Chapter 21: A Feast in the Making
Ken stood at the edge of the village square just after dawn, arms crossed and brow furrowed as he scanned the open space where the festival stalls were beginning to take shape.
He could already hear the bustle of preparation: carpenters setting up awnings, farmers unloading fresh produce, and children chasing each other between wagons.
But Ken wasn't here to play. His stall had to be perfect.
---
He pulled out his sketched layout: a long table for prep, a low fire pit for grilling, a small clay oven for his honey cakes, and a storage bench with salted meat and dried goods. To the side, he marked off a space for his new plan: a festival sampler station, where guests could taste small bites of each dish before buying.
But he couldn't do it all alone.
---
That morning, he visited a handful of neighbors: a pair of retired seamstresses who agreed to help wrap food in cloth packets, two teenage brothers who could chop vegetables, and an older man who once worked as a blacksmith—perfect for managing the fire pit.
They all agreed, not for coin, but for food credit. A taste of Ken's cooking was enough motivation.
---
By mid-morning, Ken was deep into butchering the wild boar and goat from the day before. He carefully sectioned off the premium cuts for festival dishes, setting aside the tougher bits for stews and sausages.
The rest was salted and packed for preservation. He was especially careful with the goat—it had a tender, earthy flavor he wanted to bring out with his foraged wild garlic and herbs.
---
> [Butchering EXP +10% → 85%]
[Seasoning Sense EXP +5% → 15%]
---
As midday neared, Ken took a break to look at the final draft of his festival menu, posted on a wooden board behind his stall:
Ken's Festival Sampler
Wild Boar Skewers with Garlic-Herb Glaze
Goat Sausage on Spiced Flatbread
Plum-Glazed Fish Cuts
Honey-Crisp Cakes with Berry Syrup
Grilled Root Wraps (vegetarian option)
Beneath it, he added a notice:
> "Sampler platter available. All food wrapped for travel. Come early!"
Satisfied, he got back to work.
---
That evening, as Ken and his parents sat outside for dinner, the soft glow of oil lamps from neighboring homes gave the village a golden warmth.
"You're really leading this whole thing, huh?" his father said, taking another bite of stewed goat.
Ken smiled. "It's just food."
"It's more than food," his mother said. "It's bringing people together. That's rare."
He stared at the pot simmering beside them. Could he really pull this off?
---
Elsewhere…
In a horse-drawn cart at the edge of the village, three cloaked figures stepped down into the grass.
Elira adjusted her plain linen hood, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeves. "This is perfect."
Beside her, the city mayor's daughter, a short, curly-haired girl named Reya, smirked. "You nobles are way too excited about dirt roads and grilled meat."
"I'm excited about finding that boy," Elira said. "And seeing how good his food really is."
The knight, now wearing simple leather boots and a patched tunic, groaned. "Just remember why we're doing this. No magic. No status. And for the love of the kingdom, no titles."
Reya giggled. "Relax. We're just hungry travelers."
And with that, they entered the village—faces hidden, senses alert.
---
> KEN — STATUS (End of Chapter 21)
Level: 5
EXP: 75/100
Unspent Attribute Points: 0
Skills Unlocked:
Ingredient Prep (Lv. 2 – 20%)
Fire Control (Lv. 2 – 10%)
Seasoning Sense (Lv. 2 – 15%)
Ingredient Identification (Lv. 1 – 91%)
Basic Gardening (Lv. 1 – 43%)
Basic Trapping (Lv. 1 – 75%)
Butchering (Lv. 1 – 85%)
Meal Preservation (Lv. 1 – 70%)
Food Packaging (Lv. 1 – 60%)
Clay Crafting (Lv. 1 – 4%)
Basic Archery (Lv. 1 – 60%)
-----------------------------------------------