CHAPTER 32: DRAFTING MENU

The kitchen was lively — but strangely silent at the same time.

Lily moved with precision — slicing, whisking, flipping — completely immersed in the art she’d only just begun to learn. Alicia stood beside her, quietly prepping ingredients under her direction. Her motions were slow, almost mechanical, but she obeyed... and that alone already felt like progress.

Ariana stood a step behind, watching like a child at a magic performance. And her maid — Lena — stood like a statue next to her, observing every detail with hawk–like focus.

She wasn’t trying to learn cooking.

She was trying to analyze it.

Trying to understand what exactly had influenced Ariana’s behavior so drastically.

Even so, she couldn’t hide the subtle twitch in her nose every time the aroma of eggs and butter hit her — she might’ve been a trained assassin, but she was still human.

When the first omelette slid over the glistening fried rice and opened like a golden curtain, revealing the tender grains beneath — Ariana unconsciously reached forward as if mesmerized. Lily giggled softly.

Before long, seven plates were prepared.

One for Ariana.

One for Lena.

Five for Reena and her workers downstairs.

Lily called out toward the dining hall — voice louder than usual.

"Everyone! Lunch is ready!"

The moment the words echoed, footsteps thundered across wood flooring like a stampede. Reena’s girls practically abandoned their rulers and chalk lines mid–measurement and rushed to the kitchen — eyes shining like starving wolves.

"We were waiting for this moment!" one of them squealed before Lily could even hand the plates properly.

Within seconds — harmony.

Silence — except for spoons scraping plates, muffled moans of bliss, and occasional tears of joy.

"Boss — this is insane!" Reena declared between bites, cheeks flushed from pure delight. "Just open this damn diner already! I swear on my status — we’ll be your first daily customers!"

The girls behind her pumped their fists like a battle chant.

"For good food!"

"For good food!"

Even Lena was stunned — and Ariana caught it.

"So..." Ariana asked softly, tilting her head, "what do you think?"

Lena lowered her eyes — and bowed.

"My deepest apologies, Young Miss. I doubted your words earlier. This cuisine... it truly is unlike anything I have ever tasted. I cannot fathom how such a recipe exists. They are otherworldly."

Upstairs — leaning against the railing — I couldn’t help the smirk that curled on my lips.

"She couldn’t be more right," I muttered under my breath. "These recipes are otherworldly."

*****

Two days passed in a blink.

I drilled Lily nonstop — hamburgers, tacos, fried chicken, curry rice, cheesecake, garlic butter steak, pancakes, etc — simple dishes by Earth standards, but cataclysmic cheat-codes in this world.

The house became a construction warzone in parallel — chalk lines everywhere, sawdust piling, crates of lumber at the door, workers hammering, drilling, cutting. Reena’s team moved like a military fortress assembly line.

And by the end of the second day — the entire ground floor was transformed into a polished, high–class mini diner.

Smooth dark wood flooring. Gloss lacquered tables. A polished counter with stools. Hanging lantern–style crystal lights. Reinforced kitchen entrance. A mana-run smoke extractor. Even a chalkboard menu wall.

It looked modern.

Elegant.

Professional.

And expensive.

The total damage? About 70 gold coins — just for materials and furniture — not counting the five I idiotically paid up front.

Then add in the alchemy room project I ordered for Ariana — turning the dusty storage room into a fully functional alchemy workshop — that alone ate another 33 gold coins. Tools, mana burners, extraction trays, crystal glassware, stabilization rings... all expensive.

I slumped back into the chair — staring at the receipts like a man contemplating life.

"...damn. I really did blow half of Ariana’s ’tuition fee’ on her."

Well...

It wasn’t wasted.

An alchemy prodigy and a chef apprentice — both working under me — plus a diner ready to open.

This was an investment.

*****

Night settled like a velvet curtain.

The diner — still smelling faintly of varnish and sawdust — now felt like a war council chamber. The three of us sat around the central table: me at the head seat, Lily to my left with several scribbled parchment sheets spread before her, Alicia to my right, sitting upright like a noble at a court meeting — both of them deadly serious.

This wasn’t cooking practice.

This was business.

Lily cleared her throat, pushing a page forward.

Her voice — usually warm — now had the tone of a seasoned merchant evaluating margins.

"With this quality — I’m still convinced we could safely go silver," she argued.

Alicia nodded immediately, completely on board.

"Even I, as a princess, did not eat such food in the palace. Nobles will pay any price. Even a gold coin per serving wouldn’t be unreasonable."

I stared at them.

...these two wanted to run a five–star hotel.

Lily continued, fiery and confident:

"Boss, I’ve traveled through eight cities with caravan merchants. I’ve eaten everywhere — from noble inns to dock taverns. And bland boiled beef sells for thirty copper a plate. Mashed potatoes — three to five copper. Your food is leagues above any establishment’s food quality. Pricing it below silver coins would be a loss."

Alicia nodded firmly again, her tone dead serious:

"We’ll be drowning in profits. Our cost of ingredients is low — your menu is absurdly efficient."

Both of them looked at me like they’d already built the entire empire.

Meanwhile I just sat there.

They weren’t wrong.

I could price this like luxury.

I could bleed nobles dry and make gold pour in daily.

But—

I leaned back and sighed heavily. Then softly tapped my fingers on the table.

"...I didn’t expect this from you two."

Both froze.

"Eh?"

Confusion spread on their faces.

I didn’t stop.

"You — who have eaten scraps, lived on ration, starved — how can you talk about turning good food into a luxury only the wealthy enjoy?"

Silence.

The words hit like a spear.

Both lowered their heads — shame stirring. Even Alicia’s stoic expression cracked.

"Tasty food should be every human’s right," I said quietly. "Not something reserved for aristocrats with fat wallets."

They looked like they’d just been slapped awake.

Lily whispered, voice tiny:

"...sorry, Boss. I didn’t think about it that way."

"It’s fine," I said gently. "Just keep in mind what kind of place we’re building."

Alicia looked up, eyes slightly trembling,

"Boss... you’re benevolent. Truly."

If the academy brats heard that line, they’d probably stab themselves in disbelief.

"Alright," I clapped my hands, knocking the heavy mood away, "let’s re-evaluate. Fair prices. Reasonable prices. Not charity — we’re not bleeding gold — but not robbery either."

Lily immediately straightened, back into her careful, professional mode.

"For hamburger, Boss — flour is ten copper per kilo. Veggies about five. Beef forty-to-forty-five. Spices negligible. For one batch, we can make eight to ten burgers at cost around seventy copper total. Factor in mana stone costs, labor, building overhead, daily maintenance... and a standard ten percent markup—"

She scribbled down a number.

"A hamburger should be around seventeen coppers."

Reasonable. Affordable even for lower nobles — maybe even top commoners.

We spent the next one hour discussing each item in similar detail.

When we were done — I dipped the quill and wrote the provisional first menu:

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Menu (Draft)

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Hamburger — 17 copper

Veg Burger — 13 copper

Tacos (2 pcs) — 22 copper

Fried Chicken Plate — 27 copper

Omurice — 20 copper

Fried Rice — 17 copper

Garlic Butter Steak Bowl — 33 copper

Simple Curry Rice — 20 copper

Pancake Stack (3 pcs) — 13 copper

Cheesecake Slice — 17 copper

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