A Father's Duty

While Dimaria is resting, Noctis used this chance to at least repay them for letting Dimaria join their training.

He walked inside and walked to the kitchen. He then saw the cooks lazing around, lunch is right around the corner so he is curious why they aren't making food for the soldiers outside. He approached one of them and asked them.

"May I know why you are not preparing food for the soldiers outside? Lunch is right about the corner, right?" Noctis asked.

"Don't worry about it. Even if we started late, the food we create is good enough for them. We use expensive ingredients so they are okay with waiting for the food." A person said.

His words stuck a nerve to Noctis. Although he uses ingredients from the system which is the best of the best, he always tries his best to bring out everything within a certain ingredient. He wants to at least hear what the ingredients want to convey to him, do they want to be stewed, fried, or baked. He tries his best to bring out the best within the ingredients that's why just hearing that they are just using expensive and high-class ingredients like an expendable stuck a nerve to him.

"Then do you mind if I participate in cooking for the soldiers?" Noctis asked.

"Who are you even? How did you get here? And why should we let you? Do you even know how to hold a kitchen knife?" The guy asked the suspicious Noctis.

"Me? Well, I'm a guest the green family invited, so of course I would be here, dummy. Why should you let me? I'm a cook as well. And of course I know how to hold a knife, I'm a cook after all. Does that answer all of your questions?" Noctis asked the man who is speechless.

"Uh... sure you can join in cooking." Said the man. Soon they started prepping for the food they'll be making for the soldiers. Noctis was disappointed after seeing them prep their food. Today's theme is about seafood so there are lots of fish bones and other stuff.

"Can you leave the bones and scraps? Also don't toss away the broccoli stems as well as the potato skin and leave it all at the vacant station." Noctis said and the chef nodded since he is a guest of the green family, they don't want to at least antagonize with him in public.

They threw away the parts they didn't use to Noctis who just looked at it as if he's waiting for something.

'Their peak flavor should arrive soon.' Noctis thought as he looked at the wasted ingredients in front of him.

When he felt that the time is right, he immediately went to work as he put a huge pot in the fire and filled it with oil. He then grounded the tuna fish bone and the head and pulverized it with the guts and vegetable scraps before forming them into small pink meatballs and fried them.

He then put another pot into the fire and used the shellfish as the base of the soup then used the fat of the meat to complement the flavor of the soup. He then started grounding the potato skin into powder and set it aside.

"Hey, may I use your station for a bit, you're done right?" Noctis asked the man.

"Y-yes, use it as you please." He said.

Noctis then put another pot into the fire and used the broccoli stems as the final complementary sauce for the dish.

He then started taking out the meatballs in batches and he would put them in a tray before covering them so that they won't easily get cold.

Every batch that Noctis fried, he puts them into a different tray and would cover them. When he finally finished frying everything, he immediately put the condiments into the soup and the sauce to adjust their flavors to his liking.

When the shellfish soup and broccoli sauce is finally done, the soldiers came crashing down the kitchen hall and immediately went to get their food and lined up.

He then put them in display one by one in a vacant table. The soldiers were curious about the man who is watching them when they are training and now he takes out a tray that contains some food. Kian also came in and saw Noctis and was excited about eating his food once again.

When Noctis removed the covers on his tray, the strong aroma of shellfish ȧssaulted the room, overpowering other dishes. The aroma immediately attracted the tired soldiers and lined up in front of Noctis' table.

"Go, feast on it. There's still a lot in the kitchen." Noctis let the soldiers take their part unlike the staff who would put in a calculated amount so that the food will be enough for thousands of soldiers.

Noctis then started taking out all the trays and would replace the empty trays. The soldiers would sit down after taking their share and waited for their comrades before they would eat. Its a rule in the private army.

Soon, all of the soldiers were seated that even Kian got his share. The soldiers when they saw everyone seated, immediately ate the food. When the meatball entered their mouth, they were surprised.

They could were transported into the sandy beach. They could smell the sea breeze and feel it. Then in the distance, they saw a beautiful lady facing her back to them as she watched waves of the water slowly reach her. They then started approaching her and get her attention. When the girl turned around, they were able to see that the girl has a head of a tuna and were immediately jolted as they were brought back to reality.

Due to the delicious food they immediately finished their food and went to get a refill. They would then sit down and continue eating. Even Kian is not an exception.

"Commander, eat at your table, its bad manners to eat in front of the buffet table." Noctis said to Kian who is eating in front of him.

"W-why? Isn't this a table as well?" Kian asked and continued eating. The soldiers laughed seeing their commander even throwing away his dignity just to easily get a refill.

Kian, who is sitting in front of Noctis asked him.

"You are so great at cooking, did you use the ingredients in the kitchen? Is that why it tastes so great?" Kian asked which made Noctis chuckle.

"Ingredients in the kitchen? You are right they are indeed from the kitchen, but the feast I made are from kitchen scraps. The bones and the head can be ground up and pulverized with the guts. After adding vegetable bits and rolling the paste into balls, they can be deep fried in oil. Boiling the fat of the meat until it turns soft and tender, provides a perfect complement to a soup made from shellfish.

The bitterness of the guts, entices the appetite and the fierce flavor revives the vigor of a tired body.

But you also need to take in vegetables, the skin of the potato is more nutritious than the inside. Its an ideal source of energy for your hungry soldiers.

The stem of the broccoli becomes a gentle and fragrant dressing. By putting all of them together, you have a feast." Noctis said and all of the people were speechless about it. Wven the kitchen staff were astonished.

"You are fighting in a battlefield, right? I know its important to make your food taste good. But isn't exhausting your ingredients, the worst thing you can do? It doesn't matter if it only costs you hundred gold coins or it costed you a hefty thousand gold coins, you must never waste your food." Noctis continued and paused as he looked at everyone on the room.

"Every cook has a duty to make sure that every bit of their ingredients used with love. Just like loving every bit of a lady. A certain pervert taught me that." Noctis then left leaving everyone stumped on what just happened.

Noctis had already made a separate portion for Dimaria so he went outside and saw that Dimaria moved her spot under a tree shade and is in a meditating position, regulating her breathing. He then approached her and put the container filled with meatballs in front of her.

"Its lunch, now go eat and take an hour of rest after eating then repeat the training drills after resting. Don't even try using Total Concentration breathing, you'll be brain dead before you know it." What Noctis said is true. Inhaling huge amounts of oxygen would indeed let you enter a state where you get the strength that you want, but if you don't know when to breathe it out, then the massive oxygen that turned into Carbon Dioxide, which is a poison in the body, will slowly kill you.

Noctis then watched Dimaria nod and started eating as she ate the meatballs with gusto.