Chapter 28: The Fried Rice of Hope
A bitter winter over thirty years ago.
Plague, famine, and the demon beasts…
Countless disasters swept through my hometown.
Everyone in the village had died, leaving me all alone, wandering in the blizzard.
I didn’t know where to go nor where the path beneath my feet would lead.
Suddenly, a pack of magic wolves appeared before me.
As a child just over ten, I had neither studied martial arts nor learned magic, so how could I stand against those beasts?
I turned and ran desperately, but soon found myself tackled to the ground by the wolves.
They tore at my skin, gnawed at my limbs, feasting on my flesh and blood.
The intense pain instantly robbed me of consciousness, and I thought I was going to die.
But in the end, that noble one appeared.
The shining golden sword in his hand is something I will never forget.
The pack of magic wolves didn’t even have time to react before being swallowed by the sword’s light.
The Hero lifted me up, and at that moment, I felt an unprecedented warmth; I fell straight into his embrace and fell asleep.
When I awoke again, to my astonishment, I found my wounds had healed.
And that noble one was already gone.
However, he had left me some things.
A sword, a map, and a bowl of fried rice.
The sword was just an ordinary sword.
The map indeed marked a few locations, which seemed to be the kingdom’s disaster relief camps, but the nearest one was hundreds of kilometers away. As a teen, how could I reach there?
I felt dejected, thinking I had met a benefactor who could save me, but he had merely left me these few items and abandoned me.
I suddenly felt hopeless. I glanced at the bowl of fried rice beside me and thought it might be my last meal.
Gently, I picked up the bowl of fried rice; it was still warm.
The bowl seemed to have some magical engraving that kept the fried rice at the most suitable temperature.
I took a spoon, scooped a bite, and placed it in my mouth.
At that moment, it felt as though I had opened the door to a new world.
The exquisite flavor stimulated my taste buds; warm energy was transmitted from my stomach to every corner of my body.
Like the sun, the shadows in my heart were swept away, and I felt filled with strength.
I quickly finished that bowl of fried rice.
It was at that moment that I saw three words engraved at the bottom of the bowl—”Stay Alive.”
I immediately cried.
I cried for a long, long time until I had emptied the sadness in my heart.
I shouldered the sword that noble one left me and stepped back into the wind and snow.
…
Kendrick sat at the table, his face full of nostalgia and reflection about the past.
Before him lay a porcelain bowl that was not exquisite but had been well preserved, along with a severely damaged, rust-covered sword.
Kendrick sighed softly: “Later, I survived for half a month relying on this sword and found the kingdom’s rescue team.”
“When the army commander asked me if I had any plans for my future, I told him without hesitation that I wanted to be a chef, to learn how to cook, and to create delicious dishes.”
“So, I joined the army and became a cook.”
“After leaving the army, I became a traveler, exploring the human realm and searching for good food.”
“During this time, I accidentally saw an ancient book that recorded an unparalleled divine sword—the Holy Sword, Flexus.”
“I recognized that sword; on that snowstorm night, the sword in the hands of the one who saved me looked just like this.”
“And the sword’s owner was the great hero who protected the human realm for over three hundred years, the Nameless Hero.”
“That night, I was so happy that I couldn’t sleep.”
“I wanted to see him again, to express my gratitude; that bowl of fried rice truly saved my life.”
“Thus, I joined an adventurer group, becoming an adventurer, hoping to find news about the Hero through the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Unfortunately, I failed.”
“The Hero was like the wind, appearing and disappearing without a trace, only showing up during times of great disaster.”
“I couldn’t cause a great disaster just to see the Hero, right?” Kendrick smiled helplessly, “In the end, my adventurer group disbanded due to various reasons.”
“I came to this border town and opened this small eatery, preparing to spend the rest of my life honing my culinary skills here.”
“Before long, my class level reached the maximum, becoming a level 99 chef; in the entire human realm, perhaps only a handful of people matched me.”
“But I was still not satisfied; compared to the Hero, I was still far too lacking.”
“Until then, I finally understood that reaching the maximum level was merely the beginning.”
“Many more years passed, and I hit a bottleneck in my cooking skills; no matter what, I couldn’t progress further.”
“Until more than a decade ago, another life-changing event occurred.” Kendrick smiled slightly and said, “A lost girl collapsed at the door of my shop.”
“I took care of her until she regained consciousness, but she didn’t want to say a word; her eyes were hollow, as if her heart had been emptied.”
“She looked just like I did back then.”
“And then, I remembered that bowl of fried rice the Hero had given me.”
“Using all my memories from that time, I did my best to recreate a bowl of fried rice.”
“The girl hesitantly picked up the spoon, took a bite, and quickly couldn’t stop eating.”
“She cried as she ate and soon finished the bowl of fried rice.”
“What delighted me even more was that after finishing, the girl’s eyes regained their spirit, as if hope had been reignited.”
“At that moment, I understood why the Hero’s bowl of fried rice was so delicious.”
“It wasn’t because the fried rice was exceptionally tasty; it was because it contained hope and redemption.”
“I chose to keep that girl with me, considering it a transaction—I’d give her a stable home, and she could guide me toward greater heights in my cooking.”
“Later, I don’t know if it was fate, but several such children came to me; every person’s first meal was inevitably fried rice.”
Kendrick smiled gently, his eyes shimmering as he looked at Elrose: “So, Elrose, you are the fourth person to eat this bowl of fried rice. Can you share your thoughts with me?”
“Eh?” Elrose let out a confused sound.
Thoughts?
What thoughts?
Isn’t this just a bowl of very delicious fried rice?
What thoughts could there be?
Uh…
Could it be that I should lightly reflect on Kendrick’s story?
Hmm, it truly is a touching and warm story.
Although I really want to say that…
Isn’t that Hero an image of grandeur and righteousness in your hearts?
But he’s just a downright petty person.
I’m not saying he’s a Hero; why is he creating so much drama when saving people? He could’ve just taken Kendrick to a safe place.
With a bowl of fried rice and leaving messages.
So much drama—is he trying to be an acting emperor?
But yet Kendrick looks at him with endless admiration; is this reasonable?
Elrose looked up and weakly glanced at Kendrick.
Um…
Kendrick, if I say now that the Hero must die.
You wouldn’t take a kitchen knife and chop me to death, right?
