A nearby beastman added, "Kaelira said her adoptive mother—the black bear—taught her. The food really is excellent."
The speaker meant nothing by the comment, but the listener took it to heart.
Lyra, who had never liked Kaelira, immediately darkened at the praise. Hearing someone claim that Kaelira’s cooking surpassed her own was like a thorn in her side.
Serena noticed Lyra’s displeased expression and instantly realized an opportunity had appeared.
Smiling softly, she said, "Brother, Kaelira’s cooking really is wonderful. I wish I could taste it again."
The moment those words were spoken, many tribe members nodded eagerly.
To be honest, ever since Kaelira had made Beggar’s Chicken, they had been thinking about it constantly.
Although some had attempted to recreate the dish themselves, they had only learned that single recipe and couldn’t reproduce the same flavor.
Lucas and Xavier were known throughout the tribe as extremely picky eaters. Whenever everyone gathered in the morning to eat wild fruits, the two never joined them, preferring to hunt their own meals instead.
Yet whenever Kaelira cooked, they lingered around the fire for a long time.
That alone proved how good her food was.
Mark waved his hand dismissively.
"That’s simple. Since Kaelira can cook, let her prepare meals for everyone."
Mark didn’t dislike Kaelira, nor was he particularly biased toward Serena.
In his mind, every member of the tribe had a role to fulfill. Beastmen hunted, while females washed, gathered supplies, and cooked.
Since Serena had mentioned it, he naturally agreed.
Seeing her plan progressing exactly as she intended, Serena lowered her eyes to hide the satisfaction in them.
She had wanted to push Kaelira into cooking for the entire tribe for a long time.
However, because of Lyra’s status and pride as the tribe’s best cook, Serena had never found the right opportunity to suggest it.
Now Mark had done it for her.
No matter how unhappy Lyra might be, she couldn’t openly argue with her own son.
After all, he was family.
Once Kaelira began cooking for everyone, all the females would be able to learn her methods.
Her unique advantage would disappear.
If everyone could make the same dishes, then Kaelira would no longer seem special.
Without her cooking skills setting her apart, she would simply become the same overweight, dark-skinned female the tribe had always known.
And if that happened, Xavier and Lucas would have no reason to stay close to her.
Even if they wanted to eat her food, they could do so alongside everyone else in the tribe.
Most importantly, Serena would finally have opportunities to spend time around Lucas and Ace.
Those powerful beastmen were notoriously difficult to approach, and she had long wanted more chances to interact with them.
This single plan could accomplish several goals at once.
Still, she maintained her gentle expression.
"Brother, isn’t this a little unfair?" Serena asked softly. "Kaelira probably won’t agree."
Mark snorted.
"What is there to disagree about? She’s been lazy for years."
He turned toward Lyra.
"Mother, you should teach her properly."
Lyra wasn’t pleased.
Before Kaelira’s Beggar’s Chicken had become famous, she had always been recognized as the best cook in the tribe.
Part of the reason Mark admired her so much was because of that reputation.
Now everyone was praising Kaelira instead.
Even worse, Kaelira claimed that her cooking had been taught by her adoptive mother—the black bear.
To Lyra, that felt like a direct slap to the face.
A biological mother being overshadowed by an adoptive one was difficult to accept.
Still, because the suggestion had come from Mark, she couldn’t reject it outright.
Instead, she turned toward her mate.
"What do you think?"
After a moment of consideration, Martin nodded.
"Kaelira’s cooking is excellent."
The memory of the Beggar’s Chicken resurfaced immediately.
It had been unlike anything he had ever tasted before.
Even Lyra’s cooking couldn’t compare.
Since everyone enjoyed Kaelira’s food, allowing her to cook for the tribe seemed reasonable.
"We’ll do it," he declared.
Lyra stared at him in disbelief.
She had asked the question expecting him to refuse.
Instead, he agreed without hesitation.
The tribe members immediately erupted into cheers.
Just as Lyra considered objecting, Serena gently took her hand and smiled.
"This will be a good opportunity for you to teach Kaelira properly, Mother."
Hearing that, Lyra reluctantly swallowed her objections.
If Kaelira cooked under her supervision, she’d remain right in front of her eyes.
That thought eased much of the irritation she’d been carrying these past few days.
"Fine," Lyra said at last. "I’ll speak with her later."
With the matter settled, the tribe gradually dispersed.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the discussion taking place, Sora continued going about her day.
Sora knew absolutely nothing about the plans being made behind her back...
After Xavier and Lucas left, she began searching for materials to make a better cooking pot.
The fruit-shell pot she had crafted a few days earlier was nearly ruined. The bottom had been scorched black, and with a simple poke of her finger, it looked ready to crack apart.
She needed something sturdier—something that could withstand higher temperatures.
There were stone pots in the tribe, but their bases were too thick. They worked well for stewing meat, yet they heated slowly and weren’t suitable for the kind of cooking Sora wanted to do.
As she thought about it, memories of the iron pots from her previous world surfaced.
Those pots heated quickly and evenly, making cooking far more efficient.
Unfortunately, she had no idea how to smelt iron, much less forge an iron pot.
A ceramic pot might be possible, but that would require clay, shaping, drying, and firing. It wasn’t something she could finish in a single day.
Besides the pot, she also wanted to improve her kitchen tools.
Finding a suitable piece of wood, she carved a simple spatula.
Afterward, she rebuilt her stove using mud reinforced with stones. Ideally, she wanted to cover the structure with dried grass to protect it from rain.
Then there were tables and chairs.
At the moment, everyone sat on the ground while eating. It worked, but it wasn’t comfortable.
As Sora mentally listed improvement after improvement, Xavier and Lucas finally returned.
Dragging behind them was a wild boar.
The size was perfect—not too large and not too small. More importantly, its belly carried a thick layer of fat.
The boar had already been split open.
Curious, Sora crouched beside it.
"How did you cut it so neatly without a knife?"
Xavier’s mouth twitched.
He looked at her as though she’d asked an obvious question.
In the end, Lucas raised one hand and extended several sharp claws.
"I used my ability."
Sora’s eyes widened.
"That’s amazing! Great job, Lucas!"
She genuinely meant it.
She had been wondering how she was going to butcher the pig herself, but Lucas had basically arrived with a built-in processing machine.
Lucas immediately regretted showing off.
The praise made his ears turn red.
Unable to hide his embarrassment, he glared at her.
"Shut up."
Sora ignored his reaction and pointed at the thick white layer beneath the skin.
"Since your claws are so useful, can you help me remove this part?"
Lucas glanced at the fat with visible disdain.
"Why would anyone want that? It’s greasy and tastes terrible."
Sora rolled her eyes.
"Who’s cooking here? You or me?"
She tapped the fat proudly.
"This is treasure."
Lucas clearly didn’t believe her.
Unfortunately for him, before he could argue further, Xavier spoke.
"Then you handle the organs."
Lucas immediately frowned.
"Why me?"
"Because you’re a snake."
The two stared at each other.
After a few seconds, both realized they had been dragged into the same situation.
With identical expressions of resignation, they hauled the boar toward the deep pool to clean it properly.
Meanwhile, Sora prepared the cooking area.
Originally, she had planned to make stir-fried pork.
Unfortunately, her damaged pot made that impossible.
Instead, she found a thin stone slab, washed it thoroughly in the pool, and placed it over the stove as a makeshift grill.
Afterward, she returned to her secret ingredient spot and gathered various seasonings.
By the time she finished, Lucas and Xavier had returned with the cleaned meat.
Sora immediately sliced away several pieces of lard and spread them across the heated stone slab.
As the fat melted, shimmering oil coated the surface.
Next, she cut pork belly into thick slices and placed them onto the hot stone.
Sizzle.
The sound was instantly followed by an irresistible aroma.
The pork slowly browned while its own fat rendered onto the stone.
Finally, Sora sprinkled on her carefully prepared seasonings.
The fragrance exploded into the air.
Xavier and Lucas froze.
Their eyes locked onto the meat.
Neither could look away.
When Sora wrapped several pieces in large leaves and handed them over, the two beastmen immediately stuffed them into their mouths.
The flavor was incredible.
Crispy edges.
Tender meat.
Rich juices.
A burst of seasoning.
After swallowing the first bite, both reached for more without hesitation.
Watching them devour the food, Sora smiled and handed over several cloves of garlic.
"Try eating this with the meat."
Lucas wrinkled his nose.
The smell was strong.
Xavier, however, accepted a clove without hesitation.
Following Sora’s instructions, he took a bite of garlic and then a bite of grilled pork.
His eyes lit up instantly.
Without saying a word, he immediately reached for more garlic.
Seeing Xavier’s reaction, Lucas reluctantly tried it as well.
The moment the flavors combined, his expression changed.
Before long, the two beastmen were alternating bites of garlic and grilled pork while rapidly clearing every piece of meat Sora cooked.
Not a single slice remained.