Chapter 263
Chapter 263
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 263
Chapter Title: Hundred Legs, Ten Thousand Poisons (13)
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"Hmm......"
"Umm......"
"Ummm......?"
Contrary to my expectations, the group showed unenthusiastic reactions even with the pufferfish sashimi right in front of them. No, why are they reacting like this to prime-season sashimi?
'Oh, that's right...!'
The people in this pseudo-medieval world extremely avoided raw food. Beef, pork, chicken, fish... It was extremely rare to eat anything raw. Except for a very, very small portion of regions, that is. And even those regions' cultures were seen as quite bizarre, so it wasn't incomprehensible for them to react this way to pufferfish sashimi.
Well, my original world was similar. These days, raw fish dishes have become popularized in the West in forms like California rolls... But dishes using raw ingredients still sharply divided opinions. Ah, but if they just took one bite, they'd be hooked on this flavor... It's peak season, so it's rich in fat, and freshly caught, so there won't be any fishy taste at all!
'Well, if they really won't eat it, I'll just stuff myself silly.'
In fact, even better. I smiled faintly as I looked around at the group.
"Everyone has their own tastes, so I won't force you. But trying it once could be a good experience."
"......"
"......"
No responses from anyone.
Well, if that's how it is, nothing to be done. I shrugged and started eating the pufferfish sashimi demonstratively. Instead of chopsticks, I took a silverwood twig trimmed for arrows, split it in half with a snap, picked up a thick slice of pufferfish sashimi, dipped it lightly in a bit of the spicy, pungent herb called 'Green Night' like wasabi, and an oil from honeybalsam seeds similar to sesame oil, plus some rock salt...
"Mmm......"
A savory oil bursts in my mouth. Wow, fresher than at a sashimi restaurant! Is it because I caught it myself and ate it right away? The sashimi melts in my mouth like ice cream as soon as I put it in, melting away. On top of that, the sharp pungency of the 'Green Night' cuts through any potential greasiness at the finish, refreshing the palate. Ah, this definitely calls for alcohol.
Sashimi goes best with soju, but I haven't made any distilled liquor yet. If I could, I'd have done it ages ago, but I haven't had the time, so I've been drinking the fruit wines I diligently made and stocked up. Ah, maybe after this job's done, I should try my hand at distilled spirits properly?
For now, among what I have...
'White grape wine it is.'
...White grape wine is about right. Made from clear, refreshingly ripened green grapes. The alcohol content is a bit low, but... I'm not looking to get smashed, so this is perfect. I pulled a bottle of white grape wine from my subspace ring, filled my personal wooden cup halfway, savored the fragrant aroma, and took a sip.
"Kya......"
It goes down so refreshingly.
It even washes away the slightest lingering greasiness. Pufferfish sashimi and white grape wine. With just these two, I could polish off kilograms. No need to worry about them not eating!
'After some sashimi, I can grill the rest or make a braise...?'
For now, though! Importantly, eat this heavenly pufferfish sashimi while it's as fresh as possible. Doing anything else with it in front of you would be an outrage against heaven and earth. So, one slice of sashimi, one sip of wine, another slice, another sip...
-Munch, munch...
-Gulp...
-Munch, munch...
-Gulp...
Topside fat, upper belly, lower belly, cheek meat, navel... I diligently sampled each part when, perhaps out of curiosity or newfound confidence, Lloyd across from me impassively speared a slice with his fork.
'Ah, that's not how you eat sashimi...'
No one here can use chopsticks, so no helping it... I subtly pushed my special 'oil sauce'—a mix of honeybalsam seed oil and rock salt—toward Lloyd.
"Dip it in this. 'Green Night' is pretty spicy, so better skip it."
"Is that so."
"Yes. If you want to try, just take a tiny bit."
"I'll do that."
Lloyd silently ate the sashimi as I'd suggested, then nodded. A good sign. Phew, no need to tense up. I poured him a cup of white grape wine and dove back into the sashimi...
"Umm......"
Just as I started, with Lloyd eating it, El—who'd been pondering hard—seemed to muster the courage. Still hesitant, he fiddled with his fork before spearing what looked(?) safest: a belly slice. Haha, good. Now you'll know the taste of pufferfish too. Don't beg for it every day now?!
-Munch, munch...
-Gulp.
El's face, scrunched up like he was eating something inedible while chewing, gradually brightened, then filled with surprise.
"...It's savory."
See? Told you.
"Super savory. Not fishy at all..."
"Right? Next, try dipping a bit of Green Night with this one."
"W-Wow... Okay."
The wary stares were gone; soon El was devouring sashimi with shining eyes. Watching his exclamations made me feel pleased. So pleased.
With Lloyd and El hooked, the silent Roshanak peeked in slyly.
"...Theodore. What's that?"
He seemed curious about the silverwood chopsticks I held, asking softly. I pondered briefly...
"It's one of the utensils from my homeland. Similar to a fork."
"In Niram, they say they eat with twigs. It's similar."
"Yes. Probably."
I nodded at Lloyd's words. Niram was East Asian-inspired, so chopsticks made sense.
"Then, me too..."
"Hmm, not sure. It's harder than you think."
"It's just twigs."
"You really think so?"
Mastering chopsticks takes more time than you'd expect. Natural for most East Asians raised with them from childhood, but chopstick use is actually a 'high-level skill' requiring delicate control.
"I can do it."
Sure, confident until you try. Without protest, I split a silverwood twig and handed it to Roshanak. He awkwardly gripped it imitating me, then carefully...
-Thud...
Stabbed a slice.
"...Huh?!"
Exactly. Not 'picked up', but 'stabbed'. As I'd predicted, once holding them, they wouldn't obey; he poked the sashimi clumsily. With neither chopsticks nor fingers cooperating, Roshanak trembled in panic.
"See? Told you it'd be hard."
"Why, why is this?"
"Simple as it looks, it needs practice. At least a year."
"A whole year practicing?"
"Yeah."
Giggling, I handed him a fork.
"Here, forget that and use this."
"......"
Roshanak pouted briefly, then meekly took the fork. Phew, finally some peaceful eating.
「Theo. Me. That.」
"...Navel again?"
「Theo. Me. That.」
"Ah, got it......"
Having sampled every part once, Legion—true to a gourmet—obsessively demanded only the precious navel cuts. Ah, barely a few per fish... Swallowing tears, I picked one, dipped generously in oil sauce, and fed it to Legion. Chomp, chomp, chomp, gulp. So deliciously... I reached for a navel but held back for Legion, taking a belly slice instead.
-Munch, munch, munch...
The sashimi I'd wondered how to finish vanished before I knew it. Everyone's gotten the taste now. I stood, checked the steadily grilling pufferfish heads and bubbling pufferfish stew... no, stew.
"Mm, smells good."
The crisply golden heads wafted savory, salty aromas; the stew gave off a clean, refreshing scent like clear monkfish soup. Kyah, perfect finishers.
-Sizzle!
I transferred a large bubbling head to a wooden plate and handed it to waiting Callisto. Then ladled generous bowls of hot stew for each; exclamations erupted.
'Indeed, end with hot broth.'
Wish I'd added ramen noodles for spicy tang, but pseudo-medieval world follows its rules. We sat in a circle, digging into grilled heads and stew.
-Crunch!
Chopsticks hit, and the golden skin shattered crisply. Inside, moist white flesh... Soft white with crunchy skin in one bite...
"Keu......"
This is the taste. Fishy saltiness explodes, dancing in the mouth. Wow, how is fish tastier than hanwoo? Just need white rice for perfection. I washed down the heavy regret with wine, turning to the heaping stew bowl.
"Hoo, haa..."
Cooling the milky-clear broth and sipping unleashed a rich depth that put beef broth to shame. Hot liquid slid down, and the words slipped out.
"Refreshing......"
Odd looks poured in. Refreshing? I heard Roshanak mutter puzzledly. Ah, darn. Korean instinct kicked in. Sheepishly, I scratched my head.
"Delicious. Means delicious."
"...Another homeland thing?"
Roshanak eyed me suspiciously. I shrugged.
"...Yeah, something like that."
"Master's homeland seems so mysterious."
To El's intrigued face, I chuckled and nodded.
"Hear that a lot."