Yuri looked at the jar of pickled plums gleefully, and Ari was dumbfounded by how gleeful Yuri was. Ari was the one who handed the pickled plums to Yuri, but he didn"t expect Yuri to be so happy.
「Do you eat pickled plums?」
「Hmm? Yes, I make them in my hometown too.」
「I see, people don"t really eat it here. Jake and I are the only ones who do so in this mansion.」
「Ehh～ what a waste～ pickled plums are tasty～」
Yuri took one small pickled plum and tossed it in his mouth. It taste just like the one his grandmother made in the countryside, the saltiness and sourness of a handmade product. Yuri frowned and smiled while saying it was good at the same time, which made Ari smile awkwardly. Very few people eat pickled plums this way.
The jar of pickled plum was sent to Ari from his hometown. His family owns a plum farm, and they make a living by selling pickled plums, plum wine and plum juice. They would regularly post jars of pickled plums to their son living in the capital. Brooke would drink most of the plum wine. He has a sweet tooth and likes fruit wine, which ran contrary to his cool exterior.
「There"s lots of it, but it can be kept for a long time, so stow it away for me.」
「Erm...」
「What is it?」
「... Can I use pickled plums in my cooking?」
「What?」
Yuri was dead serious. To Ari, pickled plums was just something to eat together with plain rice or to make a beverage. That was what pickled plums were, and plum wine was the only product with a sizeable consumer demand.
Pickled plums were made from plums that couldn"t be processed into plum wine, and the purpose was to preserve them, at least that was what Ari"s family does. They were only sending the retail pickled plums to Ari who had a taste for them, but Yuri was talking about making dishes with them.
Yuri had always been full of surprises, so Ari"s answer was the same as usual.
「Whatever, do what you want.」
And so, Yuri gleefully started preparing pickled plum dishes, and to hold a taste testing session to garner feedback from everyone (Taste testing sessions would be held irregularly, depending on the mood of the head chef Yuri).
「「......」」
The 《Scarlet Lynx》 members fell silent as they looked at the mysterious dishes laid out on the table. They couldn"t understand what was happening, or rather, they didn"t understand what Yuri meant by 「pickled plum dishes」.
There were two to three person"s share for each dish, and the plates for taste testing were placed to the side. Everyone just need to try the dishes that piqued their interest. The most well received dish would be promoted to the regular dinner menu.
Ari and Jake who likes pickled plums had already tried all the dishes, and had taken another share of their favourite dish to eat at a corner of the kitchen.
「This is plum and kinoko mushroom.」
Yuri introduced the dishes with a smile.
This was made by frying Shimeji and Maitake mushrooms, then adding in shredded plum with a little soy sauce. Yuri also added a tiny pinch of pepper, but this wasn"t a proper meal, but closer to a snack to go along with beer.
「This is plum and yam.」
The seasoning for this dish was similar to plum and kinoko mushroom, and long slices of yam were added instead, which completely change the texture and taste. Yam was a j.a.panese style food, and the pickled plums made that j.a.panese style even more prominent, so it was also like a snack that goes with beer.
「This is plum and cuc.u.mber.」
This was cooked in the same method as the previous dishes, the only difference was a bit of kelp stock was added to subdue the taste of the plum, before finally mixing it together with sliced cuc.u.mber. Another difference was white sesame sprinkled on top. There wasn"t any special reason for this, just that of the dishes Yuri ate in the past, this was the only one that had white sesame.
「This is plum sauce fried viper.」
He would make this dish with chicken back home, so he chose Viper that had similar texture to chicken breast meat here. He cut a slit in the bite sized meat, and stuff minced plum in, wrapped it with perilla, and fried it. The main taste was from the plum stuffed inside the meat, but the pickled plums made by his grandmother had a strong taste, so this was good enough.
「This is plum sauce spaghetti.」
The plum sauce was diced pickled plums soy sauce, wine, and a bit of oil to subdue the taste, which was then cooked together with spaghetti. Seaweed shreds and perilla were than added on top. Yuri wanted everyone to taste the plum sauce, so he didn"t add anything. But this would taste great if you mixed it with mushrooms, dried sardines or other types of meat without a strong taste… In terms of taste, chicken would work for j.a.pan, and Viper would be great here.
「The last dish is soup made with plum.」
Yuri used the leftover plum seed from the previous dishes to make soup, adding them to the kelp stock he made. The flesh of the plum had been used in the other dishes, but there were still some left on the seeds. He added the plum flesh into the stock, seasoned it with salt and soy sauce, then finished it by adding in leafy vegetables. This time, he chose something similar to j.a.panese Mustard Spinach. The leaves cooked quickly, and was great for making soup.
「That"s all the dishes, please try them.」
Yuri bowed, and everyone stared silently at the dishes. Despite Yuri"s explanation, they didn"t really like the sourness of plums. They only knew that pickled plums could be eaten together with rice, and drank together with hot water to relieve sore throats. That was like making medicine, so they couldn"t relate the dish before them with pickled plums.
Someone suddenly muttered 「it seems delicious」. He wasn"t wrong, even though the dishes all looked unfamiliar, they all seemed tasty. One person went near with a plate, and the others started moving too. Yuri watched them with a smile, and everyone started helping themselves with the food.
「So pickled plums could be used this way too.」
「That"s right.」
Jake muttered quietly. He was holding a bowl of plum seed soup, which he really liked after he tried everything. He liked to drink water boiled with plum, so he chose the plum seed soup in the end. On the other hand, Ari besides him was digging into the plum with kinoko mushroom, and complained about wanting to eat it together with beer.
The pickled plums dishes were diminishing slowly before their eyes, and at the same pace too. The pickled plums might be sour, but Yuri already neutralized the sourness by using soy sauce, so the taste was more even. After all, they weren"t eating pickled plums, but seasoning the dishes with the pickled plums.
And the members of the 《Scarlet Lynx》 didn"t avoid pickled plums because they hate it. They would drink plum with hot water, plum wine, and also plum juice too.
That was because pickled plums were sour, so they didn"t like to eat it directly.
In a situation like this, what would happen if there was a pickled plum dish that was easier to eat? And the one who made them was Yurii… All the Clan members had already been captivated by Yuri"s cooking, and they were certain that anything Yuri made would taste good. Being accustomed to something sure was scary.
「...Jake, what do you think the results will be?」
「The girls will like the soup like me, I guess? It"s refreshing and tasty.」
「That fried food might be popular too, since it has meat and the plum gave it a pleasant taste.」
「Yes, that"s true, that fried food makes you want to keep eating it, even though it"s meat.」
Jake who didn"t particularly like meat agreed. The plum sauce viper meat was mainly taken by the apprentices, but Tiffana and the other girls was digging in too. Even those members who didn"t like meat was joining in, so it must taste really good.
「Magu! If you hog that dish, we won"t get to eat it!」
「...」
「Answer me! And put down that plate!」
「... No.」
「Heyyy!」
Ari and Jake turned towards the commotion, and saw Magu wolfing down the plum and cuc.u.mber as he hogged the dish. Urgus wanted to s.n.a.t.c.h it away, but Magu turned a deaf ear to him, and didn"t bother to answer.
「... He likes the cuc.u.mber and pickled plums that much?」
「... I think it"s because some kelp stock was added in to subdue the taste of the plums.」
「... So the reason is the stock.」
「... I guess so.」
After eating Yuri"s cooking and helping him to cook, Magu was a devoted believer in the fresh taste of stock. He likes cooking that brought out the taste of the original ingredients. This dish had the simple taste of cuc.u.mber and the flavor of the kelp stock mixed in with the plum, so Magu had his eyes set on this dish with firm conviction.
However, Magu probably hogged the plum meat cuc.u.mber after everyone tried one. Lots of people said they wanted to try it again, but no one said they haven"t tried it yet. So Magu already held back.
… However, hogging a dish by yourself wasn"t holding back at all.
「Yuri, can you make this fried food with other meat?」
「Hmm? I never tried it before, but that should be fine.」
「Then please make it with Orc meat next time.」
「Clay sure loves Orc and Bison meat...」
「Orc should be fine, I guess...」
When Yuri said 「fine」 it probably meant 「Orc meat isn"t that expensive, so it should be fine budget wise.」 Yuri nodded as that wasn"t wrong, but whether he would make it or not was a different matter.
Glacier was a growing boy, and ate fried food with a smile that said this was the best thing ever. He probably request for Orc meat because he felt Viper meat was too bland. Yuri never tried it before, but he heard someone mentioned that frying food with pork wasn"t bad, so he thought Orc meat should be fine too.
In the end, all the dishes were cleaned out, and Yuri got the answer that 「all of them taste great.」 So he added all the dishes to his regular menu rotation.
Volume 1 Epilogue: The 【G.o.d Eye】 would work from time to time
Today, Brooke was out grocery shopping with Yuri. Brooke wanted to buy his own things, so he tagged along with Yuri. In a sense, that was very fortunate… probably.
「...Brooke-nii.」
「What is it, Yuri?」
Yuri stared at the people gathered in the adventurer"s guild. There were humans and beastmen, although adventurers got the reputation of being lawless ruffians, but only a small number of them were actually ruffians. They were the ones who gave other adventurers a bad name. There were idiots everywhere, even bees had those who were lazy.
Brooke looked at the direction Yuri was staring at, and was a little troubled. Yuri had his eyes on a few normal adventurers, some looked like vanguards, others looked like rear support, and nothing seemed out of place. They were just a group that could be seen anywhere, but Yuri kept staring at them.
Yuri tilted his head left and right, and he finally lifts his head up and asked Brooke, no, it was more appropriate to say he dropped a stun grenade.
「May I know～ is an 『enslavement necklace』 something normal people will equip?」
What Yuri said caused an uproar, and they all stared at Yuri with eyes wide open. Especially the team members Yuri were staring at, they all cast dubious gazes at Yuri, which made Yuri shiver and tugged on Brooke"s clothes. Yuri grew up in a normal environment, and didn"t have the guts to confront the fierce looking adventurers directly.
「...Yuri.」
「Yes.」
「Is there someone wearing an enslavement necklace inside?」
「That"s right.」
Brooke was right, so Yuri answered truthfully, which stirred the crowd again. Brooke nursed his temple as he entered the adventurer"s guild together with Yuri. They shouldn"t talk about this in the streets, and fortunately, only the adventurers with keen ears had heard them… Which was really lucky.
Yuri followed Brooke into the guild, and other people also went in. Brooke asked the surprised counter staff to get the guild master, then grabbed Yuri"s shoulder and asked him calmly.
「Whose wearing an enslavement necklace? Where?」
「That lady in armour over there.」
「...Her? And?」
「That man in a robe behind her is wearing an enslavement bangle.」
「Got it.」
The uproar had already stopped, and the place turned dead silent. Brooke was very calm, and the Yuri didn"t know what was going on, and just answered Brooke"s questions.
Yuri wasn"t trying to cause any trouble, they just seemed uncomfortable to him. He knew appraising others was rude, but he still wanted to know where this sense of unease came from. It was the same unsettling feeling he felt when he stared at the traps in the dungeon, so he wanted to know why he was feeling that way on the streets.
After appraising them, he found the armoured lady whose face looked a little pale was wearing a sparkling necklace which was actually an 「enslavement necklace」. At the same time, he realized one of the rear guards in a robe had an 「enslavement bangle」. Normal people probably wouldn"t equip something with such an ominous name… Aside from that, Yuri didn"t tell Brooke that those equipment had the disguise effect cast on them.
When Yuri appraised them, a screen appeared.
── Ruby necklace【True form: enslavement necklace】
A necklace with ruby embedded in it, average quality.
【Those wearing this equipment has to obey the one who equipped it on them, and cannot be removed by themselves】
── Silver bangle 【True form: enslavement bangle】
Silver bangle, an accessory that could be found everywhere.
【Those wearing this equipment has to obey the one who equipped it on them, and cannot be removed by themselves】
If his appraising Level was too low, he wouldn"t have seen through this disguise. However, Yuri possessed the 【G.o.d Eye】, the cheat-like appraisal ability, so disguises were useless. Yuri knew that a disguise effect had been added on them, and he could see the original information too. Nothing could escape the 【G.o.d Eye】.
The lady and the man had a stiff face after being pointed out that they had enslavement equipment on them, but looked relieved at the same time. In contrast, their comrade"s face started to cramp, and shot murderous gaze towards Yuri. However, a glare from Brooke was enough to keep them quiet.... The killing intent Brooke release in an instant was enough to tell them the difference in skill.
「Brooke, what"s with this commotion?」
「Sorry for the trouble, guild master, it"s urgent.」
「I think so too, I never thought you will ask for me… What is it?」
「He says those two over there have enslavement equipment.」
「... What did you say?」
The guild master came out from inside, and he looked a little unreliable, not like a guild master at all. He was slender, had a monocle, and looked more like an elderly butler, instead of the guild master of the rowdy adventurers. However, there was a majestic dignity about his deep voice and stance that showed no openings.
「His appraisal skill is guaranteed by Ari, and he said that necklace and bangle are enslavement equipment.」
「... Someone investigate, subdue them if they resist.」
「「Yes.」」
A few men went over on his orders, and the couple didn"t resist. Their comrades were obviously against the idea, but they were outnumbered. The adventurers cast suspicious gazes their way, and didn"t offer any help.
At the same time, a female staff inside the guild jogged over on the guild master"s orders to inspect the necklace and bangle. She tilted her head as she inspect the items with her gla.s.ses on. Yuri walked briskly to her, with Brooke and the guildmaster accompanying him.
「Miss, a disguise effect had been cast on them.」
「A disguise!?」
「Yes, on the surface, they are a ruby necklace and silver bangle, but the original form is different.」
「... What a surprise… You are so young, and you can see through that...?」
「He is Ari"s secret weapon.」
「I see.」
The staff nodded after hearing the guild master"s explanation. Yuri thought leisurely 「Ari-nii is amazing」... He was really taking it easy. The few men that were subdued resisted strongly, but no one paid them any mind, as expected of an adventurer"s guild.
Since she knew there was a disguise, she had a way to deal with it. She inspect the accessories carefully and then breath out. She wasn"t sighing, and was lamenting unhappily.
「Guildmaster, he"s right, there is a disguise effect on it. This is an enslavement equipment.」
「Is that so? All that"s left is who is the master...」
「「......」」
Everyone looked at the few rowdy men after hearing the guild master said that. They knew the master was probably amongst them, and they wouldn"t admit it. The couple wearing the enslavement equipment couldn"t answer either.
「Excuse me...」
Yuri"s silly voice broke the tense atmosphere. Brooke and the others all looked at Yuri, as he lifted his hand and pointed at one of the men who was resisting and said:
「It"s him.」
「「...」」
The crowd went silent, everyone was thinking 「you are skipping too many steps」. They didn"t know if they should retort 「you got the answer too quickly」 or 「how did you know that」. However, Brooke tapped Yuri"s shoulder gently, then look him in the eye and asked:
「So that man is the owner of the enslavement equipment?」
「Yes.」
「Are you sure?」
「That"s right… Well, I know doing this isn"t right, but that"s what his Basic Information says.」
「... Is that so?」
Brooke nodded, and the guild master gestured to his staff to go. The men were taken away, for interrogation, and they cursed at Yuri. But Brooke just covered Yuri"s ears, and Yuri tilted his head as he couldn"t hear anything.
The people around him asked 「How do you know」, 「Just how powerful is this Master Appraiser?」 But the guild master silenced them by saying 「He is Ari"s secret weapon」, and their faces lit up with enlightenment… Yuri might not know, but Ari was a famous Truth Appraiser. After all, his Magic Eye skill was at Level Max, and everyone in the capital knew of his fine skill.
Ari was very capable, which made people wonder why he was staying in a Clan specializing in nurturing newbies. If he wished, he could work as a Truth Appraiser for the royal family. But he turned it down, saying 「it"s too troublesome」.
After the couple removed their enslavement equipment, they thanked Yuri and returned to their homes. They were from a local garrison, and the bad guys invited them to join their team because of their capabilities and looks. The couple turned down the invitation, but they were tricked into putting on the enslavement equipment and brought to the capital. It was a terrible story.
Fortunately, they saved up some money on the journey here, and received compensation for this incident, and got to go home. They kept thanking Yuri, and promised they wouldn"t let out Yuri"s secret. It was impossible to seal the lips of everyone, but Ari felt that two was better than nothing.
There was more to this incident.
After witnessing Yuri"s amazing appraisal, the ones who got punished wanted to get back at Yuri, but no one could get near Yuri to harm him. But the strange thing was, no one was stopping them from doing so either.
Ari had this to say when he learns about this phenomena:
「He"s blessed by a lucky star, and can avoid any danger.」
No one would really believe that, but on second thought, Yuri never encounter anything dangerous either. He would make mistakes and get hurt from time to time, but nothing serious. All the people he knew were good and kind, which made others wonder if some powerful being was protecting Yuri. Hence, everyone accepted his explanation.
And so, with his luck ∞ stats, Yuri continued enjoying his slow life.
Volume 1 Special Chapter: Souvenirs from a Dungeon are Mushrooms from a Different World
Turning back the clock a little, to that time when the instructor Brooke brought Glacier and Lelei to a dungeon that was some distance away for a quest, and Yuri made sandwiches for them.
「Ahhhh! How boring!」
「You are annoying, Clay.」
「Why are you not bothered at all? You have to make one too!」
「Huh? I"m a vanguard, isn"t drawing the map Clay"s job?」
Glacier flung a stack of paper that was binded with thin ropes aside, and grumbled. He had been drawing the map of the dungeon, which was the basics for scouts and rear guards. Exploring the dungeons would be easier after making the map.
Lelei wasn"t bothered by Glacier"s grumbling at all. She was a vanguard, and sketching maps wasn"t her job. She had another job that took priority, which was looking out for monsters and protecting the scouts and letting the rearguard do their job… Normally, that would be true.
「Lelei.」
「Ehh!?」
Brooke called out her name coldly, which made Lelei shivered. She turned and saw Brooke narrowing his eyes. He was usually a calm and reliable big brother, but his tone had a hint of admonishment, which gave Lelei a bad feeling as she smiled stiffly.
She then heard the declaration from the devil.
「What did you think the purpose of this quest is? To train up your fundamentals. You have to draw a map too.」
「... Ughh, drawing maps are a pain, I don"t like it.」
「What"s the motto of the 《Scarlet Lynx》?」
「... Everyone has to learn the fundamentals of adventuring with no distinction between Jobs.」
「Then do it.」
「... Okay.」
She took a stack of note paper from Brooke dejectedly, then started sketching as she thought back. They were in the dungeon"s safe zone, which had spring water, was of an adequate size, had a fruit tree, and wouldn"t be invaded by monsters. It was a mysterious s.p.a.ce, and no one knew why such a place exist in dungeons.
This dungeon was called 「Newbie Training Grounds」.
The name might be too literal, but its function was just that. The entrance to the dungeon was a normal cave, but the interior would change a little after every visit. There would always be three or so levels, and wouldn"t be too big, taking about half a day to make a round trip from the deepest end. It would take more time to draw a perfect map, and fortunately, there was a town nearby where they could lodge in.
The simple layout made it suitable for beginners just starting out, and practice their skills before heading to the next dungeon. The level of the monsters here were low too, so newbies could earn some money as they trained. Another good point was the drop items and treasures here were all very practical.
Today, Brooke brought Glacier and Lelei to this dungeon to complete a fetch quest and learn to sketch a map. The basics of exploring dungeons, detect traps and defeating monsters could be learned in other dungeons, plains or forest, but making maps were different. This skill would get better with practice, and there was no point in wandering around in the same place.
And the ever changing dungeon of the 「Newbie Training Grounds」 solved this problem. The place wouldn"t change if someone was inside, but everyone just needed to leave and enter again for the layout to change. The structure, layout, monsters and environment would all change, so it was a good place to practice map drawing.
「So boring… So boring… So boring...」
「Clay, you are annoying.」
「I"m bad at drawing maps!」
「I know, I can"t draw and hate sketching them too, it can"t be helped!」
「This is a pain! Why can"t I get it right, d.a.m.n it.」
Glacier grumbled as he sketched desperately, since he knew it was an important task. Even though he knew, he wasn"t good at it, or rather, he found it annoying. Glacier had a good grasp of spatial distance, so he had the perfect map of the dungeon in his mind, including the alt.i.tude differences.
So he wouldn"t get lost even if he didn"t draw a map, his memory was better than the map on paper… And because he knew too much detail, his drawing became more complicated, and it took more effort for him to reproduce the map in his mind. In conclusion, he was really bad at drawing maps.
However, Glacier"s maps were very well received. Maps were important for zones like dungeons where monsters roamed, and the dungeon would keep evolving, so old maps would need to be updated. Hence, adventurers would sketch maps after diving through the dungeon, and sell it to the adventurer"s guild for some petty cash. There were some whose job, 「cartographer」, made them experts in map making, and they would travel around the world to draw accurate maps.
The 《Scarlet Lynx》 was a clan that specialized in training newbies.
The motto of the Clan had not changed since the First Captain founded it. The second person to take over the role of Captain, Ari, didn"t change the clan much either. No matter what Job the trainee had, be they vanguard or rearguard, they had to learn all the necessary skills for adventuring. From fighting, camping, cooking, foraging, and all other miscellaneous skills were all taught as part of a harsh training cycle… And everyone who left the Clan to become independent all realized how valuable these skills were.
They would avoid rookie mistakes, gather intel ahead of time, not act rashly, prepare enough resources, and not set off prematurely before gathering all the necessary team members. Even a vanguard could understand the features of a dungeon if they had the skills to sketch maps, understand where the nature of the traps and monsters were. So they would turn from newbies into adventurers who could take care of themselves. That was the kind of people the 《Scarlet Lynx》 want to nurture.
「Lelei, don"t sketch it so haphazardly, at least keep the distance uniform.」
「Even if I want to, I can"t remember the details that well, Brooke-nii!」
「Then at least draw the width and the length of the pa.s.sageway, that"s important.」
「Lelei, didn"t I tell you to gauge the distance by using your stride?」
「I can do that on the spot if you ask me, but I can"t remember now!」
Lelei cried exasperatedly, 「Clay"s head is too weird.」 Glacier retorted 「Whose head are you calling weird?」, but he didn"t stop moving his hands. Brooke said quietly as they watch their squabble.
「After the maps are done, let"s eat our 《Bento》.」
「「...!?」」
「It"s almost time for lunch… So hurry up with the map.」
「「Okay!」」
The two of them stopped grumbling and changed completely. When Brooke mentioned the 《Bento》, Glacier and Lelei became very serious, working hard for their reward. Brooke didn"t say anything more, since he knew why they were so full of drive.
They weren"t familiar with the culture of 《Bento》, they were just looking forward to the Bento sandwich that Yuri made for them today.
Adventurers would usually eat jerky and bread, and if they were lucky, they could eat some vegetables. If their campsite permits it, they could cook a meal. But some ingredients couldn"t be kept for long, and the taste was not guaranteed. The original plan was to settle their lunch with jerky and bread, and buy breakfast from a stall or peddler they ran across along the way. However, that plan changed because of the kindness of Yuri.
They were going to the kitchen to fill their flask, and never expect to find Yuri there with 《Bentos》 for them. Inside were three types of sandwiches with different ingredients. And the metal flasks had insulating properties, so the tea was still warm, making this a delectable meal. Glacier and Lelei were captivated by the sandwiches after one bite, and Brooke was surprised by how delicious the sandwiches were.
They didn"t even asked Yuri to prepare the Bento, and Yuri only said 「this is normal in my hometown.」 To him, making Bento for someone who had to leave early was normal, but that wasn"t so for Brooke and the others. But Yuri"s consideration made them really happy.
「Brooke-nii, I"m done!」
「This is the best map I"m capable of drawing right now!」
「Okay okay, don"t shout.」
Brooke tapped their head, took the maps they drew for checking later. After Brooke had checked them, he would hand them to Ari for evaluation. The training for map drawing was tedious, and unlike combat training or disarming traps, an expert like Ari needed to appraise it. After all, a map was meant for someone who had never been to the place to understand the layout, so it couldn"t be helped.
Lelei kept smacking Glacier"s shoulder who couldn"t wait anymore. She was a mixed blood between human and cat beastman, and despite looking like a cute frail girl, she was surprisingly strong… So for normal human like Glacier, and a Rogue at that, her slapping really hurts. It didn"t reduce his HP, but it still hurts.
「That hurts, Lelei, stop!」
「Hurry up, hurry!」
「Are you listening to me!?」
Glacier shouted at Lelei as he reached for a small magic bag on him, and took out a basket wrapped in a cloth… And Lelei s.n.a.t.c.hed it in a blink of an eye. Glacier looked at his empty hands and sighed, then took out two more bundles of Bento, and handed one to Brooke.
Lelei hastily undid the bundle and took out the basket and flasks, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the sandwiches in the basket… She possessed many characteristics of a cat, was very emotional and wore her feelings on her sleeves, expressing how she felt with her entire body. If she had cat ears and tail, she would be twitching her ears and wagging her tail.
「Dub a rub rub!」
She clapped her hands together, politely announcing that she was digging in. After Yuri lodged in the 《Scarlet Lynx》, everyone had grown used to offering thanks before and after a meal. This phrase was used to express thanks for the ingredients, but for the members on base, this was saying thanks to Yuri for making a sumptuous meal for them… Who"s calling him Mom? So what if he was a Mom? He was a great Mom who gave them delicious meals and a good night"s sleep.
Glacier and Brooke glanced at Lelei who had started eating, then clap their hands to say grace, and open their baskets. Glacier went for the sandwich, while Brooke took out the flask that was still warm and pour the tea into the cover that served as a cup… Yuri knew Brooke likes sweet things, so he added sugar and honey in it, while Glacier and Lelei"s tea only had sugar.
Back to Lelei...
「Yummy! Yummy!」
「... Talk after you swallow...」
Her cheeks puffed out from the food she stuffed in, she was really moved about eating such a delicious meal outside. The way she wolfed down the ham sandwich was unlady-like, but it suited her image and style… As the saying goes, girls who enjoy their food were healthy and charming… Huh? That wasn"t true?
Glacier ignored Lelei who wasn"t listening to them and started on his sandwich. He took a bite, and the fluffy white bread, mayonnaise and egg salad were simply delectable. Mayonnaise, this was mayonnaise! Glacier was so moved that he opened his eyes wide and continued eating without a word.
「Oh? Both types has mayonnaise?」
The most composed person was Brooke. He tried the ham sandwich and the egg salad, and was surprised that both types of sandwich had mayonnaise on it. He was calmer than the other two because he wasn"t that fascinated with mayonnaise. In comparison, Brooke preferred stronger seasoning like salt and pepper, and didn"t particularly like the sour taste of mayonnaise.
After eating quietly for a while, they really felt that it was a blissful thing that they could have such a nice meal in a dungeon. This might be a safe zone, but it was still inside a dungeon. After experiencing such bliss, it would be hard for them to eat their usual bread and jerky in the future, so they had to think of a way to overcome that.
「Ahh! I ate it all!」
「You are annoying, Lelei.」
「The egg salad sandwich and ham sandwich are gone, Clay...」
「Of course they are gone, you wolfed them all down… Why are you staring at my basket, idiot!」
Glacier noticed that Lelei was looking at his basket, and quickly shifts it to his other side, away from her. If he wasn"t careful, his sandwich would get taken. Lelei was more athletic and had better reflexes than him, so resistance was futile. In that case, he had to take measures to prevent his food from getting s.n.a.t.c.hed.
However, since Glacier had gone that far, Lelei made no attempt to rob him, and reached dejectedly for her basket. After drinking the warm tea and calming down, she picked up the jam sandwich. Yuri said this was meant to be dessert, and she obediently saved it for last.
After taking a bite, she savored her jam sandwich with a big smile. The filling was strawberry jam, and girls like sweet food, so Lelei really enjoyed it. She didn"t look like the depressed person who was lamenting that she finished her egg salad sandwich and ham sandwich, but let"s not tease her for now.
「Is the jam sandwich nice? What"s the difference from spreading jam on top of bread?」
「It"s completely different, Clay. With the top and bottom layer, the jam seeped into the bread and make it so soft!」
「... Oh right, it"s my fault for asking you to explain. Go on and eat your sandwich.」
「Yes!」
Glacier reflected on his actions, thinking 「Why did I even ask Lelei to give her feedback on the food? I"m r.e.t.a.r.ded.」 It was impossible for Lelei to express her opinion since she relied heavily on her instincts. It wasn"t to the extent of her becoming a musclehead, but she was bad at describing details, which was plain to see from her lack of talent at sketching maps.
Glacier decided to find out by eating himself, so after eating an egg salad sandwich and ham sandwich, he picked up a jam sandwich. After taking a bite, he understood why Lelei was so worked up. They usually spread jam on top of bread or toast, but jam sandwich was different. The bread clamped the jam tightly, and didn"t feel dry even after it was left alone for some time. Glacier felt it was absolutely delightful.
Glacier thought that Brooke who had a sweet tooth would love it, and looked his way… Glacier regretted doing that.
Brooke was tasting the jam sandwich with amazing concentration.
Glacier wondered if he had to be that serious, but didn"t say that out loud. Brooke looked imposing and was an excellent Swordsman, but he was also known for having a sweet tooth. So Glacier understood that Brooke must feel really happy that he could eat such a nice dessert in a dungeon. But who would have thought that instead of showing his joy on his face like Lelei, Brooke would concentrate so hard on eating, as if he was facing a demon king.
「... Yes, it"s really delicious...」
Glacier stated a fact softly. Delicious was justice, everyone was free to enjoy delicious food in their own way. Be it Lelei"s rowdy manners or Brooke"s quiet savouring, there probably wasn"t a right or wrong way.
After eating this unexpectedly blissful meal, they were troubled. Not about future meals in the dungeon, but something more practical; what souvenir should they get? Yuri made such a delicious Bento for them, so they wanted to buy a souvenir for them, but they couldn"t decide on what.
「Brooke-nii, we already told Yuri that we would buy ingredients back, what do you think he will like?」
「Don"t ask me, my cooking skills are terrible.」
「Me too.」
「Me three, I can only manage the basics.」
They were too excited when they saw the Bento as they were going out, and decided on buying back some rare ingredients. But they weren"t good at cooking, and only realized that Yuri might not like an ingredient just because it was rare. They wanted to repay him for the Bento, and were depressed since they couldn"t find a way.
They couldn"t think of anything after groaning for some time. They weren"t good at cooking, and Yuri"s selfless nature was tormenting them instead. It would be great if Yuri had something he liked, but the problem was, he didn"t like anything in particular.
What? He likes cute and pretty things? But that was still difficult without knowing his preferences. Even if they brought him to a store, he would probably say 「There"s no reason for you to buy anything for me」, and he would turn them down. It was a pain to imagine that.
At this moment, Lelei suddenly noticed something in the corner of the safe zone.
「...Hey, Clay.」
「What?」
「I think Yuri likes mushrooms?」
「That"s right, he actually likes everything… Lelei?」
「Brooke-nii, are those mushrooms edible!?」
Lelei pointed at the mushrooms in a corner of the safe zone and shouted. The mushrooms in dungeons were different from normal ones, and sprout out from the ground for seemingly no reason. Leaving that aside, they still looked like mushrooms.
「... Those are dungeon mushrooms.」
「That"s right. I think someone said that dungeon mushrooms are delicious?」
「Not just mushrooms, any ingredients foraged from dungeons taste great.」
「「......」」
The light returned to their eyes, as they turned their gazes to a new prey. At this moment, they had decided on a prey. Aside from their original foraging quest, they could collect all the mushrooms in the dungeon on the side. No, they did this side quest more fervently than their main quest.
「Yuri, we are back!」
「We are home!」
Glacier and Lelei charged into the living room energetically. They had returned to base after spending a night away. They also practice camping for this expedition and made camp on the way back to the capital, only returning in the next afternoon. They were hoping to make it for lunch, but it couldn"t be helped if they missed it.
Yuri was enjoying some leisure time after lunch, and was surprised by energetic duo who came back. He immediately greeted them with a warm smile.
「Welcome back, where"s Brooke-nii?」
「Brooke-nii wants to report to Ari-nii first.」
「Yuri, this is a souvenir!」
「Souvenir?」
「「That"s right!」」
Glacier was about to take something out from the magic bag… but he stopped himself. On second thought, they collected quite a lot, and there wasn"t enough s.p.a.ce in the living room… Some people might retort 「Aren"t you going overboard?」, but that was how moved they were by the sandwich Bento.
「...Yuri, let"s go to the kitchen, there"s too many.」
「Hmm? That many? I actually don"t need any souvenirs.」
「It"s fine, it"s fine! Just take a look first!」
In the end, Lelei pushed Yuri to the kitchen, and Glacier followed too. The four apprentices felt something interesting was happening, and followed them to the kitchen. There were other members in the living room, but they weren"t interested, continuing to sip on their tea as they watched them leave.
After that, a mountain of mushrooms appeared on the kitchen"s counter, which made Yuri stand stiffly on the spot. It was only natural, since the mushrooms were much bigger than normal, and looked really high cla.s.s too.
「Ehh, what"s with the mushrooms? Did you buy them?」
「We didn"t! We foraged them!」
「Forage?」
Yuri looked baffled, so Glacier started to explain. Lelei"s explanation was too vague, so Glacier just said 「You are annoying」 and shut her up, then shoved the magic bag to her. Lelei reluctantly unload the mushrooms onto the kitchen counter. When Lelei spoke, she tends to get affected by her emotions, which messed up her explanation..
「Yuri, these are dungeon mushrooms. Anything with the prefix 『dungeon』 are foraged from a dungeon.」
「There are ingredients in dungeons?」
「Yes, there are some quests to forage for herbs, right? Aside from those, there are ingredients too.」
「Oh! So these are mushrooms from a dungeon?」
Yuri poked at the large mushroom and smiled. He quietly appraised it with his 【G.o.d Eye】, and the screen said 「tastier than normal mushrooms」. They picked a wide variety of mushrooms too, ingredients from dungeons sure were amazing.
After learning that the mushrooms were edible and tasty, there was only one thing that Yuri could do. He thought gleefully about what dishes he could cook with mushrooms… Bringing ingredients back as a souvenir = Yuri will cook = Yuri"s workload increased. But no one thought about it that way. This makes Yuri happy, so choosing ingredients as a souvenir wasn"t wrong.
「I will use these mushrooms to make tonight"s dinner!」
「I"m looking forward to it.」
「Thank you, Yuri.」
No one teased Yuri who was all smiles over the mushrooms, which had turned into a mountain of delicacies in their eyes. Their hearts were filled with expectations, wondering what kind of dishes Yuri would make with these mushrooms… Even though they just had lunch.
And so, Yuri stayed in the kitchen and racked his brain on how to cook these mushrooms for dinner, and Magu who was in charge of cooking tonight got dragged in too. Yuri was too happy, so no one thought about Yuri"s increased workload. To be honest, everyone was true to their desire for delicious food, and looked forward to a sumptuous meal.
And as expected, tonight"s dinner was a mushroom feast.
Yuri"s meal today was different from usual. Instead of one portion for each person, all sort of dishes were laid out on the table, free for everyone to take. Fights broke out everywhere, since the dishes were first come first serve, leaving no room for mercy. Except the soup which was served individually.
「The taste seems deeper than normal mushroom.」
Yuri smiled as he chewed on a mushroom mayonnaise. Yuri chopped off the ends of the mushroom, spread mayonnaise on the inside of the mushroom, and baked it in an oven. This simple dish was unexpectedly tasty, and the fats of the mayonnaise would seep into the mushroom. The slightly burned mayonnaise tastes great too.
Yuri didn"t have to fight for his share. When Yuri reached for any dishes, the others would give him some s.p.a.ce. Yuri was the one who cooked the dishes, so the members were very considerate towards him… No, they were just afraid that he would stop cooking if they made Yuri mad.
「Yuri, Yuri, this spaghetti is awesome!」
「Really? Yak, you are eating the cream soy sauce flavored spaghetti.」
「Yes! I also tried the one with white sauce! They are awesome too!」
「I"m glad you like them.」
Talking wasted some time, but Yak wanted to convey his message to Yuri too. In this situation, he chose to stuff the spaghetti into his mouth, then spoke as he swallowed.
Right now, Yak was eating 「Cream and Soy Sauce Mushroom Spaghetti」, which had Enoki mushroom, Maitake mushroom and King Oyster mushroom. Yuri cut them into adequate sizes. He split the Enoki mushroom in half after removing the bottom, tore the Maitake mushroom into bite size, and sliced the King Oyster mushroom. It was a simple dish, but the excellent taste of mushrooms made it a top notch delicacy.
The 「White sauce Spaghetti」 Yak mentioned made use of large quant.i.ties of White Beech mushrooms and b.u.t.ton mushrooms. Yuri added bacon and onions to give it more depth too. The mushroom and the thick White sauce brings out its taste even more, turning it into a delightful dish. However, White sauce was very filling, so those with limited appet.i.tes had to eat in moderation.
The last Spaghetti dish made use of sliced b.u.t.ton mushrooms, Maitake mushroom torn into bite size, and were stirred together with a plain soy sauce stock, creating a simple soy sauce Spaghetti. Cream Soy Sauce and White sauce were very filling, so he made a simple j.a.panese style Spaghetti too. The Spaghetti absorbed the essence of the mushrooms and stock, and were wildly popular too.
「This King Oyster mushroom seems to go well with beer.」
「It"s fine to eat it that way too.」
「Yes.」
Ari was quietly eating 「lemon vinegar mixed with King Oyster mushroom」. After grilling the King Oyster mushroom, Yuri tore them with his hands, then mixed it with lemon vinegar, a simple dish. Some might prefer to cut it before grilling, but tearing the King Oyster mushroom with your hands gave it a texture different from knife cut ones, so Yuri opted for that. The thinly torn King Oyster mushroom taste great after mixing it with lemon vinegar.
Yuri made the lemon vinegar himself too. There wasn"t any tangerine vinegar here, so he used soy sauce, stock, vinegar and lemon to create something similar. Yuri thought about making pomelo vinegar if he could get his hands on some. The girlish boy was the same as usual today.
「This stock is yummy...」
Jake said with a bowl of soup in his hands, and looked really blissful. Yuri added all sorts of mushrooms (and nothing else) into this 「Mushroom soup」, which filled Jake who likes plain tasting dishes with happiness. The soup was overwhelming with the essence of mushrooms, and Yuri seasoned it with just a little salt and soy sauce, which showed how delicious the dungeon mushrooms were.
「All the mushrooms taste great.」
Frau was eating 「Marinated double mushrooms」. After grilling the White Beech mushrooms and Maitake mushroom, they were marinated in a sauce and kept in a fridge for a few hours. It was a little tedious to make, and the sauce used soy sauce, wine, lemon juice and kelp. Yuri wanted to use miso, but had to make compromises since he couldn"t find any. However, he was very fixated on the basics of seasoning, and hopes to buy miso one day.
Frau ate the Marinated double mushrooms as she drank beer. She wasn"t tipsy despite drinking quite a bit. Yuri made a mental note that Frau drinks like a whale. A proper adult doesn"t get drunk when they drink.
「Hey, do you think this will taste good in a sandwich?」
「You are a genius, Clay! I want to try!」
「Okay!」
Glacier mumbled as he looked at the dishes, and Lelei was eager to try. They rushed to the kitchen to get bread, which made some people turn to watch them. They paid it no mind, and spread the filling on the sliced bread (they didn"t cut away the crust as that was a ha.s.sle).
This dish was 「Mushroom with egg」, after frying Enoki mushroom, b.u.t.ton mushroom and Maitake mushroom with b.u.t.ter, pepper was added for seasoning, and an egg was added in to cook until it was tender. The b.u.t.ter and pepper had a strong taste, so it goes well with rice, which gave them the idea of eating it with bread.
They tried eating the sandwich...
「Super yummy!」
「It taste great!」
Glacier and Lelei savoured the Mushroom Egg Sandwich, and Yak took action. He quickly scoop some Egg Mushroom into his plate and rushed for the bread. Urgus and Kamir was right behind him. The apprentices spread the filling onto the bread, and shout 「delicious」 as they ate. It was great that everyone had a good time dining.
Of them all, only Magu was eating in silence. Magu had always been a quiet boy, so that didn"t surprise anyone, but the issue was, he kept eating the same dish.
「...Magu, don"t just eat the rice, you have to eat some vegetables too.」
「............ Okay.」
「You hesitated for too long! You will definitely not eat another dish before you stuff yourself, right!?」
Yuri admonished him without any hint of anger, so Magu wasn"t bothered and continued eating his rice. This 「Double Mushroom Rice」 was made by adding a generous amount of Matsutake and White Beech mushrooms, because Yuri decided based on his own biases that 「Jambalaya must have Matsutake」.
Aside from Matsutake, he also added White Beech mushrooms because he heard the saying 「Mesmerizing fragrance of Matsutake, alluring taste of White Beech mushrooms」. The fragrant Matsutake was appetizing, but the White Beech mushrooms was alluring too. And since there was less Matsutake than the other mushrooms, so he added White Beech mushrooms to increase the quant.i.ty of the Double Mushroom Rice.
Magu was very fond of this Double Mushroom Rice, and the reason was simple. The essence of the mushrooms was delicious, and the rice was cooked with stock. Magu loved the delicious taste of the mushrooms and the stock. As a result, one third of the contents inside the base"s industrial rice cooker ended up in Magu"s stomach. He didn"t try the other dishes, but this was too bizarre, which made others worry about his stomach.
「It"s fine, Yuri, just let him be.」
「... Brooke-nii too, you are just eating the 『Meat Roll Enoki mushroom』?」
「Because it tastes good.」
「... I see.」
Brooke brushed aside Yuri"s accusation, and bites into the Meat Roll Enoki mushroom on his plate. Thinly sliced Orc meat sprinkled with pepper were used to roll up the Enoki mushrooms, then fried in a pan. After it was a little burnt, soy sauce, wine, sugar were added to mimic teriyaki sauce, and cooked until it was done. There were more Enoki mushroom than meat for this dish, but the sweet and salty taste stimulate one"s appet.i.te, making it popular with the boys… However, there wasn"t any miso, so Yuri wasn"t really satisfied with how it turned out.
However, he felt there should be some meat, so he made this to complement the other dishes. But it was very well received, and the hungry children were all fighting over it.
「If there are so many dishes, we will end up eating the one that I prefer.」
Tiffana smiled gently, her warm smile was as beautiful as ever. She might be scary when she got mad, but luckily, Yuri had not angered her so far.
Tiffana was eating 「Mushroom salad」, which was fried mushrooms with lettuce. After frying bacon with all sorts of mushrooms and seasoning it with salt and pepper, the entire pot was dumped on lettuce shreds, together with the oil. The seasoning was just pepper and salt, and the lettuce turned soft after being mixed with the warm fried mushrooms, making it easier to eat. As the lettuce wasn"t fried, it retained its crunchy texture.
「... Is that why Tiffannee is only eating that?」
「It"s tasty.」
「I"m glad that you like it.」
Tiffana didn"t hog the dish like Magu, so Yuri let it slide. She can eat a bit more if she likes that dish. Being easy going was Yuri"s strong point, but it could be a bad trait at times though.
Yuri tried all the dishes. He really likes Mushroom dishes, and he made them all because he wants to eat them, so he didn"t pa.s.s on any of them. Even if he made a lot, with the numbers here, the dishes would still get gobbled up, so there wouldn"t be any food wastage. A perfect plan… Yuri was not suited to living alone, since a meal for one was hard to prepare.
「Yuri, thank you for making such a delicious meal!」
「I should be thanking you for bringing back such tasty mushrooms, Clay.」
「If we can eat such a delicious meal just by bringing souvenirs back, then it"s a great deal for us.」
Yuri smiled back at Glacier who had thanked him for the upteenth times, and brushed it off as just a trivial matter. Making Bento was no trouble for Yuri, and was just the natural thing to do. So he didn"t think they would be so happy, and even went out of the way to bring ingredients back from the dungeon.
On the other hand, this also meant that Glacier and the others were so happy that they wanted to return the favor. Yuri didn"t know how simple a meal they ate when they were out, so he didn"t understand why they were so moved by the sandwich Bento. And he probably would never understand.
But since they were so happy, Yuri gratefully accepted the good will of Glacier and the others and decided to cook something special for them next time. He was happy that his actions made others happy… The girlish boy was glad to be of help, and was determined to make a more proper Bento in the future.
From then on, there was a new custom in the 《Scarlet Lynx》. Members who went on an expedition would bring some ingredients back as a souvenir.