315 - - Episode 313 Feels Good

It was almost like a willful act, but I was able to enter Beryl's Jewel without incident. It helped that the cool-beauty Romina made me relax with a big smile, which I didn't expect.

"Taro-sama. Romina is sorry."

"Like I said before, don't worry about it. As I said before, don't worry about it. I decided to have a drink here on the spur of the moment and I don't know what to say. I'm glad you laughed.

"Oh, you can talk about whatever you like. I don't want you to make a big deal out of it, but this is a place to have a good drink, so please talk about whatever you want to talk about, Taro-sama."

"Really?"

"Yes. Yes, sir.

What he's saying is different from the manager of that clothing store......Oh, well, that manager had never had a drink at Beryl's Jewelry before either. Maybe he was talking about his ...... own imaginary image of beryl jewelry. .......

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly I'm in a headlock, and Chris calls out to me in a concerned tone. I'm going to check with the beryl jewelry lady about the traditions of this store, which I've learned from the manager of the clothing store.

"......What the manager of the clothing store told me is neither correct nor incorrect. It is not a rule of this store, but since the customers are people of status, there is inevitably a lot of talk about politics, economics, and so on. So it may be natural for customers to talk about such things.

Oh, I see. Men tend to brag a lot when they drink. And then they want to look cool with girls, so they talk about their achievements in politics and economics to show off their greatness. And to understand their stories, girls study politics and economics. Maybe that's how Beryl's Jewelry was born. Okay, it's easier if we don't have to talk about anything complicated. Let's talk about whatever you want to talk about.

........................

"Yes!　That's how I got my fortune!　That's when I got the jewelry I'm wearing now."

"Taro-sama, you're amazing."

"That's so cool."

I'm nice and drunk, and I'm talking a little bit about what I've experienced so far that I don't feel comfortable talking about. Chris and Romina were good listeners, and I think I told them some things that I shouldn't have told them, but I didn't tell them anything related to the spirits, so I should be fine.

Yes, I was nervous at first, but it's fun to have a beautiful woman smile and listen to me brag about myself. Need for approval, right?　And being a woman from a prestigious club, she seems to know a lot about the adventurers' stories and is able to draw them out. I could understand how the old men in the world feel when they brag about their adventures to the ladies at the bar.

Besides, as expected of the best club in the city, all the drinks they serve are delicious. I'm going to drink too much and become even lighter. I'll be careful.

**

I thought I was supposed to be careful. ....... If I recall my memory of last night, I think I was talking pretty close to the edge. Well, it's a drinking party, Chris and Romina won't take it seriously, will they?

I had a good time at ......, the best club in King's Landing. Chris and Romina are good talkers and listeners, and the drinks, snacks and fruits are delicious. I was back to my face for a moment when I paid the bill, but it was not so bad considering that it was an occasional luxury. I will visit Chris and Romina again.

After that, we went to a high-class s*x store and did what we wanted to do. It was an expensive place with good service and fun, but I might have preferred a place where size is justice and a lot of things are planned.

"Sir, I've been waiting for you!"

When I arrived at the slum, thinking about yesterday, I found the man who had been my contact yesterday waiting for me. Was something wrong again?　I'm leaving today, so I can't get into trouble, okay?

"I'm dressed like this now, and I'm not sure I want to be called a teacher. ......"

"Hmm, what should I call you then?"

"............ For now, please call me Taro."

"Okay. Then I'll call you Taro's brother."

......That's a big difference from Ruby and the others calling me Yuta's brother. To be honest, I don't like it. I'll try to persuade them to call me Taro-san. Why do you insist on calling him "big brother"?

So why are you waiting for me?

"Jude's brother is waiting for me with a group of sisters who can cook, and he asked me to show them around when Taro-san arrives."

I see, they were preparing for me like I told you yesterday. If there was no one to process eels, I would not be able to teach them properly, so I am grateful. The liaison takes us to Mr. Brust's house.

Mr. Jude has lent us the kitchen of Mr. Brust's house because he often cooks for a large group of people and has all the tools. I don't think it's a good idea to cook at my boss's house, but I'm grateful for his kindness in preparing the food.

"So, you cook eels, right?　Are eels really tasty?　It has a lot of bones, smells muddy, looks bad, and doesn't taste very good, does it?"

"The eels I had were delicious. I think the problem is how to handle them and how to remove the mud.

I don't know about you, but I think the smell of freshwater fish is like that.

"Is that so?"

The liaison is constantly tilting his head. As for me, my knowledge is based on a hazy memory of a gourmet cartoon, but I think it will be all right as long as I can cook it well. Whether or not eels will spread depends on the chefs that Jude has gathered.

****

"Mr. Blast, thank you for lending us your space. Mr. Jude was also very helpful in gathering people to cook for us.

When we arrived at Mr. Blast's house and were shown to the kitchen, Mr. Blast was already there waiting for us. I wondered if it was okay for him to be my boss.　At any rate, I thanked him and asked him for a favor, since he seemed to suddenly start talking about being a teacher.

"What, I heard it's a tasty way to eat eels. If it's true, the slum will benefit from it. I'm looking forward to it!

"Ha, well, I'll do my best."

After saying hello to Mr. Brust and Mr. Jude, we head to the boys who caught the eels for us.

"Hey, did you catch the eels?"

"Yes, we've set more traps, so we've caught quite a few. They are in these barrels.

The leader boy takes off the lid of the barrel and shows us what's inside. Oh, there are quite a few eels in the barrel. It's the long-awaited eel, but it's ...... weird.

"That's a lot of eels. How many did you catch?"

Let's see, the barrel over there is the one I caught as soon as I heard about it, and there are eight of them. The middle barrel is the one I caught yesterday. This barrel contains forty-six. I've kept them all alive by changing the water frequently as you told me.

Wow, that's a lot more than I thought. Eighty-eight eels in all. ...... Is it so easy to catch eels if they are not popular?　At any rate, I will check the eight eels I plan to use today.

...... phew, turns out you can't be a connoisseur of eels by looking at them. Well, I guess it doesn't matter since they are moving around in clean water. Let's cook these eight eels.

"Yes, thank you. That's what I wanted. Did you get paid yet?"

I call out to the boy, who looks a little anxious.

I haven't gotten it yet. He said he would get it after his brother's confirmation."

"Well, Mr. Jude, please give them their reward. I would appreciate it if you could give it to me in detail if possible.

"I have it all ready for you. Then I will pay you.

Mr. Jude pays 88,000 elts to the kids and gives me 12,000 elts. I could give him 12,000 elts as a bonus, but I don't want to because Mr. Jude will probably stop me. The kids get 88,000 elts and are very excited.

"Mr. Jude, won't they be in danger with the money?"

"Don't worry. They understand that it is not safe for them to have anything of value. They will leave everything but the money they need for the time being in this house.

I thought slums were a lawless area, but once you get inside, you'll find that people are helping each other out quite a bit. Now that we've paid our bills, it's time to start on the eels. Jude introduces us to the women who will cook for us.

Five in all. Four aunties ...... and in the center of the group is Mr. Blast's daughter ......, um, Ellen. Her expression seems to be a little brighter, perhaps because she has less to worry about. Well, I guess she must have been a bit worried about Mr. Blast getting cut and stabbed yesterday. .......

"Now, I'm going to teach you all how to handle eels. One thing to keep in mind is that you should refrain from handling eels if you have an injury on your hand. Eel blood is poisonous, so please do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with blood-covered hands.

The ladies of Obacha ...... reply to the warning that there is no problem. It is reassuring to know that many of the women seem to have some guts. Somehow I get the feeling that they are the wives of someone who has a position in the slum, and who is also taking their husbands' backs.

...... makes me sad, so I'd better get ready for now. I take out from my magic bag the necessary tools to process eels that I bought yesterday and put them in order. I only have an iron skewer, a wooden cutting board, and a hammer.

"Well, you don't have to use a new cutting board, we have one right there. And do you use a hammer for cooking?

Yes, we use those skewers to stop the head of the eel so that it doesn't move. The hammer is used to drive the skewer in.

Ellen-san tells us how to do it, but it would be awkward to use something from someone's house since we would have to make a hole with an iron skewer. I'll have you use the cutting board I've prepared for you.

"Okay, let me explain the procedure. First, we'll start with the eels. ............"

Share your cartoon knowledge with the ladies in as much detail as possible. I thought about whether to open the fish from the back or the belly, but I couldn't decide which was better, so I taught them both and let them choose the way that was easier for them. Now I need to remove the liver and the meso-bone, but I don't know the details, so let's hope the ladies are good at that.

"Well, I'm sorry to be so vague, but here's what I'm going to do. Do you have any questions?"

"You never know until you try. I'll ask you questions as I go along, okay?"

The one with the most dignity among the women spoke up. That's fair enough.

"Okay. Then let's begin. First, put the eel on the cutting board and strike the skewer on its head.

The women start to move at my word. They grab an eel from the barrel and put it on the chopping board with a thud. The eels are flopping and thrashing about. They are full of energy.

I remember reading that you have to cool the eels in ice water before processing them. ...... I have some ice made by Dine in my magic bag, but it seems to be hard to get in a slum, so I'll just let her get used to it. Good luck.