Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: The Departed, The Returned (11)
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Since we hadn’t brought separate provisions for dinner, we decided to make do with whatever we could gather from around us.
“Master!”
El came running toward me, both hands clutching something. She had gone to the nearby lake with Callisto. I stood up from picking wild mushrooms and waved to her.
“El! What’s that in your hands?”
“Gray geese!”
As El drew closer and held up her hands triumphantly, I saw two gray geese with their necks gripped tightly and wings drooping limply. Oh, they looked hefty at a glance—easily two kilos, no, three kilos each?
Callisto arrived right behind her, carrying two geese in each hand. There was even a smaller one dangling from her waist. Adding El’s two made seven in total... More than enough for dinner.
El took charge of preparing the geese. She handled the ingredients without hesitation now—plucking feathers, trimming useless parts... Her skills were impressive.
“El, don’t throw away the innards. Set them aside separately. I’ll handle them.”
“Yes!”
I began preparing to cook. Callisto gathered firewood, and I lit it, pulling out cooking tools from my subspatial ring. Ravan, who had been trimming mushrooms, gaped in astonishment.
“You... carry things like this around...?”
“Yes. I take meals very seriously.”
I smiled faintly and pulled out a long iron rod, setting it upright.
“What’s... that for?”
It didn’t look like any cooking tool, so Ravan tilted her head curiously.
“Oh, this? It’s a spit for roasting. See here? It has a handle you can turn.”
“...Oh! It really does.”
“It’s long enough to roast a whole pig.”
As I spoke, I started threading the well-prepared goose bodies onto the spit. One, two, three... Five, six, seven. The plump geese fit perfectly in a row.
“You roast them like this...?”
“Yes. Roasting whole is the only way to get the real flavor. Cutting them up lets all the juices escape and ruins the taste.”
I drove Y-shaped support rods into the ground and laid the spit across them. Before lighting the fire properly, I drizzled fresh olive oil over the geese, rubbing it into every crevice, then sprinkled dried herbs and spices. The distinctive aroma of the spices wafted through the air.
“It just smells grassy now, but once it starts roasting and mixes with the fat, the aroma and flavor change dramatically.”
“I see...”
Ravan peered closely at the herbs and spices I’d used, full of admiration. But she couldn’t make sense of them and soon looked away with an awkward smile.
“I’m hopeless when it comes to cooking.”
“Well, you’re always so busy with work, no time for it.”
“Yeah, heh heh heh...”
“But it’s good to take care of yourself properly, even if you don’t cook.”
“Seeing this makes me think so too.”
I helped Ravan move the firewood. We could have just lit it as is. But in cooking—especially roasting or frying—the most important thing is ‘firepower.’
‘And I have some incredible firepower right here.’
Legion.
I carefully took Legion, who had been dozing in my pocket, and tickled under its chin. It blinked up at me with sleepy eyes.
“Wanna eat?”
「Nya?」
“Ahem. I mean... dinner. Dinner.”
I whispered softly and tickled its nape again. Legion rubbed its head against my finger, then yawned hugely, stretching its four legs and tail out luxuriously.
「Theo. Dinner?」
“Yeah. Dinner. No inn tonight, so I need your help.”
「Theo. Need? Help?」
“Yeah. I do.”
「Theo. I. Can do. Help.」
“Good boy, Legion.”
I set Legion down in front of the piled firewood. It slowly inhaled, puffing out its chest. And then...
-Fwooooosh!!!
It spewed black flames straight at the wood. The logs turned to charcoal in an instant and began crackling as they burned.
“Thanks, Legion.”
「Theo. Thanks. Me?」
“Of course. Our Legion is the best.”
「Theo. Best. Me?」
“The best. The best.”
I tucked Legion back into my pocket and gripped the spit’s handle, slowly turning it. Crackle, crackle. Fat dripped from the goose skin, filling the air with a savory aroma that whetted the appetite, accompanied by the enticing sizzle.
“Th-Theodore! That massive flame just now...!”
Ravan asked, wide-eyed. I replied nonchalantly.
“Oh~. Salamander. Salamander. Fire spirit.”
「Theo. Not me. Salamander.」
Before I finished, Legion wriggled in my pocket and protested.
“Shh. Quiet.”
I pressed it down firmly, burying it deep in my pocket, and calmly kept turning the handle. Crackle, crackle. The geese rotated slowly, roasting evenly.
“I’m a druid, so I’m on friendly terms with spirits.”
This wasn’t a lie. Though the spirit in question wasn’t a fire spirit like a salamander.
“You even get help with cooking from them... Incredible.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed it off lightly and beckoned Ravan over. As she approached, I handed her the spit’s handle.
“I have other dishes to prepare. Can you take over this?”
“Me? M-Me?!”
“Yes. Turn it slowly—that’s the key. Too fast and it won’t cook through; too slow and it burns. Got it? Thanks.”
Before she could respond, I slipped away. Honestly, turning the spit was too monotonous and boring. And I had plenty more to cook.
‘Still, better to keep an eye on it.’
Leaving the whole roast entirely to Ravan felt risky. I set up a bit farther away and started prepping the innards El had set aside, along with various vegetables, mushrooms, and the wild strawberries Ravan had picked.
‘First, the sauce.’
The geese, ready to migrate to Nirram, were plump and fatty. A sweet-and-sour sauce to cut the richness was in order. From what I had on hand...
‘Apples.’
Perfect. I thinly sliced ripe red apples into a pot, poured in enough wine to cover them, and set it simmering gently. The apples would take on the wine’s depth, the wine the apples’ sweetness—perfect harmony.
For sides, potatoes of course. Mash boiled ones with salt and pepper, top with butter pats. Done. Add boiled broccoli too.
The cleaned, chewy innards got a quick marinate in pepper and spices to kill any off-flavors, then stir-fried spicy with peanuts, carrots, and onions. Kyah, perfect as a snack. The best. Though it’d be too spicy for anyone but me...
Finally, the livers. Simple: Fry them lightly until soft and pile on bread for an excellent spread. Appetizers. Seven pieces—perfect count. Me, El, Lloyd, Callisto, Louis, Ravan, and one soldier.
I tasted the reduced apple-wine sauce and stood. All done. Time to check the main. As I approached the fire where Ravan diligently turned the handle, a rich, nutty aroma hit me. Whoa, looking good.
“Th-Theodore!”
“Ravan, you’re doing great!”
“R-Really? I wasn’t sure...”
“Perfect. Your speed control is pro-level.”
“Th-Thank you...!”
Crackle, crackle. The explosive fat pops had lessened as most of the oil dripped off. The roast geese were nearly ready.
“Can you call everyone over?”
“Yes!”
I sliced half a goose per person onto carved wooden plates, adding mashed potatoes and broccoli. One liver-topped bread each. And the apple sauce for the roast. The innards stir-fry for those who wanted it—though most would pass. Fine by me. I’m an offal fanatic! More for me.
The largest roast went to Ayla. She waited for it to cool enough, then snatched it and retreated to the bushes to crunch away. Now, us too.
“There’s plenty of meat—speak up if you want more.”
We sat around the fire, plates on our knees, and dug in. Mmm, the roast goose really shines as the main. Caught right before migrating to Nirram, they were full of fat. Prime eating time.
-CRISP!
-Sizzle...
I tore off a leg and bit in. Crispy skin shattered, juicy leg meat bursting with savoriness underneath. Wow, no joke. Worlds apart from duck. Even packed with fat, their active lifestyle kept the meat chewy, without that gamey poultry chewiness.
“Oh, my...”
Ravan, biting into leg meat like me, covered her mouth in delight. Yeah, no helping it. A flavor domesticated ducks or geese can’t match.
Thanks to Legion’s firepower, the fat rendered perfectly, leaving ultra-crispy skin. God-tier move. God-tier! Cooking is all about firepower!
Top the meat with sweet apple sauce like a wrap, and the tart-sweetness tames any potential greasiness. It just disappears. I stripped one leg clean, tore off more crispy skin, piled on meat and apples, and shoved it in.
“Kyah...”
This is the stuff!