Volume Three, Chapter Two
Under the clear blue sky, I pass through Ellarge’s main gate and step outside.
It’ll be a while before I can return to this city…
Thinking about that fills my heart with an unexpected emotion.
Even though it hasn’t been that long since I was summoned to this world, everything has been so intense that I feel completely immersed in it. Having a barbeque on the beach with everyone, going dungeon diving… these tumultuous days have been so busy and lively, it’s like having New Year and the summer festival all at once. If I remember correctly, it hasn’t even been two weeks since I arrived in Ellarge.
It’s funny—not just my old world, but even that moment when Mr. Ville led me through Ellarge’s gate feels nostalgic now. My anxious thoughts of "What’s going to happen to me!?" seem so distant—I’ve adapted to this world surprisingly well.
As I’m lost in these thoughts, someone pats me on the back.
“Today, I get the ladies’ seat!”
“Indeed… with you and me sitting together, it is the ladies’ seat!”
Ms. Aria stands there proudly puffing out her impressive chest, holding Gomamiso under her arm. Technically it’s the "passenger seat," but she looks so adorable that calling it the "ladies’ seat" is fine.
…If only Mr. Ed, radiating a dark aura, aren’t looming behind her.
Anyway, once we get far enough from the gate where people won’t notice us, our adventure begins anew! Ms. Aria will ride in the passenger seat—excuse me, the "ladies’ seat"—while the men stay in the cabin.
And we’re off!
“Amazing! So fast!”
“At this pace, we should reach Rhielle Lake by early afternoon. Shall we have lunch by the lake?”
“Yes! Yes! Can’t wait for the food!”
Ms. Aria, who has always wanted to ride in the passenger seat, watches the passing scenery with sparkling ice-blue eyes, clearly enjoying the ride. Meanwhile, Gomamiso has curled up under the passenger seat at Ms. Aria’s feet, snoring away. Talk about being thick-skinned… well, I suppose it’s better than having it get carsick or make a fuss.
Maybe I’ve gotten more used to driving in this world—I can maintain a decent speed even on side roads now. When Mr. Ville and I came from Rhielle Lake to Ellarge, it took about three hours, but this time we might arrive a bit earlier. Well, fish aren’t very active during the day, so I’m not sure if I’ll catch anything, but I have plenty of food supplies, so it should be fine.
As we bump along the side road following the navigation, the forested landscape gradually gives way to grasslands.
Ah, right! This looks familiar!
“Rhielle Lake… do you think you’ll catch any fish?”
“Well… that’s hard to say… I’m not exactly an expert, you know…”
“Will cheer for you, so you can catch some!”
Faced with those expectant ice-colored eyes, I wanted to say "Of course, I’ll catch!" but… I don’t quite have the skills to back up that claim… However, despite my noncommittal response, Ms. Aria don’t seem disappointed or let down. She smiles and clenches her fist, ready to cheer me on.
It’s moments like these that really make me feel grateful, even happy… Everyone here is genuinely such good people…!
In the living area behind us, the men seem to be chatting about something. I can’t make out what they’re talking about over the engine noise, but judging by their cheerful expressions, it must be a pleasant topic.
As indicates by the navigation, a fairly tall mountain loomes ahead. White smoke is billowing from its peak. That must be the Melnoa Volcano I’ve heard about.
“The smoke is thinner than I expected. When I heard it was a volcano, I thought it would be more… billowing…”
“Yes. It erupted a long time ago… Now it is… rather calm. Just occasionally lets out some smoke. We’re lucky to see the smoke today.”
I see. From what Ms. Aria says, while it’s technically an active volcano, it seems to be pretty dormant. Though we can see the volcano, we’re still too far to make out the town at its base.
You’d think I would have noticed such a tall mountain when I first came to this world, but I guess I was too confused to really take it in. The smoke probably wasn’t visible then either, so it didn’t catch my attention.
“Alright! How about we stop at this spot? I think this is about where I was last time!”
“That was fast…! We’re already here!”
“Thinking that we’d have to camp out for days if we were on foot, this is really an impressive skill…!”
“I don’t see how this could be considered useless?”
After parking the Camping Car in a place that looks vaguely familiar, everyone gets out of the vehicle with somewhat dazed expressions.
Apparently, the two-legged dinosaur carriages—or simply put, dragon carts—pulled by veloxers that I saw in the city on the first day are fast too, but they’re quite expensive. In contrast, with me around, everyone can ride the Camping Car as much as they want!
I get a safe life in this world, and everyone gets transportation and food… I think it’s a pretty win-win situation, right?
…Wait, I’m just cooking meals to my heart’s content, aren’t I the one benefiting more here…? Hmm. This calls for putting even more effort into cooking to balance things out!
Someone taps my shoulder, and I turn to find Mr. Ville standing there in light gear but equipped with a weapon and armor. It’s a sight I’m completely used to by now.
“Rin! We were discussing it in the Camping Car, and we thought we’d patrol the area and gather some branches for firewood while we were at it. How does that sound?”
“Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Yeah. We’ll leave Aria here as your guard, so please handle the setup and food preparation! Everyone’s probably pretty hungry by now.”
“Got it! I’ll make sure to prepare something filling!”
Ah. So that’s what they were talking about in the living area earlier. That’s really helpful! I’ll gladly accept!
Gathering firewood is actually quite troublesome… you can’t carry much at once because it’s so bulky… In exchange, I’ll make sure to cook enough to make up for all those calories spent gathering wood!
“Alright! I guess I’ll start by catching some… ingredients!”
‘Me too! I’ll help out too! I can lend a paw!’
Gomamiso, finally awake, scurries around at my feet.
“Okay. Then, Gomamiso, please keep watch from my shoulder! I’ll prepare the equipment.”
‘Watch duty! My specialty!’
Since I’m afraid of accidentally kicking or stepping on Gomamiso, I have asked it to keep watch from a high place. Gomamiso puffs out its chest proudly before jumping onto my shoulder to start its watch duty.
Gomamiso can be so cute when it’s obedient like this…
“Rin! I help too!”
“Thank you! But really, the fishing gear is all packed together, so just carrying this is enough!”
When I feel a tug at my sleeve and look down, Ms. Aria is staring up at me with an excited expression. There’s something… childlike about how eager she is for this camping trip…
I hold up my trusty tackle box—containing all my fishing equipment—in front of Ms. Aria, who’s giving off somewhat little-girl vibes, and head toward the water’s edge with her and Gomamiso.
“The line is so thin!”
“It’s like ‘the power of science is amazing!’ right? Though from my perspective, your thread is far more impressive, Ms. Aria.”
As I prepare the rod and line by the shore, Ms. Aria watches my hands with wonder in her voice. As a spider-person skilled in thread manipulation, this must really interest her. Though Ms. Aria is amazed by how thin the fishing line is, I find her thread that can bisect monsters and dice them into cubes far more impressive.
“Want to use my thread as well?”
‘Shall I go ‘swish-swish’ in the water too?’
“If I hook something big, please back me up! Miso, make sure you don’t fall into the water, okay?”
While accepting these offers—Ms. Aria’s tempting proposal and Gomamiso’s suggestion that would surely end with it soaking wet—I ponder which lure to use.
Hmm… The prime feeding time for fish—early morning—has long since passed, and it is already well into the afternoon. Naturally, fish activity had dropped… There were lots of fish jumping when I came here before, but hardly any today. The go-to lure for trout fishing at managed fishing areas is usually a metal lure called a spoon, but… honestly, I’m not that good at fishing, to begin with, and I don’t think I could catch anything with a spoon in these conditions… After all, you need to choose the right color and weight based on the day’s weather, temperature, and water clarity, which is quite challenging, or rather, beyond the abilities of an amateur enthusiast like me…
…
…Looking carefully, I can see small winged insects fluttering around us and all over the lake’s surface. Quite a few insects are floating on the water too, so maybe some fish are feeding on them? I’m not very knowledgeable about trout fishing in natural streams and lakes, but perhaps a feather jig would work well here—it’s a type of lure that mimics floating insects or aquatic insects.
“…Since there are bug-like things flying around, let’s try this swimming-style feather…”
“It’s tiny! You can catch fish with that?”
From my collection of feather jigs, I select one that matches the color of the insects flying around and can be retrieved to mimic a bug drifting in the water, then tie it to the fishing line. Ms. Aria watches with interest as I tie on the jig.
Hehe… Curious about it? I have quite a few jigs to avoid a no-catch day!
I hastily lift my rod and move away when Gomamiso reaches out with its thick front paw to swat at the jig dangling from the pole.
Yup, I guess it does look like a pretty enticing toy for a cat.
‘Fluffy! Is that my toy? Is it my toy?’
“Miso! Be careful, there’s a hook on it!”
I hand Ms. Aria another lure case as she carefully examines the one she is holding, while I quietly approach the water’s edge. Ms. Aria follows me, quietly observing the lures as she walks beside me with silent footsteps.
Fortunately, there is no wind.
I wet the feather slightly to add a bit of weight…
“Here we go…! There!”
“Hmm…? It doesn’t… fly very far…?”
“Well, this is an artificial lure meant for artificial fishing ponds… The ones for natural streams might be different…”
I think I cast it pretty well, but I guess from the perspective of an active adventurer, it doesn’t seem like much of a distance.
As soon as it hits the water, I start counting to determine how deep it sinks… Oh? Around the fifth count, I feel a slight tap transmitted to my hand. I try to set the hook, but there is no feeling of a fish being caught. A short bite… more like a nibble…! I jerk the rod to bring the lure up to the surface, then let it sink again while counting… Around that fifth count where I felt the bite earlier, I start reeling veeeery slowly. Since there was a bite, there must be fish at that depth!
“…Like this… make it float… gently…”
While reeling in, I lightly tap the rod with the fingers of the hand holding it. This supposedly makes the rod vibrate slightly, causing the lure to wobble perfectly underwater…
“Do you feel anything?”
“Hmm… I think I felt something like a bite, but… Yes!”
Then, while slowly reeling to simulate an aquatic insect trying to escape… There has been a sudden heavy weight on the line. I quickly reel and set the hook. Immediately the drag starts screaming, and the line speeds out toward the deep water.
“Did you catch something?!”
“I did! It might be quite big…!”
‘Me! Me! I’ll go swish-swish!’
“Miso, stay! Don’t rush me!!!”
As the rod bends towards the water surface, Ms. Aria’s eyes sparkle as she alternately looks at me and the offing. Gomamiso, too, has its claws out, swinging them in the air as if practicing, clearly eager to help.
Wait! Everyone wait! It’s still offshore! The fish hasn’t even come close yet!
I can feel through my hand on the rod that the fish is shaking its head as if trying to shake off the hook.
No, no, no… I won’t let you get away… I won’t let you escape!
I maintain tension using the rod’s flexibility and reeling, making sure the line doesn’t slacken. The hook doesn’t have a barb, so if the line loosens, it’ll escape right away!
Suddenly, the water’s surface bursts, and a pure white fish body shows itself. It looks like a good size, not inferior to the big one I caught last time. Moreover, the olive-colored feather jig is firmly hooked in its mouth!
“Rin! It’s big! The fish is big!”
“Indeed! And it’s hooked pretty well too! If I can just reel it in…”
As I keep reeling, praying it doesn’t escape, the milk trout at the end of the line suddenly jumps. Luckily, perhaps because I’ve been constantly reeling, the line doesn’t seem to have slackened, and…
“Whoa!?”
“Did an even bigger one appear?!”
As if chasing after the jumping large milk trout, something even bigger breaks the water surface and leaps out.
It’s brownish and streamlined, but… it doesn’t seem to be a fish…?
I track the briefly glimpsed form with my eyes… and the next moment, a spectacular water column rises up. The splash is strong enough to send fine droplets all the way to where we stand.
“Wh-What was that just now…?!”
“Mud Otter! Eating the fish…!”
My reeling hands stopped involuntarily, and the line went slack. The drag that had been singing fell silent.
D-Damn, it got away after all…!
As I grit my teeth, frustrated at being distracted by something unnecessary, Ms. Aria takes up a fighting stance beside me.
Before I can wonder what’s happening, my vision is filled with Survival’s bright red warning alert.
I quickly look up to see the water surface in front of us rising ominously… and that something I’ve glimpsed earlier shows its face.
My eyes meet with glowing, eerie red eyes behind the water veil.
The creature dripping water in front of us looks like a giant otter. However, its face is completely different. It lacks the cuteness of Asian small-clawed or Japanese river otters. Its eyes are ferocious, its nose flattened and spread wide, and both its claws and fangs are sharp… It looks incredibly vicious, but…
[Mud Otter (Delicious)
A monster resembling a giant otter. Hunts alone rather than in groups. Mainly preys on fish but will attack anything it sees. With its ability to swim freely underwater, it has firm, red meat. It has a good amount of fat, and it becomes meltingly tender when boiled in salt water or stewed.]
…This thing… delicious, despite its appearance…?
“Ms. Aria, this is supposed to be tasty!”
“Mm! Got it! Goma!!!”
‘Leave it to me!!!’
I couldn’t help but shout that the moment I read the description from Survival, and I don’t think I was wrong. Gomamiso and Ms. Aria react to my voice with lightning-fast movements. Gomamiso dashes past my feet and aims for the Mud Otter’s neck, biting down. Though small, its carnivorous fangs pierced the fish-eater’s hide.
As the monster thrashes, Ms. Aria’s hand moves. Silver threads wrap around the mud-colored body multiple times, restraining its movement.
The moment Gomamiso leaps away from the roaring monster…
“Mm. This is… the end…!”
With a bell-like voice, Ms. Aria’s arms swept wide to either side. Simultaneously, the severed Mud Otter’s outline disperses into black mist along with a spray of blood. Just as the drop item left behind is about to fall into the lake according to gravity… Ms. Aria’s thread catches it with a quick motion. Seeing it in bark wrapping, it seems we’ve happily received some meat!
“Ms. Aria, thank you for the backup! You saved me!”
“Mm! Did it! Delicious, meat!”
As I give her a firm thumbs-up, Ms. Aria puffs out her chest and smiles proudly.
Indeed. Beautiful ladies look lovely even with melancholy expressions, but smiles suit them best!
Gomamiso, who has returned to my feet without my noticing, keeps headbutting my shin. Probably wanting attention too. When I pick up that soft, pliant body and stroke Gomamiso’s head and back, it narrows its eyes contentedly and purrs.
“Gomamiso, you were amazing too! So strong!”
‘Right? Right?? I’m like, super strong, you know!’
While petting Gomamiso, who is puffing out its chest proudly, I materialize the Camping Car in a nearby clearing. I can’t let the meat go bad! So I decide to store it in the fridge.
While I’m at it, I’ll start cooking some rice too!
As I release Gomamiso into the car, Ms. Aria also comes into the cabin.
“I’m going to wash some rice now, so please take a break.”
“…Aren’t you… going to fish… anymore…?”
“Well… I think the fish scattered quite a bit after all that commotion…”
“…I wanted… to eat fish…”
‘Me too… want fish..’
“Ugh…!”
While rinsing a large amount of rice vigorously, I spoke to Ms. Aria, and she murmured with a disappointed look.
Well… they say fish scatter when you get one, and after that big showdown with the Mud Otter, I doubt any fish will come near that area for a while…?
…That’s what I think, but… when both Ms. Aria and Gomamiso, the heroes who defeated the Mud Otter, stare at me with their "want to eat fish" aura at full blast… well… I feel like I have to meet their expectations…
“After I finish washing the rice, shall we try fishing in a different spot? Maybe near the inlet… if I try hard… yup… but sorry if I don’t catch anything.”
“!!! Thank you, Rin! If worst comes to worst… I’ll scoop them up!”
“Well… that’s no longer fishing, that’s just harvesting!”
Seeing Ms. Aria’s face light up and Gomamiso’s ears and tail stand straight up with sparkling eyes, I feel like I have to try until I catch something… And honestly, I’m glad I promised to try again.
I’ll do my very best!
Especially to ensure Ms. Aria doesn’t turn into a fisherwoman with that radiant smile and clenched fist!
“…Come to think of it… what will you do with the Mud Otter…?”
“Since we have onions and potatoes, I was thinking I could stew it with those. Ms. Aria, do you prefer sweet seasonings? Or salty?”
“Hmm…! That’s a tough choice…!”
After turning on the rice cooker, as we have been heading to the lakeshore to finally try fishing, Ms. Aria tilts her head while holding Gomamiso.
I’m thinking since we have good ingredients, I could make something like meat and potato stew that would go well with rice.
From what I glimpsed through the gaps in the bark wrapping, the meat seemed to have a layer of fat on top of the red meat. Mud otters probably have plenty of fat to keep their body temperature in the water.
That meat should go well with either sweet or salty seasonings, right?
When I asked Ms. Aria, she seemed troubled by the choice…
Indeed… it’s hard to choose… both sound delicious!
If I can’t catch any milk trout, let’s either stew or grill the Mud Otter and eat that.
After moving a bit away from the previous place to a stream inlet, I finally hooked a fish after about seven casts with that feather jig!
“Ah! This one’s carrying eggs…”
“Does that mean we can’t eat it?”
“Well… the eggs take away nutrients, so the flavor of the meat decreases…”
After bleeding out the fish on the spot, I brought it to the Camping Car and started cleaning it. I didn’t expect golden eggs to spill out when I cut open its belly…
After separating the eggs into another container, I cut the large fish into three pieces, revealing white flesh a bit different from the last time I saw it. Before, it had a cloudy white appearance due to the heavy fat, but now the flesh looks much more translucent.
Hmm… this color reminds me of something… ah, it’s like the flesh of small rainbow trout from managed fishing ponds… I scrap off the meat stuck to the backbone and taste it… Hmm. It’s not completely devoid of umami or fat, but it feels a bit watery…
“Is it… not tasty?”
“The fat and flavor seem to have lessened, but I think I can make it delicious if I enhance those! And the eggs will definitely be tasty!”
I must have made quite a dubious face after tasting it, as Ms. Aria looks at me with downcast eyebrows. It’s just a bit more watery than when I ate it before, but it’s still perfectly edible! If I add some fat and umami… some richness, it should be delicious.
The eggs, wrapped in a thin membrane, are round and plump. I think they might be delicious if I separate them like salmon roe and marinate them in seasoning.
For now, let’s set the eggs aside… and focus on preparing the fish first.
“The skin has gotten quite tough, it might be better to remove it…”
‘Is it tough? Should I go sha-sha on it?’
“Why does it get tough?”
“They say it’s to protect the fish when it digs into the riverbed for spawning or to prevent injury during territorial fights…”
The skin, covered densely with scales, has thickened considerably and become quite tough. Even the super-sharp knife from Campy feels resistance. Chewing through this would be a challenge, so I’ll just remove it from the start!
Because it’s so tough, peeling the skin isn’t too difficult. I managed to remove it without leaving much meat attached. Next, I roughly trim off the belly bones… these, along with the head and backbone, disappear into Gomamiso’s stomach as a snack.
“Now I cut this into bite-sized pieces and season it with salt, pepper, and special spices.”
“Amazing! It smells so good!”
“I used curry powder as a base, which should help mask any fishy smell.”
I slice the remaining meat and season it. The curry aroma fills the car. Other scents tickle our noses too—the sweet yet sharp fragrance of cumin and coriander. To compensate for the lack of fat and umami, and to counter the wateriness… curry was the only thing I could think of! This time, I’m thinking of making something a bit exotic… not a crab-based Poo Pad Pong Curry, but an MT Pad Pong Curry!
…Huh? What’s MT Pad Pong Curry, you ask?
Well, in Thai, "Poo" means crab, "Pad" means stir-fry, and "Pong" means powder… so I replaced "Poo" with milk trout—MT for short—to make MT Pad Pong Curry… Milk Trout Stir-fry With Curry Powder, or, for short, a spice stir-fry.
After quickly washing the cutting board, I slice the onions and garlic.
“First, I’ll quickly sauté the milk trout… set it aside, then stir-fry the garlic and onions…”
“It smells delicious! The smell alone is tasty!”
“Curry’s aroma really does stimulate the appetite, doesn’t it!”
Ms. Aria, holding a very satisfied post-snack Gomamiso, twitches her well-shaped nose. Gomamiso also twitches its nose… and gives a "pepshoo" sneeze, which sounds suspiciously close to a certain trademark.
While watching Ms. Aria absent-mindedly petting Gomamiso’s belly fur, I return the milk trout to the pan with the sautéed onions and garlic… and turn off the heat for now.
“I’ll finish the rest after the guys get back.”
Since everyone isn’t back yet, I’ll postpone the final steps. It would be nice for everyone to eat it fresh.
Ah, but I could at least prepare a liquid seasoning with the eggs I stocked up on yesterday, some milk, my special spice mix, soy sauce, and sugar.
Next, I heat some water on the free burner, making sure it doesn’t reach a full boil…
“I need to remove this membrane from the eggs, but it’s quite troublesome to do by hand…”
“Yes, they’re really stuck together…”
‘I can’t handle delicate stuff!’
“…Or so I said, but there’s actually an easy trick to remove it!”
“There’s such a method…!”
When I suggested the idea like in a TV shopping program, Ms. Aria played along despite not fully understanding what I was talking about.
In front of her eager eyes, I pour the hot water—not boiling, but certainly hot enough to scald—into a bowl and dissolve a generous amount of salt in it.
Preparations complete!
Now, if you pick up the egg cluster with chopsticks and swish it around in the salt water, the eggs naturally separate! I think it’s probably because the heat denatures the membrane’s proteins… but I’m not entirely sure.
Once most of the eggs have separated into individual grains, I quickly drain them in a colander… then put them in lukewarm saltwater about the temperature of bathwater to clean off any remaining membrane and remove small debris. And that’s it!
Even though I’m putting the eggs in hot water, I am not leaving them in for long, so they won’t cook. Some people say the egg skin becomes tough, but I’ve never found it an issue…
“True! They’re all separated!”
“This method is so easy and efficient. But wow, they are golden…!”
“Beautiful…! Like a treasure!”
“Indeed… they’re like edible jewels.”
The separated eggs are transparent and sparkling. It’s like a collection of citrine beads!
Responding to Ms. Aria’s mesmerized words, I blurted out something like a famous food critic might say.
…Was there no other way to say it, me!?
Anyway, I’d like to preserve this beautiful color as much as possible…
I think I’ll make a light-colored marinade based on salt, with a bit of alcohol and a base for noodles… Yes. A light amber color shouldn’t interfere with the golden eggs… I hope!
Right after I put the deep small bowl containing the eggs and marinade in the fridge, I hear several voices and footsteps approaching.
Yup. Looks like the men have returned.
“Well then, shall I finish up the meal?!”
“Can’t wait! I’ll prepare the plates!”
Ms. Aria sets Gomamiso down on the floor and starts preparing the plates, unable to contain her excitement. Gomamiso looks dissatisfied about being put down… but well, it’s pretty hard to resist the temptation of food, right?
As I pour the egg mixture into the sizzling, lively frying pan, I glance back toward the now-noisy door.
“We’re back, Rin, Aria…! Man, that smells amazing! I’m starving!”
“Welcome back! The food is almost ready, just wait a bit!”
Watching the men’s eyes sparkle as soon as they return, I give the frying pan a big shake. The creamy, fluffy eggs trace a parabola in the air before returning to the pan.
Just need to plate this, and the meal will be ready!
Turning around with the perfectly cooked, fluffy spice stir-fry in hand, I see that the dining table is already fully set.
The plates are out, drinks are ready… everyone is so thoughtful…
I place down the spiced dish, portion out the rice for everyone, and the meal service is complete!
“Alright, sorry for the wait! Let’s eat!”
“Milk trout, huh… I’m not sure if ‘nostalgic’ is the right word, but it feels like it’s been a while…”
“I know what you mean… not enough time has passed to call it nostalgic, but with everything that’s happened… it’s just…”
As I take my seat, I find myself agreeing with Mr. Ville’s wistful words as he gazes at the spice-fried fish.
Really, so much has happened…! But for now, I think it’s more important to eat before it gets cold than to talk about it…
“This fish holds a lot of memories, but let’s eat while it’s hot!”
“True enough… I’m grateful to have food again today.”
“Bless this bounty I’m about to consume.”
“Itadakimasu!”
Everyone offers their pre-meal prayers and picks up their utensils. I also put my hands together and grab my chopsticks. Being the type of Japanese person who doesn’t mind putting toppings on rice, I’m going to pour this perfectly thickened spice-fried fish over my pristine white freshly cooked rice! The way that bright yellow slowly seeps into each glistening white grain standing at attention… it’s just irresistible!
“Hey, this is good! Rin, this isn’t just good—it’s delicious!”
“Yes! The flavor and richness are perfectly balanced! And that soft-boiled egg…!”
“The milk trout is so tasty!”
Ms. Aria and Mr. Ed’s eyes sparkle as they exclaim in delight while they serve each other portions.
But they’re right—this is delicious!
The cooked, plump fish flesh had absorbed moisture, making it fluffy and soft. The spice flavor seeps into every fiber, but after swallowing, the scent of the milk trout lingers in my mouth. However, it’s not a "fishy smell," but rather a pleasant flavor note. The sweetness of the onions, the richness of the added milk, the oil used for frying, and the kick from the spices nicely complement what was lost to the eggs, resulting in a very delicious spice stir-fry overall.
“The salt-grilled and carpaccio versions back then were delicious, but this stir-fry is just as good!”
“This is my first time having fish prepared with spices like this… but it works surprisingly well.”
Mr. Ville and Mr. Xenon nod in agreement and smile while engaged in a fierce battle over the food.
Well, as the cook, I’m just glad everyone’s enjoying it!
The sauce part is thick and clings to the rice, melting away softly in your mouth. The spice mix includes chili pepper so it is spicy, but thanks to the soft-boiled egg neutralizing it, it’s just the right level of heat to stimulate your tongue and make you want to keep eating more and more. The cooked onions have become sweeter, highlighting the moderate spiciness even more. Of course, I think it’s because the milk trout itself still has its umami that it can hold up to all the spices and onions.
“Oh right! Earlier a Mud Otter showed up, but Ms. Aria and Gomamiso took care of it! It dropped some meat that we can use for dinner!”
“A Mud Otter!? Well, I suppose it’s not strange given how many fish are around… dinner… you say…”
When I report about the Mud Otter’s appearance while it’s still fresh in my mind, Mr. Ville’s face contorts in surprise. Still, when I tell him that we successfully defeated it and were unharmed, his face relaxes with relief.
…The slight tension remaining in his expression probably comes from wondering "Are we really going to eat a Mud Otter?”
Don’t worry! Survival said it’s delicious!
“Still, who would’ve thought Mud Otters were edible monsters…”
“Yeah, they do have such a gross-looking face, those Mud Otters.”
“In the Elven village, they were considered a kind of tonic and were eaten. I remember them being quite fatty…”
As we sipped our after-meal barley tea and Mr. Ville and Mr. Ed talked to each other, Mr. Xenon chimed in, sharing Mud Otter facts from his homeland. I can’t believe everyone’s so skeptical…! Well… looking at its face, I guess… yup…
Only Ms. Aria and Gomamiso, who’ve seen the actual delicious-looking meat, seem to believe what I’m saying. You can tell by the different gleam in their eyes…
Hmm… A tonic… I wonder if it is like how eel or yam is used to boost your strength. Sounds like the perfect food for adventurers! But it’s fatty, huh… That’s probably why they boil or stew it to reduce the greasiness.
“Well, since we’ve got it, I’m thinking of making a Mud Otter stew for dinner tonight!”
“I’m so excited!”
‘Me too! I want to eat too!’
“I’ll put my heart into it! I’ll give you some too, Gomamiso, so stop scratching my thigh!”
Avoiding the six skeptical eyes silently questioning, "Is it really delicious…?" I quietly serve another helping of spice stir-fry on the plate.
While giving a thumbs up to Ms. Aria who’s staring at me with sparkling eyes, I pick up Gomamiso who’s scratching my thigh with its front paws. This little ras… cat thinks it is not using its claws, but it still hurts a bit from the sheer force. It’s fine since it stops when I tell it to, but it’d be tough if we couldn’t communicate…!
“At this pace, we should be able to make good progress, right?”
“Well, I could drive at night to cover even more distance. Since the Camping Car has headlights, it’s technically possible…”
“No need to push yourself too hard. First of all, monsters come out more at night. Most of them are nocturnal.”
I thought I might drive at night to cover more distance… but right, this world has monsters… Honestly, I was already anxious about driving on dark roads with just headlights and no street lamps, so in a way, this is a relief. Still, I should get used to night driving for emergencies. Maybe I’ll try it once I’m more comfortable driving in this world.
“…We’re moving quite fast…”
“Fortunately, so far there have been no significant problems.”
Our leader sighs with a troubled face while holding a cup of barley tea. Though he seems to have come to terms with it, something’s still clearly bothering him. Still, I think it’s good that he is no longer trying to drag out the journey. I can kind of understand Mr. Ville’s feelings about not wanting to meet his brother with whom he has complicated relationships…
While mentally bowing to our slightly dejected party leader, I pour another large batch of rice into the rice cooker pot that has been cleaned with magic.
“I’ll set the rice to cook now. Cooking rice takes the most time, after all…”
“You’re making stew, right? Will you serve it with rice?”
“Actually, the milk trout we just ate had eggs, which I’ve prepared. I think they’ll taste great over fresh rice…”
Mr. Xenon tilts his head curiously as he watches me washing the rice.
Hmm… Maybe in this world, stews usually come with bread or something?
But today, we have milk trout eggs… milk roe! I really want everyone to try this with freshly cooked rice! Just imagine that golden milk trout roe over fluffy rice… taking a big, steaming bite!
There’s no way it won’t be delicious.
While I set the timer to finish cooking before dark, everyone else has already cleared away the plates and cups.
I’m truly grateful for this, yup.
“Well then, shall we head towards Mt. Melnoa? I don’t know the road from here on, so we might slow down a bit, is that okay?”
“No problem. Take it slow and safe.”
“Understood! Then, let’s depart!”
I have no idea what the road ahead will be like… Will the grasslands continue, or will we enter a forest, or maybe even find a desert…
But well, with Mr. Ville’s… our party leader’s approval, let’s proceed with caution.
Who knows what we’ll encounter… a demon, a snake… or maybe we’ll even pick up Lady Luck herself… Let’s go forth into the unknown world!
The road is smoother than I expected. It feels like we are following a path created by wheel tracks. There isn’t much shaking, and the tires aren’t getting caught… It is a very stable journey! The sky visible through the windshield is beautifully clear, with a striking contrast against the white clouds. A refreshing breeze comes in through the slightly opened window. Yup! It’s perfect weather for a drive!
‘Bird! That’s a bird, right!? I know that one!’
“Goma, do you like being outside? That bird looks… tasty, doesn’t it?”
‘I like fish, but I also like birds!’
In the passenger seat, Gomamiso is being held by Ms. Aria, meowing while following the scenery outside with its eyes, and Ms. Aria is responding to it. They can’t actually understand each other’s words, so they’re probably just improvising and going by feeling, but to my ears, it sounds like a proper conversation! It’s so peaceful… except for Mr. Ed’s piercing stare from the cabin… yup.
Driving along in the lovely weather, though feeling a slight chill run down my spine, I start to see a more firmly packed road. It seems we’ve merged with the highway leading to Melnoa Volcano… or rather, the town of Melnoa.
While Rhielle Lake is very enjoyable for me, it doesn’t seem to be a popular location. It felt more like a branch road connecting to the main highway rather than a highway itself. Still, it’s properly managed enough that monsters are regularly culled. This country must be pretty amazing…!?
“…Rin, can you stop the car up ahead?”
“Hmm? I can, but is something wrong?”
“…Feels like there might be something…”
“Huh?”
Ms. Aria, who had been happily holding Gomamiso, suddenly became serious and stared straight ahead. Seeing her serious expression, I couldn’t bring myself to ask for details.
I slowly press the brake, bringing the Camping Car to a stop.
Before I knew it, Mr. Ville, Mr. Xenon, and Mr. Ed, who should have been in the living area, had somehow made their way to the boundary between the driver’s seat and the cabin… near the flip-up counter.
“Rin. Open the door.”
“O-Okay… is it alright if I stay in the car?”
“It’s not that strong of an opponent, so you’ll be fine. But we need to deal with it before it becomes a nuisance!”
‘I shall protect you, don’t worry!’
I must have looked really anxious. Mr. Ed smiled and waved at me, but having grown up far from the world of battles and adventures, I can’t help but worry…
Gomamiso softly nuzzles against my feet as I unconsciously clench my hands tightly in tension. It puffs out its chest proudly and pats the top of my foot with its paw.
…Yup, that’s right. You protected me earlier too!
As I finally manage to release my held breath, Mr. Xenon stands before me with his staff, wearing a gentle smile.
“Rin. After we get out, it would help if you could back the car up a bit.”
“Understood. I guess a wider workspace, or rather, battlefield, would be better, right?”
“…More like, we don’t want this car to get dirty. Well then, we’re counting on you!”
“Get dirty? Eh, what’s going to happen?!”
Leaving me with some mystery, they got out. Once everyone had moved a bit away from the vehicle, I put the Camping Car in reverse.
…Oh, amazing! The navigation screen begins to transmit the image from the rearview camera! I hadn’t noticed because I never needed to reverse before!
I must have been about 10 meters away when suddenly a cloud of dust rose from where we were planning to go.
…No, rather than dust, it is more like the ground exploded, or… Something seemed to have burst up from beneath the ground, scattering soil. The airborne dirt rained down around the area with a pattering sound. Fortunately, or perhaps due to good preparation… Mr. Ed’s magic barrier deflects the falling dirt, keeping everyone safe. Thanks to following Mr. Xenon’s advice about backing up, the Camping Car also avoided the sudden rain of soil.
I-I see… so this is what he meant by getting dirty…!
As the literal "dirt rain" settles, dull-colored front legs with sharp claws appear on the edge of the hole that has opened in the ground, and something begins to crawl out from the bottom.
It raises its eyeless head, twitching its pointed snout.
“Just as we thought! A Steel Mole!”
“NGYUUUuuuaaaAAAuuUUUUAaaaaaa!!!!!”
Mr. Ville’s voice as he readies his sword and the creature’s high-pitched, eerie roar from deep in its throat echoes under the blue sky.
A Steel Mole… According to Survival, it is just "edible." It’s an omnivore with strong carnivorous tendencies, often resulting in strong gamey flavors. Its dull-colored fur is true to its "steel" name, hard enough to deflect dull weapons…
It’s beyond "you can’t hit what you can’t catch" and more like "even if you hit it, it won’t do any damage"!?
W-Wait a minute… is everyone going to be okay…?
“BUUUUURN!”
With Mr. Ed’s shout, the mole seems to be enclosed by invisible walls, and then it is being incinerated within that space. As it burns, the space itself crumbles away, disappearing in the blink of an eye without even leaving ashes behind. Not even the usual black mist remains.
…I see. If physical attacks don’t work, magic is the way to go… Come to think of it, I wondered this in the dungeon too, but how exactly does Mr. Ed’s magic work?
Seeing that the Steel Mole has completely vanished, Mr. Ville and the rest put away their weapons and come back to me.
“G-Good work… Are you injured… you don’t seem to be… Is everyone okay?”
“We’re fine. Is everything okay in here too?”
“Gomamiso, the Camping Car, and I are all fine. So when you said it would get dirty, you meant that rain of dirt…”
“Right. Usually, they hide underground and ambush their prey when it passes by, jumping out from below. It’s good that Aria noticed it.”
“Mm! Scouting and trap detection… are a scout’s pride!”
Although there is no noticeable dirt, everyone cast cleaning magic on themselves "just in case" before getting back into the car.
Ms. Aria returns to the passenger seat, puffing out her chest proudly.
…Yup. When Ms. Aria… um… puffs out her chest… well… Let’s just say it’s as impressively outrageous as ever!
But seriously, if I had tried to pass through there and been hit by that upward attack… it’s terrifying to think about… There could be other monsters or magical creatures that attack like that. Just as how some attacked from water or underground, there might be enemies in the trees as well… I should proceed carefully.
For now, let’s avoid that big hole and get back on the wheel-tracked path.
After that, we don’t encounter any more ambushes and I continue driving under a clear sky.
“I was thinking we should stop soon for today, what do you think?”
“Sounds good… If we can prepare for camping before it gets dark, that would be best.”
“Thank you. If I find a good spot for camping, we’ll stop there for the night!”
Looking at the navigation progress, we seem to have covered about one-fifth of the journey. Considering the battles and breaks we’ve taken, isn’t that a pretty good pace? With Mr. Ville’s approval, I think we’ll wrap up for today. It looks like the sun will be setting soon, so I should decide on a camping place.
As I continue driving, I spot an area ahead with a decent number of trees, though not quite enough to call it a forest.
Hmm. That spot looks just about right…
In my personal opinion, isn’t it more comforting to camp near things like trees or rocks rather than in a wide-open space? Fish often gather around such structures too—maybe it’s something instinctive?
Looking at Survival, there aren’t any warnings showing up… so I think it should be fine.
“Ms. Aria, do you sense any enemies in that area?”
“Hmm… don’t sense… anything… it’s safe!”
“Great! Let’s stay there for tonight!”
Just to be sure, I have asked Ms. Aria, and it seems safe. Let’s spend the night here!
I turn the steering wheel toward the small grove. The sky is beginning to take on a slight reddish tinge.
As soon as I park the Camping Car, the rice cooker plays the "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" melody. Looks like the rice is done cooking. While Mr. Ville and Mr. Xenon have gone out for a quick patrol, I start preparing my version of meat and potato stew, except not with beef, but with Mud Otter meat! I cut the peeled potatoes into bite-sized pieces and the onions into wedges. I also rehydrate some dried mushrooms I have leftover… might as well keep the soaking liquid for stock.
“Wow! It’s redder than I expected. Looks like duck meat!”
After finishing with the vegetables, I take another look at the meat wrapped in thin bark… the contrast between the bright red meat and pure white fat layered on top is quite striking. When I lightly press it with my finger, it has a springy texture that pushes back.
I rub soy sauce and alcohol into the large red, fatty chunk of meat that dominates the cutting board, giving it a light seasoning. Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria stand beside me, watching my work with interest. They seem curious about the cooking process. I wonder if watching like this might help improve their cooking skills. I think observing the process has some value, but to be honest, I don’t think they’re at that level yet…
“Now, I’ll sear the surface to render the fat and give it some color…”
“Huh? Are you going to stew it whole?”
“No, I’ll cut it after searing. Since there’s quite a thick layer of fat, I thought I’d sear it first to render some of it out.”
“Whole piece… good too…!”
“Yes, there’s something romantic about a big chunk of meat…!”
When I put the meat in the heated frying pan, it sizzles loudly as the fat begins to render. Though I want to poke it with my cooking chopsticks, I hold back as the fat melts and pools underneath the meat. And it had such a nutty, fragrant aroma…! You’d never expect such a wonderful smell from that fierce face! There’s no gamey odor or scent of blood at all.
“The fat… it’s coming out…! Smells so good…!”
“With this much fat, I can see why it’s considered a tonic!”
Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria peer into the frying pan, exclaiming in wonder. Both have their eyes wide open, staring intently at the pan… It really is true that couples start to resemble each other…
Once enough fat has rendered out, I quickly sear all sides of the meat to brown it, then set it aside on a separate plate.
I add the cut vegetables to the bubbling fat and stir them with a wooden spatula to coat everything evenly.
“Might as well sauté the vegetables in this fat!”
The fresh, sweet aroma of the vegetables mixed with the savory smell—it already smells delicious! The golden fat is turning the vegetables’ surfaces a beautiful golden color too. As I stir the contents of the pan to prevent the softened onions and slightly translucent potato edges from burning, I suddenly feel something on my arm…
Following the sensation, I find Ms. Aria smiling like a blooming flower, gently tugging at my sleeve and tilting her head.
“Vegetables, so much… but… I like your vegetable dishes!”
Oh my goodness, what an adorable beautiful wife! Isn’t this a bit unfair!? Her usually porcelain-smooth cheeks are slightly flushed rose-pink, and those ice-blue eyes seem to melt with warmth as she gazes at me…
“I’m glad to hear that! Today’s vegetables will absorb the meat’s flavor, so I think they’ll be delicious!”
“…Rin, I won’t lose to you, okay?”
“Please stop, I’m going to die! We’re just talking about cooking!”
It’s truly… truly a feast for the eyes, but um… Mr. Ed’s staring at me with eyes so intense he looks like he might bite through his handkerchief, so I’d really rather not…!
Though he immediately went back to his usual smile saying "Just kidding☆," I bet he was half serious!?
Geez! Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria are such a monster husband and wife duo!
“A-Anyway… now I’ll add the mushroom soaking water and some regular water, then let it simmer a bit.”
“Just leave it like this?”
“No, there’s still plenty to do—add the meat back in, skim off foam, add seasonings…”
But I won’t back down! I’ll take any chance to talk with a beautiful lady!
…Well, since we’re both women, I guess Mr. Ed lets his guard down a bit, which is probably why I’m able to get away with it.
I put the thickly sliced meat back into the pot and start by adding sugar. They say if you don’t follow the "sa-shi-su-se-so" order with seasonings, the flavors won’t soak in properly. I might as well add some mirin, too. The aroma immediately becomes richer, making my nose twitch involuntarily. How a single seasoning can transform a dish is one of the pleasures of cooking.
…Huh? What’s "sa-shi-su-se-so," you ask? It’s the initial sounds of seasonings added for good flavor: “satou shouyu (sugar soy sauce), shiro shouyu (white soy sauce), su shouyu (vinegar soy sauce), seuyu (the historical name for soy sauce), and soy sauce"!
It’s a cooking basic that’s worth remembering!
Just as someone may point out "They’re all soy sauce!" I add that very soy sauce and bring it to a quick boil! By the way, the original "sa-shi-su-se-so" of cooking is actually "sugar, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and miso". Just a fun fact!
While having this mental comedy routine, I lift the pot lid and a sweet and savory aroma suddenly assaults my face. Golden circles of fat are floating on the gently bubbling surface. That’s the fat from the Mud Otter. I taste the broth a bit, and wow, it is fantastic! Rich but not heavy… it has that perfect, well-extracted flavor!
“Alright, let’s eat!”
“Got it. The plates and drinks are ready!”
“You’re always so well-prepared! As usual, please help yourselves!”
I heap the finished meat and potato stew onto a large plate and set it in the center of the table. Ideally, letting it cool and reheating it once more would deepen the flavors, but my stomach is at its limit!
Today, we’re eating right now!
Since we also have the milk trout’s golden roe, I serve rice not in rice bowls but instead in deep soup bowls. Then, I take the roe out of the fridge… and everything is ready!
“I’m grateful to have food again today.”
“Bless this bounty I’m about to consume.”
“Gratitude for thy manifold blessings.”
“Humbly accepting thy kindness, I partake of this day’s fare.”
“Itadakimasu!”
Surrounded by freshly made dishes steaming with warmth, we each offer our prayers before simultaneously picking up our utensils and chopsticks. The first thing everyone goes for is the Mud Otter meat and potato stew. Meat is best when it’s hot, right?
Of course, I jump into the serving battle too!
I help myself to the fluffy potatoes, tender onions, slightly softened carrots, the dried mushrooms that had soaked up the broth and become plump… and of course, the Mud Otter meat with its melt-in-your-mouth fat and firm lean parts! I enjoy it all!
“This meat is amazing! It’s firm, but the fat just melts in your mouth!”
“The Mud Otter I ate back home was terribly greasy, but this has just the right amount of fat… I could eat this forever!”
As soon as Mr. Ville and Mr. Xenon have taken a bite of the Mud Otter meat, they froze for a moment, their eyes widening. They both turn to me with thumbs up before eagerly digging into their remaining portions of stew. Great! Looks like it really suits their taste!
“The meat is so flavorful! The broth is tasty, but the meat itself still retains its richness.”
“The meat… it’s so good… I’m in heaven!”
“You’re right, this meat is incredibly delicious! And the veggies that have soaked up all that flavor… especially the potatoes…!”
Despite being simmered for quite a while, the densely fibered meat still holds its shape. Yet, it isn’t tough at all. One bite and it easily tore apart. Is it because of the high density of muscle fibers and moisture content? When you chew it, the texture is firm yet elastic, and the juices and umami burst out from within.
The layer of fat on top wobbles and melts on my tongue, making for an interesting contrast. But personally, I think the true star of this stew is the potato. The potato that absorbs everything—the meat’s umami, the other vegetables’ flavors—is the main attraction of the meat and potato stew. You could even say the meat is just there to flavor the broth. By the way, at the Takanashi household, adding abura-fu—deep-fried wheat gluten—to meat and potato stew was the norm. It adds a rich depth of flavor and tastes amazing!
“…I have to admit… with this, I can eat the vegetables… I can even call them delicious…”
I deliberately cut the potatoes into large pieces. Breaking one apart with my chopsticks and letting the broth soak into the cross-section… taking a bite. The potato is so soft it can be mashed with just my jaw and tongue. It has absorbed all the umami, clinging to my tongue with a creamy texture. Follow that with a mouthful of rice as a chaser… It might not be the most elegant, but it’s truly delicious!
Mr. Ville, looking slightly frustrated after eating an onion that has turned amber from the broth, is serving himself seconds of the stew. Seeing him taking vegetables along with it shows that he really enjoys it.
“Yup, just as I thought! The potatoes have soaked up all the flavors…! Now’s the perfect time to add some roe…”
Well then. While everyone is absorbed in the stew, I think I’ll… indulge in some roe!
“…These are… fish eggs… right? Are they edible?”
“We ate them all the time back where I’m from. They were considered a delicacy!”
“I see… quite the cultural difference, isn’t it?”
Taking advantage of having a large Tupperware full of roe, I generously top my white rice with the golden eggs. Mr. Xenon watches me nervously. Well, I’ve heard Westerners don’t eat much fish roe… I guess it’s not commonly eaten in this world either… Such a shame, when it’s this delicious…
The glistening golden roe pearls sat atop the pure white rice… thankfully, my attention to the marinade color paid off—they maintained their beautiful golden hue!
Before the rice’s heat warms them up, here goes…!
“Mmmmmmm! This is…!”
“Wh-what’s wrong, Rin!? Is it bad!?”
“No, not at all! The opposite! This is so delicious… no amount of rice would be enough!”
Mr. Ville started rubbing my back in concern when I involuntarily let out a moan. Ah, I appreciate the gesture, but I’m sorry! It was just more delicious than I expected!
The slightly smaller-than-usual roe pearls burst with a pop, releasing their creamy contents and filling my mouth with rich umami. The marinade has soaked in perfectly, and there’s not even a hint of fishiness. The rice I eat with it perfectly catches and gently wraps around the almost numbing intensity of the umami.
The rice’s sweetness enhances the roe’s saltiness, while the roe brings out the richness of the rice… This… this… I can’t stop eating it!
“Xenon, are you not going to eat…? Then, I’ll have it!”
“Now, now, I never said I wouldn’t eat it. Rather, seeing Rin’s reaction, this must be something worth trying…!”
“Exactly… if Rin is that absorbed in eating it… it must be super delicious!”
“Let’s divide up what we have now. At this rate, Rin and Aria might devour it all.”
While I was lost in my rapture over the golden roe rice, it seemed a polite war over the roe had broken out right next to me… Though blinded by the deliciousness of the roe rice, I hadn’t noticed at all…
…For the record, the roe war was settled peacefully, with Mr. Ville dividing it up among everyone.
…And I should note here that we managed to polish off both the pot full of stew and the container full of golden roe completely.
After filling our stomachs with meat and potato stew and roe rice for the first time in a while, we spent the night near the small grove. I thought I heard some howling in the middle of the night, but without any warnings from Survival, and with everyone around… I ended up sleeping soundly… Actually, when I asked about it in the morning, they told me there had been a pack of forest wolves, but they were apparently intelligent enough to understand they’d face retaliation if they attacked humans, so they just howled from a distance.
“Since you joined us, Rin, I can’t wait for mealtimes!”
“Totally agree! When she wasn’t here, well…”
“Mm… pure hell…”
“We endured such hardships, wondering why we had to go through this ordeal just to complete quests…”
“O-Oh…”
After everyone showed such hearty appetites from the morning and cleaned their plates, this is the conversation we’re having… I’ve caught glimpses of the dark side of the Gourmands’ meals before, but I can’t help but wonder what kind of diet they’ve been living on…
Judging by the lifeless look in everyone’s eyes as they murmur reflectively, I can only guess…
“W-Well! I’ll do my best with today’s menu too…! Anyway, shall we continue our journey?”
“Yeah, at this pace, we should reach the town of Melnoa by tomorrow…”
“I agree. If evening approaches, we should camp outside the town and enter in the morning. Melnoa has its own charm, too.”
“They probably have… good knives…”
“Oh! That’s intriguing! What I have now is fine, but I’m curious about the knives in this world.”
According to Mr. Xenon and Ms. Aria’s explanation, being a blacksmith town, not only weapons and armor but also knives, scissors, and other such blades are of excellent quality and can be purchased here.
After finishing the cleanup while chatting together, I settle into my usual place in the driver’s seat. Today, Mr. Xenon takes the passenger seat.
“I see… compared to regular carriages, the ride is so much more comfortable.”
“Mr. Ville said the same thing. He said regular carriages make your butt sore.”
“That’s an apt description. After experiencing this comfort, I don’t think I can ride in a normal carriage again.”
Mr. Xenon’s eyes widened at the seat cushion, and he turned to me with a dazzling smile that could purify one’s soul. Damn it! He’s too handsome! Please stop! My HP is already at zero!
…Well, thankfully, since it’s the passenger seat and we’re not directly facing each other, I managed to avoid a fatal blow! Phew, that was dangerous… if I had been looking at him face-to-face, I would have been purified and ascended straight to heaven…!
“Your cooking is full of dishes I’ve never seen, even in the Elven village. I look forward to every meal.”
“Really? Now I’m curious about elven cuisine… What kind of meals did you have there?”
“We made abundant use of the forest’s bounty… which sounds nice, but it was mostly tough game meat and wild greens.”
“Ah… So, is it mainly wild game, not domesticated animals? That explains why you’re good at butchering…”
“We also cooked monster meat, but it’s a mystery why your cooking tastes so much better.”
As I drive, overwhelmed by the face value of this classic handsome elf chuckling happily beside me, Mr. Xenon keeps bringing up topics that interested me or that I can easily answer even while driving… Being handsome, considerate, and having a good sense for conversation… Hasn’t heaven given him too many gifts?
“Come to think of it, it feels like it’s been a while since we’ve been on a journey that spans multiple days.”
“Really? Didn’t you have long-distance quests before?”
“In our case, since we didn’t have anyone who could cook during camping… we had to rely solely on portable rations, which didn’t do much for morale…”
“Ah… I can imagine how that would throw off your nutritional balance too…”
“We could complete the missions, but the toll, including mental stress, was significant… So recently, we had only been taking on day-trip quests.”
Oops. Who would have thought there’d be such an unexpected side effect… I see… So their morale was so low due to the food situation that they were reluctant to take on missions…
That must have been quite serious… No wonder they welcomed me, a cook, so enthusiastically.
“So, being able to go on multi-day journeys like this is all thanks to you, Rin.”
“Oh, no… I’m just cooking, that’s all.”
“For us, you’re like a gift from heaven. Please continue to take care of us.”
“I really enjoy cooking in this world too, so the pleasure is all mine!”
I said earlier that I "managed to avoid a critical hit" because he was in the passenger seat, right? That was a lie. Mr. Xenon’s radiant smile, which could outshine the sun, was a lethal weapon even from the passenger seat…
Handsome people are scary! That is what I thought once again, yup.
◆◇◆
The rest of our journey was extremely peaceful and smooth. There were no monster attacks, the road wasn’t rough, and the Camping Car didn’t have any problems. We safely arrived in the town of Melnoa.
After climbing a winding mountain path, the view suddenly opens up before us, and there is the town. It’s like a natural fortress built into the steep mountainside. Whether due to geothermal activity or hot spring steam… the whole town is enveloped in a somewhat humid atmosphere. The sulfur-scented town has hot spring water channels flowing throughout, with steam rising steadily from the water’s surface. Some parts are maintained as footbaths that anyone can use freely. In fact, I saw people—whether locals or tourists, I couldn’t tell—casually soaking their feet.
To ensure these water channels don’t make it difficult to get around, bridges have been built across them, making it easy to walk through town. Some bridges are just wooden planks laid across, while others are properly built with handrails—it never gets boring to look at them. The channels yellowed by sulfur and the bridges shrouded in steam create a somewhat fantastical, otherworldly scene that heightens the feeling of being far from home.
“Amazing…! This really is a volcanic town…!”
“Yeah. The sulfur smell is strong—are you okay, Rin?”
“I’m fine! Sure, it’s strong on the nose, but isn’t that what makes it feel like a real volcanic town?”
‘I don’t weally like it!’
While I proudly answer Mr. Ville’s concerned question, Gomamiso seems a bit woozy in my arms. Felines are said to have pretty sensitive noses, so the sulfur smell must be tough on it. Gomamiso, who is twitching its nose, curls up into a ball, burying its face between my chest and its belly.
“Man, it’s been a while since we last came here, but this place is just as bustling as I remember.”
“Well, it is the blacksmith’s town. For novice adventurers, Melnoa weapons are probably high on their wishlist.”
As we walk through town heading to the guild, both sides of what appears to be the main street are lined with weapon and armor shops, along with food stalls. And almost all these shops are bustling with people who look like adventurers—you can see how popular they are! Looking around, it seems like each shop specializes in different types of weapons. That shop has great swords lined up, while this one displays spears… Shops that deal equally in all kinds of weapons seem to be rare.
“Each weapon has its way of being used. Shop clerks need to have proper knowledge. But there aren’t many clerks who can explain the specifics of every weapon in detail.”
“Yes. Plus each craftsman has their own quirks in making weapons. Specializing makes it easier for both sellers and buyers.”
“I see… Specializing allows the sellers to focus their knowledge too.”
I found myself nodding vigorously at Mr. Ville and Mr. Xenon’s explanations as they pointed at the weapons in the shops.
Weapons and armor are literally life-saving equipment for adventurers, so sellers must take it seriously too. In that case, a shop that can properly explain "This spear has these specific features!" would be more trustworthy than one that deals in everything but says "Sorry, I’m not really familiar with that." Especially if each craftsman has their own style.
While listening to this valuable weapons and armor lecture from veteran adventurers, I am about to turn to the Melnoa guild, but…
…Grrrruuummmble… I hear a very familiar sound from both sides.
Mr. Ville looks away in embarrassment, while Ms. Aria holds her stomach… These two seem to be the source of the synchronized stomach growls.
“Um… since I’m curious about Melnoa’s volcanic cuisine, shall we grab something to eat before heading to the guild?”
“Sorry, Rin. I’m grateful you suggested that.”
“Mm! I’m starving! There are lots of good restaurants, so let’s grab some food first!”
Led by the polar opposites of Mr. Ville, who covers his face with his hand, and Ms. Aria, whose face practically beams like she is radiating flowers, I set out to visit a restaurant in this volcanic town.
Apparently, our party had come to this town several times before I joined, for missions they absolutely couldn’t skip. It seems we’re going to a restaurant they found delicious during those visits.
The restaurant, located after walking through some back alleys, has a semi-open structure that utilizes both a shop interior and a garden. I can’t help but feel excited! Inside, the floor and tables are polished to a shine, and cute handmade decorations are placed throughout, giving the place both a physically and psychologically warm feeling. There seems to be a steaming area in the garden, with steam rising here and there. Apparently, you can buy what you like from the shop and steam it yourself in that steaming area. Looking around the shop, it’s bustling with adventurers of various races, creating a lively and warm atmosphere.
What we’re ordering here is Mr. Ville’s recommendation: steamed rainbow long-tailed fowl with spring salt. It’s supposed to have a unique flavor and be delicious, but…
“This is unusual… They’re out of spring salt… I thought the production volume wasn’t that low…”
“It’s made by boiling down hot spring water, right? It’s a shame since I’ve never heard of this seasoning before.”
Apparently, the crucial spring salt is out of stock, so what’s being served now comes with herb salt instead. It’s disappointing that I couldn’t try this seasoning I’d never heard of, but I’m excited to try the unknown ingredient called rainbow long-tailed fowl. As I take my seat, Mr. Ville speaks with his strawberry-colored eyes wide open:
“I’m surprised that there are ingredients even you don’t know about, Rin.”
“What’s with that assessment? I only have the knowledge of ‘just a foodie’!”
Though I hurriedly deny it, not just Mr. Ville but all the other members are giving me that "sure, sure" look… This is seriously overestimating me. Look… I may know a lot, but even I don’t know every single ingredient in the world! I only have slightly more knowledge than the average person!
…Even after explaining that, why won’t anyone believe me…? The expectations… the expectations for the cook are too heavy…!
“Sorry for the wait! Here’s your steamed rainbow long-tailed fowl and drinks. Please enjoy!”
Just as I was about to hang my head under the weight of their expectations and trust, along with a childlike voice, a droopy-eared kobold with a bright smile came to our table carrying a plate piled high with meat skewers and our drinks. The plate with the meat had another plate beneath it, likely an ingenious idea by the beastkin to avoid touching the plate with the food directly when serving.
The kobold places the large plate piled with chunks of meat, covered containers, and everyone’s drink glasses on the table, bows slightly, and returns to the kitchen. While Sheila has a curled tail, this kobold waitress has a fluffy drooping tail. Kobolds are so cute.
“…Rin. Sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but let’s eat before it gets cold.”
“Oh, right! The meat, and herb salt and spicy sauce!”
“Here. This is your portion.”
“Thank you, Ms. Aria!”
Ms. Aria, who had already secured her portion, casually placed some meat on my plate. I really feel how lucky I am to have joined a party that’s so kind to their cook.
I immediately put my hands together and grab my fork, facing the still-steaming meat. The appearance is… like normal steamed chicken on the bone, I guess.
[Rainbow Long-tailed Fowl (Extremely Delicious)
A monster bird similar to a chicken, characterized by its long tail that shimmers in rainbow colors when exposed to sunlight.
It’s a fire-attribute creature that, when enraged, scatters sparks from its tail feathers, potentially causing fires. Therefore, capturing or subjugating them is mandatory upon discovery.
Due to their high reproduction rate and large population, they’ve become a common ingredient in cooking.
The meat is exceptionally tasty, and the bones make excellent stock. The feathers have high insulation properties and are used as materials for bedding and winter clothing.]
Whoa! Turns out the ingredient is a surprisingly dangerous monster! And it’s described as extremely delicious…!
This might be something truly exceptional…
The herb salt and spicy sauce in their little containers have a somewhat special feel, creating a really nice atmosphere!
That said, you can’t judge without taking a bite, right?
I first sprinkle some of the mild-looking herb salt before taking a big bite of the meat. Instantly, rich juices drip into my mouth.
“…!”
“Ah, no need to force yourself to speak, Rin. It’s delicious, right? I can tell from your face.”
When I turn to Mr. Ville, who is sitting next to me, our leader is already serving second helpings onto his empty plate, nodding with a knowing look. And as if it is natural, he is serving another portion onto my plate as well.
Still covering my mouth, I give him a respectful nod. Because! Because! This rainbow long-tailed fowl is seriously delicious!
Maybe because it’s steamed, the skin is rich and chewy, but the meat itself is still juicy, you know? The juices are not just oozing but literally gushing out! Despite being a monster, it has no weird gamey smell, and even the slightly tougher parts have a pleasant chewy texture that releases more umami the more you chew, clinging to the base of your tongue.
The meat itself has a subtle sweetness and such a nice aroma! Above all, this springy skin…! It’s neither heavy nor greasy, just melting smoothly in your mouth…
“This… my skin might become super plump tomorrow…!?”
“…I know what you mean…”
“Fufu… you seem to really like it. Your eyes are sparkling differently, Rin.”
I have ended up having a wordless conversation with Ms. Aria because it is so full of collagen!
Mr. Xenon, who apparently witnesses the whole thing, is chuckling amusedly. Of course, while holding a piece of bone-in meat—likely a thigh.
…It’s strange… A classically handsome elf holding a bone-in meat should look completely out of place, and yet when Mr. Xenon does it, it somehow feels natural… Maybe it’s because I’m used to his eating habits. Come on, sense of incongruity, do your job.
“…This meat is incredible! It’s juicy but still feels light to eat…!”
“Right? Those fowls are troublesome monsters, but their taste is unmatched.”
“And the seasoning! Even just the herb salt is delicious enough! The herb fragrance wafts up, with a slight bitterness… I can’t stop eating the rainbow long-tailed fowl…!”
I chewed and chewed on the juicy meat… the meat that bounced back with a pleasant elasticity made me want to savor it forever, but before I knew it, it had disappeared down my throat. When I exhaled with a "whew," the subtle herb fragrance passed through my nose. Feeling slightly dazed, I looked back at those strawberry-colored eyes to find our leader slightly smugly raising the corners of his mouth, having already finished his second helping in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps because of the herbs, it feels a bit milder compared to the salt I usually use in cooking. Ah! I need a better vocabulary! But really, this salt is so delicious!
The spicy sauce is apparently made from nuts ground into a paste with spicy seasonings added. The subtle sweetness of the nuts and the tongue-stimulating spiciness perfectly enhance the meat’s flavor in perfect balance.
No wonder the mountain of meat, which must have been at least two birds’ worth, is disappearing before my eyes!
I get it. This meat, this salt, and this sauce are all truly delicious!
…Well, it’s a natural result when our members, who have black holes for stomachs, are eating.
“…By the way, shouldn’t we stay here tonight and leave early tomorrow morning?”
“I want to say ‘you’re dragging things out again,’ but it would be a waste to come all the way to Melnoa and leave without doing anything!”
“Come to think of it… Rin wanted to look at knives, right?”
“After the errand, let’s go shopping?”
As the conversation continues amidst the devouring of the mountain of meat, I begin tackling a chunk of thigh meat.
◆◇◆
“Alright. I, Aegis, Guildmaster of Melnoa, have received your request.”
The sensual beauty with glossy red hair tied up smiles brightly. So she is Melnoa’s Guildmaster! A gorgeous beauty with a sexy mole at the corner of her mouth!
When Ms. Aegis touched the documents, the red text on the cover turned into blue "Approved" before fading away. It’s not like it became unreadable, it’s just disappeared… all I can say is "amazing." Having lived a life completely removed from magic, I have no idea how it works.
“Come to think of it, I believe spring salt was a local specialty when we visited Melnoa before…”
“Ah… I’m terribly sorry, but we’re currently having some issues with spring salt production…”
The Guildmaster, having put away the documents in the cabinet, lowered her face slightly. Before we could wonder about that, she raised her head and gestured toward the reception chairs. I guess she wants us to sit down.
When I glance at Mr. Ville, though he shows slight hesitation, he sits down as prompted. Everyone else, including me, follows suit and takes seats on the chairs. They are wicker-framed with soft cushions—something you might find in the changing room of an old-fashioned hot spring inn. The sitting comfort is excellent, and the mesh backrest prevents heat from building up, which is nice!
By the way, while the guild in Ellarge where we were based was built of brick, Melnoa’s guild seems to be made of wood and stone. Maybe because it’s warm and humid here, wooden architecture is more suitable.
Thanks to the sunlight streaming through the glass onto the soft wooden floor, it feels really warm.
Once we are all seated in the reception chairs, Ms. Aegis takes a seat in the chair opposite us. With a snap of her fingers, a tray with tea and sweets appears on the table the next moment.
…Magic never ceases to amaze me…!
As Ms. Aegis pours tea with light splashing sounds, her lips part hesitantly.
“I’m telling you this because I believe you are adventurers capable enough to handle requests from Tori…”
The atmosphere suggests "keep this confidential" as Ms. Aegis explains that for the past few years, Melnoa has been putting effort into areas like cuisine, wanting to attract not just adventurers interested in the blacksmith town, but all kinds of visitors. Spring salt is part of that initiative, a product created through collaboration between the Adventurers’ Guild and the Commerce Guild for town development. Adventurers transport hot spring water for materials and volcanic stones for fuel from Melnoa Volcano, while the Commerce Guild’s craftsmen handle processing and sales.
…However…
“Recently, we received reports of mysterious huge roars, and upon investigation, it seems a monster has taken up residence in the hot spring salt source. We’ve sent adventurers to subjugate it, but they keep failing…”
“Even Melnoa must have skilled fighters, yet a monster capable of defeating them…”
“Yes. For now, we’re managing by limiting distribution and using our stock of spring salt, but even that will eventually run out…”
A sensual sigh escapes from her coral-pink lips.
While fortunately there haven’t been any casualties yet, they can’t just leave the monster alone… Ms. Aegis must be in a difficult position.
…But I know exactly where this is going!
I’m so familiar with this tabletop RPG session setup, it’s almost painful! I know my stuff here!
“I won’t force you. It’s a dangerous request, after all. But if you’d be willing to help, would you lend your strength in defeating the monster…? Of course, I won’t hold back in providing backup support.”
See?! I knew it! I mean, I understand Ms. Aegis’s feelings and the situation with both Melnoa guilds… I understand but still! I want to help if I can, but we’re in the middle of a journey with our own goal…
Glancing around, everyone seems to be thinking the same thing. We exchange looks, checking each other’s reactions.
“…It’s a bit difficult to give you an answer right now. Could we have some time to discuss it?”
Mr. Ville, receiving everyone’s gazes and wishes, responds while maintaining firm eye contact with Ms. Aegis. Hearing this, she relaxes her expression and nods.
“Yes, of course! It would be difficult to answer right away, wouldn’t it? I’ll step out for a bit, so please think it over. I’m sorry for making such a sudden request.”
After watching Ms. Aegis leave the room with unhurried steps, we all look at each other.
Silence fills the room.
“…So, what do you think, Ville?”
“Are we gonna take it? Who knows what we’ll find…”
Mr. Xenon and Mr. Ed speak to Mr. Ville, who has hunched over with his fingers interlaced.
This is quite a difficult issue.
To be honest, we’re adventurers from Ellarge, and we’re traveling with our own purpose, so there shouldn’t be any problem if we refuse here.
However… however…
After hearing the development story about two guilds working together for the town’s prosperity… well, it doesn’t feel right to do nothing.
While contemplating things I can’t do anything about, I stroke Gomamiso’s throat. I thought it was being well-behaved during the discussion, but it was just sleeping soundly.
With a deep sigh, Mr. Ville lifts his head.
“…I think we should accept this request.”
His crimson eyes show strong determination as he looks at us, his lips drawn in a straight line.
“Well, I thought you’d say that. And indeed, after hearing such a story, we can’t just ignore it.”
“I kinda thought it might come to this, so I’m fine with it… Besides, everyone probably thought we’d end up accepting anyway.”
“Mm. We have no choice. Let’s get it done quickly and come back quickly.”
“…Thanks for catching on fast.”
Everyone’s already said what needed to be said, but I can feel their gazes asking "What about you, Rin?”
Surrendering, I readjust Gomamiso in my arms and raise its front paw in a show of agreement, voicing something I’d just realized.
“I think that’s good too. This might even have something to do with the saint summoning.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. The Melnoa Guildmaster did say ‘recently.’”
Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but isn’t that a possibility? I’m glad Mr. Ville agreed…!
Just as our party reaches a consensus, there is a soft knock at the door, and Ms. Aegis comes back in.
Mr. Ville clenches his fist as we watch Ms. Aegis sit down with a quiet smile.
“We, the Gourmands, will accept the request to exterminate the monster at the hot spring.”
“Thank you so much! Then, may I explain the details?”
As soon as she hears Mr. Ville’s answer, Ms. Aegis’s face lights up brilliantly, and she happily clasps her hands in front of her chest. When her hands separate… a large piece of paper that appears to be a map and quite a stack of documents falls onto the table with a thud.
Is this teleportation magic or something? Guildmasters are amazing; she is able to use magic so easily.
“This is a map of the existing climbing routes on Melnoa Volcano. I hope it helps you plan your route to the hot spring. These documents contain adventurers’ testimonies about the monsters that appear there.”
“…By the way, regarding taking these documents…”
“I apologize, but while you can take the map, the reports must stay here. I’ll prepare a room for staff where you can review them…”
“That would be helpful. We need to plan our actions and strategy.”
We got quite a lot of materials at once, so we definitely need to check them first.
While watching Ms. Aegis start the procedures to reserve the room for us, I look at the mountain of documents and let out a quiet sigh.
After we divided the materials among us, Ms. Aegis led us to an empty room. It seems well-maintained and cleaned, without a speck of dust. Large bunk beds stand against both walls, and there is a table near the window in the back where we can have simple meals. Maybe because the room is fairly large, it doesn’t feel cramped.
“Aria and Xenon, you two will work on finding the optimal route. Ed, Rin, and I will compile the adventurers’ testimonies and monster information.”
Along with Mr. Ville’s personnel assignment, we first place the documents on the table by the window. We need to decide where to put things, or it’ll get messy.
While Ms. Aria the scout and Mr. Xenon the elf, who seems experienced with forest and mountain areas, are busy arguing about the best route on the floor, the rest of us gather on the lower bunk bed to review information about the monsters appearing at the spring and in the area.
From what I can see, probably because it’s a volcanic area, there seem to be a lot of fire-attribute monsters. Also, I noticed there are quite a few monsters that use poison attacks… I wonder if they incorporate sulfur and volcanic materials as poison…
Gomamiso, who was just recently sulking with a "Why aren’t you paying attention to me?!" tantrum has now fallen asleep on my lap, still pouting. Well… isn’t gathering information to ensure our safety margin more important than playing with the cat right now?
“There are definitely a lot of fire-attribute monsters showing up. They appear with high probability on every route.”
“Yeah. Seems like there aren’t many large monsters. Instead, they appear in large numbers.”
“If we don’t take them all out at once, it’ll be troublesome if we miss any.”
Before the boss-like creature appeared at the spring, adventurers had been climbing Melnoa Volcano to collect water from the spring. We’re looking through their reports about which routes they took and what monsters appeared to figure out which monsters are more likely to appear on which routes. Personally, I think spreadsheet software would be really helpful for organizing this kind of data. Even though I only know basic operations.
After we got a general sense of the patterns, we looked through the boss battle reports.
…That said, adventurers have only fought the boss twice.
The first time was from an up-and-coming party who encountered it while trying to collect spring water, not knowing what they’d find, and quickly retreated.
The second was from a fairly capable party who went in for extermination after hearing the first report. Apparently, their battle line collapsed quickly, and the members had to practically drag themselves away.
After that, it seems the reports are more like status updates from parties sent for regular monitoring.
“…Still, the boss-like monster at the spring site doesn’t seem to have a consistent form…”
“True. It seems like there are differences in what people see, not just between parties but even within the same party.”
“You mean it’s using illusion magic? That would be super annoying…”
Mr. Ville and Mr. Ed are wracking their brains over this, but honestly, I feel like burying my head in my hands too!
How can the monsters along the way be fairly consistent, but the boss at the spring be completely different!? Plus, looking at the reasons for retiring from boss battles, it’s not so much physical injuries as mental breakdowns that caused retreats… Does this mean, as Mr. Ed implied, they’re being attacked with illusion magic? Like being shown something scary that makes them panic or lose their sanity!?
It’s like instant sanity burial time!
“…Are we going to be okay taking this on?”
“To be honest, since we came with our dungeon exploration equipment… we’ll be completely fine.”
Though I have voiced my concerns, I find myself nodding in agreement with Mr. Ville’s response as he furrows his brow while turning the pages.
Indeed, if we managed to clear that dungeon… well… yup. We even cleared a floor filled with endless loops and illusion magic, so we should be able to manage this to some extent.
“Mm! We’ve selected the route!”
“Since we’ll encounter monsters whichever route we take, We chose the shortest path with roads wide enough for Rin’s Camping Car to drive through.”
Just as we wrapped up our discussion, it seemed the route search team had finished their work too. They are staring at us with broad smiles while holding up a map marked with red ink.
…I wonder if it is okay to write on that map…? I feel like it might be a rather valuable item… Noticing my concern, the route search team came over with the map in hand, smiling warmly.
“The map of Melnoa Volcano is… kind of like… essential equipment?”
“Since the weather on mountains changes frequently and the paths can be confusing, the guild keeps a good supply of them for adventurers climbing the mountain.”
I see. That makes sense—mountains are easy to get lost in, so they keep plenty of maps available. With my question answered, I felt relieved. Ms. Aria sits next to me and quickly spreads out the map in the center of our data analysis team.
…This is my first time seeing a volcano map, but it’s kind of like a hiking routes map… There are more paths than I expected… Looks like there are three main thick routes with numerous branches splitting off from them. They probably branch off not just for collecting spring water but also for gathering volcano-specific materials and monster hunting.
Among these, the route that Ms. Aria and Mr. Xenon chose for us is truly the shortest path.
“Since carts are used for collecting spring water, we assume the roads are fairly stable.”
“Mm! We picked a route where the Camping Car shouldn’t collapse!”
“That’s why we excluded any paths with shaky-looking bridges or unreliable footing.”
Ms. Aria’s slender finger traces the red line that marks our route. They had chosen paths that seemed particularly wide among the main routes, and although there were some narrow sections in between, they’d selected routes that maintained a decent width all the way to the spring. Consistent with Mr. Xenon’s words, they had excluded routes that crossed several stream-like areas, even if they might have been shorter paths to the spring.
This is a considerate decision. After all, we’re dealing with mountain paths, and we can’t expect sturdy, well-constructed bridges. Worst case scenario, they might be made from logs and planks cobbled together, or maybe even just vines and boards for suspension bridges, right? Even my capable Camping Car probably couldn’t handle such rough terrain.
While stroking Gomamiso’s head as it sleeps on my lap, I compare the road the route search team had mapped out with the monster information we’d gathered.
“So on this path, we’ll mainly encounter ‘Volcano Slimes’ and ‘Ember Fogs’…”
“Yes. And ‘Hot Water Lizards’ frequently show up just before reaching the spring.”
“Well, given the environment, most of them are fire-attribute monsters.”
While picking up various reports that had scattered when the map was spread out earlier, I started identifying the monsters commonly reported along the route. I wondered if the text alone could help identify them using Survival, but it seems that was wishful thinking. Well, even if it could, Survival would only tell me how to cook them deliciously, not how to defeat them or their weaknesses!
“Distance-wise, if we leave first thing in the morning, we should be able to return to the foot of the mountain by evening, right?”
“Yes, assuming we don’t encounter too many monsters.”
While listening to Mr. Ed and Mr. Xenon discuss the route and monsters, I also peered at the map. Looking at it, the distance to the spring, located around the middle of the mountain, doesn’t seem too far from the entrance. Judging by the contour-like lines, the slope didn’t look too steep either.
Well, in exchange, the gradient past the middle of the mountain becomes absolutely brutal! Even looking at the map, there are extremely few routes to the summit… I wonder if the area around the spring is the main focus for both gathering and monster hunting.
As I run my hand through Gomamiso’s exposed belly fur and ponder this question, Mr. Xenon looks at me and slowly begins to speak:
“In Melnoa, there is an oral tradition that has been passed down since old times.”
“Hmm. Since it’s oral tradition, you mean it’s like a song or tale passed down continuously from before written language…? Sounds like it’s pretty ancient.”
“Fufufu… You have quite sharp intuition, Rin.”
With a playful wink, Mr. Xenon begins weaving words that are halfway between a song and a story. It has too much rhythm to be just a tale, yet lacks melody to truly be a song. This peculiar chant seems to tell the tale of the land of Melnoa.
Long ago, a dragon who came to play in Melnoa Volcano’s hot springs happened to encounter a village maiden who had lost her way. The dragon grew fond of the maiden, granted her divine protection, and kept her by its side as its priestess. After the maiden passed away, the dragon left Melnoa Volcano, but would occasionally visit to converse with the current priestess and enjoy the hot springs.
The mountain’s summit is a sacred place where the dragon met the priestess. If this important place were to be defiled, the dragon would surely be angered. Therefore, one must not visit carelessly. And so the story concludes.
“I see. So to avoid angering the dragon, the summit area came to be treated as sacred ground.”
People came to revere and fear it, avoiding stepping foot there. It’s like a kind of restricted area. That would certainly explain why there are so few routes to the summit.
“Yes. Although recently, that way of thinking seems to have somewhat fallen out of practice…”
Still, if what Mr. Xenon says is true, I wonder if someday the summit will also be conquered and mapped out, becoming managed by human reason… Somehow, that makes me a bit sad… Sure, when you think about gathering materials and the associated industrial development, the benefits must be significant. Maybe this is what they call humanities major sentimentality? It makes me sad to think about places that have been kept pristine being changed by human intervention.
“At any rate, we’ll start the ascent before sunrise tomorrow. Let’s rest for today…”
“Yes, that would be wise. Fortunately, we’ve already eaten, so we’re not particularly hungry…”
“Yeah. Unlike us, who can rest in the Camping Car, Rin will be driving the whole time. So make sure to get some rest now, Rin.”
“Yes! You… need… good sleep, Rin!”
For a moment, eight jewel-like eyes of various colors gaze at me.
Oh, right, yes! If we’re leaving early tomorrow, I should go to bed now!
The bed, which had somehow become covered in documents, has been cleared off, and Ms. Aria’s gentle hands guide me to lie down.
Even though I don’t feel sleepy yet… I have thought, when Mr. Xenon stands by my pillow, smiling with his staff raised.
“Good night, Rin. Sweet dreams.”
With those words, I catch a glimpse of his staff glowing blue… and my consciousness sinks into darkness.
The Translator’s Corner
Tiny change in terms compared to the web version: Mad Otter -> Mud Otter. Because its color is brownish, hence “Mud” instead of “Mad”.
And I’ve been contemplating for a while whether “guild master” or “guildmaster” is better, and according to the Internet, “guildmaster” for the position of a guild boss fits better.
In this chapter there is a picture of the Mud Otter attacking Rin with Gomamiso on her shoulder and Aria, and also a picture of Rin with, again, Gomamiso on her shoulder and Ville looking around a town full of steam.
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