"Thoughtful, sweet, caring. It's a wonder why they had to cool off for a bit…" ~Shallies Mythernal,

Chef

The next morning, Shallies decided to do some sparring first to compensate for the day before. After some quick warm ups, she spent the next couple of hours dodging, blocking, and parrying attacks from Grace and her party members.

Ren was as straightforward as ever, but he also made attempts to match Grace's habits while paying more attention to Tayin's casting intervals. He had clearly internalized his previous lessons. And while the adjustments caused him to move a step slower, their teamwork became a lot more compact and suffered less miscommunication.

The halfling tried out a number of incantation shortcuts. Some were successful, but some unfortunately fizzled out when she stuttered during her incantations. It was the lack of Focus, but nothing that she couldn't compensate for with practice. Her improvement was already amazing, given that she had only learned of those shortcuts yesterday.

Grace was a little out of focus. Her performance was still there, but she kept mumbling to herself about what else she could do, if she could control her mana-flow with The Perpetual Method.

Shallies said nothing about it, letting the spar go the entire length without comment. After that, she made lunch for them while they meditated. The three discussed how to improve their teamwork as they ate. Fortunately enough, Grace participated in the brainstorming session, despite her earlier frustrations.

When afternoon came, Ren and Tayin excused themselves. They had other errands to run, including checking up on Gar's condition. The Angel's Tear that Shallies had provided them with had failed. Suddenly, it became obvious why the two were hard at work.

That left Grace alone with Shallies and Apple. The Chef was cleaning up when she noticed the half-orc sighing deeply.

"You're anticipating too much," she said.

"It feels like what happened yesterday was just a fluke." Grace sighed again. "I know you told me not to try again, but I just want to feel it one more time, so I know I can do it."

Shallies stopped what she was doing and wiped her hands dry. She sat across the counter and reached out towards Grace with both hands.

"Give," she said, pouting slightly to show her irritation towards the half-orc's obsessiveness and stubbornness. "Hands."

The half-orc stared for a second before holding Shallies' hands.

"Close your eyes. Meditate."

As soon as Grace did so, Shallies guided the mana flowing within the half-orc's body. She made it run at a steady current, faster than normal but not to the point of outright surging out.

Grace's breathing turned heavy, trying to control her mana, but Shallies pushed it a little more, until the half-orc was truly struggling. She let go.

"Keep cycling," she instructed. "If you lose this momentum, you'll have to start over. Open your eyes."

Grace gasped the moment she opened her eyes. She was in a daze, unable to focus properly, but Shallies didn't relent in her lecture.

"That's the first step to achieving The Perpetual Method. It's a lot more involved than normal meditation, or all the other mana exercises, for that matter. Not only that, but you have to be able to move while doing it. I've given you a head start, so you can feel what you're aiming for. In the future, you have to be able to cycle your mana into this flow without my help."

Grace took deep breaths, trying to keep herself together. So Shallies continued her lecture while cleaning the dishes at the same time. The sound of running water and the clinking of plates and utensils distracted the half-orc even more.

"The first time this happened to you, your body instinctively acted out the most familiar thing for it at that time, which was performing your sword training regimen. Now, however, your body has nothing to do, so you can't get into a trance. That's why you're struggling. If you don't do anything about it, you'll start losing mana.

"You need to guide the cycle, Grace, don't let it drag you. In this sense, you are the river, and your mana must go with your flow, or you'll dry up."

"I'm…trying!" Grace squeezed her hands in a fist. She was starting to glow, her mana going out of control. "It's too quick, I can't catch them all."

"Relax, Grace," Shallies said calmly. "Take what you can and let go of the rest. The important thing is to make it work. If you're too greedy, you'll lose it all. That takes time, so don't rush it."

Things were silent for a while, only Grace's inconsistent breathing and the sound of running water were there to keep them company. Shallies didn't rush the half-orc. By the time she was done washing the dishes, her future student was still in the middle of meditating. For now, she made some coffee.

Unlike the genuine Perpetual Method for meditation, Grace couldn't afford to move yet. It was taking all of her willpower to guide whatever mana she could grasp throughout her body without losing the flow's speed, or herself, in the process.

Shallies stared, amused at the half-orc's struggle, while Apple joined analyzing her performance. Both of them sighed.

The young adventurer lacked the same spark from yesterday. It was definitely beginner's luck, though it was something that had never happened since the discovery of the method. This was, albeit a little disappointing, within Shallies' expectations. At the very least, it made sense. For if the half-orc could replicate something so easily, it would've been an occurrence tantamount to a resurrecting god.

Grace is still a mortal after all…

To the half-orc's credit, she eventually figured out how to stop the process before she fully ran out of mana. It was easy to slow down the amount that she could control, and eventually, she could breathe normally again.

"It feels different," she said, letting out a deep sigh.

"It's because you're more conscious of it now," Shallies said, pouring coffee for the girl. "Yesterday… Well, let's admit it. It was a fluke. But, it was also something no one has ever done before."

Grace made a second deep sigh. "I guess."

"If you want something that isn't a fluke," Shallies added, grabbing the half-orc's attention. "It's your ability to grab high-speed mana-flow, and withstanding the pressure long enough so you can take control. Honestly, I expected you to either expend all your mana, or lose concentration completely and fall into a trance. I think that's the most important part you can take away from this little experiment."

"Is it really that impressive?" Grace caught herself almost sighing again. Instead, she took a sip of her coffee. "It just makes me feel like I'm so far away from it."

"Well, you are both near and far," Shallies admitted. "And it is impressive. I don't like sugarcoating things, so let me try and prove it to you. Just give me a few seconds."

Grace curiously looked and waited. When she noticed Shallies wasn't actually doing anything, her expression became confused.

"What happens in—"

The door to her tavern opened.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Shal~lies!"

From the door came flying in a female seraph. She maneuvered swiftly around chairs and tables, and flew directly towards Shallies. The semi-retired Godkiller didn't even bother moving away as slender arms quickly wrapped around her head while the momentum pushed her to the wall.

Shallies tried to speak, but Phey'lan's smothering embrace muffled out whatever sound she was trying to make. So she waited for Valor'el to rescue her.

"Come now, Phey," said the male seraph. "Let go of Lady Shallies."

"I missed you!" Phey'lan said. She did as told, but not without giving Shallies a cheek-to-cheek on both sides. "How have you been? When Val told me you're not clearing out dungeons anymore, I thought he was lying!"

Phey'lan, a half-devil half-human seraph, had long, blonde hair and seductive red eyes. Of course, she was a head and a half taller than Shallies, but that was pretty much it in terms of her physical advantage. As opposed to Valor'el, she had devil-wings, webbed ones that looked draconic. She retracted them, making them vanish completely.

Her energetic and friendly nature was a rare and bright spot in the otherwise dark history of the seraphim, especially since she had been there when their previous god had turned mad.

"I'm fine, Phey," Shallies said, releasing herself from the seraph's embrace and gesturing to one of the seats. She motioned towards Grace as well, who was looking a little shell-shocked by the energetic visitor. "Meet my, probably, future student."

"Oh, you must be Grace!" Phey'lan hopped towards the half-orc, grabbed both hands, and shook them vigorously. "I'm Phey'lan. You can just call me Phey. It's so nice to meet you! Shallies' student, huh? I'm quite jealous!"

"You didn't become her student?" Grace asked, turning towards Shallies, who was offering Valor'el a cup of coffee.

"Broke my egg," Phey'lan admitted, shrugging but still smiling. "A fail is a fail. Shallies still kept teaching me after that, but I never formally became her student. No mentor benefits or anything like that."

"Mentor benefits?"

"That's for another time, Grace," Shallies said, passing another cup of coffee to Phey'lan. "I need your help to demonstrate something, Phey. Give me your hand."

The seraph didn't even hesitate. She did have a question, however. "What's this for?"

"I'll jump start your mana for The Perpetual Method. Try to cycle it."

Phey'lan's giggling face suddenly turned nervous, but she didn't lose her smile. "I'll try…"

"Grace, pay attention. Phey, tell her your Class, please."

"Favored Class. Enlightened Ascendant. Level 12."

Shallies raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You got ten more levels since we last met."

"Helped out a few other countries, once or twice."

"That's good. Now, concentrate."

Shallies did the same procedure to Phey'lan as the one she did to Grace, speeding up the seraph's mana. Immediately, the Enlightened Ascendant exchanged her smile for a pained expression as she struggled to endure the sudden pressure. Her breathing kept failing, and she needed to gasp every few seconds.

The semi-retired Godkiller controlled the mana for far longer this time, allowing for the seraph to catch up. When Phey'lan had stabilized somewhat, Shallies gave Grace a signal to take a closer look.

"Phey, try to keep the cycle going, alright? I'll let go of you now."

The seraph couldn't even speak. Her nod was quick.

When Shallies finally let go, the cycle instantly collapsed. Right away, she immediately retook hold of the mana and slowed it down for Phey'lan before it damaged her mana-channels.

"I really can't do it," the seraph admitted. When her partner reached out to help, she held up a hand. "I'm alright, Val. Thank you."

"Sorry I had to put you in the spotlight, Phey. I wanted to demonstrate something for Grace."

"It's alright. Did it help, though?"

"I hope so."

Shallies turned to Grace. The half-orc was dumbfounded by what had transpired. She looked at her hands, then towards Phey'lan, then back to her future mentor.

"I saw it," she said. "I saw it instantly break."

"Did she perform The Perpetual Method again?" Valor'el guessed, invoking a slew of questions from his partner. It took Shallies a few minutes to recall what had happened with Grace yesterday.

"That's amazing!" Phey'lan cheered. "So young, and yet, you can do it better than I do! Heck, I don't think anyone without proper training can do it in the first place."

"Now that we know you have the potential to grasp it, Grace, can you not think about it too hard from now on?" Shallies asked. At the same time, she and Apple brought out lunch for the seraphim. Phey'lan's eyes sparkled at the food.

"I'm not telling you to completely take it out of your mind," she continued after serving everything. "I just want you to concentrate on your present more, rather than your future. No one else noticed, but you were pretty distracted this morning."

"Can you let me try it at least once a day?" Grace asked, her face already insisting without even hearing an answer.

"If we do it everyday, we'll not just strain your mana-channels, we'll practically damage them." Despite this, Shallies gave it some thought. "How about, we gradually speed up your mana-flow, instead? It won't be exactly as fast as The Perpetual Method, but this way, we can improve your control while you get ready.

"Technically, I wanted to offer this after you pass my trial. But seeing as you're already absorbed by this method, I guess there's no harm in letting you have a head start."

It wasn't exactly what Grace was asking, but it seemed to have worked on cheering her up. "Yes, thank you, Shallies!"

"Alright, alright. I think you should go check in with your parents this afternoon. You've been gone for two days already. Come back tonight for dinner."

Now in a cheery mood, Grace bid everyone farewell and took Catelyn Road back to Cinterbrim Town.

"She's a dear," Phey'lan commented. Her bubbly expression had returned. "Such deep talent hiding out here in the countryside."

"You're not interested in trying to learn again, Phey?" Shallies asked, not exactly hopeful.

"Ah, I think my time for that has passed. It doesn't make me as useful as directly fighting in a Divine War, but someone has to make sure that our injured can return home safely."

"Don't say that," Shallies said. "Directly or indirectly, anyone who's willing to put themselves anywhere near a mad god is equally just as useful as anybody else fighting in a Divine War. Don't cut yourself short."

"You know, putting pressure on me like that doesn't help." Phey'lan smiled. "I'll check Arun'dul, but like I told Val here, don't expect me to outright heal him."

Shallies observed as the Enlightened Ascendant utilize her second Class, Light Archdevout. Phey'lan placed both hands above Arun'dul, enveloping him within a mist of light. Sparks glittered around the enclosure, hints of concentrated mana trying to inject revitalizing energies into the unconscious man's body.

"He's stable," Phey'lan commented. "Good job keeping him alive. I've bolstered his resistance to the Curse, whatever its name is. He should wake up soon. Do you have something for him to eat, Lady Shallies? He'll be famished."

"I can cook up a feast for him, don't worry."

"Great." Phey'lan pulled a sheet of paper from her Class Inventory. She wrote something on it and left it on Arun'dul's bedside table. "Let's leave him for now. It'll take some time for my Miracles to finish their work, and it'll be a bit depressing in this room while they try to push away his Curse. We can monitor him from downstairs anyways."

The female seraph was the expert when it came to these things. Shallies trusted her enough, so she simply followed. Valor'el suggested that he stay behind, saying he could take on the Curse anyway, but Phey'lan insisted.

"Why?" he asked while following them to the stairs.

"Like I said, we can monitor his condition from downstairs. There's no need for you to subject yourself to that depressing miasma." Phey'lan's usual cheer was a little diminished, but she didn't lose the bounce on her steps. "Besides, we have a lot of catching up to do!"

"Well, I don't mind chatting a bit," Shallies commented. "So long as we don't get distracted too much."

"Oh, by the way," Phey'lan began as they sat around in the kitchen. "When Val said you're a Chef now, Shallies, I figured you're looking for more recipes, right?"

"You have some?"

"Got a few staples from Avel Paradise, if you're interested. I took the ones that don't have super specific ingredients, so you can use local ones." Phey'lan produced her System Console. "I tried contacting Stachie so I could give them to you earlier, but I'm blocked as usual."

"I'll put you on my whitelist while you're here. Don't let it get to you." Shallies opened her own Console to receive the recipes.

"Yeah, I know. Here you go!"

"Any of these do you think Arun'dul would want?"

"Cottage Pie," Valor'el said right away. "Lots of peas and carrots."

"You're not just saying that because it's your favorite, are you, Val?" Phey'lan teased.

"We eat the same thing," he said defensively. "He got his eating habits from me. Besides, it's your favorite, too."

"How could you!" Phey'lan gasped, before suddenly shrugging. "Yeah, you got me."

While the two were teasing each other, Shallies was busy reading the Cottage Pie Recipe. She frowned.

"It says here to cook it in the oven for four to six hours…"

"Oh, that's right," Phey'lan said, scratching the back of her head. "I forgot."

"Well, how long will it be before Arun'dul wakes up?"

"Somewhere within three to twelve hours."

"That's perfect," Shallies said. "We'll be done in two to three hours."

"Hmm?" Both Phey'lan and Valor'el frowned in confusion.

"I'm a Chef now, remember? I can cook these recipes a lot faster than normal now. Since this is a new recipe, though, I'll need some guidelines, Phey."

The female seraph's jaw dropped. "Me? Teach you? Teach the Godkiller?"

"Yeah. You can put it on your achievements, or something," Shallies said sarcastically. "Tell it to everyone you know. I don't mind."

Phey'lan looked like she de-aged for a couple of centuries, giggling like an excited little girl. She nodded vigorously, like she would snap her neck at any second. Her excitement caused the mana around them to dance with joy.

Apple burst into the kitchen, high alert. Only when she realized it was the female seraph causing the commotion did she sigh and dispel whatever it was she had been about to cast. Instead, she rubbed cheeks with her as a form of greeting.

"Oops, sorry," Phey'lan said, giggling apologetically.

"It's fine. I look forward to your instruction. We can catch up while we cook."

Shallies smiled showing Apple their newly acquired recipe. The fairy's attention immediately turned to one that looked like a variety of fruit salad.

"That's great! I'll teach you everything I know! I won't disappoint, promise!"

"Isn't that usually the other way around?" Valor'el said with a smirk.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.