Elena left Gillum for about a month. The season had already passed spring into summer.
　Still, since it is not the hottest time of summer, many people are active even though they say it's hot and hot.
　Naturally, adventurers are also active, and while sweating in the heat, they are fulfilling the requests posted on the request board.
　In the meantime, Ray...

"That's not good, either.
"Well, it tastes the same as before, and it costs a lot more."

　A man in his late twenties shakes his head in response to Ray's muttering of a bite of dried meat.
　While wiping the sweat with his hands, the man takes cold, cold fruit water from a nearby refrigerated magic box and drinks it in one gulp.
　He'll be much taller than Ray, 180 cm. But it is as broad as it is proportional to his height, and his weight is undoubtedly well over 100 kg.
　The man, named Mayo, was the third generation of a Percy tool store selling tools for adventurers, and Ray asked for help this time through an introduction from Marina.
　Percy equipment stores are some of the biggest ones in the guillem, but they're still not top notch.
　Still selling good quality goods at reasonable prices, it's a pretty good reputation for Gilm's adventurers.
　Sometimes even peddlers came to buy goods.
　The third generation of such a restaurant... to be exact, his father is the owner of the restaurant, so it's appropriate to call him the next third generation, but as you can see from his physique, Mayo is very interested in food.
　Not only did he want to eat delicious food, but he also wanted to let others eat delicious and cheap food. He thought it would be better for him to run a restaurant rather than a tool store, but that was why he was such a good match for Ray.
　If the Ray's work now goes well, it's not a joke, but a name in the history of the world. That is to say...

"It's hard to get rid of the smell of goblin meat completely, and the taste is also bitter and chewy. We need to do something about the texture of the meat...Well, it's hard."

　Yes, I was thinking of a way to make the goblin meat tasteful.
　Of course, even though it will be remembered in history, it is only if it succeeds, and so far several, dozens and hundreds of people have challenged and ultimately failed.
　Needless to say, goblins are very fertile.
　Their fertility is a great threat, given that even remote guillems can survive without being wiped out.
　But when considered as meat, the threat turns into an advantage.
　Breeding might require some control, but it meant that any amount of meat, considered as meat, could be increased.
　Moreover, goblins are omnivorous and eat everything... even if it's on the verge of course. On the contrary, they eat even rotten food.
　In other words, there is no need for food.
　The single and biggest problem is the poor taste of the meat.


"Isn't it impossible, Mr. Mayo, to eat goblin meat?"

　It was a servant who was caught up in the misfortune of being forced to eat the same goblin meat as Mayo.
　About a week after Ray brought this story and Mayo got excited about it and started his research. In the meantime, the man who was repeatedly fed the goblin meat asks to be excused.

"What are you saying?" Did you ask yourself to cooperate with this research because you were caught up in rewards? Then you have to do a good job of it. It's pathetic to complain, as I and my lord Ray eat as much goblin meat in the first place."

　What Mayo said was true.
　Both Mayo and Ray have eaten about five kilograms of goblin meat.
　Considering all this is a bite of the prototype, it's clear how much goblin meat has been wasted so far.
　...however, the goblin meat was left over, and I could get as much as I wanted.
　Also, not all the meat from the failed goblin is wasted.
　It has earned some publicity by releasing it as a donation under the name of a Percy tool store towards the slums.
　For those who live in slums, many people are happy to eat goblin meat.
　Especially now it's summer, and the joy was remarkable because the food was perishable.

"Well, that's true... I never thought it would taste so bad."

　It seems like this was the first time a man had eaten goblin meat, and I can't help but wonder if it was a mistake to join as a taster, no matter how well he was paid.
　Without being able to listen to such complaints, Mayo and Ray continue to discuss how to get to eat this goblin meat.

"What about using more spices?"

　It was Ray's first thought, saying it would get rid of the smell of meat, but Mayo immediately rejects it.

"That may have some effect, but spices are basically expensive. Cheapness is the most distinctive feature of goblin meat, and spices will give you a problem."
"...I see,"
"Yes, and there are many other kinds of meats that can improve with spices." It's about the same price, and much better in terms of taste... so that you can decide which one to buy as an adventurer?"

　Mayo's words were undeniably true.
　the meat of a monster at a similar price to that of a goblin that has become expensive with spices. When asked which one to buy, they usually buy the latter.

"Mr. Mayo, if you're a monster of similar fertility, how about an oak?"

　At the servant's words, Mayo... and Ray speaks as he tells him.

"Oaks are much smarter than goblins. Their individual abilities are incomparably higher than those of goblins, and it will be difficult to match numbers. He is so smart that he does not appear as carelessly as a goblin."

　Goblin and oak are social monsters together. However, there is also a big difference in social nature.
　Orcs can even build settlements and houses, but goblins don't have that much intelligent.
　There was such a big difference between goblins and oaks that it was difficult to stock up on oak meat continuously.
　A goblin would behave in the same way without worrying about the murder of his companions, but in the case of an oak, it would be normal to evacuate if anything was suspicious.
　The servant nods with a look of satisfaction at Ray's explanation.

"Well, it's not so easy,"
"Oak meat is delicious beyond the ranks, and if we can continue to stock them, it's definitely delicious for us."

　Mayo has eaten oak meat many times before.
　The taste was certainly incomparably better than that of goblin meat, and we could eat it deliciously with the right seasoning.

(There are many oak meat who attacked the village of Dark Elf in the case of world trees, but that meat is not for sale, but for me and Setto.)

　Ray's mind is filled with oak corpses.
　Recalling the village of Dark Elves reminds me of giant cicadas in a chain... a little bit bitter.
　The giant cicadas are sometimes completely unknown monsters, and are kept in the guild at the request of the guild.
　Of course it was an unenforceable request, which would have been fulfilled if Ray had been forced to claim ownership of the giant cicada.
　But when Marina told her giant cicada might be able to solve such an extraordinary evolutionary mystery by Ray's magic and world trees, Ray had no words to say no to it.
　It's already been discovered that just pouring a lot of your magic won't turn you into a monster.
　Rey's prediction was that the sap of the world tree was probably related, and that it would not become such a clear monster without absorbing sap and magic to the point where the world tree was dying.

"What's the matter?"

　Ray, who was thinking about giant cicadas, wonders Mayo.

"No, I wanted to have some oak skewers."
"Well, that's good,"
"...you've just eaten a goblin skewer, and you're still eating it?"

　Mayo agrees with Ray's words, but the servant mutters that he doesn't want to eat any more meat.

"It's getting hotter, and you should eat a little and save up your strength."

　Ray muttered that he felt no heat in the dragon lobe.
　Mayo was sweating all over his face while cooking, and he took out cold fruit water from the magic item in the refrigerator and drank it.

"Well, some people lose their appetite in summer."
"...I envy Mrs. Mayo for not having such a thing."
"Hohoho. I always have an appetite throughout the year."

　It was a bit sarcastic of the servant, but Mayo, perhaps feeling complimented, slaps him in the bulging belly.With such a servant's appearance, Ray turns to the flesh of the goblin without saying anything special.

"If you can't use spices and cook them normally... would you like to ask another chef?"

　Goblin meat dishes, other than dried meat, were cooked by chefs at Percy's.
　There is no such luxury as a cook in ordinary tool shops, but here they sell dried meat and other preserved foods for adventurers, and they were employed to do so. ...however, it has to do with Mercy's cousin being a cook.

"I don't want to let this information out too much, if possible." If our research goes well and the taste of goblin meat improves, it will bring a great deal of profit to our store."
"For my part, that would be enough if I could eat and spread the goblin meat as usual."

　Having said that, I asked Marina to introduce me to this particular store, which was originally the right place to discuss this matter.
　I understand that as long as we are introduced and cooperating in research in this way, we have to make a profit at the Percy tool store.

"Meat... meat? The taste of meat itself... Huh?"

　You don't eat goblin meat in the way you cook it, but you improve the taste of the meat itself.
　That thought suddenly crossed Ray's mind.
　It's a program I saw on TV when I was in Japan.
　The technique was to improve the taste itself by aging meat rather than rotting it.

"What's wrong with you, Ray? Did you come up with something?"

　Ray reaches out to Mayo, who has finished drinking the fruit water and has subsequently taken out the cold fruit.

"...one, sir.

　Put some fruit smaller than his fist on Ray's hand, and then give one to his servant.
　The three of us take a short break, eating cold fruit.
　The servants, in particular, were happily enjoying the taste of the goblin meat that remained in their mouths overriding with fruit... no, being purified.

"And did you come up with something?"

　Ray nods and opens his mouth to Mayo, who asks him while eating fruit.

"There is a technique called aged meat."
"... aged meat?"
"Oh, but I really don't know much about this. I only saw it in a book when I was living with my teacher."

　Mayo looks at Ray, recalling his usual setup.
　Before Ray came to Gilm, he lived with a very talented wizard -- a magician who is supposed to be a magician -- because Ray did not hide anything to make use of the setting, and it spread out to people who knew him.
　Ray explains to Mayo, who wonders whether a wizard master like Ray knows how to eat meat he doesn't know.

"It's true that leaving meat in a somewhat cold place for a few days will increase the flavor of meat. -- to put it simply, I think so."
"...are you going to rotting?"
"No, the temperature is not bad enough. I think it was about the middle of winter."

　There are many other steps to make mature meat, but that's all Ray remembers when he watched TV.
　Mayo manages to get Ray more information about aged meat... but Ray, who has only that much knowledge, has little else to offer.
　Nevertheless, Mayo will continue to study... in a few years he will complete the process of making aged meat.