The explosions of delightful aroma wafted through the air, jerking everyone awake from the trance that Ricky’s whole roast goat had placed them under before dragging them into an even more delicious abyss.

  “What an incredible aroma! The smell of the Ironhide Bull beef has been captured to the very maximal extent, but what’s even more amazing is the scent intermingled with the aroma of the beef. It’s like a bunch of condiments that are creating an incredibly harmonious combination, taking the aroma of the roast meat to another level altogether! I’ve never encountered roast beef with such a fantastic aroma. Could it be that this can all be attributed to the sauces that he was mixing earlier?” Febid’s eyes widened with incredulity as he stared at the kebabs in Mag’s hands.

  Beef was his favorite food, particularly rare ingredients like Ironhide Bull beef. That ingredient wasn’t even available in any dish on Ducas Restaurant’s menu, and only VIPs could reserve it. Febid had essentially been relegated to their blacklist already, so he naturally never had the pleasure of eating such a delectable ingredient.

  However, the kebabs in Mag’s hands had completely caught his interest, even to the extent that he had forgotten to deliver his customary insults before launching into a string of praise.

  “It’s all roast meat, but why does his roast meat have such a pronounced aroma? The Ironhide Bull beef is a high-class ingredient, but its advantage mostly lies in its tender texture. As such, the key here must be the sauce that he’s applying to the kebabs. The most time-consuming procedure in the cooking process thus far has been creating those sauces, and I can now see why. The application of the sauces has completely enhanced the aroma of the beef, and it has turned all of my preconceived notions of roast meats on its head.” The professor was also genuinely amazed. He had also been quite skeptical of Mag’s decision to spend so much time on mixing condiments earlier, but it appeared that he wasn’t wasting time, after all.

  “As expected, Boss Mag was born to revolutionize cooking. The entire Aden Square is very fortunate to be able to witness the rise of such an extraordinary chef. I believe it won’t be long before the overall standard of food in the Aden Square will be taken to a higher level.” Robert hadn’t said anything this entire time, but he finally broke his silence as he looked at Mag and nodded with a smile on his face.

  “I can tell from this aroma alone that I would have already lost if it had been me competing against Mr. Mag.” Shire inhaled the rich aroma of roast meat wafting through the air and heaved a forlorn sigh. As a seasoned chef with over two decades of experience, he knew his own limitations.

  “Young Mistress Scheer refrained from tasting the mutton? She sure is straightforward.”


  “I can’t believe Febid didn’t hurl any insults and only delivered praise. Is he going to write his first positive food review ever?”


  The fact that Scheer had refrained from tasting Ricky’s roast mutton, in conjunction with the praise from the judges and the intoxicating aroma wafting through the air, had set the entire scene alight. Everyone was looking at Mag’s kebabs. This man had shown them a completely brand-new way to cook roast meat.

  “Boss is…… so awesome!” Yabemiya was looking at Mag with reverence and admiration on her face. She had initially been a little concerned, but all of her worries had been erased upon catching a whiff of that rich, delicious aroma. Such a decadent beef kebab could only have been cooked by Mag. He had spent so long on the sauces only because he was striving for perfection as he always did.

  “It really does smell even better than the kebabs from the lunch. As expected, Father didn’t lie to me. I really want to eat it……” Amy wore an expectant look as she stared at the kebabs on the roasting rack with wide eyes. Ugly Duckling was also stretching its neck as far forward as it could, just as if it were preparing to pounce on the kebabs.

  Ricky had thought that the victory was in the bag, but his expression had completely darkened. His roast mutton had been shunned by Scheer, and the three judges who had expressed their support for him had all switched sides. They had given Mag praise that exceeded the compliments afforded to his dish, and it was all because of his kebabs’ aroma alone.

  This guy must have put something indescribable into his kebabs. Otherwise, how could roast meat exude such an aroma? Ricky was feeling quite flustered, and all of his confidence had been crushed. The aroma didn’t tell the full story, but he was still feeling extremely threatened. From Mag’s proficiency in applying the sauces to his kebabs, Ricky could tell that he was not some noob who was roasting meat for the first time. The information that he had gathered was all completely incorrect, and he might well have dug a hole for himself by suggesting such a high-stakes contest.

  All of the employees from Ricky’s Rotisserie had also lost their confidence. If Ricky were to lose, then they could possibly become unemployed. That was not good news for them.

  “No! It doesn’t matter if it smells good, the taste is what really matters. Just because he added a lot of condiments, it doesn’t mean it’ll taste good.” Ricky was trying to inject confidence and morale into both himself and his employees.

  Meanwhile, Mag’s expression remained completely calm as he focused his attention entirely on the kebabs in his hands. He picked up a second brush, and began to apply sauce to the second cube of beef on all of the kebabs.

  He was very pleased with the flavor of the sauce. It was clearly richer than the simplified version that he had made for lunch, and all three had been made with resounding success.

  Mag applied the sauces to all of the kebabs on the rack before flipping them a few times so the sauce could soak into the meat. He then placed two kebabs each into the five plates, leaving three in his hand. He turned to Yabemiya and smiled as he said, “Miya, carry these over to the judges.”


  “Yes.” Miya nodded before carrying the plates over to the judges. Meanwhile, Mag gave Amy two of the kebabs and placed the last one in Ugly Duckling’s little bowl.

  “He’s saving a few for his daughter and her kitten; what a good father. I’m really jealous.”


  “I want to be his pet kitten.”


  Everyone turned their attention to Yabemiya as she made her way toward the judging panel. There were also a lot of people looking at Amy and Ugly Duckling. The first ones to taste the kebabs were not the five judges, but these two adorable little fellas instead.

  “Meow-” Ugly Duckling gave a joyful cry before tucking into its meal. It bit down on half of a cube of beef and chewed happily with its eyes narrowed into slits, clearly basking in bliss and enjoyment.

  “Thank you, Father.” Amy inspected the kebab in her hand, only to find that the three cubes of beef were all slightly different in color. The marbling in the beef had melted over the flames, coating the beef like transparent crystal, which created a beautiful visual display.

  Amy took a whiff of the kebab with her intricate little nose, upon which her bright blue eyes immediately lit up. She bit off half a cube of beef, and began to chew happily while swaying her little head from side to side with a joyful expression. After swallowing her first mouthful of meat, she licked the sauce around her lips and put on a sweet smile.

  “Gulp-“


  The collective gulp from the spectators was a lot more pronounced this time……

  “Does she have to make it look so alluring? I feel like this restaurant owner is recruiting external assistance.”


  “I feel like my heart is about to melt. I really want a daughter all of a sudden.”


  “Her smile is so adorable! You guys can have the kebabs; I just want to steal the owner’s daughter!”