167 - - 165 in the atmosphere.

Last night, after the crazy aristocrats left, I had an early dinner and played with Belle and her friends for a while before going to bed. I have to get up early because Mr. Toruku is going to cook a lot of food for us.

"Sorry to wake you up so early, Mr. Sebas.

No problem. Have a safe trip.

Mr. Sebas sends me off with a neat bow. I told him I was leaving early in the morning, and he came out to see me off. I feel sorry for him.

"Well, I'm off."

Mr. Sebas sees me off and we head for Mr. Toruku's inn. Even though I went to bed early, I could not wake up easily, probably because I usually go to bed at that time. Kikka, for example, seems to fall asleep while walking. Marco is anxiously walking with Kikka by his hand. Maybe I should have let Marco and Kikka sleep.

The only ones who are in good spirits are Sara, who is a little excited because she is going to see a lot of cooking and will be able to learn how to cook the next time she stays at Toruku's inn, and the spirits, who are always awake and ready to go. Belle and the others are especially excited, perhaps because it is unusual for them to be in the labyrinth city early in the morning. Their eyes light up when they see the stalls being prepared.

It's light in the twilight, but there are already people setting up food stalls, probably targeting those who have to work early in the morning, surprisingly early in the morning in the Labyrinth City. We arrive at the inn, listening to the reports of Bell and the others who are in a good mood after discovering a stall they don't know.

"Mr. Toruku. I'm Yuta, good morning.

I knock on the door from the back and call Mr. Toruku. He must have stayed up all night as Martha said, because he can hear the sound of work from the kitchen. The sound from the kitchen stops and the back door opens with the sound of footsteps.

"You're here!　Come on in, thanks for turning out the good food!"

Mr. Torque, with a big smile on his face and an air of contentment, invites us inside. A big smile from a scary-looking person is quite scary. Kikka seems to have woken up. I've heard that there is a pattern that scary-looking people look cute when they smile, but I haven't seen it so far.　

"No, I'm sorry to ask on such short notice. You stayed up all night, didn't you?"

"Don't worry about it. With all that food I couldn't sleep and Martha forgave me. It's great to be able to cook without worrying!　I appreciate it."

The part about Martha's forgiveness was the most powerful. I guess that's the important part.

"Thank you for saying that. How is the cooking going?

"Well, most of the things that can be made in advance are ready. Of course I made ketchup and meat sauce. All I have to do now is to finish the baked and fried dishes. But it's a lot of food, so the first batch will inevitably get cold. Are you all right?"

......I knew it. It would be rude to say that there is no problem even if the food gets cold, so let's lie in a way that it won't be a problem.

"Yes, my magic bag is special and I can keep it for a while. Please don't tell anyone.

I say this and surprise appears on Mr. Torque's face. I didn't say anything about stopping time, but he is surprised.

"I see...belonging to the man who slays the fire dragon, it's not hard to see why. But a bag of time-related magic is the property of the state or the guild. All right, I'll keep it to myself. People will be very upset."

They understood that it was a magic bag with time-related effects. That's what I'd expect from a former adventurer.

"Well then, please accept the finished product first. You have prepared the pots and dishes, right?

Yes, I bought everything yesterday.

He takes out pots and pans and dishes from his magic bag and lays them out on the desk. I bought so many that I should be able to empty Mr. Torque's refrigerator of pride and joy. I transfer the food that Mr. Toruku has prepared into the pots and dishes and store them in the magic bag.

There are three kinds of regular soups alone, as well as magma fish and wyvern soups and stews. Belle and the others are looking into the pots and pans and getting excited, and it looks like we're going to have a good time eating in the land of the dead.

"That's all we have left to make. Next are the baked and fried dishes. I'm making them now!

Says Mr. Torque with a scary smile. He must really like cooking, his good mood oozing out.

"Oh, Mr. Torque, would you mind if I let this girl take a closer look at your cooking?

"Hmm?　Oh, I heard from Martha that you want to learn how to cook. Yes, that's fine. I can teach you how to cook in the morning, so the next time you stay here, you can come to the kitchen in the morning.

Mr. Toruku says, patting Sarah's head with his big hand.

"Thank you very much."

Sarah thanks him happily. Mr. Toruku, you are a very patient adult. You've got a son after all. I'm a little jealous.

"Let's start with what I'm used to making.

Don!　A heaping pile of oak meat chunks and sliced garlic is prepared. I like garlic, but I'm worried about the smell when it's piled up like that.

The dishes are prepared one after another, as if the menu is something they are accustomed to making. Every time Sara says, "Mr. Toruku is great!", his cooking skill seems to improve. ...... Is Mr. Toruku perhaps buoyed by Sara's praise?

I guess she likes children because she used to share food with orphans, but I guess she was scared of them because of their appearance. I was a little scared when I first met him. Especially if they were kids. It made me feel a bit warm.

"Okay, now we're going to fry them. We'll fry the orcs and the ruffbirds. Stay away from the oil.

Mr. Toruku moves Sara away and prepares the oil. Yes, I wanted to ask you something.

"Mr. Torque, where do you get your eggs?　I want eggs, too, but I couldn't find any even in the layer where the roughbirds appear."

I thought there would be big eggs because of the chicken-like roughbirds, but I couldn't find any. I would be excited if I could get something like an ostrich egg.

"Eggs, you can't get roughbirds' eggs in the labyrinth. If you want them, you have to go to the place where the roughbirds are. Regular eggs are brought in early in the morning from the village where they raise chickens, but you have to order them before you can get them.

Eggs are made to order. ...... No wonder you can't find them at the market. But why do they have to be ordered?

"I want to get a large quantity of eggs, where can I order them?"

"If you want to get large quantities, you should go directly to the village. It's more expensive to split the cost of bringing it in, and you won't be able to get as much because of the other stores that will be bringing in their own supplies.

I see, I'll ask him where the village is located and go there to buy directly. I'll also negotiate with them to sell me a bird that lays eggs. Rough birds may not be possible, but we can keep ordinary birds. The spirit of life does not have to be a wild animal.

If we can get Dolly to grow plants that the bird eats, it will eat on its own and we can make it easy for it. If it's an easy bird, we'll be glad to have it.

Can you tell me where the village is?

"It's the closest village to the labyrinth city, so if you walk along the road from the main gate, you can get there in about an hour. Didn't you go through it when you came to the labyrinth city?"

...... I see. I didn't realize that as I was flying in. The village where we bought the tomatoes was in the opposite direction. ......

"...... I see. I was coming directly to the labyrinth city, so I didn't notice."

"Well, well, there's a labyrinth city right in front of us. Well, we have a labyrinth city right in front of us. You've seen the village before, so why don't you go there?

I don't remember seeing a village, but if you just follow the road, you'll be fine.

Okay, thank you very much.

Let's stop by the village before returning to the land of the dead. Hopefully we can buy a lot. Thanks to Mr. Toruku for stopping by, but I got some good information.

**

The crispy fried oak and rough bird cutlets are placed on a metal net in front of you. The color is perfect.

"Yuta, is that good?　Is it good?" cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu.

Belle and Fuchu are fascinated by fried food. They are hurriedly moving around in the kitchen, asking me how they like it and looking at the fried food. They can't wait to try it. He nods his head to Bell and the others who have come to ask about the food.

When I came to check on you at the inn, you were very popular. It looks so delicious!

Sylphy also seems to be interested in fried food. If she likes it, she will have more chances to sit around the table with the Great Spirits. I'm looking forward to it.　

But I'm also impressed by Mr. Toruku's attention to detail. The recipe calls for a metal mesh to cut the oil, but Mr. Toruku asked a blacksmith to make it for him. Maybe I can get Mel or Nomos to make one for me too.　...... I'll have Mr. Torque make a lot of fries for me, since it's too much trouble to deep-fry them by myself.

"I made a lot of improvements based on the recipe Yuta gave me. Let's see how it tastes.

Mr. Toruku sprinkles salt on the greased oak cutlet and slices it into pieces, and places it in front of Sara and me. I'm supposed to eat it. It hurts me ...... to see Bel and the others glued to the pork cutlet in front of me, and I'm the only one who eats it.

But I can't stop myself from eating it, so I pick up a piece and put it in my mouth. The crispy batter, the elastic meat, and the hot, tender, fatty oak meat mingle in my mouth, and the aroma of garlic fills my mouth. It is so delicious that you don't care how bad your breath will be the next day.

I guess they seasoned the meat with grated garlic. Toruk's obsession with garlic is unwavering. But it tastes so good. It looks like a man's meal, but I wonder if the female customers won't mind.　Martha laughed when she said the restaurant was thriving, so I guess it's okay.

The stares from Belle and the others were painful, but I had to say what I thought first. "It's delicious," "Wow, I love this so much," "It's delicious."...... I guess Sarah and the others beat me to it. Marco likes it so much he can't speak a word of it. I don't know why he went one-track mind, but it must have been a big shock to him.

"It's very tasty, Torque! It's fried perfectly and the garlic flavor is delicious."

Mr. Toruku gives a manly smile at my words. This makes me want to eat mille-feuille cutlets and cheese cutlets, too. I wonder which part of the fillet is the fillet of the ...... orc?

If I order now, I'm afraid I'll stay up all night again today, so I'll write down the recipe and give it to Martha later. She will give me a note when she sees how Toruku is feeling.

We put the greased oak cutlets in the fridge and go outside with the spirits, saying no to Mr. Toruku. I can't keep my spirit any longer if I let Belle and the others keep the pork cutlets for me.

（Just a little taste, guys. You'll have plenty to eat when we get back to the house. Sylphie! Cut this pork cutlet into portions!)

Two plates of oak cutlets were placed in front of Sylphy, and she quickly cut them into pieces with the wind.

（Yes, one slice for each of you.)

When I presented the plates, Belle and Fuchu and the others rushed in. I guess they couldn't wait.

"Yummy!" "Queue!" "First time tasting it!" "Koo-koo!" "Ho!" "Puggah!"

"Mmm, it's delicious. I'm sure Deanne and the others will love it."

The spirits seemed to like it. Sylphy even endorsed the dish for Dine and the others. The looks on their faces say that they want more, but I'm afraid there's no end to what they can eat, so I'll just have to ask them to be patient.

We still have magma fish and wyverns to cook, and more dishes to look forward to.