"...With this much variety, why does it end up like that?"

He had been guided to the food storage, but contrary to what he expected, there was a decent supply of vegetables and meat.

Apparently, during their daily training, they sometimes hunted beasts in the forest, so they had no shortage of meat, and the vegetables were donated from the town.

Even if they were all men, why could they not cook with this?

"Not knowing how is the biggest issue. Even if we wanted to learn, we did not really have the people or the time."

When he asked why he had been called today, he was told it was because the soldiers, after tasting the meals Qiong Xing had made in the dungeon, started complaining that their usual food was hard to endure.

Both Narka and Rohen had agreed with them.

"What you make is not very complicated and is delicious. We are soldiers, not aspiring chefs, so we are not looking to learn anything too elaborate."

It seemed that if they had carelessly called in a professional chef, they might have been taught overly elaborate dishes that amateurs could not recreate, so Qiong Xing had been chosen instead.

Rohen would also be present as the person in charge, and this matter had even been submitted to the guild as a formal request, with compensation prepared.

In that case, Qiong Xing agreed.

He selected a few ingredients, and had them brought over.

"What would you like to do, Lian? You can go play with Rohen if you want..."

"I stay with Mama."

Lian had been brought along as well, and although Qiong Xing told her she could go play, it seemed she did not want to be alone among so many unfamiliar people.

As she clung to his leg, he picked her up and headed to the kitchen.

"By the way, is Albe not with you today?"

"Ah, Albe is feeling a bit unwell and is resting right now."

It did not seem too serious, but just in case, he had persuaded him to stay home and rest.

Iseul had carried them to town, so there had been no issues.

"Then could you cut this pork into slices about one to two centimeters thick?"

Even though he was teaching, they were the ones doing the work, so Qiong Xing tried not to step in too much.

They coated the meat in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs in that order, and then all that remained was frying.

However, since it was their first time, everyone watched nervously as the oil splattered.

"When it turns a golden brown... I am not sure if that is how you would say it here, but once it reaches this color, it is done."

As a side, he salted and massaged napa cabbage and let it sit to pickle, along with a vegetable soup and a salad.

He had also taught them how to cook rice, so the rest would come with experience.

It ended up like a set meal, but when everyone who had cooked sat down to eat, they were so happy that they cried.

Literally cried.

He was glad they enjoyed it, but when they tearfully thanked him and asked to shake his hand, it was a little overwhelming.

He also taught them a stir fry using chicken and even how to make pizza like he had at the hideout.

He could have made more using soy sauce and mirin, but since those were not common seasonings here, he chose not to use them.

"Lastly, please do your best to mince this together."

They worked on mincing a large chunk of what was likely beef.

Since it required patience, he saved it for last and made sure they were already full from the pork cutlets.

While cheering them on together with Lian, they used the minced meat to make hamburg steaks, a favorite among everyone.

Since there was no sauce, they seasoned it simply with salt and pepper, but adding cheese on top made it another big hit.

Most of the dishes ended up being meat based, but with that person as their captain, it likely would not be a problem.

Qiong Xing took a portion of the finished hamburg steaks and offered it to Sergei as an apology.

He had ended up being quite late for their promised time.

"Am I being fed like a child or something?"

"I do not recall becoming your parent."

Just how many children did he think he had?

Though exasperated, Qiong Xing still moved his hands to help.

...

"First, let’s hear the reason."

"Let go! I said let go!"

"If I let go, you will run away, won’t you?"

"Of course I will. Are you stupid!?"

Thinking that saying that only made him harder to release, Qiong Xing decided they should move somewhere less crowded.

The boy struggled fiercely along the way, but there was no way Albe would let him escape over something like that, and they safely arrived at the guild.

Since the circumstances were unusual, Qiong Xing asked if they could borrow a room to talk things over, but before he could even receive an answer, Sarin appeared for some reason.

Thinking this might turn bad, he instinctively hid the boy behind him, but the boy who desperately wanted to escape failed to notice Qiong Xing’s consideration and loudly shouted for help instead.

"Let’s hear what happened."

"Ah, no, if we could just borrow a room, we can talk among ourselves—"

"This way."

Qiong Xing’s resistance was futile, and they were guided into a room where everyone sat down and explained the situation.

"Throw him away."

"No, you make it sound like he is some stray dog or cat..."

"Then hand him over to the military police."

"But he is still just a child..."

"Then I will take custody of him."

"There is a risk to his life, so I will decline."

In a sense, the future of the pickpocket boy who had tried to steal Qiong Xing’s bag rested on Qiong Xing’s shoulders.