I made up magic and taught a world-destroying witch?

Joseph, holding a cup of Star Dew Mint Tea he'd casually grabbed from the drinks counter, discovered that all the window seats with a view had already been taken.

Several elderly professors, some with receding hairlines and others with full heads of white hair, each occupied a long oak table that could seat six people.

Some were reading newspapers, some were leisurely sipping soup, and some were simply resting with their eyes closed. Yet, everyone chose a window seat, and no one seemed inclined to move.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of the faculty canteen face the Royal Greenhouse Garden on the east side of the college.

As dusk falls, the moonflowers in the garden, along with the glowing twilight vines on the nearby experimental tower wall, create a picturesque scene perfect for these old guys to pretend to be sophisticated scholars while having a meal.

Joseph glanced around and found a table in the corner where he could barely see the edge of the window and sat down.

He put down his teacup and, from a distance of several tables, leisurely watched the dining table.

Mia was frantically circling the huge plate of honey-glazed roasted ribs like a headless fly.

Grace stood next to her expressionlessly, pointed to one of the pieces, and Mia immediately shook her head. Then she pointed to another piece, and Grace pointed to yet another. Mia simply shoved the clip into Grace's hand.

They seem to get along well; at least they didn't fight in the cafeteria.

Joseph looked away and was about to get up to get his food from the table when he suddenly caught a glimpse of an old professor at the next table lazily waving his hand into the air.

A waiter in an apron appeared immediately. The old professor whispered something, and a moment later, the waiter brought over a plate of freshly cooked silver cod.

Joseph paused for a moment.

"...Can I order?"

I ate and drank at the faculty canteen for free for a full six months, and I must have eaten at least a hundred meals.

He always obediently carried his plate to the buffet table and lined up, taking whatever he saw.

He had always thought that the high-end buffet was the only way to dine here!

You can't blame him for that.

The original owner was a socially awkward bookworm who always went straight to the cafeteria with his head down, grabbed his food, and then huddled in a corner, his eyes practically glued to his magic papers. He never paid any attention to how the other old fogies ate.

After Joseph transmigrated, in order not to arouse suspicion and expose his secret, he perfectly inherited this low-key style of taking and running away, and didn't even bother to look at whether the waiters here were male or female.

After all that, it turns out he stood at the restaurant for nothing all those six months.

Joseph paused for two seconds, then waved his hand in the air without changing his expression.

"Professor, what would you like to order?"

A pretty young waitress walked over quickly and politely handed over a menu with a gold-embossed cover.

Joseph flipped open the menu on the table, which he had never paid attention to before, and quickly scanned it.

Goodness, this menu has more than twice as much food as a buffet.

Honey-glazed roasted lamb chops, herb-seared silver cod, moon shadow mushroom truffle soup, frosty berry mille-feuille puff pastry, flaming ice cream...

Each dish is also labeled as being made to order.

Joseph felt his heart bleeding.

  

How many delicious foods has he missed in the past six months?!

It's like someone paying for a five-star hotel but eating free cookies in the lobby for half a month, only to discover the day before checkout that their room key could be used to access the rooftop revolving restaurant for free!

But the great magician couldn't show his shock at how much he could eat this way in front of the waiter.

Joseph suppressed his regret, closed the menu, and said:

"Two servings of roasted lamb chops, three servings of moon mushroom soup. And three servings of flambéed ice cream, to be served after we finish our main course."

"Okay, Professor. Please wait a moment." The waiter quickly noted it down and respectfully withdrew.

Joseph leaned back in his chair, picked up his Stardew Mint Tea, and took a sip.

The tea has a slightly cool taste when it enters the mouth, and after it slides down the throat, a faint sweetness emerges.

It is said that this is made by steeping dew collected in the early morning from Moon Dew Flower, which grows on the edge of the elven territory.

On the black market, this cup would sell for five silver coins, but here, it's completely free.

This is the right way to run a faculty and staff canteen.

Today, under the guise of being a student, I ordered all the dishes I wanted to try. Since the college was paying for everything, I figured I might as well eat them.

Just then, Mia returned carrying a small mountain.

On the solid wood tray in her hand, the plates were stacked higher than her head, and on top of them was a rattan basket filled with bread rings at an angle that defied physics.

She was almost buried in the pile of food, her chin resting on the edge of the bread basket, and she was exploring on her toes.

"Make way! Watch out! It's so hot... Oh! Perfect landing!"

Mia slammed the tray down on the table.

Grace followed behind her, carrying a tray that looked like a normal human meal, with two salads and a bowl of soup on it, her expression saying, "I don't know the person in front of me."

"Miss Taylor."

Grace put down her tray and looked at the small mountain of food in front of Mia.

There are only three of us.

"I know."

Mia, taking it for granted, started putting the dishes out one by one.

"I'll eat three portions, and you can each have one."

Look, this rib with the most sauce was snatched by my husband! This snail is for you.

Grace looked down at the plate of creamy mushroom escargot gratin that had been rudely pushed in front of her.

Tiny oil bubbles were still bubbling up from the snail shell, which was about the size of a fist.

The rich aroma of butter and garlic blends together, and objectively speaking, it doesn't smell unpleasant; in fact, it's quite tempting.

The problem is that, as a noble princess, she has a physiological aversion to these shelled mollusks.

"...You took my vegetables?"

"yes."

Mia spoke with an honest expression, a hint of smug satisfaction in her voice, seeking praise.

"Didn't you say you often meet with elven delegations?"

You upper-class people must be used to eating all sorts of strange and unusual things, right?

I walked around the buffet table and this thing looked the weirdest, so I got it for you on purpose.

Grace remained silent.

She really wanted to explain to this single-celled organism that there was no necessary connection between seeing the elven delegation and the snails that liked to gnaw on the mud in the dwarven mines.

But Mia had already pushed the plate of snails in front of her, her eyes sparkling.

Grace simply nodded slightly in the end.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome!"

Mia couldn't wait to start working on her plate of grilled ribs.

She took a big bite out of the meat, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, and turned to Joseph, her words muffled, to present the treasure:

"Sir! I grabbed the best piece for you! Please try it!"

Joseph glanced at the grilled ribs that she had pushed toward him.

There was indeed a lot of sauce, so much that the edges of the plate were reflecting light.

"I've ordered," Joseph said, leaning back in his chair. "The waiter will bring it over."

Mia paused in her chewing, looked up, her eyes slowly widening as she asked in a daze:

"Can we still order?"

"Of course, this is one of the basic services offered by the faculty and staff canteen."

Joseph didn't even lift his eyelids.

"This is your first time here, so it's normal that you're misled by appearances and don't know what's going on."

He made no mention of the fact that he himself had just been deceived by appearances ten minutes earlier.

Grace didn't seem too surprised when she heard this.

She glanced thoughtfully at the menu on the table, then at Joseph.

The teacher indeed knew every corner of the academy like the back of his hand.

Even just taking them out for a meal can make them realize the differences between the faculty system and the student system.

This was probably part of the teaching, and Grace silently kept this in mind.

Mia looked down at the pile of food in front of her and suddenly realized:

"Did I take too much?"

Joseph glanced at her.

"Can you finish it?"

"I can finish it!"

"That's not much."

Mia was immediately relieved and happily buried her face in the pile of flesh again.

A moment later, the waiter came over pushing a small silver food cart.

The honey-glazed roasted lamb chops sizzled with oil, the edges slightly charred, and were sprinkled with rosemary flakes. The moon shadow mushroom soup was served in a white porcelain bowl, with a few light purple mushroom slices floating on top.

The waiter placed the dishes on the table one by one, and finally placed a small silver bell on top.

"Dessert is ready. Please ring the bell if you wish. Professor, enjoy your meal."

Mia stared intently at the plate of tempting roasted lamb chops, then looked down at the piece on her own plate.

Suddenly, the meat in my mouth didn't taste good anymore.

The dish my husband ordered looks even tastier than the grilled ribs.

She hesitated for about two seconds.

But what does it matter? It's not like she can't eat.

Joseph forked a piece of lamb chop and put it in his mouth.

The meat was perfectly marbled with fat and lean, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The sauce probably contained some kind of spice he couldn't identify, giving it a slightly sweet taste at first, followed by a rich flavor from the meat juices and spices. It was far superior to the grilled ribs at the buffet.

He scooped up another spoonful of moon mushroom soup.

The soup is thick and creamy, with the umami flavor of mushrooms carrying a hint of nutty aroma. As it slides down the throat, it quickly warms the stomach.

He'd eaten so many meals in the faculty cafeteria over the past six months, yet he'd never ordered any of these.

Big loss.

Joseph lowered his head and drank his soup. Starting tomorrow, he would completely overturn his strategic plan for this cafeteria.

Forget about being low-key or not; the revival of magic can be done slowly, but he must first revive his own taste buds!

A brief silence fell over the dining table.

Mia was engrossed in her work, showcasing her amazing ability to clear the table. Grace, though hungry all afternoon, maintained impeccable table manners, unlike Mia who seemed to be forging iron next to her.

Joseph had thought that he could finally finish the meal in peace.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the thirst for knowledge a diligent student would have after a full meal.

After the first round of dishes had been almost finished and the atmosphere at the table had just relaxed, Grace suddenly took out a notebook from her small bag.

The notebook looked more valuable than the whole plate of food Mia had just taken.

She held the notebook in both hands and placed it on the table.

"Sir, I jotted down a few questions during my practice this afternoon. If it's convenient for you, I'd like to ask you some pointers."

Joseph had just swallowed half a mouthful of moon shadow mushroom soup when it suddenly got stuck in his throat.