About an hour later, I met up with Haruka and the others and visited Aella's store again.

　After introducing Luce to Haruka and the others, who were meeting for the first time, I asked them to start cooking the meat.

Let's start with the deer. The taste of deer changes depending on how it is processed. ...... Excuse me for a moment. ......

　Aera cut a thin slice of meat from the venison block, smelled it, sprinkled salt and pepper on it, lightly grilled it, and then snapped it.

"...... Yeah. It's very well processed. There's almost no odor, and it takes very little time to cook. Then let's make several kinds.

　Aella is quickly carving the venison into pieces.
　Helping her were Haruka, Yuki, and Natsuki.
　I, Toya, and Luce are also observers.

"By the way, Luce-san, what do you cook?

　Luce-san smiles at my question.

I'm an eater. I'm an eater. I had Aella. ......

I can't help it when I'm around people who are good at cooking. Even if you make it yourself, it's not the same. ......

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand what I'm saying.

You're right!　I've followed the procedure and I'm sure I'm using the same thing. ......

It's the little differences that count, isn't it?

I'm sure you're right. ...... Oh, and by the way, am I allowed to join you?　It's not like I'm going to help you cook.

Of course. I'm a friend of Aella's, and luckily we have plenty of meat.

Thank you very much.

　After Aella's introduction, Luce was about to leave, but we stopped him.

　We had more meat than we could possibly eat, but we also knew that Aella would be taking care of us in the future, and that it would be good to be friends with Luce.

　Well, the main reason is that I just want to get to know her honestly.

　We don't have many acquaintances in this world.

Brown-eye meat should not be overcooked, or it should be slow-cooked to make it tender. If you cook it halfway, it will be tough. Dried meat can also be tasty if you cook it right, but it requires a bit of finesse.

"Is this the deer from Brown Acre ......?

Yes. That's what I think it is around here, isn't it?

　I explained the characteristics of the deer we had seen to Aella, who nodded her head.

She nodded and said, "It's a brown stag. Generally speaking, the younger the animal, the better the meat. The one that Nao and his team killed was quite large, but considering its age, the meat tasted amazing.　It usually smells worse than this. They must have been very good at it.

　The way we bled it out and cooled it would be hard for a normal hunter to replicate, and the magic bag kept it fresh. In that respect, I guess you could say we were good at it.

I'll make one stewed dish and two grilled dishes for now. I'm sure Haruka and the others will be able to apply what they've learned.

　Aella-san started with the stew first, and while it was simmering, she quickly prepared two grilled dishes.

　She was a pro at what she did.

　She is still quicker and more brilliant than Haruka and the others who seem to be better than us.

Come on, try it.

　We all tucked into the venison dishes on the table.
　Despite the fact that it was said to be prone to hardening, the dish was not at all like that, and there was no odor.

　It tasted different from task boar and oak dishes.
　This is something else.

It's delicious. I thought venison would be more difficult to eat.
"I'm a chef too. I'm a chef, so I try to make it taste good.

　Aera-san smiled happily at my comment.

　Aella-san smiled happily at my comments. She was as skillful as ever, but I couldn't tell her how her cooking methods differed from Task Boar's.

　But Haruka and the others are nodding their heads and listening to Aella's advice, so I'm sure they'll do a good job. I'm sure they will.

The stew will take a while to cook, so let's wait a while. ...... Next, let's go to the Bind Viper.

"The Bind Viper looks a little strange, doesn't it?

　The meat of the Bind Viper, taken out of the magic bag, was cut into pieces about 50 centimeters wide.
　Looking at it, Haruka has an indescribable expression on her face.

　The skin was removed before cutting it into pieces, so you might not recognize it as a snake unless you were told, but to those of us who knew it was a snake, it was a part of a snake.

It's not a major ingredient. It's not a major ingredient. But the soup made from the bones is very delicious.

"From the bones?
Yes. It's very simple.

　Open the Bind Viper, put the removed bones in a pot, and boil it continuously while removing the lye. At this time, you can add some herbs if you like.

　When the bones are soft enough to break down, strain the broth and season with salt to make a delicious soup.

　I threw away the bones and organs of the first one I killed when I dismantled it, but after that I just cut it into pieces.

　This time it worked. I didn't think the bones had any value.


　So books are not always reliable.

The process is simple but time-consuming, so few people make it at home. It doesn't make much difference whether you make a large amount or a small amount, so it's basically something you eat at a restaurant.

Oh, in that case, can you process all the bones of the Bind Viper I have at once?
Yes, of course. --Luce, give me a hand.
Yes, yes.

　After a while, the two of them came back with a skeleton that was big enough to hold Aella.

I'll be back. ...... Please throw the middle part of the bone into this.
All right.

　The four of us split up, and the bind Viper was quickly disposed of. Aera set the skull on the stove, filled it with water, and lit it.

　She also took out some herbs from the refrigerator and put them inside.

This will take about three to five hours while removing the lye.

Wow, that's a lot of work. Is that soup really expensive?

It's more expensive than other soups. Bind Viper bones are not so easy to find. We also need firewood to cook it for a long time in a normal restaurant.

　Yuki must have meant that it was expensive because it took a lot of time and effort, but Aella's reply was that the ingredients were expensive.

　Come to think of it, labor costs are relatively low in this world.

　This may be advantageous for us as wholesalers of materials, but it also has the disadvantage that the commission for an adventurer is not very high.

　Therefore, it is more profitable to collect and sell meat than to accept requests. Of course, this is only possible if we are able to carry a large amount of goods and meat.

Now, finally, the meat of the Bind Viper. It's a bit tough ...... and springy, so it's not to everyone's taste, but it's quite good when sliced thin and grilled. It's a bit tough and elastic.　There's not much fat, though.

"Wow!　Seseri!

　I like parsnips very much. I was a little reluctant to try it because it was a snake, but I might as well try it.

"Well, it's not the kind of meat you can eat a lot of, because it's very elastic. If we were to consume it ourselves, it would be more difficult to dispose of than the bones, in a way.

　Even so, Aella cooked the meat quickly, slicing it thinly and frying it with salt, and presented it to us.

　We picked it up one by one and put it in our mouths.

　The texture was chewy and elastic. The texture is similar to that of bird parsley, but as Ms. Aera said, it is a little different from bird parsley in that it has less fat and is a little lighter.

　But still, it's not as bad as I thought, because the flavor comes out when you chew it.

　If I had to pick a weakness, it would be its elasticity. Even though it is sliced thinly, it takes a long time to eat, and your jaw gets tired.

You certainly can't eat a lot of this, can you?
"Yes. I'd like to have a small amount. It doesn't taste bad.

　Everyone agreed that it was best to eat only a small amount, but Toya was the only one who disagreed.

I like the texture. I like the texture.
"What?　I think it would be tough even for a beastman. Would you like to try cooking it on ......?
Yeah. Please.

　Aella, who rolled her eyes at Toya's opinion, cut the meat into steak-sized pieces and started to grill it.
　The only thing that smells good is the smell. ...... Is that thick enough to eat?

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
I'll take it!　It's ...... crunchy, but it's ...... good.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it. I don't think I can do it.

...... I guess we should sell most of the Bind Vipers. How about you, Aella?

"We don't have that many ...... since the variety of dishes is limited compared to Orcs. I'd appreciate the bones, though.

No, no, no. Don't worry about it. I can sell them to the guild.

　I waved my hand at Aella, who looked a little annoyed. The guild will buy it without any problem, so there is no need to sell it to Aella.

"Speaking of which, what was the purchase price of the Bind Viper?
"It was about the same per weight as an Orc.

　Instead, the meat per animal is much less than that of orcs.

　The magic stones cost a little more than the orcs, and the hides a lot more. In total, they were bought for about 20% less than the orcs.

　So, as far as we are concerned, orcs are more efficient than us.

　If you are an ordinary adventurer who has a hard time taking things home, you might be better off using bind vipers, which can be earned with less bulky skins and magic stones.

Isn't it something you would actively hunt for?
No, it's not.

　It's not that I'm going to avoid it when I encounter it, but I don't think I need to go out of my way to find it." Aera smiled at our opinion as she came back from the kitchen.

We're not going to avoid it, but we don't have to hunt for it.　Maybe you'll change your opinion?

"Hmm?　What do you have in mind, Aella?



"Well, that's for later. I've made some venison stew. We'll also have some Bind Viper meat.

　The stewed venison presented to me looked like beef stew, and the venison in it was so tender that it fell apart with a spoon.

　The venison in the stew was so tender that it fell apart with a spoon. The flavor was very good, similar to a rich beef stew.

　It goes well with the bread served with it, but you may want to serve it over rice as if it were hayashi rice.

If you take your time, it will become as soft as this. It takes a lot of work at home, though.

　I don't cook, but if you cook it for more than an hour, it must be troublesome.
　And if you are cooking with wood, the cost of fuel is not unreasonable.

　If you have a pressure cooker, you may be able to shorten the cooking time, but unfortunately I have never seen one. Even if I were to have one made, it would be difficult to find the gaskets and safety devices.

The Bind Viper is fried in a sauce with herbs.
...... Yeah, I like it better when it's thin.

　The nice crunchy texture is a little similar to the famous stir-fry using small intestines of beef in Japan.
　It is cut into small pieces so that it is easy to eat despite its elasticity.
　It is also a dish that makes you crave for rice.

The last dish was a soup made from the bones of the bind viper. Since we ate a lot of meat today, I added some lightly chopped greens.

　What came out was a cloudy white soup.
　The soup came out white and cloudy, with green vegetables scattered on top to accentuate the flavor, but that was the only ingredient.
　It was certainly just right for my stomach after eating a lot of meat.
　I scooped up the soup with a spoon and took a sip.

It's ...... good.

　The taste is gentle, but tasty and deep, with no smell at all.
　There is a slight herbaceousness in the nose and a light saltiness.
　The taste is not complex or distinctive, but it's still addictive. .......

This is more than I expected.
Are you sure it's just the bones of a Bind Viper?
Just herbs and salt. I just sprinkled the greens afterwards.

　The cooking method is so simple that I could do it myself if I had the time.
　The cooking method is so simple that even I could make it if I only took the time. .......

It's definitely worth hunting down a Bind Viper for.
"Right?　Well, if you remove the bones, the purchase price goes down a bit.

　Aera-san smiles at that.

　The Bind Viper we sold to the guild this time was meat with the bones removed, so it seems we could have sold it for a little more if the bones had been removed.

　Even so, Orcs seem to make more money. ...... This soup is a shame, but I don't want to lose money.

　I guess it's better to hunt them when you encounter them.

　If you're hunting for soup, your income will decrease.

I don't want to force you, but if you bring your bones to us, we'll buy them at a higher price than the guild.　It's hard for Halka and the others to spend hours just to make soup, isn't it?

That's true. I don't mind cooking, but I'm tired when I get home and after training. ......

It's a little slow, isn't it, this soup?

I want to eat this soup too, but I can't ask Haruka and the others to do it. And the meat. That steak was delicious.

　That's only Toya. Maybe the others can't bite off that steak.
　But no one seems to be opposed to selling the bones of the Bind Viper to Aella.

It's good, right?　We'll be able to drink this soup without changing our income.

"Yes, sir. Besides, you don't have to pay a lot for it. You can keep the soup for us.

Yes, of course. Nao, I hope you will come and eat with us!


　After that day, every time we hunted a Bind Viper, we brought it to Aella's store and were treated to soup.