Amelia the Level Zero Hero - Chapter 179

Edlyn stared at Amelia with wide eyes. It took a moment for the [Royal Chef] to process the words that had just been uttered. And when it finally clicked, she recoiled in shock.

“You want me to work for you?!” Edlyn exclaimed, her voice drawing the attention of the entire room.

The dining hall went still. The cacophony of voices that had filled the table just a second ago went silent. Everyone that had been gathered here— from the stuck-up nobles of the Astra Palace to the [Knights of the Astral Order]— turned their heads to face this scene.

King Jalen furrowed his brows, craning his neck to face Edlyn. Sir Rowland wore an amused expression on his face as he leant back in his seat. The [Royal Chef] ignored all of them, instead staring round-eyed at the brown-haired woman.

In response, Amelia replied flatly, “Yes, that is what I said— do you want to work for me?”

“I…” Edlyn blinked a few times.

She was taken aback by the sheer audacity of that question. It was such a ridiculous proposal— she was being asked to quit her job as the [Royal Chef] of the Astra Palace, one of the most prestigious positions to hold in the entire country… and for what? To work in some backwater village most people had never heard about before?

The answer was obvious.

“Of course n—” she started.

But a sudden clatter of cutleries interrupted her. Edlyn looked up and watched as King Jalen hurriedly jolted to his feet. She stared at him for a moment, and he took a step forward.

“You wish to hire our head [Royal Chef]?” he asked Amelia with wide eyes.

The brown-haired woman nodded in response. “Yes, I literally just said that… twice.”

“I see…” He wrinkled his lips.

Edlyn thought that he was going to save her. She thought that he was going to protest Amelia’s proposal. After all, he was the King of the Astrad Kingdom, and Edlyn was his head [Royal Chef]. Surely he was going to intervene, right?

But that was not what he did. Instead, he grabbed Edlyn by the shoulders, helping her to her feet. She followed dumbly, not understanding what was going on as he ushered her away from Amelia.

“What are you doing?” the brown-haired woman asked, watching this scene unfold.

“I apologize, Ms Amelia,” King Jalen said from halfway across the room, bringing Edlyn in tow. “But could I have a word with [Chef] Edlyn in private, please?”

“Sure…?” Amelia replied with narrowed eyes.

“W-what?” Edlyn broke out of her stupor. She glanced between Amelia and Jalen, completely befuddled. “What’s going on?”

But the question fell on deaf’s ears as the [Royal Chef] was led out of the dining hall. The King of the Astrad Kingdom closed the ornate double doors behind them, leaving the two of them alone in the gilded hallway outside. He leant against the door handle for a moment, then took in a deep breath. Edlyn stared at him as she pursed her lips.

“Your majesty?” she asked.

And he sighed. King Jalen turned towards her, meeting her gaze as he said, “You must accept Amelia’s offer.”

“What…?” Edlyn seemed to say for the hundredth time today. “You can’t be serious, right? You want me to go with… that monster?”

The [Royal Chef] hesitated as she finished her sentence in a whisper. Jalen shook his head as he glanced vaguely over his shoulder. He spoke in a low voice.

“The Astrad Kingdom is being overwhelmed from all sides. The Kingdom of Kal has us on the back foot, and all our best men are dying in battle to the [Hero King]. Just yesterday, I received a report that General Raymon and his forces were completely wiped out at the edge of the Sofron River.”

Edlyn’s eyes snapped wide open. “General Raymon? But he was— how? I didn’t hear about this…”

“This information will not be released to the public until next week,” King Jalen said as his gaze was shadowed over. He lowered his head as he whispered. “I do not wish to admit this to anyone, but I have spoken with all my advisors, and I have only come to one conclusion.”

“And what is that?” Edlyn asked, gulping. She knew what the answer was, but for whatever reason, she felt the need to confirm it.

The King of the Astrad Kingdom closed his eyes. “At the rate the war is going… we are not going to win.”

“Oh.” That was all the [Royal Chef] could say.

It took time for the realization to fully sink in. The Astrad Kingdom was going to lose this war. The Kingdom of Kal was going to be the victors. And that… wasn’t the most unexpected outcome.

Somewhere, deep inside of Edlyn, she knew that this was their fate from the very beginning. After all, they were up against the [Hero King]. This was a moment in history for the books— a chapter that would discuss the rise and reign of the Kingdom of Kal for at least another hundred years. The Astrad Kingdom would have only been but a single page in that chapter. Then forgotten for the rest of time.

But Edlyn had held hope. Even if it was irrational. Emotionally, she wanted the Astrad Kingdom to come out victorious, despite knowing that logically it only ever had a slim chance of happening. After all, they were a mostly peaceful country, having not waged a war in decades. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Kal had been relentless in their expansion, so with their hardened veteran armies, they already had a massive advantage.

And now, to receive confirmation from the King of the Astrad Kingdom himself that her worst fears were going to come true… Edlyn dropped to her knees.

“I… what will happen to all of us?” she asked weakly. “My family—”

“They’ll be safe,” King Jalen said reassuringly. He bent down to one knee, placing a hand on the [Royal Chef]’s shoulder. “If the tides of war do not turn by the end of the year, then I shall surrender my crown.”

That made Edlyn jerk back. She looked up with a shocked expression on her face. It was not something she expected the King of the Astrad Kingdom to ever say. And yet, today was a day full of surprises where everything that happened was unexpected.

“But why?” she asked. “You’ll be killed— if not, tortured and imprisoned!”

“I am very much aware of that, [Chef] Edlyn.” King Jalen smiled bitterly as he rose back to his feet. “However, I’d rather be the one to suffer if it means that my people can be spared.”

Edlyn gritted her teeth. She saw the defeated look on his face, and she shook her head. “We can’t just surrender without trying.”

He nodded slowly— morosely. “I know. That is why I am doing this. That is why I am turning to you for help.”

“To work for Amelia,” Edlyn said, eyes flickering towards the double doorway of the dining hall. “So I can recruit her to our side.”

“Yes,” the King of the Astrad Kingdom replied simply.

The two of them remained there in silence for a moment. Edlyn took this in, her head spinning— the world around her seemingly shaking. But she tried to compose herself. She took in a deep breath, before exhaling as she looked up to meet King Jalen’s gaze.

“Must I do this?” she asked, peering into his weary eyes. “If I say no, will you fault me?”

The King of the Astrad Kingdom shook his head. “This decision is up to you, [Chef] Edlyn. I shall not punish you nor condemn you if you choose not to do this.”

Edlyn closed her eyes. “I see.”

She didn’t know why she was so hesitant to accept this offer. It was an ostensibly simple task. In fact, it sounded like a much more relaxing job than working at the Astra Palace. And yet, this was everything she had ever worked for.

Edlyn didn’t grow up rich. She wasn’t raised by a noble family at birth. So she never had much to her name. All she had to her was her cooking. Her family always praised her and encouraged her to pursue her passions even if they couldn’t offer her much. Because of that, she wanted to be able to give back to them— she wanted to make them proud.

And for most of her life, she thought that the way to do this was to become the best [Chef] in the Astrad Kingdom, which meant becoming the head [Royal Chef] for the Astra Palace. So that was what she had striven to do. That was what she had done.

Now, she was being asked to give it all up. To abandon it all. And for what?

“For the sake of the Astrad Kingdom…” she whispered, answering her own question.

Edlyn bit her lower lip. She could save millions of lives if she did this. All she had to do was work under Amelia. That was relatively easy enough, right?

The [Royal Chef] sighed. She rose to her feet as her emotions warred within. But she saw the look on King Jalen’s face. She thought of her friends and family back home. And even though she didn’t want to— even though she was afraid of what could happen if she messed up while working under Amelia— she still made her decision.

“I accept,” Edlyn said.

And King Jalen smiled. “Thank you, [Chef] Edlyn. For you may have just saved our kingdom.”

The two of them returned back to the dining hall with her decision. But as Edlyn strode through the room, seeing the staring faces looking back at her, before locking eyes with her new employer, she hoped, for the sake of her sanity and safety, that this was the right decision.

She hoped that she would be able to save them all.