449 - - Art. 447 The Adventurer's Fire

I became a hero to the children by bringing a roasted wild boar to the star of Steele, but when Mr. Viktor and his friends proposed a banquet, I quickly made a strategic retreat and escaped from the clan house and the royal capital. Tonight we are having a wild boar roast and mushroom party in the forest.

"Yutaa, maruyaki, queue, tanashimi, kuku, kuku, kuukku, kuukku, kuukku!" ......"

"Master!　You're going to eat the maruyaki, aren't you!"

"I'll have a kikka too!"

Sylphy takes us to a slightly open area deep in the forest that has not been touched by humans, and as soon as we arrive, the little ones start to make a lot of noise.

Belle, Fuchu, Marco and Kikka, and Gina and Sara, who were not making a fuss but looked happy, all seemed to be looking forward to the whole roast.

But, Belle... The way you say it makes it sound like I'm being roasted whole, so please don't say it like that.

"I know you want to eat them right away, but I'm making a mushroom dish too, so you'll have to wait a little longer. Natural mushrooms are delicious."

The little ones are happy to hear me say that it's delicious, but Gina says it's natural?　I'm tilting my head. Come to think of it, are mushrooms farmed in this world?　Are all mushrooms natural?

...... Well, don't think too hard. Suffice it to say that the mushrooms of the Great Forest are delicious. Now, the first thing to do is to prepare the mushrooms.

I take out the natural mushrooms with a thud and the little ones gather around, curious to see what's going on. Gina and the others are curious too, and I feel like my hard work has paid off. Well, the first half of the mushroom hunt was a piece of cake, but the second half was not.

Anyway, ...... well, how do I prepare natural mushrooms ......?　I've never prepared natural mushrooms before, so I don't even know if it's okay to rinse the whole thing in water.

"...... Dolly. Do you know how to prep mushrooms?"

"I'm not sure about the preparation. But I do know that mushrooms can have insects in them."

Bugs or ...... bugs are a problem. I know there are cultures that eat bugs, but I'd rather not.

"We wash them and soak them in salted water. But it takes a long time, so it's better to have Raine wash them clean."

When I was in trouble, Sylphy easily came up with a solution. She was supposed to be a wind spirit that had nothing to do with mushrooms, but I guess a curious mind knows a lot of things.

"Thank you Sylphy. Rain, come here for a minute.

"Cue."

Rain comes in with a big smile on his face. He was the first one to secure the boar today, and he seems to be full of energy. And he's cute.

Rain. I need you to wash these mushrooms for me. I heard that there are dirt and insects in the crevices of the folds, so it's going to take a bit of time and effort.

"Cue cue!"

Rain makes a salute with his right flipper. He still remembered to salute. But I'm sorry. It's a bit of a black mark against me, so I can't ride as loud as I used to. Back then I was ...... a little bit broken in the land of the dead.

（Le, Agent Lane. ...... I'm going to wash every inch of this mushroom clean and whole!)

So please don't whisper.

"Cu?　Cue cue!"

Raine tilted his head to the side, wondering why he was whispering, but seemed to think it was okay and saluted me cheerfully. I was glad that she agreed without thinking too much.

"Kyu!"

After the salute, Rain created a water ball that enveloped the mushroom pile. The water sphere began to spin around and around, and the small particles of dirt floated up from the mushrooms.

The water ball started to vibrate. This is just like the way you clean off the dirt from the roots of vegetables when you harvest them. I have a feeling that this will clean every nook and cranny.

"Cue!"

Rain is looking at me and saying something to me. Well, I can understand this perfectly without the help of Bell and the others. I guess we need a table to put the washed mushrooms on.

I take out a table and Rain puts the washed mushrooms on it. It seems that the excess water on the surface of the mushrooms has been removed, and the shiny, glossy mushrooms are saying hello. They look delicious just by looking at them.

"Rain. Thank you."

"Cue cue."

I pat Rain, who looks like he did a great job, and praise him a lot. Rain is a big player today. After praising Rain sufficiently, I resume the preparation.

"Master! Let me help you!

"Master. I will help you."

Gina and Sarah are going to help. Come to think of it, it's been a while since we cooked together. I'm starting to enjoy it.

"Thank you. First of all, can you remove the pebbles and other inedible parts of the mushrooms?

"Okay."

"Yes."

Bell and the others can't wait to see Marco and Kikka, so let's hurry up a bit.

**

Oh, I can't get enough of this.

Large whole shiitake mushrooms roasting on a charcoal grill. As the mushrooms are cooked, moisture seeps out from the folds.

This moisture is not from the water left over after washing, but from the shiitake itself. They shine like jewels.

This is delicious. You don't have to eat it to know. This is delicious. I'll eat it.

"Master. It looks delicious."

"Yes. It looks good, doesn't it?"

Sara, who is the type of person who keeps a little distance from everything and calmly observes everything, is looking at the shiitake mushrooms that are unusually baked and feeling relieved. She is the type of person who observes everything calmly from a distance, and is relieved to see Mr. Victor.

When I look away from the shiitake mushrooms, I see not only Sara's face, but also the drooling faces of Belle and Fuchu, and Marco and Kikka, who are itching to eat them.

Hmmm, it's hard to tell if Sara's shoulders have been lifted, or if she's just relieved by the violent charm of the shiitake mushrooms roasting on the charcoal fire.

"Master. It's fine to watch the shiitake mushrooms being cooked, but don't forget about us! Are you sure about this?"

Gina looks at me with a disappointed expression. She was indeed a chef's daughter, and she had not succumbed to the charm of shiitake mushrooms, but had proceeded with the cooking.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll check now.

When I checked the iron pot that Gina was making the main dish, the smell of violence pierced my nose as well. I think ...... only describes it as violent.

I'll prepare a cooler expression before I eat it and describe the taste. I want Gina and Sara to think I'm a master.

"Yes. This one looks good too.

The smell of olives and garlic coming from the iron pot. Lots of shiny mushrooms coated in simmering oil. I can tell just by looking at them. Delicious ones.

I used a little less hawk's claw for Bell and his friends, but I went for the mushroom ajillo with more garlic for my liking. Sounds violently delicious. Oh, violent again: .......

At first I was going to make a nabe or soup with a lot of mushrooms, but I gave up because I wasn't sure about the soup stock and broth.

I thought of using ponzu (Japanese citrus juice) for the mushroom nabe, but I haven't finished the soy sauce of paradise yet. I thought about using Japanese soy sauce for this nabe, but my poorness got the better of me. I'm afraid to use soy sauce. I'm afraid to use soy sauce. The soup is simply a matter of skill.

I think it would be better to make a simple dish with natural mushrooms, but I got a lot of them and mushrooms and oil go well together, so it shouldn't be a problem. Above all, I love mushrooms ajillo.

"Okay. Then we need to prepare the dishes. Marco, Kikka, help me. Master, the dishes, please."

Marco and Kikka quickly gather at Gina's call. They have great physical sharpness, perhaps a result of Mr. Lee's training.

The table and dishes are quickly set up as they are taken out of the magic bag.

A clearing opens up in the dark forest. A fire burning in the center and simple stone tables arranged around it.

We had done something similar in paradise, but it was different and cooler in a large forest that seemed to have remained unchanged since time immemorial.

The bonfires in Paradise are those of a gunfighter wandering in the wilderness, while those in the Great Forest are those of an adventurer searching for a golden land or ancient ruins.

Well, if you serve a whole roasted wild boar, it smells like some mysterious ritual of some unexplored tribe, but let's pretend not to notice it and get over it.

Well, not only the little ones, but even Sylphy, Dolly, and Nomos' eyes are telling me that they want to eat it soon, so I guess it's time to start the wild boar and mushroom party.

"Okay, let's eat! Let's start with char-grilled shiitake mushrooms. Next is the mushroom ajillo, and finally the grilled whole wild boar. Bon appétit!"

Normally I would let them eat freely, but this time the order of eating is very important. Especially for the whole roasted shiitake mushrooms, it is difficult to appreciate their true flavor after the violent taste of the wild boar and the ajiru.

"Yuta. It's ale. Serve me a cold ale.

"Mm. It's definitely a taste that makes me want an ale. Yuta. Serve it quickly.

While I was thinking about the order of the food, Sylphy and Nomos, who already had a mouthful of char-grilled shiitake mushrooms in their mouths, demanded cold ale. I understand your feelings, but I wish you would be a little more considerate of emotions.

Sylphy and Nomos look at me coldly, but I don't care. Next to them, Dolly looks at them and says, "I want one, too. This deprives us of the option of not serving alcohol.

Well, I guess it doesn't matter to them since they are the type of people who don't force me to drink alcohol but drink it themselves.

I put a keg of cold ale in front of Sylphy and the others and handed them mugs. The three of them scooped ale from the keg without saying a word and gulped it down with a satisfied smile on their faces.

The mouth full of char-grilled wild shiitake mushrooms sprinkled with a little salt and poured over with the cold ale, it was delicious, wasn't it? But I don't think it's a good idea to start the next shiitake without saying what you think of it, do you?

Huh?　I have grilled so many shiitake mushrooms that there is no space left on the grill, but more than half of them are already gone.

Looking around, I see Gina and her friends eating shiitake mushrooms while letting the heat escape from their mouths, and Belle and Fukuchan and her friends biting into the shiitake mushrooms, regardless of the heat. They are all smiling, but their energy is amazing.

For a moment, I felt sorry for Dine, who hadn't drank the ale even though it had been cooled, and for If and Vita, who were waiting in paradise, but now was not the time to think about such things.

If I don't eat now, I'll have to wait for the shiitake mushrooms to be cooked one more time. Hey, Nomos. Don't eat shiitake as if you were drinking them.