Morcster Chef Book 3 - Epilogue (Patreon)

James marveled at the beautiful carvings etched into the large wooden doors before him. His stomach rumbled and he straightened up, trying to pretend like the noise hadn’t come from him. It had been weeks since he’d placed a reservation, and he’d skipped breakfast to make sure he enjoyed every second of the experience.

He’d even arrived nearly two hours before opening time, just to make sure he got there first. One could never be too careful, after all. Judging by the growing line behind him, he hadn’t been the only one with that thought.

The Happy Sunflower took walk-ins as well as reservations, but the restaurant was so popular that it was practically a miracle to actually manage to secure one of the walk-in spots. The doors creaked and James jumped as he came face to face with a well-built, blond man with a stern expression.

He wore a tailored suit walked with the grace of a warrior. Beneath the suite, James was pretty sure he could see the thin plates of hidden armor.

“You’re all early,” the man said. “You could have caused a stampede if something went wrong. What were you thinking?”

James cleared his throat, brushing his hair back. “Ah, I’m here for my reservation. James Willow.”

The man glanced over James’ shoulder at the giant line, then sighed. “Right. In we go, then. As for the rest of you, please form an orderly line. I will not hesitate to throw out anyone who causes trouble.”

“Stop being a hardass, Belmont,” a short woman said, smiling at James as he walked into the restaurant. James wasn’t particularly bothered – he was too busy ogling at the beautiful building. “I’m Ming. I’ll be your waitress today, unless I accidentally eat your food. Then someone else will take over.”

James chuckled politely, but he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to tell if she was joking. She was completely straight faced. He cleared his throat and glanced around the building.

Murals covered the walls, depicting all sorts of cuisine from all over the continent. They almost seemed alive, twisting and changing every time James looked away. The building itself had three floors, but he’d only been able to snag the lowest one.

Any of the higher floors couldn’t even be booked with a miracle. They were impossible. James shook his head. It didn’t matter what floor he was on. The food was all the same, and that was all that mattered.

Ever since the Happy Sunflower had opened following the fall of the Howler guild, he’d heard rumors going around about it. The Adventurer’s Guild had constructed the entire building out of their own pockets as a reward for the party running it. There were claims that the adventurers that ran the kitchen were present at Red Mount and had been instrumental in fighting off the monster horde.

Those weren’t even half of the rumors, but James wasn’t quite sure he was ready to believe that the head chef was a renowned murderer or that the entire building was rigged with more traps than a castle and was built to withstand a siege.

“Please follow me,” the short woman said, flicking her fingers. A plate and a napkin wrapped around utensils floated into her hands and she strode over to a small, beautifully carved wooden table near the kitchen.

James sat down on the cushioned chair and his cutlery floated over, setting itself down on the table in front of him.

“Welcome to the Happy Sunflower,” the woman said, giving him an award-winning grin. James swallowed, trying to look as cool as he could.

“Thank you. I’ve been looking forward to this,” James said. “What’s on the menu today?”

“Whatever you’d like. The chefs like to be challenged, if you’ve got something in particular that you’ve been wanting,” she replied. “Although they’d also be more than happy to surprise you.”

James swallowed. That was new. What sort of restaurant let their customers just… chose what they wanted? He wasn’t ready for that sort of commitment. No matter – he’d practiced what to say several times. All he had to do was order the chef’s special and then thank his waitress. That was it.

“Ah, the surprise, please.”

“Understood,” she said. “I’m sure we won’t regret it.”

“I – yeah. Wait, we?”

Ming winked at him. “I hope you enjoy your meal, sir.”

“Thanks. You too.”

James cursed internally as soon as the words left his mouth. He’d screwed it up. The waitress just giggled and winked at him before walking over to the far wall, where an open window let him see into the kitchen.

Ming rapped on it.

“Hey, it’s time! First order for today.”

An orc stepped into view. A tall clean hat was perched on his head, and he held a large cleaver in his hand. A moment later, a tall woman joined him. She wore the same hat, and spun a knife on her fingertip.

“What is it?” the woman asked.

“Chef’s special,” Ming replied. “Make it extra-large. I haven’t eaten today.”

Both chefs laughed. They looked over at James. He straightened his back and gave them a thumbs up.

“We’ll split it into two plates so you don’t actually eat our customer’s food,” the orc said with a grin.

“One Arek special, coming right up,” the other chef said.

“That is not the name of the dish.”

Both of them laughed. It was a relaxing sound, and the tension in James’ back reduced. He’d been expecting a very uptight environment, but this was nothing like that. It almost felt like he was at home.

A smile crossed his face and he settled into his chair, content to enjoy the scenery and wait for his food. Something told him it was going to be fantastic.