Chapter 94

At night, inside the dragon stable of Perseron.

All the dragons of "Dragon First" had gathered to eat together.

What they were eating was not their usual food, but the highest-quality dragon food that had just arrived from Santana's shop, "Cheek Pease."

Everyone was eating it—except for me and Chris.

I, who wasn't eating, was talking to Chris by her side.

"Have you never thought about eating?"

"No, I've never felt the urge to."

Chris, in her usual "lying down" pose, answered with a smile.

She is a phoenix, the only one of her kind, an immortal and invincible being.

Because of this, she is also called a "child of the gods."

Being immortal and invincible, she doesn't need to eat or reproduce, which are significant characteristics.

That's why she and I were watching everyone eat together.

"I see. When I asked you before, I didn't delve into it, but do you not need to eat? Or can't you eat?"

"I can eat, but since I don't have a digestive system, I have to expel it as is."

"As is?"

"Yes, I chew and swallow it, and then it comes out as is—imagine vomit coming out of your butt."

"O-oh..."

That was all I could manage in response.

The idea of undigested food coming out of her butt like vomit...

It made sense when explained, but I regretted imagining it.

"Hahaha, I get more energy from being burned by flames than from food."

"I see."

Chris's joke helped ease the unpleasant feeling.

Well, it wasn't entirely a joke, though.

"Still..."

I looked at the food everyone was eating.

They all seemed to be enjoying it immensely.

Even Louise, who usually just wants to sleep, was eating with a face of pure joy.

"High-quality food is no joke, huh?"

"Seems so."

"Still, it doesn't look much different from human food or bento."

I was genuinely impressed.

At first, I thought "food" might be different, but about half of it looked like human dishes.

Of course, the size was much larger.

Imagine the same dishes, but four times bigger.

Honestly, it would be more believable to call it a giant's meal than a dragon's.

"Daddy, do you want to eat?"

Rea came up to me, flapping her wings, and offered me a piece of meat.

It was well-cooked and had a nice glaze, a good meat dish.

"Is it okay?"

"Yep!"

"Thank you."

"Hehe..."

I took the meat from Rea and, as a thank you, patted her head.

Rea looked happy.

I put the meat in my mouth and chewed it.

"Hmm?"

"What's wrong, Daddy?"

"Nothing, did you eat?"

"Yep!"

"Was it good?"

"Yep!!"

Rea nodded enthusiastically.

"I see, then go ahead and eat more."

"Okay!"

After sending Rea off, I was unsure what to do with the meat in my mouth that I couldn't swallow.

"Hahaha, you look troubled, my friend."

"Yeah, it had no taste at all. Is that normal?"

"I don't know, but that's normal for us."

"Really?"

I looked at Chris.

It seemed that even though Chris is a dragon, she has no firsthand experience with "dragon food"—which makes sense.

"Dragons prefer food with almost no seasoning because human seasoning is too strong."

"Is that so?"

"Also, there are flavors in dragon food that human tongues can't detect."

"Human tongues can't detect them?"

"Yes. What color do you think the sun is?"

"Um, red or orange, right?"

"That's what humans think. Dragons can see blue and purple too."

"Really!?"

"Yes, it's the same thing."

"Wow..."

I nodded in understanding.

"Ah, then what would happen if a dragon ate food seasoned like human food?"

"I tried it a long time ago. It turns out that using three times the usual amount of all seasonings gives a similar experience."

"Ugh..."

That sounds like a meal I definitely don't want to try.

Thinking about it, yeah.

It's good that they have good food.

I continued watching everyone eat.

"What's on your mind, my friend? Thinking about something?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about dishes."

"Dishes?"

"I was thinking about getting everyone proper dishes."

"Why?"

"Food tastes better with proper dishes."

"Is that so?"

"...Someone told me that before."

I remembered something a slightly conscious man said to me at a drinking party a few years ago.

"Can you eat from a properly cleaned dog bowl?"

"Hahaha, I see. It's an extreme view, but it makes sense."

"Right? So I was thinking about getting everyone dishes. If I explain, I think I can make them as dragon utensils."

"The food will taste even better."

"Sounds good, right?"

"Yes."

Chris laughed heartily.

I became more motivated, thinking about improving everyone's dining experience.

Because... the current situation is like eating a fantastic feast with disposable chopsticks and paper plates.

Since it's a feast, the dishes should be proper too.

"Good thinking, my friend. When you're done, show them to the merchants."

"Eh? Why?"

"...Hahaha, yes, you are part of Dragon First."

"What do you mean?"

"It's interesting that you thought about improving the dragons' treatment but didn't consider how it could benefit business."

"Business? ...Oh!"

I snapped my fingers in realization.

"I see, good dishes can also be profitable."

"Exactly."

I nodded.

With that, I became even more motivated.