Chapter 34: Meals at the Inn

December 5th, 2022

Beta Reader: My_Own_Worst_NPC

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The construction work proceeded smoothly, and the moat was completed before evening. Currently, they were in the process of filling it up using water magic. In addition, they were setting up defensive lines with thorns and turrets for performing magic attacks from higher ground.

I also had Iwao to help them out.

“Gram-sama, where do you want these log to be placed?”

“Over there, please.”

I can see soldiers waving their hands as they’re setting up turrets in a slightly widened workspace.

“Roger that. Iwao, let’s go there”

The Iwaos were mainly in charge of transporting logs. Although it moves slowly, it can lift up to 500 kg in one go, so it helps the construction work a lot.

“We’re lucky to have Okami helping us out. But I wonder why those golems are following his orders…”

“Yeah. Well, it’s fine anyway…”

I overheard the conversation between Commander Gram and her adjutant, Lane.

Good good, I’m glad that they didn’t dwell too much on why the golems are following my orders, since it’s easier for me to help like this. 

Anyway, I don’t help them purely out of the kindness of my heart; my main reason to help them is because it indirectly ensures my safety.

The soldiers were making the fortifications to ensure that monsters won’t get loose and overrun the island, which gives me peace of mind. On top of that, they promised to give me a reward for helping them, and the payment will be in magic stones. The more golems that I have, the more magic stones that I will need, and if I have to recharge them by using my MP reserve it will hinder the process of making things with my creation magic.

Boy, am I glad for the existence of Magic Stones, since they’re the only available source of energy for my golems.

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Since all the logs that needed to be moved had been placed in their designated locations, my task for the day was now completed.

“I’m going to have to start preparing dinner soon, so I’ll be heading back to the cave now.”

“Uh-huh. Thanks for your hard work… what’s for dinner…?”

Oh? This is the first time Gram’s taken this kind of interest.

“Tonight’s main menu will be a sea bream tempura.”

 “Tem…pura?”

“It’s like fritters, made by deep-frying food coated in batter; not only fish, you can also make tempura out of eggplants and other vegetables too. It’s delicious, I promise.” [1]

Back on earth, foreigners usually loved tempura, so I’m sure the Rurugoans would enjoy it too. As for the sea bream, the survey team’s logistic division shared some of it with me, so it was only fair.

“I’ll cook up something fried and delicious for dinner tonight, so please look forward to it everyone!” After waving my hand amicably to the officers, I returned to the cave.

Tempura tastes best when it’s still fresh from the oven, I mean frying pot, so maybe I should make a special cooking stove just outside the cave? Aah, now I really want to have a gas stove.

♢ Lotte’s POV

As the officers were seeing Shirou off while he returned to the inn with a smile, one of them muttered, “I really want to take him home with me…”

 “I know right? Not only is Okami’s cooking delicious, but he also looks really erotic. Probably the perfect husband material.”

Lotte sighed as she heard that. It seems like everyone was thinking the same thing.

“But on the other hand, having a husband like him would make you worry every day that he might cheat on you,” said the second-in-command, and her remarks really hit home for the officers. [2]

“I agree with what the vice-commander just said. But still… maybe we could keep him as a local husband on a business trip?” [3]

Lotte remained silent, but deep in her heart she became really worried. The reason was, she’d already fallen for him.

“Is that so? Do you want to try seducing the Okami then? Ah, actually, I heard from Lady Milano of the National Land Management and Research Institute… it seems that one of her subordinates, a Leanne or something like that, tried to flirt with him and received crushing rejection.”

“Wait, are you sure? I know a person named Leanne there. They say she’s a total playgirl that already had experiences with many men.”

“That’s how the story goes, but it seems to be true. Also, it looks like she haven’t given up yet, something like the battle may be lost but the war isn’t over.”

Lotte’s heart was somewhat calmed by this.

That’s right, Shirou may look erotic, but he seems to be a chaste person. [4]

Just like the officer before that was wondering if she could bring Shirou home, Lotte too, was wondering about the same thing, albeit her intention was more romantic than lustful.

If only I was a Wyvern Rider like Alyssa Milano, instead of being commander of a survey team…[5]

Unbidden, another fantasy took over the commander’s mind. Lotte was flying together with Shirou high in the blue skies above Southern Island, and then she let out a bitter smile.

For me to have such a silly dream… this is quite vexing.

None of the people there would ever have believed that Shirou was actually, at one time, in a relationship with one of the royal family of an enemy country. After all, who could have imagined that Shirou was the man loved by Princess Christiana, the woman who was feared as the Warrior Princess of Regalta herself?

♢ Shirou’s POV

I carried the tempura ingredients that had been prepared to the underground storage, since chilling them before frying would ensure they were both tasty and crispy. [6]

There were no bonito flakes, so I couldn’t make the tempura sauce. I guess we’ll have to eat them with salt instead.

Bonito flakes, huh… Come to think of it, I haven’t had miso soup in a long time… I missed Japan, or so I thought, but what I missed most was Chris. And Cecily too.

I wondered if Chris was still actively fighting on the front line, I hope she’s in good health. And Cecily, had she reach the mainland safely? Had she gotten her revenge?

All of a sudden, I missed them so much…

…

Well, I guess it’s normal to long for familiar things once in a while.

And so, I changed my mind and set my magic to start creating bonito flakes. It would take a while, but tonight’s tempura dish would have a proper sauce.

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The officers stared at the boiling oil in the frying pot.

“I think it will be done soon…”

I managed to fry the tempura perfectly. After draining the excess oil, I put it on a platter and served it up.

“It’s hot so please eat it carefully. I will fry them one after another, so please dig in.”

It should be the first time for the Rurugoan people to eat what would be an unusual dish to them, but the moment they took a bite everyone’s faces were lit up with bright smiles.

“Delicious!”

“Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside…”

“Sea bream tempura… might be the most delicious food in the world.”

What are you, Tokugawa Ieyasu?, I reflexively retorted in my mind. [7] Looking closer at the officer who made the comment, I couldn’t help but see a fox-like shape to her face.

The tempura was a big hit, and everyone was huffing and puffing while chomping on it. It was a rare sight for me to see women eating their meal with a light sweat on their faces.

Nonetheless, it’s always good to see people happily eating my food and saying how delicious it is. I should make it again if I have the chance. Maybe I should try with prawns or squid, if I managed to catch them.

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After dinner, the officers had their usual meeting. I had served them herbal tea and was about to leave, when they requested I stay.

I wonder what it is about…

“Okami, we have a request of you. Can you lend us the stone golems for tomorrow’s dungeon exploration,” the Vice Commander asked while glancing outside.

Hmm… she’s looking outside… that means she isn’t referring to either Goku or Wonder.

“When you say Stone Golem, do you mean Iwao?”

“That’s right. The big iron shield leaning against the hut outside is Iwao’s, isn’t it?”

I usually placed Iwao’s shield inside a hut specifically made for storing such equipment. Today it was outside because it was being maintenance, I guess she must’ve seen it.

“Are you planning for Iwao to take the vanguard?”

“Correct. If possible, I’d like to avoid any casualties during the dungeon raid. I know that you could lose a golem if things get hard, but can I ask for your cooperation in this?”

I see. Certainly, I could just make some more Iwao if I ended up losing some of them, but that wouldn’t be the case with human lives…

“I’m going to need magic stones as fuel for the golems. Also, I would ask for compensation…”

I don’t want to work for free after all.

“I will personally guarantee it,” Gram sharply replied.

Well, if Gram said it herself, I don’t have to worry about not receiving a reward.

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It turns out they’d planned to give me the reward in advance; one-hundred thousand Lehmens in currency, fifty-thousand Lehmens worth of magic stones, and 3 kg of frozen beef. Seriously, I thought it was too much, I was hesitant on whether to accept it or not.

Anyway, it seems that the meat and the fish on the ships were frozen by magic, which allowed them to stockpile it in large numbers. This way they needed no special means of storing it.

And as for the reward, honestly, I would have been happy with just the beef; the money and magic stones were great, but the beef was what I was most excited about. This meant I now had bonito flakes, soy sauce, and sugar from my creation magic, as well as chickens, onions, and rice from the field. I didn’t have sake, but I still have some of the red wine left that Leanne had brought.

With those ingredients, I could make beef bowls now!!

Aaahh… Gyuudon, how I have missed you so…! I remember the last time I had tasted it was when I went home from overtime. I wonder how many days ago that was? [8]

I’m definitely going to make an extra-large one!

Gram watched me curiously as I received the beef with unrestrained enthusiasm.

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1 Batter: semiliquid mixture of flour, egg, and milk or water used in cooking, especially for making cakes or for coating food before frying. I don’t know if people use the word regularly or not, so I’m putting the information here just in case.

2 In this dialogue, instead of the term husband, Dianne Lane was using the term 婿さん(Muko-san) , which means someone who is married off into another family’s register, which means that in that world, the man has maiden (bachelor?) name and his family name will change after marriage.

By the way, the more accurate translation of that dialogue is “However, having someone like him married into your family (as your husband) would make you worry if he will cheat on you”, but that’s too convoluting.

3 I’m not too clear on this. Maybe like it’s like giving someone the official status as spouse but didn’t bring the person home to stay at your place? Like secretly having another wife in rural area away from the main family, perhaps? I’m not sure. ((MOWNPC: I agree, sounds a lot like having a second family for away trips.))

4 Oh Lotte, my sweet summer child, if you only knew…

5 Personally I think being the leader of a company of 100+ soldiers is more elite than being a specialist (Wyvern Rider), but maybe I’m wrong. Or maybe the Survey Team is just a one-time task force and to be disbanded later.

6 Fun fact: turns out chilling ingredients before cooking is a thing. For tempura, it seems that chilling the dough/batter will make it absorb less oil. For making sliced potato, it seems that chilling it will make the surface dryer, hence crispier texture. ((MOWNPC: Correct. When things are cold, they contract and shrink in on themselves a little, which helps seal out oils and keep in the food’s natural juices. If you fry them hot & fast, it seals the juices in and makes things extra flavorful.))

7 Tokugawa Ieyasu: the Shogun (highest military ranking, the de facto leader of feudal Japan) from 1603-1605, but remained to be effective ruler of Japan even as retired shogun until his death in 1616. Legend has it that he was so fond of it, the cause of his death was eating too much tempura. Also, it seems that he has a likeness to a fox that his moniker was Tanuki (Fox)

8 Pretty sure everyone is familiar with gyudon, but anyway, from Wiki: Gyūdon (牛丼, “beef bowl”), also known as gyūmeshi (牛飯 or 牛めし, “beef [and] rice”), is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavored with dashi (fish and seaweed stock), soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine).