"Delicious! Simply delicious!"
"This is quite a feast. I feel like it’s taken years off my life!"
After the work was done, I offered the villagers the leftover meat and bones as a token of gratitude for their help with the butchering.
I had already secured a prime selection of ingredients for the upcoming party. They were frozen solid to the core, ensuring our anti-spoilage measures were foolproof.
The portions I treated the villagers to were mostly scraps and fragments not worth the effort of transporting home, yet they had happily simmered them into a soup that they were now devouring with great relish.
"Mmm, the soup is wonderful too. Right, Rest?"
"Yeah... it’s great."
Sipping on the bowls provided by the villagers, Rest and Yuri were both enjoying the flavors.
However, while Yuri looked genuinely delighted, Rest wore a strained grimace.
He had no complaints about the taste of the soup—it was the restless vitality in his lower body, surging thanks to the Dragon Liver, that was the problem.
(So, Dragon Species generally have a powerful tonic effect... I really need to be more careful from now on.)
For some time now, he hadn't been able to settle his nerves unless he remained slightly hunched forward.
With a Steel Will, he desperately fought to avert his gaze, which was being drawn far more often than usual to Yuri’s chest and hips as she sat beside him.
(At least the meat doesn't have as much of an aphrodisiac effect as the liver... that’s a small mercy.)
"Thank you, both of you. Everyone is overjoyed; Wyvern Meat is a rarity that most people never get to taste," Libery, our guide, said as she approached and bowed.
She was carrying a plate of food. It was a hearty meat dish, but it looked like it was prepared with something other than Wyvern.
"This is a local specialty of our village. I apologize if the seasoning is a bit rustic, but please, help yourselves."
"Oh, this looks promising."
It was a meat stew.
Enticed by the savory aroma, Rest took a bite. A unique, gamey scent spread across his palate. It was similar to beef but with a much sharper character—the kind of flavor that people either loved or hated. For Rest, at least, it was a taste he quite enjoyed.
"A curious flavor. Is this monster meat as well?"
"No, no. These come from the livestock we raise in the village."
Libery gestured to the side, where several animals resembling cattle were gathered. They had two horns and a frame similar to a cow, but they were characterized by their remarkably long, shaggy coats.
"We call them Yakyu. They're a common sight in the villages around here. We process their milk into butter and cheese."
"Cheese, huh? That sounds like it would pair perfectly with a good drink."
"If you're interested, please, have a taste."
Following the stew, Libery served several slices of cheese.
This, too, was quite good. While cheese was a fairly standard food and didn't feel particularly exotic, a thought occurred to him.
"Hmm... it might be fun to serve something like pizza..."
The flavor of a pizza could be transformed entirely depending on the toppings. Using something like Wyvern Meat as a main ingredient could be an interesting twist.
And it didn't have to be just meat; seafood was a classic topping as well. Since people in regions far from the coast rarely had the chance to eat seafood pizza, it would provide a nice sense of novelty for the party guests.
"It’s good! This is really good, Rest. Here, try some of this!"
"Yeah, I get that it’s good, so please don't get so close. You’re pressing your chest against me."
Yuri was enthusiastically trying to feed him some of the cheese, but Rest gingerly pulled away, doing everything in his power to keep his impulses from running wild.
He forced himself to talk about serious matters just to distract his mind from the distracting curves pressing toward him.
"Getting the Wyvern Meat was a success. I suppose the next items on the list are fish and alcohol?"
"I don't know much about fish, but for the alcohol, why not ask Celestine?"
"Celestine? Why bring her name up all of a sudden?"
Celestine Crocus was a Duke's daughter, a classmate, and a friend. Moreover, she was one of his newly minted fiancés.
"She mentioned it a while ago. Apparently, her father’s hobby is collecting rare spirits. She was laughing about how it’s a bit of a problem because he loses all his composure when it comes to fine liquor."
"I see... In that case, she likely knows quite a bit about where to find the rare stuff."
It would be impolite to suddenly demand an audience with a Duke, but Celestine was someone he was close enough with to contact casually. Once they had transported the Wyvern meat back, it might be worth making a trip to the Royal Capital to consult her.
"Oh, look, Rest! These skewers are delicious too! Open wide!"
"Yes, I see that! Just... please, stay over there for now!"
Unaware of the battle Rest was fighting with his own biology, Yuri continued to cling to him and offer him food, leaving Rest with no choice but to shout in protest while shielding his lap with his hands.