"Guruu? Gurururururuu!"
As they walked down the main street of Gilm, Set purred at the savory aroma drifting through the air.
Tempted by the appetite-stimulating scent, Rei was also drawn toward the stall from which the fragrance originated.
Since the smell of caramelizing sauce wafted through the air, the people nearby naturally gathered around the stall as well.
"Welcome! Yaki udon with Gamelion meat! Available for a limited time only—you can only get it now!"
The Abuelo Stall Owner was calling out to passersby, drenched in sweat despite it being an autumn evening with winter fast approaching.
Even so, the man's hands never stopped moving as he stir-fried the udon, meat, and vegetables on the iron griddle.
As the birthplace of udon, Gilm had become quite famous.
There were also other dishes like nikuman and pizza, which were made using Gamelion meat and sold as well.
"Yaki udon, huh... It's not exactly a mainstream dish," Rei muttered.
In fact, the majority of udon sold in Gilm was the kind served in soup.
Of course, just because it wasn't mainstream didn't mean there were no yaki udon dishes at all.
While few in number, the dish known as yaki udon had been reasonably well-known for some time.
"Two silver coins, including the plate and fork! But if you return the dishes after you finish eating, we'll refund you that amount!"
"Ugh, isn't that a bit expensive!? Can't you make it a little cheaper?"
Hearing the price, a male passerby—likely a man returning from the Expansion Construction site—voiced his dissatisfaction at the cost of two silver coins.
Based on Rei's experience living in this world, one silver coin felt roughly equivalent to one thousand Japanese yen.
Of course, given that this was the otherworld of Elgin, prices couldn't simply be compared to Japan's, and Rei was originally from the countryside of Tohoku to begin with.
Between a place like Tokyo, which was said to have high prices, and Rei's hometown, the cost of living varied in many ways.
Thinking about it that way, it was only a rough estimate—but still, paying two thousand yen for a plate of yaki udon at a stall was naturally something he'd consider expensive.
Then again, this was the frontier city of Gilm.
Those who had come for the Expansion Construction hesitated to part with two silver coins, but...
"Oh, then I'll take one."
Beside the middle-aged man who had been complaining about the price, a woman in her mid-twenties placed an order with the Abuelo Stall Owner.
The woman's body was clad in armor that combined leather armor and metal plating, and a longsword in its scabbard hung at her waist. She had the unmistakable appearance of an adventurer.
And even in Rei's eyes, she was reasonably skilled.
At the very least, Rei estimated she was several levels above Marquis and his group, about on par with Phron or perhaps slightly inferior.
The man who had been complaining to the Abuelo Stall Owner stared in blank amazement at the Female Adventurer who had casually handed over two silver coins beside him.
If it had been a high-class restaurant, that would be one thing, but he probably never expected someone to pay two silver coins at a stall so nonchalantly.
If this were some rural village, the man's surprise would be understandable.
But this was Gilm.
A skilled adventurer could earn as much money as they wanted.
"Comin' right up. Give me a moment."
Saying that, the Abuelo Stall Owner began plating the yaki udon.
It was loaded with meat and vegetables, and the udon noodles being stir-fried had been properly adjusted to suit the dish.
And above all, what defined this yaki udon was the sauce used for seasoning.
It was made by simmering generous amounts of meat, vegetables, and herbs for a long time until the ingredients had broken down and dissolved.
It was a seasoning that could be called the heart of the yaki udon, offering a deep flavor while still being surprisingly light.
In fact, it was the scent of this sauce caramelizing that had drawn Rei, Set, and many others to the stall, so its effectiveness was clear.
And once the first person bought some, the other customers began buying one after another.
Naturally, Rei purchased portions for himself and Set, then moved a short distance away from the crowd around the stall to start eating.
Since returning the plate and fork would get some money back, many people ate near the stall so they could return the dishes immediately after finishing.
Naturally, if Rei and Set were eating in such a place, the other customers would notice them...
"Ah, Set-chan is eating yaki udon too!"
"Eh? Set-chan? Oh, he's really here!"
"Oh my, did you girls not notice Set-chan's presence? It seems your love for Set-chan is only at that level."
"Gnuhh!"
"W-well what about you, when did you notice?!"
"Me? I noticed right from the start, you know?"
"Liar! You came after Set-chan, so you only noticed him because of that!"
Among some of the Set Enthusiasts, such conversations were taking place, but Rei and Set ate their yaki udon without paying them any particular mind.
(I really do think soy sauce flavor is the best for yaki udon... Though this yaki udon feels like a third flavor, different from the one I had before—neither sauce-based nor soy sauce-based.)
The yaki udon, worth two silver coins, was indeed enough to satisfy Rei's palate.
The Gamelion meat was especially delicious.
Living up to its selling point, it was prepared in a way that highlighted the flavor of the Gamelion meat.
For Rei—and for Set as well—the yaki udon was a thoroughly satisfying taste.
The only complaint was that since a large crowd of customers had gathered at the stall, getting seconds seemed impossible.
"Rei-san, would it be alright if I cleared Set-chan's dishes too?"
That voice called out to Rei and Set, who looked satisfied after finishing their yaki udon, yet at the same time, slightly unfulfilled.
Looking in the direction of the voice, there stood a woman in her mid-twenties.
Come to think of it, Rei recalled that there had been a woman doing various tasks near the Abuelo Stall Owner.
Naturally, with things being this busy, it would be difficult for one person to handle it all alone, so having other staff members was only expected.
"Hm? Ah, sure. The yaki udon was delicious. It was a dish that really made the most of the Gamelion meat."
At Rei's words, the woman was surprised for a moment, and in the next instant, she smiled with delight.
"Is that so? I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that."
"Well, given how busy it is, I think they'd know it's delicious even without me saying anything."
"No, no. Having you say it's delicious means a lot, Rei-san."
"...Me?"
Not understanding what the woman was saying, Rei tilted his head.
Rei didn't particularly think his own sense of taste was that sharp.
Of course, unlike when he was in Japan, his current body had heightened senses.
But even among those five senses, while his sense of taste had become sharper, he wasn't exactly putting it to masterful use.
Having originally been a high school student from the countryside, the meals he ate were naturally not that extravagant.
Then again, in contrast to urban areas with their many refined dishes, in the sense that he could fully enjoy freshly harvested seasonal ingredients, he was actually in a very privileged position.
Also, since coming to the world of Elgin, he mostly ate at places like cafeterias and stalls.
...Well, he did stay at high-end inns from time to time, and the food served at their dining halls was often on par with or even superior to that of fine restaurants.
In any case, he wondered why a compliment from someone like him—who could hardly be called a gourmet—would be so welcomed.
Of course, he could somewhat understand that as a cook, it would be pleasing to see a customer happily enjoying their food and calling it delicious.
"Umm... well, you see. For people running stalls, someone like you, Rei-san, is a valued customer... no, a customer you could even call a savior. And besides, you're the one who spread udon, after all."
At the woman's words, Rei somewhat understood what she was trying to say.
In fact, for the stall owners, cafeteria operators, tavern keepers, bakeries, and ingredient shop owners in Gilm, Rei was a valued customer who bought in large quantities all at once.
No, as the woman said, he was more than just a valued customer.
Normally, even when buying in bulk, it would be enough for a family or a gathering of friends.
But in Rei's case, it wasn't uncommon for him to buy out the entire stock of food a shop had.
...Of course, having someone buy that much food at once also placed a considerable burden on the side preparing it.
It was precisely because Rei had the Misty Ring, allowing him to eat freshly made food whenever he wanted—and because he had high abilities as an adventurer, meaning he never struggled to pay—that he could act this way.
In addition, the dishes Rei had popularized in Gilm, starting with udon, were all delicious and had become local specialties.
To those in the food and beverage industry, it was only natural that Rei's existence seemed like that of a savior.
And what was being sold at this stall was yaki udon.
While the fact that Rei had popularized udon wasn't widely known among the general public, to those working in the food industry, it was common knowledge.
In other words, having Rei eat their yaki udon and praise it was an extremely gratifying event for the woman.
However, at her words of gratitude, Rei scratched his head with a somewhat troubled expression.
"I'm the one who told Dishot about udon, but all I did was tell him that this kind of dish existed and teach him the rough method of making it. Spreading it this far was Dishot's achievement."
Even as Rei said this, whenever Dishot popularized udon, he always made a point of saying it was a dish he had learned from Rei.
As a result, it was naturally common for people to believe that Rei was the one who had spread udon.
"Even so, for us, it's because udon exists that we're prospering like this... Though, the profits aren't actually that large."
While two silver coins was clearly an expensive price for eating at a stall, procuring Gamelion meat—and high-quality cuts at that—required a corresponding expense. The other ingredients were chosen to be as cheap and delicious as possible, but naturally, they still cost a fair amount.
To be perfectly honest, the woman and the Abuelo Stall Owner cooking at the stall actually wanted to set the price at three silver coins.
But since three silver coins would be judged as somewhat too expensive, they had settled for two silver coins with more modest profits for the time being.
"Well, even at this price, there are probably people who think it's too expensive and can't afford it, so raising the price any further would be tough."
Of course, even if they said they couldn't afford it, if it was only about two silver coins, they could manage it with a little effort.
But when it came to whether paying that much for a single meal was worth it, there were certainly those who wouldn't be able to accept it.
In the first place, the people who had come for Gilm's Expansion Construction were mostly there to earn money.
Given that, spending two silver coins on a single meal was likely unthinkable.
Even among adventurers, many were working at this time of year to save up funds for surviving the winter, so it was the season when purse strings were the tightest.
Then again, precisely because of the Expansion Construction this year, even if they didn't have enough money for winter, there was no need to go outside the city for work like subjugating monsters.
Even if the Expansion Construction itself stalled, there was no shortage of other work to be done.
In that sense, this year... and next year, or perhaps even the winter after that, even if they struggled financially during winter, there would be no need to venture outside Gilm at the risk of danger.
...However, there would undoubtedly be some who would try to go outside Gilm to earn more money.
After all, compared to working a safe job at the Expansion Construction, hunting monsters outside was harsher due to the snow and the particular ferocity of winter monsters, but there was no doubt it paid better.
"That's right... Oh, well then, I'll excuse myself here. I need to collect dishes from the other customers as well."
Saying so, the woman collected the plate and fork that Rei and Set had used—though Set hadn't used a fork—and handed Rei four copper coins before heading toward where the other customers were.
(Four copper coins... in other words, the actual price of this yaki udon is one silver coin and eight copper coins. I think it's well worth the flavor, but keeping it at this price going forward might be a bit difficult.)
Watching the woman collecting dishes from customers and the still-long line of people at the stall, Rei found himself thinking this.