My name was Wilcox, and I was one of the Elder Dwarves.
The Village Head simply called me a Dwarf. I supposed that from his perspective, an Elder Dwarf and a regular Dwarf were one and the same. Perhaps Donovan’s initial self-introduction had been to blame for that misunderstanding, but I had grown used to it by now. It wasn't a problem.
After dinner, I headed outside. It had grown much cooler than it was during the day, and the breeze felt wonderful against my skin. It was still light out, but the sun would set soon. During this season, the starry sky was breathtakingly beautiful. Waiting for the stars to appear was quite an enjoyable way to spend the time.
I took a seat in one of the log chairs placed at a key vantage point in the village and set my things down on the log table in front of me. I had brought some sake brewed from rice and several triangular rice balls that one of the High Ogre Maids had prepared for me. The rice balls had no filling; they were seasoned only with salt. This was by my own request, not because the High Ogre Maid was being stingy.
I took a bite of a rice ball, then poured some rice sake into a small cup and drank.
I felt as though I might have been born for that very moment.
While I was lost in that thought, Donovan approached. He sat in the chair opposite me without saying a word. Then, he quietly placed something on the table.
"I brought some radish pickles and lightly pickled cucumbers," he said. "Rice balls aren't bad, but this is what truly belongs with rice sake."
Good grief, I had no idea what he was talking about. There was no way pickles could ever best simple salted rice balls. Still, pickles were delicious in their own right, and he had clearly improved his craft. I wondered if he had remade his nukadoko.
I poured some sake into the cup Donovan held. Since I still had some salt rice balls left, I encouraged him to try one. I had to scold him when he tried to break it in half, telling him he had to bite into it as it was. I wouldn't let him eat it in a single mouthful, either. He had to savor it—the perfect harmony of rice, salt, and sake.
The next person to arrive was the Village Head. He brought along a portable brazier—a shichirin, I believe it was called—and began grilling something over the coals.
I knew exactly what it was just from the scent.
"That's cheating," Donovan grumbled.
I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly. The Village Head was grilling the skin of a sake-like fish. It was still a bit early in the season, so it must have been from last year’s catch. Normally, the flavor would have degraded by now, but the Village Head’s obsession with food wouldn't allow for such a thing. He made full use of refrigeration and freezing magic tools to ensure that even year-old sake-like fish tasted delicious. I didn't quite understand the details, but he apparently used something called a vacuum pack as well. He truly was a remarkable man.
However, I couldn't help but ask, "Village Head, is that all the skin you have?"
I couldn't be blamed for asking. Even though those sake-like fish were quite massive, the amount of skin the Village Head was grilling was meager.
As it turned out, the dragons had eaten the rest—mostly Lord Dos. It was hard to complain about that. Lord Dos and the others were free to eat and drink as they pleased in the village, but they always paid a fair price for it. They even helped us with the technical side of our sake brewing equipment. It was a pity, but I decided to settle for whatever skin we had.
As the three of us drank, the Sake Slime wobbled over. It must have been drawn in by the scent of the alcohol. Usually, I would have shared some with it, but the mood of the evening had shifted; you couldn't join the circle unless you brought something to the table.
The Sake Slime produced... soy sauce? I had no idea where it had found it.
The Village Head took the soy sauce and looked at the salted rice balls remaining in front of me. Then he looked at the shichirin. I knew exactly what he was thinking.
Grilled rice balls.
And so, the Sake Slime joined our party.
After the slime came Lady Yoko. I had to admire her for the work she did at Village Five; I certainly couldn't have handled it.
"Lady Yoko," I said. "If you wish to join us tonight, you must provide a dish..."
She produced a rice tub. Inside was freshly cooked rice. I thought it would overlap with my rice balls, but she had something else in mind.
First, she scooped the rice into small bowls. Next, she began warming the rice sake. Was she making hot sake? It seemed like a poor choice for a warm summer night, but she wasn't planning on serving it as a drink.
To my shock, she poured the hot sake directly into the bowls of rice.
Sake Chazuke.
I couldn't even imagine what it would taste like. Lady Yoko set a bowl of the Sake Chazuke in front of each of us. The Sake Slime was the first to try it, followed by Donovan and the Village Head.
I wasn't about to be left behind, so I dug in as well.
"...It’s certainly a matter of personal preference," I noted.
I found myself wanting to try it with cold rice and cold sake as well.
Under the vast starry sky, we enjoyed our drinks and snacks. The Village Head had to leave us halfway through when his wives came to retrieve him, but it was a fine night nonetheless.