Yachi looked down at the piping hot bowl of food cautiously. It was a simple meal. Pieces of chicken shredded up and placed within a stew of mouth-watering porridge. It was a meal that was available at any roadside shops, even in these rural parts.

Yet, the young girl was unable to take her eyes off the gorgeously prepared meal. The thick aroma of herbal chicken tickled her nostrils, sending her mind on a trip down memory lane. The syrupy texture of the porridge seemed to mirror sweet nectar, making the sight even more mouth-watering.

However, Yachi didn’t immediately jump into the meal like Roan thought she would. She sat silently for five minutes, glaring at the dish while controlling her urge.

“Is it poisoned? Or is it drugged to make me weaker? No, that doesn’t make sense. If that magician wanted to kidnap me when I’m weaker, he wouldn’t have bothered to heal me.”

Yachi couldn’t trust Roan yet, so she had her misgivings about diving into a dish prepared by the foreign magician. After what the villagers had done to her, Yachi couldn’t trust anyone, let alone a magician who appeared out of nowhere.

“But… Not eating it would be a waste. Also, I haven’t eaten in days...” Yachi’s rational and famished mind continued to fight within her consciousness.

“I-I… Let’s just take the chance! If this will be my last meal, so be it!!!”

In the end, Yachi’s stomach won. The starving girl raised the metal spoon and took one big mouthful of the chicken porridge. And that one mouthful… changed Yachi’s world forever.

“W-What is this?!”

The first thing that Yachi felt was the soft tingle on her tongue. Herbs and spices, flavours that she’d never tasted before, dominated her virgin mouth. The dense aroma that she’d whiffed earlier on was now directly pushing through her nostrils and directly attacking her senses. And that’s just the beginning.

Soft grains of rice, seasoned with rich chicken and fish stock, made the porridge far superior to that of a plain one. Yachi felt that a bit of the land and ocean joined together in matrimonial bliss within the confines of her mouth. The chicken was extraordinarily tender, and its richness could make a mogul weep in inferiority.

It was by far… the best dish that Yachi had ever tasted.

“How is this so delicious?!” Yachi couldn’t believe her senses.

Today had been just a box full of surprises. When Yachi was starving to death all alone, a magician came and brought her back to full health. When she awoke, that very same magician was staring at her panties with a perverted look on his face. And finally, he left behind a delicious meal that seemed suitable for the dining tables of Gods.

In no time at all, Yachi devoured the chicken porridge, not even leaving a single grain. At that moment, the porridge was her holy elixir. There was no way that she’s going to leave a single drop of it.

“Soooo satisfying!!!” Yachi exclaimed with her face unconsciously breaking out into a smile.

“That magician… Who is he? He saved my life, repaired my home and even provided me with this meal…”

Now that her stomach was full, Yachi had the free time to think. When she just awoke, Yachi was jumpy and delirious. She had a vague understanding of the world around her. She couldn’t fathom the unknown man who had entered her reclusive hut unannounced.

“That magician… Doesn’t look like someone from our region. Also, no one in our village uses magic, so why would he come here?”

The more that she thought about Roan, the more questions that Yachi had about him. The man was obviously a powerful man given how easily he treated her and changed her slum of a house into a habitable one. If Roan wanted to, he could easily kill or kidnap her. So why was he treating her so well?

“Arghhh! I don’t understand!” Yachi rubbed her head and questioned her own sanity.

“Whatever! He said that he’s going to return! I’ll just ask him then!”

And thus, Yachi waited. Since she couldn’t understand anything, all she could do was wait for the source of her confusion to return.

Hours passed…

The heat from the sun slowly subsided away, and the chill of night was fast approaching. No one came close to Yachi’s hut, so there weren’t many disturbances other than the occasional rat squeaks and bird chirps. And just when the sun was about to touch the horizon, someone knocked on Yachi’s door.

“It’s me. I’m coming in.”

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Roan informed the girl from outside. After a brief second’s pause to ensure that Yachi got the message, Roan opened the door firmly.

Immediately after he’d entered, Yachi tensed up and straightened her shoulders while she knelt on the bed. She felt that the man was an enigma. At first, Yachi thought that he was a pervert that stole women’s underwear for sport and had come to defile her. Yet, at this moment, the young girl couldn’t help but be awed by the man.

Roan was still in his disguised appearance, but even transformation magic couldn’t hide his regal atmosphere. He tried to make a comfortable face, but Yachi’s innate instincts could tell… that man standing before her was capable of vapourising her with the snap of his fingers. It was as if… she was a duck staring a hunter in the eyes.

“How are you feeling now?” Roan broke the ice as he summoned a wooden chair from his pocket dimension.

“I-I’m fine...”

“That’s good. Was the chicken porridge good?”

“I-It was...”

“That’s a relief. I’m glad that you liked it.”

Roan continued with the small talk, ignoring the elephant in the room for the moment. On the other hand, Yachi was fidgeting on the bed, not knowing how to begin her questioning. For the past few hours, Yachi had imagined herself confronting Roan multiple times. Yachi thought that she could cut right to the chase and ascertain Roan’s objectives immediately. Unfortunately, the Magic God took the initiative away from her too quickly.

“E-Ermmm! I-I w-want to ask-...!”

“I know,” Roan raised his right hand, stopping Yachi in her tracks. “I know that you have questions, but let’s talk over dinner, shall we? I’m famished.”

“W-What?”

“Don’t worry. Just stay where you are.”

Roan smiled and clapped his hands twice. All of a sudden, a magic circle appeared in between the Magic God and the frightened young girl. An ornate red table, decorated tints of gold by its sides, arose from the summoned magic circle within two seconds. On it, there were five main dishes with two ceramic plates on the far ends of the table.

Yachi dropped her jaw, unable to comprehend what had just happened in her room. The table itself looked like it was meant for a king, let alone the scrumptious dishes that came with them.

“There’s cream of mushroom soup, grilled asparagus salad, stuffed wild boar, teriyaki chicken and wild fruits. I would have brought seafood, but your village is awfully far away from the ocean. All I could do was source what was available.”

“Y-You… made all of these?”

“Not exactly. I got one of my summons to cook the food. I’m good at magic, not cooking.”

The Magic God proudly boasted as he reached for the crystal goblet in front of him. “Ah, but no wine for you. If I’m not wrong you’re only fifteen, right? I wouldn’t want to be arrested for giving drinks to a minor.”

“H-How did you k-know my age?”

“Hardly a challenge. I was the one that brought you back to life, remember? A simple magic scan and I can read everything from your age to your expected lifespan.” Roan explained further while sipping on his goblet of wine.

“Have a bite. We have all the time in the world to discuss what you want to know.”

Roan was calm and in no hurry to rush their conversation. He sliced open the stuffed wild boar that was cooked to perfection and placed some on Yachi’s plate. Following that, Roan placed a big cut on his own plate, ready to dig in like the glutton he was.

The young girl paused. She didn’t know what to do in this situation. The random magician that saved her life was now treating her to a meal that would make aristocrats cry in jealousy. Also, what the hell was that magic? None of the books that she’d read depicted magicians having those kinds of abilities.

‘Arghhh!!! To hell with it! That porridge was delicious, so this must be even more so!’

In the end, Yachi decided to throw caution into the wind. She picked up the exquisite cutlery and took one big bite of the stuffed wild boar cut on her plate. And well...

“...”

With that one bite… Yachi’s universe changed. The succulent flavour of the pork touched her tongue like an angel’s blessing. The fatty oil swirled within her mouth as the muscles of a super athlete seemed to overwhelm her small mouth. But… before Yachi lost to the mighty meat, the sweet, restrained flavour of the raspberry sauce balanced it out, giving the dominant position back to the weakened girl.

One bite passed, and a new flavour profile hit Yachi’s senses. Another one followed, and another, and another… Until eventually… Yachi had finished the entire plate.

“Ah...”

“Hehe, looks like you enjoyed the wild boar. Looks like it was a good idea to catch it.”

“T-That...”

Yachi blushed and stared at her feet when she realised that she was indulging in her meal the entire time. Roan didn’t mind her transgression though and just smiled happily at her abashed face.

‘The way to a maiden’s heart is through their stomach. It was something my seniors at the library used to say. I’m glad I didn’t forget their advice.’

Although Roan wasn’t trying to woo Yachi as a potential romantic partner, the logic still applies. If he wanted Yachi to become his disciple willingly, Roan had to show her that the best place for her, was by his side. If it meant cooking for her every day, Roan would be more than willing. After all, it was his summon that did all the work.

“Try the other dishes as well. The teriyaki chicken happens to be one of my favourites.” Roan recommended.

Just like that, Yachi’s desire to question Roan had been postponed. As Roan recommended, the teriyaki chicken did wonders for the young girl’s taste buds. So did the other dishes as well. The cream of mushroom soup made her feel invigorated while the grilled asparagus salad whetted her appetite. To top it all off, she had the sweetest fruits that she’d ever had as dessert.

In a mere fifteen minutes, the table had been cleaned up with barely any scraps remaining. Roan was stunned by the young girl’s vicarious appetite but did nothing to stop her. After Roan got his fill, he sat there patiently, swirling his cup of wine as he observed the girl stuffing her face with food.

“A-Ah… I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to… e-eat all your food...”

“Don’t fret, I prepared all of these for you anyway,” Roan replied the nervous girl with a smile. “Are you still hungry? If so, I can find some more food for you to enjoy.”

“T-There’s no need for t-that! Y-You’ve fed m-me plenty!”

“Is that so? Haha, okay. I’ll take your word for it.”

As Roan chuckled, an awkward silence descended upon the room. Yachi was still hungover from the delicious food that she’d just received and didn’t know how to bring up her questions. It seemed rude to demand answers from a benefactor that just fed her the most heavenly meal that she’d ever received.

And Roan knew that. Thus, he started the conversation: “Tell me, girl. What’s your name?”

“N-Name?”

“Yes, name. You have one of those, don’t you?” Roan took one sip of his wine. “Isn’t it tragic that I’d saved someone and they don’t even want to tell me their name?”

“... Y-Yachi. M-My name is Yachi, S-Sir M-Magician.”

“Yachi? That’s a nice name. And don’t call me magician. My name is Roan. Roan Erymneus.”

“S-Sir R-Roan?”

“Just Roan would suffice. Although I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to call me by another name.”

“W-What… W-What do you mean?”

Roan placed his goblet down and stared the girl right in the eye. It was the first time that both of them had locked gazes, and it sent an electric shock down the young girl’s spine. She was powerless against those eyes, and yet… she felt an odd sense of familiarity. As if those eyes were able to protect her against any form of danger.

Yes… It was the eyes of someone who wanted to protect her with everything that he had. It was... the eyes of a father looking at their daughter. Yachi had seen it once before, and she’d never expected to see it again.

“Yachi… Become my disciple.”