“Then let’s scatter and search.”
“Sure! Leave it to me!”
“Yes.”
“Understood. My Lord.”
“And let’s meet back here at five.”
The household members all boarded the carriage heading towards the Raphelion mansion, leaving only Rendler, Rachel, Ariel, and me in the Northern Regions.
Rendler suggested leaving someone to attend to my needs, but I didn’t want to increase our numbers on a potentially dangerous journey, so I sent everyone off.
After all, there were plenty of people following Ariel.
“Now, please enjoy the roasted Kraken legs fresh from the Northwest Sea~!”
“The king of the tundra! The bile of the Winter Bear King—! Just one bite will rejuvenate your spirit and vigor~!”
As soon as the parade concluded, the Monster Cuisine Festival began in the Northern Regions, and we scattered with a shared purpose.
While enjoying the festival would be nice, to proceed with our culinary journey as planned, we needed to find a competent monster chef within a week.
If push came to shove, I could manage without the ‘competent’ part.
After all, we needed at least one cook.
With such a long journey ahead and no rest stops like in modern times, we needed someone capable of preparing edible meals from the ingredients gathered directly from nature.
Rachel, who had traveled across the country for training, claimed she could whip up simple dishes, but I didn’t want to add another responsibility to my mentor, who was juggling both training and guarding.
It might not be easy to find someone, but since Ariel, who was merely a companion on this trip, also rolled up her sleeves to help, I figured we’d manage to secure someone within the week.
The problem was—
“…Oh look, that’s Lord Elden over there?”
“Shh. Keep it down. He just got eliminated from the final candidate selection; he must be furious. If we cross paths, we might end up in serious trouble.”
“Let’s go around. We don’t know what kind of trouble we might face if we run into him.”
“Avoiding him right now is the best course of action.”
…Thanks to the original Alden Raphelion’s reputation (?), the situation was becoming even more challenging than before.
With glances of sympathy cast my way, the moment I stepped into view, it was “Eek!”—it was difficult to even start a conversation with anyone due to the attention.
People distanced themselves like magnets with the same poles.
The bustling market street parted like the Red Sea at my arrival.
Why?
I’m not even that pitiful.
There’s no need to look at me like that.
I’m not a bad guy.
You really don’t need to run away that much.
“Hey, can I talk to you?”
“Eek! I-I’m so sorry if I bothered you!”
“…….”
At this rate, wouldn’t the original Elden be considered some kind of super villain?
Just his reputation has traveled all the way to the far-off Northern Regions, and if he were to experience a modern transmigration, I have no doubt he’d end up as a Charlie Sheen-level bad boy star.
While having such silly thoughts, I pulled my hood down low.
Then, I approached those cooking the monsters and asked.
“This tastes wonderful. Say, are you thinking of going on a culinary journey?”
“Eh? …I’m from the Northern Regions, so I have no plans to go abroad.”
“Your skills aren’t half bad. Perhaps you’d consider going on a culinary journey…?”
“I’m a woman, so I’d just be a bother.”
“Well, the taste isn’t everything, but are you sure you wouldn’t think about…?”
“I need to take care of my parents…”
“…I suppose you can eat at least. You seem vigorous—are you sure you’re not interested in seeking out some romance?”
“Does it pay?”
“…Well, romance and money typically don’t get along.”
“I’m sorry.”
I anticipated challenges, but I never expected it to be this difficult.
Despite drastically lowering my expectations regarding taste, I found myself constantly facing rejection.
Traditionally, the ‘North’ in fantasy has always been depicted as a place filled with wilderness and romance.
So why—
“Is it truly this barren?”
I hustled with my feet until they were drenched in sweat, but unfortunately, my efforts today converged to zero, and I had to face dinner empty-handed.
As the allies started arriving at the meeting point, their faces resembled those of defeated soldiers, but I mustered a faint glimmer of hope and asked.
“Rendler?”
“Nothing to report.”
“Rachel?”
“None here.”
“Ariel?”
I posed the question to Ariel, who arrived last, without much expectation.
“There was one…”
Her reply took me by surprise, and just as I was about to kindle a flicker of hope, that flame extinguished before it could even ignite.
“There was someone?”
“They refused as soon as they heard the employer was you… I tried to persuade them multiple times that you wasn’t the old Elden, but they didn’t even consider it… I’m sorry.”
“…You really have no reason to apologize. I should be the one saying sorry. You’ve worked hard.”
Indeed, it seemed my infamy was kicking up a blizzard in what was already a slow recruitment market.
I’d say it’s the karmic consequences of being possessed by a villainous character.
I understand, but for someone in dire need of a monster chef, it was utterly frustrating.
I couldn’t just roam around shouting, “The reckless little rascal has changed!”
Anyway, we gathered at Ariel’s lodging, having dinner while brainstorming solutions, even if the name wasn’t very helpful.
“Hmm. Finding a chef isn’t going to be easy.”
In response to my lament, Rendler replied grimly.
“Given the circumstances, raising the hiring fee doesn’t seem like it will solve the issue either.”
“In that case, how about you consider switching to being a chef, old man?”
“…Heh. Cooking is the only thing I’m truly terrible at. I’m embarrassed.”
Rendler scratched the back of his head, looking troubled at the silly suggestion.
It seemed a stretch to say cooking was his only blind spot; he appeared to have poor navigational skills as well, but I decided to let the silliness slide.
After all, Rendler was already shouldering the heavy responsibility of being a porter; I certainly didn’t want to pile cooking duties back onto him.
“If it comes down to it, I’ll give it a try.”
“While I appreciate your determination, I can’t impose even more burdens on you, who is already managing multiple responsibilities.”
Although Rachel seemed somewhat knowledgeable about monster cuisine, with her already busy schedule of guarding, training, and hunting, I couldn’t accept her offer either.
Considering the festival had only just begun, I decided to reserve my mentor’s cooking as a last resort, and we ended up without a clear solution as dinner wrapped up.
Just as the meal came to a close, Ariel, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke with a solemn expression.
“Or I could try cooking!”
All eyes turned to her in surprise, filled with skepticism and curiosity because, of course, the Count’s bookworm lady appeared to have no connection to cooking.
She seemed to lack the hobby of preparing meals herself.
Moreover, Ariel was accompanied by a personal chef for her trip all the way to the Duchy of Lundgren.
Regrettably, the chef who had treated me to monster cuisine during my last visit to Ariel’s lodging was only a special invitee, making it impossible for her to take charge of the cooking duties.
If I could just ask the resident chef to serve three more sets of utensils, at least we wouldn’t starve on the journey to the Duchy of Lundgren.
That would put out the immediate fire of our predicament, but it wouldn’t solve the absence of a monster chef in the long run.
What I truly needed was someone who could accompany me on a lengthy travel journey that might take several years, preparing exquisite monster dishes along the way.
“Ariel? You? Why?”
“Oh, it feels like everyone has a role except for me.”
A role, huh…
I had already received enough favors from Ariel, so I never expected her to take on another role. Besides, she was just a companion for the journey to the Duchy of Lundgren.
“There’s no need to feel pressured about roles. I’ve already benefited a lot from you.”
“I just want to do something. It sounds fun!”
“Really?”
“Ah, of course, I won’t do it if a professional chef is found! I just thought it would be fun to give it a try.”
Well, if that’s the case, I suppose there’s no need to dissuade her.
A bookworm’s challenge to seek new fun deserves some encouragement.
I don’t know when I’ll be able to find a monster chef to chase after the romance, but until then, it wouldn’t hurt to have a bit of hope for Ariel’s skills.
“Okay, let’s do that then.”
With my consent, Ariel clenched her fists, determined fire gleaming in her reddish-brown eyes.
“Great! Then I’ll start practicing my cooking from tomorrow!”
“I’m looking forward to it, Ariel.”
“Yeah! I’m already feeling excited!”
Thus, our first strategy meeting came to a close.
Even though we didn’t find a solution to the shortage of monster chefs, I found Ariel’s cooking skills quite intriguing.
Of course, if her skills turned out to be unexpectedly amazing, that could be problematic.
Even if she possesses fantastic talent in monster cuisine, that would pose a challenge.
Count Elrond’s daughter, Ariel Elrond, is far too delicate to embark on a perilous gastronomic journey based on hunting monsters and surviving the wild.
Even if she’s free from the expectations of her family, I doubt her father would support his daughter going on a dangerous munching expedition with a rogue.
I earnestly hoped to find a monster chef as I wandered around the festival for the next three days, and now I faced the fourth day empty-handed.
…I couldn’t believe it had already been four days; the time hadn’t flown that quickly during the Betrothal Contest.
“This is quite the predicament. There’s no one else to ask now, my lord.”
“Ahem. I didn’t expect it to be this hard to find someone.”
The festival was slowly winding down, and the chefs who had come to the Northern Regions for the festivities were beginning to leave one by one.
Though my magical and swordsmanship skills were just beginning to emerge, there was no need to feel overly anxious. Nevertheless, finding a monster chef who could chase after romance while being oblivious to Elden Raphelion’s infamy felt nearly miraculous, which seemed rather pessimistic.
In such circumstances—
“Ta-da! Basilisk belly roast!”
Ariel’s monster dish was making its debut on the table.
“Oho!”
The roasted belly of the basilisk was golden brown.
After slicing it for easy eating, it resembled a smoked salmon in appearance.
The soft yet chewy belly was beautifully grilled, exuding an appetizing hue.
“It was a bit tricky to prepare, but I made this dish from start to finish!”
Ariel was surprisingly confident.
“And it was pretty fun! Cooking is.”
We each took a generous bite, and—
“…”
“…?”
“…!”
Thus began our second strategy meeting.
I was relieved to hear it was at least enjoyable.
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