Back at Moonlight Cottage, Leon was reading one of Im's old magazines when a loud crash made him jump. He quickly tucked the magazine away (though there was nothing improper about it) as Dahlia stormed in, slamming the scroll case of exam sheets on the table.
"Why," she said, enunciating each word, "did you give me exam sheets for my birthday?"
Leon blinked, feigning confusion. "Master suggested it. He said knowledge is the best gift for a mage apprentice." It wasn't entirely a lie—Im had joked about it when Leon was struggling to pick a gift. He'd never thought Leon would actually do it.
Dahlia and Flower had returned early from the manor to finish their homework; Im would be furious if he found they'd lazed around for days. "I don't care," Dahlia huffed. "You have to help me with two sheets."
Leon refused instantly. "No way. I wrote them—my handwriting's too recognizable. And I'm practically your teacher now. Teachers don't do students' homework."
Dahlia crossed her arms, pouting. Flower chuckled from the doorway. "My birthday's after Spring Awakening Festival. What are you getting me?"
Leon grinned, feigning excitement. "Exam sheets! Double the amount for Dahlia—more bang for your buck. Doesn't that sound satisfying?"
Flower's face darkened, and Dahlia laughed. "Perfect! He deserves it."
Magic-wise, the three were nearly evenly matched. Dahlia was slightly ahead, having mastered meditation first, but Leon was catching up fast, his strong mental strength making his spell control sharper—especially with his Mage Hand tentacles. Flower, once the most advanced, was now neck-and-neck with Dahlia as she caught up on basics.
Leon checked the sky, judging it was near noon. "I'll make hand-rolled noodles for lunch—with marinated eggs and chicken soup I simmered this morning. Flower, grab the spice packet from the kitchen cabinet to boil the eggs."
Etho had no precise timekeeping tools, so Leon relied on the sun and his internal clock. The mountain spring water Im had enchanted with mana-infused runes (to water the herb garden) tasted faintly of soda, so Leon used stored rainwater for cooking—boiling it twice to remove the odd flavor. He'd been pestering Im to build a purification rune circle for direct drinking, but funds were tight. Im had drained his savings on the herb garden, and the mana restoration potions had only just replenished some of it. Lord Sainsbury hadn't paid yet—Im didn't want to ask for money before proving his worth.
Leon mixed flour with duck eggs, no water—an idea from his past-life memories of bamboo-pressed noodles, though he skipped the bamboo pressing (too tedious). He activated his Mage Hand, four tentacles twisting together to knead the dough with extra force. Once smooth, he rolled it out with a wooden pin, dusted it with flour, and folded it into a stack. He sliced it slowly, carefully—his small hands lacked strength, so he needed thin noodles to cook evenly.
Flower stoked the fire under the dual-pots (Leon's design: a large inner pot, a smaller outer one). Dahlia, the only girl, claimed "privileges" and only helped wash vegetables. By the time Leon finished cutting noodles, the inner pot of eggs was boiling. He cracked each egg gently with a spoon, letting the shells split but not fall off—marinade seeped in better that way.
"Keep the fire low for the eggs," he said, covering the pot. He checked the chicken soup—simmering with shiitake, tea tree, and oyster mushrooms, plus a handful of wood ear fungus (added on a whim, even though it didn't absorb the broth as well). He tasted the soup, warm and savory, then nodded—ready to serve.
"Water's boiling!" Flower called.
Leon lifted the outer pot's lid, dropped the noodles in, and stirred quickly to prevent sticking. He tossed in some dried vegetable leaves, then scooped a bowl of noodles as soon as they floated to the surface. "I like mine al dente—help yourselves if you want softer noodles."
He ladled hot chicken soup over the noodles, topped it with mushrooms, chicken pieces, and two peeled hard-boiled eggs. The noodles were chewy, the soup rich, and the eggs creamy, soaked in broth. Leon sighed contentedly. It was a mishmash of techniques—bamboo-pressed inspiration, hand-rolled execution—but it worked.
"Needs vinegar," he muttered. Wine existed in Etho, but he'd never seen vinegar. He made a mental note to ferment some himself soon.
Dahlia and Flower dug in, their complaints about exam sheets forgotten. For a moment, they weren't mage apprentices or nobles' children—just three friends sharing a simple meal in the middle of a magic valley. Leon smiled, savoring the noodles. This was the life he'd grown to love—magic, family, good food, and the quiet promise of adventure ahead.
As he finished his bowl, he thought of Im submitting his paper, of Eldrin's journal waiting on his shelf, of the ruin deep in the Whispering Forest. One step at a time, he told himself. One spell, one paper, one bowl of noodles at a time.
The journey was far from over, but for now, it was perfect.