35. Mystery Meat

"<Shadow Hiding>."

Faced with a pack of charging Orcs, I cast a specific type of Dark Magic on myself. It was a spell that lowered the target's visibility, making it appear as if they were sinking into the shadows.

This spell paired perfectly with my combat style. While <Shadow Hiding> was active, it became much harder for monsters to spot me, which in turn made it easier to trigger my [Shadow Strike] skill. Thanks to that synergy, I could pull off preemptive ambushes with ease. Since the effect was neutralized the moment I drew too much attention, the spell usually wore off as soon as I landed a blow, but its sheer utility meant I used it constantly. I was starting to feel more and more like an actual assassin.

This time, I slipped past the Orcs rushing toward me and aimed for the Orc Magician standing in the rear. Magic users were always a nuisance, so prioritizing the backline was a standard tactic.

Successfully bypassing the Normal Orcs thanks to the spell, I stealthily closed the distance to the Orc Magician. As I passed by, I slit its throat right in the middle of its incantation. Since Magicians had lower Vitality than Normal Orcs, that single strike was enough to finish it. The Magician hadn't even seen me coming; it probably died without ever realizing what had happened.

That left four Normal Orcs. Rei was drawing the attention of two, while Mil handled another. The last one was being tag-teamed by Shiroru and Halfa. Everyone seemed to have plenty of breathing room.

I targeted one of the Orcs Rei was fighting. With a single strike delivered from outside its field of awareness, the Orc spurted a violent spray of blood and vanished into particles.

At this point, the battle was effectively over. There wasn't even a need for Sally to step in with her magic. The remaining three Orcs were dispatched in short order, and silence returned to the corridor.

Once the fight was over, it was time to examine the drops, but...

"Meat and Magic Stones, as usual," Rei noted.

"Orcs really don't offer much variety, do they?" Sally added.

『Having plenty of meat is a blessing!』 Shiroru chimed in.

Orc drops were almost always meat and Magic Stones. While sometimes one of the two wouldn't drop, they never left behind anything else. I didn't mind that, really.

No, the real issue was the meat itself.

To think that I would actually experience the "Orc meat problem" that so many light novel protagonists had faced!

In this world, Orcs were pig-faced humanoid monsters. They didn't look remotely human, but they were still technically humanoids. Eating them felt... wrong. Perhaps that was why the people of this world never butchered or ate Orcs they hunted outside of dungeons.

However, when it came to the dungeon, this specific drop was judged as edible. The thing was, no one really knew what kind of meat it actually was. When I used my appraisal skill, the item name was displayed as "Orc's Mystery Meat." It was enough to make anyone feel a little conflicted.

And yet, everyone ate this "Mystery Meat" without a second thought. In fact, it was actually treated as something of a luxury item. They say "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," so I had eventually caved and tried it myself. For the record, it tasted exactly like pork—which only made me feel more conflicted.

Regardless, it was undeniably delicious, so I diligently collected it. Between this and the crab, my Storage Ring was rapidly turning into a walk-in larder.

『Muu... I am getting hungry. Is it not about time for lunch?』

"Let's see... Yeah, it looks like it's exactly noon! Your stomach is like a clock, Shiroru."

『When it comes to mealtime, you can count on me!』

Shiroru's stomach gave a growl that announced the hour. Sally confirmed the time with her Time-Reading Magic Tool; it really was lunch.

"I see. Then let us eat here."

The small room where we had fought the Orcs only had one entrance. As long as we watched that door, it was a safe place to rest. Since the timing was perfect, we decided to take our break right there.

Hehe... To tell the truth, I had been waiting for this moment.

Ever since I first made soy sauce, I had been working on my Dark Magic to improve the quality of my fermentation. Thanks to those efforts, I had managed to produce a batch of soy sauce that was significantly better than the last. I figured today was the perfect time to debut it.

I pulled some pre-seasoned Horn Rabbit Meat, a frying pan, and a Simple Stove from my Storage Ring. The stove was a Magic Tool I had splurged on just for this occasion.

"Oh? It's not pre-cooked today?" Mil asked.

"Nope. The aroma of Teriyaki while it’s cooking is simply irresistible. I wanted you all to experience that part of the meal too."

"Ah, you're right. The smell of searing soy sauce is wonderful," Halfa added.

I got everything ready with Halfa's help. That said, all I had to do was fry the meat, so it was hardly any work at all. As soon as the meat hit the pan, the savory, mouth-watering scent of caramelizing soy sauce filled the room.

"That smells incredible..." Rei muttered.

"It really does. What a lovely aroma," Sally agreed.

『Muu! I cannot stop drooling!』

As expected, everyone was hooked. My mission to spread the gospel of soy sauce was proceeding perfectly.

I transferred the cooked meat to plates and handed them out. The sweet and savory soy-based sauce clung to the tender rabbit meat, looking incredibly appetizing. Everyone’s eyes were glued to their food.

Unsurprisingly, Shiroru led the charge. She blew and huffed to cool the hot meat before wolfing it down. Rei and the others followed suit immediately. I decided it was time for me to dig in as well.

Delicious!

Teriyaki really is the ultimate comfort food!

This flavor absolutely screams for a bowl of white rice. Unfortunately, I didn't have any, so I settled for bread instead. This would actually make a great sandwich topping.

"This is amazing! I've never tasted anything like it, but I could see it becoming a habit," Rei said between bites.

"It really is good. You were pouring a black liquid over it... is that the secret?" Mil asked.

"Honestly, you could probably open a restaurant with this," Sally praised.

A storm of compliments broke out among the group. Even Halfa was squinting her eyes in bliss as she savored the Teriyaki.

I felt a surge of relief. Since she was the only other person who actually knew what soy sauce was, her opinion mattered the most to me. It looked like I had passed the test.

『Teriyaki is wonderful! I cannot believe this is made from rotten beans!』

The moment the words left Shiroru’s mouth, Rei, Mil, and Sally froze mid-chew. A second later, three sharp gazes pierced right through me.

"N-No, you've got it wrong, Shiroru! It's not 'rotten,' it's 'fermented'!"

『O-Oh. That was it. Fermented.』

After some desperate explaining—and a lot of help from Halfa, who spoke up in my defense—I managed to convince the three of them. Thank you, daughter of the fermentation folk! My plan to popularize soy sauce almost went up in flames right at the finish line.

Honestly.

Give me a break, Shiroru!