Chapter 6

# 6

Chapter 3. Chicken and Falenqu

"Did you come alone?"

"No, I brought this guy today."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Miltein."

The man who appeared behind Mr. Ment appeared to be a young man in his mid-twenties. If Mr. Ment was a well-aged middle-aged man, Miltein was a handsome, cool-looking young man.

"He's a junior mercenary who still can't do anything on his own. A rookie."

"Oh, that's not true, senior! I can now do my share of the work. Really."

"Far from it! What are you talking about? Anyway, can we eat now? I want to show this guy what good alcohol tastes like."

Mr. Ment asked while playfully punching Miltein. He's such a warm-hearted person. Helping Mr. Knoll was also a good example of that.

"Of course, you can eat when you come to a restaurant. Please come in."

"You're right. Hehe."

As I guided them to their seats, Mr. Ment and Miltein followed. Since the dragon was sleeping at the bar, I led them to a four-person table.

While looking at the two, a good idea suddenly came to me. Since they're here, why not ask the locals to taste the Falenqu?

I want to know if the chicken tastes good to the people here.

The more people I can ask to taste it, the better.

"Actually, I'm cooking Falenqu right now. Would you like to try it?"

"Falenqu? You mean the monster that flies at a speed you can't even see?"

When I mentioned Falenqu, Mr. Ment asked with a surprised look.

"Yes, that's the Falenqu. I caught it after hearing it appeared in the Rimon Forest."

"Wow, you mean the Falenqu that even hunters who specialize in catching fast-moving monsters can't catch? How can we...?"

"No, I figured out how to catch it, but I'm still unsure about its taste. That's why I need someone to taste it. Could you help me?"

I bowed, and the surprised Mr. Ment stood up and bowed as well. Then, he scratched the back of his head and replied.

"Well, I'll... taste it."

"Senior, what's so special about Falenqu?"

"Falenqu is a flying monster that has been said to have an incredible taste since ancient times."

"Can we really eat something like that?"

"Actually, I've never tasted it either. It's not something we can easily get our hands on."

Mr. Ment started explaining the legend of Falenqu to Miltein. Having achieved my goal, I left them and returned to the kitchen.

Everything was already prepared. All I had to do was fry it.

Since I didn't have a deep fryer, I poured cooking oil into a deep pot and heated it up. Then, I cast a dome-shaped barrier above the pot. It's a basic defensive spell that anyone who studies magic can use. Even I, who mainly focuses on offensive spells, can cast this basic defensive spell.

This barrier is a great helper to prevent the oil from splattering.

After setting up the barrier and checking the temperature with a thermometer, I carefully put the Falenqu pieces, which I had already breaded, into the pot.

Sizzle!

Every time the chicken hit the pot, a mouth-watering sound echoed.

The sizzling oil and the golden-brown surface of the chicken. The chicken, fried to a crisp thanks to the cornmeal.

The smell of chicken began to fill the restaurant. A rich, savory aroma.

Mr. Ment and Miltein kept looking this way, curious about the smell and the sound. I fished out the fried chicken with a strainer, drained the oil, and brought a piece of shoulder meat to my mouth.

To check if the Falenqu meat is really similar to chicken.

If it only looks like a chicken.

To see if it's not tough.

-Crunch.

Of course, those were just worries.

-Crunch.

The Falenqu's skin started dancing in my mouth. It's delicious.

I gave the skin a high score and then brought a piece of meat to my mouth. It was chewy and had a hint of garlic, while the unique flavor of chicken combined with corn and mutton mushrooms filled my mouth.

I ate the fried skin again, then the meat. In my mouth, the crispy skin and chewy meat started dancing together.

Moreover, the taste of Falenqu was deeper than chicken. Despite being seasoned only with salt and pepper, it had a rich flavor, somewhat like the umami of oyster sauce but a completely different natural taste.

It wasn't called a legendary meat for nothing. It's better than chicken.

Falenqu, it's good.

I clenched my fist secretly while wiping the oil from my mouth. This is definitely a success. Of course, it's not time to celebrate yet.

The taste of chicken might be strange to the people of this world, so I need to let them try it and judge.

I set aside a piece of chicken leg, wing, and breast for our dragon. The size of the Falenqu is about twice that of a chicken. Despite looking exactly like a chicken, it's as big as a turkey. So, even after setting aside a portion for Rulin, there was enough for the two guests.

I neatly arranged the chicken on a plate and placed it on Mr. Ment's table. I added a glass of beer.

"You said you came for soju, but this Falenqu dish goes better with beer. Try it. Oh, it's best to eat it with your hands rather than a fork."

"Hmm, is that so?"

I placed a napkin for them to wipe their hands and stepped back. Mr. Ment started staring at the chicken. Miltein did the same.

"Hmm, it looks crispy. I've never seen a dish like this before."

"Senior, I've never seen it either. I can't wait! Let's try it. Then I can eat, right?"

The smell of the chicken was stimulating their appetite. Miltein kept swallowing and urging Mr. Ment, who nodded.

"Let's eat together."

Mr. Ment picked up a piece of chicken first. Then, Miltein did the same. They brought it to their mouths. Miltein started tearing off the meat with the skin and soon began cheering.

"Oh! Senior, this is amazing! I've never tasted such delicious meat! What is this skin? It's so good!"

"Wow! The beer is great too. Senior!"

While Miltein was making a fuss, Mr. Ment was in a similar state, just not expressing it verbally. He looked very surprised, eating the chicken and beer alternately, as if he was going to chew the chicken bones too.

"Umm?"

Rulin woke up, stretching, and looked at the two people sitting at the table, then at me with a blank face.

"Go to sleep, or are you going to stay up again tonight?"

"No, I'm going to sleep."

"Sure, right."

"What do you mean by 'sure, right'?"

"Exactly that. Anyway, try this."

I wiped the drool from her mouth and brought out the chicken I had set aside for her. She tilted her head.

"What is this? It looks strange!"

"It's the Falenqu dish I mentioned earlier."

"This?"

Rulin stared at the dish again, then put the whole leg in her mouth.

"Hey, hey, you need to remove the bones."

When she becomes human, her teeth are the same as a human's. She can't crush bones. But Rulin shook her head.

Her cheek bulged where the chicken leg bone touched it. One cheek bulged, then the other. After a few bulges, she pulled out the chicken leg bone with her fingers. It was completely clean. She sniffed loudly.

"Oh! This is delicious! The crispy outer part and the chewy inside are perfect. It definitely goes well with beer!"

To clean a chicken leg so thoroughly on her first try. Is this dragon really a god of food? I was so surprised that my mouth dropped open, and Rulin gestured for more.

"Hehe, it's delicious. The beer is good, and this is too. But there's not enough!"

"I gave it to the customers."

"What!"

The dragon waved her hand.

"Don't worry. I'll catch more tomorrow. I know it's delicious."

"Is that so? Then I'll wait a day. I'm nice, after all."

"Nice? What's with our dragon today?"

"Because in my dream, you knelt before me and begged for a hug. Hehe."

Rulin said this as if she was being generous and took another sip of beer.

How can you have such a dream without permission?

If I knelt, well, I could kneel. But to kneel and beg for a hug? That's not a dream; it's a nightmare.

While I was rolling my eyes at the dragon's nightmare, Mr. Ment and Miltein stood up, leaving only bones on the plate. I left Rulin for a moment and approached their table.

"This was an unexpected luxury. Haha."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

It's a great pleasure to see someone enjoy the food I made. I answered with a sense of satisfaction.

"This dish and beer go so well together. I'll definitely want to eat it again. It's such a rare ingredient, but now I know the taste. Ah! How much is it?"

"Well, as I said, it's a tasting. I'll just charge for the beer."

"Huh?"

Mr. Ment's eyes widened, and he shook his head. His expression said it was impossible.

"How can I accept such a favor for just the price of beer...?"

"But I clearly said it was a tasting. It would be more ridiculous to charge for it."

"Still... Where can you find a restaurant that fills you up with a tasting and also tastes good?"

Mr. Ment looked troubled and started thinking. Then, he clapped his hands and turned to Miltein.

"How about we have a pre-party here?"

Miltein wiped his oily mouth and raised his hand.

"Of course, I agree with you, senior! Besides, I like this restaurant. When have I ever disagreed with you? Hahaha!"

"Hey, you!"

Mr. Ment playfully punched Miltein and then turned to me.

"Actually, we have a mercenary group dinner in three days. We're protecting a caravan that's moving goods, and it's a big job, so the whole group is involved. It's a good opportunity for us, and we want to wish for success and boost morale. How about we have a pre-party here? If it's okay, could you prepare it?"

"Is that so? Mr. Ment, are you the leader of the mercenary group?"

"No, no."

When I asked, surprised, Mr. Ment immediately waved his hands.

"Our mercenary group is just a group of people who get along well, so we don't have a leader or anything. I'm just one of the seniors, so people listen to me. Leader? That's a grand title that doesn't fit my personality. Hahaha."

"I see. A pre-party. How many people will be there?"

Actually, whether Mr. Ment is the leader or not is not important to me. I used to be someone who couldn't even look up to the leader of a large mercenary group in the capital, but now I'm just a cook in a small restaurant. So, the important thing is the number of people. The number of people to serve food to.

Too many would be a problem.

"It's a small group, not that many. Including me, there are 14 of us."

14 is the maximum number the restaurant can handle.

"14 people should be manageable."

The largest group the restaurant has served since opening.

It's a bit nerve-wracking. It would be easier to fight 14 people.

It feels like the day I first went to the battlefield. That trembling feeling is coming back.

Of course, it's a bit exaggerated.

On that day, I was a rookie who was so nervous I couldn't do anything.