Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 13 - Chapter 3.4

4

“This is the vegetable dish I have prepared,” Timalo proclaimed as it was brought in, and instantly there was a stir among the nobles. Atop the plate wheeled in on the cart was a massive tarapa.

Tarapas were shaped like pumpkins but had the color of tomatoes. And this one was especially huge, so much so that you could carve it like a jack-o’-lantern and wear it on your head.

“To think that one could grow such a large tarapa. It certainly is a shock,” the Turan guardian Torst uttered in admiration.

But then, Polarth chimed in suspiciously. “When you leave tarapa be, they grow to about this size. However, as they get bigger they also grow more hard and sour, as well as less sweet.”

“Ah, right, tarapa are grown in the Daleim plantations.”

“Yes. At any rate, once they grow that large they require greater time and effort to raise further, at which point they shrink and wrinkle, packing in dense sweetness and acidity for a sublime flavor. But cultivating them for so long more than doubles the prices. As such, the sour tarapa that have grown to a reasonable medium are sold to the post town and farms, while the small and sweet ones are sold in the castle town. But normally when they are this size they’re so sour as to prove inedible,” Polarth stated, his eyes sparkling with great interest as he revealed that unexpected knowledge. “Of course, I can’t imagine a chef as renowned as Sir Timalo would serve us such defective tarapa.”

“No, of course not.” With the main meat course so close at hand, Timalo seemed to be fired up to recover lost ground. And with fingers that were surprisingly supple for a man his age, he gently grasped the tarapa’s stem.

“This is a unique tarapa dish that I personally devised. It will be the first time it is presented to anyone outside of the house of Turan.” With that, Timalo pulled up on the stem, and the top of the tarapa came off like a lid. Inside there was a pure-red vegetable stew. He must have scooped out the tarapa’s insides, filled it with all the ingredients, and then carefully heated the whole thing over a low flame so it wouldn’t boil down. Currently, the aroma of various herbs, vegetables, and boiled meat wafted into my nostrils.

Seems like he’s real confident in that one.

Making a gourd into a bowl like that was certainly an interesting idea.

On my end, though, I had gone with yet another simple dish.

“This dish is made with boiled giba rib meat and vegetables.”

If I had to give it a name, I suppose it would be cold giba shabu-shabu and heated vegetable salad.

For this dish, I went with giba rib meat. After boiling it until it grew soft, I washed it in water to remove the excess fat, making for a cold shabu-shabu.

As for the vegetables, I boiled tino, nenon, and aria until they softened, then for a bit of extra embellishment I added some of those fresh small tarapa packed with sweetness and acidity that Polarth had just mentioned.

For flavoring, I squeezed some lemon-like sheel juice and added it to tau oil, then sprinkled in some soup stock. In other words, I was trying to make something like ponzu.

I really did want to get the people of the forest’s edge eating lots more vegetables, which was how I came up with this dish. With it, I kept the amount of rib meat low while really loading up on veggies. And during the taste testing, Vina Ruu and Granny Tito Min seemed to take a shine to it the most out of the members of the main Ruu house.

“Hmm, they both look delicious,” Polarth cheerfully stated. Welhide and Leeheim looked troubled as to which dish to start with too.

In the meantime, the group from the forest’s edge quietly ate my dish. If Dan Rutim were present, things would probably be a lot more lively, but on the other hand that would probably cause some serious trouble if he didn’t like Timalo’s dishes.

“Delicious! Both Sir Asuta’s and Sir Timalo’s!” Polarth exclaimed before anyone else, ultimately having decided to alternate between the two dishes. “Sir Timalo, the herbs in your dish are sublime! And is this karon short loin? At any rate, the meat is delicious, and so are the vegetables! The acidity from the tarapa is wonderful too!”

“I am glad to hear it’s to your tastes... Normally there would be no use for such sour tarapa, but by using it as a container to wrap around ingredients like this, it creates a unique flavor by allowing the acidity to seep in.”

“I see, I see. Still, the tarapa used on the inside is the sort that was only raised to medium size, correct?”

“Yes. I believe the pairing of those two types of tarapa works best.”

“In that case, you must have discarded the insides of the tarapa you scooped out. That certainly is extravagant.”

At that, the Fou clan head’s eyebrows twitched. Currently, he was staring intently at the portion of deep red stew sitting on the clay plate in front of him. I was just about to ask him what was wrong, but then for the first time in a while Gazraan Rutim chimed in from the other side of the Beim clan head.

“This is certainly tasty. The aroma of the herbs seems a bit strong, but it’s a very rich flavor, I’d say.”

As far as I could recall, that was the first bit of praise anyone from the forest’s edge had given Timalo’s cooking.

I figured that would be just the thing to finally get Timalo fired up...but he just replied, “My thanks,” with a flat expression.

Does he just not care what the people of the forest’s edge think...?

If that was the case, then that really felt like an inappropriate attitude to have, but at the same time, perhaps that was better for the sake of his pride.

Still, this was a dinner party meant to foster goodwill. Guys like Gazraan Rutim and Dari Sauti would understand that praising the other side’s cooking was a good way to support that goal. However, the people of the forest’s edge strongly opposed the idea of lying. They just weren’t equipped to offer up flattery when they didn’t mean it. That was precisely why everyone had remained so firmly silent up till now.

And yet Gazraan Rutim said it was tasty, so he must have truly felt that way. If it were me, I would have been so overjoyed I’d get a lump in my throat.

Well, Timalo wouldn’t know anything about the people of the forest’s edge though, so it made sense that he wouldn’t be so moved. And as I stole a glance over at Gazraan Rutim, I found him shooting me back a very warm smile.

“Of course, your cooking was delicious too, Asuta.”

It felt like he had seen right into my mind, so I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

I could already easily see that everyone from the forest’s edge was enjoying my cooking by the way that they dug into it. Donda Ruu and Gulaf Zaza weren’t exactly big talkers to begin with, but Gazraan Rutim and Dari Sauti must have realized it would be awkward to just keep praising my dishes, so they had kept quiet.

“Yes, your dish is quite tasty too, Sir Asuta! It is quite simple, yet the taste is simply fantastic. And the giba meat in particular is delicious! It has certainly left me anxiously awaiting the main dish.”

Now that I looked, I saw that Polarth had completely cleaned both plates. In that case, it was indeed finally time to get the main dish ready.

“Well then, please excuse me for just a short while.”

With that, Timalo left along with the pages, and I hurriedly followed after. We head chefs were supposed to put the finishing touches on our main dishes personally.

It seemed as if Timalo was trying to avoid talking to me, as he disappeared down the end of the hallway in a flash.

“I don’t sense any animosity from the nobles, but that chef alone is burning bright with it,” Ai Fa whispered to me as we walked. I couldn’t exactly go and speak carelessly in front of the pages who were guiding us, though.

“Ah, Asuta, were there any issues with how the okonomiyaki turned out?” Reina Ruu asked, running up to me as soon as I stepped into the kitchen. Her blue eyes were filled with a mix of unease and anticipation.

“They were perfect,” I replied, and a beautiful smile bloomed on her face.

“I’m glad to hear it. So, it’s finally time for the meat dish, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I’m counting on all of you.”

Dividing up the labor, Reina Ruu, Sheera Ruu, and I each lit up a stove. From a slight distance away, Rimee Ruu cheered, “Give it your all!”

“How’s the dinner party going?”

“Hmm, there’s definitely some awkwardness here and there. Donda Ruu and the others aren’t exactly used to idle chatter during dinner to begin with,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders as I watched over the melting of the transparent lard. “But, well, my cooking seems to be earning a fairly favorable reception, so let’s firmly seal the deal with the last two dishes.”

I would give us a passing grade if we could at least end the day without any trouble. Marstein was acting so friendly that it actually made it hard to grasp just what he was really thinking, but I got the impression that Polarth, Welhide, Torst, and Leeheim really were taken with giba meat cooking. Now I just needed to pray I wouldn’t disappoint anyone with the main dish or dessert.

“All right, I’m off.”

After serving up the finished dish on a plate, I headed resolutely back toward the dining hall. For better or worse, the end of the dinner party was finally in sight.

When I arrived at the dining hall, I found Timalo already there standing by. And as I took my prescribed position, the other chef lifted the lid off his dish.

“My dish is karon cooked in a covered pan.”

Another, “Ooh,” resounded from the noble side.

There was a massive chunk of meat lying there imposingly atop the biggest plate yet. It must have been around sixty centimeters long, thirty centimeters wide, and ten centimeters thick. The cut narrowed slightly toward one end, and the impression I got was that he had used half of the entire torso of some smallish four-legged animal.

The surface didn’t seem to be grilled but rather had an ivory-white steamed surface, and was thoroughly coated in an orangish sauce. Around it were shriveled little tarapa, chatchi, nenon, and numerous other vegetables I didn’t even know the name of, with a variety of herbs on top. It really did make for quite the extravagant display.

“I used half of a young karon’s torso. Allow me to start from the outer short loin,” Timalo stated as he picked up a huge carving knife. The block of meat didn’t seem to offer any resistance at all as he cut into it, and he was able to slice right through as if it were tofu or butter.

The cross-section of the meat revealed was a deep pink, and had a sort of viscous shine. Had he not removed any moisture from it? At any rate, it sure did look tasty.

“This dish is made by coating giba short loin in chatchi starch and frying it in giba fat.”

Still, I wasn’t about to admit defeat. To start with, I portioned out a fresh salad of finely shredded tino, aria, and nenon, then poured on a dressing with a sheel fruit and reten oil base. And then, I laid out the giba tatsuta age.

This dish was once again new to everyone but Donda Ruu. Ultimately I decided on using short loin for my cut, and prepared them slightly thick so they could be eaten in around two bites. I had chosen this one out of the numerous meat dishes I had on offer, but just how would it be received...? This was a real moment of truth for me, regardless of what Timalo presented.

With the presentation finished, the pages started handing out both of our dishes. Until they were done, everyone remained politely still.

“Ah, I’m once again at a loss as to which to start with. After all, the fried dish Sir Asuta made with kimyuus was already unmatched...”

Grabbing hold of a small dinner knife and a two-pronged metal skewer, Polarth looked back and forth between the two dishes.

“This meat...” Dari Sauti said, similarly holding a metal skewer as he lightly furrowed his brow. “It seems to be only half cooked. Is it really all right to eat?”

“Yes. It has been sufficiently heated through, and besides, karon meat can even be eaten raw. There is no need to worry about such matters as you enjoy.”

Aside from the oddly wet and glistening shine, it looked very much like roast beef. And I had to figure such a direct use of meat would play perfectly with the people of the forest’s edge.

Now that I think about it, I heard Donda Ruu loved roast giba meat.

This wasn’t a cooking contest with Timalo. But still, if Donda Ruu were to happen to say Timalo’s dish was tastier, that would make my pride sting quite a bit... So though it was late in the game, I suddenly felt my heartbeat picking up the pace.

“Well then, let us eat.”

Marstein started off by stabbing his skewer into the karon meat.

With a thickness of two or three centimeters, it was quite a substantial chunk. Supporting it with the side of his knife, the noble lord carefully brought it to his mouth so the orange sauce wouldn’t slide off...and his eyes narrowed with satisfaction.

“This is...shockingly tender. It’s as if it’s dissolving in my mouth.”

You could make meat that tender by steaming it instead of grilling it? As I gulped a little, Timalo gave a graceful bow.

“I chose a young karon with especially high-quality meat, and put in plentiful time and effort preparing it in advance. Then I simply needed to take care with the heat of the flames, and I was able to create a dish so soft it can even be eaten by those without teeth.”

“Hmm... Still, there cannot be many who can make a dish on this level even here in Genos. I’d certainly like to have you man the kitchen in the castle at some point.”

“I am truly grateful for your kind words.”

At that, Timalo shot me a triumphant look.

As Polarth and Torst also tried the karon dish, they let out similar sounds of admiration.

And then there was the group from the forest’s edge. Dari Sauti had grown rather silent over the course of the last several dishes, but seemingly unable to hold back any longer, he let slip a “Hrmm...” and said, “Asuta, I found it strange that you didn’t make your giba cutlets for this event... But your skill truly is something else. I never would have dreamed you were still hiding away a dish that is every bit their equal.”

“Ah, so it’s to your liking?”

“Yes. Though my stomach already felt like it was about to start bulging out, I can eat as much of this as you can offer,” Dari Sauti answered with a gentle smile.

“I am the same,” Gazraan Rutim agreed from beside him. “My father Dan is sure to complain again when he hears I ate a dish such as this. Asuta, would it be possible to have you man the Rutim stove again in the near future?”

“Yes, of course.”

Since they weren’t the sorts to make overblown statements, their words left a deep impression on me.

As for the other four people of the forest’s edge present, they all remained silent, but shoveled down my dish at an impressive speed.

Apparently, everyone on the noble side had begun with Timalo’s dish, while everyone from the forest’s edge started with my dish. The modest amount I served up to start with disappeared in no time at all, finally bringing us to the next step.

As they grabbed the dishes from the other side, the nobles generally looked full of anticipation, while the hunters of the forest’s edge didn’t show much emotion at all. And then, the nobles bit into the giba meat, while our side did the same with the karon. Personally, I couldn’t help but feel more than a little nervous as I watched over the sight.

The meat I had used up till this point was either thinly sliced or minced. I had taken care to stay light on the amount of meat I used in the okonomiyaki and cold shabu-shabu so that it didn’t overwhelm the other ingredients.

That was precisely why this one would be a true, full-fledged giba dish. If it were poorly received, that would be like a denial of giba cooking itself.

As I stood there with bated breath, I heard a surprised shout of, “Ooh...!”

I looked in the direction it had come from, and found Polarth’s round face overtaken with indescribable delight.

“Delicious! Simply delicious! Sir Asuta, your skill is...” he started praising, but suddenly returned to chewing.

Even so, that was enough for me to breathe a sigh of relief. He wanted to keep eating my dish so much that he couldn’t even find the time to spare to applaud it. That alone was more than enough for me.

“This certainly is a surprise... Sir Asuta of the Fa clan, I have heard tell that you come from overseas, but still, just what sort of background do you have...?” Torst asked after taking his time to swallow down his first bite of tatsuta age.

“I was born in an island nation called Japan, where my father ran a small restaurant. He taught me how to cook from a young age.”

“Is that true? I thought for certain you must be a chef from some palace in the nation of the dragon god...”

“Definitely not! I’m nowhere near that important.”

“Hmm... Still, it is certainly quite unusual for someone so young to possess skills that can compete with Sir Timalo’s.”

Naturally, Timalo’s cheeks twitched at that statement.

Noticing that out of the corner of his eye, Leeheim broke out in a somewhat mischievous grin. “Sir Torst, I believe you go too far in stating his skills can compete. I believe we are bewitched by the novelty of the foreign cooking techniques employed by this Asuta chef.”

“Oh? Sir Leeheim, are you not impressed, then?”

“No, I have also firmly fallen under his spell. To be perfectly honest, I find this Asuta’s cooking to be remarkably delicious.”

Apparently this young noble lord wasn’t very honest with his feelings. Before Leeheim could continue on, though, someone else cut him off.

“Still, this meat dish is delicious, and I have no complaints about it. Nobody disagrees with that fact, correct?” Melfried chimed in, having remained firmly silent up till now.

Leeheim looked startled into silence, while Marstein smiled and said, “Oh? Well this is certainly a surprise. You never so much as twitch an eyebrow no matter what you eat, so I never expected such a statement from you. I believe this may just be the first time I’ve ever heard you give impressions on a dish, Melfried.”

“I do not care about the taste of food, be it good or bad...” Melfried replied, his eyes chilly like glass spheres. “Still, even if I do not care one way or the other, I can still tell the difference. This dish is delicious.”

“Yes, it is. Timalo’s dish is also first rate, but if I had to compare the tastes I would have difficulty determining a victor.”

With those words, Timalo finally froze in place, aghast. The color had drained from his face, and his slender shoulders had begun trembling. Marstein must have noticed that, but he still cheerfully continued on.

“At any rate, let’s continue pleasing our tongues. Asuta, Timalo, could you portion out what’s left of your dishes?”

“Of course.”

There was roughly half of each dish left, so it would be possible to dole them out equally to everyone. However, Donda Ruu then spoke up for the first time in a while in a solemn tone.

“Duke Marstein Genos... I’m grateful for your consideration, but I would like to refrain from eating any more of that dish.”

At that, Marstein turned his way and said, “Oh my. Sir Donda Ruu, is this karon dish not to your liking?”

“That’s right. If the customs of Genos say I must eat another portion then I suppose I have no choice, but otherwise, I’d prefer not to.”

With that, Gulaf Zaza and the Beim and Fou clan heads chimed in that they were of the same opinion. Timalo’s face was still quite pale, but he affected an unconcerned expression as he sliced away at the meat.

“Oh-ho, so four out of your party of six weren’t pleased with it? My apologies for asking, but would you mind telling me exactly what it is that dissatisfies you with the dish...?”

“I just don’t like eating soppy meat when it’s not in a stew,” Donda Ruu replied, looking like he found the whole thing a pain. “That won’t change regardless of who cooks it. In fact, the first time Asuta of the Fa clan there manned our stove, I couldn’t think of his cooking as anything but poison.”

“I see. If you’re simply not fond of tender meat, then I suppose there’s no helping that. So, what about everyone else?”

“The toughness of the meat has nothing to do with it. I just get an unpleasant feeling in my chest when I eat this,” Gulaf Zaza shot back, sounding even more annoyed than Donda Ruu. And with a surly look on his face, the Beim clan head gave a big nod.

“I feel the same as Gulaf Zaza. Something felt wrong with the dishes I’ve eaten up till now too. It’s like there’s a hot, throbbing sensation running from my stomach to my chest.”

“Hmm... Is it some sort of ingredient that doesn’t agree with you, perhaps? And what about you?” Marstein asked with a smile, only for the Fou clan head to give a slow shake of his head.

“Neither of those reasons apply to me. I’m just not fond of the idea of eating meat on its own, without stew or vegetables or poitan.” And then, his eyes turned toward Timalo with a surprisingly sharp glare. “Chef of the castle town... You have all sorts of vegetables lined up on that plate there, so why didn’t you distribute them?”

Timalo still didn’t seem like he had recovered from Marstein’s evaluation, and now he turned and shot the Fou clan head a suspicious look.

“These vegetables and herbs are here to bring additional flavor to the karon meat. They’re placed out to lend a bit of garnish, but they’re something akin to cast-off husks and aren’t worth eating.”

“I knew it... In that case, that’s even more reason I don’t feel like eating it. Leave it for those who want it,” the Fou clan head stated, then his gaze fell listlessly. “I went too far there. My apologies for my impoliteness.”

Marstein’s eyes narrowed even further with curiosity. “You have nothing to apologize for. But I would be grateful if you could tell me exactly why you feel that way.”

The Fou clan head didn’t meet his gaze, though, and again shook his head. “It’s nothing worth discussing. And I don’t believe it’s something that should be said in a place like this either.”

“This place was prepared so that we might be open and deepen our understanding of one another. Our lifestyles differ greatly, and as a result our customs can sometimes vary as well. Would you not agree that it is crucial we communicate with each other about such matters as well, rather than fearing misunderstandings?”

After a bit more staring straight down at the table, the Fou clan head replied, “It’s just... I can’t stand the thought of wasting ingredients in order to make a delicious meal. No matter how tasty it may be, I wouldn’t want to eat something like that.”

“Hmm. So it isn’t to your liking the way that the vegetables are used up to add delicious flavor to the dish, only to then be thrown away? Timalo, what are your thoughts on what Baadu Fou has to say?”

I was pretty surprised to hear Marstein say the Fou clan head’s full name there, considering I hadn’t even known it myself. And as Timalo handed off the slices of meat to the pages, he gave a bitter shake of his head.

“I suppose it can be summed up as a difference in thinking. With this dish in particular, a great deal of ingredients are needed to make the stock. And once the delicious flavors have been drained from them, the only thing left to do is discard them.”

“Hmm. And what do you think, Asuta? You were a foreign chef to begin with, correct?”

“I, well... Ever since coming to live at the forest’s edge, I’ve tried my hardest not to waste ingredients. After all, it didn’t take long for me to learn that was the custom.”

For example, with the chatchi I squeezed to extract the starch, I fried it or boiled it to use in a different dish. Even with that strained, dry leftover chatchi, there was still a way to cook it up.

Ever since my first few days living with Ai Fa where I wasted multiple meals worth of poitan, it had been driven deep into my mind not to squander even the slightest bit of what was bought with the giba tusks and horns that she risked her life for. And even though I had started earning coins too, that core principle hadn’t changed.

“I see. That custom certainly does seem to differ between the castle town and the forest’s edge,” Marstein stated, only for a rather awkward silence to fall over the dining hall.

In the midst of all that, the remaining meat had been doled out bit by bit, and then eventually the pages left through the doors. We were finished with the main dishes, so at last it was time for the finale: the desserts.

“Lady Lefreya, if I recall correctly, you tend to prefer sweets over ordinary meals,” Marstein stated, looking straight at the girl for the first time.

Still staring off into the distance, Lefreya nodded. “Yes.”

“You seemed to have an unusually strong interest in Asuta of the Fa clan, so I am certain he must be well-versed in making sweets as well.”

Marstein’s tone was entirely nonchalant, despite how close he was brushing up to the touchy subject of Lefreya’s previous crimes. In response to his words, Gulaf Zaza shot the girl an intense glare, while Dari Sauti seriously furrowed his brow.

However, Lefreya just calmly replied, “Indeed.”

“From what I am told, making sweets requires entirely different skills and knowledge than ordinary cooking. You truly are incredibly skilled for someone your age, Asuta.”

“Not at all. To be honest, I’m not well-versed when it comes to making sweets. Both the other day and today, I ultimately had to rely on vague recollections to timidly throw something together.”

“Oh? And yet if you managed to satisfy Lady Lefreya in spite of that fact, that certainly is a surprise.”

I couldn’t exactly go and add, “And then because Lefreya liked it, she kept on holding me prisoner,” in response. There was something I did want to add, though.

“However, I’ve prepared a different sort of sweet today than what I presented to Lady Lefreya. I hope that it will be to everyone’s liking, but still...”

“As you are not a vassal of the house of Turan or anything of the sort, Asuta, there is no need for you to attach such a title to my name,” Lefreya replied, a fittingly haughty look shining in her reddish-brown eyes for just the merest of moments. “I do not recall you properly referring to me by name in the past to begin with, however I ask that you simply call me Lefreya if possible, Asuta.”

“My sincerest apologies, Lefreya...” I replied, just in time for the pages to return.

“I apologize for the wait. This is a baked fuwano sweet using minmi,” Timalo stated as he lifted the silver cloche, his voice sounding steadily more exhausted. Beneath it was something that looked like a large square pancake.

It looked somehow moist and had bits of pink minmi fruit throughout... Chunks of the same sort of peach-like fruit I had once used when baking for Lefreya. As Timalo sliced up his dish, a truly sweet aroma filled the air.

What an unusual smell. There’s the aroma of baked fuwano, minmi, panam honey...and other ingredients I don’t even recognize, I thought to myself as I pulled off my own silver cloche.

“This sweet, it’s called, um...chatchi mochi.”

“Chatchi? You can make sweets using chatchi?” Polarth loudly questioned, clearly taken aback.

As I wondered if it ultimately looked like I was just trying to be eccentric, I nodded back, “Yes.”

What I had prepared was a chatchi mochi using chatchi starch. First I boiled Jagar-produced sugar and chatchi starch together in water, and once it coagulated and grew transparent, I tossed it into water as cold as possible to cause it to solidify further, then chopped it up to suitable-sized bits. It was like a simplified version of a warabi mochi recipe.

As for flavoring, I naturally went with a sort of pseudo-mitarashi dango glaze made from chatchi starch, sugar, and tau oil. I regulated the amount of sugar in both parts, and ended up with a sweet that emphasized its squishy, jiggly nature. Though my old friend Reina was an expert in making sweets, the idea for this recipe actually came from the ones I recalled my mother making when I was little.

“My, it’s all transparent like a totos egg! Is this really chatchi? I cannot help but wonder what in the world you did to it to get it in such a form...”

“I squeezed the juices out of the chatchi and then dried them to make a starch. Once it’s in that state, it can be used like fuwano flour. You could also use it in baked goods, but I decided to go with this dish for tonight instead.”

Around when I decided on the giba tatsuta age for the main dish and also figured the giba soup prepared with tau oil could also fit, I hit on the idea of unifying everything together in the theme of Japanese-style cooking. That fixation wouldn’t exactly mean anything to the people of this world, but it just wouldn’t feel right to me personally, serving okonomiyaki, cold shabu-shabu and salad, and tatsuta age only to top things off with donuts or hotcakes.

On top of that, I just had trouble picturing the hunters of the forest’s edge wanting sugary sweets, so I figured I could at least give them a texture they could hopefully enjoy. And this was ultimately just me pushing my own preconceptions on them, but still, I felt like Japanese sweets were a better fit than western style ones for tough hunters like Donda Ruu and Gulaf Zaza.

“Hmm... This certainly is a mysterious flavor,” Marstein stated with great amusement, having gone straight for my dessert first. “All of your dishes have been made using unusual techniques, but this sweet in particular seems to surpass them all. This truly feels like the taste of a dish from a foreign nation.”

Well, it’s from another world entirely, rather than just another country... I thought to myself, but ultimately I just bowed my head and said, “I’m grateful for such praise.”

After that exchange, the clearly bewildered Beim clan head questioned, “What is this dish? It was made using chatchi? It’s as if... No, I can’t even think of anything to compare the flavor to.”

“Right. To start with, there isn’t any pure sugar at the forest’s edge or in the post town, so the people of the forest’s edge not only have no custom of eating sweets, you didn’t even know that food like this existed in the first place. Because of that, this is the one dish I’m not really confident all of you will like, but still... What do you think?”

“Hmm...”

“Back in my home country, sweet desserts were especially enjoyed by women and children.”

Since there wasn’t any sugar to be had at the forest’s edge, I wasn’t able to make any test samples in advance. Still, Rimee Ruu seemed amused by the texture when the chatchi mochi were completed for the first time, and when she tasted them, she was so moved it seemed like she would be bowled right over.

Thanks to that, I got the impression that maybe it held true in this world too that women and children tended to be fond of sweets. At least, that was what I was thinking as the Beim clan head gave a displeased frown.

“This dish is liked by women and children...?”

“Well, that was the case back in my home country at least. Of course, there were still plenty of men and old folks who liked sweets too, though.”

“So there’s nothing shameful about a man liking it...?”

“Shameful...? No, of course not.”

“I see...” the Beim clan head responded, shoveling down the remaining portion left atop his plate.

Taking note of that, Baadu Fou stopped silently eating his own portion and turned to face the clan head beside him. “Ah, so you’re also taken with this dish, clan head of the Beim?”

“I didn’t say so much as a single word of the sort...”

Baadu Fou broke out in a very gentle smile. And I felt somehow warm inside as I compared that with the sour look on the Beim clan head’s face.

In the meantime, the noble side had started discussing my dish as well. I heard stuff like, “How mysterious,” and, “What an unusual taste,” so needless to say, they also seemed surprised.

And then something occurred that instantly silenced that lively discussion.

Gulaf Zaza wrung out in a bitter tone, “Lord Genos... I don’t have any real doubts as to your statement that you wish to reform the bonds between our people, and I agree that’s the right path to take. With that in mind, there’s just one thing I’d like to have your understanding on...”

“And what is that, Gulaf Zaza? I have no question as to the sincerity of your people.”

“In that case, could I have your pardon? I don’t believe I can eat any more of this dish,” Gulaf Zaza said in a grumbling tone, pushing the clay plate with the beautiful swirling pattern on it away from him. On top of it sat Timalo’s baked sweet, only a single bite taken from it. “This dish causes an even worse feeling in my chest than anything yet. What I ate feels as if it’s squirming around in my guts like some sort of living creature. It’s as if I gulped down some sort of poisonous insect.”

“Hmm... This baked sweet seems to use a significant amount of panam honey. Perhaps that sweetness is a touch too strong for you, Sir Gulaf Zaza,” Marstein calmly replied as he suddenly stood and pulled the Zaza clan head’s plate his way. Then he elegantly cut off a slice, and tossed it into his mouth without the slightest hesitation. “As you can see, it most certainly isn’t poisoned. It’s simply a flavor that is quite unsuitable for you. And we do not see it as rude to leave food uneaten, so there’s nothing for you to worry yourself over, Sir Gulaf Zaza.”

“It is seen as a crime at the forest’s edge for leftover food from a dinner to go to waste...”

“In that case, allow me to handle that matter,” Marstein stated, putting his hands and mouth to further work and swiftly finishing off the rest of the baked sweet.

Reina Ruu had said one should refrain from eating from the same plate as someone who isn’t even family, but naturally Gulaf Zaza raised no such complaints.

“Now then, it seems that more or less takes care of all the dishes. Personally, I found this to be a rather worthwhile dinner party. And I certainly hope it was the same for all of you as well,” Marstein said as he wiped away the panam honey from his mustache with a white napkin-like cloth. “I would like to express special gratitude to Timalo and Asuta of the Fa clan for providing tonight’s feast. The dishes both of them prepared were all splendid. Though Genos Castle employs a great many skilled chefs, I can’t imagine either of you falling short of any of them in terms of skill.”

“Thank you,” Timalo and I replied, bowing our heads in sync.

And as he looked over the two of us, Marstein’s gaze ultimately fixated on Timalo.

“Timalo, your cooking was exquisite. At the very least, I cannot imagine anyone from the castle town of Genos questioning your skills. Though you did not receive such praise from our guests from the forest’s edge, that is down to differences in lifestyles and environment, and is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Quite so...”

“However, if you had intended to welcome our guests from the forest’s edge, the results might have been different. I could sense that Asuta of the Fa clan wished to bring joy to both his comrades from the forest’s edge and we nobles with his cooking, but I could not sense such a spirit from you.”

Timalo listened in silence.

“You are an outstanding chef, even among those here in Genos. I realize I’m repeating myself, but on that point alone I have no doubts. I have even thought I would like to someday place you in charge of a banquet at the castle.” And then, Marstein continued on in a bright yet firm tone, “However, you were unsuited for handling the kitchen for this dinner party. There is no need for you to feel shame, but I feel a great deal of responsibility for my own foolishness in accepting your request and handing you the role... Well then, you shall receive your payment later, so could you leave this place now?”

With that harsh criticism from Marstein, the dinner party came to a close.