CH 53

Meat

————–

I bought some skewers from a street stall and had to cut my walk around the city in another world short. Although I was curious about the city, once I smelled the scent of meat being grilled, I couldn’t think of anything else but meat.

Even though I knew the time-stopping magic bag would keep the skewers hot, I walked quickly back to my lodging. I got the key from Martha and went into my room.

“Yuta, meat!” “Kyukyu!” “Meat!” “Kuuu”

Bell and the others were so impatient that they circled around me. They were so cute.

“Alright, let’s start with the yakitori we bought first. I’ll take off the skewers for Rain and Tamamo, so wait a bit,” I said.

I gave Sylphy, Bell, and Turu the yakitori skewers, and took the meat off the skewers and put them on a plate for Rain and Tamamo. Although I called it yakitori, it was quite large in size compared to the kind you get at a drinking establishment. Should I call it jumbo yakitori? It was as big as a barbecue skewer. Oh no, I’m drooling.

“Okay, you can all start eating now. Bell and Turu, be careful with the skewers,” I warned.

“Yes!” “Got it.”

I wondered if they really understood. Bell and Turu quickly bit into the meat. I’m worried… Spirits are immune to attacks, but I hope they don’t get hurt by a mere skewer. I wonder how that works?

“Meat is delicious!” “Kyuuuu!” “I love meat!” “Kukukuku!”

Bell and the others had huge smiles on their faces. It must have been really delicious because they were eating it without a care in the world.

“Yuta, aren’t you going to eat?”

Oops, I got lost in thought. I also needed to eat before the hot meat went cold. I took a big bite of the large piece of meat.

“Mmm, the meat is so good,” I said, as I chewed and savored the taste. The flavor was simple, just salt, but the meat was incredible. The chewy texture was elastic, like that of a local chicken.

As I chewed, the intense flavor of the meat and fat filled my mouth. It was so delicious with just salt, the meat was so cheap in this other world. I wanted to sprinkle some pepper on it. Yakitori sauce would also be perfect with it.

If you grill it on a net over charcoal until it’s browned and add a little yuzu pepper, you can drink all night. Rough bird… I think I’m on the sixth floor of the dungeon. I’ll loot it all.

“Yuta, I want more!” Bell’s voice brought me back to reality. All the kids were looking at me, begging for more food. They have such a strong appetite. They’ll grow up big… but didn’t the spirits say they don’t need to eat? Maybe eating doesn’t make them grow.

Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s an adult’s duty to give children what they want to eat. Probably.

“Alright. Next up is orc skewers.” I handed out the orc skewers like before and took the meat off the skewers for Rain and Tamamo. I told them it was okay to eat and they immediately started munching away.

I was a bit hesitant when I heard they were orc skewers. I imagined a two-legged pig-faced monster, but I decided to give it a try after hearing from the food stall owner that it was the most popular meat on the Eltrude continent.

My intuition was telling me to eat it before seeing an actual orc. If I saw one first, I might not want to eat it. So if I was going to eat it, I had to do it now.

The orc skewers were also seasoned simply with just salt. It was a shame that they were just grilled over wood, but they looked quite delicious.

I hesitated a little, but Bell and the others were already happily chomping away, and even Sylphy was eating normally. I took a deep breath and bit into the orc skewer.

The overwhelming flavor spread in my mouth. This orc meat is delightful. It had a lot of fat, just like pork belly, but the fat itself wasn’t at all heavy.

The fat itself is silky smooth with a sweet taste. The meat has a slight gamey flavor, but when combined with the taste of the fat, it creates a balance that enhances the meaty flavor to an intense level.

If I made braised pork belly with this meat, it would be delicious. I also want to try making tonkatsu with the fat of an orc. I have to get my hands on some orc fat. I’m surprised that the meat of these monsters is even more delicious than I expected.

“Hey, Sylphy. The meat of the orc and the rough bird were both delicious, but are there even more delicious meats out there?”

“The rough bird is not that common as it only inhabits the labyrinth, but as a rank of meat, it’s fairly common. There are many delicious meats out there. The meat of high-level monsters is much tastier than that of the orc.”

If the quality of the ingredients is good, then when combined with Japanese cuisine, incredibly delicious dishes can be created. For example, that meat that is so coveted in fantasy worlds…

“Sylphy, dragons exist in this world, right? Dyne mentioned sea dragons before. What about dragon meat? Is it delicious?”

“Dragon meat is the highest quality meat in this world. However, the taste varies depending on the type of dragon. Overall, it is delicious.”

Dragon meat is definitely delicious. I can’t come to a fantasy world and not try it.

“Sylphy, you could defeat a dragon, right?”

“Hehe. Do you want to eat dragon meat? I could defeat most dragons, but be careful as there are dragons with important roles that should not be fought.”

Wow, most dragons could be eaten. My dreams are expanding. I can’t even imagine what it tastes like.

“Sylphy, where can we find dragons?”

“Hmm, dragons tend to frequent places that are strong in their own attribute. For example, Fire Dragons are often found in volcanoes. If you delve deep enough into the labyrinth, you might come across a dragon. If it’s a lower-level dragon, even Bell and the others could defeat it, so you could give it a try.”

Dragons are in the labyrinth, huh? Well, it’s no exaggeration to say that dragons are synonymous with the labyrinth.

I thought about asking Sylphy to go dragon hunting right away, but I decided against it. If I were to taste the highest-quality meat first, all the other delicious meats that I encounter afterward might pale in comparison.

As we progress through the labyrinth, we’ll come across various delicious meats, eventually leading us to the highest-quality meats such as dragon meat. This is the best way to go about it. I can feel my excitement building. But if I do manage to get my hands on dragon meat, I doubt I’ll be able to resist eating it right away.

After eating two large skewers of meat, Bell and the others seem satisfied and are frolicking on the bed. Normally, they would be floating, so maybe they like the feel of the bed.

Unexpectedly, time passes leisurely. I’m starting to appreciate how fortunate I am to be in a civilized society.

It’s dinner time, so I head to the dining hall. I can’t eat with Bell and the others, so everyone except Sylphy is waiting in their rooms.

I wish there was a place in the labyrinth city where we could all enjoy a meal together. Even if we had the food delivered to our rooms, having six portions of food in a single-person room just feels strange.

“Oh, big bro, you’re eating too? Today’s dish is Orc Steak, you know. It’s delicious, so look forward to it!”

As I enter the dining hall, Karluk proudly explains the dish to me and leads me to my seat. I´ve already had orc meat. That’s a bit disappointing.

I was thinking about trying other dishes, but it seems like there’s only one main dish besides the alcohol snacks, and the menu changes daily. Can’t it be like a Japanese set meal restaurant?

“Hey, do you want some ale? Meat goes well with ale, but it’s extra. ” Karluk grinned and showed off his salesmanship skills. It made me wonder if this eight-year-old kid understood the taste of meat and ale.

“If it’s recommended, I’ll try the ale. But do you really know the taste of ale, Karluk?”

“Every time. I don’t really know what’s so delicious about ale, but all adults say that meat goes well with ale. If you’re an adult, then ale is fine.”

“O-okay.”

…I watched Karluk’s back as he ran off to take our order and wondered if I was being manipulated by a child. Sylphy laughed at my pathetic expression. It seems that you can’t underestimate a boy from another world.

I switched my focus and observed my surroundings. Perhaps because this inn was close to the labyrinth and adventurer’s guild, the people in the dining room were all burly individuals. They were probably all adventurers. I thought I saw some animal ears, but I averted my gaze forcefully.

If I was going to check out someone’s animal ears, I would prefer a beautiful woman. But only muscular men were here, so I refrained from being impressed by animal ears. While lost in thought, Karluk brought our food.

“Sorry for the wait. Call me if you want a refill on ale.”

“Ah, okay.”

My attention was drawn to the dish in front of me. Somehow, the food also seemed to be a factor in the lack of women at this inn. It was a thick, pork loin-like cut of orc meat grilled to perfection, with a heaping pile of sliced garlic on top. It felt like a hearty meal. The side dish was stir-fried cabbage, maybe?

As I cut into the meat, it surprisingly turned out to be tender and cooked to perfection. My heart pounding, I cut a large piece with plenty of garlic on top and took a big bite, savoring the flavor.

As I chewed the meat, the outer layer of fat, meat, and garlic mixed together and violently erupted in my mouth. It was delicious, but was it really okay to eat this at night? I might have trouble sleeping if I did.

It was a passionate taste, almost like it was directly linked to my body… If I ate this kind of food every day, I’d become quite hot-blooded. Is this kind of cuisine necessary for adventurers?

I continued to chew on the thick meat and washed it down with the ale that had been brought over. The meat was dangerously delicious, but the ale was lukewarm with a strong scent of wheat. It tasted like carbonated water mixed with alcoholic barley tea. It might taste surprisingly good if it was chilled.

Next was… bread. It had been a while since I had eaten grains. When I picked it up, it was hard. It must be the type of bread that doesn’t have yeast, which is often found in light novels… If I had the knowledge, I could make money, but I’ve never made bread before. Can I make it with raisins?

It would have been easier and better if I could just eat soft, fluffy bread. Or rice would be the best. When I tore into the hard bread, the inside was also brown. It seemed to be whole wheat bread.

As I ate, the texture was as expected, with a firm bite, and the taste was better than what I had imagined. With each chew, I could taste the simple flavor of wheat and a slight hint of salt. But my jaw got tired from just chewing it.

Hmm… If this is the default bread, then it would be difficult trying to improve it.

I finished my meal by biting into the thick piece of meat and the hard bread with determination. The taste was wild, but delicious. If the ale was chilled and the bread was improved, this world’s cuisine might not be so bad after all.

I told Karluk that the food was delicious and paid for the ale before returning to my room. It had been a while since I had slept in decent bedding. I was looking forward to it.