Chapter 34

I'm making oil in the pot. Since I managed to hunt a Rock Boar, I'm melting its thick fat. Tonight's dinner is tonkatsu! I don't have any eggs, but I'll make it work. I really wanted to make a button pot. Where is the miso?

The fragrant smell of the fat makes my nose twitch. Next to me, Kokushin is making breadcrumbs for me. He keeps glancing over here. I get it, he's wondering what to do with so much oil, right? I'll make something delicious, don't worry!

"Reit! Another one is coming!"

"Huh? Are you kidding me!?"

I'm in the middle of wrestling with a boar right now! I don't need another... No, why is it coming here!

I try to stop the boar that's attacking me by raising my hand without the knife, intending to create a wall to block it.

Squeal!!

The boar's scream echoes.

"Whoa!"

Kokushin lets out a surprised voice, and I think the same thing in my heart, "Whoa."

There, the Rock Boar is impaled on a pillar of earth. A conical pillar of earth. The boar, which was thrashing around, is now bleeding out.

Squeal!

Angered by the tragedy of its companion, the boar I was dealing with charges at me.

"Damn, persistent!"

One of the boar's eyes has been pierced by my arrow. Getting angry is a mistake. It's my lack of skill that I couldn't finish it in one hit.

This time, I create a wall. The boar, which hit the wall with a loud thud, is staggering.

"Kokushin, please!"

"I got it."

As I break the wall, blood sprays from the boar's neck. Kokushin swings his sword and wipes the blood. He really suits a sword.

Behind him, two boars are already lying on the ground. I found one and started dealing with it, but more kept coming. I'm exhausted.

"Alright, no more should come. I want to bleed them out, but..."

With so many, another might come while I'm bleeding them out.

"It should be fine. Let's finish quickly and move away."

Kokushin knows how delicious the meat is when bled out.

I use magic to dig a hole and insert the boar, which Kokushin has slit at the neck, upside down into it. I do the same for the one that was impaled, after removing the earth pillar.

I keep an eye out and wash away the blood with water to try to cover the scent.

Once done, I stuff them into my bag. The items inside don't interfere with each other, so it's fine to put wet things in. So far, I know that living things can't go in, time passes normally, and water can go in as is.

After all that, I'm tired today. Honestly, I could buy and eat dinner nearby. But my stomach is honest and strongly demands, "Tonkatsu today!" So I'll make it. Once I start, the fatigue will blow away.

I cut the meat into appropriate sizes. I'll use the loin area. Since I'm not sure about the thickness, I'll make it a bit thinner. It's dangerous if the inside is raw.

Since I don't have eggs, I'll coat the meat with flour mixed with water and then bread crumbs. As long as it's delicious, this is tonkatsu for me.

I dip the tip of the chopsticks into the oil to check. It's good. Let's put in the meat!

Sizzle!

A pleasant sound spreads. This is it. This is what I wanted to see. The meat swimming in the golden oil. Ah, I don't have a plate. I'll make one with earth magic. An unfinished plate that absorbs oil. I'll think about this later.

It's turning a golden color. It should be crispy. Honestly, this part is a bit vague. Maybe I didn't cook much in my previous life.

I take it out when it's ready. I put in another piece. The pot isn't that big, so I can still do more. Ah, I'll cut the first one while it's frying.

Slice!

The cross-section... isn't it perfect! It's cooked through. The meat juice is coming out. There's nothing left to do but eat it. I cut it into pieces and enjoy it with Kokushin!

"Delicious."

The flavor is stronger than pork. It's a bit chewy, but by this world's standards, it's quite soft. The meat juice comes out with every bite. The fat is delicious!

I eat while frying. It's bad manners, but I want to eat it hot. Kokushin's fork doesn't stop. I have to eat it before it's gone.

Let's eat some vegetables too. There's no cabbage, but there's something like lettuce. If there's any left, I'll make a tonkatsu sandwich. There's no bread, but no sauce either. Come to think of it, it's delicious even without anything. Let's try some salt. Yes, it's delicious.

"This is unstoppable..."

"Sure, Kokushin, but eating too much can cause heartburn?"

Can it be cured with a recovery potion? I have some stomach medicine, so I'll use the herbs... Ah, I have some good-for-the-stomach rock. If I make something next time, I'll use it for seasoning.

The super tonkatsu time is over. I'm satisfied. I reset my mouth with Tokii grass tea. I want something sweet, so I break open a honey fruit and lick it.

Kokushin... is rolling around with a bulging belly. Stop it. A prince shouldn't do that. Ah, don't rub your belly. By the way, can you still have a six-pack and a bulging belly...?

Tomorrow, I'll make a vegetable-centered menu.

By the way, we are in the yard of a house.

When choosing a place to stay, I asked the Door if we could rent an empty house for a few days. He introduced us to a real estate guild, and we managed to rent a house on the outskirts of town for a daily rate.

Thanks to this, I can cook. I don't hear the noise of people drinking. I can sleep without worrying about the neighbors. With the magic bag, I was worried about security in a regular inn.

I'll ask if we can rent in other towns too.

After eating and cleaning up, I go back inside.

Kokushin is practicing with his sword outside. I thought about doing some magic manipulation training, but I'll practice with the bow first. I missed a bit today. Relying on magic just because it's easy won't end well. I need to improve my knife handling too.

After training, I filled a basin with hot water to use as a bath. Soaking up to my waist helps a lot with the fatigue. Kokushin, who isn't used to soaking in hot water, looks curious.

I'll get a bigger one made for him to use.