Bonus: The Clash of Flames and Faith

The Sacred Kingdom did not simply stand upon the earth; it seemed to have been sculpted directly from the clouds and marble by hands that knew no weariness.

(Tap... Tap... Tap...)

Upon crossing the main gates, the scale of the place struck the senses like a silent roar.

(...Tap...Tap...)

The streets, paved with a white stone so polished it reflected the sky, extended in ascending levels, connected by arched bridges and infinite stairways that snaked toward the domes of pure gold crowning the mountain.

"Fuuuu~"

The air up there had a different weight: it was cold, heavy with an ancient incense and a purity that made every breath feel like a prayer.

"So this is the famous sacred kingdom..."

There, walking among the crowd of priests in their linen robes and citizens with serene faces, a young man of singular appearance made his way forward.

"My, my... well, it is quite impressive!"

He did not fit into the ceremonial rigidity of the kingdom.

"But this place is too bright."

With a light step and carefree confidence, he wore practical traveler's clothes, designed to withstand the dust of the road and the heat of the embers.

"If the taste of the food is as ostentatious as their buildings, I'm going to be disappointed..."

He wore a dark fabric jacket with sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a white ribbon tied around his wrist—a detail that, though simple, suggested a discipline only acquired in the heat of action.

"A good dish doesn't need so much gold to shine on its own."

Upon his back, a well-secured leather pack contained the tools of his trade; he bore neither a paladin’s sword nor a mage’s staff, but the way he observed his surroundings—analyzing every detail, every scent—revealed that he was a master in his own right.

"Now... Where is that place...?"

He was a nomad of flavors, a seeker of lost techniques who moved with the curiosity of one who knows that the next great lesson can be found in the most unexpected corner.

"Eh?"

However, at that moment, something caught his attention, stopping him in his tracks...

"What is this smell?"

His nostrils flared, and his expression shifted from lazy curiosity to absolute concentration.

(Tsss...!)

It wasn't the traditional aroma of common food or the sound of any cooking technique that he understood, despite his constant travels of learning.

(Fsssh...! Shhh...!)

It was something sharp, a blend of spices that shouldn't combine with each other, but somehow created a wild harmony that made his blood boil with excitement.

"High-frequency aromas... and a sautéing technique that sounds like a burst of delicate pops."

Analyzing the sound and aroma of the nearby kitchen, he approached the large windows of the restaurant.

"Hahaha! Incredible!"

As he looked inside, his eyes widened upon noticing the distortion of the air in the kitchen and the frenetic figure moving within.

"I don't know who is handling those pans, but they are cooking with a technique that would make any real chef spit out their own tongue in shock."

Contemplating such a scene, he brought his hand to his chin, full of excitement, gripping it with a firm and determined gesture.

"Well... I can't simply walk past after feeling something so scandalous."

The young traveler's amber eyes burned with a predatory anticipation, a fire that no conventional kitchen had managed to ignite in a long time.

(Ting-ting!)

And with a decisive step, he pushed open the restaurant's heavy, carved wooden doors, causing a small bell to chime, barely audible over the metallic roar coming from the kitchen.

"Let’s see what kind of blessing they serve in this Sacred Kingdom!"

Thus, upon entering, he noticed the fascinating contrast of the interior compared to the whiteness of the exterior.

"Wheeeew~... Impressive!"

The place was spacious and cozy, with vaulted ceilings supported by greyish stone pillars that stood like petrified trees.

The tables and chairs were made of dark, sturdy wood, polished by the use of countless diners. Wrought iron chandeliers, adorned with gems that caught the light, hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the earth-toned tapestries decorating the walls.

"Scandalous!"

Despite the chaos in the kitchen, the dining room was full of customers: citizens of the Sacred Kingdom in pristine robes, some paladins who had left their shining armor at the entrance, and pilgrims from distant lands, all conversing in low voices; the atmosphere was steeped in an almost reverent respect—or at least it was before his arrival.

"Who is the owner of this place? Bring out your best dish! The one that makes the very heavens tremble! And make it fast, before my guts decide they’d rather fast than wait for mediocrity!"

At the young man's exclamation, a deathly silence fell over the dining room.

"....."

The gazes of everyone present fixed on the newcomer; a mix of surprise, indignation, and pure incredulity painted on their faces.

"How dare you, young man!?"

At that scene, the kitchen's swinging door burst open.

"Do you think you can come in here and disrespect the culinary tradition of this blessed kingdom?"

Three robust figures, with stained aprons and faces flushed from the heat of the stove, stepped out with furious expressions. They were the cooks, brawny and with arms accustomed to lifting heavy pots, now with their fists clenched.

"Our dishes are an offering to the divinity! No one speaks of 'mediocrity' in this place!"

However, still unfazed by the fury he himself had unleashed, the young traveler...

"Offerings, you say?"

He simply smiled, undaunted by the imminent confrontation. He adjusted the wristband once more, his amber eyes glowing even more intensely.

"I heard the clinking in the kitchen, the rhythm of the fire. I know there's someone in there with a spark... but you lot only seem to be reheating what is already cold."

The audience held their breath, shifting their gazes between the indignant cooks and the insolent stranger.

"So prove me wrong!"

The atmosphere grew thick, charged with a tension that promised something more than a simple argument.

"Bring me that 'trembling of the heavens' you promise. Or I’ll have to go in there myself and show you how to set a real dish on fire."

"Fear the cooking of a wandering brat?"

The tension in the dining room became so thick that the scent of incense was replaced by the smell of iron and sweat.

"To me, cooking is a rite..."

The head chef, a man whose skin seemed hardened by decades in front of the embers, stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

"If you profane this place with your arrogance and fail, not only will you leave with an empty stomach, but your hands will never touch a knife in these lands again."

The head chef maintained a calm demeanor despite the flame in his gaze after being exposed to such humiliation.

"And if I win?"

But even so, the young traveler did not back down.

"If my dish makes your 'divine offerings' look like cattle feed... I want absolute control of these fires for one night."

On the contrary, his smile widened, showing a row of white teeth in an almost animalistic gesture.

"And I want you to admit that your faith doesn't season as well as true fire."

With a fluid movement, he began to untie the ribbon from his left wrist, thus revealing his scarred arm—proof of his experience.

"We accept! Let the fires judge who the impostor is!"

Following those words, the audience, composed of nobles and clerics, stood up, pushing aside the tables to create a path toward the stone altar that served as an open kitchen.

"Good."

The young man began to wrap the white ribbon around his forehead, tightening the knot with finality.

"Prepare your best spices and your sharpest steel. I’m going to show you that in the art of flavors, the only god that matters is the one who knows how to master the flames."

(SHING! SHING! SHING!)

Thus, the atmosphere in the kitchen exploded into frenetic activity. On one side, the three sacred cooks moved with military coordination, trying to invoke the purity of their traditions. But in the center, the young traveler was a whirlwind of absolute precision.

(SHING! SHING!)

The sound of steel against the whetstone cut through the air. The young man unsheathed his main knife—a dark metal blade that seemed to absorb the torchlight—and with a speed that the eye could barely follow, he began to work on a piece of game meat.

(TOC-TOC-TOC-TOC-TOC-TOC!)

The rhythmic and rapid tapping of the blade against the wooden board created a perfect percussion.

(TOC-TOC-TOC-TOC!!)

Every cut was exact, separating fibers and tendons with the delicacy of a surgeon and the strength of an executioner.

"It seems you have something to back up that pride."

Meanwhile, the kingdom's cooks poured blessed oils into their bronze cauldrons.

(FROOOOOSH!)

"However, do not underestimate us, brat!!"

The head chef threw handfuls of aromatic herbs, creating a cloud of whitish steam that smelled of incense and pine.

"I wasn't... because I can feel the presence of a true monster in this place."

He threw his own ingredients into a heavy iron skillet that seemed to have been forged in hell itself.

(TSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS—!)

The violent hiss of meat coming into contact with the burning metal filled the place.

"So, to lure them out... I will show what I’ve got!"

A column of crimson fire rose to the ceiling, illuminating his eyes as he moved the pan with a flick of his wrist that defied fatigue.

(CLANG! CLASH!)

"That sound..."

The young man poured a reduction of fermented wine and spices from distant lands, and the resulting aroma was so potent that the diners at the front tables recoiled, covering their noses before becoming hypnotized by the complexity of the scent.

(GLUB, GLUB, BUBBLE...!)

"My... This truly is... very interesting~"

He wasn't cooking an offering; he was forging a weapon.

"He has concentration, passion, dedication, and good control. But above all... he seems to be having fun~"

It wasn't just heat; it was a vibration, a frequency that made the silver cutlery on the tables rattle slightly.

"There is no doubt... He is a true cook."

The young man smiled through the smoke, enjoying the chaos, while the sound of his cooking completely devoured the orderly murmur of the sacred chefs.

"It truly smells and sounds exquisite."

In that way, the kitchen’s roar finally ceased all at once, leaving behind a vibrant silence heavy with steam.

(CLANG!)

And as if part of a rehearsed choreography, both sides slammed their dishes onto the marble altar at the same time.

"And now..."

On one side, the sacred cooks presented the "Delicacy of the Ethereal Dawn": a snow-white stew, adorned with mountain flower petals floating in a broth that emitted a pure, golden glow. It was the very image of peace and devotion.

"Which of you has a palate strong enough to judge this?"

On the other side, the young man’s dish was a declaration of war. Named the "Spice Dragon's Roar": meat darkened by fire and bathed in a thick, crimson sauce that seemed to bubble with a life of its own. The heat emanating from it distorted the air, and the aroma was so aggressive it forced the glands of those present to work frantically.

"I won't accept a coward who only knows how to eat bread. Let someone from the crowd step forward!"

"Then I shall be the taster~"

Responded a melodious, playful voice with an abyssal echo, causing the young man to tense up.

"What?!"

The audience turned their heads in unison, instinctively opening a path.

"Master!!"

Thus revealing Melioris, who was greeted by the three cooks of the kingdom as they knelt in unison before her presence.

"Master?"

And those words were enough for the young man to tie all the loose ends together.

"I see..."

He smiled. It wasn't a smile of fear, but that of a hunter who finally finds prey worth the chase.

"Pleasure to meet you~"

That sensation he felt from the street, that culinary feeling that pulled him like a magnet... it emanated from her.

"Likewise."

In that moment, the fate of flavors was sealed. The encounter between Ky'lar's strongest prodigy chef against the strongest cook from another world, Melioris. A collision that would not only change the Sacred Kingdom but would accelerate the great culinary revolution that would shake the foundations of the world of Ky'lar was about to begin.