you can. Would you be interested in starting a cooking club with some of the ladies around town? Recipes I don't want to sell—those I want people to be able to make at home—you could teach to people on my behalf and think of ways to improve them like you did with the vegetable soup. Stuff like the strawberry jam or the crepes I'll show you tomorrow. I don't care if anyone want to go out and try selling them, as long as the knowledge gets spread around."

"That sounds delightful." She smiled and held up the wine bottle. "Refill?"

As I held out my glass, my hand trembled as I realized I might be doing this all wrong. If the final goal was spreading my cooking knowledge, then why the hell wasn't I teaching classes? But, no, that wouldn't work. Would it? I needed a better foundation first. I was still missing a lot of basic ingredients, plus I didn't have a big enough reputation to attract students. There were also way too many ingredients in this world I'd never seen before.

It was a good long-term goal, though. I could see myself becoming a teacher at one of the local schools in a year or two. Teaching kids with the chef title would be easier than scattering my attention through the city's restaurants. And if I did that, maybe they'd let me use the facilities in the afternoon for private classes for adults.

I jotted down a note, reminding me to mention it to Frank. He seemed to be assigned as my manager, so he'd figure out if it was possible. I also made a note about writing out a recipe book for Iris to use for her cooking club.

When I looked out the window, I noticed it was getting dark. I checked the time. Seven thirty. It was already later than Iris usually ate, so we decided to go ahead with our meal. It was hard not to worry about Rafe and Jason. Iris did her best to distract me, telling me about her day and some of the gossip going around town.

A new builder had been found who claimed he could fix the old fountain by the Temple of Orion and there was a group of women going around selling bunches of flowers they called bouquets. A flock of terror birds had been sighted East of town, outside the walls, but an Adventurer went out and single-handedly subdued them. No one knew the man's identity since he ran off afterward. There was also rumors floating around about a foreign Adventurer wielding a strange sound weapon. I thought she might have been talking about the guitarist who transmigrated with my group.

When she ran out of things to tell me about, I told her about my day, glossing over the incident at the Guild. She was more interested in our meeting with the Grand Duke anyway, which reminded me to show her the invitations to the banquet being held. She was ecstatic when I told her one was for her and she immediately headed up to her room to decide what she'd wear. It didn't matter if it was still nearly a week away.

I cleaned up the dishes and put the lid on the soup pot, leaving it on the stove for when Rafe and Jason returned. It was still too early for bed—as if I could sleep when they still hadn't come home—and decided to take a bath.

The hot water helped relax me. I washed up, then Cleansed the water a second time and lounged back to stare at the unfamiliar sky. It was so strange and alien, yet so beautiful in its own way. While I missed the night sky on Earth, this wasn't so bad.

I did find it curious I wasn't missing my family in the same way I missed the sky. We'd always been tight knit, yet I'd barely given a thought to the fact I'd never see them again. I felt like I should have been mourning. They were probably mourning me, thinking I was dead or something. What I'd seen of the sinkhole that swallowed me had been nasty and destructive. I was a bit surprised more people hadn't gotten caught in it, although thirty-plus people were a lot.

"Would you like to see them again?"

I spun around, startled by the voice, and came face-to-face with Ganymede. There was no mistaking that boy-band appearance, even if he was wearing clothes made in Alisfar.

His eyes twinkled like he heard my thoughts. I flushed. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

He climbed the stairs to the bath and sat on the top step. "I wanted to talk to you," he said in a too-calm voice. "I would have visited sooner, but Persephone is very protective of you. She says you remind her of herself. Your reactions to being kidnapped from your home are very similar. She was also very determined to make the best of her circumstances when Hades claimed her. Her mother never understood there was freedom in cutting ties cleanly."

That was a strange way of looking at things. "Is that why I'm not missing my family as much as I should?"

"It doesn't make sense. Does it? Most people believe love pushes you forward and hate holds you back, but there's times when the opposite is also true. Your family loved you very much, but you were so focused on being a good son, grandson, nephew, and cousin that you often lost track of your own desires. It means you learned a lot as you tried to show interest in the things your family cared about, but it also means you never had time to focus on your own interests."

"I like cooking," I replied. "I did that a lot back home."

"You did, but you were never the person taking the lead. When your family gathered, you were always in the position of student. And when you were home alone, you never cooked like you wanted because you felt it would be wasteful. Cooking small portions is difficult, which is why you invited the neighbor's kid over to eat so often."

"Is that why Jason was brought here?" I asked. "For me?"

Ganymede shook his head, his curls bouncing with the movement. "It's the other way around, Al. You were brought here for him. Your usefulness to the culture of Alisfar is secondary to Jason's happiness. We watched and we witnessed. The time he spent with his adoptive mother was precious, but the time he spent with you made him feel accepted."

My heart trembled. "There's something special about him." It was a statement, not a question.

"The anima of the Gods runs through him. It's the first time in many, many generations someone with his potential was born from mankind. If he'd stayed on Earth, his power wouldn't have been able to manifest. Your homeworld is now a dead zone where magic is concerned. Jason needed a better environment, a more magically dense environment, if he's going to grow to his full potential. He also needs to be challenged. Nothing on Earth would have come close, whereas Asphodel is full of things that will give even a demigod reason to pause."

He fell silent and I couldn't think of anything to say. It was hard to digest. I was acting as an older brother to a proto-diety. How could I possibly raise such a being?

"Don't think about it too much. I didn't tell you because I thought you should change what you're doing. I have to admit I would like to see you officially adopt him and accept the role of father rather than simply an older brother, but you can do that at your own pace."

"Can I ask why you're here if I'm not doing anything wrong?" I asked.

"I wanted to give you a gift. Two of them, actually. The first is a blessing called 'recipe book'. When you use it, it'll provide you any recipe you want from Earth. We know how much you've been worrying you're not cooking things correctly. That's not something we want distracting you, so this should help."

My eyes widened in surprise and I gasped. "Thank you! That will make things a lot easier."

He gave me a smile glowing with happiness. "You're very welcome, Al. The second Blessing should help even more. It's called Interdimensional Scrying. It's a set spell, so you'll need to cast it on a mirror or some other reflective surface. Once you do, you'll be able to take a peak at things happening on Earth. You won't be able to interact, but it'll allow you to check on your family. We don't want you or your fellow Earthlings to get overly invested in the world you left behind, so the spell will only last for thirty seconds after each casting. Remember, it's only meant for you to get a glimpse, not for you to track activities. And if we feel you're misusing it, we'll take it away."

"Can I show it to other people?" I asked, thinking how I could use it to show Rafe my world. It might help him understand me a little better.

"You can show anyone you want," he confirmed. "You can even use it at a certain upcoming banquet to show the locals how far they have to go in terms of technology."

"I don't really think they're that far behind, though. They already have magical cell phones here."

"Magical is the key word. Magic isn't a renewable resource in this world, Al. They don't realize it because it's so abundant at the moment, but it will run out one day. Then where will their civilization be? The faster they learn about renewable energy like electricity, the longer the current civilization will survive and the longer they'll be able to use magic."

"What happens to the dungeons when the magic runs out?" I asked.

"The same thing that happened to the dungeons on Earth. They disappear. There aren't a lot of people in this world yet, not compared with the population of Earth, so they have a few hundred thousand years before they really need to worry about it. But as cities expand and new generations are born, the consumption will increase. Humans with null magical abilities, like you once were, will eventually start to show up as magic grows thin. Magical tools will stop working. Magical creatures will start to go extinct, as will plant varieties that need magic to grow. But if the people of this world lowers their reliance on magic from the beginning, then this Eden period will last much longer."

"If something like a magical war happened...?"

"Don't be concerned, Al. I didn't tell you because this is something you need to fix. A few of the others brought here during Persephone's Harvest are technically inclined and will bring about the necessary changes to protect the web of magic for future generations. I'm only mention it because the use of Interdemensional Scrying can help them get the support they need among the Royals."

"Is there any way to make magic a renewable resource?" I asked.

Ganymede gave me a secretive smile. "Maybe. That will be up to Jason, though. You see, magic is renewable only in the heavens. We Gods have already provided all we're allowed to give to a new world, but the ascension of a human to demigod tends to have a lot of magical bleed-off into the surrounding environment. The ascension from demigod to lower God causes even more. And, of course, since lower Gods can visit the heavens, they tend to become something like nuclear generators for magic. Wherever they go, they'll leave traces of it behind."

"So, just by leveling up, Jason can keep magic flowing to this world indefinitely."

"For as long as he wants to stay on this world, yes," Ganymede said. "But I expect he'll grow bored of it after ten thousand years or so and he'll decide to come home to the heavens for good, long before magic in Asphodel begins to decline. Up there, he'll have access to an infinite amount of worlds where he can explore and play to his heart's content. He'll also have family who won't be afraid of what he'll become."

"I'm not afraid of him," I spluttered. "He's just a kid!"

"Not you, maybe, but others will fear him in the future. There are some who even fear me, you know. It takes an extraordinary person to talk to a God as freely as you do. That's okay, though. It's nice to have a conversation like this once in a while. It reminds me I was once human, too. The perspective you get when you travel to the heavens can make you forget what it's like. Maybe you'll see for yourself one day."

The amused expression on his face set off alarms in my head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. You've been granted a year of accelerated learning. If you make the most of it, it's possible you'll make demigod status yourself. Then you'll have all the time you need to earn Godhood. Not forever, though. You'd have to do it before the magic in this world runs out."

Ganymede jolted in place and winced. "It looks like I've said too much. My time here is up. Take care, Al. Keep up the good work and maybe we'll get a chance to talk like this again."

"Uh, bye?" I said as he disappeared.

A moment later, the back door to the boarding house opened and Rafe stepped out.