Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 16 - Chapter 1.2

2

“As I have said in the past, no edible fish exist in the vicinity of Genos. The ones swimming in the rivers are all poisonous. That is considered a significant idiosyncrasy of our land. The only real exceptions are the maru and the like that can be gathered downstream, which are edible,” Polarth triumphantly explained, having entered the room after us. “It is said that the river itself is safe to drink because the fish have taken all the poison into themselves. In exchange for nice clear water we can use freely, we cannot eat fish here in Genos. Actually, that seems to be how it is across the entire eastern half of Selva. That means these fish had to be transported here over the course of half a month from the western part of the country.”

“Half a month...? Did they transport the river water along with the fish?”

“Indeed. Supposedly, there were special wagons constructed just for that purpose. An astounding degree of obsession, isn’t it?”

There really wasn’t any other way to put it.

The inside of the brick enclosure was filled to the brim with water, creating a fish tank. There were three separated sections, each five meters squared, with dozens of fish swimming around inside of them. The water was a faint greenish color, and the characteristic stench of fish permeated the room. It really was only natural that everyone else was furrowing their brows.

“The only ones capable of cooking them are the chefs who have diligently studied here at the Turan manor. That’s why we cannot find anyone to purchase them even in the castle town. But if we simply let them die, all the money it took to purchase them would go to waste, so the only option has been to continue feeding them.”

“This is absolutely astonishing...”

Genos was right in the middle of the continent, far removed from any ocean, and the only fish that lived in the rivers were highly toxic. I really never could have dreamed that I’d see such a sight here.

“Well, naturally it would be difficult to bring them back to the forest’s edge, so I imagine you would have no use for them either, but I wanted to share my surprise with you,” Polarth said before swiftly exiting the room. I soon followed, prompting the rest of the group to come along. “Now then, shall we return to the task of tasting ingredients? First up is the vegetables.”

Next, Polarth invited us into the rightmost door along the one wall. Awaiting us inside were rows of tall shelves, all packed with vegetables.

The huge room looked to be around thirty square meters, and what didn’t fit on the shelves was stuffed into bags down on the floor. Reina and Rimee Ruu had been somewhat prepared for the sight thanks to having seen the smaller servant kitchen pantry, but Toor Deen’s eyes went wide in shock.

Though I knew the majority of the vegetables, there were unfamiliar ones mixed in here and there. Filled with great anticipation, we started carefully examining them.

“There is an even larger storehouse farther in, but supposedly they would pick out especially good samples from there and transfer them here. For now, things are not sorted in any particular way, but these ingredients have nowhere to go, so feel free to use whatever you please.”

In other words, these were the ingredients that had overflowed from the storehouse. The scale here really was absurd.

“There seem to be several here I don’t recognize. What sort of vegetable is this exactly?”

I had picked up something that looked like a sponge gourd with purple skin. It was around fifty centimeters long and about as thick as my arm.

“Hmm, I believe that comes from Jagar. I would say it is quite tasty when boiled.”

“I see. The vegetables on this continent taste a lot like the ones from my home country, but the shapes are totally different, so I can’t picture what they’re like before giving them a try.”

“I would like it if you could bring such vegetables back with you and determine whether or not they are suitable for your cooking, Sir Asuta. In particular, it would be lovely if you could carefully examine the ones that we have an excess of, but what do you say?”

Even if he asked that, I had no way of knowing at this stage. So for the time being, I had him fill a bag with various vegetables they had more than enough of, but that weren’t overly expensive.

“Next up is the seasonings. I believe you’ll be able to see some rather unusual sights here as well.”

Sure enough, we found another similarly huge room full of shelves. This time, though, they were loaded with many different sizes of bottles and jars.

“You can check more thoroughly yourself, but I believe these shelves should have seasonings, while these are alcohol. Naturally, that includes mamaria fruit wine, fermented milk and herbal liquor from Sym, sparkling wine from Jagar, and shockingly, even plenty of distilled liquor from Mahyudra!”

“Distilled liquor? That’s definitely interesting to hear.”

Even though it all used the same base of mamaria, there was distilled liquor similar to whiskey in the castle town. But if there was a grain-based alcohol closer to sake, I’d be really happy to learn about it.

“Whoa! Look, Asuta! It’s a snake!” Rimee Ruu shouted, tugging on my sleeve.

“A-A snake?”

When I turned to look, I saw that there was a black snake coiled about inside a glass bottle. It must have been some sort of medicinal drink similar to habu snake liquor.

“Now that I think about it, giba eat snakes too, don’t they? Are snakes tasty?” she asked me.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never had one myself.”

For the time being, I decided to take along one bottle of every type of alcohol that didn’t look too eccentric. Even if there wasn’t a way to use them in my cooking, the hunters of the forest’s edge could enjoy them, at least.

Then there were the seasonings. I had gotten my hopes up that I would find something similar to miso, but I sadly wasn’t able to locate anything like that. It was all stuff that didn’t feel particularly familiar to me, such as a juice that had a sweet aroma like coconut milk, a vegetable oil made with something other than reten, a fermented item made using gyama milk that had a powerful sour aroma, herbs pickled in alcohol, and so on.

“Ah, mustn’t forget that there’s a separate room over this way,” Polarth reminded us, pointing out a door hidden in the shadow of one of the shelves. When I opened it, a powerful fragrance exploded forth.

“These...are dried goods, aren’t they?”

There were massive chunks of smoked meat and dried fruit hanging all around. But something among them immediately drew my eye: a bundle of what looked to be dried seaweed coated in white salt.

“That seems to be dried seaweed, right?”

“Indeed. Supposedly, it is purchased from the capital, Algrad. This is all that is left now, but from what I hear, a significant amount of it is delivered multiple times throughout the year alongside other ingredients. A great deal of fuwano and mamaria are traded for all that, which is a great source of anguish for Lord Torst.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, anyway, I’m actually more grateful to see this than even the live fish.”

“Is that so? In that case, perhaps you will also be happy to see this?” Polarth asked, pointing toward a pile of wooden boxes.

When I opened up the lid of one, I was hit by a huge wave of excitement. Stuffed inside were little dried slices of what looked like bonito meat, all hard like chunks of wood. And inside the other boxes, I found dried shellfish, prawn-like crustaceans, and a strange octopus-esque creature.

“Amazing. This stuff alone should massively expand the breadth of my cooking.”

“Ooh, I’m glad to hear that. Truthfully, these dried goods have been just as difficult to find a use for as the live fish,” Polarth said before breaking out in a grin. “I had hoped that as a visitor from overseas you could find a way to utilize all this seafood. Apparently, they cannot be sold to anyone in the castle town besides Sir Varkas, so if you could use them I am certain it would make Lord Torst happy.”

“Right. I can’t say anything for certain until I actually try making something with them, but if I can get a good soup stock from them, that would be good for the post town too.”

“That is reassuring to hear. Ah, and what do you think of this box from Jagar?”

My expectations were high as I removed the lid, and those hopes were more than fully met. After all, the inside of the box was packed with all sorts of mushrooms. There was what looked like a scarlet shiitake, a sort of yellow cloud ear mushroom, and plenty of others with rather poisonous-looking colors, though naturally I figured there wouldn’t be any actual poisonous ones in the mix. They had all been thoroughly dried out, and I found the condensed smell quite pleasant.

In another wooden box, I even found raw mushrooms packed in what looked to be sawdust. The rounded white one looked just like a common mushroom, while another that was like a light-brown umbrella seemed identical to a brown beech mushroom.

“This is incredible! It really is a treasure trove!”

Regrettably, I seemed to be the only one getting all ecstatic. But even so, Reina Ruu and Toor Deen seemed to be seriously observing and wondering just what sorts of dishes they could make.

“I am glad to see you happy too. And I have to say, this makes me look forward to the welcome banquet even more,” Polarth said, at which point Ai Fa suddenly turned around. Without me realizing it, some unfamiliar figure had appeared standing in the door.

When he turned the same direction, Polarth gave a broad smile, “Ah, if it isn’t Sir Varkas. Where in the world have you been?”

“I was in the neighboring room carefully examining herbs the entire time.”

So this is the famed chef Varkas? I thought to myself, my curiosity welling up.

Something felt a little strange about the man. He was tall and slender, and his brown hair was a bit on the long side. His face was rather handsome, and his green eyes and pale skin reminded me a bit of folks from Jagar. On his slim figure he wore what seemed to be a white chef’s outfit. Unusually for the warm land of Genos, it had long sleeves, such that only his face and fingers were exposed.

He didn’t look to be especially young. However, he wasn’t all that old either. His appearance and the general feel about him made it difficult to guess his age, like he was a young-looking middle-aged man or a young fellow with a strong air of dignity about him. Though I figured he was definitely somewhere between twenty-five and forty, I couldn’t really narrow it down any further.

“So you are the chef from overseas, Sir Asuta...? I am the proprietor of The Silver Star, Varkas,” the man stated in a voice that sounded as vast as an ocean, yet also a bit sleepy. “If you do not mind, there’s something I would like to discuss out front. Would that be all right?”

“Yes, of course.”

As I thought to myself that he didn’t seem all that stubborn as craftsmen went, I exited the pantry after him. We faced each other once again in the vast kitchen.

“Sorry for the late introduction, but I am Asuta of the Fa clan, a person of the forest’s edge. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Working with me, you say? Naturally, I have no issues having a personal exchange with you. However...” Varkas trailed off, a somewhat bewildered look in his eyes. “The truth is, I came here to make a request of you, Sir Asuta.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“I would like you to withdraw from serving as a chef for the welcome banquet.”

When he heard that, Polarth’s eyes shot open wide in shock. “What are you saying? Just like you, Sir Asuta was selected by Duke Marstein Genos himself to handle this task.”

“But Sir Asuta’s position would not be worsened by turning down that request, correct? If at all possible, I would not like the ingredients here to be put to waste,” Varkas replied. I honestly wasn’t able to read his emotions at all as he talked. “These ingredients gathered from around the world by the previous head of the house are akin to a treasure. And I see allowing them to be handled poorly as a form of blasphemy.”

“Hmm... But if we don’t hurry up and use them, those ingredients will end up as a pile of rubbish. Isn’t it better to use them freely rather than allow them to rot?” Polarth suggested.

“That is not how I see things. Does it not fit the will of the western god better that they return to the earth as is rather than be used as part of a poorly made dish?”

He seemed to have decided my dishes were poorly made before even trying one. However, Varkas’s expression remained completely vague and impossible to read. The only thing I could sense was that he seemed like someone troubled by having to lecture an unreasonable child.

“I understand your feelings on the matter, Varkas. But this is a job that Duke Genos asked me to do, and the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge accepted. It isn’t something I can reject by myself, so if you have concerns then I believe your only option is to petition Duke Genos.”

“Naturally, I intend to do just that. But as I am nothing but a mere chef, I cannot imagine that request being granted, so I would like to ask that you mediate the matter with the duke and your leading clan heads as well, Sir Asuta.”

He remained perfectly calm and composed, and I couldn’t sense any animosity or ill will from him. It was possible he didn’t have any scorn toward me or the people of the forest’s edge and was simply saying all this for the sake of the ingredients.

So he’s less a bad person and more just an eccentric?

I took a moment to contemplate, and once I had my thoughts and feelings in order I offered my rebuttal.

“If I had taken this job out of a sense of obligation or due to my own personal curiosity then maybe it wouldn’t make sense to push ahead in spite of your feelings on the matter. But what I feel is a strong desire to create proper ties between the nobles of Genos and the people of the forest’s edge. Can you please understand that I can’t back out of this job without throwing away that desire?”

“What exactly do you hope to accomplish using ingredients you are not accustomed to? If you did not remove any ingredients from this pantry and presented your dishes on a different day than my own, then I would have no reason to complain.”

“So you don’t want me working the kitchen on the same day as you?”

“Of course. If the guests’ tongues were sullied as a result, they would be unable to thoroughly experience the taste of my cooking.”

That got me thinking again about how exactly to handle this matter. Since I couldn’t sense any thoughtless malice from him, coldly turning down his request didn’t feel like the way to settle things.

Meanwhile, the women standing beside me were all wearing a variety of expressions. Ai Fa was expressionless, but with a piercing gaze fixed on Varkas half hidden behind her eyelids, while Reina Ruu watched over the proceedings with a demure look. Rimee Ruu was tilting her head, and Toor Deen...surprisingly, she had the most displeased look of all in her eyes as she firmly bit down on her lip.

Personally, I wasn’t feeling especially angry or anything. In fact, I honestly thought that it was pretty crazy to leave the catering for such an important banquet up to someone in my position. However, that didn’t mean I could simply accept Varkas’s demand.

“In other words, you don’t want an inexperienced chef like me using those precious ingredients, and you don’t want your cooking served alongside crude dishes, right?”

“Put frankly, that is the case.”

“I see,” I replied, my thoughts racing. “To be honest, I still see myself as a chef with a long way to go. I’ve only lived seventeen years, and it’s only been around half a year since I came here to Genos. Naturally, I have my doubts about someone like me serving food to nobles.”

“Very well. In that case...”

“Even so, Duke Genos and Polarth here had some knowledge of my skills before entrusting me with this important task. If I can live up to their expectations, then I believe that could lead to the standing of the people of the forest’s edge being reevaluated, at least a little.”

Varkas was silent.

“If you don’t mind, could I show you my cooking skills too before you make up your mind? Then if you still aren’t satisfied, your claim that Asuta of the Fa clan isn’t suited to cooking for such an important banquet will hold all the more weight when you tell Duke Genos. After all, you’re known as the foremost chef in the region.”

“You want me to taste your cooking...?”

“That’s right. Duke Genos assigned the task to me after eating my cooking, so it’s only natural that your words wouldn’t hold sufficient weight when you know nothing of my skill, right?”

Varkas fell silent, a somewhat pained look on his face.

Polarth had been watching over the whole exchange, and now he broke out in a big grin.

“Well then, there is definitely logic in Sir Asuta’s proposal. Personally, I would say that his skill is no less than that of Sir Timalo, you know, Sir Varkas.”

“Those words only make me feel more concerned... After all, Sir Timalo isn’t qualified to waste the ingredients here.” Running his almost femininely graceful fingers through his hair, Varkas gave a sigh. “It was a mistake by the previous head of this house to make Sir Timalo the assistant head chef. Whenever he vainly wielded a knife, I felt as though I could hear the ingredients crying out.”

“I see. That you would say such a thing only raises my expectations of your skills, Sir Varkas. But Sir Asuta comes from overseas, and he can create dishes using techniques that are unfamiliar to us. That should put him on more than equal footing with chefs invited from Sym or Jagar, wouldn’t you say?”

“As I said, if he were making dishes in some suitable place removed from me, then I would have no complaints.” At that, Varkas slowly turned my way. “Still, I understand what you are saying. If you are willing to go that far, then go ahead and show me your skill... And shall I show you my own skills as well, Sir Asuta?”

“Your skills? That’s definitely a welcome offer.”

“Is that so? Well then, we shall taste one another’s cooking before coming to a conclusion. I believe that will show you quite well that my feelings on the matter are correct,” Varkas said in a perfectly listless, gentle tone.

And so, I found myself in a completely unexpected cooking competition with a chef who was Mikel’s equal, if not his better.