Chapter One Hundred and One: Unknown Ingredients Are Waiting For Me!
I use Survival to examine the meat before me, and… "Rampaging Ushika Meat"… appears as a mysterious term. It seems to be a small deer with cow-like horns and a bovine face… Huh. An animal I’ve never heard of. Apparently, adventurers cull them regularly to prevent overgrazing since they move in herds. They live in the forests near town and love eating herbs, which gives their meat a nice aroma. The lean meat is said to be especially delicious! Even though it’s an unfamiliar animal, if it’s tasty, that’s all that matters!
I take a big bite of the meat, which has been grilled with some kind of sauce. Being lean, there’s not much fat, so it doesn’t feel greasy. As I chew the slightly chewy meat, the juices slowly seep out. A concentrated umami flavor, like condensed amino acids, drops onto my tongue, followed by a sweet and savory aroma wafting up to my nose. It’s reminiscent of sun-dried hay… I see. It is said it eats a lot of herbs, which makes sense for this smell! Then, when the sweet and spicy sauce with a fruity aroma mixes in, any dusty or powdery scent that was hidden deep in the meat is sublimated, leaving only pure deliciousness.
“Wow! It’s delicious! The meat is great, but the sauce is amazing!”
“Right? The sauce for the skewers here is fantastic! Can you guess what’s in it?”
“Hmm… I can tell they’ve used fruit for sweetness, but I couldn’t possibly identify all the ingredients…”
“…That’s true. If it were that easy to figure out, they’d be out of business!”
As I nodded vigorously in agreement, Mr. Ville, who’s munching on what looked like a fish skewer next to me, chimed in… and then lowered his voice to ask. Yup, if I could recreate this sauce, it’d definitely be delicious! But my taste buds aren’t sharp enough to identify all the ingredients… All I can say is, "Maybe they use pureed fruits and vegetables as a base?" Hearing my honest answer, Mr. Ville probably wasn’t expecting me to recreate it anyway. He laughs and gets me another skewer.
This one is grilled "sharrow" fish. It’s a white fish commonly caught on the beach year-round. It’s also covered in the same sauce as before. The Sharrow’s mild flavor really lets the sauce shine… especially its sweetness. But it’s not an unpleasant sweetness at all. The light, refreshing taste complements the fatty white fish perfectly.
“Everything’s new to me, but it’s all so delicious!”
“The royal capital we’re heading to has its own specialties too. You can look forward to that.”
“That’s right! Schulbrand is famous for its mountain delicacies!”
Mr. Ed and Mr. Xenon informed me, smiling… while their hands were engaged in a fierce battle for the grilled skewers.
So Ellarge is known for seafood… and Schulbrand for mountain fare… There must be so many more ingredients I don’t know about yet!
“Speaking of the royal capital, it might be better to take the route around Melnoa Volcano. According to information from the guild, it’s been raining non-stop in the mountains for the past three or four days.”
“…Landslides… possible…”
“If I remember correctly, it’s quite a mountainous road, right? The surface is likely to be rough, so it might be safer to give ourselves a wider margin…”
Mr. Xenon emerged victorious in the skewer battle. He snatched the skewer just as Mr. Ed’s fingers were about to touch it, and is now munching on it contentedly. Mr. Ed, on his end, has already grabbed another skewer. There doesn’t seem to be any lingering resentment, so this must be their usual dynamic.
Ms. Aria, who was nibbling on a meat skewer, furrowed her brow at Mr. Xenon’s information.
Hmm… steep mountain roads in the rain could be dangerous due to slipping, so maybe it’s better to take the safer route? It might increase the distance a bit, but with the Camping Car, it shouldn’t make much difference.
“Melnoa is famous for its spicy local cuisine, befitting a volcanic town. There are also hot springs known to heal wounds, and it’s a popular destination for blacksmiths and adventurers.”
“A volcanic town with spicy food… That does sound tempting, but… maybe on our way back?”
“C’mon! I thought you’d steeled yourself, Ville!”
“You… should know… when to give up.”
“Ugh… I want to retort, but I can’t find the words…!”
For a brief moment, Mr. Ville’s eyes sparkled… but he was quickly brought down by Ms. Aria and Mr. Ed’s words.
As Mr. Ville grumbles and downs his ale, there’s a hint of melancholy in his demeanor.
Melnoa’s spicy food… I am curious about it.
But let’s report and consult first! Knowing us, I can only see a future where we get carried away with food tours…
Well, after hearing about such complicated family matters, I can understand his feelings…
Once we’ve finished reporting, I’ll cook up something delicious, so let’s cheer up! Alright?
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