After the commotion at Glebevel, Artoria and her party devoted themselves to restoring order to the city.
Under the king’s banner, the bandits scattered, and the monsters that had threatened the walls knelt before their might.
On the surface, the city seemed to have regained peace.
But deep in the alleys where the light didn’t reach, a more insidious enemy lurked—one that no sword could cut down.
Poverty and famine.
"…This is dire."
Kay walked through the slums with Gareth strapped to his back.
It was a far cry from the lavish squares. The streets reeked of filth, emaciated children sat listless, ribs visible beneath their skin, and the adults’ eyes were dull and vacant.
Britain’s barren soil and incessant wars had long since emptied the people’s granaries.
*Catching monsters doesn’t fill stomachs.*
Kay pulled out a strip of dried meat from his tunic and handed it to a child staring up at him.
The child snatched it and shoved it in without a second thought. He devoured it as if gasping for air, not even bothering to chew—a heartbreaking image of desperation.
Kay frowned.
Hunger wasn’t a distant concept to him; he had been feeding eight voracious eaters since he was five years old.
"Oi, Mage."
Kay approached Merlin, who was resting in the shade of a tree.
"Well, if it isn’t the royal nanny-knight. What’s up?"
Merlin feigned ignorance with a sly, mischievous grin.
"Fetch me a cauldron."
"A cauldron?"
"Yes. A massive iron one. Big enough to hold a hundred people—no, five hundred."
Merlin’s eyes went wide.
"Five hundred? What are you planning—feeding every wretch in the slums?"
"Can’t you see? Look at those kids. They’ll all starve to death if we do nothing."
Merlin scoffed inwardly.
*He might be good at cooking, but does he actually think whipping up hundreds of servings is easy? Then again, he has no experience. Even the cooks in Londinium under Uther numbered in the dozens.*
Still, he agreed readily. He figured it would be entertaining to watch Kay fail and grow frustrated.
"All right, all right. When the king’s brother asks, who am I to refuse?"
Merlin waved his staff, and a pitch-black iron cauldron the size of a house appeared in the center of the clearing.
"What about ingredients? Do you have meat?"
"Plenty. Everything we caught on the way is meat."
Kay opened the carriage’s storage compartment. Inside, preserved by magecraft, lay piles of wyvern and boar meat.
Mountains of provisions.
"Shall we begin?"
Kay tied his apron tight.
His gaze sharpened. He looked more focused than he ever did in battle against monsters—it was the piercing, determined look of a master chef.
The wood fire roared, and water in the giant cauldron began to boil.
Kay climbed onto the rim of the cauldron, gripping a huge ladle as tall as himself—a custom piece carved from an oar.
"Haah!"
Clack! Clatter!
His knife danced across the chopping board.
Fifteen years of preparing over eighty servings daily had honed his skill to a razor edge.
The tough wyvern meat was sliced into bite-sized pieces in an instant, and the boar bones were separated with a single, clean strike.
Even the Artoria sisters watching beside him were left speechless at the speed.
"As expected… your knife work is art, brother."
"When it comes to a kitchen knife, he's faster than I am with a sword."
Artoria Lancer and Artoria Alter watched in admiration.
Splash!
The trimmed meat and bones plunged into the cauldron.
Kay added pre-measured spices and then poured in his secret weapon—an entire jar of soy sauce.
As time passed, an unbelievable aroma began to spread throughout the slums.
The rich, savory scent of meat broth stung the noses of those in despair and roused their dying stomachs.
"What… is that smell?"
"Meat? It smells like meat!"
One by one, people gathered in the clearing.
Before them stood the steaming cauldron and Kay, sweat-soaked and focused, stirring the pot.
"All right, line up! No cutting in or you get no soup!"
At Kay’s command, the crowd obediently formed a line as if possessed.
He ladled steaming broth into whatever they had—bowls, cracked pitchers, and even helmets.
"Careful, it’s hot. Feed the children first."
The servings were generous—half broth, half meat.
The people’s eyes widened as they tasted the first spoonful.
This was no simple gruel. It was a soul-stirring blend of deeply simmered bone broth and the rich umami of soy sauce.
"S-so good…"
"My god, the meat just melts…"
Sobs echoed here and there.
As the most primal pain—hunger—was relieved, their hardened hearts began to melt.
Then Artoria X, helping with the distribution, whispered to Kay.
"Brother."
"What? Need another ladle?"
"No. Look… at those people."
Where Artoria X pointed stood the young men who had insulted Kay in the square yesterday, now awkwardly waiting in line.
They had come out of hunger, but when their eyes met Kay’s, they hung their heads low in shame.
"They’re the ones who mocked you. They called you a useless man who just eats up the food. Why are you giving them soup?"
Artoria X’s voice was full of resentment.
Artoria Lancer Alter, standing nearby, chimed in.
"Right. If it were me, I’d have tossed sand into their bowls. How dare they show their faces here?"
But Kay stirred the broth indifferently.
"Doesn’t matter."
"Huh?"
"They’ll see us today and never again. Why waste energy on petty grudges? If I refused to feed them just because they insulted me, I’d look even more pathetic."
Kay wiped his sweat and spoke calmly.
"And the people in front of me aren’t those who cursed me—they’re just hungry."
When the young men reached the front, he served them without a hint of hesitation, even adding extra meat to their bowls.
"Eat up. You young folk shouldn’t waste away like this."
"…!"
The young men trembled as they received their bowls.
There was no shame or scorn in his voice—only unadorned kindness.
The man they had ridiculed as incompetent was, in fact, the one saving their lives.
Overwhelmed by the sheer difference in their character, the young men's faces burned red with embarrassment.
"I-I'm sorry… so, so sorry…"
"We’ll enjoy the meal. Thank you…"
They drank the broth, tears streaming down their faces.
Others in the village murmured among themselves.
"We were wrong. He’s not just a servant."
"To make that much all alone… he’s no ordinary man."
"Look at his heart. Maybe he’s the real knight among us?"
The cold stares from the square had shifted to looks of respect and gratitude.
He wore no shining armor, but Kay, sweat-stained and smelling of meat, shone brighter than any hero.
The sisters watching him felt their hearts swell.
"Truly… brother, you’re amazing."
"When we defend people with swords, you save them with food."
Lily and Artoria looked at Kay as if falling for him all over again.
They realized something.
While they had demonstrated the king’s might, Kay was demonstrating the king’s mercy.
Even if Kay himself had acted simply because he hated the sight of hunger, he had, in effect, won the people's hearts from the very depths.
But Merlin, resting under the tree, wore a sour expression.
*…I didn’t see this coming.*
Kay had turned the situation around using his specialties—cooking and care.
The ill will had vanished, replaced by a reputation akin to that of a saint.
*How can he move people’s hearts like that?*
Merlin’s plan was cracking wide open.
Kay was not merely the Artoria sisters’ pampered companion.
He was the only one who could provide the one thing most desperately lacking in the cold land of Britain: warmth.
"Well, humans are the kind of creatures who, once kindness continues, begin to view it as a right. Even in Uther’s time, there were plenty like that. Eventually… your sincerity will become an entitlement, something people take for granted and then forget."
Knowing human nature, Merlin believed it was only a matter of time before Kay fell. The inherent malice of the people of Britain would not vanish so easily.
Yet, this day marked the beginning.
The tale of the "Knight of Cooking" began to spread through Britain, carried by the songs of minstrels.
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