CH 86

“Dragon steak”

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I had some free time, so I decided to cook after a long while. Just grilling some dragon meat, though.

“Good morning, Master.” “Morning, master.” “…Morning.”

“Good morning, Sara. Marco. Kika. But can you say ‘good morning’ even if you just woke up from a nap?”

“…Then what should we say?”

“Well, ‘good morning’ is fine. Anyway, since I have some time today, I’m going to cook. It’s Assault Dragon steak. Can you eat it even though you just woke up?”

I changed the subject with a dignified tone.

“Dragon steak! Wow. Hey, master, are dragons delicious?”

Hehe, he took the bait easily. Now he probably forgot about our earlier conversation. You can easily manipulate children like that. After all, I’m an adult. Hehehe… I shouldn’t overdo it. I’m starting to feel embarrassed about things in my head that nobody knows about.

“I’ve never eaten it, so I don’t know, but according to Marie-san, the owner of the general store, it’s an extremely delicious luxury ingredient. I’m looking forward to it.”

“So it’s a luxury ingredient. master, will you let us taste it too?”

Hmm? Why do you sound so worried? Ah, I must have made them anxious by calling it a luxury ingredient.

“Don’t worry. I received a large quantity, so you can eat to your heart’s content.”

“Yay!”

Marco, Sara, and Kika rejoiced with excitement. I can’t provide them with proper education, but at least I’ll keep my promise to let them eat until they’re full.

“Yuta, bo-bo.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

When I turned around at Bell’s voice, I saw the charcoal in the grill burning brightly. Perfect.

“Wow, Bell, that’s amazing. It’s perfect. Thank you.”

I praised Bell and ruffled his hair.

“Yay, Bell is amazing?”

“Yes, you’re really great. Thank you.”

I patted her head once more and since the fire was already burning well, I sent her off to play until it’s time to eat. Bell flew off to Rain and the others. Is she going to show off?

“Um, Master, please let me help with the cooking.”

By the way, Sara mentioned that she wanted to learn cooking. But today we’re making steak. There are various techniques for cooking steak, but I don’t have those skills, so I can’t teach her.

“I appreciate your offer to help, but today we’re just grilling meat. Let’s save the cooking lessons for next time, okay?”

“Okay, I understand.”

She seems a little disappointed. Is it okay to leave it at that?

“Oh, but I would like your help in making the salad. Can you do that?”

Without thinking, I ended up asking for her assistance.

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Well, she seems happy about it, so it’s fine. I take out some leafy vegetables and ask her to cut them into bite-sized pieces. I hesitated to hand her a knife, but then I remembered that she stabbed a knife into a zombie, so it’s too late for hesitation. Although it’s fine to tear the vegetables by hand for the salad, it won’t feel like cooking.

“Alright, please help me with this. We need to wash these vegetables, but it would be quicker to ask Rain. Rain, could you come here for a moment?”

“Kyu, kyu? Kyu, kyu, kyu.”

Rain quickly flies over, wagging her tail happily. Based on my expectations, she’s here to help. I think she heard about Bell helping out and is now enthusiastic to do the same.

“I need your help. I want you to wash these vegetables with your water magic, Rain.”

“Kyu, kyu, kyu.”

Rain happily nods and washes the vegetables by enveloping them in water. Since she nodded as soon as I mentioned help, my assumption is probably correct.

After finishing washing, I praise her and pat her on the head. “Kyu!” She returns to Bell and the others, in high spirits. It seems like he had a great time.

“Master, is it alright to have the spirits wash the vegetables? Won’t it upset them or affect their mood?”

Sara asks with concern. While Bell and the others are happy to help, what about the spirits? Bell and the others aside, some spirits might not like it.

“Silphy, is it okay to ask the spirits to do chores? Would it be better to avoid it?”

“Well, using their powers can be a good thing, and most of the spirits don’t have a problem with it. However, some of them have high pride, so it’s better to check with them beforehand.”

Silphy doesn’t seem too concerned, so I guess it’s fine.

“Sara, it seems like it’s usually not a problem, but it’s better to communicate with the spirits beforehand.”

“Understood.”

The kids have also become accustomed to ignoring me when I talk to spirits. They have high adaptability. However, I feel like an interpreter rather than a master.

“Alright, then cut the washed vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Be careful not to cut your fingers.”

For now, Sara seems fine. I’ll prepare the steak. I place the assault dragon meat I received on the cutting board with a thud.

Speaking of which, how about aging the meat? I should have asked Marie about it. It’s too late to say, “We’re canceling the steak now!” because everyone would be disappointed, so I won’t stop grilling it.

Hmm, it looks like there’s hardly any fat on the surface. Was I given a cut with less fat? I requested the most delicious part, so I wonder how it tastes. I’m getting excited.

Since it’s such a large piece of meat, it would be a waste if it’s not thickly cut. It’s charcoal fire, so even if it’s thick, it should cook well. The problem is the seasoning and doneness.

They said it’s super high-grade meat, so maybe simple salt and pepper is good? Not as much garlic as Torque-san, but garlic soy sauce could work too. Or a refreshing combination of grated radish and soy sauce is also tempting.

Hmm, since it’s meat I’ve never tasted before, maybe playing it safe with salt and pepper is the best option. As for doneness, I prefer it closer to rare, but… it’s a bit scary to have the first taste of assault dragon meat as rare.

Medium-rare would be… I have no idea about the cooking time for a thick slice of assault dragon meat. I’ll have to rely on my instincts. They might tell me to cut it thinly, but I want to sink my teeth into a thick steak, so I can’t help it.

By the way, I’ve heard of blue and blue rare for steak, but they’re mostly raw, right? I haven’t tried it, but is that acceptable? Is it like eating sashimi? It’s making me curious now. In another world, I wouldn’t dare to try it because it’s too scary. (T/N: Blue rare is only grilled at very high temperature on the surface and served very quickly leaving the middle all raw, from experience its like eating a seared steak tartare but no added pickles or sauce like there is on the tartare, lol)

Well, never mind. Let’s grill the meat. I remember I should sprinkle the pepper first and salt it just before grilling. I’m not sure if it’s the same for dragon meat, but I’ll do it the same way. Sprinkle the pepper first and make a dressing.

“Sara, I’m going to make a simple dressing. Do you want to watch?”

“Yes, please.”

She happily runs over. She’s really interested in cooking. In this situation, is it enough to mix salt, pepper, oil, and lemon juice for a simple dressing? Should I add basil or something? It feels a bit Italian.

Let’s not push it with any complicated adjustments. It would be meaningless if it turns out to be bad. …Even with such a simple dressing, Sara is really impressed.

I sprinkle salt on the steak and arrange them on the grill. I can hear the sizzling sound, and it feels like I’m grilling meat. I should try grilling yakiniku next time. But I don’t have the sauce for yakiniku. I wonder if I can make it through trial and error.

Speaking of which, I only brought regular meat, but I wonder if I can eat the dragon’s tongue or tail. I also have a dream of having a big tongue steak. I should ask Marie about that too. There are so many things to ask.

—————-

“Everyone, it’s ready!”

Everyone gathers at the sound of my voice. As promised, a glass of red wine is prepared at the seat of the Great Spirits. The preparations are perfect.

“Alright, everyone take your seats. Let’s dig in.”

At my words, Sara, Bell, and the others all take a bite of the meat at once. A serene silence fills the air. Huh? Was it not delicious?

Just as I was about to ask for their impressions, Bell’s loud voice echoes, “Yuta, it’s delicious!” From there, a storm of compliments follows. Marco has stuffed his mouth with too much meat, so I can’t quite understand what he’s saying, but he seems happy, so it must have been delicious.

It seems they couldn’t find words at first because it was so delicious. The Great Spirits seemed to find it good in a matter-of-fact way, as if they had eaten it before, but the children’s reactions were amazing.

Bell, Rain, Turu, Tamamo, Sara, Marco, Kika, Fukuchan, Uri—everyone is engrossed in savoring the dragon steak. It must be incredibly delicious. I need to eat it quickly too.

When I put the knife into the meat, it’s neither tough nor tender, but just the right amount of chewiness. I cut a thick piece and put it into my mouth. As I chew, the meat resists with a firm texture, and the juices overflow in my mouth.

What is this? It has an overwhelmingly rich flavor unlike beef or pork. With every bite, the taste of the meat that overflows gives me goosebumps.

In Japan, tender meat with marbling is considered high-quality, but this is a different type of deliciousness. It’s not about the fat but the meat itself being incredibly tasty. It truly is super high-grade meat.

If the assault dragon meat is this delicious, I wonder what it would be like with the higher-ranked firedragon meat that Marie said was even more delicious. Oops, I only brought a large chunk of meat.

“Hey, Silphy. I said I wouldn’t rely too much on the power of the Great Spirits, but there isn’t much quantity when it comes to fire dragon meat. Would you accompany me for another hunt when it runs out? I can handle the assault dragon alone, but the fire dragon seems impossible,” I ask.

“Hehe, you really liked the dragon steak, huh? Well then, as a special treat, add an extra glass of wine,” Silphy says, chuckling. She’s pretty cool. And it’s quite a bargain. But I won’t say that out loud.

After agreeing and adding the wine, the other Great Spirits also requested more wine because they will also defeat the fire dragon. A glass of wine for a fire dragon… quite a bargain. But I haven’t made a contract with Nomos yet, though.

Everyone finishes the thick-cut steaks without leaving a single bite, and the meal comes to an end. By the way, Sara and the others are so full that they can’t move for a while. It seems the leveling up for today will be a bit delayed. After that, there will be a drinking party with the Great Spirits… it’s a gesture of gratitude for the contract, so I should participate a little. It looks like I’ll be going to bed late.

By the way, when I complimented Sara on the salad being delicious, her reaction was muted because she was so focused on the steak. The impact of the dragon steak was too strong. I wonder what would happen with the fire dragon.