The Power of Mandragoni Meat
“Hoh. Well, now—what do we have here?”
Rubia reached out and took his pulse.
“It’s true, then? Just like the lord said. You’ve definitely improved.”
“P-Priestess. I think that’s enough now. You’re not perhaps, er, kneading a little too much….”
“Mid-ranking soldier, you’ve got very pretty hands.”
“Pardon?”
“I said they’ve gone numb from the cold, that’s all. I’m just warming them up for you, sister.”
The soldiers who had witnessed the effect with their own eyes were visibly shocked.
“Mr. Cadegil. I’ll share these horns with you as well. If you take them to the Eastern Continent, you could sell them for more than deer antlers.”
“R-Really, now?”
“You just saw the effect yourself. Set up a free tasting corner and they’d sell out in a heartbeat.”
Leader Cadegil and the porters under him were clearly tempted.
“If we could keep getting such precious medicine—how about it? Mandragoni horns grow back even if they’re broken off. That’d be good for them too. Their horns get so long they become a nuisance. They need trimming now and then. Isn’t that right, boys?”
At Ho-yeong’s words, Number 8 and Number 9 nodded eagerly. To the others, that only made the scene even stranger.
“What’s so surprising about taming monsters? Back in the day, there were princes who rode griffins, and dragons would sometimes side with humans too.”
“Mm… well, I suppose.”
It seemed like the persuasion was going smoothly, but—
“Still, Lord. It’s hard enough getting humans to straighten out. Monsters must be even worse, right? I mean… I’m not exactly one to talk, being a former prisoner and all. But even if you tame them with that Edification thing or whatever, what happens if they turn on us later?”
Rubia asked the sharp question.
“Don’t worry. I can see Edification levels on them from the start. As for the ones with rotten seeds, I cut them down without hesitation, and I’ll keep doing the same. If one of the converted ones causes trouble, I’ll leave the punishment to the priestess—so trust me on this.”
“Oh? Now that sounds interesting. I’ve always wanted to try punishing a monster.”
The six captured Mandragoni were trembling all over.
Ho-yeong glared at them deliberately.
“You lot—are you going to keep attacking humans or not?”
“-Raaah! Rani-rani! (We won’t! Never again!)”
The Mandragoni flattened themselves on the ground, begging for mercy.
“Good. Unlike the ones who died, you lot have a bit of a brain in your heads.”
He looked at them with obvious satisfaction.
“I don’t know why the ones who’d been avoiding humans suddenly lost their minds, but weak things like you charging off to hunt humans are just asking to be exterminated. Then again, with monsters running wild these days, even other monsters have to watch their backs. Must be rough all around.”
The Mandragoni’s horns drooped.
“The contract is simple. You provide labor for Tamer Territory. I provide you with comfortable shelter and quality food. Fair enough? I’ll treat the sick and give the overworked time off too. Sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it?”
“Rani-rani! (Yes, yes!)”
It was the moment the first monster welfare law on the continent came into being.
Achievement Acquired! Point Accrual.
Guardian, impressive! You successfully converted them through taming without spending any EP. As an achievement reward, you have obtained 10 EP.
Ability Level Up! Your main skill Edification has increased dramatically from level 2 to level 4.
“Now then. Is there anyone—human or monster—who objects to taking these poor beasts with us? If so, raise a hand or a foot.”
No one raised anything.
Sub Quest Completed! Grade: A+
You eliminated or converted all 60 Mandragoni without any loss of life!
As the completion reward, you have obtained a total of 13 KP. Remaining KP: 13.
As the grade reward, you have obtained 20 EP. Remaining EP: 150.
With that came the celebratory chime of a reward notification.
So there’s no KP for converting them. Same as the game, then. Still, if conversion is better than killing outright, I guess I can live without the points.
Even after scoring such a solid result, Ho-yeong calmly weighed the profits and losses.
More importantly, they’re all exhausted. Better give them a chance to rest.
When the battle ended and it was time to announce a break—
“In any case, everyone did well today. I’m glad no one was hurt. This victory was only possible because you trusted me and followed my lead! The sun has set, and we’ve won, so eat and drink your fill!”
“Long live the Byeonbangbaek!”
Ability Level Up! Passive skill Influence has risen from level 3 to 4.
The sun was setting, but the morrow for the newborn territory was already brightening with vigor.
* * *
“So the meat was… roe deer?”
The morale that had soared came crashing down at once.
The soldiers ground their teeth, feeling betrayed.
“We do have to process the bodies. If we bury them or leave them to rot in the field, other monsters will come for a feast. Then anyone traveling the road will be in danger. Better to eat them than let that happen.”
“...Couldn’t you at least burn them?”
“We are burning them. On the stove.”
Lilian gave up on arguing any further and shook her head.
“I promise you this: I won’t feed the territory’s people anything I wouldn’t eat myself! That Mandragoni horn-leaf tea was perfectly fine, wasn’t it? Just trust me on this once.”
In the meantime, small groups of soldiers were already brewing and drinking the horn-leaf tea. Not only was it good for the body, it had a pleasantly bitter, savory aroma.
“Tsk. What is the lord thinking? We’ve got plenty of ingredients, and he wants us cooking monster meat? Tsk.”
With a wrinkled face, the cook’s team leader, Cook Jerry, was preparing the meal. His cooking was balanced in nutrition and flavor, but his presentation was wretched.
Knowing this well, Ho-yeong rolled up his sleeves and stepped in, while Maid Peach worked earnestly beside him to help her master.
Just eating monster meat will already be hard enough to stomach, so at least make it look appetizing. Ah, and before that, let’s get rid of any parasites just in case.
Rubia seemed to be performing a purification rite, perhaps in order to send off the dead monsters with some dignity as well.
“Even though they were monsters who preyed on human lives, this is my first time offering a monster memorial prayer. I shall wash their souls clean and let them be reborn as pure, harmless beasts. And furthermore, please drive out every last microscopic vermin that parasites on these foolish, sinful monsters. I pray in the name of the archangel Hariad.”
The parasites wriggling in the liver and intestines emerged from the bodies and drooped lifelessly on the ground.
“Ugh. But are we really going to eat this?”
“Yes. If my judgment is right, it should be quite edible.”
He sliced a piece of the meat and grilled it for a taste test. To his surprise, it wasn’t bad at all.
Hoh… this is way better than roe deer. It only looks like one—this thing’s much bigger, probably because of its size. And the cooks did a good job butchering it and bleeding it out, too.
The flavor of roe deer meat from the few times he’d eaten it in the army had been better than expected, but the Mandragoni’s flesh was even better. The texture was tender, and there was none of that wild gaminess.
It’s a little lacking in fat, and the meat’s so clean-tasting it borders on bland.
The first dish was a sirloin steak.
“Cook team leader. You’ve done well taking care of the troops’ tastes and health, but today, would you follow my cooking instructions?”
“...I’ve never cooked monster meat before, so I’ll follow your lead. Tsk. Though I do doubt whether this will really taste good, or even be fit for eating at all. Tsk.”
Cook Jerry was displeased. He had always been responsible for ingredient quality, while the company commander left menu planning and cooking methods entirely up to him. And now that commander had become a noble and suddenly decided to meddle?
“Separate the fat from the belly for me.”
“Tsk... yes.”
“And could you do something about that habit of tsking at the end of every sentence?”
“Tsk. It’s not just at the end of my sentences, sir.”
“If you don’t stop, I’ll dock your pay and use your wages to buy hay for the roe deer instead.”
The way Cook Jerry handled the large carving knife was almost like swordsmanship, so carefully did he work. He deftly peeled away the boundary between skin and flesh.
“Tsk... to throw away such precious fat.”
“It’s not being thrown away. And one more tsk, and your weekly pay goes to hay for the roe deer. Remember that.”
Though he kept tsking under his breath, Cook Jerry got the work done quickly.
“All right, now wrap that fat around the sirloin. Then tie it up well with string. Sprinkle some herbs on top too.”
The prepared sirloin was set on an iron plate and slid into the stove.
“Now skewer the rib meat on iron spits. Thread whole onions between the pieces too.”
The skewers were arranged over the spaces between the sirloins.
“How should I cook it?”
“If it were a regular steak, I’d match the soldiers’ tastes, but this time we’re standardizing. Let’s go with medium.”
“Tsk. Wouldn’t medium-rare be better?”
“Enough with the tsking before I toss you into Dragon’s Lair. Just cook the meat properly. And cooks, get the salads ready!”
While Cook Jerry devoted himself to the fire, Ho-yeong set a grill over the wood flames and prepared the marinade.
“Master, what’s that black sauce?”
Peach tilted her head at the earthenware jar he’d brought out.
“This? Soy sauce. I should’ve bought more kimchi while I was at it.”
There was no need to explain, “This is called soy sauce.” The central land of the Western Continent, Kainea, capital of the Kain Kingdom, already had just about every ingredient from the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Continents.
“A seasoning from the Eastern Continent...? Ugh. Will something this awful really suit the master’s tastes?”
After tasting a little, Peach frowned. Since this was traditionally brewed soy sauce rather than the milder modern kind, her reaction was, in truth, only natural.
“My tastes aren’t what matter. What matters is whether it suits the people of the territory.”
Ho-yeong poured the soy sauce into a pot and dumped in a generous amount of sugar. For someone who had been in charge of his younger sisters’ meals for years, his hands were wonderfully practiced.
“That’s not all~ Add a bottle of liquor to remove the gamey smell. And that’s still not all~ add some horn-leaf tea water to get rid of the nasty odor. Wow, this could go on Living Discount.”
To Peach, the master muttering strange incantations while boiling the black liquid in the pot looked like a black magician at work.
“Don’t worry. They’ll all go crazy for it. Peach, juice those fruits over there and mix the juice into the sauce.”
He scored the springy leg meat, then marinated it in the sauce.
“Lord. The steaks are done.”
“Oh, really? Then take them out and let them rest for a bit.”
When he untied the string, an incredible aroma rose at once. The fat that had been wrapped around the meat had melted in, leaving the once-firm flesh richly glossy and tender.
“A little rock salt on top. There. Taste it. Come on, open up.”
Cook Jerry chewed with a reluctant expression.
“...I’m sorry, Lord. Please forgive my rudeness.”
He groaned in disbelief.
“Now that you know, no more tsking from now on. Okay? Right, let’s keep going. The skewers need a little more time.”
Ability Level Up! Passive skill Influence has risen dramatically from level 4 to 6.
The soldiers were awestruck as well.
“Th-this is really Mandragoni meat? It’s so tender, and the juices—wow.”
“Good grief. I can’t believe I’m eating a monster and loving it.”
The skewers that came out afterward earned just as much praise.
Steaks served on wooden plates, wine poured into pewter cups, and the sunset over the plains—the soldiers’ faces gradually grew flushed with satisfaction.
“Cooks, start eating too. I’ll take care of the rest.”
That was about the point when everyone was getting a little tired of meat.
“What’s that smell now?”
People turned their heads, searching for the source of the incredible aroma coming off the grill.
The sweet, savory smoke of soy marinade drifted into their noses.
“Dig in and enjoy yourselves. I call it Mandragoni bulgogi! Hah, I could even film I Am a Free Man with this.”
Before long, requests poured in asking whether Mandragoni bulgogi could be added to the regular menu, and far off in the distance, the Mandragoni grazing on hay shivered for reasons they could not understand.