This was shaping up to be the best day of his life, Chef could feel it. Therace had called what they were going to make a pie or casserole of some sort, but he knew what it really was.

They would be making a pastry.

They’d realized soon after exiting the mill that it was getting close to noon, meaning it was about time for Chef to reward his workers with lunch. If they had ever deserved to be treated, then today was it. But as they walked away from the mill, the father had made an excellent recommendation.

“Since we’re short on time, how about we use the flour to make a lunch dish together?”

The goblin nodded so emphatically that his skull helmet nearly fell off.

With the amount of grain in the fields and those already reaped, Chef was feeling more comfortable with using flour now. Besides, he’d probably waste more of it trying to figure out these recipes from scratch than they’d use feeding these people. All in all, it was a good plan.

It had also just been far too long since he’d gotten to cook with the father. But Chef wouldn’t admit to that playing a part in his decision. No, that couldn’t have been part of it at all.

So, the two of them made some more fresh flour, filled up some sacks with it, and headed over to Therace’s house. The man had an impressive kitchen by human standards, more than large enough to feed a few families at once. Still, it wouldn’t be big enough for their oven needs.

It would, however, be big enough to prepare the ingredients. It wouldn’t take long to prepare everything, but Chef also needed to offload some of what he brought in the cauldron. The plan was to take the cauldron to the industrial oven along with a few pans that Therace had. They’d then turn that kiln area into an outdoor kitchen of sorts.

The recipe itself was simple: cook rabbit with good sauce and stock and then put it in a casserole. Well, any recipe sounded easy if shortened to that degree, but Chef really couldn’t help but marvel at the simplicity of the design. It only took a few minutes to prepare the meat, throwing some oil on it before heating it until the sides browned.

They then took the meat from the oil, placing it in the oven pan before frying up some vegetables and flour. He sprinkled in some salt here and a little pepper there, why he even threw in some drops of honey at the father’s request.

That done, they poured the fried mixture over the rabbit meat in the pan and threw it into the enormous oven. After they’d done this with enough pans to fill half of the oven, it was time for the main event: the casserole itself.

Chef paid attention every step of the way, never letting his eyes wander from the miracle before him. Therace kept asking for ingredients as they went and, not having some of them, they had to improvise.

The dough was being mixed in the cauldron so they could make enough at once. An entire sack of flour went in first, then he summoned cream and milk directly into it. The magic of Stir could let them test the consistency throughout the additions, and the father knew what he was looking for.

“We’re missing something.”

Chef could already tell that this dough was far superior to any he’d made before, but if the father said it was substandard then it was. It was that simple. Chef also had a high degree of confidence in his skills, though, thanks to how frequently they gave him direction.

The dairy he once thought useless was proving to be critical for pastry making. It was thanks to the magic of summoning honey that he was able to taste sweets for the first time. His magic had been guiding him on his culinary journey all along. By now, he believed with all his heart that it wouldn’t let him down.

Chef summoned an egg and held it out to the father with a questioning and hopeful look on his face. It was hidden behind a hollowed-out boar’s head, but the feeling seemed to get through nonetheless.

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“This might be it. Do you have any more?”

Eggs appeared one after another, handed off as quickly as they could be cracked. Once ten found their way into the mixture, the father held out a hand for him to stop.

“It’s nearly perfect. With cream and milk instead of butter, I don’t think we can make it any better than this. But next time, we’ll figure out how to make butter and make it even better.”

Chef beamed beneath his disguise. It already looked perfect to him, but he had learned long ago that even the most delicious dish could be made even more so. It was what drove him after all. But not having to do it alone was what really pulled the smile out of him.

He’d never have been this successful without the father. How long would it have taken him to figure out what consistency was correct? Two tries? Five? No, with Chef’s track record he’d waste days on inferior products that wasted time and flour before finally figuring out what worked. He might even have settled for something half as good as what they made here, wrongfully thinking himself successful.

But now, they just had to lay the dough out on a surface to build the shape. If it was a circle, it was a pie. If it was a rectangle, it was a casserole. That didn’t feel right to Chef, but he didn’t know enough to argue with the best cook he knew.

For this part they needed counter space, forcing them to carry the cauldron back to the house. Once there, they made a number of pie shapes with all the dough they made. Therace said they’d have to wait for the bread to cool and harden, but Chef had an idea.

His spell wasn’t called “Add Heat.” It was called “Set Temperature.” He’d always used it to make things go up above ambient temperature or back down to it, but he’d never really tried to make something cold. Reaching out with the magic soon revealed this to be easily within his capabilities.

Slowly, Chef decreased the temperature of one pie until it began to firm up more quickly.

“How about this? Does this work?”

Therace looked at him with a surprised half smile before looking back at the crust and coughing.

“Hmmm. Yes, this will speed things along.”

They finished with the crust well before the rabbit was done, but Chef used the down time to make more flour. He would have preferred learning about butter instead, but the father told him one of them had to keep an eye on the pie crusts and baking rabbits. When he’d been told how long it would take, Chef immediately excused himself.

A few hours passed like this before an obviously hungry villager came to tell Chef that the food was almost ready. Therace had told him beforehand that they’d need to drop the temperature of the oven about halfway through, but Chef hadn’t been over there since doing so for the man. Part of him worried that he’d miss the opportunity to see the pies be assembled.

It was a needless concern. The father, kind and caring as he was, waited for Chef to arrive. The paragon of humanity even let Chef have the honors, pulling the pans out of the oven and ladling their insides into the crust.

The smell was incredible, and it didn’t take long for Chef to feel proud of his creation. At the same time, he started to feel strangely jealous of these people. This was sure to be one of his best creations yet, but he wasn’t eating any. Sure, he’d made this for them, but they couldn’t fault him if he decided to eat some. Right?

Once everyone had some pie to share, Chef assembled the last two for himself.

“The ones who didn’t make it in time will go without today.”

With those words said, he turned around to show them his back, tilted his mask off, and began devouring the pies. The skill he’d gained from the rabbit seemed to let him open his mouth impossibly wide, fitting an entire pie within easily. The flavor hit him immediately.

He was right; it was delicious. Easily within the five best meals Chef had ever had. And thanks to the miracle of the mill, all of these ingredients were things he had plenty of. He could make more tomorrow and the day after that and so on. Soon he could even use butter instead of their substitute, making this pie even more delicious.

As Chef chewed the second pie, lost in bliss, he nearly missed the three people entering the town from the distant entrance. They were less than four hundred goblin feet away, close enough by far for him to make out their features. He didn’t care much for the flowing robes that made up the bulk of their attire, but some things couldn’t be missed.

All three were armed with weapons. All three had some kind of armor concealed under their robes. Any of the three could kill him easily. His instincts rang out in alarm as the three stood frozen at the town entrance, looking at him.

Human[???]

Human[???]

Human[???]

All four moved at once.