The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 21
Luciel answered lightly.
“And I told you before—I’d show you something new to taste.”
“……!”
“This is one of those things. Come on, get on.”
For a moment, Bael’s pupils wavered.
He gazed at Luciel as if lost in thought, then nodded slowly.
He grasped the saddle horn and swung one leg over.
The instant he tensed his arm to pull himself up, the horse lowered its back further.
As if reading his next movement in advance, at precisely the right moment.
Bael settled himself into the saddle.
“Direction is controlled through the flow of Mana,” Luciel said.

“……Can you really do all that?”
“You wanted to move in the direction you choose.”
Watching Bael’s skepticism, Luciel shrugged.
“There’s no law that says you can only move with your legs.”
“…….”
Bael’s eyes, sitting high in the saddle, suddenly blazed.
As if experiencing a freedom he’d forgotten for so long, he drew a deep breath, his face full of longing.
“Shall we go?”
He whispered softly to Estel.
A moment later, the scene that unfolded was remarkable.
It took less than a minute for the horse and Bael to adapt to each other.
The Mana flowing from Bael’s hands—trained through two years of Mana Control while lying in bed—was delicate and precise.
And the horse read it as naturally as breathing.
It understood the direction Bael wanted to go, the speed he desired, where he felt at ease and where discomfort lay—all of it.
Moreover, the creature seemed to sense that Bael’s legs were not free.
With each increase in pace, the horse’s movements adjusted in subtle ways.
As if balancing itself so the rider wouldn’t falter.
A wordless conversation flowed between horse and rider, and the two moved as one, freely and without hesitation, until at last they surged forward at considerable speed.
‘Wow…….’
Luciel gazed silently in wonder, her heart full of admiration.
Beneath the sunlight, Bael gleamed brilliantly.
Like silver thread caught in light, his hair shone with luster at every stroke, and in eyes that had once been coldly sharp, there burned a radiance she’d never seen before.
Like sunlight pouring through a window opened for the first time after long being shut—the luminescence of living life.
And he was smiling.
His neat lips curved naturally, and through the slightly parted opening, even teeth gleamed.
It was not a forced smile, not one of propriety, but simple joy flowing outward.
‘So this was it.’
The sight that countless game players had attempted to witness but never found.
Bael Belaon, smiling with happiness, was dazzlingly beautiful.
* * *
It was nearly evening when Bael dismounted, breathing heavily.
Having completed its task successfully, the horse went happily to the feeding trough and thrust its head in.
Bael dropped onto the grass-covered ground, gasping for breath.
The intense, electric sensation still seemed to pierce through his body.
“……I moved. I actually moved.”
He stretched both hands into the air. The rough texture of the Leather Reins lingered still on his skin.
“I ran. Quite fast, too.”
Luciel laughed softly and spoke.
“I felt the wind.”
As Bael murmured, she smiled with satisfaction.
“And?”
“I saw the sunset, felt the earth’s vibration, caught the scent of grass and the heat from the horse’s body, and…….”
As he continued speaking, he suddenly turned his head to look at Luciel.
“And what else?”
“…….”
Instead of answering, Bael gazed steadily at her face.
And I heard your laughter.
He murmured inwardly.
It was true.
Sitting atop the horse, when dozens, hundreds of forgotten senses awakened.
The most intense stimulus was not the wind, not the sunset, not the earth’s vibration, not the scent of grass or sweat running down his body or the heat brushing his skin.
It was Luciel’s laughter ringing at his ear.
A voice clear and light as water, rejoicing alongside his own joy.
And the fleeting landscape glimpsed as he looked down.
In the courtyard bathed in gold as evening descended, the bright golden hair shining brightly, and the pale green eyes deepened by the sunset’s glow.
Eyes curved beautifully in their shape.
The deep sweetness of the Chocolate she’d given him, which for reasons unknown came to mind now—that first taste that had felt like the whole world opening.
She said she’d show him new flavors.
So this was what she meant.
All of it made him truly alive.
It made his heart beat.
And for the first time in a very long while, it made him feel that being alive was joyous.
* * *
After resting briefly, Bael mounted once more.
Leaving Cain and Ayla by his side, Luciel turned her steps toward the Kitchen.
These past few days, busy with the horse, she’d entrusted Bael’s cooking to Jerome.
Jerome didn’t mind, but his eyes betrayed deep regret at not being able to observe Luciel’s cooking directly.
So today she’d decided to make it right.
A dish from the Republic of Korea, made a few times based on Mother’s description from long ago,
Waterfall Cheese Fondue Tteokbokki.
According to Mother, it was the most addictive, irresistible food in all the world, and indeed that claim had proven true.
It was a dish prioritizing taste over nutrition, but since Bael’s strength had already improved considerably, it should be fine.
Luciel was crossing the Garden toward the rear entrance to the Kitchen when she stopped.
In the center of the courtyard, which was almost always empty, the Kitchen staff stood in a line.
In their midst, with head bowed low, stood Jerome.
And across from them all stood a man observing them with a chilling gaze.
Luciel narrowed her eyes, studying the man.
He looked over fifty, with a well-groomed beard covering his jaw.
Broad-shouldered and solidly built, he was somewhat intimidating—Jerome looked small standing before him.
His rigid face was clad in a sharply pressed chef’s coat, a Gold Badge gleaming at his chest.
“……!”
The head chef—Chef Lenar.
‘I heard he went to the Estate with the Duke, but if he’s returned, that means…….’
Luciel swallowed hard.
The Duke Belaon had returned.
“This is a complete mess.”
Lenar surveyed his staff with a sharp tongue.
“You hired someone in my Kitchen without my permission?”
“…….”
“And a young girl at that? Jerome, do you have anything to say?”
“It’s just—if you saw the girl’s skills directly…….”
Crack—
Lenar’s hand cut through the air and Jerome’s cheek snapped sideways.
“You dare talk back? Do you think this is your space?”
“That’s not what I meant……!”
“Shut your mouth!”
The moment he raised his hand again, something hard blocked his fist.
“What?!”
Lenar seized his hand and yelped.
What had stopped his fist squarely was a Wooden Cutting Board.
More precisely, it was Luciel holding the board aloft in both hands.
“That hurts, you brat!”
Lenar spun around, bellowing, and glared down at Luciel with wide eyes.
“Blonde hair, tiny frame…….”
His gaze swept across her entire form, and his eyes narrowed in displeasure.
“So you’re that little thing.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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