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    <b>[Location: Leoncrest Castle - Tower 1]</b>


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    [Date: October 25, y. 485 of the Fourth Age]</b>


    Time continued to turn, and the empty halls seemed to grow ever more worrisome and dark. Zeke wasn''t the sort of person to jump at shadows, but he also wasn''t the sort of person to just ignore a threat, and what Adrian had told him was quite worrisome, indeed.


    Since learning about the possible threats against his family, Zeke had been spending his spare time exploring the castle, mapping out escape routes and hiding spots. He''d even begun carrying a small knife in his boot - just in case.


    Not that he was scared, exactly. More like... prepared.


    He''d also managed to sneak into the old Scribes of Steel meeting room that Adrian had mentioned. The door had been locked, but Zeke had picked up a thing or two from Ralph about getting into places he wasn''t supposed to be.


    The room had been mostly empty, just dusty shelves and tables, but he''d found an old tome hidden behind a loose stone in the wall. He hadn''t had time to examine it thoroughly yet, but he planned to take it to Adrian soon.


    Ralph was certainly no help with all the mysterious goings-on. Zeke flopped back on his bed, five days after the conversation with Adrian, as Ralph entered the room for the evening.


    "Oh, you have no idea what I just had to do," Ralph groaned and threw himself onto his own bed. "I just had to scrub all the desks in that classroom. Every. Single. One. Do you have any idea how much gunk there is underneath some of those desks? The bottom of the seats, under the lids... Bleh!"


    "I think I''ve seen you picking your nose in that class a few times," Zeke commented wryly. "Might you be one of the contributors?"


    "What? You have no-" Ralph snapped, then paused. "Wait. You''re not even in that class with me."


    Zeke just shrugged and laughed, and Ralph threw a pillow at him. They both sighed, when suddenly a knock came at the door.


    "Door''s open!" Zeke called out. A moment later, it popped open, and Elise poked her head inside.


    "Mind if I come in?"


    "Sure," Zeke shrugged. "It''s only half an hour until curfew, though. Wouldn''t want you to get stuck here."


    "Oh, I''m not staying," Elise shook her head. "I just wanted to invite you guys to come with me to something. There''s a cooking class happening over in Tower 6, and I thought you might find it fun."


    "A cooking class?" Ralph snorted. "Nah, count me out. I don''t need to be doing servant stuff."


    "Zeke?" She glanced over at Zeke, who frowned.


    "Ah, half an hour until curfew?" He asked, pointedly.


    "Oh, don''t worry about that," she shook her head, and held out a pass. "The professor in charge of it is giving out these things. They''ll protect you from the gargoyles. Professors have been handing them out left and right through the break."


    "Really?" Zeke frowned and took the pass from her. It clearly read: Good for the night of October 25th, and will protect the bearer from an untimely death at the hands of the Guard-goyles, provided that they are either on their way to the cooking class, or on the way back to their dorms, without making unnecessary detours or otherwise taking advantage of..."


    Ralph snatched the note out of his hand and read it quickly, then handed it back. "So what exactly do they not want us students doing at night? They really go out of their way to make sure we know that we can''t be out and about."


    "I can actually answer that," Elise shrugged. "A lot of black magic can only be accomplished at night. They used to not have a curfew at all, but students were doing all sorts of rituals and things.


    There was actually an incident where a budding necromancer accidentally summoned an army of skeletons that almost destroyed the castle. They started enforcing the curfew at 10:00, but some rituals can be done the moment that the sun goes down, so then they had to bump it back even more..."


    "So a few bad apples ruined it for all of us," Ralph scowled.


    "Something like that, yeah," Elise shrugged. "So, Zeke, you coming?"


    A cooking class wasn''t exactly what Zeke had planned for his evening. He''d been hoping to review some of the sword forms Victoria had taught him, or maybe take another look at that book he''d found.


    But there was something in Elise''s expression - a mixture of hope and nervousness - that made him reconsider.


    Besides, wandering the castle after dark with an official pass? That could be useful knowledge for later.


    "Sure!" Zeke grinned, hopping off his bed. "Let''s give it a whirl."


    Elise smiled, clearly relieved, and the two of them left the room and started down the stairs. All around them, a handful of people started trickling back into their rooms, not wanting to get caught outside.


    Then, as curfew hit, and they strode through the main halls of the Academy, Zeke heard a rumble as the very stones came to life.


    All around them, windows swung open, and gargoyles slowly climbed inside. They were huge and hulking, just like before, and several of them turned to look at the two students.


    Instantly, they spread their wings and stalked toward the two, growling and snarling.


    "Stop!"


    "We have a pass!" Zeke whipped out his pass and held it out. It flared with protective magic, and the gargoyles grumbled and came to a stop.


    "Hrumph. No tasty students tonight."


    "Come on," another one grunted. "Check gardens. Almost caught one there, last night."


    The gargoyles huffed and walked off, and Zeke felt a sign of relief. Elise beamed, and they struck off down the hall once more.


    Here and there, they had to stop to show off their pass, but they soon enough came to Tower 6, and made their way up to the immense kitchen that served as one of the culinary classrooms.


    "This is amazing," Zeke whispered to Elise as they entered. "I''ve never actually seen the castle kitchens before."


    "You''ve never been in a kitchen?" Elise asked, sounding shocked.


    "Well, not to cook anything," Zeke admitted. "Just to steal cookies when the cook wasn''t looking."


    Elise laughed. "Sounds about right for a noble."


    The room was really quite impressive. It was huge, with over a dozen ovens already heated and crackling.


    A workstation stood next to each one, while a professor at the front of the room turned to look at them entering.


    "Ah, welcome! Looks like you made it past the gargoyles?" The woman was younger, and had vibrant hair that gleamed in the light. Zeke wondered if she was another upper-level student, putting on a class for whatever her field of study happened to be. "They''re so creepy, I think."


    Zeke frowned and glanced over at Elise. He wondered if, perhaps, part of the reason that the class had been scheduled at night was simply to give all the students a bit of a taste of what they would be looking at if, indeed, they tried to slip out at night.


    Curiosity could be a powerful thing, and letting people see the gargoyles up close would likely prove to be quite the deterrent.


    "Yup, we made it!" Zeke nodded. He glanced around, and found two other students standing at another workstation. "What''s this here class going to look like?"


    "If you don''t mind, I''m going to wait for just a few more minutes to see if anyone else shows up," the woman smiled. "Then we''ll get down to business!"


    While they waited, Zeke examined the kitchen equipment with curiosity. He''d never paid much attention to how food was prepared - it just appeared when he was hungry.


    But now, looking at all the tools and ingredients, he felt a strange sense of excitement. This was something entirely new to learn.


    "Have you ever made bread before?" he asked Elise.


    "Of course," she replied. "Back home, we baked fresh bread every other day. My mother taught me when I was just six years old."


    "Well, I''ve never made anything more complicated than a mud pie," Zeke admitted with a grin. "So don''t laugh too hard when I mess this up."


    "Don''t worry," Elise smiled. "I''ll help you."


    Zeke wasn''t sure if anyone else was going to show up, but within ten minutes, the room was packed. He and Elise managed to snag a workstation close to the front of the room, but by the time everyone was there, there were no more desks available.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The professor seemed surprised, but nonplussed.


    "Alright! This is great!" She clapped her hands. "Welcome to this meeting, I hope you''re all feeling great tonight. My name is Ericka de''Burgson, and I''m here to talk to you about the joys of cooking. Most nobles see it as little more than a servant''s task, but it''s really much more than that."


    She launched into a brief introduction, which Zeke frankly thought was rather unnecessary, given that everyone had already showed up and obviously didn''t need to be convinced. Finally, she shrugged.


    "Alright! For this first class, we''re going to be baking bread. Those of you at a workstation will go first, and then anyone who doesn''t have one will fill in as stations become available.


    Assuming that there''s a demand for it, we''ll meet in a larger room, next time," she clapped her hands in what seemed to Zeke to be slight over-excitement, then gestured at their tables. "Inside the cabinets underneath your cabinets, you''ll find some ingredients, bowls, and utensils. Start pulling them all out, and set them up like I have them up here!"


    Zeke nodded and followed along as best he could. Elise was able to quickly take everything out, she seemed to have a much better idea of how to set up a kitchen than he did.


    Which, all things considered, made sense, since she had grown up as a commoner.


    "So what goes first?" Zeke asked, looking at the array of ingredients.


    "We''ll start with the starter," Elise explained, reaching for a small container. "It''s a mixture of flour and water that''s been fermenting. That''s what makes the bread rise and gives it flavor."


    "It smells... interesting," Zeke commented, wrinkling his nose at the sour scent.


    "Wait until you taste the finished bread," Elise promised. "It''s worth it."


    In any case, they soon started in, mixing a bit of a gloppy paste (the "starter") with some water and sugar, and then adding some salt and flour. When it was all said and done, they had a rather lumpy blob of dough, which Zeke began to knead over and over and over.


    "You''re really going to want to work at it!" Ericka called out. "Actually, everyone who''s kneading, why don''t you move away from your workstations, and let the people who haven''t had a chance yet take a go?"


    Zeke nodded, and moved the bowl to the middle of the classroom. There were a few tables there, which were small enough that they wouldn''t have worked to actually make the bread, but which worked well enough for just kneading.


    Sweat broke out on his forehead, and he drew in a deep breath.


    "Tiring already?" Elise taunted him. "My mother used to be able to bake six loaves of bread a day."


    "Really?" Zeke grinned, accepting the challenge. "Well, just watch this."


    He attacked the dough with renewed vigor, pushing and folding it with determination. His arms started to burn after a few minutes, but he wasn''t about to give up.


    This might just be bread dough, but it was also a test of endurance - something he''d been working on every day with Victoria.


    After about five minutes of intense kneading, though, even Zeke had to admit the task was more tiring than he''d expected. Without missing a beat in his rhythm, he whispered under his breath, "Activate Endurance."


    <b>「?????????????????? ???????????? ??????????????????」


    </b>


    <b>【A soft golden glow spreads through your muscles】


    </b>


    <b>【Physical stamina increased by 40%】</b>


    <b>


    【Duration: 1 hour】</b>


    A warm energy flowed through his arms, easing the burn without removing it completely. Zeke continued kneading with a satisfied smile.


    Elise laughed and sat down. "Did you really just activate an Emblem to help you knead bread?"


    "A knight uses every tool at his disposal," Zeke replied with mock seriousness. "Even against fearsome dough monsters."


    "You''re ridiculous," Elise said, but she was smiling.


    Zeke continued working the dough, finding a certain satisfaction in the rhythmic motion. It was tedious work, but there was something almost meditative about it.


    He was quite surprised by the time that Ericka finally walked over and told him that it was good to go.


    "Perfect!" She nodded. "Now, just let it sit there for a little bit. We''ll need to let it rise for about an hour."


    "How about a minute?" Elise asked.


    "Well..."


    Elise snapped her fingers, and the lump of dough began to grow in front of Zeke''s eyes. His jaw dropped, and Erika blinked in surprise.


    "You... ah... you can control time?"


    "Only when baking things," Elise muttered. Sweat broke out on her forehead. The minute passed slowly, and when it was done, the loaf had more than doubled in size. Erika shrugged, and nodded.


    "Alright, then. Knead it again, then shape it and get it into the oven."


    She walked on, and Zeke turned to Elise with wide eyes.


    "That was amazing! Why didn''t you tell me you could do that?"


    "It''s not exactly an impressive magic," Elise said with a self-conscious shrug. "Most of the mages here can shoot fireballs or levitate objects. I can make bread rise faster."


    "Are you kidding? That''s incredible!" Zeke insisted. "Think about it - in a siege, when food is scarce, you could help feed an entire castle. That''s not just impressive, it''s life-saving."


    Elise looked at him with surprise, then smiled. "I never thought about it like that."


    Zeke started kneading the dough again, releasing a small from the dough that was equally sour and disgusting, as well as actually quite pleasant. When he had finished, Elise had brought over a baking pan, and he handed the dough off to her.


    With expert hands, she tore the dough into strips, rolled it out into long strands, braided it together, and then lay it across the baking pan carefully.


    "Want to try a bit of braiding?" she asked, setting aside a portion of the dough.


    "Sure," Zeke said, watching carefully as she demonstrated. His first attempt was clumsy, the strands uneven and the braid loose, but Elise nodded encouragingly.


    "Not bad for a first try," she said. "Here, like this."


    She guided his hands, showing him how to roll the dough evenly and braid it tightly. With her help, his second attempt looked much better.


    "You''re a natural," she said, placing both braids on the baking pan.


    A moment later, it was in the oven, and she sat back down next to him.


    "Twenty minutes, and we''ll have freshly-baked bread for the taking."


    Zeke whistled and shook his head. "How''d you do that? The speeding up the rise time?"


    "It was one of the random things that I was able to do which convinced me to seek admission into the academy. I learned, naturally, to speed up the speed at which dough rises, or I could will plants to grow faster, that sort of thing.


    I also learned to disguise myself, which is..." she lowered her voice. "How I was able to hide us from the gargoyles. Most other students my age can''t even begin to do stuff like that."


    "Interesting," Zeke frowned. "And you don''t know how you do it?"


    "That pretty much sums it up," she answered. "Ask a pianist how they play the piano, and they won''t be able to give you an answer, because they just do it.


    I''m terrible when it comes to magical theory and things, and I''m not all that great at learning new spells, but I''m pretty decent at the few things that I do know how to do, simply because I learned how to do them back when I was learning how to do everything."


    "Huh," Zeke scratched the back of his neck. "Good to know."


    While they waited for the bread to bake, Zeke found himself enjoying the atmosphere of the kitchen. The warm air, the rich smells, the hum of conversation - it was nothing like the austere training grounds or the hushed library.


    There was something homey about it that reminded him of evenings spent in House Godfrey''s great hall when he was very young, before he understood what it meant to be a noble.


    "You know, I never thought I''d enjoy something like this," he admitted to Elise. "Baking bread seems so... ordinary."


    "Sometimes ordinary things are the most satisfying," Elise replied. "Back home, the best part of the day was often sitting down to a meal we''d all helped prepare. No fancy servants, no protocols - just good food with family."


    Zeke nodded thoughtfully. His childhood had been very different, filled with lessons and expectations, always with servants hovering nearby.


    Even meals had been formal affairs, with his father lecturing them on duty and honor between courses.


    Only his adventures with Artax had given him any taste of normalcy - sneaking out to fish in the river or exploring the forest beyond their estate. Those had been his happiest memories.


    The bread soon came out of the oven, and Elise cut off a section of it for him. The aroma was intoxicating, rich and yeasty.


    Zeke took a bite and nearly groaned aloud. It tasted beyond amazing, warm and chewy with a complex, tangy flavor he''d never experienced in the fine white bread served at noble tables.


    "This is incredible," he said, taking another bite. "I can''t believe we made this."


    "See? Ordinary magic," Elise said, smiling as she enjoyed her own piece.


    Several other students cast envious looks in their direction, and he winced in sympathy. The simple pleasure of eating something he''d made with his own hands was surprisingly powerful.


    "Well, I''d say that the two of you had a productive night," Ericka walked over to them, regarding the loaf of bread with some admiration. "You''re a commoner?" She addressed Elise.


    "Is that a problem?" Elise suddenly seemed to shrink back.


    "No, not at all! I''m currently studying food theory as a minor, and I''d honestly love to pick your brain over some of these techniques," she answered. "Will you be back for the next class?"


    "Next class?" Zeke turned to look at her.


    "Yeah..." Elise winced. "I... I maybe should have told you that this is actually a cooking club." Zeke laughed and shook his head, and Elise shrugged. "Yes, I''ll be back, at least."


    "Great! I''ll see you then."


    Ericka moved on, and Elise shrugged and climbed to her feet. Zeke followed, carefully wrapping the remaining bread in a cloth to take back to the dorm.


    Ralph might make fun of him for baking, but he''d bet his roommate would change his tune once he tasted this.


    They quickly walked out into the hall. There, Elise paused, then sighed.


    "Well... We have different routes back to our dorms, and these passes will only protect us as long as we''re walking along that route."


    "We can stand here and talk for a bit," Zeke suggested.


    "Yeah!" Elise brightened. "That''s true."


    "So..." Zeke raised an eyebrow. "You''re trying to get me to join a cooking class."


    "Not trying to get you to join. Trying to get you to see the beauty in cooking things," she sighed. "I don''t know. When I heard about it... It just seemed like a good chance to rekindle some of the love of the fire and of the earth that I had, back when I was living on the farm.


    I love this Academy, don''t get me wrong, but I''ll always pine for home, you know?"


    "Yeah, I know," Zeke flashed a small smile at her. "So this really means a lot to you, then?"


    "It does," she nodded. "It''s one of the few places here where I don''t feel... out of place. Where being a commoner is actually an advantage."


    Zeke thought about that for a moment. He''d never considered how difficult it must be for Elise, surrounded by nobles who had grown up with every advantage.


    For him, struggling to catch up in combat and aura control was challenging, but at least he understood the social rules. For her, every day must be a navigation through unfamiliar territory.


    "Then count me in," Zeke decided with a grin. "I''d love to do it with you, if it really means that much. Besides, this bread is amazing. I want to learn what else we can make."


    "Really?" Elise''s face lit up. "You''re not worried about what the other nobles will think? Ralph seemed pretty clear about it being ''servant stuff.''"


    "Ralph''s an idiot sometimes," Zeke said with a laugh. "And I don''t care what anyone thinks. If they want to mock me for learning a useful skill, that''s their loss. They''ll change their tune when they''re hungry and I''m the only one who can make food."


    "Great!" she beamed. "They haven''t set a date for the next class, they wanted to see just how many people would be interested, but... I''ll let you know!"


    "Looking forward to it," Zeke said. He hesitated, then added, "And Elise? Thanks for inviting me. I had more fun than I expected."


    Her smile grew even brighter. "Me too."


    With a wave, she turned and scampered off down the corridor. Zeke watched her go, then started back down through the halls toward the dorms, carefully showing his pass to each gargoyle he encountered.


    Cooking was something that he had absolutely no experience with, whatsoever. He had always had servants to take care of it wherever he had been.


    The closest he had ever come was setting out a picnic to entertain women, but even then, it had mostly been done by the servants.


    But tonight had been different. There was something deeply satisfying about creating something with his own hands - something that wasn''t about combat or aura control or noble politics.


    Just simple, honest work that resulted in something delicious.


    Zeke, the baker. His father would probably raise an eyebrow, and the other nobles might snicker. But Artax would understand.


    His brother had always appreciated the simple things in life, the experiences that connected people rather than divided them by rank.


    As he made his way back to his room, bread tucked carefully under his arm, Zeke felt a lightness in his spirit that had been missing since his conversation with Adrian.


    Yes, there might be threats lurking in the shadows. Yes, the second Trial was approaching. But tonight had been a reminder that not everything had to be about danger and duty.


    Sometimes, the most rewarding challenges were the ones you never expected.


    <b>[Scene Close]</b>


    <b>[Earned Emblems:]


    Heart of the Warrior, Endurance</b>


    <b>[Active Quests:]


    </b>


    <b>[Be Prepared: Get ready for the 2nd Trial]</b>


    <b>


    [Cooking Up a Storm: Touch up on Cooking Skills]</b>