Chapter 421 - The Ark Of Clement's Feast

"Well, if you must know, I am not exactly small-sized. I eat a lot," spat Z.

"Enough, the two of you. Let's get back in to see if Clement needs our help. And Raioyen and Gillian should be back by now. Hopefully with the spell on hand," said Ysabeau, walking back to the Old Chapel.

As the two pals followed the High Queen back to the main building, both could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia. It was the same setting and place but with different people, years later.

"Goes to show that Mavislin was right about the whole 'Arks' thing. Making a haven as well as training recruits to find their purpose in this world. Be it for combat, healing, or discovery, Mavislin could see the future of this group from all those years ago," said Baldwin.

"Hang on, she had this idea since years ago?" asked Z, honestly shocked at that revelation.

"That's right. Ysabeau handed me some of Mavislin's first drawings since she didn't know how to write back then. It mostly consisted of a drawing of a house with many people. When I asked her about it, that's when she pitched the idea for having the Arks."

The two Mages turned to look back at Tomoe and Bryan who were chatting as if they had been old friends. They then gave smiles and continued their way back.

"Though we went through this so many times, I can't help but feel that this is a new memory to me," said Z.

"It's more nostalgic for me, walking this way back to the Old Chapel after a good showdown. It's the same feeling from back then. But I agree with you, Z. It feels foreign yet right to go through this scene again. I wonder if Mavislin could tell the future as well," mentioned Baldwin.

"And what does that supposed to mean?"

"In her little rattles about building this group, she told me that she would love to create new memories with others, yet with a familiar taste. To clarify, she would like to give moments that could be forever passed down. Simple things like how we trained recruits and their progression."

"Be it a year or century later, she wanted all of the new ones after us to share the same moments as the pilots' ones had. She described it as; a good pattern to pass down. Not just in combat but also in everyday lives. Having a feast will forever be a tradition, just with different people."

"I told her it sounds boring after a while, but she just laughed at me saying that I would understand one day. And I think, today's the day. Also, what are the two of them doing now?" asked Baldwin, glancing behind him.

"Seems that Tomoe is teaching Bryan some of his moves. Hopefully, they won't fight each other again. I mean it's good but the human has to take a rest," replied Z, walking into the main building.

The familiar smell of meat wafted into the room as Clement was halfway cooking the Arks' dinner. The main course and star of the show would be the massive bird stuck into the largest oven he could find. Clement knew that his guests are not human so he went all out with the meats section.

The main attraction was a stuffing, stuck into a chicken, which is stuck into a duck, and finally everything into a large turkey. It was the biggest feat he ever pulled off and since cooking that monstrosity would need the most time, it was the first thing he did. But it still wasn't ready.

During the birds' cooking time, Clement racked his head for the side dishes. He looked at the fresh potatoes and carrots, followed by some leftover beef. Soon, the pot was filled with beef stew with the found vegetables. He had racks of lamb within the other oven, ready to go.

And to balance out, Clement knew he needed to have a dish that had vegetables. He went out to the back garden to see if anything came up to his plate. Looking at the fresh and young Brussel sprouts, Clement picked up a basket full and heeded inside to make roasted honey Brussel sprouts.

As he made the final preparations, he recalled what Raiyen spoke to him during the ride over here. Clement had to come up with a small dinner for the date as well but still have them eat the main dinner with the rest out of respect for the elders.

He then decided to go with some small portions of pasta, specifically a dish called creamy penne. A pasta dish with white sauce and bits of ham mixed inside.. Sprinkled with some cheese, Clement carefully covered the special dishes and continued with the rest.