Happy New Year!
The beggining of the chapter is equivalent to chapter 58 of the web version, but the rest of the chapter is greatly differ from the web version.
Volume One, Chapter Two
“…I-It really was close to the city, huh?”
“That’s probably why the guild staff panicked…”
About a fifteen-minute walk from the main gate.
We stand in what appears to be an ordinary forest.
…Right. It looks like just a forest, but when I hang this amulet thing Mr. Ville gave me around my neck… somehow I can see it… what appears to be a cave with its mouth gaping open in the middle of the forest.
According to Mr. Ville, several guild staff members disguised as adventurers completing gathering requests in this area are casting illusion magic on it. Apparently, they’ve set it up so only those with the amulet we were given can see it. Kind of like optical camouflage from the other world, maybe? The amulet that nullifies the illusion magic acts like an "authorized personnel pass," so to speak.
Magic is amazing!
Plus, apparently it only activates when you wear it—like hanging it around your neck or attaching it to your belt! Well, that makes sense. It’d be a disaster if someone dropped it, and a random passerby could see a hidden dungeon.
…And as it turns out, it seems they’ve properly taken measures for that too. Along with issuing the amulets, they’re monitoring the surrounding magical flow and even guiding other adventurers away from the dungeon entrance! Investigating risky areas and keeping people away from predicted danger zones is the correct approach to safety management, after all.
“From what I can see, it looks pretty spacious.”
“Hey, Ville, the passage looks pretty wide in there—can’t we just break through using Rin’s skill?”
“Part of our job is gathering intel on what monsters appear, their strength and tendencies if possible… With Rin’s skill, spotting enemies would be difficult in the first place.”
“How troublesome…”
The cave that looked modest from a distance actually has quite an imposing presence up close. The sight of a pitch-black gaping hole in a place overflowing with greenery can only be described as "eerie.”
Near the entrance—so ominous it seems to emit miasma—Ms. Aria is checking the inside of the cave.
She is apparently the Gourmands’ scout. She spreads threads infused with magical power to investigate the general structure of the floor, it seems.
While Ms. Aria is busy, I take another look at the cave before us. It resembles an old tunnel with a rough, uneven interior, as if concrete had been directly sprayed onto the excavated rock—what’s known as a rock mortar-sprayed tunnel. It seems to have enough width and height for the Camping Car to pass through easily, but if we need information on the enemies, progressing while still inside the vehicle wouldn’t be feasible. There’s no easy way, right?
“…At the moment, no sign of enemies…”
“Understood. Let me know immediately if anything happens. The vanguard will be me and Aria, with Rin in the middle, and Ed and Xenon in the rear—we’ll advance in that formation.”
At the scout’s words, we finally enter the dungeon. I’m sorry, but with absolutely zero combat ability, I’ll be going in the middle of the formation. I mean, if I walk at the front, I’ll get caught in a trap in no time, and if I walk at the very back, the only futures I can see are either getting exhausted, falling behind, and getting lost, or being attacked by monsters!
“So if anything happens, the rear guard just backs up Rin, right? OK, OK!”
“Though we’ll be asking the vanguard for support if we’re attacked from behind.”
“Um, well… I’m sorry for being useless in combat…”
“Parties with a baggage carrier are just like this. Don’t worry about it.”
“Ville’s right, Rin. Thanks to you being here, we felt like taking on this job even though we don’t know how many days it’ll take, so this much is only natural.”
“Mm. Without you, this mission would end up abandoned halfway… Food is important!”
“Exactly. You can just get used to adventuring little by little.”
As I slump my shoulders over how useless I feel, my head and back get patted and rubbed… Oh! The warmth is really hitting me in the feels…!
Bowing deeply in my heart over and over, I do my utmost to make as little noise as possible as I step into the cave. There’s no special sensation like breaking through a barrier or feeling short of breath… but the moment I enter, I can tell the air surrounding my body has clearly changed. It’s hard to put into words what it feels like, but… somehow, like… the air around me feels like it’s pressing down on me! Still, when I picture a cave-style dungeon, I expect it to be pitch-black within…
“The walls are glowing…?”
…Somehow… the surroundings are faintly illuminated with a golden-green light?
In terms of brightness, it’s about as bright as a night light—like a small bulb on a fluorescent lamp—or maybe a bit brighter, but I’m grateful that I can sort of see my surroundings.
Torches or lanterns would let us see better, sure, but lighting something up suddenly in a place that’s normally dark would make us stand out far too much…
“It’s luminous moss. I dunno why, but it glows.”
The source of the light turns out to be a thin layer of moss clinging to the walls. True to its nature, it is called "luminous moss." I’d heard about “hikarigoke,” also known as “luminescent moss,” before, but this was my first time seeing the real thing!
…Well, I don’t know if this is the same species as Japan’s "hikarigoke.”
“…With this level of brightness, even those without night vision can move around without a light source…”
As I gazed at the moss with curiosity, Mr. Ville muttered while casting his gaze around, as if checking the level of brightness.
…Even those without night vision can move, huh.
I’m not exactly night-blind, but this darkness is pretty tough for me, you know? Even though my eyes are finally getting used to the dark, I’m pretty uncertain about things like my footing. Do people in this world take less time for dark adaptation? Or maybe the level of what "having night vision" means is just different?
By the way, the Camping Car can manifest inside the dungeon without any problems. The manual had something written like "Dungeons also count as outdoors," and it really is treated as outdoors.
We won’t be traveling in it, but it looks like we can at least rest inside the Camping Car. That’s a bit of a relief!
…And then.
Suddenly, Mr. Ville’s palm thrusts out in front of my face. When I look up, wondering "What is it!?", his eyes—his index finger pressed to his lips—seem to take on a sharp edge.
At the same time, Ms. Aria’s lips move to convey "It’s here.”
…Ah! This is one of those situations where I can’t make any noise…!
While keeping the party members who silently entered battle formation in my field of vision, I press myself even closer to the wall where I’ve been standing, shrinking my body.
The damp moss and bare rock feel gross, but this is no time to complain!
Shhurlll… sharalll… A sound like something wide being lightly dragged from deep in the darkness.
“This walking rhythm and flower-like scent… ninety-nine percent certain it’s a flower lizard.”
At Mr. Xenon’s murmur, I feel the tension in the surrounding air suddenly ease. I wonder if they’ve fought the monster Mr. Xenon mentioned before?
“Aahh… then we can just burn it, right?”
“…flower lizard…?”
From Mr. Ed, who mutters as if suddenly deflated, I get this strong "Oh, that thing" vibe… Could it be that it’s not very strong?
Well, I’ve never seen this "flower lizard" thing, so I don’t know how to judge it!
Even as I think that, my body stays tense, and Mr. Ville gestures lightly toward the depths of the cave.
“It’s a lizard monster that mimics plants. Look, you can see it now.”
…Ewww… what is that thing?
It has four limbs and a tail that look like enormous, broad leaves, as if someone gigantified an orchid plant. Its thick torso resembles a bundle of knotted roots, and at the very tip grows a head colored like a tulip bud…
The silhouette alone feels wrong, but seeing those leaf-like legs plod along and actually propel it forward just makes it… downright creepy, no other word for it!
The soft slurping and scraping sounds we’ve been hearing are from those leaf-like legs dragging—no, sweeping—along the ground!
“Basically, it lies on its back in grassy or wooded areas and lives off insects or animals that wander too close.”
“Ah… so it’s not camouflage for self-defense, but camouflage for predation… wow… oh wow…”
“Exactly. And maybe because it’s mimicking a plant? That thing is weak to fire.”
Still smiling sweetly, Mr. Ed teaches me about the ecology of the monster in front of us in a low voice.
In terms of classification, it’s probably similar to flower mantises—luring prey that think, “Oh, a flower,” and then catching them.
Well, I suppose if it stayed perfectly still in a place with lots of vegetation… it might pass for flowers and leaves… maybe. But if it’s moving around like that, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of mimicry? And more than anything, that way of moving is seriously creepy!
…By the way, apparently you can eat that thing. When I check with Survival, it says "edible"…
Just as I feel like I might faint for a moment, Mr. Ed—still smiling—lightly extends one arm.
As I watch, wondering what’s happening, at the tip of his extended arm… when his open palm clenches tight, the movement of that flower lizard thing rustling around in front of us stops completely, it gets crushed with a squelch, flames burst up with a whoosh, it blazes up in an instant, burns out completely, and…
“There, all done…!”
“…Huh!?”
“I said it’s weak to fire, didn’t I? Burning it is the easiest way!”
Unable to grasp what just happened, I just stand there dumbfounded while Mr. Ed smiles ever so cheerfully next to me. All I can do is alternately stare at Mr. Ed’s face, beaming with a full smile and the remains of that burnt-out, sooty flower lizard thing.
Meanwhile, the soot remaining on the ground disappears with a whoosh… leaving behind only what appears to be meat wrapped in thin wood. Mr. Ville called it a "monster," so that’s probably drop items.
“As always, Ed’s flames burn nicely.”
“Huh? Wh—? Just now, the fire… burned… what!?”
“Just isolate it, compress it, and burn it! See, simple!”
“I see—I don’t understand at all!”
As Mr. Ville gathers the scattered items from the ground, Mr. Ed puffs out his chest proudly. That smug expression looks a lot like Ms. Aria’s… they do say married couples grow alike.
According to Mr. Ed, who proudly puffs out his chest, he isolates the monster from its surroundings with spatial magic, compresses the isolated space itself, and then activates magic within that compressed space… or so he says, but… the explanation itself is too advanced, and I don’t really get it!
…In any case, I need to stay on my guard. Mr. Ed defeats this one easily, but there’s no guarantee the next fight goes so smoothly—and I don’t know if I’ll be able to escape properly either…
“…By the way… what should we do with this, Rin?”
“Um… ah… I-I’ll take it for now. It seems like it’s… not inedible…”
I lift my head at Mr. Ville’s slightly troubled voice, and my eyes fall on the thin wooden sheet resting in his hand. When I receive it and peek at the contents, there’s a pale pink chunk of meat inside.
…Hmm… it feels like a waste to throw away something that can be eaten…
Maybe I could freeze it and use it as fishing bait or something?
Just as I’m about to put the drop items I received from Mr. Ville into the Camping Car I manifested…
“…Hm? Survival is…?”
‘Myaaa!’
Suddenly, Survival’s yellow frame appears. The moment I tilt my head at that color I’m seeing for the first time… something falls in front of me.
I reflexively throw the lizard meat in my hands and reach out my arms, and along with a hefty weight, I feel the sensation of fluffy soft fur.
When I look down into my arms, instead of a basketball-sized sphere… I find a cat-like creature with wings growing from its back.
Light brown fur with dark brown spots and stripe patterns. Its tail, fluffed up as if to cover up a mistake, is also dark brown, with matching stripe patterns running across its head and cheeks. It looks a bit like a brown tabby, but the overall coloring is lighter. And both its front and back legs are super thick!
“…A cat?”
When I mutter softly, not understanding why there’s a cat in a place like this or why it fell from above, perhaps reacting to my voice, sparkly greenish-gold eyes stare intently at me.
‘…Fumyaaaa!’
Its bright red mouth opens wide, and the high-pitched cry characteristic of kittens leaks out.
“A winged lynx cub…? What’s it doing in a place like this…? And don’t reach out carelessly, Rin!”
“Ahhh! I’m sorry! Somehow, it was just… reflexive…”
“…This time it seems to have no hostility, but… be careful, okay?”
Under Mr. Ville’s gaze, fixed on me, I shrink back while still holding the furball in my arms.
No, I’m really, truly sorry!
It wasn’t a red frame, so I just…
I bow my head once more to Mr. Ville, who lets out a sigh, and decide to observe the cat in my arms properly.
Winged lynx… a lynx, huh. So that wildness… should be… there… maybe? Hmm? It looks super tame, though…?
The illustration’s description: The winged lynx in Rin’s arms.
…Wait, basketball-sized, and it’s a kitten… it’s huuuge…!
Since it’s a kitten, I look around thinking maybe its parent or siblings are nearby, but there’s no particular reaction…
“There’s no sign of the parent… Is it a dangerous monster? It’s super friendly though…”
“Wild adults can be quite a threat, but while they’re young, they’re not much of a monster. They’re friendly with people, so many tamers use them. However, if there’s no parent… then it’s probably separated…”
“Ahh… I wonder if it can survive…”
Separated… separated, huh. Did its parent abandon it here? Even stray cats sometimes leave behind kittens they think won’t survive…
But from what I can see, it doesn’t seem sickly or frail or anything like that…?
‘Nyaaa! Nyaaaan!’
“What is it, little one? Crying so much… are you hungry maybe?”
The furball crying in my arms as if appealing for something looks a little low on energy. It pats my arms and chest with its front paws while making sweet sounds and rubbing its head against me.
…Yup. You’re definitely hungry, aren’t you…?
“Um… let’s see… food a cat could eat… I do have some lizard meat, but…”
‘Myaa! Nyaaa! Myaaauuu!’
As I look around while holding the kitten, I spot the lizard meat I threw earlier.
The moment I pick up the meat—fortunately not very dirty—the kitten sniffs at it and its eyes sparkle brightly… and before I can stop it, it thrusts its head into the gap in the thin wood wrapping and begins devouring the lizard meat.
S-Seriously!? It’s eating lizard meat… Well, it is a lynx-type monster, so it probably has no resistance to eating this kind of meat, yup.
When I check the kitten happily munching away at the lizard meat with Survival again, the displayed frame is blue.
And just to add, it’s also labeled "Inedible"!
…I wonder what that yellow frame from earlier was…?
And even if it’s a monster, killing a kitten that can’t be eaten—or rather, that isn’t attacking anyone—feels wrong.
After flattening about half the lizard meat, its belly must be full.
The winged lynx kitten is now grooming itself, opening wide its front paws with pink paw pads attached, making rustling sounds. And it’s doing this while still being held by me… at that.
Suddenly, our eyes meet—those golden eyes. Large almond-shaped eyes blink repeatedly. With perked ears, perked whiskers, sparkling eyes looking up at me—how adorable this kitten is!
When I scratch around under its chin and by its ears, it narrows its eyes contentedly, and the purring sound from its throat grows even louder.
“…R-Rin, can I pet it too?”
“I think it’ll be fine! This little one’s really friendly!”
He must have finally reached his limit. I hold out the furball in my arms a bit so that Mr. Ville, who asks hesitantly while reaching out his hand, can pet it easily.
Mr. Ville’s large hand touches the kitten’s head, but the furball shows no sign of dislike at all. On the contrary, when Mr. Ville’s hand petting its head stops, it rubs its head insistently while holding down that hand with its front paws, demanding "pet me more.”
…Hmm. This cat’s friendliness really reminds me of the cat back at my parents’ house.
They say cats are attached to houses, but my family’s cat liked clinging to people more than staying at home, hated being left alone, loved car rides… to the point where our family would talk about how it was a "people cat" rather than a house cat. That’s how friendly my family’s cat back home was.
‘Nyaaaau, nmyaaa.’
“Wow, what’s with you, you really are just like Gomamitsu from back home with how much of a people cat you are!”
“Gomamitsu… is that the name of your family’s cat, Rin?”
“That’s right, that’s right. Our cat is pitch black, so it’s Gomamitsu (black sesame sweet). This one’s about the color of gomamiso (brown sesame miso paste).”
With its light brown base fur on its back and sesame seed-like spots and stripe patterns, it reminds me of gomamiso sauce made from miso paste and black sesame.
So as not to interfere with Mr. Ville petting the kitten’s head, I lightly scratch around its mouth with my fingertips, and the way its mouth purses is truly adorable. The whiskers standing straight up and the purring sound growing even louder are also adorable. The kitten shifts position in my arms to show its belly, mewling, so I pet its belly too.
‘Umyaaaan?’
“Yup, you’re Gomamiso.”
While rubbing the belly of the kitten that opens its eyes slightly and raises its voice in meows, I mutter that it really does look like gomamiso.
So fluffy and cute.
…And then.
‘Nya, nyan-myan? Gomamiso nyan?’
“Huh?”
‘Nyan-naa-nya yes, you can call this me Gomamiso!’
“Huh? Wait? Wh-what’s happening!?”
Suddenly, a child-like voice shakes my eardrums. To be precise, the kitten’s meowing and a child’s voice overlap and can be heard, or rather… The voice of the kitten I’m holding meowing definitely reaches my ears. But along with that, like listening to a secondary audio track, the cat’s voice reaches my brain as clear words.
“Hey, what’s wrong, Rin? Did something happen?”
“Huh… Mr. Ville, you can’t hear it? This thing is totally talking to me!?”
“Huh? No… it just sounds like meowing to me though…?”
“Wh… whaaaat?!”
Perhaps noticing my confused state as I panic alone, Mr. Ville calls out to me, but… frankly, the shock of the talking cat’s secondary audio makes my response inevitably delayed.
Even though it’s talking this clearly, it apparently just sounds like meowing to Mr. Ville… When I look at Ms. Aria, Mr. Ed, and Mr. Xenon, everyone just tilts their heads in puzzlement…
Could it be that only I can hear this…?
Whaaaaat!?
“…Rin… that winged lynx appears to have become ‘Named’… did you do something?”
Mr. Xenon, who’s been staring intently at the kitten, raises his face with a difficult expression.
“N-Named?”
“It refers to monsters that either have a recognizable epithet due to distinctive traits, or ones that have been tamed by a trainer and given a unique name.”
“…Huh… n-no way… did this ‘Gomamiso’ become its name!?”
‘Nyaan, nya-aan, yes, this is royal me, special! Nyaaan!’
Perhaps realizing it’s being talked about, the kitten stands up with its front paws on my arm and puffs out its chest proudly with a huff.
Mr. Ville’s wide-open strawberry-colored eyes go back and forth several times between the kitten striking a pointlessly smug pose and me in my continued confusion… then his shoulders drop as if to say he’s given up.
“To think it could be tamed with just this much… no, should I have warned you beforehand…?”
“Um, I’m the one who should apologize! It just resembled my cat back home…”
“I understand how you feel, but Rin, you’re not a tamer, and that kitten isn’t a normal animal but a monster…”
Mr. Ville, who’s been watching me still unable to grasp the situation and sending nothing but question marks floating above my head, shakes his head loosely while pressing the bridge of his nose. Mr. Xenon is also staring at me with worried eyes.
No, yes. I have no words in response. I was starved for fluffiness and messed up. Truly, truly sorry…
According to Mr. Xenon’s explanation, as he presses his temples, basically, wild monsters won’t accept beings weaker than themselves, and if you want to tame one, you need to demonstrate a certain level of ability… in other words, you need to thoroughly beat them down once. That’s why tamers themselves need to have a certain level of ability.
“On top of that, tamers make monsters obey by giving them a ‘name’ unique to that individual, and monsters obey by accepting that name.”
“I see… so you need to make the monster think ‘I don’t mind following this person,’ something like that?”
“Yes, exactly. There are also situations where a regular person raises a monster from infancy or from an egg without knowing it, resulting in the monster growing attached.”
“Ahh… So this time it’s that kind of case, I suppose…”
“It might be close to that. Who’d have thought you’d tame a winged lynx?”
“…The cat, cute…”
Before I know it, Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria have come close and are taking turns petting the kitten puffing out its chest in my arms. Especially Ms. Aria is totally smitten. She’s smiling and petting the cat’s head and under its chin like crazy.
Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria then add some explanation: in order to work as an adventurer together with a tamed monster, the one who tames it must be registered with the guild as a trainer, and the tamed monster or magical creature must be registered as a “familiar.” Regardless of your main job, if you want to raise a monster or use it as combat power, the user must be registered as a “trainer,” and the monster being used must be registered as a “familiar.”
“No matter how many monsters you can tame, if you’re not registered as a tamer yourself and don’t register them as familiars, it’s no good.”
“Mm. Can’t enter, towns… can’t take, requests, either.”
At the words of Mr. Ed, who’s been gazing at Ms. Aria lovingly petting the cat with a doting face, and Ms. Aria, who’s been mindlessly petting the kitten, my arms holding the furball tense up.
Can’t enter towns…
…But thinking about it, that’s obviously the case. If unlicensed people could freely bring unregistered monsters into towns… I can only see a future where towns are destroyed.
Plus, being able to tame a monster means you have enough ability to defeat that monster, and it would be bad for the guild not to know about such adventurers and monsters, so they make it a registration system to manage the numbers and types of familiars… that’s probably how it works. Yup.
…Then what happens in a case like mine…? If, as Mr. Xenon said, even ordinary people can register a familiar, would it be fine if I register too?
“…I never expected things to turn out like this. Rin, you really are extraordinary.”
“But well, it’s good that you weren’t hurt. We’re lucky it was a docile monster.”
“U-Um… I’m sorry for causing trouble.”
Next to me as I freeze while holding the kitten, Mr. Ville—who pats the cat’s head fluffily once more—lets out a breath.
Oh no!
Making extra work for the party leader who’s probably using his head in the middle of challenging an unknown dungeon…! Belatedly realizing this, my head drops in apology… but… When I reflexively look up at the sensation of a hand being placed on my head, my eyes meet strawberry-colored eyes tinged with somewhat complex emotions.
Mr. Ville, with an expression that’s half exasperated and half troubled, still smiles gently.
“Well, even in a case like this, if we register you as a tamer and register that kitten as a familiar, there should be no problem. But let this cat be the last one you tame, alright, Rin?”
“Huh?”
“No, I mean, I’m not cruel enough to tell you to abandon it.”
Looking at the kitten puffing out its chest in my arms with perked ears and tail while sniffling, Mr. Ville reaches out his hand and pets it as if tickling the cat’s throat. Seeing this, the other members also reach out their hands in their own ways, petting the kitten’s head, back, and mouth.
“If it has already become a Named, that would be best. You have no intention of leaving the kitten behind, do you, Rin?”
“It’s gotten so attached, and if there’s no problem, I was thinking I’d like to take it with me…”
“Mm. The cat is cute, so I think it’s good! I really do!”
“Even though it’s a winged lynx, it’s still a kitten. If you raise them from when they’re young, they apparently get super attached, so there shouldn’t be any worry about being attacked, right?”
When I look around, everyone is looking at the kitten with kind eyes. Ms. Aria is even absorbed in the blissful task of petting the cat’s head with a beatific smile.
What is this kind world…? Everyone’s kind, but I really thought I’d be told to leave the monster behind… I wipe away the tears that well up with my shoulder and hug the kitten tightly once more. I’m glad for you, cat… or rather, Gomamiso! You’re lucky the Gourmands are full of such kind people! So, um… how about you tone down that smug face a bit? If it weren’t the Gourmands, you might have been hunted down without mercy!
“Well then, let’s resume exploration so we can hurry back!”
“That’s right. Fortunately, this floor doesn’t seem to have any large-scale traps, right?”
“Mm. Big ones, especially, don’t seem to be there.”
“There’s no particular presence of monsters now either.”
Everyone reluctantly takes their hands off Gomamiso and reforms the formation to the same arrangement. The investigation resumes. I also hold Gomamiso firmly and stay alert to the surroundings as much as I can, to the extent I’m able. Survival is convenient at times like this. At any rate, for the day when I can openly keep the kitten… let’s give it one more push!
◆◇◆
After an unexpected new member joins us and we put ourselves in order, we begin investigating the dungeon.
As for the new member in question, it’s peacefully snoring away in my arms. It must be dreaming about something—its front paws twitch occasionally, and its mouth moves mumblingly, sleeping so soundly.
…What happened to being wild…?
Ms. Aria, the scout in the lead, is apparently reconfirming the route, and when we stop briefly in front of a three-way intersection, my shoulder gets lightly tapped.
When I turn around, Mr. Xenon—voice lowered—tilts his head slightly while looking at the furball.
“You’ve been holding it this whole time, but isn’t it heavy, Rin?”
“Oh, thank you for your concern. It looks pretty heavy, but when I hold it, it’s actually not that bad.”
It seems he’s been worrying about me carrying Gomamiso this whole time. It’s probably because we’re in the middle of exploration, and as a result of being considerate of the sleeping Gomamiso, his voice became whisper-quiet.
As I readjust my hold on Gomamiso—who shows no signs of waking—and turn its defenseless sleeping face toward Mr. Xenon and Mr. Ed, the eyes of the two in the rear guard soften.
…Now that he mentions it, I’ve been holding Gomamiso this whole time, but it’s not that heavy. It’s about the size of a basketball, and unlike a ball, it’s packed with bones and flesh, so it should weigh quite a bit…
“Winged lynxes are said to wrap their own magical power around themselves to assist when flying… so that cat… Little Goma, might be doing that unconsciously too.”
“I see. That certainly would make it feel lighter, and explains why I’m not getting tired from holding it!”
As I watched the furball purring while kneading and stepping on my chest with its front paws, Mr. Ed—peering at the sleeping Gomamiso—provided an answer to this question.
Assist when flying, huh… True, considering its body size, the wings aren’t very large. On the other hand, I don’t think its body structure has achieved lightness like a bird’s either.
Just as Mr. Ed says, it makes more sense to think that it gains its flying ability through magical power or magical particles acting as a medium.
As I stare intently at the kitten sleeping soundly with its mouth half-open, Ms. Aria—who seems to have finished her analysis—waves at us to gather our attention, then points to the right path. Seeing this, Mr. Ed also silently responds by making a circle above his head with both arms.
Ooh, amazing! An exchange of hand signals! It looks so professional and cool!
The only hand signals I know are extending your right arm horizontally when turning right, extending your left arm horizontally when turning left, and extending your arm diagonally down when stopping… yup.
Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear that "What is this, bicycle signals!?" voice.
“Wow… this is quite a wide space…”
“According to Aria, there don’t seem to be any large-scale mechanisms or traps…”
When we proceed down the path the scout indicated, we come to a place where the ceiling and walls open up high and wide. Even though it’s become wider and larger, the scenery of the exposed rock face remains the same as the cave we’ve been walking through, so it’s not particularly novel, but… If I had to mention something slightly different, it would be that there’s a sound like water flowing from deeper in… I guess.
Perhaps noticing we’ve arrived at a new location, Gomamiso stirs awake and puts its front paws on my arm to raise its upper body, looking around curiously.
‘The ceiling is sooo high! Well, this me could clear it in a single leap! But! Still!!’
At the mention of “single leap,” I slip my hands under its arms and lift it overhead, and it proudly puffs out its chest while fluttering the small wings on its back.
“Hmm…? …A warning…?”
Just as African music is about to start playing in my head, Survival’s red frame suddenly writhes at the edge of my vision. When I look that way, thinking a monster might have appeared, I don’t see anything of the sort. As I just stare, unable to figure out the cause, Mr. Ville—looking puzzled—taps my shoulder.
“What’s wrong, Rin?”
“Ah, Mr. Ville. Well… I was just wondering what that is over there…”
It is not really worth a full report, but it does bother me, so I take the chance to point directly at the spot. You could call it “flat,” maybe… but compared to the surrounding uneven ground, it is clearly smooth.
“…That’s, a trap.”
“Ms. Aria! Huh, that’s a trap?”
“Mm. Pressure plate, type. If it is about traps, ask the scout!”
As we’re both tilting our heads, Ms. Aria pops out from behind Mr. Ville. Her pale blue eyes sparkle and shine in the dim darkness.
As expected of a scout… in the blink of an eye, she closes the distance, and the next moment Gomamiso and I are being squeezed tight against that outrageous bosom of hers, yes indeed!
It’s amazing! It’s wonderfully outrageous! But seriously, just a bit… I can’t… breathe…!
“Gack! M-Ms. Ar… ia… can’t… breathe…!”
‘Hep! Nya… nyuuu…’
“H-hey, Aria! Rin and Gomamiso are dying!”
It is Mr. Ville who grabs me by the collar and pulls me back to the world of the living after I nearly die from the dreamlike cause of suffocating in supreme breasts. He casually shields me with his back after that, but I don’t think I need to be protected that much—I won’t suffocate to death from breasts anymore.
Perhaps dissatisfied about something, Ms. Aria puffs up her baby pink cheeks and creates a ball of thread in her palm… then casually throws it toward that spot. The moment it lands on the ground in a beautiful parabolic arc, the ground cracks with a snap, and the ball of thread gets swallowed into the earth.
“Hyah!?”
‘Myaaa!’
My body jumps at the pitfall trap that suddenly appears before my eyes. Even Gomamiso in my arms seems quite startled—its tail puffs up and its pupils dilate wide.
“Mm… pitfall type. Around it, there’s nothing, so getting close… is okay…!”
Without teasing us for our reactions that can only be called pathetic, Ms. Aria points at the hole with her elegant finger.
Trusting Ms. Aria’s words that there’s nothing around it, I cautiously approach. At the bottom of the hole gaping open in the ground, many thick, long spike-like things protrude. The tips are quite sharp, and if you fall in here, you’re definitely going to get skewered…
Gomamiso is still puffing its tail and thrashing about, nearly falling, so I hurriedly tighten my hold. I’d forgotten because things have been going pretty smoothly up to now, but come to think of it, this is a dungeon…
“Still, you noticed it well, Rin.”
“Ah… how should I put it, my skill reacted. It’s responded to poisonous plants and things I shouldn’t eat before, but I never expected it would react to traps too…!”
As I stroke the back of Gomamiso desperately clinging to me, suddenly a pale blue shining light flashes brilliantly from inside that hole and overflows. When the light subsides, the hole in the ground has already disappeared. When I lightly tap with my toe where the hole had been open until just now, I feel the sound and sensation of tapping something thin and hard. Rather than having disappeared… It’s more accurate to say it’s been camouflaged again.
No way…!? What is this system!? Dungeons have traps like this!? This is… completely unexpected! I was prepared for the inside to be maze-like, but I never thought there’d be regenerating traps!
Since Survival is showing a red frame for the spot where the hole was covered up again, it must be the type of trap that revives even after catching prey. Even so, isn’t a trap that doesn’t end after one victim terrifying!? It just waits innocently for the next prey after devouring someone!
But really, I’m so glad Survival reacted…! It was already an excellent skill, but maybe the alert reacts to both poisonous plants and traps as "things with danger that threaten life"? If so, if I use it well, by combining it with the scout’s exploration skills, I might be able to reduce risks during exploration…!?
Especially in my case, rather than just waiting for warnings from Ms. Aria, my survival rate would probably go up if I could find traps and things myself!
As I’m thinking about this, my eyes meet Mr. Ville’s, looking down at me.
…Dammit! I’m not jealous of tall people or anything! Dammit!
And while I’m at it, if traps can be detected as “life-threatening dangers,” then maybe treasure chests or valuable items could be detected as things useful for future living—in other words, “things that aid survival”… or so I can’t help wondering.
Either way, practice is the only way!
“You seem to be thinking about something, but don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
“Thank you! I did think of something, so I’ll do my best to be useful!”
Inside the dungeon, while I’m the only one getting fired up, Mr. Ville gently pats my back soothingly.
Mr. Ville, who never forgets to support party members, is truly an exemplary leader, and everyone in the Gourmands who accepted someone like me as a companion is seriously kind and big-hearted.
…Yup. Even though I was told not to rush, maybe I should try a little harder here to repay them in my own way…?
“Don’t strain, yourself… If you rush, you won’t see, your footing.”
“Huh? Wh-whoa!”
Maybe that’s the price of thinking like that… the moment I hear Ms. Aria’s voice, my toes slam hard into something.
Before I can even think "This is bad," I lose my balance and my vision lurches sideways.
Ah, I’m falling…!
I hug Gomamiso tightly to at least protect the cat from the pain and impact that should come next… hm…? It doesn’t hurt?
“Ah… Mr. Ville… I’m sorry.”
When I open my tightly shut eyes, it seems the leader caught me before I fell to the ground.
Oh no! How embarrassing…!
I manage to straighten my posture while holding Gomamiso in one hand and gripping Mr. Ville’s arm with the other, but… what an awkward atmosphere!
“’Won’t see your footing’ wasn’t a metaphor but a warning, I see.”
“Mm. There was, a step.”
‘T-This me thought… this me were going to be squished to death…!’
“S-Sorry, Gomamiso! I’ll be more careful from now on…!”
At Ms. Aria’s casually spoken words, when I look at my feet, there’s indeed quite a significant step. I must have caught my foot on this.
With its ears perked sideways and its puffed-up tail swishing vigorously again, Gomamiso—half angry and half startled—slaps my arm. Looks like I really scared it…
“…I’ll be more careful about my footing too…”
“No, like I said, don’t push yourself too hard, okay…?”
When I opened my mouth while suppressing shame, only a voice like a mosquito’s whine came out.
Embarrassed by that too, I hang my head while Mr. Ville just keeps patting my back…
Of course, the exploration continued after that.
The formation remains as planned beforehand—Mr. Ville and Ms. Aria in the vanguard, me in the middle, Mr. Ed and Mr. Xenon in the rear… except they’re slowing down the walking pace just a bit. It’s because I’m desperately trying to consciously use a skill that, despite being always active, I’ve never really paid attention to before. Everyone really has such good character…!
With the cooperation of these generous people, I tested Survival in various ways again, and the result is…
“It’s super… subtle.”
“Well… It’s excellent for gathering and collecting, and it looks useful for self-defense too. I think it’s a good skill.”
“Even though everyone took the time for me, the fact that it doesn’t seem useful in combat is just…!”
In terms of exploration, like enemy detection and trap sensing, it falls far short of Ms. Aria’s detection range, and even in detailed monster appraisal, it’s inferior to Mr. Xenon’s appraisal "in combat aspects"… there really were no redeeming features! Survival tells me the target’s name along with whether it’s edible or inedible, presence of poison, habits, and hints on how to eat it, but it doesn’t tell me about possessed skills or weaknesses…
Still, I’m very grateful that even when I haven’t noticed, it reacts to enemies and traps and automatically alerts me. Of course, Ms. Aria would tell me if there’s any abnormality, but being able to grasp enemy and trap positions myself is very significant. Plus, it now automatically alerts me when there’s something edible or valuable! As long as I’m living in this world, being able to find ingredients for daily meals and search for items that can be exchanged for money—shouldn’t I be unreservedly happy about that?
“Still, the wild plants we found this time are thanks to Survival, so… I guess it’s fine!”
“Right, veggies…”
“Ahh… I’ll add animal protein too, okay? Like ham, or eggs!”
‘This me is a good boy, you know—will eat veggies too!’
Mr. Ville’s shoulders drop dejectedly while watching Gomamiso chomping away at green leaves from my hand.
What Gomamiso is happily devouring is a wild plant we’ve found in this large chamber—apparently called hajirokanran, and very similar to cabbage. It seems to prefer damp places with poor sunlight, and when we followed the sound of water, Survival informed me of its existence, so it’s one of the wild plants I was able to gather.
Since Gomamitsu back home was a cat that ate okahijiki, mustard spinach, and cabbage as substitutes for cat grass, I offered it half-jokingly… but I never thought Gomamiso would eat vegetables too.
Incidentally, its taste rating is listed as “delicious,” with a soft texture and mild sweetness as its defining traits. When I actually tried it, even the core was soft enough to bite through with a pleasant crunch, and the thicker leaves could be eaten like lettuce—mild and easy to chew. The fibers themselves must be quite tender. The more you chew, the more a lightly sweet juice overflows—surprisingly juicy, in fact.
“It’s not as rough as it looks, and it’s a wild plant suited for eating raw! Of course, it would be delicious lightly cooked too.”
“Is that so…? But it’s still, veggies, right?”
“As I told Mr. Ville earlier, well… I plan to add various toppings.”
Ms. Aria glances back and forth between Gomamiso—who has polished off a leaf big enough to cover my head and is now grooming contentedly—and the bundle of hajirokanran tucked under my arm, then lets her brows droop sadly.
Hmmm… this aversion to vegetables—or rather, to things that don’t fill you up—is really something! Still, when it comes to calories and satiety, I’m happy to be as considerate as needed!
…And then…
‘Fmyu!?’
Just now, Gomamiso—who’d been leisurely grooming—suddenly jumps up and puts all four limbs on the ground with its back fur standing on end. With ears pulled back and mouth open wide enough to show sharp fangs—though still small—it growls in a low voice.
Before I can think about what’s happening, my body moves. I scoop up Gomamiso, who keeps hissing in threat, and desperately roll into the manifested Camping Car.
Because if Gomamiso is reacting like this… There is no doubt something dangerous is approaching…!
“Xenon!”
“Yes, it’s fine. Divine Medicine Wall!”
Me closing the door while holding the still wildly breathing Gomamiso inside the car, Mr. Ville calling for Mr. Xenon, and light bursting from Mr. Xenon’s staff in response—all happen almost simultaneously.
The pale young-grass-colored light seems to wrap around each party member and the Camping Car, then fades as if being absorbed into our bodies and the vehicle itself.
When I look toward the spot Gomamiso was threatening—now curled up in my arms with its back hunched and eyes covered by its forepaws—I see something standing there, about the size of a sheep I once touched at a petting farm as a child.
With its bright red comb and the fleshy wattle hanging beneath its beak, setting aside its massive body, it looks like nothing more than a giant chicken…?
Huh? But that tail… could it be… a snake!?
“Rin, absolutely don’t open the windows or door! This thing is a cockatrice… it has poison!”
“I cast magic with effects that mitigate poison and paralysis, but in your case, Rin, you have little resistance to begin with!”
“I think you’ll be fine if you don’t open it. Stay there with Little Goma, okay?”
Sharp voices from Mr. Ville, Mr. Xenon, and Mr. Ed fly at me as I try to open the window to ask about the situation.
Huh, what…? Poison, wielder…?
[Cockatrice (Very Delicious)
A bird monster skilled at poisonous breath attacks. Its toxicity is said to kill all who approach. The meat has no toxicity and is soft and rich in juices, but since considerable ability is required to defeat one, it rarely circulates in the market.
Good broth can also be extracted from the bones, so even carcasses are traded at high prices. The poison liquid itself is used as medicine if the amount isn’t wrong, and the purchase price is extremely high. It has an easily enraged personality, and males during mating season become especially aggressive, increasing their danger level.]
Wh-what… wait… a cockatrice!? That’s practically the ultimate example for status ailments—a poison-attribute monster, right!?
This is the type where if you mess up the subjugation procedure, things get really bad…! At the encounter with this big name I’ve frequently seen in games and such, I reflexively cover my mouth with my palm. The Camping Car has concealment effects, and I think probably voices don’t leak outside either, but… I’m somehow worried…!
‘KoooooooooOOOOOOOOOKEEEEEEEeeeee!’
True to its chicken-based nature, the cockatrice lets out a piercing, throat-tearing shriek, and a purple, mist-like substance spews from its beak. Ah, this is it! This is the poisonous breath that kills all who touch it!
As I stiffen, imagining the worst-case scenario where the entire party falls to this poison, the ominous breath reaches everyone, and the Camping Car—only for a faintly glowing hexagonal-patterned wall of variously sized cells to surround them.
The instant the purple mist touches the wall, the mist is rapidly absorbed into it.
‘KokE!? KoKEEeaaaaaaaaAAAAaaa!’
“As long as you prepare proper countermeasures, poison breath can be neutralized to a certain extent.”
“Mm. Overconfidence is dangerous…”
The fact that its guaranteed victory pattern failed must have been completely unexpected, because the cockatrice flails its tail and wings in panic as Ms. Aria’s slender form leaps out in front of it.
As her pink lips softly form words, her delicate hands flick, and layers of shimmering silver threads coil tightly around the cockatrice.
Oh! She’ll seal its movements with that!
…I was naive to think something so leisurely…
“…Horizon-tal…!”
The arms crossed in front of that outrageously magnificent chest spread open vigorously left and right. Instantly, many red lines run across the cockatrice’s body… and the frozen creature turns into chunks of meat along those lines and scatters to the ground.
…Huh… what was that…? Did I just witness something incredible…!?
Even though it turns into black mist and vanishes as it collapses, that was still… how do I put it… blood-boiling, flesh-dancing—literally, wasn’t it?
Unable to believe what just happened, I freeze with my brow furrowed—when something solid bumps into my hand with a dull thunk. It’s Gomamiso—its fur has mostly settled, though its tail is still puffed up and swishing unconsciously—as it rubs its head against my arm in a needy, affectionate way.
‘Nya, nya. The cocc’riss, all gone? Gone?’
“I-it’s gone, but… wasn’t that… kind of beyond all reasonable limits…?”
Perhaps realizing I’ve come back to my senses, the furball’s face lights up as it jumps into my arms. I hold it tight, careful not to drop its surprisingly light body.
Gomamiso looks up at me with wobbling, anxious eyes, mewling for reassurance—and if you only look at its face, it’s just a kitten… even though its overall size is about that of a basketball.
‘This me is strong, y’know! Th-the cocc’riss’ tail ain’t scary at all! N-Not scary!’
“Cockatrice tail…? Oh, a sna—”
‘Don’t saaaay iiiit!’
As Gomamiso trembles its ears and peers cautiously out the window, I almost say, “Oh, right, cats hate snakes,”—and end up taking a paw-pad punch instead.
What’s with you, Gomamiso! You’re just miso, don’t get so cheeky!
As I flip the furball upside down and bury my face in its belly, inhaling to my heart’s content as both revenge against Gomamiso and escape from reality, there’s a light tapping sound on the window. When I hastily lift my face from Gomamiso’s belly, my eyes meet Mr. Ville’s peering in at me.
After judging that there’s no lingering poison effect, I open the window—and Mr. Ville’s first words reach my ears, sounding both relieved and barely holding back laughter.
“Well… from the looks of it, both you and Gomamiso seem to be fine.”
“…S-S-Sorry you have to see something so embarrassing…”
“No, it’s much better to have you laughing like that than being too afraid of monsters and traps to move forward.”
He must have been watching the actions inside the car before calling out. At Mr. Ville’s appearance, trying to hide his laughter by putting his fist to his mouth, I realize blood rushes to my cheeks all at once. Argh, seriously! Why do I keep getting seen at such disgraceful moments!
Feeling too embarrassed, I decide to pick up Gomamiso and hide my face with it while opening the door.
“Is Gomamiso okay too? It seemed quite on guard earlier…”
‘This me is a strong boy! Wasn’t scared at all!’
“I-I see… that’s good…?”
Mr. Ville, who came inside, probably patted the cat’s head or something. The sensation of Gomamiso swishing its tail and puffing out its chest with a voice that’s slightly trembling but still sounds happy reached my hands. Meanwhile, although Mr. Ville clearly does not understand the words, he looks a little puzzled and still plays along properly.
Perhaps satisfied from being praised, when I let go of Gomamiso, who starts squirming as if saying "let me down now," it lands on the floor with a plop and runs off toward the other members, returning one after another.
“…By the way, Rin. What was Gomamiso saying earlier?”
Perhaps being considerate of Gomamiso being held and petted by the other members, Mr. Ville—voice lowered—secretly spoke near my ear.
So he really was responding without understanding… To properly give adult responses even to Gomamiso… Mr. Ville really is super kind and serious…
But when he looks at you with that “You understand what I’m saying, right?” expression, you just can’t bring yourself to say, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” can you?
“It’s something like ‘I-I-I’m super strong! I-I-I’m not scared or anything!’ I’d say.”
Since Gomamiso’s words are only audible to me, who accidentally tamed it, when I convey them to Mr. Ville with interpretation included, a kind voice returns along with a faint laugh.
“…Doesn’t that sound like it’s absolutely terrified? I suppose it really is just a kitten, but the way it stubbornly hides its fear is cute.”
“It’s adorable how obvious it is, isn’t it? Cats are said to fear snakes, so a cockatrice with a snake tail must have been terrifying. Still, the kitten behaved itself properly.”
“Is that so… then Gomamiso might not like our conversation very much.”
Well, if things continue like this, it’ll affect the cat’s pride, so when I make excuses while adding the reason for its fear, Mr. Ville—blinking his strawberry-colored eyes several times—holds up a heavy-looking package wrapped in thin wood to show me.
“Ah, drop items! May I take a look?”
“It’s not just that you may look—there’s no one in our party besides you who can cook this meat, Rin. If anything, I’d like to ask you to handle it.”
When I unwrap the package heavy enough that my arms inadvertently sink down despite receiving it with both hands, it’s packed full of plump, pale pink meat.
Wow! Wooow! It’s such clean, delicious-looking meat that I can’t believe it came from such an eerie-looking monster!
This is the jewel meat of the dungeon!
…That mysterious phrase echoes in my head—that’s how delicious it looks. The meat is translucent and firm, the skin taut at a glance. The perfectly balanced fat glistens softly, making it seem tasty even if simply grilled with salt.
When I check using Survival, it appears there are two large cockatrice breast cuts and two thigh cuts inside.
“Wow! This is meat that is guaranteed to be delicious just by looking at it!”
“Do you think you can make a meal with this?”
“Of course! It’s our first meal in the dungeon, so I’d like to splurge a bit today!”
I answered with a puffed chest to Mr. Ville, who asked with an expression unable to hide his expectations.
The fresh, glossy meat appears to be properly drained of blood too.
Being given such delicious-looking meat and being looked at with a face that can’t wait for the meal… if I betray that, I’d be disqualified as the “meal duty” person!
Fortunately, I bought plenty of eggs, and there’s cucumber and onions… and above all, I have that rich premium mayonnaise…!
“Today, I’ll make chicken nanban… or rather, cockatrice nanban! For the thigh meat, maybe spicy cocka-curry?”
“Cockatrice nanban… It’s the first time I’ve heard that dish name, but there’s never been anything bad that you made. I’m looking forward to it, Rin!”
“Got it! I’ll do my best to make it delicious this time too! So then, shall we camp around here for today…?”
“That sounds good. I’ll go let the others know.”
When I confirm whether it’s okay to settle down in this large room for today, the party leader—whose stomach growls—nods readily and jerks his thumb toward the three people playing with Gomamiso.
Alright! Then I’ll start preparing the meal right away! While simulating the process steps in my head, I gently open the fridge door to take out the necessary ingredients.
“Sorry, Rin… they ended up pretty battered. Is this really all right?”
“Ah, yes! Thank you very much! Having you peel the boiled eggs was a huge help!”
Inside the bowl Mr. Ville hands me with drooping eyebrows, there are about eight boiled eggs with bumpy surfaces.
After that, we moved a bit closer to the wall of the large room, and Ms. Aria, Mr. Ed, and Mr. Xenon—the three of them—said they’d investigate the other passages a bit and went outside. Mr. Ville, Gomamiso, and I ended up making the meal and watching the place.
I thought that if they’re exploring outside, Mr. Ville should go with them too… but I was overruled with "For some reason it feels like the enemies aren’t that strong, so it’ll be fine!”
Thanks to that, I have the honor of being directly guarded by the leader, yup. Well, that leader is currently working hard as my assistant, though…
“No, really… peeling shells in this quantity was quite difficult… thank you so much for helping!”
“For me, this much is… manageable, at least. I don’t mind helping out, really…”
While I was chopping onions and cucumbers, I asked Mr. Ville to peel quite a lot of boiled eggs. I figured everyone would be starving when they got back and would want to eat quickly. I thought it would be faster to do it with two people than alone, and I wasn’t wrong. After conveying the peeling method and doing it together once, Mr. Ville could peel them properly on his own from then on!
…That said, with Mr. Ville’s somewhat long nails, it seems the shells were hard to peel, and the surface got a bit rough… The shop person said they were freshly laid, so they must have been even harder to peel… I might have done something a bit bad… Well, since I’m going to mash the eggs when making tartar sauce, even if the surface is rough, it shouldn’t be a problem!
As for the rice, which takes time to finish cooking, it is already cooking. I cannot soak it beforehand, but this rice cooker is excellent, so I trust it will turn out delicious! …From next time on, I should probably cook it in advance and freeze it…
While mentally noting tasks for the future, I look down at the counter where the prepped ingredients are lined up.
“Alright! Now that I have a cooking plan, let’s get to it!”
If I season it while it is still fresh, the finished dish should taste even better… so that’s the idea.
First, let’s finish processing the meat I’m not using for today’s menu—the cockatrice thigh meat!
I take down the spice box from the hanging shelf above the sink, and the first thing I take out is a large jar of my homemade mixed spices. Along with that, I also select several spice jars I like, such as cumin and coriander. After also taking out jarred yogurt from the fridge, I’ll marinate the thigh meat first!
When I eagerly open the spice jar lids, the fragrant smell instantly spreads through the kitchen.
“This is… quite an appetite-stimulating smell…!”
“Spice aromas hit the stomach directly, don’t they? I get it. But I think today’s menu is going to assault your appetite too!”
Since the meat will shrink when cooked, I cut the thigh meat slightly larger than bite-sized, then put it in a plastic bag with yogurt, spice mix, salt, and pepper, and massage it thoroughly. I keep the saltiness mild at this stage. Still, letting it sit overnight allows the flavor and aroma to soak in beautifully…
The thigh meat of the cockatrice—which probably prefers running on the ground to flying in the sky—is densely packed, having supported that body weight, yet surprisingly easy to cut.
There are none of the tough, white sinews common in regular chicken thighs, and Survival’s description of it being “soft and juicy” seems accurate. It already feels tender when cut, but I trust the yogurt will make it even softer.
“All right. Then let’s tackle today’s main dish—the cockatrice breast!”
“Ah, so that becomes cockatrice nanban, right?”
“Yes! I’ll pan-fry it, coat it in sweet vinegar… and pour tartar sauce over it!”
I place the translucent, glossy… somehow beautiful pale pink meat prominently on the cutting board. The thigh meat has been thick, but the breast meat is thick too. And it is large enough to cover more than half the cutting board… its presence is overwhelming!
As I grip the knife anew in front of the delicious-looking meat, Mr. Ville beside me cannot hide his curiosity about the unfamiliar dish, his eyes sparkling.
When I insert the knife while feeling his expectation-filled gaze, I notice the texture is finer than ordinary chicken breast, with each muscle fiber feeling moist and supple. That said, breast meat is breast meat, so wouldn’t it be softer and more delicious if I quickly cook it at high temperature?
With that thought, I cut the cockatrice breast meat into slices with some thickness, put it in a large plastic bag, and season it with salt, pepper, and sake.
“Still, Gomamiso has gotten quiet…”
“Well, if a few meat scraps keep it satisfied and calm, that’s a cheap price to pay…!”
As I cheerfully continue cooking, Mr. Ville beside me glances over at Gomamiso. The center of attention, who’d been noisily demanding meat from the start of cooking, is now curled up on the sofa, napping. When I finely chopped the remaining flower lizard meat and served it on a small plate, the kitten seemed satisfied. Watching its sleeping position with its belly fully exposed and legs spread wide—not a trace of wildness—it’s like a lie that it was so terrified of the cockatrice earlier.
“Honestly, it could’ve been dangerous—I might’ve accidentally kicked it if it stayed awake. So I’m glad Gomamiso was lured by the snack.”
“…Gomamiso is a winged lynx, you know. It’s quite sturdy. If you kicked it, Rin, you’d probably be the one getting hurt.”
“Huh, what, that’s scary… if Gomamiso wakes up, please hold it!”
No way… not Gomamiso who got kicked, but me who did the kicking would take damage—what does that even mean!? That’s so unfair!
How should I put it… I thought the kitten was pretty thick-skinned to be eating snacks and napping so soon after being picked up, but I’m actually glad it’s a thick-skinned kid! Getting injured and dropping out mid-exploration is no joke!
…Well, there’s still plenty of lizard meat left, so fortunately Gomamiso’s meals won’t be a problem for a while… If the kitten wanders around during meal prep again, I’ll appease it with snacks, yes, I will…
“Alright! I’ll make the tartar sauce while I can!”
“Tartar sauce? Today is full of dishes I’m hearing about for the first time!”
“That’s right, that’s right! I think it’s essential for today’s menu…!”
After finishing the meat preparation, when I pull the bowl with the eggs Mr. Ville peeled toward me, expectation-filled strawberry-colored eyes peek at my hands. He must be endlessly interested in how the ingredients he helped prepare will change.
While receiving his curiosity-filled gaze, I first mash the boiled eggs with the back of a fork. Once both yolk and white are mashed roughly enough to keep their texture, I add the cucumber and onion I chopped earlier…
“And now I’ll leave the rest to Senior Mayonnaise!”
“…Mayonnaise…”
At the word that seems to be yet another unknown condiment, Mr. Ville tilts his head with a puzzled look. He sometimes has cute actions… Even though he looks like a tough oni!
In front of such a Mr. Ville, I hold up my treasured premium bottled mayonnaise. It’s a small jar that fits perfectly in my palms, decorated with stylized birds and eggs in royal blue and lemon yellow ink, looking cute yet somehow luxurious… at least to me. The rounded glass shape is also cute.
When I open the lid with a pop, the scent of vinegar wafts gently. Inside, there’s plenty of rich cream-colored mayonnaise. This is a rich mayonnaise made with generous amounts of premium eggs, so even when you add other ingredients like this, it doesn’t get watered down—in fact, it turns out just right!
When you make miso-shichimi mayonnaise with this, no amount of vegetable sticks is enough! It makes you think, "Why are cucumbers, radishes, and carrots so delicious?" I’m sure it would be delicious on shredded hajirokanran too.
Of course, it’s great just as a dip for vegetables, and if you make fried-egg toast or mayo-sugar toast with it, well… it’s so good you start imagining it as devilish food!
“It’s a condiment made from vinegar, oil, and raw eggs… but I haven’t seen it around here…”
“R-Raw eggs… you say!? C-Can that be eaten…?”
When I list the ingredients, Mr. Ville’s face twitches slightly.
Ahh… well, I hear raw eggs are treated as bizarre food overseas, so I guess it’s like that in this world too…?
“Ah, from that reaction, eating eggs raw isn’t common… It’s made in places with proper freshness and hygiene management, and there’s sterilization from acidity too… Plus, this is delicious.”
“Even though it uses raw eggs, it’s delicious… the food from your world is full of mysteries…”
While explaining that it’s a very common condiment where I lived, I scoop up the thick mayonnaise generously with a spoon into the bowl! The mayonnaise quickly returning to its original level is truly nothing short of “mysterious,” but being able to use it freely is a huge advantage.
As I mix the bowl’s contents well with the fork I was using earlier, the crumbly egg yolk mixes with the mayonnaise and becomes even more yellow. Once everything is blended, I season it with salt, pepper, and the juice of a lemon I bought at the market… and add a tiny bit of ketchup as a secret ingredient, Takanashi family style.
Once I mix it well until the red of the ketchup blends throughout, the tartar sauce is complete!
Even Mr. Ville, who seemed to have flinched a bit hearing raw eggs were an ingredient, is staring intently at the tartar sauce making, as the unknown ingredient still interests him.
“Mr. Ville, want to taste it a bit?”
“I-is that okay…!?”
“I’ll use this spoon when I serve it at the table, but I was going to wash the fork anyway, so…”
When I scoop a slightly generous portion on the belly of the fork I’d been mixing the bowl’s contents with and hand it over, Mr. Ville, with a face full of interest, immediately bites.
Even knowing it uses raw eggs, his curiosity seems to win out. The moment he puts the fork in his mouth… his strawberry-colored eyes open wide with a flash, and he stares intently at me.
“Wh… wh… what is this…!?”
Words spill from the lips of Mr. Ville, standing frozen with a fork in hand. Those strawberry-colored eyes are directed at the silver fork that had tartar sauce on it just moments ago.
“It’s the tartar sauce I mentioned. I think it’ll go really well with today’s cockatrice meat!”
When I mention today’s ingredient that should pair well with this sauce to the dazed Mr. Ville, his face turns toward me with stiff movements that seem to make a creaking sound.
“…T-The cockatrice meat dish that pairs well with this sauce is today’s meal… Rin, are you a devil…!?”
“Devil? That’s so rude! I’m just a food-obsessed person!!!”
Mr. Ville, seeming to have had his soul completely stolen, howled in a voice that couldn’t hide his trembling.
Hey! I just love delicious food a little, that’s all!
As I prepare the sweet vinegar in a small pot while raising my voice in correction to that extremely outrageous title, I hear multiple footsteps from outside.
“We’re back! We looked around this area a bit, but it feels kinda weird somehow.”
“I suppose no dungeon exists that isn’t suspicious, but this one feels especially strange.”
“…Found, the passage to the next floor… but… a bit, tired…”
In the hands and at the waists of everyone who had gone out with only their weapons, some "souvenirs" are carried. Judging from the quantity, they must have gone through a fair bit of combat, right?
Unfortunately, nothing that we can eat drops this time. Still, having meat that could become Gomamiso’s meals, like flower lizard or numbing frog drop, is good enough.
However, whether because of that battle fatigue or related to the ominous undertone in their words… the expressions of Mr. Ed, Mr. Xenon, and Ms. Aria who returned don’t look very good…
Ms. Aria even went straight to pet Gomamiso, indulging in slumber on the sofa. …Maybe she’s lacking healing components from stress…?
Just as an unusual gloom begins to creep through the Camping Car, a bright Twinkle Twinkle Little Star melody rings out, blowing away that atmosphere.
The rice! The rice is ready!
“Alright! The rice is done, so let’s fill our stomachs before having difficult discussions, okay? You never think straight on an empty stomach!”
“Rin… you’re right about that. Let’s eat first, then think.”
“Yes…! Stomach, starving…!”
‘Rice!? Rice time!? Me too! Me too eat!’
To further lift the gloomy mood, when I clap my hands and smile brightly, everyone’s faces seem to soften. Yup. After all, I think the source of our Gourmands’ energy is a full stomach of food…!
I ended up waking the child who’d been sleeping peacefully until now, but I have no regrets! None at all!
‘Mine! My rice!?’
“I got it! I’ll give some to you too, Gomamiso! I’ll give it, so! Don’t headbutt me!”
While holding down the head of Gomamiso, who jumped up from the sofa it was sleeping on and charged at me… I secretly breathe a sigh of relief at the atmosphere inside the car, now wrapped in laughter.
“Then I’ll get started on preparing the meat, so can I leave setting out the plates and such to you all?”
“Sure, no problem. We can at least do that much!”
When I ask them to set up the dining table while I’m dusting the thinly sliced cockatrice breast meat with flour, a strong voice returns.
Honestly… I’m truly thankful to have such reliable teammates…!
While glancing at everyone preparing barley tea and putting out dishes, I put flour in the plastic bag with the meat and shake it to coat everything.
Next, I dip the meat in beaten eggs… then add half of the meat to a frying pan with a slightly generous amount of oil! The frying pan is a pretty large size, but even with half the amount, there’s so much meat it’s already full… When I think about it carefully, it’s meat from such a large monster. Of course, it would be voluminous.
“…Normally you’d deep fry it in plenty of oil, but today I’ll pan-fry it instead.”
While protecting my arms from the oil droplets that immediately start splattering, I continue to gently shake the frying pan so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. I feel tempted to poke it with cooking chopsticks, but… the coating would peel off.
The cheerful sizzling sound of moisture popping in the oil and the savory smell of meat and eggs cooking spread through the car.
It’s impossible not to notice the eager, expectant gazes of the food lovers, all focused on me.
When I flip one piece randomly, it seems to be cooked to a beautiful golden brown.
“Good, smell…! Even like this, looks delicious…”
“Cockatrice is really great meat! But there’s still more to come!”
Perhaps lured by the sound and smell, Ms. Aria drifts over and peers into the frying pan’s contents.
While hearing the cute growl of her stomach, before flipping the meat, I drizzle half the remaining beaten eggs evenly over the frying pan.
I hear that in the original style, you finish it by drizzling beaten egg into the oil and coating the meat with it… so I figure I’ll try something close to that. If I flip the meat to wrap it in the soft-set egg spread across the pan, it should be similar. Plus, a thicker egg coating should soak up the sweet vinegar better, right?
“Rin… do you like, making food?”
“I absolutely love it! Fun to make and delicious to eat—isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”
“…I don’t really understand… how cooking is fun… but I do know that your food tastes good…!”
“Having people say the food I made is delicious really makes me happy…!”
I smiled at Ms. Aria, who asked while tilting her head, while flipping the meat one after another.
I mean, being able to manage things at your own pace and do whatever you like is pretty rare in real life, right? Plus, I can season it to my own taste, so the probability of going "delicious!" when eating it is high!
…Yup. Of course, there’s plenty of self-responsibility—nutritional imbalance, seasoning mistakes—but even that is part of why cooking is fun, or so this food-loving me thinks!
In response to this food devil’s opinion, the beauty beside me smiles brightly and clenches her fist in encouragement.
…Ms. Aria sometimes acts surprisingly manly… even though she’s such a cute, beautiful woman…
Still, being told the food tastes good leaves me nothing but happy as the one in charge of meals! If I had to say it in two words, maybe super happy?
“Hmm… it looks like it’s mostly cooked.”
Both sides have a savory brown color, and when I touch it with cooking chopsticks, it has elasticity, so let’s judge it done!
“…Rin, Rin… taste test? Do a taste test?”
As I’m transferring it to a plate, Ms. Aria’s ice-colored eyes are glancing at me.
“Hmm… as it is now, I don’t think it’s anything special yet… but want to try a bite?”
“Yay! Thank you!”
…Honestly, I think it’s probably a bit dry at this point… but… I can’t resist the “please” aura from a beauty… Just imagine her grabbing the hem of my clothes, tilting her head, and looking up at me with begging eyes! Is there any choice other than stabbing the meat still sizzling in the frying pan with a toothpick and handing it over!?
Ms. Aria blows on that still-steaming piece and bites into it, but… as she chews, her eyebrows droop dejectedly.
“…The meat tastes good, but… it’s kind of dry…”
“Well, I expected that. It’s still halfway through.”
While Ms. Aria finished the meat on the toothpick in a sluggish, "munching" manner, I called out to her, and her pale blue eyes suddenly turned towards me. Perhaps having a flash of insight from my words, the sparkle has returned to her pale ice-blue eyes.
“There’s… a way… to make it more delicious…!?”
“There is! But it’s still a secret.”
Even though I call it a secret, when I glance at the small pot simmering gently beside the frying pan, the jewel-like sparkle in her eyes grows even brighter.
I wonder if she realized that we won’t be eating this meat by itself?
Ms. Aria watches every single one of my movements as I start cooking the remaining meat.
…Ah… this feels strangely nostalgic… I remember standing beside my mother and grandmother as a child, watching dishes come together as if by magic while they cooked… While tracing memories that aren’t quite faded enough to be sepia-colored, once I coat the meat in the frying pan with the remaining egg liquid, the cooking is in its final stage.
After wiping the oil remaining in the frying pan with a kitchen paper towel, I return the meat I cooked first, then pour in the sweet vinegar I made in the small pot with a splash.
The sharp, sour smell stimulates my nose, but soon the sweet and savory smell of sugar and meat also starts mixing in.
The illustration’s description: Aria is looking at Rin as she is cooking.
Mmm… the smell of vinegar stimulates the appetite!
After shaking the frying pan to spread the sweet vinegar throughout, I put shredded hajirokanran on that large plate from earlier… and pile the sweet vinegar-coated cockatrice meat on top with a thud!
As for the tartar sauce, I think I’ll have everyone add it themselves. It should be delicious enough even without anything but the sweet-and-sour glaze, after all.
“Amazing! Good smell! Looks delicious!”
“Sorry for the wait! Cockatrice nanban-style is ready!”
When I carry the large plate to the fully prepared dining table along with Ms. Aria’s bright voice, I can tell the eyes of the men sitting at their seats all widen at once.
“That’s incredible, Rin! To think that meat turns into something that looks this good…!”
“Let’s eat it before it gets cold! Please help yourselves to rice and tartar sauce!”
Mr. Ville, who already learned the magic of tartar sauce first, smiles with his strawberry-colored eyes sparkling even more than usual.
When I show them the rice pot sitting prominently on the table and the large plate with cockatrice nanban-style on it, everyone rushes to offer their pre-meal prayers…
“Rin… what on earth have you created…!”
“It’s cruel… you’re cruel, Rin! To make us… to make us eat something like this…!”
“…Rin’s, a devil…!”
I look like I’m being severely criticized and tormented, right?
This is the result of coating pan-fried cockatrice breast meat with sweet vinegar sauce and serving it with tartar sauce!
…By the way, they’re all saying this without stopping their forks. In fact, they’re stuffing meat and tartar in their cheeks together and nodding vigorously.
If I had to interpret it, I think it means "Take responsibility for turning us into bodies that can’t live without tartar sauce… or rather, mayonnaise!" yup.
While glancing at everyone consuming the mountain of cockatrice nanban-style, I bring some of the garnish shredded hajirokanran to my mouth. Hajirokanran has such a gently crunchy texture that’s indescribably delicious! Its compatibility with tartar sauce is perfect too.
“So I keep telling you I’m not a ‘devil’ but a ‘food lover’!”
“No, you are a devil…! What is this thing called tartar sauce…! I could eat cockatrice meat endlessly…!”
After swallowing the hajirokanran and stating that with a straight face, I was immediately denied by Mr. Ville… Still, even as he says that, Mr. Ville serves some cocka-nanban onto my plate—he really is caring, one way or another.
“This thing called tartar sauce is rich the moment it enters your mouth, but the sweet vinegar coating the cockatrice meat is refreshing, so no matter how much you eat it’s not heavy!”
“Even without pouring this tartar sauce, thanks to the texture of the coating mixing moist and crispy parts, it doesn’t feel tiresome to eat, but when the richness of tartar sauce and the texture of vegetables are added… I could easily eat another plate.”
I could only nod at the momentum of Mr. Ed and Mr. Xenon who eloquently speak while engaging in the cocka-nanban scramble…
I-I’m glad you’re enjoying it…?
I’m just overwhelmed by the mountain of cocka-nanban and sea of tartar disappearing before my eyes.
Fortunately, since Ms. Aria—who’s been absorbed since earlier but still occasionally looks at me with sparkling eyes and nods vigorously—and Mr. Ville serve portions onto my plate, I’m somehow able to eat… I guess?
“You know, you know, it’s not dry at all! It’s moist! Delicious!”
“That’s right! Because the egg coating is dry to begin with, it soaks up the sweet vinegar beautifully.”
Ms. Aria, who knows the state before it became cocka-nanban, excitedly serves meat onto both her plate and mine and pours tartar sauce.
Right, right. The sweet vinegar soaks moistly into the dry egg coating, creating a unique texture.
When I bite into the newly served cocka-nanban, it lives up to its reputation for juiciness, with meat juices gushing out the instant my teeth sink in. The meat quality also doesn’t feel hard, perhaps because quickly cooking it at high temperature worked well. Rather, the moderately elastic meat has firm fibers and is reasonably chewy. It’s not that there’s no fat, but it feels more like it plays a supporting role for the meat’s mild umami. And the rich tartar sauce coats it…!
The faint sweetness is from the ketchup I mixed in as a secret ingredient, maybe? The crunchy texture of the onion mixed in and the refreshing flavor of the cucumber nicely neutralize the oil in my mouth. When I bite into a slightly larger piece of onion, the sharp spiciness stimulates my tongue, and I can eat without getting bored. The lemon fragrance mixed in passing through my nose at the end is also…!
“…Somehow, that was over in a flash…”
“If there’s demand, I’ll make it again. It does require quite a lot of eggs, though, so it will have to wait until this mission is over and I can buy them freely…”
“Wow! That really makes me want to finish this investigation as fast as possible!”
The large platter of cockatrice nanban and the pot full of white rice vanished in an instant into the stomachs of the hungry adventurers. In the end, everyone was eating rice using hajirokanran coated in sweet vinegar and tartar as a side dish. Well, to be fair, that was delicious too!
By the way, I gave Gomamiso the pre-fried cocka meat washed and boiled, plus raw hajirokanran at the cat’s request. From next time, I need to set aside portions for Gomamiso, so I don’t accidentally season everything.
While everyone is taking a breather after finishing the dining table war, I stroke the back of Gomamiso—who has fallen fast asleep on my lap again—all while the patrol group goes over their findings from earlier.
“We moved around a bit, but the appearing monsters and magical creatures themselves aren’t very strong… or rather, should I say they’re all show and no substance?”
“Yeah, right. Their appearance is grand or flashy and looks impressive, but the contents are hollow… pretty weak, honestly.”
“Similar impression to that fire bear from before…”
“Traps also… not that strong.”
Since I haven’t actually fought or confirmed traps, I don’t really understand enemy strength, but from what I’m hearing, enemies on this floor don’t seem to be much of a threat to Gourmands.
If it were just that, we could end with "let’s proceed without letting our guard down, yay," but the fact that it feels the same as that fire bear from before is unsettling… That monster also looked extremely powerful, yet once the Gourmands fought it, it felt almost no different from the relatively weak monsters you find anywhere.
That definitely sticks in my mind in an unpleasant way…
“…Strange things keep piling up… Let’s rest here for today and move on to the next floor tomorrow.”
“Yeah. It would be better to finish the investigation quickly, but since something feels off, we should make sure to investigate properly.”
“Plus, enemies on the next floor may be stronger, so we should proceed cautiously until we understand the tendencies.”
“Mm. Rin is with us too… so let’s call it a day?”
“Agreed. Is that okay with you too, Rin?”
“I’m just following everyone, so I’ll leave it to everyone’s judgment who’s doing the searching and combat!”
Mm. Regarding progress, all I can do is report my own fatigue level.
…And then, as plans are steadily being decided, the oven announces completion with a ding.
As the conversation pauses and I feel intent gazes on my back, I open the oven door, and the sweet scent of heated carbohydrates and the savory aroma of baked cheese flood the vehicle at once.
I hear someone swallow audibly.
“Hmm… for the first time in a while, it turns out pretty well, I think?”
“Rin, what is that…? It looks like… baked sweets…?”
“It’s not exactly a dessert—more like a light meal. It’s a savory cake with meat and vegetables. I think it’ll work as travel rations.”
Using the cake flour and baking powder that were already here, the milk and eggs I bought today, bacon, and leftover vegetables, I made something that might satisfy a small hunger during activities.
Once it cools a bit, if I slice it up and wrap it in plastic wrap or something, we can eat it without stopping the march, I thought.
By the way, I’m letting the dough I kneaded well with bread flour, baking powder, water, and salt rest in the fridge. With just this, I can make steamed buns or bake it like pull-apart bread in a frying pan, so I think it can be a staple food.
Also, I’m in the middle of cooking rice for freezing in the rice pot that’s been cleaned with cleansing magic. Since it’s not a base camp style where I wait for everyone’s return but a form where I march together, I want to make meals quickly!
And after finishing a job, everyone is bound to be hungry.
“…Can’t we eat that now?”
“I want to save this as travel rations during the march… If it’s not enough, I’ll peel some fruit, so please forgive me.”
While protecting the freshly baked savory cake from the party members’ gazes staring with that familiar "want to eat more" face, I hold up oranges I’d been chilling in the vegetable compartment.
The instant all eight eyes focus on them, I can only think how straightforward they are…
While I’m at it, I’ll dry the orange peels and maybe use them as material for moxa hot packs. While being careful not to cut into the fruit inside, I gradually peel the orange skin.
…If I have time, I want to try making marmalade jam… crêpes Suzette would be delicious too… There are mountains of dishes I want to try making. While thinking about the next meal’s menu, I slowly build a small mountain of orange peels.
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