They had pressed on with the carriages all day, but even so, reaching the Dungeon in a single day proved impossible.
Because of that, they were currently making camp around a fire — though this camp was vastly different from the ordinary.
Naturally. Elena's carriage could serve as a proper room, and Elk's carriage, while somewhat cramped, was also quite an expensive vehicle.
And Rei had his Magic Tent. On top of that, dinner consisted of freshly made, still-steaming dishes he had pulled from his Misty Ring.
If an ordinary adventurer were told this was camping, there was no way they would buy it. If anything, it wouldn't have been surprising for someone to get angry and tell them to quit messing around.
The party, enjoying such a luxurious camp, was currently whiling away the time while warming themselves by the fire.
It wouldn't be long before everyone turned in for the night. Normally, a night watch would be necessary, but as a matter of course, Set would handle the watch, so there was no need to worry about that.
"Gamelion, huh. Looks like that's out of the question this year."
Elk sighed.
Gamelion cuisine, which could be considered a specialty of this season, was naturally something Elk also loved — so much so that he would normally go hunting for Gamelion himself.
"Yeah, you're right. But even if hunting Gamelion is out, you can still eat Gamelion dishes, right? Then wouldn't it be fine to settle for that this year? It's not like you're hurting for money."
If they could hunt Gamelion themselves, they could eat as much of the meat as they wanted. They would also be able to eat whichever cuts they pleased. If that wasn't possible, then buying Gamelion meat sold in Gilm was undoubtedly the next best thing.
"Or, if you absolutely want a whole Gamelion, couldn't you just put in a request for someone to hunt one for you?"
Marina followed up on Rei's words while savoring a thoroughly simmered luxury soup — one where all the vegetables and meat originally prepared as base ingredients had melted away, only to have fresh vegetables and meat added back in.
But Elk, hearing their words, shook his head with exaggerated force.
"Joke's on you. Gamelion's fun because you hunt it yourself. Wish they'd show up around here, though."
"No, they won't show up here," Rei muttered in exasperation.
The places where Gamelion appeared were generally fixed, and this area was not one of them. Of course, Elk knew this too, but perhaps because he was in a good mood at the moment, he bantered right back.
"That's exactly why it'd be interesting if one showed up. You think so too, right?"
"In my case, I'm not really hurting for Gamelion meat. Though obviously, having extra would always help."
"Well, Rei did get a massive amount of Gamelion meat last year."
As the Guild Master, Marina naturally understood that Rei had killed a considerable number of Gamelion in the Dungeon last year and had claimed a significant portion of their meat for himself. She had no intention of reproaching him for it, but it was a fact that in Gilm last year, Gamelion meat ultimately traded at a slightly higher price than usual. Had Rei not killed Gamelion in the Dungeon, the price would likely have been even higher.
"Oh? That does sound a little interesting. The Gamelion meat that circulated in our territory last year was also somewhat expensive. Could it be that Rei had something to do with that?"
At Elena's words as she tore off a piece of bread and brought it to her mouth, the gaze of everyone present turned toward Rei. Illuminated by the firelight, Rei quietly averted his eyes.
"Speaking of which, there's actually a guy researching ways to make Goblin meat taste decent right now, and I've been helping him out with that."
A blatantly abrupt change of topic. But no one was seriously trying to scold Rei, and perhaps they were also intrigued by the idea of making Goblin meat taste good. Everyone's gaze shifted to something far more interested than it had been seconds before.
Goblin meat was synonymous with food that was absolutely inedible. Of course, if it was placed in front of someone starving, they would reach for it, and if they were on the verge of death, they would shove it into their mouths immediately. But it was not something one would normally want to eat by choice. There were people in the world who loved, loved, absolutely loved Goblin meat, and even those who cooked Goblin meat dishes and recommended them to others — but at the very least, no one in this group wanted to eat Goblin meat of their own volition.
Hearing about research to improve it — even if they didn't want to eat it themselves, it wasn't strange to find it intriguing.
"So, how is it going? The Goblin meat I ate before was, how should I put it... incredibly flavorful."
Elena asked, choosing her words carefully.
Normally, a duke's daughter, let alone one who bore the alias of Princess General, would never eat Goblin meat. But Elena was also a military officer. As such, she had experienced eating Goblin meat, and the taste she had encountered at that time was something that even Elena — a noblewoman by birth who was nonetheless accustomed to rough military rations — could never wish to eat again.
However, if the taste could somehow be managed, Goblin meat was undeniably an excellent food source. Even outside of remote frontiers, Goblins existed everywhere, attacking people and livestock and ravaging fields. If the extremely troublesome Goblins could be made edible, then even in years of poor harvests due to bad weather, fewer people would starve to death. Of course, even now, choosing Goblin meat over starvation was the norm, but as the Daughter of Duke Kerebel, it was only natural for her to feel that even such people should, if possible, be fed decent meals.
Rei, subjected to the expectant and curiosity-filled gazes of Elena and everyone else present, responded only by shaking his head.
"If you use spices, it becomes passably edible, but then it's no longer a price that ordinary people could casually afford. Not by a long shot."
"I see." Marina nodded in understanding. She knew where Rei had managed to purchase so many spices — though, it was Marina who had urged Rei to head to Gauche, so perhaps that was only natural.
"So in the end, it's still mostly unfinished?" As Min asked while eating a piece of fruit, Rei gave a light shrug.
"Well, yeah. Though if it were that easy to make Goblin meat taste good, someone would have tried it before now."
Because it was a ubiquitous monster, making its meat edible would generate a fortune. The fact that no one had succeeded until now meant it was simply that difficult.
"By the way, this is a tentative success. Since it uses a massive amount of spices, the cost is actually quite something."
What Rei pulled from his Misty Ring was Goblin meat. But it wasn't ordinary meat — as he had mentioned, various spices coated its surface. It didn't smell like Goblin meat at all. If anything, it was an aroma that stimulated the appetite.
(It smells kind of like curry. Well, curry is supposedly a blend of multiple spices, so calling it curry wouldn't be wrong. But how much money would it cost to make curry here in Elgin?)
Spices were inherently expensive commodities. Back on Earth, if he wanted to eat curry, he could just buy curry roux and easily make it. He had even gone to the trouble of combining different curry roux brands or adding secret ingredients. And if he wanted something even more convenient, he could just buy retort curry. Expensive retort curries could cost close to a thousand yen, but cheap ones could be bought for just a hundred.
But making curry in this world meant he had to select spices himself and mix them together. A TV program he had watched while in Japan showed someone so obsessed with curry that they even blended their own spices, but unfortunately, Rei couldn't do anything like that.
(Curry, huh. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat it. If only Takumu or Kabajid had left behind some curry knowledge...)
Takumu, who had come to this world before him. Or Kabajid, Vihera's older brother. Both of them possessed knowledge of Japan, so it wouldn't have been strange if they had craved curry. But as far as Rei knew, nothing resembling curry existed in Elgin.
(Just throw spices randomly into soup? No, I can't imagine that would produce anything edible.)
Trying to cook with his half-baked knowledge would absolutely end in failure. With that in mind, Rei casually sliced the Goblin meat, skewered it, and stuck it near the fire.
The scent of spices began to drift through the air, stimulating their appetites. Elena and the others all turned expectant gazes toward the skewered Goblin meat. Once it was grilled to a good degree, he handed a skewer to each person.
Naturally, Rei did not reach for one himself. Because he knew a problem beyond the appetite-stimulating aroma. And that was...
"Whoa, what is this! It's gross!"
Elk, having bitten into the Goblin meat as if lured by the aroma, cried out almost involuntarily the moment he tasted it. And it wasn't just Elk. Everyone who ate the Goblin meat — everyone except Rei — had the same reaction.
"Gruu..."
Set let out a pitiful cry as well. He had eaten this Goblin meat before, and he had understood even then that it tasted terrible, but apparently he still couldn't resist the appetite-stimulating aroma produced by the heavy use of spices.
"The smell alone makes it seem so delicious, but when you actually eat it, it's awful. How should I put it... it's like a huge trap."
Marina, who usually radiated feminine charm, couldn't maintain such a facade after eating Goblin meat. As a result, for those who had only ever seen Marina in her usual Guild Master mode, there was an expression they were seeing for the very first time.
"Honestly, I can't say I'd want to eat this by choice."
"Lady Elena, here, please. Just swallow what's in your mouth first."
Ara handed Elena a cup of water as the latter furrowed her brows. This water too had been created by Rei using the Dagger of Flowing Water, and it was more than sufficient to wash away the taste of Goblin meat spreading through Elena's mouth. The fact that, despite having Goblin meat in her own mouth as well, Ara forced herself to swallow it and handed the water to Elena rather than drinking it herself spoke volumes about her loyalty.
The others also drank water created by the Dagger of Flowing Water and somehow managed to erase the taste of Goblin meat from their mouths.
Once everyone had settled down, Rei spoke up.
"Well, this is where things stand for now. The smell is certainly something that stimulates the appetite. But the taste still has a long way to go."
"No, precisely because the smell is good, the awfulness of the taste stands out even more."
Everyone other than Rei nodded in agreement with Elk's bitter muttering.
"That's why I said it's still a work in progress, didn't I? It'd be great if I could bring out a taste that matches the smell, but..."
At Rei's muttered words, each of them let out a sigh.
In the end, the evening wrapped up on a somewhat awkward note, with the Goblin meat being the final topic of discussion. Elena, Marina, and Ara retired to Elena's carriage, while Elk and Min went to their own. Since they would be departing early the next morning, Rei saw off the group as they headed to where they would sleep, even though it was still a bit early.
Then Rei approached Set. He headed not to the Magic Tent but to Set's side because there was something he needed to do while he had the chance.
On Set's back, Ielo was perched in its usual spot, looking happy to be getting attention from Set. Facing the two of them, as Rei approached, they naturally noticed him.
"Gruu?"
"Kyu!"
Rei gently stroked the two creatures as they each made their respective cries, and then he pulled out the Orc Leader's Magic Stone from his Misty Ring. After everything that had happened, he wanted to have Set absorb the Magic Stone he hadn't gotten around to absorbing yet while there was time.
Set seemed to understand this as well. Setting Ielo, who had been playing on his back, down on the ground, he approached Rei. He took the Magic Stone resting on Rei's outstretched palm into his mouth, swallowed it...
[Set has acquired the skill 'Power Crush Lv.5']
Such an announcement message flowed through his mind.
[Set]
'Water Ball Lv.4' 'Fire Breath Lv.3' 'Wind Arrow Lv.3' 'King's Intimidation Lv.2' 'Poison Claw Lv.5' 'Size Change Lv.1' 'Tornado Lv.2' 'Ice Arrow Lv.1' 'Optical Camouflage Lv.4' 'Magic Eye of Shock Lv.1' 'Power Crush Lv.5' new 'Sense of Smell Enhancement Lv.4' 'Bubble Breath Lv.1' 'Crystal Breath Lv.1' 'Earth Arrow Lv.1'
Power Crush: Increases the power of a single strike. Normally, just like Power Slash, there is recoil against the user, but in Set's case, thanks to his innate physical abilities, there is virtually no recoil.