The scorching spicy flavor wreaked havoc in his mouth like a ball of fire. He felt as if he was tasting a mouthful of molten lava, and the taste buds on the tip of his tongue immediately went numb. Josh had never tasted anything so spicy before. For an instant, he even suspected that he had been poisoned. His body temperature spiked drastically, and sweat was pouring all over his body as white steam continued to puff out of his nose.
“Your Highness, are you alright?!”
“Hurry up and get a doctor!”
The chefs in the dining hall immediately erupted into a panicked frenzy. Some were rushing off to fill glasses of water, while others had already run off to seek help.
As expected, it’s completely inedible! Matthew was feeling extremely relieved and vindicated upon seeing this. Even though the second prince had been full of praise for Mag’s first two dishes, as long as the fish he cooked wasn’t to the second prince’s liking, Matthew’s place in the manor’s kitchen wouldn’t be threatened.
Josh was finding this level of spiciness to be simply unbearable, yet just as he was about to spit out the morsel of fish, the rich flavor of the fish itself suddenly blossomed in his mouth. The imagery evoked within his mind was akin to that of rainfall on a parched desert as the succulent fish melted in his mouth.
This incomparably delicious flavor was blossoming within the unbearable heat, repressing the scorching aura and bestowing new life upon his numb tongue and taste buds. In fact, their sensitivity seemed to have been enhanced, and every single taste bud of his was yearning to experience more of the fish’s delectable flavor.
Josh swallowed the morsel of fish, and it slid down his throat like a red-hot lump of lava. The heat then spread throughout his entire body, making him feel as relaxed and comfortable as if he were lying in a hot bath.
Just a small mouthful of fish had taken Josh on a complete flavor rollercoaster, showing him the joy of experiencing pain and pleasure simultaneously. This was the most unforgettable mouthful of any food he had ever had.
His throat was still scorching hot and his tongue was becoming numb again, but it was as if his hand no longer obeyed his commands as it picked up his chopsticks again before plucking another morsel of fish into his mouth.
The delicious flavor of the fish could repress the intense spicy flavor, yet each and every mouthful of fish he ate further compounded the scorching spiciness wreaking havoc within his mouth. Despite that, he simply couldn’t stop eating the delectable fish, and he descended into a vicious yet blissful cycle.
“Wait… His Highness seems to be enjoying this fish,” an old chef immediately yelled out to his student chef, who had already rushed over to the entrance of the dining hall to search for a doctor.
Josh’s face was completely flushed, yet his chopsticks continued to shovel fish into his mouth. The old chef looked on at this rather farcical sight with a complex expression on his face. He had never seen the second prince enjoy any dish to this extent.
“H-how could this be?!” Matthew stumbled back as his face turned deathly pale. Thankfully, one of his student chefs quickly reacted and caught him before he could fall.
When Matthew had just been hired to cook in the manor’s kitchen, the second prince would often eat his fish. Now, he would still cook the same fish every day, yet the prince would take a bite or two out of it at most. It was most often the case that the fish would be carried out, and then carried back into the kitchen, having been completely untouched.
He would often console himself by blaming it on the weather, thinking to himself that the recent weather was blunting the prince’s appetite for fish. However, the fact that Josh was currently eagerly shoving morsels of grilled fish into his mouth clearly indicated that this was not the case. Upon arriving at that realization, Matthew was struck by a crushing sense of sorrow and dejection.
It appeared that it was time for him to pack up his things and leave.
All of the chefs in the kitchen also wore similar expressions on their faces. Even though the fish was clearly unbearably spicy, the second prince was still feasting on it in such an enthusiastic manner; that was enough to indicate just how delicious the dish was. The second prince had always had immaculate table manners, and they had never seen him eat in such a frenetic and uncivilized manner before.
Just who is this man?
All of the chefs turned to Mag with curiosity and bewilderment on their faces. The disdain that they had directed toward Mag earlier completely disappeared.
There was an unspoken hierarchy in the world of chefs. At the very top of this hierarchy was naturally the chefs of Rodu, followed by the elven race, and after that came the chefs of Chaos City.
In the eyes of many of Rodu’s chefs, the cooking skills of Chaos City’s chefs were only barely superior to that of orc chefs. That was why such a massive stir had been created when rumors spread of the second prince inviting a chef from Chaos City to cook for the king.
However, Mag had completely shattered the preconceived notions they harbored toward the chefs of Chaos City.
Josh was indeed completely unable to stop. On one hand, this was because the grilled fish was exceptionally delicious, and it seemed to possess some kind of magical power than prevented him from putting down his chopsticks.
Of course, more importantly, this was because the fish was simply far too spicy. As soon as he stopped eating, his throat and mouth would feel as if they’d been set on fire, and only another mouthful of fish would douse the flames, but after he stopped, that burning sensation would return with even greater severity.
This was an indescribable sensation.
What was even more amazing to Josh was that this fish had no troublesome little fishbones, thereby allowing him to feast on it without any inhibitions.
As such, there was even less excuse for Josh to pause during the consumption of the fish, and only after eating an entire side of the fish did Josh finally grit his teeth and put down his chopsticks. He waved a hand at a nearby servant who was holding a glass of water, and he chugged down the entire glass of water in one go before releasing a long exhalation.
When he had first sat down for his meal, his lavish robes had been immaculately clean and his hair had also been exemplary. In the aftermath of his meal, his long robes had been completely drenched with sweat, and were clinging to his body. His hair, meanwhile, had also become extremely disheveled, and was plastered to his forehead, making him appear as if he were an escaping fugitive rather than an esteemed prince.
“On the way here, Mr. Cayrols had informed me that Your Highness was a fan of spicy foods. Hence, I added some extra chili peppers to the grilled fish. Was it to your liking, Your Highness?” Mag pinned the blame on Cayrols and put on a nervous yet expectant expression, but he was feeling extremely satisfied internally.
That’s what you get for taking Amy hostage three years ago! If I get the chance in the future, I’ll make you taste the four times, five times, even six times insanely spicy grilled fish! I’ll make sure your a*shole is in constant agony!
Josh felt as if he were slightly dehydrated from his profuse sweating, and all of his limbs felt sluggish and feeble. It was the exact same feeling as after emerging from a sauna, except his mouth, esophagus, and stomach were still on fire.
A contemplative look appeared on Josh’s face upon hearing this. If any other chef had reduced him to such a disheveled and unsightly state, he would definitely have them executed. However, the fish that Mag had cooked was undeniably delicious, and he derived far more joy than pain from eating it.
As such, he couldn’t really criticize the dish. After all, it was fairly common knowledge that he enjoyed spicy food, and Mag was only trying to cater to his tastes. With that in mind, a smile appeared on his face as he said, “The grilled fish that you cooked is the most delicious and spiciest fish dish I’ve ever had.”
“You’re far too kind, Your Highness. If you like it, I can cook it for you every day for the next few days.” For once, Mag was being genuine with his words. He was indeed more than willing to cook spicy grilled fish for Josh every day.
“You can go and have some food with your daughter now. I’ll organize a place for you to stay at, and you can focus on preparing for the birthday banquet in two days.” Josh rose to his feet before exiting the dining hall.