Valerio

Notte: Congrats on your new restaurant, Valerio! I am gonna nosh SO hard here!
Valerio: Thank you. It's a dream come true for me.

Euden: We're grateful for the invitation. We haven't had a chance to enjoy your cooking since the Orichalcum Chef.
Valerio: Your help with that was invaluable. I daresay I owe this grand opening to you.
Valerio: That's why today, the whole of my culinary expertise is at your disposal. Eat, drink, and be merry, friends.
Ranzal: My stomach ain't just rumblin', it's roarin'! Let's eat!
Notte: So help me, Ranzal, if you don't leave me at LEAST ten dinner rolls...
Valerio: Worry not. I called in a sous chef to ensure that I could keep pace with your appetites.
Notte: A sous chef? Wait, you don't mean—
 ???: You rang?

Notte: Seriously? THIS clown?! The same awful creep who tried to sabotage you at the cooking contest?
Valerio: I most certainly did not "ring," Picaro! Why are you here? To spoil my party with your despicable deeds?
Picaro: So rude, this one! I heard you'd opened a restaurant, and as your rival, I figured I would honor you with a personal visit.
Valerio: And now you have. So if you're quite finished, I believe you had best be getting on your way. I'm sure your bistro is simply falling apart in your absence.
Picaro: Mark my words: I WILL be back, and I WILL sample your cuisine! Just be sure not to oversalt, eh? Oho ho ho!
Notte: Uh, bye, weirdo. Anyway, if your backup isn't Picaro, then who is it?
 ???: Valerio! The soup stock is up! Just wait till you get a slurp of THIS!

Notte: Oh, your sous chef is Mitsuba! What's shakin', girl? I haven't seen you since the cooking contest!
Mitsuba: Hi, Notte! With me and Valerio working together, you're in for a culinary experience you'll not soon forget!
Euden: Wow. You two are really going all-out.

Valerio & Mitsuba: HYAAAAAAAHHH!
Luca: Oh, man, that smells A-MA-ZING. Good to see you two haven't lost your edge! ...Edges? Edges.
Valerio: Dinner is served.
Elisanne: This looks spectacular. I suppose I should have expected no less from such illustrious chefs.
Pipple: Pipple, pipple! ♪
Euden: Alberia truly is a bountiful land. Now then, shall we?
Everyone: Let's eat!
Ranzal: Crisps 'n crackers, Valerio! You killed it! Man, you really are some kinda genius!
Picaro: Très bien! ...This is not. But I suppose it's adequate.
Picaro: I can't believe a former knight can cook better than me... I've dedicated my whole life to the culinary arts! Papa trained me from birth!
Notte: Oh, that's right. Valerio was a knight before he became a cook, wasn't he?
Picaro: Quite so. As his rival, I've researched him extensively. He hails from North Grastaea, where—
Valerio: *ahem* Picaro. I've prepared a special tasting menu just for you.
Picaro: For me?! Don't mind if I do! *chomp*...
Picaro: Mmm, yesh, thish is... Mm? Hmmmm... NNNGHHH?!
Luca: Yo, Picaro. Somethin' wrong, bud?
Picaro: Sp-sp-SPICYYYYYYYY! *thud*
Notte: Dang. Poor dude's out cold. What did you give him, Valerio?
Valerio: An extraordinarily spicy dish I learned from some Taiwu natives at the castle.
Valerio: Consider that punishment for digging into my past without permission, Picaro.
Valerio: Ah, pardon, sir, but the restaurant is booked today for a private—
Valerio: *gasp* Y-you!
Man: I heard a culinary genius had opened a new restaurant and was hiring cooks.
Man: Where do I apply?
Valerio: You...don't remember me at all, do you?
Valerio: Have you forgotten everything that happened back then?!
Euden: Valerio, what's going on here? Let's all take a deep breath and talk this over.
Man: I haven't forgotten a thing. How could I?
Valerio: Then how could you have the nerve to show your face in my restaurant?! Enough of this!
Valerio: Get out! And never darken my door again!
Euden: What's gotten into you, Valerio?
Valerio: Forgive me, but...I'm closing early today. I'm afraid this party is over.

Mitsuba: Phew! That's the last dish washed!
Cleo: I've finished cleaning the tables.
Valerio: Thank you for your help. You go home, and I'll finish tidying—
Mitsuba: Hold up. You expect us to just leave after that kerfuffle earlier?
Mitsuba: Talk to us, Valerio. Tell us what happened between you and that guy.
Valerio: ...Very well. I suppose if I can discuss this with anyone, it's you. And I do owe you that much.
Valerio: This is the story of a man who believed that so long as he held blade in hand, he could protect anything.
Valerio: It is also the story of a pathetic fool who failed to protect what mattered most...

Valerio: Hyaaaaah!
Soldier 1: Eeeeep!
Valerio: Hmph. This session is over.

Soldier 2: Oof... He's a real deft hand with that sword. Practically a genius!
Soldier 3: With him as our captain, our order is unstoppable. I'd follow him anywhere!
Valerio: I don't recall commanding you two to talk! Idle chatter is what gets soldiers killed.
Soldier 3: Y-yessir! Sorry, sir!
Valerio: That's enough sparring for today. We're heading home. Behind me, men!
Soldiers: Yessir!

Soldier: Captain Valerio, you've been summoned by the king! You need to go to the throne room immediately!
Valerio: Hm? Very well. I'm on my way.

King: Ah, Valerio. You're here.
Valerio: Yes, Your Majesty. How may I be of service?
King: I have new orders for you, effective immediately.
Valerio: New orders, Your Majesty?
King: I'm assigning you to guard detail for my daughter, Primia.
Valerio: The princess...?
King: As the captain of the Azure Knights, I know that she will be safe in your care. Do not disappoint me, Valerio.
Valerio: (He must be joking...)
Valerio: (I'm the finest blade in the kingdom, and he wants me guarding his child?!)
Valerio: Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, I could suggest some candidates who would be more fit for this duty than I.
Valerio: I believe my talents are best suited for the battlefield. And more importantly, children are not my forte.
King: Then this will be a fine opportunity for you. Furthermore, the princess herself—
 ???: That's right! I requested you myself!

Valerio: Your Highness...
Primia: Hee hee. I'm so looking forward to this, Valerio!

Valerio: Your Highness! Please, stop!
Primia: Do try to keep up, Valerio!
Valerio: Your Highness, you must cease these strolls through town! Might I suggest you return to the castle to read, or perhaps—
Primia: Blech, no way! Now hurry up, or I'm leaving you behind.
Valerio: *sigh*
Valerio: (I knew this assignment would be a poor fit. I'm hopeless when it comes to dealing with children!)
Valerio: (I was born to serve on the battlefield. Yet with a word, she was able to make me her royal knight. Perhaps with another, she can return me to my order...)
Primia: Valerio?
Valerio: Ever in your wake, Your Highness.

Valerio: (How does she know her way around these back alleys so well? What does she seek in a place like this?)
Primia: Ah, there you are! Gather round, friends!
Valerio: Your Highness, what are you doing?!
Primia: Here are those cookies, as promised!
Valerio: Cookies...?
Primia: That's right. While we were walking through town several days ago, I spoke with these children, who mentioned they'd never once had cookies. Can you imagine?
Primia: Thus did I promise that when next we met, I would bring them some. Did I not?
Boy: You sure did, Your Highness! Just look at them all... There's gotta be five days' worth! We'll savor every last bite.
Primia: Oh, splendid! I'll be sure to bring even more next time, then. That's a promise!
Girl: YOU WILL?! Thank you sooooooo much!
Valerio: You dragged me along on this walk just so you could deliver some cookies?
Primia: I did. Am I sorry? Only a little.
Primia: Now tell me, Valerio: How do you eat cookies?
Valerio: Er... The same as the next person. I have a few when I want a light snack, perhaps paired with tea.
Primia: I do the same. But for those kids, it's different.
Primia: I eat that many cookies in a day, but they plan to make them last for five. And when they eat them, I'm sure they'll appreciate them more than I ever have.
Primia: As their princess, it is my duty to keep them all fed and happy.
Primia: To this end, I intend to grow ever stronger. Like you, Valerio.
Valerio: Like me, Your Highness?
Primia: Just so. You are a hero of this nation! And when I grow up, I want to do my part to protect it too.
Primia: So until that day comes... I beseech you, protect this country with me. Please!
Valerio: ......
Valerio: (I've only been seeing her as a child. Why haven't I ever noticed?)
Valerio: (Her petite frame bears the weight of great responsibility. As an adult, it is my duty to help her bear that burden. Yet I have been thinking only of myself.)
Valerio: (Maybe the best way to protect my country...is by protecting her.)
Valerio: I understand, Your Highness. I vow to keep you safe. I stake my life upon it.
Primia: Hee hee! I knew you wouldn't let me down, Valerio.

Primia: Mmmm! Isn't the chef's vegetable stew sublime, Valerio?
Valerio: ......
Primia: Helloooo? Primia to Valerio! Come in, Valerio!
Valerio: Huh?
Primia: The stew's getting cold, you know. Your mind has been elsewhere all day.
Valerio: Apologies, Your Highness.
Primia: Our country is in peril, isn't it?
Valerio: ...!
Primia: Father is trying to keep me blissfully unaware, but I suspect we are losing the war.
Primia: Ever since it began, he won't even allow me to walk through the city.
Primia: I hope those children we met are okay...

Valerio: *sigh* What am I doing? I must remain present, for Her Majesty's sake!
Valerio: (As she suspects, we are outmatched. If we lose this war, what will become of this country? Of my royal charge?)
Valerio: Have I grown complacent? Lost my way?
Valerio: (Is remaining at her side truly the best way to protect her?)
Valerio: (I could be on the front lines, leading our troops to victory. Would that not see her safe sooner?)
Valerio: What should I do?
Valerio: Huh? Who's there?!
Valerio: Was there not someone at my door? Am I merely jumping at shadows...?

Primia: *pant* *pant*
Primia: I got the chef to make us a late-night snack in hopes of cheering him up...
Primia: ...But it seems that food is the last thing on Valerio's mind.
Primia: (In truth, I know exactly what he wants.)
Primia: (I see the frustration on his face when our bloodied soldiers limp home from battle.)
Primia: Nevertheless, I can't bear the thought of him leading them out there. He could be hurt—or worse!
Primia: But I am a princess. Prioritizing my own selfish desires will not protect this country.
Primia: I have to grow up. I have to be strong.

King: Ah, Valerio.
Valerio: Your Majesty. How might I be of service?
King: I have new orders for you. Effective immediately, you are to resume leading the Azure Knights.
Valerio: What? Hold on... Don't tell me Princess Primia—
Primia: Indeed. I requested it myself.
Primia: I said you should command the knights— that you belong on the battlefield.
Valerio: Your Highness, I...
Primia: You must promise me one thing, Valerio.
Primia: Promise that you will return home safely, and be my royal knight once more.
Valerio: I swear it, Your Highness. I will return to your side hale and whole!
King: You shall depart for the front immediately, and rejoin your knights there.
Valerio: As you command, Your Majesty!
Primia: Fight well, Valerio. Protect this land as only you can.

Soldier 1: We've lost too many men. What are we supposed to do now?
Soldier 2: What choice do we have? If we withdraw at this point, our kingdom will be no more.
Soldier 1: But... Without our captain, can we really drive them back?
 ???: I do believe I forbade idle chatter on the battlefield, soldier!
Soldier 1: Huh?!
Soldier 1: Captain! Why are you here?
Valerio: I'm here at His Majesty's behest. I've been assigned command of the Azure Knights, effective immediately.
Soldier 2: R-really?!
Soldier 1: Thank the Heavens! With you leading us again, we might truly win the day!
Valerio: Listen well, all of you. The only way we go home alive is to fight as if we're as good as dead. Find strength in your desperation!
Valerio: We will protect Mentzara, no matter the cost!

Valerio: RAAAAAAAH!
Soldier: Follow the captain!
Enemy Soldier: What the hell?! They're moving like men possessed!
Valerio: Behind me, men! Remember what your fallen comrades fought and died for! Do not let their sacrifices be in vain!
Soldiers: TO VICTORYYYY!

Valerio: (With this sword, I will claim victory. And then I will honor my promise. I WILL protect you, my princess!)

Primia: I'm finished. You can clear the plates.
Maid: Your Highness? You've barely touched your food. Was it not to your taste?
Primia: It didn't taste like anything.
Maid: ...Pardon? What do you mean?
Primia: I don't know... It looked appetizing, but... It... Nghhh...
Maid: Your Highness...? Your Highness!

Soldier: Captain Valerio, a messenger has arrived from the capital! He says it's urgent!
Valerio: What is it?
Soldier: Sir, I regret to inform you, but...
Valerio: What...?

Valerio: (No... It can't be...)

Valerio: PRINCESS!
Maid: Please, lower your voice!
Primia: Valer...io...?
Valerio: I'm right here.
Primia: You've...returned... Then... Surely we've won...?
Primia: Good... Everything will be okay...now...
Valerio: You have nothing to worry about, Your Highness. Please, just rest.
Primia: I will, but... Can I ask you for one thing...?
Valerio: Yes?
Primia: Hold...my hand...
Valerio: Like this?
Primia: Yes... Thank you. Hee hee... It really is you, Valerio.
Primia: Welcome home...
Valerio: ......

Valerio: When did Her Highness fall ill?
Maid: She's been eating poorly for several months now. When she abruptly collapsed, I sent for the doctor.
Valerio: Is there any hope she'll recover?
Maid: Sadly, no. The doctor says she only has about a month left to live.
Valerio: I... I see.
Maid: Her Highness has been waiting so long for you to return. She can't get out of bed, and she is too weak to eat.
Maid: I beg you, stay by her side. Do what you can to bring her peace in what little time she has left.
Valerio: ......
Valerio: She loved to eat so very much... And now she cannot eat anything at all.
Valerio: I was sure that as long as my hand could grip a blade, I could protect anything. What a fool I was...
Valerio: ...Wait. There is still a chance. If anyone could save her now, it's him!

Valerio: You're the castle chef, yes?
Chef: That's right. Did you need something?
Valerio: Make something for the princess out of this.
Chef: What is all that?
Valerio: I bought a little bit of everything that the market had for sale. I trust it will be sufficient?
Valerio: Her Highness says that she's hungry. She wants something special to eat.
Chef: But given Her Highness's condition—
Valerio: Are you a doctor or a chef? Stop wasting time and start cooking the princess's favorite food! NOW!
Chef: F-fine! I'll make it, but I don't know what you expect to happen!

Primia: *cough* *cough* I'm sorry. I don't think I can eat anymore...
Valerio: You've barely had so much as a taste! This is your favorite, is it not? You're always raving about this vegetable stew!
Primia: Yes, it was wonderful. But now... Nothing tastes good to me.
Valerio: That can't be...

Chef: I tried to tell you. She's lost her sense of taste. It's one of the symptoms of her disease.
Chef: That's why she hasn't been eating normally, which has only made her condition worse.
Valerio: I don't want excuses! DO something! You're supposed to be a chef!
Valerio: What about cookies? Or sandwiches? Or foreign cuisine? Do you expect me to believe that you've tried everything?!
Valerio: There has to be something that she'll eat! With proper nutrition, maybe she could start to recover!
Chef: ......
Valerio: Please. Make her something. I'd do it myself if I could, but... Please. Please make her SOMETHING!
Chef: You have no idea how much I want to see her beaming face—to watch her delight in the joy of eating once more.
Chef: But my cooking... It's not going to make that happen.

Primia: Valerio...?
Valerio: Yes, Your Highness. I'm right here.
Primia: Take this...
Valerio: Your ribbon? But this is your favorite.
Primia: Yes. Which is why...I want you to have it.
Valerio: I can't take this. I'd much rather see you wear it the next time we take one of our strolls about town.
Primia: How wonderful that sounds... I'd bring home lots of tasty food...
Primia: Now I understand how it feels... To truly be hungry...
Valerio: Then I'll take you somewhere to eat! If it would make you feel better, I'll take you anywhere! Any country on the map!
Primia: Thank you, Valerio. If ever we meet again... I'd like that.
Valerio: Princess? PRINCESS!

Euden: Oh, Valerio... I'm so sorry.
Luca: So that guy who was here earlier— I'm guessing he was the castle chef?
Elisanne: What about the war? Did Mentzara endure?
Valerio: After Her Highness passed away, and before I could return to battle, we officially surrendered.
Valerio: Mentzara was annexed by our enemy, and the country my soldiers fought and died to protect was no more.
Valerio: In the end, I protected neither the princess nor my homeland. I was nothing more than a fool unfit to serve as a knight.
Ranzal: So ya stopped fightin' altogether and became a cook, huh?
Valerio: Indeed. Back then, it galled me that I couldn't make anything to serve to Her Highness in her hour of need.
Mitsuba: I'm not seeing how this connects to you closing the restaurant early.
Luca: Listen, Mitsuba, this really ain't the time...
Mitsuba: No. As a fellow chef, I want to hear his answer!
Mitsuba: You call yourself a chef, but your attitude today was despicable!
Mitsuba: As ambassadors to the world of culinary arts, it is our duty to make sure every customer's appetite is sated.
Mitsuba: It doesn't matter how much your princess meant to you. The only people you should be thinking about now are the ones waiting with empty plates and rumbling guts!
Notte: Mitsuba, geez! Have a little tact, girl.
Valerio: No. Every word she spoke is the truth. Closing my restaurant out of anger was foolish and impulsive.
Valerio: I've not grown at all since I lost her. I'm every bit as weak as I was back then.
Primia: To this end, I intend to grow ever stronger. Like you, Valerio.
Valerio: I must grow strong—as a chef, and as a man.

Mitsuba: I'm sorry, sir, but the restaurant isn't open yet. Might I suggest you—
Man: ......
Mitsuba: Oh! It's you!
Valerio: Listen... I'm sorry for yelling at you like I did.
Man: It's okay. I came back because I couldn't let it go either.
Man: To this day, my heart still aches knowing the princess died with an empty stomach.
Man: You were right, Valerio. I used her lost sense of taste as an excuse to stop trying.
Man: If only I'd had more skill as a chef, maybe things could have ended differently...
Man: I feel like the only way I'll ever bury this regret is by cooking now what I couldn't then.
Man: I want to study under you—the man who's become the greatest chef in the world—and ascend to greater culinary heights. Please... I'm begging you!
Valerio: Very well.
Man: Y-yeah?
Valerio: I want you to cook the princess's favorite dish—right here, right now. I will taste it, and make my decision accordingly.
Mitsuba: I think I'm a little confused.
Man: All right. Then if you don't mind me using your kitchen and ingredients, I'll get started.
Mitsuba: Hey, wait a minute! What the heck is going on?

Ranzal: Heh. Looks like we showed up right in the middle of a job interview.
Mitsuba: Feels more like a wake than an interview... Thank Heavens you guys showed up to help lift all this gloom!
Cleo: We were really just stopping by to drop off some of the vegetables we harvested...
Ranzal: Aw, we got time to spare! And besides, they said they'd let us try this guy's grub!
Euden: I must admit, I'm curious to see how Valerio reacts. And if another fight breaks out, we should probably be here to stop it.
Man: Just a few finishing touches, and...
Man: All finished.
Notte: Holy veg-a-roni! Is that a vegetable stew? It smells fantastic!
Valerio: So you do remember Her Highness's favorite dish. But of course, the proof is in the pudding—or stew, in this case.
Man: I'm confident in my work. I've been training tirelessly all this time.
Valerio: Is that so? Well, let's try it.
Euden: Don't mind if I do. Mmm... This is great!
Mitsuba: Wow! It's packed with all sorts of veggies, and each one feels like it's contributing to the overall flavor profile. There's real craftsmanship here.
Valerio: Hm... This isn't the way it used to taste.
Notte: It's not?
Euden: Does that mean he doesn't get the job?
Valerio: It's different now. And by "different," I mean unmistakably superior.
Valerio: It's good to see that you haven't been resting on your laurels.
Mitsuba: So then you're saying...
Valerio: Yes. The job is his, if he wants it. But I warn you: I will not stand for anything less than your best.
Man: Yes, chef! Thank you!

Valerio: Closing time at last. Thank you for helping out again today, Mitsuba.
Mitsuba: Hey, thank YOU for giving me another opportunity to steal all your secrets!
Valerio: I believe the proper way to express that sentiment would be to thank me for my guidance, but suit yourself.
Valerio: Now, then—any requests for tonight's staff meal? I'm all ears.
Mitsuba: Easy. I want the princess's favorite dish.
Valerio: Mitsuba...
Mitsuba: What? I'm just curious to try your version of it, Valerio.
Mitsuba: The vegetable stew the new guy made had a very complex, but gentle flavor.
Mitsuba: I can tell how much she still means to you both.
Valerio: Indeed. I will never forget her.
Mitsuba: Doesn't it hurt to hold on to those feelings?
Valerio: Of course. But I'm prepared to embrace that pain for the rest of my days.
Mitsuba: Is that why you hired that guy? To keep your past close at hand?
Valerio: My memories of the princess are not something to forget, or to move past.
Valerio: They will forever bring me warmth, as well as tears.
Valerio: Anyway, it will be good to have him here. I need the help, and he's not a bad cook.
Mitsuba: Atta boy! You know what that is? Growth.
Valerio: I appreciate you saying so. Now, take a seat and prime your taste buds for something truly remarkable.
Mitsuba: Taste buds: primed!

Man: Thanks again for this opportunity. I'm excited to start working with you.
Valerio: The feeling is mutual. Now, shall we? We have a restaurant to run!
Girl: Look, they just opened! Come on, Mommy, hurry up! I'm staaarving!
Valerio: Welcome. Right this way.

Valerio: (No matter how many restaurants I open, there are flavors I will never, ever forget.)
Valerio: (I can only hope that my cooking here will touch people's hearts the way Her Highness once touched mine. Bon appétit, everyone.)