A Stay-at-home Dad’s Restaurant In An Alternate World

Mag raised the hand to his eyes. It had completely healed without a trace of scar, and the newborn skin was softer. The life magic was really marvelous.

On top of that, it seemed the green light had cured his strained muscles and the numb arm. He felt so much better now, just as if he had taken a hot bath.

Mag stood up and stretched his limbs. “That was impressive, Aisha. Thank you.”

Sally nodded. “You’re welcome.” Then she turned to face Amy. “I’m afraid only those who have bathed in the Spring of Life can use this magic.”

Amy got a little disappointed. “Can we go swim in the Spring of Life, Father?” she asked.

Mag smiled. “Maybe later.” He had known from the files he bought that one also had to be a pure-blooded elf to study that magic, and that he or she had to be recognized by the Tree of Life first.

Amy nodded. “Yes, Father.” She looked at his healed hand and smiled. “Can you fix something for me to eat, Father? I’m hungry. I want to have some chicken.”

“You said you would launch a new dish, Boss. Is it a fire chicken dish?” Yabemiya asked curiously.

Mag nodded. “Yes. You girls didn’t have lunch yet, right? Stay here, I’ll make some braised chicken for you.”

When Mag reached out his hand to take the chicken, Yabemiya didn’t give it to him. “You should get some rest, Boss. Leave it to me to process the chicken. I’m very good at plucking chickens.”

“All right. Thank you,” Mag said with a smile as he looked at her eyes which were filled with a desire to prove herself. He was very glad, for he might make a mess if he were to do it instead.

“Let’s go take a bath upstairs, Amy.” Mag lifted her up.

“Should Ugly Duckling take a bath too?” Amy asked, looking at the kitten in the basket.

The word “bath” woke it up right away. But before it could escape, Mag held it and lifted it out of the basket. “Yes,” he answered. The kitten was trying to wriggle free.

“Stop it, Ugly Duckling! If you don’t take a bath, I won’t hold you again!” Amy said solemnly.

“Meow.” The kitten stopped wriggling.

Mag washed them first, dried off Amy’s hair, dressed her in a blue dress, and tied her hair into two ponytails. After they went downstairs to play, Mag drew a new bath and got into the tub.

He closed his eyes, thinking. This body is still too weak. I could kill a 1st-tier magical beast, and might stand a chance against a 2nd-tier one, but I’d almost surely be killed by a 3rd-tier magical beast. He had been teasing the system when he said he wanted Amy to protect him; he desired to get strong enough to protect her.

He hadn’t lost heart. He knew he could get stronger—as long as he had enough money.

He looked forward to getting a stronger body than Mag Alex. Could I be stronger than he was?

I could, Mag thought. I have to, if I want to prevent that same tragedy from ever happening again.

To get stronger, I need more money, and to get more money, I need to work harder. Mag got out of the tub, dried off his body, and smiled when he looked at himself in the mirror. There were, even if not clear, six-pack abs. His dark eyes were sparkling.

Mag put on a clean chef’s suit and went downstairs. The air in the restaurant was extra fresh and moist; everything was sparkling clean.

Sally was resting her chin in her hands, watching Amy tease Ugly Duckling. She stood up when she heard Mag’s footsteps.

“Don’t stand up. You’ve done a great job cleaning the restaurant,” Mag said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Sally said happily, and resumed her seat.

Mag walked into the kitchen, and saw Yabemiya wiping the cooking bench. The fire chicken was lying in a large basin, with not even a single pin feather. She had kept the edible guts on a plate, while the other guts and feathers were in the trash can. The kitchen was still very clean.

Yabemiya turned to look at him, nervous and expectant—this was the first time she had processed ingredients here. “Should I cut the fire chicken, Boss?”

“No. You did very well, Miya. Go get some rest; I’ll take it from here,” answered Mag.

“Thank you, Boss.” She wiped the cooking bench clean and walked out.

She would totally win the waitress of the year award, Mag thought to himself.

“System, where is my reward?” Mag said after taking a look at the knife block.

In his head was still the same line of words: “The system is learning…”

Then he saw an icon and clicked on it.

“If you’re hearing this, I’m still learning. Congratulations…”