Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Balsam Village.
July 14, x790.
"Sometimes it amazes me how different the different towns and villages can look in this kingdom." Brandish said from the back seat of the Escalade as Alfonzo drove through Balsam Village.
And just as Brandish said, instead of a medieval European town, like Magnolia or Crocus, Balsam Village had an eastern or oriental feel to it, with wooden buildings that were reminiscent of old Japanese buildings and swaths of bamboo sticking out from the ground all over the village.
Even so, that did not take away from the affluent atmosphere of the village, as everything in sight gave off a luxurious feel. Especially, the many hot spring inns that could be found in the village.
"Well, there are a lot of different cultures in Fiore." Marin said with a smile from the other side of the back seat.
"Marin's right." Alfonzo added. "And no matter what, people will bring, at least, a little of their culture with them where ever they go."
"I guess that's true." Brandish said as she turned her sight from the window to the front seat. "And that makes me wonder, just where did you two come from? I mean, the clothes and magic items you two make are different from everywhere else I've seen."
In response, Alfonzo, who was driving, and Elicia, who was riding in the passenger seat, only smiled. Even though there were a lot of strange things about the two, with no proof, no one would have much to say.
"Anyway, which inn are we staying at, Alfonzo?" Sun, who was sitting in the middle seat of the back seat, asked while practically bouncing in place. "I really wanna take a dip in the hot spring."
"I booked the inn with the best reviews." Elicia said cheerfully. "It's the one owned by the Edomae."
"Ooh!" Sun squealed happily. "We're gonna stay at Lunar's place? I've been there before. The East/West Merfolk gathering was held there a couple times, ya see?"
"Then, it must be a good place." Marin said. "But there's one really important question, you know?"
Hearing that, everyone focused on Marin, with Alfonzo looking at her through the rear view mirror while everyone else turned to look at her. Then, when Marin had everyone's attention, she smiled with a mixture of playfulness and seduction as she continued.
"Is there mixed bathing?" Marin asked.
Immediately, Elicia and Sun both smiled in response. Meanwhile, Brandish only looked away while rolling her eyes. Though, there was a slight redness that crept onto her cheeks. Alfonzo, on the other hand, only chuckled good-naturedly.
'Well, if there isn't, I'm finding a new inn.' Alfonzo thought to himself.
Like that, the group of five continued to chat light-heartedly while Alfonzo drove through the village. However, Marin, Sun, and Brandish were a bit confused when Alfonzo stopped the car outside of a building that was not a hot springs inn.
"The Super Express restaurant?" Sun asked while leaning forward to see the signboard hanging over the building's front door. "Why are we stopping here, are you hungry, Alfonzo?"
"Well, a little." Alfonzo admitted. "But that's not the reason I stopped here. I have to see something for myself."
While Marin, Sun, and Brandish found themselves even more confused at Alfonzo's response, Elicia rolled her eyes.
"I'm actually surprised it took you so long to come here, Fonzie." Elicia said. "Rumors about the Nodding Chef have been going around for years. He's even the publicly recognized best chef on Ishgar."
*Gasp!* x 3
In response to Elicia's words, Marin, Sun, and Brandish found themselves gasping in disbelief. Because to them, who had eaten all over the kingdom, there was no better chef than Alfonzo. Brandish even had the experience of eating in places in two continents. So, she was of the much grander opinion that Alfonzo was the best chef in the world.
"Yeah, I know." Alfonzo replied. "And I really did want to come here. But there are never any high enough ranked quests that bring me past here."
Alfonzo then looked back at Elicia, Marin, and Sun.
"Besides, if I came to Balsam Village by myself, you'd all have something to say about me not bringing you for a hot springs vacation, right?"
None of Alfonzo's wives denied that accusation. And when Alfonzo saw that, he smiled once again. Then, after turning off the magic vehicle's engine, he climbed out, the ladies following him shortly afterwards.
All five then took a good look at the tall, yet narrow, building in front of them. And just like the rest of the buildings in the village, it had an oriental architectural style. The entrance was a red, sliding door. The rest of the building was made of wood, and it had blue tiles on the roof. Also, there was a large, golden, dragon head statue on the roof, as well. And in front of the building, there was a pink statue of a frog holding an umbrella and sitting on a rock.
"Well, it definitely has a unique feel to it." Marin said while looking up at the building. "I like the golden dragon statue, though."
"Yeah, it looks pretty cool." Sun said enthusiastically. "Come on, let's go inside. I wanna see if the rumors about the chef here are true."
With that, the group headed towards the front door and entered the establishment. When they did, the first thing they saw was the long bar that stretched across the restaurant and the wooden stools lined up in front of it. Looking to either side, they could see a few tables close to each wall.
Looking past the bar, there was a fireplace built into the back wall. Above the fireplace, there were shelves hanging with many small statues and bottles of beverages and alcohol. However, what caught the most attention was the man standing behind the bar.
The man, also known as the Nodding Chef wore a white robe with black trim. Standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his stoic facial expression let anyone who saw him know he was serious about what he did. He also had a well-groomed mustache and eyes that seemed to always be closed that said something about his meticulous nature. Yet, none of those things were what really stood out about him.
No, it was his extremely tall forehead. In fact, his forehead looked to be about three quarters of the height of the rest of his body, if not more.
And while Alfonzo and Elicia were expecting something like this, Marin, Sun, and Brandish could not help gawking for a moment. However, as they were all experienced wizards, they returned to their senses quickly enough.
The Grand Magic Games champions, after taking in the interior of the restaurant, made their way towards the bar. Yet, when Alfonzo and the Nodding Chef made eye contact, everyone, even the other guests in the restaurant, felt the atmosphere change.
With narrowed eyes, Alfonzo sized up the Nodding Chef. At the same time, the Nodding Chef actually opened his eyes slightly, revealing a pair of deep, obsidian orbs, that did the same.
"Oh, Snap!" Elicia whisper-shouted. "It's about to go down."
"Why is this so intense?" Marin asked in a confused tone.
"I don't know." Sun replied. "But it seems like fun."
Brandish, on the other hand, was curious to know if there would be some kind of cooking duel.
While this was going on, the group eventually reached the bar. They then sat down on the stools, Marin, Elicia, Alfonzo, Sun, and Brandish, from left to right. Then, before anyone could say anything, Alfonzo placed his elbows on the bar top, cupped his right fist with his left hand, and supported his chin with is thumbs while the rest of his fingers covered his mouth, all while maintaining eye contact with the Nodding Chef.
"Give me your best dish." Alfonzo said calmly, not even looking at the menu first.
True to his moniker, the Nodding Chef nodded his head in response. He then looked to each of the ladies to take their orders, as well. Yet, they were not as quick to order, as they wanted to look through the menu first. Even so, it did not take long for the four to order, as well.
With that, the Nodding Chef got to work. Skillfully, he prepared the ingredients for the five's meal. In fact, he was so focused that everyone in the restaurant, whether they were eating or just enjoying a drink, stopped to watch him. And they had to say, they were impressed by what they saw. Even Alfonzo's four companions wore impressed expressions, as it was rare for them to watch Alfonzo when he cooked.
Alfonzo, on the other hand, maintained his stoic expression, watching the Nodding Chef's every move like a hawk, nodding his head from time to time as he did so.
The restaurant remained silent the whole time the Nodding Chef cooked their meal. Even the new customers who came into the restaurant fell silent after sensing the atmosphere.
Eventually, the Nodding Chef finished cooking before plating all five meals. He then carried them to the bar and placed them in front of the five Fairy Tail wizards. However, when everyone picked up their silverware, his attention was focused solely on Alfonzo.
"Hey, Lici." Marin whispered. "Is this a little bit strange to you?"
"Not really." Elicia replied as she picked up a piece of pork from her plate. "Just think of it like when two wizards size each other up. This time, however, it's two chefs."
"Does that happen?" Marin asked in puzzlement.
"Well, I guess you're not the most competitive wizard around." Elicia said with a smile after chewing and swallowing her food. "But yeah, it happens. I do the same when I meet another fashion designer, too."
"I see..." Marin said, clearly still not getting it.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo slowly cut a piece of the steak that was placed in front of him. He then put the piece of beef on the end of his fork into his mouth and closed his eyes while he chewed. Then, after savoring the taste, he swallowed the food and opened his eyes, looking directly into the Nodding Chef's barely opened eyes.
"It's good." Alfonzo said with a nod. "On par with Grayfia... No, more like Maria. Very well done."
Yet, the Nodding Chef seemed dissatisfied with Alfonzo's assessment. He then pointed towards the kitchen while staring at Alfonzo.
"What is he trying to say?" Marin asked.
"He wants Alfonzo to cook the same dish." Elicia explained. "Apparently, he's not happy with Alfonzo's praise, as high as it is."
"I see." Marin replied.
Alfonzo, on the other hand, nodded his head. However, he did not get up immediately. Instead, he continued to eat at an unhurried pace, thinking it would be disrespectful to not finish his meal while it was still hot.
Understanding the meaning of Alfonzo's actions, the Nodding Chef... well... Nodded. Then he went back to serving his customers. Yet, the atmosphere in the restaurant did not return to what it was before Alfonzo and the ladies stepped into the restaurant, as everyone recognized the challenge behind the Nodding Chef's actions.
In this atmosphere, time passed quickly. Everyone in the restaurant enjoyed their meals. Though, they were looking forward to seeing who would be declared the winner of this little cooking duel.
"Are you sure you want to challenge him, Alfonzo?" Brandish asked in her usual bored tone. "He uses some kind of [Cooking Magic], right? That will give him a huge advantage."
"There's more to cooking than using magic." Alfonzo replied calmly after finishing the last bite of his meal. He then continued as he stood up from his stool. "And I'll show him just what pure skill can do."
As Alfonzo stood up, all eyes in the restaurant were drawn to him, and that included those of the Nodding Chef. However, his gaze did not linger long, as he was in the middle of cooking for one of the new arrivals. Even so, he nodded to Alfonzo, telling him to come behind the bar.
And Alfonzo did just that, calmly walking around the bar to gain access to the kitchen. Then, when he was back there, he stood off to the side and waited for the Nodding Chef to finish.
It took a few more minutes for the Nodding Chef to serve the customer. Then, he turned to look at Alfonzo and once again nodded his head.
Taking the Nodding's Chef's nod as permission to begin, Alfonzo gathered the same ingredients the Nodding Chef used to cook his meal. Then, he began preparing them. And just like the Nodding Chef, Alfonzo also used his magic while cooking. However, instead of using magic to improve the quality of the food, he used his [Metal Magic] to tend to the pots and cut the ingredients.
Seeing pots, spatulas, knives, forks, and other kitchenware floating around at Alfonzo's whim, the customers were amazed. Meanwhile, the Nodding Chef, like Alfonzo had done before, watched Alfonzo's every move with laser-focus.
Then, after fifteen minutes, Alfonzo, with a plate in hand, stepped away from the kitchen before handing the plate to the Nodding Chef.
"Go ahead." Alfonzo said after the Nodding Chef received the plate.
Staring at Alfonzo for a moment longer, the Nodding Chef eventually turned to the bar and placed the plate atop it. Then, he took a fork and a knife before slowly cutting the steak Alfonzo prepared. A moment later, he placed the meat in his mouth and began to chew.
Not even three chews later, the Nodding Chef raised his head to the sky, causing Alfonzo to have to dodge away from his abnormally long head. Then, to everyone in the restaurant's surprise, tears began falling from the Nodding Chef's eyes as his face reddened and he began to writhe in place.
"Well, I think that settles it." Alfonzo said as a smile spread across his face. He then turned around and washed his hands before slowly walking around the bar. He then took a business card and the money for the five meals out of his wallet and placed them on the bar next to the Nodding Chef's plate while he continued to eat. "If you wanna challenge me again, just call this number."
After that, Alfonzo turned around and started walking towards the restaurant's entrance without looking back.
"He's so dramatic." Elicia said while rolling her eyes. Though, there was a fond smile on her face.
"Alfonzo is so cool." Sun cheered happily as she hopped off her bar stool and followed Alfonzo to the door.
"That was... something." Brandish said as she, too, stood up from her stool.
"I agree with Brandish." Marin said. She then smiled widely as she stood up from her stool, as well. Then, she grabbed Elicia's arm and started pulling her towards the door. "Anyway, let's go. We got hot springs to soak in."
Smiling as she allowed herself to be dragged along, Elicia glanced back over her shoulder and looked at the Nodding Chef, who had returned to his meal.
"Fonzie's cooking really will bring world peace someday." Elicia said as she was pulled out the door.