Chapter 254 – Enjoyment

Dealing with Paripi was giving me a headache.. but honestly, I don’t really care about that right now.

“Okay, it’s starting to look good. Brother, we’re almost there, okay?”

Wh.. what in the world is this?

“Hehe, I’ll feed you as much as you want.”

“Freshly caught, the best.”

“You won’t get this taste in the Empire or anywhere else.”

The fish market, which was bustling with fishermen and shoppers, was transformed at night, with stalls serving fresh fish and sake lining the streets.

Instead of being inside a building, they turned over the cases used for work and used them as tables, and used stuff like buckets as chairs, how do I put it .. no.... well, that’s fine.

The problem is..

“This Ghenkan shrimp, you just boil it, and it’s so good.”

In the well-used pot in front of me, a whole large shrimp was simmering in boiling hot water.

Shellfish and other fish were also being boldly thrown into the pot.

How can this be called cooking? It’s very different from the kind of meals that Sadiz always cooked.

And yet..

“Gulp..”

Just by looking at it, it looked ss yummy. No, I can already tell it’s good just by looking at it.

Then, judging that it was about time, the old men handed me the boiled shrimp.

“Here, crack it open and bite into it!”

“Ah, oh, guys.. huh? Just like this?”

“Yup, just snap it off!”

It wasn’t cut into bite-size pieces, and there was no fork or anything like that.

What’s more....

“Um.. any lemon.. sauce or something?”

Nothing to flavor it? So this is just boiled seafood in hot water, right?

When I questioned that, the old guys pointed their fingers and said, “Tut tut tut,”..

“Just as it is.”

“Eh, eh~?”

At least I want salt or garlic or something like that.. isn’t this taste wanting?

Since it looked so good already, it would be great if you could season it a little more.. well.... I guess it can’t be helped..

“Hot hot.. Oh, oooooh!”

I felt a little dissatisfied, but when I broke the tail of the hot shrimp, it made a snapping sound, and there was plenty of flesh .. oh.. oh, it’s soft and plump!

W, what is this? It’s full of flesh, and yet like this..

“Well, then.. Thank you for this meal.... ah~.... umm.. eeeeehh!!!???”

With my heart pounding, I took a bite.

At that moment, the inside of my mouth....the “sea”.. itself spread out.

“aaat~”

“Hihihihi, what do you think?”

“Hehe.”

All the old guys were looking at me with smug faces asking, “How is it?”.

No, I don’t need any.. seasoning? It doesn’t need anything. Huh? What is this?

For me, the best food in the world was Sadiz’s cooking.

But these ingredients .. they’re the best I’ve ever had in my life..

“Hey, brother! Go on and on!”

“This shellfish doesn’t need any seasoning either, because they’re already salty!”

“Come on, let’s get some booze, booze! Cheers to the promising fishermen!”

“”””Ooooooooooh!!!!””””

Before I knew it, the old men eating at the other tables around me were also cheering with drink bottles.

『Fufufu, it seemed like you have finally tasted the true pleasure of traveling, child.』

「Tre’ainar? Ah, sorry, for only me..」

『All you need do is materialize it in the world of Vier later. And so we can share the same taste! Well, even if you do not do so, I still remember much of this..』

It’s been three months since I left the Empire. But, in Cacretale, where I spent most of it, Sadiz was cooking for me.

Well, it was an island country surrounded by the sea, so the fish was good, but it was cooked.

That’s why I didn’t expect to be impressed by eating something that was just boiled like this.

『The seafood caught in the waters near the Avosoa Continent is delicious. Even I acknowledge that.』

「Heh~....」

『And the alcohol as well. I suppose they were trying to make drinks that go perfectly with fish.. well, tis too soon for you.』

I see. Tre’ainar’s approval was quite a big deal.

Until now, I thought that “The Depaltia Empire is the center of the world”, so to me, everything there, whether it was industry or food culture, was the best in the world.

But that was arrogance, or rather, I simply didn’t know any better.

After a few days of traveling by ship, I was like..

『Tis so, child. To know the world is not only about fighting and defeating the powerful enemies of the land. Tis also important to expand your world by experiencing the cultures of other lands.』

「Tre’ainar..」

『As I may have said before, the world you live in is not the entire world. Only when you acknowledge the existence of a world other than your own will the world expand.』

「.... Osu」

『Fuh.. well, even if I say so.. tis precisely because we could not do so, that for hundreds of years humans and demons have constantly.. no. Such talk would make the meal unpalatable. Eat up now.』

Tre’ainar told me with a slightly sorrowful look.

If I’m not mistaken, we had talked about this in Honeyborough, right?

Come to think of it, when I was in Cacretale, I was training all the time, so it’s been a long time since Tre’ainar taught me anything other than fighting.historical

“Ora, brother, here’s another one! Chin up, eat some more!’

“Hey, brother, you want a sip of this? Wha~t, it’s just a sip, you’ll be fine, right? It’s for the atmosphere, the atmosphere!”

“Here, here, heeere!”

“Oh~, yeah, you’re a runaway from the Empire, huh?”

“15? That’s nice~, that’s about the time I first got on board my father’s boat, who was also a fisherman, as an apprentice.”

“Seriously, you must have a lot of power, brother. I’ve never seen anyone who can carry such heavy loads at once.”

“If you keep working like this, you’ll be a promising rising star!”

“Okay, let’s sing!”

“Bring me some booze! Here, you get a glass of booze, too, brother!”

“Oh, if you wish, I’ll teach you how to drink!”

“Okay~? Young ones don’t know how to drink alcohol~, there are idiots who think that it’s cool to drink all at once~, that’s a disservice to alcohol!”

“Yeah, right. First of all, enjoy the aroma.. yes, I’m going to have alcohol in my body, so I’m going to prepare my guts and mind.”

“First, a little lick, just enough to get it going.”

“And next, give your body a little thirst with this snack.”

“So, another little lick.. a little bit..”

Even so, the old men were already drunk, and their faces were already red and they were making a big fuss.

I’m supposed to be the guest of honor, but they’ve already gotten excited on their own and even offered me a drink.

Even though, I don’t drink~....

『Even granted, curs, do not do anything unwarranted to the child.. however.... tis still early for the child to partake, but.. recalling the time spent with Bro and in Cacretale so far, perhaps I should teach him how to drink a little..』

「Eh, Tre’ainar!?」

『Although alcohol destroys brain cells and internal organs.. tis also one of the pleasures in life.. it reveals the truth of people.. well, in the world of Vier, one may enjoy the ‘mood’ and ‘taste’, and not worry about destroying your body.. fu~.. I.. have not had a one-on-one drink since? .... and that Hiro.. is peculiar. Now then.... what cheese is best.... what alcohol do we start with.. wine.... no, whiskey? Japone sake? Well, it would be pleasing to educate him over a variety of drinks.. ahem, it would be to the child’s benefit.』

As I was being mobbed by the old men, Tre’ainar muttered.

No, no, I’m not supposed to drink at my age, right?

I mean, was it just my imagination or does Tre’ainar seem a little excited?

“So~, how long will you work here, brother?”

“Hmm? Ah~.... well, just for a few days.. I thought I would save up some money, buy some tools and then go on the road again.”

“That so~, I wish you could keep working here~, ah well, what the heck~! Alright, brother, looks like you’re about to take a tour of this continent, but it’s your first time, right? We’ll show you the ropes. No!”

For now, I also decided to enjoy the new world and culture I’ve just learned about.

Author’s Note

I’m not going to start with the food, you know? You can see from my Twitter feed that I can’t do that, right? Sigh.... I want to get married soon..