Opened a Meat Buffet in the Middle Ages (1)
Opened a Meat Buffet in the Middle Ages (1)
The Carlton Marquis's castle, said to be the most prosperous in the North.
However, in the eyes of the nobles and royals who came from the warm and abundant South, it was utterly underwhelming.
The imperial envoy, Count Yunes, was no different.
"Count-nim, we have prepared special delicacies made from meats that can only be obtained in the North. It would be our honor if you would attend the banquet and enjoy them."
A young officer who had come to extend the invitation.
Count Yunes was surprised to see a youthful, almost un-knightly beauty wearing the rank insignia of a colonel.
"Your name and rank?"
"Colonel Marshall."
"To think a fine young man like you would be in this barren place... A hostage... no, did you volunteer for the honor of your family?"
"Detailed military service records are classified as military secrets, so I ask for your generous pardon."
A soft but firm refusal.
Count Yunes found himself smacking his lips involuntarily.
'At that young age, the rank of colonel, and with such a slender build. Then what level of mastery must he have reached?'
Count Yunes mistakenly assumed that Piel was at least on the verge of achieving Sword Imperial.
Naturally, his interest was piqued.
'It would be wonderful to take him back and match him with our youngest...'
Perhaps he should take his time and work on it slowly.
Count Yunes spoke in a gentle voice.
"Convey this to the Commander-in-Chief. We are grateful for the invitation, but we have been careful not to impose any burden on Ainshuvan from the start. I hope you will take note of that sincerity."
To sum it up, it was a way of saying, 'We'll take care of our own meals.'
'Delicacies made from meats that can only be eaten in the North. What a horrifying thing to say.'
Count Yunes hid the shuddering convulsion behind his smiling face.
Piel earnestly implored him once more.
"We have prepared with utmost sincerity for the distinguished guests who have traveled so far for the auction. Could you not take a moment to appreciate the goodwill of the Northern territory's residents?"
"Heh heh heh, His Majesty the Emperor, even when leaving the imperial palace for a personal visit, never imposes a burden on the local residents and instead shares the grain and food he brought.
Having become a noble of the Empire, how could I covet the flesh and blood of a territory I am visiting as a guest?"
Even after that, Piel tried several times to persuade him with 'just one bite, please,' but Count Yunes graciously smiled and declined.
Eventually, Piel, unable to hide his drooping disappointment, turned away weakly.
Of course, it was an act.
As soon as he left, the blue-haired attendant, who had been quietly watching, asked.
"Didn't you refuse too harshly? They must have prepared with great sincerity; their disappointment and sense of self-deprecation seem immense."
Count Yunes quietly turned to look at the attendant.
Radiant blue hair.
The large eyes shining calmly on her white face were not at all intimidated by the Count.
Her long, flowing dress, unable to completely conceal a slender yet voluptuous figure, subtly asserted its presence over the plant fibers.
"In the North, one must be careful about food. Because you can never guess what they used to make it, Princess Yuzel-nim."
A polite and impeccably respectful tone towards a noble being, not a mere attendant.
Princess Yuzel, disguised as an attendant, tilted her head curiously.
"Is it true that they really eat human flesh in the North?"
"They wouldn't dare serve human flesh to honored guests. But by our standards, what they consider prized ingredients here could be horrifying monster meat we wouldn't even dare touch our lips to."
"That officer just now appeared to be from the Central region. Wouldn't his palate be similar to ours then?"
"The fact that a former hostage officer has become a colonel at that age means he is not only talented but has completely adapted to Northern life. His palate has likely already been corrupted to suit the North."
Count Yunes gently cautioned her.
"His Majesty the Emperor's command for you to disguise yourself as an attendant is in the same vein. The North is the most barbaric land on the continent, so you must always be careful."
"I see."
Princess Yuzel nodded and rose from her seat.
Count Yunes, flustered, scrambled to his feet as well.
"You don't intend to go alone, do you? It's dangerous."
"I can protect myself well enough. And who would dare harm an attendant of the Empire?"
Princess Yuzel brushed off Count Yunes's attempts to dissuade her and left her quarters.
'What is this smell?'
She could no longer resist the scent of food that had been faintly wafting over for a while.
She moved to track down the source of the smell.
The scent was traveling from much farther away than she had thought.
'It must be there.'
They were boiling stew in a massive cauldron.
The nobles would have been horrified.
They were barbarically boiling stew meant for humans in a huge cauldron big enough to cook horse feed all at once.
But knights and soldiers who appeared to be the auction guests' escorts were also loitering nearby.
They too had been drawn in by the smell, as if spellbound.
'What kind of stew has so much meat like that in it?'
Princess Yuzel flinched in surprise.
The cook soldiers were ladling out heaping servings into the bowls of the Northern soldiers lined up, each bowl filled to the brim with large chunks of meat and vegetables.
The fact that even a casual scoop from the ladle filled it that much meant the amount of meat in the entire pot was staggering.
"Meat stew really is the best after all."
"I find the fish stew nice and light, too."
"Phew, this tender texture is incredible."
The soldiers were eating deliciously, looking immensely happy.
The imperial escorts, unable to bear it any longer, finally asked.
"Hey. Couldn't we try some of that too? We'll trade you some portable field rations for it."
The escort soldiers attempted a barter.
However.
"Sorry. It's a fixed-portion distribution, and personally misappropriating military supplies is punishable."
"Huh... Their military discipline is certainly strict."
Princess Yuzel fixedly observed the feeding Northern soldiers.
Something strange kept catching her eye.
'Why are they swallowing the meat without chewing it?'
No matter how tenderly cooked, meat must be chewed sufficiently before swallowing.
That's how you prevent choking.
But the soldiers were swallowing the meat without even chewing it.
To be precise, the meat texture was so incredibly tender that a few chews quickly broke it down into tiny pieces, which they promptly swallowed.
But to Princess Yuzel's eyes, it looked as if they were swallowing without chewing at all.
Because she had no way of knowing how soft the meat texture of modern Earth was, nor how much more tender it became in the process of being made into canned stew.
'And what kind of vegetables are those?'
Besides the generous chunks of meat, there were vegetables she had never seen before packed inside.
As for the white-fleshed fish, she was dying of curiosity about what kind of fish it was made from.
Ultimately, unable to contain herself, Princess Yuzel approached the soldiers with a gentle smile and spoke.
"It looks so delicious—would it be possible to share just one bite with me?"
"I'm sorry, Lady. In the North, misappropriating supplies is a serious crime, so..."
"Are you saying that sharing a single bite also counts as misappropriation?"
"Yes, that is correct. Because this is the North."
"..."
Unbeknownst to Princess Yuzel, they had been ordered 'absolutely not to share, only to let them smell it,' making it an absurd answer from her perspective.
***
'Just start the auction quickly.'
'Mere paupers, and yet they want to hold some kind of banquet. How frustrating.'
'In any case, their bread will be clumsily made from rye sent by the kingdom, and the meat will be monster flesh.'
The nobles participating in the auction had all received Piel's invitation, but every one of them had smiled and declined.
Their reasons were more or less the same.
It didn't stop there.
The nobles decided to join forces and show the Northerners what 'true gourmet food' was.
They arranged to set up a luxurious feast at the banquet hall Rebecca had prepared.
It was possible because they had brought all kinds of ingredients and even cooks with them.
Outside guests cooking separately at a banquet is a profound breach of etiquette toward the host.
But none of the nobles thought of it that way.
"When would these people ever have tasted such food?"
"Let's use this opportunity to show them what proper banquet cuisine is."
"The Northern nobles are truly fortunate. Would they ever have had a chance to eat such things in their lives?"
"Aren't we committing a sin against them?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"They must have lived their whole lives content with Northern flavors. But if they experience an unimaginable, astonishing taste, won't every meal they have from now on be painful?"
"Ohhh, now that you mention it, that's true. I suddenly feel a sense of guilt."
"Wouldn't it be better to cancel the feast preparations, even now?"
The person suggesting cancellation, and those listening to it, naturally had no real intention of doing so.
This was a social activity to strengthen their own camaraderie.
Everyone laughed merrily as they comforted the noble who had first shown the guilt.
"Of course, they might despair and wish to return to the time before they tasted the Empire's feast. But once they realize what they lack, they will strive even harder to overcome it, which will, in turn, lead to the North's development, won't it?"
"Ohhh, that's certainly correct. So, ultimately, our hospitality here is not rude, but rather a service to help the North develop?"
"Precisely so."
Unlike their escorts, the nobles did not know of the existence of the Marshall Stew.
So they were able to watch their cooks prepare the feast with comfortable minds.
In contrast, the Northern cooks had still not shown themselves.
The tables set up in the outdoor banquet hall still remained empty.
"Look, that young colonel has appeared."
"His eyes look very unfavorable. He seems rather intimidated, so let's not crush his spirits too much."
"But his looks aren't the Northern style at all. I'd almost want to take him home as a male concubine."
A noblewoman laughed, covering her mouth with a folding fan.
Piel approached the nobles, looked around at the cooks busy at work, and said courteously.
"I've heard you are presenting us with cooking the likes of which we could never have seen in the North. We are deeply grateful for this."
The beautiful noblewoman who had mentioned the male concubine chuckled and offered encouragement.
"Oh, it's nothing. From the very start, we prepared with dedication to treat the heroes who succeeded in hunting the Wyvern Lord, and set out accordingly. Isn't that right, everyone?"
"Colonel, please relax and enjoy with the heroes. We've also prepared dishes we don't often eat ourselves, so I am certain they will suit your palate."
They were making the banquet dishes separately with ingredients and cooks they had brought themselves.
This was an extremely rude act at a banquet, but no one saw it that way.
That was the continental image of Northern cuisine.
"Understood. Count Balckenhardt-nim and Marquis Carlton-nim have also instructed their knights to freely help themselves. Thank you."
The honored guests inwardly clicked their tongues.
'Help themselves, what kind of low-class expression is that?'
'He looked like he was from the Central region, but he's become a complete Northerner.'
At that moment, the cook soldiers were entering, carrying ingredients and cooking tools.
Seeing the cook soldiers, not even professional chefs, preparing the banquet, the honored guests clicked their tongues.
As expected, they thought they had made the right choice in declining the banquet food and preparing their own.
'Huh?'
'What is that?'
'They're cooking on flat, square pots? What in the world?'
'It doesn't look like a pan, either. What kind of cooking can you even do with that?'
'Seeing them place charcoal underneath... could it be they're going to grill meat on that?'
They felt dizzy.
Placing a flat iron plate over a charcoal fire, and grilling meat on top of that.
'What kind of ignorant, barbaric cooking method is this?'
'The meat is surely a monster carcass. Or perhaps some wild buffalo.'
'Just imagining it is horrifying. To think we almost ate that.'
Just then, the meat the cook soldiers were placing piece by piece onto the iron plate caught their eyes.
The nobles' eyes widened.
Beef, with its straight, white flesh faintly glowing with crimson hues, soft marbling blooming like snowflakes in between.
White-fleshed fish fillets, boasting a silvery-white, near-translucent smoothness and an overflow of springy firmness.
Bluefin tuna and salmon steaks, their vivid red resilience richly imbued with the scent of the sea.
Samgyeopsal, layers of white fat and pink-hued meat in thick, glorious stripes.
Beef short ribs, meat thickly clinging to neatly cut bone, glistening appetizingly with the sheen of seasoning.
'Wh-what is this?'
'What kind of monster meat is that?'
A form that instinctively captivates, despite knowing it must be monster meat.
The moment they all hit the heated grill and began to spread the aroma of sizzling, roasting meat,
the nobles' noses flared in unison, expanding.