Volume Six, Epilogue
The unfamiliar lively sounds of instruments and singing voices… and people dancing joyfully to the music. In one place, young men and women chat pleasantly while a family, which appears to be parents with children, walks by, holding festival food from the stalls. When I shift my gaze, simple stalls line the edge of the road, and magical lanterns decorate tree branches here and there—it’s truly spectacular. Hard to believe this was completely covered by cotton birds just two weeks ago, isn’t it?
“Well then… to celebrate the end of the cotton bird incident and the Dinaronewt incident… cheers!!!”
Along with Mr. Arthur’s bright and bouncing toast, the sound of wooden mugs clinking together rings out. When I tilt my mug after the toast, thick, sweet, cold fruit water flows down my throat.
Today is the day of the elven village festival that was postponed due to the cotton bird incident… and the wrap-up party day for us Gourmands and the Azure Droplets. The idea was "since we’re here anyway, let’s bring food to a corner of the festival plaza and have everyone celebrate together.”
So the large table set up at the edge of the festival venue is today’s wrap-up party location. As for seating arrangements, the Gourmands members are along one long side. The Azure Droplets members sit across from us, and Mr. Rolf and I each occupy the head seats.
Gomamiso is absorbed in the raw meat it was given at my feet. It’s gnawing at it, saying ‘Yummy!’ so from the cat’s perspective, it seems satisfied.
“Wow… this is quite the crowd. The decorations are even fancier than the last festival.”
“Just having the cotton bird incident would be enough to keep people talking, but the Guardian Bird of the Ancestral Tree appeared on top of that. No wonder the villagers are so ecstatic.”
Mr. Arthur looks around the bustling festival plaza while Mr. Xenon shrugs his shoulders as if half-exasperated. Since this is my first time, I don’t really know, but this year’s festival seems to be more successful than usual.
Originally, they were planning to make it more elaborate than usual since it also commemorated the village chief succession, but as Mr. Xenon says, after the village’s major crisis, a legendary being appeared and resolved the situation… of course, it would get so exciting that words like "frenzy" wouldn’t be enough to describe it.
The delay itself happened because most villagers insisted, “Sure, we could restore things by the next day, but we want to make it grander to thank the Guardian Bird properly! So we need more time!”
“For all that, it’s thankful that no one’s paying attention to us who were involved in the incident. I don’t dislike liveliness, but I’d rather not be put on a pedestal.”
“Mm… I get that…!”
Mr. Ed, who emptied his wooden mug in no time, murmurs thoughtfully.
Right. While the elven village is buzzing about the Guardian Bird’s appearance, hardly anyone is looking our way. This is all thanks to going all-out to conceal our deep involvement in the Guardian Bird incident. Because! If we had told the whole truth about everything, I think the entire village population would have mobbed us! None of us wanted that.
“I think the story we came up with worked nicely too: ‘We somehow managed to reach the Ancestral Tree just as the Guardian Bird was taking off from the treetop.’”
“And in addition, your mother helped smooth things over, right, Xenon?”
“Yes. Officially, it’s said we were only doing patrols around the village.”
Mr. Arthur wears a rare, meaningful smile, while Mr. Xenon responds with a truly devious expression. A handsome person’s wicked smile sure has an impact.
Ms. Lusha welcomed us back to the village with tears and asked various questions, but we thoroughly stuck to the story we all came up with. While I felt sorry and guilty about not telling the truth… well, that’s… we focused on risk avoidance, you could say.
Fortunately, Ms. Lusha believed it, and the villagers were also convinced, thinking, "Just doing patrol rounds in that situation was appreciated enough!" We became a topic of conversation in the village for a while as "people who saw the Guardian Bird up close," but I think it generally stayed within the range we expected.
Furthermore, thanks to Ms. Lusha spreading the word at village gatherings that "we weren’t really involved that much," things have completely settled down now.
“…Well… all’s well that ends well, I suppose!”
I watch children laughing and running past our table hand in hand, and these words just slip out of my mouth. What a lively, peaceful festival scene. To see this, accepting that a harsh free fall was worth it.
“Heh, heh heh. True. Honestly, it’s a homeland I can’t feel much attachment to… but still, thinking that my mother and acquaintances can spend peaceful days… It’s not a bad feeling.”
“Xenon… can you only speak like that?”
“Oh? But this is how I always speak, isn’t it?”
Mr. Xenon, reaching for his second mug, has a prickly tone, but his face is very peaceful.
Geez… He’s not being honest. Despite what he says, he can’t abandon his home.
“Well then. Now that we can feel the peace… let’s move on to today’s main event!”
Mr. Arthur places his mug down with a beaming smile and looks back and forth between me and Mr. Rolf. Of course, everyone else is also looking at us with sparkling eyes.
“Hell yeah! I put everything I had into this!”
“I did everything I could!”
While receiving expectant gazes all over my body, I place the large storage container I prepared. Mr. Rolf also places a heavy-looking large plate covered with a cloth. We both set them down with a thud on the table. Immediately, fragrant spice aromas, the smell of grilled meat… appetizing scents fill the surroundings.
We don’t know what dishes each other made, but at this point, it definitely looks delicious.
Today is a wrap-up party, but with a twist: each party’s cook brings one main dish to the table!
“The main ingredient is the dropped Dinaronewt meat, right?”
“Yes, exactly! It dropped in a big chunk, so we decided to split it in half and cook it separately!”
It was quite a fun idea—using the same main ingredient but cooking it freely otherwise!
Actually, not knowing what the other person would make, wondering "Will they make this kind of dish? Or maybe this kind?"—imagining while working was so much fun!
“So? What did the Gourmands’ cook make?”
“If you put it that way, I’m just as curious about what the Azure Droplets’ cook made!”
Mr. Rolf stares at my dish with sparkling eyes. I’m probably looking at his dish with the same kind of eyes. After all, people who cook are starving for the taste of other people’s cooking. So this potluck wrap-up was something I was looking forward to in that sense too.
“Well then…”
“Time for the grand reveal!”
Mr. Rolf and I exchange glances and remove our covers in unison. The trapped steam and aromas suddenly mix with the surrounding air.
“Wow! Rin’s looks delicious, but so does Rolf’s!”
“Thank you very much. It’s braised Dinaronewt!”
“Mine’s spice-grilled Dinaronewt meat!”
“Amazing! Grilled meat and… braised meat? I can’t believe they’re made from the same meat!”
On the table now surrounded by cheers, appetizing seared chunk meat with grill marks and thoroughly braised meat reveal their full forms.
The grilled meat is Mr. Rolf’s creation. The braised Dinaronewt is mine. Ms. Sasa was surprised that both came from the same dropped meat. When we started cooking, I worried our cooking methods might overlap. But grilled and braised—in a way, dishes made using completely opposite methods came out! This kind of thing is interesting too.
The reason the same cut produced such different dishes is that the drop meat was like a shoulder loin, with lean and fat beautifully interwoven. It was a miracle cut—perfect for grilling, perfect for braising!
As Mr. Rolf slices the hunk into easy-to-eat portions, each movement of the knife releases a gush of clear juices. Just watching it is already irresistible!
The illustration’s description: Rin, Rolf, and two dishes.
“Seriously?! I never thought it would come out as a braise!”
“The part I got had such a good balance of fat and lean meat! I thought it would be delicious braised too!”
“My part was the same balance. That’s exactly why I thought when grilled, the meat juices and fat would turn out great!”
As fellow cooks, we inevitably get carried away chatting. I feel like we might be leaving everyone else behind, but please forgive us for that—this is my first proper cooking chat in ages!
I really understand what Mr. Rolf means. With that meat, I think you could make it juicy with moderate chewiness that overflows with meat juices the moment you bite into it. If you stuff your cheeks with that meat along with grilled vegetables as a side… your mouth would definitely become heaven.
So why did I go with braised cubes instead…? This is simply because I was in the mood for braised meat at that time. That’s all there is to it. Sure, I usually think about nutrition and balance for daily meals, but today’s a celebration, right? No problem cooking what I actually wanted to eat!
Additionally, I had the thought that Mr. Rolf, who was born and raised in another world, would probably make purely otherworldly cuisine. In that case, I thought I could differentiate by using plenty of Earth-origin seasonings like soy sauce and mirin.
“True, grilled meat sounded tasty too… but personally, I thought it would be tasty to sandwich sweet and savory braised meat in fluffy plain buns.”
Saying this, I pile up plain steamed buns and condiments on the table with a thud. The thought that this might deviate a bit from the "bring one dish" rule crossed my mind, but sandwiching and eating it is all one dish! If anyone objects, I’ll make that argument.
But in front of me, getting a bit carried away, Mr. Rolf also grins and…
“If you’re going to say that, I was thinking of eating this meat stuffed in pocket bread too! We think alike!”
Not exactly tit for tat… but Mr. Rolf also adds a plate piled high with thick flat bread to the table. From the brownish color of the dough, could it be made with whole wheat flour?
Now I’m really excited to taste these!
Not just us who made it, but the gazes of the others who’ve been forced to "wait" while having the dishes shown to them concentrate on today’s organizer… Mr. Arthur. The beautiful elf who receives gazes that can only be described as glaring rather than the cute sparkling kind smiles gently.
“They both look very delicious! Well then, let’s dig in!”
“Finally! Been dying for this moment!”
“At last! I can’t hold back any longer!”
“I’m grateful to receive this food!”
At the leader’s call—like a crane’s cry rallying the flock—shouts erupted from all sides of the table. Whether prayers before eating or cries of joy after the long wait… in any case, thinking these come from anticipating the dishes we made fills my chest with happiness and ticklishness.
“Hey, Rin. How should I eat this?”
“Ah. Split this steamed bun in two, sandwich the meat and scallion condiments, and bite into it! If you like, adding karashi… strong spicy mustard is delicious too!”
“Hey hey, Rolf. This doesn’t need sauce or anything?”
“The meat itself is heavily seasoned, but if it’s not enough, put on the special sauce!”
While I’m explaining how to make braised buns to Ms. Sasa, who picks up a steamed bun with a curious expression, across from me, Mr. Rolf is teaching Mr. Ed how to make meat sandwiches. Ms. Aria, next to Mr. Ed, seems to be checking the taste of just the meat, and Ms. Ginsei still appears to be debating which to eat first. Thanks to everyone enjoying their meal in their own way, the table becomes lively all at once. Everyone is laughing happily and contentedly.
Yup! This is how post-adventure wrap-up parties should be!
“What is this? It’s delicious! It’s my first time eating this flavor, but this definitely goes with alcohol!”
“Whoa! This meat-stuffed sandwich is amazing! The chewy bread and the texture of the meat are just perfect together!”
Ms. Sasa, who bites into a braised meat bun, and Mr. Ed, who bites into a meat sandwich, cry out in delight as soon as they swallow what’s in their mouths. After shouting their impressions, the way they devour the rest with abandon also makes me happy.
Just that reaction fills my chest with joy as the cook!
“This spice balance is exquisite! The stimulating part is addictive. Compared to this, the elven village cooking is… uuuh…”
“If you say that, it’s the end, Xenon. The village cooking is traditional and dignified in its own right.”
…I’ll pretend the occasionally dark conversation I heard was just my imagination! Mr. Xenon sobbing is probably just an auditory hallucination too…
“W-Well then! I’ll have some of Mr. Rolf’s meat sandwiches too!”
“Yeah! I’ll take some of Rin’s braised meat buns too!”
While glancing at the other members getting excited, Mr. Rolf and I, who exchanged glances with each other, also reached for the dishes we each made.
“I wondered what pocket bread would be like, but it’s hollow inside. Just stuffing ingredients in is convenient.”
“Yeah, that. My mom taught me how to make it—it’s our family secret. The ratio is secret, but letting the dough rest overnight is the trick… I’ll tell you that much. But this meat… even though it’s so big, how did you manage to braise it so tender?”
“I gently braised it, let it cool, then slowly braised it again, let it cool… repeating that process. Honestly, protecting it from people who wanted to sneak tastes was harder than the actual cooking process…”
“Ahh… I get it. That happens!”
The pocket bread in my hand is close to what they call pita bread in my world. When I split it in half by hand, true to its name, "pocket," it’s hollow inside.
Into that cavity that seems to assert, "Please stuff something in me!" I pack the visibly bright red grilled meat tightly. Along with the grilled onions and grilled tomatoes that are also piled on top. I’m curious about the special sauce too, but… since he said it’s already seasoned, I’ll try it plain first.
Mr. Rolf, who shares cooking common experiences, splits the plain bun and sandwiches the meat cubes dyed a deep amber color, carefully spreading mustard on it.
“Alright… Itadakimasu!”
“Grateful for heaven’s mercy—may this nourish body and soul.”
With only a brief pre-meal prayer, I bite into the meat sandwich in my hand. First, the strong spice aroma spreads throughout my mouth with a whoosh. Then, just as the tingling stimulation stings my tongue, it’s soothed by rich umami-filled meat juices and fat… What a terrible pump and dump! My mouth is hot and painful, but I can’t help wanting the next bite!
The onions that retain their crunch even after grilling and the tomatoes that become sweeter and melt are great accents too! And above all, even though it’s almost all meat, there’s hardly any heaviness or greasiness!
“The meat sandwich is super amazing! Even though it’s packed with meat, I feel like I could eat as much as I want!”
Even though it’s sliced, the grilled meat still has a firm, satisfying chew. Every time I chew it, essence overflows from inside… the intensity of the spices balances with the meat’s umami. Probably, if the spices were any stronger, it would be too spicy to eat easily, but if there were fewer spices, the flavor would be overwhelmed by the meat’s richness.
What exquisite balance!
I made grilled meat sandwiches in the desert too, but eating like this, Mr. Rolf’s grilled meat has a stronger authentic otherworldly feel. It uses plenty of spices and herbs that I rarely use, giving off an exotic aroma. You might hesitate a little before putting it in your mouth, but…
“Mmm! When the spice flavors combine with the meat flavors, you can eat it without any discomfort at all! Delicious!”
The moment it enters your mouth, that discomfort instantly converts to deliciousness! Rather, it’s delicious precisely because of the spice punch…
“This braised meat is amazing too! It’s so tender you could crush it with your tongue, but it still has proper chewiness, and every bite bursts with flavor! And above all, the seasonings used in the flavoring… It’s an unfamiliar taste, but strangely addictive…”
In front of me, eating the meat sandwich with deep emotion, Mr. Rolf seems to like the braised meat buns too.
The moment he put it in his mouth, his tail fur seemed to puff up, and after that, he just opened his mouth wide and devoured it greedily. Then he reaches for the remaining buns and braised meat, apparently planning to eat them with extra scallions and mustard this time.
At this rate, I’d better set some aside quickly or I’ll miss out on eating the dish I made myself!
“Mmm, if I do say so myself, this turned out just right! It’s still got texture to it!”
Compared to the tender braised pork belly that falls apart, mine is a bit firmer. But because of that, you can really feel the sensation of chewing the meat and the fat between the meat pieces melting smoothly.
When eaten with the shredded green-onion-like vegetable I found at the elven village’s morning market, the refreshing spiciness and texture are added, and it feels like the fat clinging to the root of my tongue gets washed away.
While I’m doing such self-praise, Mr. Rolf, who had been silently checking the taste of the braised meat, suddenly looks up. Ms. Ginsei is in his line of sight.
“…Hey, Ginsei. In your homeland… on the continent, wasn’t there a seasoning with a very similar flavor?”
“Yes. Nostalgic. Homeland flavor similar.”
“Eh… does this world have soy sauce too?”
Hearing an unexpected conversation, I involuntarily raise my voice. I thought soy sauce was totally an otherworldly ingredient! Could it be that there’s a possibility of getting it in this world too!?
“Soy sauce…? We call ‘sheng chou’ and ‘lao chou’”
“Shengchou and… laochou…?”
Ms. Ginsei, holding a braised meat bun in one hand and a meat sandwich in the other, remains completely calm, contrary to my excitement.
…Well, of course. For me, it’s "a seasoning I thought I couldn’t get in this world," but for Ms. Ginsei, it’s probably something that circulates normally in her homeland.
Ehhh… but now I really want to try the taste of otherworldly soy sauce!
“That sounds wonderful. I’d love to visit your homeland someday, Ms. Ginsei!”
“Homeland good place. Come once. Welcome visit.”
Even with food in both hands in that greedy-eater style, a beautiful woman’s smile hits you right in the heart. Hard. I thought I was used to it with Ms. Aria, but when I get hit by a different type of beautiful woman… I’m not mentally prepared enough…!
“Eh? Rin, you’re going to Ginsei’s homeland? We’ve been there before too—it’s a place full of interesting things, you know?”
“No! If Rin goes, she comes to my home first! Right? Let’s have Mama do a fortune telling?”
“Come to think of it, your mom is a fortune teller, right, Ms. Aria? We talked about that during our journey.”
Perhaps because they heard our conversation, Ms. Sasa and Ms. Aria also joined in the pleasant chat.
Maybe it’s because the content was about "wanting to go somewhere"? Ms. Aria, who sits diagonally in front of me next to the birthday seat, grips my hand tightly while staring intently at me. Ughhh! I thought I’d gotten used to it, but a beautiful woman’s cunningly cute face still strikes my heart!
“Hmm. Both Rolf’s cooking and Rin’s cooking are incredibly delicious! I’d be happy if I could eat both cooking every day. Any chance we could recruit Ms. Rin to our team?”
“I can understand the feeling, but I won’t give up our cook. First of all, if you’re going to say that, we have the right to poach your cook too, don’t we?”
…Ehhhh… I can hear an ominous conversation not just from Ms. Aria and Ms. Sasa, but from the leaders’ side too?
When I involuntarily turn my face that way, I see Mr. Arthur holding a meat sandwich and Mr. Ville stuffing his cheeks with braised bun, both wearing thin smiles as they talk intensely.
“Hmm… Rolf is our cook, but he’s also our skilled scout… it would be troublesome if he got poached.”
“Rin is also our important baggage carrier.”
On the surface, they’re smiling pleasantly… but underneath, they’re shooting sparks at each other… this will make digestion difficult! Even so, the fact that their eating speed shows no sign of slowing is impressive, or rather… Maybe you need this kind of nerve to serve as a party leader?
…That said, I feel like this cold war between the leaders and Ms. Aria’s pleading won’t end until I declare my position.
“No. I am, after all, a member of the Gourmands. I’d of course love to visit Ms. Aria’s home and Ms. Ginsei’s homeland, but I plan to have everyone take me there!”
The moment I declare that, is it some kind of illusion that both Mr. Ville and Ms. Aria seem to look somewhat triumphant? It would be a lie to say I’m not happy about being expected enough to be scouted, but… my place is already within the Gourmands.
“Yay! Then, from now on, we’ll always… be together!”
“We’re already ruined—we can’t be happy unless it’s Rin’s cooking!”
“You’ll have to take proper responsibility for this, you know?”
Ms. Aria hugs me with a beaming face, while Mr. Ed and Mr. Xenon give me broad smiles mixed with jokes… Some people might call this "heavy," but for me, suddenly thrown into another world, I’m grateful for that weight.
“…And so, I’m counting on you from now on too, Rin.”
“Roger that! Please leave maintaining and improving everyone’s QOL to me!”
I respond with a thumbs up to Mr. Ville, who, unusually, gives me a grinning, wicked smile.
I feel like everyone from the Azure Droplets, including Mr. Arthur, is giving me lukewarm looks… but well, I think I’ll just accept that willingly, yup.
‘Heeey, are you talkin’ about some tricky stuff or something?’
“No, it’s not that complicated… I think.”
The cat, having finished eating its portion, jumps onto my lap with a hop. For a while, it kneads with its paws as if searching for just the right spot… but finally finding a comfortable place, it forms a loaf on my lap.
With the cat purring contentedly on my lap, I reach for the grilled meat still piled high on the plate.
“Well… I’ve learned that this world has soy sauce too. I’d like to go searching for unknown otherworldly ingredients and such.”
‘Don’t really understand, but hey, this me is here to, you know?’
“That’s true. Gomamiso is here, and everyone else too.”
I let my thoughts wander to places I haven’t been yet. On that journey, everyone from the Gourmands will definitely be together too.
The saint issue, flag crushing… There are lots of problems piling up, but I’m not afraid if everyone’s together. Feeling the warmth of the cat purring on my lap, I’m thinking about such things sentimentally… but…
“Wow, so this is the elven village!”
Suddenly, there’s the sound of a girl’s voice bouncing like that. Several men’s voices respond to it. It’s kind of lively… I think, and when I casually turn my gaze that way, my body involuntarily freezes.
“…No way…!?”
What I see before me are faces I can’t forget, even if I want to.
That tearful, bewildered girl, the prince with those scornful eyes, the smug magician, the uptight knight… aren’t these the exact people from the saint summoning chamber!?
I hastily look away to avoid being noticed and pull up my hood to hide my hair.
“…What’s wrong, Rin? Are you okay?”
Even Mr. Ville’s worried words sound somehow distant right now.
It seems my tumultuous life is far from over.
No comments:
Post a Comment