The news that Goblin meat had become edible—and reasonably tasty at that—had spread throughout Gilm as a fairly well-known story.
Cooks who had negotiated with Mayo and obtained properly processed Goblin meat began creating their own Goblin dishes, driven by curiosity, and put them up for sale.
Whether one lived in Gilm or not, the fact that Goblin meat was extremely foul was common knowledge in this world.
Because of that, those who first heard about Goblin meat dishes bought them tentatively... but upon discovering that the meat was surprisingly tasty, they were astonished.
Naturally, not every cook succeeded.
Among them were some who, after cooking it with certain ingredients, ended up with a dish even worse than plain Goblin meat.
Additionally, it had been discovered that if the Goblin meat Mayo sold was simmered for long periods, it would revert to its foul-tasting state.
This was, of course, a side effect specific to processing it with Gamelion internal organs. There was a possibility that if another method to make it edible were found, it could also be enjoyed in stewed dishes, but...
Unfortunately—or perhaps naturally—Mayo had no intention of publicly disclosing how to make Goblin meat edible.
What Mayo sold was strictly Goblin meat after his own processing. The cooks who bought it had no knowledge of what kind of processing the meat underwent.
Naturally, there were those who wanted to know, but from Mayo's perspective, he had only just reached this point after years of research.
The situation was still subject to many limitations: it was useless without Gamelion internal organs, which were only available in autumn, and simmering the meat for too long would revert it to foul-tasting Goblin meat. It was not as though Goblin meat could be made delicious at any time.
Even so, making Goblin meat edible was no joke—it was an achievement worthy of a place in history.
Naturally, there were those who thought they might capitalize on this...
"Guhah!"
An adventurer, hired by someone harboring such thoughts, crumpled to the ground after taking a blow from Rei.
"To think there was a fool among Gilm's adventurers who would try something this stupid."
"Don't say that. Besides, these adventurers aren't true-born Gilm adventurers. They're probably people who came to Gilm looking for expansion construction work."
Vihera, who had just knocked another adventurer unconscious beside Rei, spoke in a slightly comforting tone.
"Well, with their level of ability, I suppose not. ...Still, this is a troublesome situation."
Various parties were currently probing the Percy Item Shop, trying to uncover the secret to making Goblin meat edible.
This included acts of direct violence like what had just occurred, as well as attempts to sniff information out through the shop's business partners. More recently, Rei had heard from Mayo that unfamiliar, suspicious figures had been lurking around the store.
It was just Goblin meat.
There were those who thought that way, but Goblins existed everywhere, not just in the frontier regions.
If Goblin meat could be made edible, it would bring enormous profit.
...It was not strange for people to think along those lines and want to claim it for themselves.
In reality, the process required Gamelion internal organs—a material that could only be obtained in a few locations, including Gilm—so it was not as though Goblin meat could be made delicious anywhere and at any time.
But for now, Mayo had no intention of disclosing that fact.
Given the funds he had invested in this research, that was only natural, and Mayo naturally had a desire for recognition as well.
For Rei, that was not something he particularly cared about, so he did not see it as a problem.
Furthermore, just because Mayo had a desire for recognition did not mean he intended to keep the research on making Goblin meat edible to himself.
In the first place, it was Rei who had first approached Mayo about researching how to make Goblin meat edible. Mayo had been supplied with large quantities of Goblin meat, as well as what would normally be expensive spices and the like.
Considering those circumstances, the option of not putting Rei's name forward as a co-researcher did not exist for Mayo.
Rei himself did not particularly care about such things, so his honest feeling was that either way was fine, but...
"You're right. But while you're at Elena's house, we'll keep an eye on things here, so you don't need to worry. If necessary, we could even request a guard for the Percy Item Shop from somewhere."
"A request, huh. But would anyone take a guard job at this time of year?"
Winter was fundamentally a long break for adventurers.
For Rei, it felt like summer vacation or winter break.
Incidentally, the duration of winter break varied greatly depending on the region where one lived. It could be a week or more shorter than at the high school Rei had attended, so for some people, winter might not register as a long holiday... but for Rei, who had lived in the Tohoku region, winter was certainly a long break as well.
Of course, the trade-off for the long winter break was a shorter summer vacation.
Regardless, an adventurer taking a guard job during such a long holiday... it was still conceivable for one whose funds for surviving the winter were tight, but one who had properly prepared for it would be somewhat unlikely to accept.
Of course, adventurers did not spend the entire winter drinking and carousing in self-indulgence.
It was not uncommon for them to train their bodies in order to grow stronger for the activities starting in spring.
However, many still felt that it was something to do after the new year... no, after spring drew near, so accepting a job at this time of year... and right at the start of winter, was somewhat difficult.
"In that case, it's probably best to ask Vihera, Marina, or Byune."
"Oh my, I'm expensive, you know?"
Vihera said it jokingly, but hiring someone as skilled as Vihera would naturally cost a high price.
"Ah... put it on my tab for now. Knowing you, Vihera, it's not like you simply want money."
If she could be hired with money, that would actually be a simple matter for Rei.
But the fact that she was not that type of person was something Rei, who knew Vihera's personality, took for granted.
(Since it's something Vihera wants, it's probably a mock battle or something like that.)
Rei thought so, but at Vihera's next words, he involuntarily stopped moving.
"Then, once you get back from Duke Kerebel's Territory, let's go on a date. That works, right?"
"..."
At Vihera's unexpected words, no reply immediately came from Rei's mouth.
Seeing Rei's reaction, Vihera flashed a triumphant smile.
...Even as she flashed that smile, her cheeks faintly turned red.
Even when she invited someone to mock battles or showed large crowds her figure clad in thin garments like a Prostitutes or Dancer, Vihera did not feel that embarrassed.
But even for someone like Vihera, inviting Rei... the man she loved, on a date was apparently enough to make her feel bashful.
Even so, in a manner befitting an older woman, Vihera asked Rei while making it seem like she had composure to spare.
"How about it? Don't you think that's a cheap commission fee?"
"...In a way, it seems like it'll cost me dearly."
Even as he gave that response to Vihera's demeanor, Rei accepted her invitation for a date.
"Alright. Then let's go somewhere once I'm back. As for where... should I decide?"
"I'd be happy if you did."
Vihera said this with a full smile, but while Rei smiled on the surface, he was internally bewildered.
Of course, it was not as though he had never been on a date.
When he was in Japan, he never had such opportunities, but since coming to Elgin, through one thing or another, he had ended up interacting far more with beautiful women—women above even what he had only ever seen on TV in Japan... no, on Earth—than he ever had, and he had grown fairly accustomed to it.
Of course, even so, Rei still hesitated over where to go for a date.
(A movie theater? No, those don't exist here. A library... would Vihera enjoy reading books at a library? A restaurant... ah, maybe an eatery with an extensive selection of sweet desserts? Or else, window shopping?)
Several ideas came to mind, but the source material for Rei's knowledge was things like manga and anime.
Naturally, most of that did not apply here in Elgin.
"For now, I'll think of something."
"Will you?"
Vihera smiled and nodded.
As they were talking near the back entrance of the Percy Item Shop, the door suddenly opened.
"You two, thank you for your hard work. I've prepared some warm soup, so please have some."
The one who appeared carrying a soup bowl that stimulated the appetite was the Percy Item Shop's female shop clerk.
Bringing soup because she thought it must be cold was certainly welcome for Rei and the others. It was welcome, but...
"Um, about the ingredients in this soup... the vegetables aside, is this meat possibly Goblin meat?"
"Yes, that's right."
At Rei's words, the female shop clerk in her mid-twenties smiled and nodded.
But seeing that, Rei wore a subtly displeased expression and spoke.
"Didn't you say that processed Goblin meat isn't suitable for long-simmered dishes like soup?"
At Rei's words, the woman smiled happily.
"I'm glad you asked! Actually, this soup was made using a slightly different method than usual. Though it's not particularly difficult, mind you."
Handing Rei and Vihera each a bowl of soup and a spoon, the woman continued her explanation.
"The Goblin meat we processed can be eaten perfectly fine when used in stir-fries and the like. But when used as a soup ingredient, it was inevitably foul. So, I just needed to shift my perspective!"
Rei, pointed at as she said this, was swept up by her enthusiasm and brought the Goblin meat in the soup to his mouth.
He intended to spit it out immediately if it tasted bad. But...
"It's good?"
"That's right. Simmering it in soup makes it taste bad, but if you stir-fry it first and then add it as a soup ingredient, you can eat it without any problem! ...Well, in that case, the meat's umami doesn't seep into the soup, but..."
"Ah... I see. You used the Goblin meat purely as an ingredient."
"Yes."
An egg of Columbus? Rei thought for a moment, but he did not say it aloud.
In the first place, no one in this world would understand what "Columbus's egg" meant, and from the perspective of Rei, who barely cooked at all, it was an astonishing idea. But he figured that for someone who actually cooked, it was nothing more than one of many ordinary techniques.
In fact, though Rei did not know it, the method of simmering ingredients solely for broth, extracting the stock until the ingredients broke down, and then adding separate ingredients to eat was a common cooking technique in Japan, and the same held true here in Elgin.
Of course, it was a cooking method that required a bit of extra effort, but any cook would know it as a matter of course.
"Does that mean you've also overcome the shortcoming of not being able to use Goblin meat in soup?"
"That's... hard to say. Ultimately, there's a big difference between adding it as an ingredient versus being able to simmer it properly. I can't say it's been truly overcome. However, with the current processing method, there doesn't seem to be any other way."
It had only been recently that using Gamelion internal organs had made Goblin meat reasonably edible.
If they had known that from the start, it might not have been impossible to procure large quantities of Gamelion internal organs... but for now, the supply of Gamelion internal organs was extremely limited.
Given that, there simply was not enough of the organs for trial and error.
"Are you going to search for other methods to make Goblin meat edible, besides the one you found this time?"
"Of course we are. As things stand, we can only enjoy delicious Goblin meat in this area... and only during this season. Well, even so, it's better than before."
Still, there were many who tried to break into the Percy Item Shop, seeking the secret to making Goblin meat edible.
Rei could not help but think that if the method for making Goblin meat edible was so limited, wouldn't it be fine to just publish it? ...But the fact that Mayo chose not to meant he probably had some reasoning behind it.
(There was that method where you could technically eat it by using spices... but maybe that's no good due to cost issues?)
Thinking such thoughts, Rei continued his guard duty at the Percy Item Shop for the time being.