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When the two of them stepped into the kitchen, Alex froze on the spot.
This… was the kitchen?
Holy crap.
He had to admit—the Einzbern family was loaded.
The kitchen alone was over five hundred square meters, with rows upon rows of stoves and a whole line of refrigerators and freezers.And not just any fridges—each had separate compartments for chilling and freezing, all packed to the brim with every kind of ingredient imaginable.
Things that fly, things that run, things that swim… you name it, they had it.
A handful of homunculus maids were already busy inside, clearly preparing dinner for tonight.
Seeing Alex's stunned expression, Irisviel's pride only grew.
Heh, surprised already? This is nothing—barely a drop in the ocean compared to the Einzbern family's true wealth, she thought smugly.
After looking around, Alex turned to her and said, "Tell them to take a break. Just leave two to help me out."
Irisviel nodded and had the maids withdraw, leaving only two attendants behind.
Alex glanced at them—both beautiful, refined… and oddly familiar.
Wait a sec.Wasn't that Sella and Liz—those two homunculi who got killed by Gilgamesh in the Fifth Holy Grail War?
No, that couldn't be. They were all artificial humans from the Einzbern family—they just looked identical.
"Mr. Lin, you seem quite interested in my maids," Irisviel teased when she caught his look.
"Something like that," Alex admitted with a small smile. "What are their names?"
"Sella and Lizelotte," Irisviel replied. "They're the ones in charge of our household here in Fuyuki."
"Even the same names, huh…" Alex muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Irisviel tilted her head.
"Nothing. Let's get started," Alex said, shaking his head. He opened the nearest freezer and began picking out vegetables.
Irisviel didn't pry further and simply told Sella and Liz to assist him.
Night soon fell.
After a flurry of chopping, frying, and simmering, Alex had cooked over fifty dishes in total.
With this many people—and Artoria being a bottomless pit—he had no choice but to make plenty.
"Took a bit longer than expected, but with magic preserving the temperature, nothing's gone cold," he said, taking off his apron.
Irisviel stared at the mountain of food before her, completely dumbstruck.
She'd never eaten Chinese food before—though she'd seen it on TV—but what Alex made looked way more appetizing than anything she'd ever seen on a screen.
"I didn't know you could cook this well," she said in genuine awe.
"You haven't even tasted it yet," Alex laughed. "Maybe it just looks good."
"You underestimate me," Irisviel shot back, rolling her eyes. "I can tell just from the smell—it's delicious."
"Then have the maids bring it to the dining room. I'll take a quick shower; I reek of cooking oil." Alex waved casually and headed off.
Chinese food was great and all, but yeah—way too much grease in the air.
As Irisviel watched him leave, she pouted slightly before instructing Sella and Liz to call in the rest of the maids to help carry the dishes.
After a refreshing shower, Alex arrived at the dining hall.
If the kitchen was huge, the dining room was massive. A long table dominated the center, candles flickering on elegant stands all along its length.
Everyone was already seated—everyone except him.
At the head sat Irisviel. To her right were Luo Hao, Hestia, Roxy, and Esdeath; to her left sat Sakura, Morgan, Merlin, and Artoria.Behind them, a line of maids waited silently for orders.
"Tch, rich people really live differently," Alex muttered, smacking his lips as he took the seat beside Artoria.
"You're so slow. Does bathing really take that long?" Irisviel said with a hint of irritation.
"Lost track of time," Alex replied lazily. "You could've started without me."
"The Einzbern family never eats before their guests arrive!" Irisviel scolded, glaring at him.
"Fine, fine. My bad. Let's eat then." Alex picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of sweet-and-sour pork.
Irisviel sighed. This guy really didn't have a shred of formality.
Hestia and the others didn't bother holding back either—once Alex started eating, they all dove right in.
Artoria, of course, had already been practically drooling over the food for minutes.
For most of them—except Luo Hao—it was their first time trying authentic Chinese cuisine.
And one bite was all it took to win them over.
"Ah, Che-kun, your cooking's amazing! This is so good!" Hestia said, happily chewing on a piece of braised pork belly.
Even Luo Hao, also from Huaxia, nodded approvingly. "Not bad. If I'd known you could cook like this, I wouldn't have bothered with all that Japanese food these past few days."
Roxy blinked in surprise. "This tastes kind of like what they serve in the Dragon Kingdom back in my world."
Alex smiled quietly. That made sense—Mushoku Tensei's author had clearly modeled the Dragon Kingdom after Chinese culture, cuisine included.
Artoria spoke up next. "I'd heard of Huaxia before. If I'd known their food was this good, I'd have gone there in person."
Irisviel gasped. "You mean to invade? No way!"
Luo Hao sneered. "Invade? You think that little Britain could manage that?"
Artoria, who'd been about to deny it, slammed the table and shot to her feet. "Are you looking down on Britain?"
Not just Artoria—even Morgan and Merlin frowned.
Though from different timelines, all three shared ties to that land.
They knew Luo Hao's power and didn't want to start a fight, but Artoria's pride wouldn't let it slide.
Luo Hao smiled coolly. "Yes, I am."
Artoria's aura flared instantly—her magic surged as her black suit transformed into her blue battle dress and armor.
Seeing things escalate, Alex quickly stood up. "Hey, hey, calm down! We're eating here, not starting a war. My sister didn't mean to insult Britain. Still, you really can't invade the East."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Artoria glared at him.
"You know Rome, right?" Alex asked.
"Of course. The ancient enemy of Britain!" Artoria nodded sharply.
"Then you should know Rome was destroyed by the Huns—and their leader, Attila, was called the 'Scourge of God' by Europeans." Alex's tone grew serious.
Artoria fell silent. Merlin and Morgan exchanged glances—they knew that part of history.
But what did that have to do with her not being able to invade?
Was Alex saying that even she couldn't stand against a force like that?
"..."
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