Even after defeating the carnivorous fish monster, Death Scythe ultimately failed to acquire a skill.
While disappointed by this, Rei put it behind him and began dissecting the Smog Panther Commander Individual.
He had originally come to this river because Nielson said she wanted to eat this Commander Individual's meat.
...The reason they had left the Smog Panther's forest early in the first place was also because Nielson wanted to show her newly awakened power to the Chief and her companions.
Then again, fairies were naturally curious creatures, and as long as something was interesting, that was enough for them.
For Nielson, eating the Commander Individual's meat must have seemed more exciting than showing off her awakened power to the Chief and the others—her desires had simply been overwritten.
"I've never had panther meat before either... I wonder what Smog Panther meat tastes like. The dissection itself isn't all that difficult, though."
Rei had dissected all sorts of monsters up until now.
While the Commander Individual's dissection was somewhat demanding, he managed it thanks to his experience.
...When draining the blood in the river, the entrails and the scent of blood had attracted the fish monsters, which had nibbled away parts of the carcass. He simply cut away those areas a bit more generously.
(Is this what they call trimming? Though it might be a little different in practice.)
For instance, cutting away discolored portions when aging meat was a process known as trimming. But in this case, he wasn't removing aged, discolored parts—he was cutting off spots that had been gnawed on by fish monsters. Rei found himself wondering whether that still counted as trimming.
Rather than tossing the discarded meat onto the ground, he threw it back into the river.
Immediately, the fish monsters in the water swarmed around it.
"This river looks normal enough at a glance... but are there no ordinary fish here?"
"Probably because they wouldn't be able to survive."
Nielson offered that explanation in response to Rei's muttering.
Her words carried enough persuasive power to convince him.
Even if ordinary fish lived in this river, they would likely have been eaten by the carnivorous fish monsters.
(The one saving grace is that those fish only live in water because they're fish... Since Seto ate the fish along with its magic stone and his Sense of Smell Enhancement leveled up, there's no doubt they have a sharp sense of smell.)
Fish with a keen sense of smell? Rei found that a little puzzling, but once he remembered that sharks had the ability to detect the scent of blood dissolved in seawater from far away, it made sense.
In reality, recent research had debunked the claim that sharks could smell a single drop of blood from a kilometer away. Unfortunately, Rei was unaware of this fact.
"Hey, Rei. Just get on with the dissection already. I want to know what this meat tastes like, so hurry up and let me eat it."
Nielson called out to him while he was still looking toward the river.
She was clearly eager to taste the Smog Panther Commander Individual's meat as soon as possible.
From that perspective, her rushing him was only natural.
Rei also believed the Commander Individual was either a High-ranking Species or a Rare Species of Smog Panther, so he was confident the meat would be delicious.
With that in mind, he hastened his own work, wanting to eat it soon himself.
Despite the considerable size of the carcass, the fact that it had already been drained of blood meant he was able to proceed with the dissection without much difficulty.
"So? So? How are we going to eat it?"
"How are we going to eat it? Don't expect any culinary skills from me."
Rei could cook, after all.
But that was only in the sense that he could manage the basics.
He was only capable of making simple, rough-and-ready meals.
That said, Rei had the Misty Ring, so he usually just ate the prepared meals he had stored inside it.
He almost never cooked for himself.
When he was in Gilm, he ate Marina's home cooking almost every day—a situation that wouldn't be surprising if it drove any man who found out to burn with jealousy.
Rei was well aware that he was the target of such envy, but he also knew that anything he said would only make things worse, so he paid no mind to the stares directed his way.
It was also a fact that he had resigned himself to drawing attention—carrying the Misty Ring, wielding Death Scythe, and above all, having Seto as his Tamed Monster made it unavoidable.
"Ehh, so how are we going to eat it then? It's supposed to be delicious meat, right?"
"Yeah. Simple cooking is surprisingly good, you know... Well, I don't have the skill to make anything elaborate, and I don't have the tools for it out here either. So, we're going with salt-grilling. Besides, they say that with good ingredients, it's better to just season them with salt and pepper rather than messing with them too much."
Of course, a truly skilled cook would be able to properly prepare fine ingredients and elevate them into something even more delicious.
But since Rei unfortunately lacked such technique, salt-grilling was undoubtedly the right choice.
(Grilling it over a campfire should make it taste better thanks to the far-infrared effect... right? Well, in Elgin, we mostly cook over campfires anyway, so it's not like I'd feel that campfire cooking is especially delicious. It's just normal.)
With these thoughts, Rei cut branches from a nearby tree to make skewers, then threaded the Commander Individual's meat onto them.
He seasoned them with salt and pepper and propped them up beside the campfire.
"Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet~?"
Nielson had looked dissatisfied when she first heard about salt-grilling, but once the meat actually started cooking, her dissatisfaction vanished. She waited eagerly, watching the meat roast.
Rei cast an exasperated glance at Nielson's behavior before turning his gaze to Seto.
Despite the abundance of stones scattered on the ground, Seto was lying down without a care in the world.
Seto could sleep without any issues even outside in the dead of winter, so sleeping on a stony surface probably posed no problem at all for him.
...Though even Seto seemed to be keeping an eye on the skewers grilling over the fire, glancing over at the campfire several times.
"Nielson, I should warn you—don't get too close to the fire. If you do, your body might catch fire. There's even a saying about moths flying into the flame."
At those words, Nielson stopped flying and shot Rei a look of displeasure.
"Hey, Rei. You aren't mistaking me for a bug, are you?"
"Don't worry, I don't think you're a bug... Well, judging by how you're acting right now, I can see how someone might make that mistake."
"Oh, come on!"
Nielson apparently found Rei's words unforgivable. She flew right up to him, loudly voicing her complaints.
"You are absolutely never allowed to call a fairy a bug or anything like that! I'll let it slide because it's me, but if any fairy other than me heard that, they'd definitely get angry!"
You're clearly angry right now yourself, Rei thought with an urge to retort, but he kept his mouth shut, knowing it would only make things troublesome if he said it out loud in this situation.
"Right, my bad. It just slipped out. Anyway, the campfire's heat is fairly strong, and there's no doubt it would be dangerous if you touched it. As long as you understand that, don't do anything reckless."
"Excuse me? What do you take me for, Rei? Let me tell you, there's no way I'd do something like that."
"...I hope so. Oh, more importantly, looks like it's almost done. Should be ready to eat soon."
The meat was being roasted over the fire, juices dripping onto the ground below.
Rei had already noticed the decent marbling when he was butchering it, but seeing it roasted over the open fire only stimulated his appetite further.
(This meat looks like a real winner. Just as I expected.)
Since he had originally assumed it was either a High-ranking or Rare Species of Smog Panther, he had expected the meat to be delicious.
However, judging by how it looked as it cooked, it was undeniably even more appetizing than he had anticipated.
(Smog Panthers... panthers, in other words. They're a highly agile type, so I figured the meat would have barely any fat and be almost entirely lean... but hey, I'm not complaining about being pleasantly surprised.)
The first to pick up a skewer was Nielson.
After all, the whole reason they had come to this riverbank was because Nielson wanted to eat skewers.
In that sense, it was only fitting that she got the first one.
The skewer was larger than her own body, but Nielson held it firmly.
This was actually quite a remarkable display of strength on her part.
Lifting a skewer larger than her own body was, from Rei's perspective, like hoisting a fifty- or sixty-kilogram skewer of meat.
By any normal logic, it wasn't something that should be so easily lifted.
"Mmm... it's delicious!"
The words slipped from Nielson's mouth after she took her first bite.
It wasn't flattery or politeness—it was the genuine reaction of someone tasting the meat for the first time.
From Rei's perspective, such an honest impression was incredibly gratifying.
"Is that so? Then I'll... no, Seto goes first."
"Grru."
Hearing his name called, Seto walked over from where he had been lying down, looking pleased.
Rei handed the skewer to Seto, who skillfully slid the meat off the stick with his beak and ate it.
"Grrru, grru, grrrruruu."
The skewer must have been plenty tasty to Seto.
He purred deeply as he ate, looking genuinely delighted—happy from the bottom of his heart.
For Seto, the delicious taste certainly played a part, but the fact that his beloved Rei had made it was probably what mattered most.
Rei gave the delighted Seto a quick pat before bringing his own skewer to his mouth.
The first bite tasted salty from the salt sprinkled on the surface.
But as soon as he bit through the meat, juices flooded out, mellowing the salty flavor in his mouth.
The meat he bit into was lean, but with proper marbling running through it... and yet, it still offered a satisfying, firm chew.
(It's delicious. The flavor is different from the Orc meat I usually eat, but if I think of that as just another type of flavor profile, there's nothing wrong with it.)
It wasn't unusual for different meats to have different tastes and aromas.
Since preferences for those flavors varied from person to person, there was a chance it simply wouldn't suit Rei's palate... but fortunately, the meat he was eating now was delicious by his standards.
"Hey, Rei. If the meat is this good, instead of just cooking it casually like this, don't you think we should have a proper cook prepare it?"
Nielson's suggestion likely stemmed from the time she had gone to Gilm under the Chief's orders.
Having seen the restaurants selling food there, or perhaps eating the dishes she bought afterward, she must have understood that the same ingredient could taste dramatically different depending on who was doing the cooking.
From Rei's perspective, it felt like she was mocking his cooking.
Then again, considering he had just sprinkled salt and pepper on it and grilled it, it wasn't unreasonable for Nielson to be dissatisfied.
"You're right. It might be worth asking a reputable cook at some restaurant to prepare it."
Despite feeling slightly put out, Rei acknowledged her point because he had done exactly that on several occasions before.
"See? Hehe, my idea isn't half bad. In exchange, when you have them cook with this meat, you have to let me eat it."
"Fine. Though I have no idea when that will be."
"Ehh... why not?"
Nielson was unhappy with his answer, flying around in circles to display her displeasure.
But Rei had his own circumstances to deal with.
"The places where I know skilled cooks are, naturally, in Gilm. But I can't exactly move around Gilm freely right now. Besides... the restaurants feeding all the workers who came for the expansion construction are like a daily war zone."
Once some time passed and winter set in, the crowds would thin out, and he might be able to make a proper request.
When Rei told her this, Nielson gave a reluctant nod.