"All right... Now, let the tasting session for my new dish, 'Takoyaki,' begin!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
It was evening in the square at the center of the fishing village.
As soon as Rest made his declaration, the gathered villagers raised their voices in a collective roar.
Though he had told them to come only if they were able, it seemed nearly every soul in the village had turned out.
"Well... I think way more people showed up than I expected."
"You announced that a noble would be providing food, Rest. Naturally, the entire village has come running," Celestine replied with a troubled, wry smile.
Thinking about it, it was only to be expected.
In a rural fishing village with few sources of entertainment and a diet that was hardly luxurious, the news that the ruling lord was treating everyone to a feast was enough to make them drop everything and run.
"Now that they're this excited, the pressure is really on..."
"Since the occasion calls for it, shall we serve the prototype liquor as well? If we dilute it with water, there should be enough for everyone here to enjoy."
"I'm sure they'd love that, but... are you sure? It's quite a lavish gesture."
"The people of this village have worked hard to help with the brewing. It’s only fair that they see the fruits of their labor, don't you think?"
She was right.
It would be too cruel to have them toil over the alcohol only to never let a single drop touch their lips. Their motivation would plummet, and it might even hinder future work.
"Alright... well then, let's get started!"
Rest psyched himself up and began the cooking process.
He greased the massive iron plate and used magic to manifest a flame for heating. Once the surface was sufficiently hot, he poured in the batter.
Rest had prepared the mixture himself, dissolving wheat flour in water and adding eggs. For the dashi, he had used a stock made from boiled seaweed and dried fish.
(The fillings are just octopus, green onions, and cabbage. I really wanted to add things like tenkasu as well, but since time is short today, I'll have to skip them.)
"Next, the main event. In goes the octopus."
He dropped the chopped octopus legs into the batter.
Celestine, watching from the side, had a slightly strained look on her face, but the villagers were staring with intense curiosity.
"And then... timing it just right, and—flip!"
"OOH!?"
He inserted a cone-shaped metal pick and deftly flipped the pieces over.
A collective gasp of surprise rose from the villagers.
"That's incredible... What in the world is he making?"
"They're turning into balls. This is actually fun to watch."
"I thought that iron plate was a strange shape, but so that's how you're supposed to use it."
To those seeing takoyaki made for the first time, it was an captivating spectacle. Even Celestine, despite her fear of the octopus, was staring at the iron plate with rapt attention.
"A drizzle of sauce... and there! It's done."
Before long, the takoyaki were finished.
For his first time making them in a while, they turned out remarkably well. Though a few were slightly lopsided, they were proper spheres.
"Alright, I'll keep them coming while the plate is still hot!"
Rest continued to pour in ingredients and finish batches until there was enough to go around. Because of the crowd, each person only received two, but the villagers stared at their small plates with ravenous, drooling anticipation.
"Does everyone have their plate? Then... dig in!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
With Rest’s permission, the villagers bit into the food as if they were in a race.
Since the latter batches were still piping hot, they ate while huffing and rolling the food around on their tongues to avoid burns.
"It's hot! But... it's so good!"
"The outside is crispy, but the inside is all gooey... and the octopus has such a great chew!"
"To think the octopus I caught could turn into something like this... I've been wasting my life until today!"
Their reactions were a bit exaggerated, but perhaps that was how one responded when eating takoyaki for the very first time.
(The sauce is Western-style, and there’s no mayonnaise, katsuobushi, or aonori... Honestly, I feel like it's missing something important.)
As someone who knew the takoyaki of Japan, Rest couldn't help but feel it was lacking.
Still... it was a massive hit with the villagers. Even Celestine had skewered one with a fork and brought it to her lips.
"......"
"So? Now that it's cooked, it's not gross anymore, right?"
"No... I still find that creature eerie and have no desire to see it in its original state. However, my curiosity has officially triumphed over my physiological aversion."
Celestine finished her takoyaki with elegant movements and let out a deep, satisfied sigh.
"I think it would be best to prepare this in front of the guests at a party. It will certainly serve as excellent entertainment. Some people might still be put off by the octopus... but many nobles have a penchant for rare delicacies. It shouldn't be much of an issue."
"That's great to hear. Looks like we've officially added another dish to the party menu."
Rest nodded, satisfied.
Visiting this fishing village for liquor had yielded an unexpected bonus.
"However... it may still be difficult to give a final verdict based on just this."
"Huh?"
"I feel I would have a much clearer understanding if I had perhaps two or three more..."
In a rare display, Celestine turned a subtly pleading gaze toward him.
Behind her, the villagers were also staring with eyes that sparkled with blatant expectation.
"Alright, alright... seconds it is."
Rest gave a small shrug and set back to work on a fresh batch of takoyaki.
That evening, he ended up cooking until he ran out of ingredients, and from the very next day, the villagers would find themselves possessed by a newfound passion for catching octopus.