SWNOVELXO Chapter 400
The last table I headed to.
This was the table where I first met my companions after leaving Lizardman Village—Mari, Karina, and Serena, who can truly be called my party members.
“Hey, Mr. Kurt! You should try these fried potatoes! Munch munch! They’re fresh and so delicious! Munch munch!”
“Can you either eat or talk, just pick one?”
As I approached, Mari greeted me with her mouth full of various fried dishes.
Seeing her like that, I gave her a teasing remark, and she quickly closed her mouth and began focusing on her food.
“…”
Not one to hesitate, she immediately zeroed in on her food.
On Mari’s table were fried potatoes, three-legged fowl Yurin-gi, and herb pork schnitzel—just an overwhelming array of fried dishes.
Every time Mari took a bite, the crunch of the fried food resonated right next to me.
I knew she loved fried dishes, but isn’t eating only fried food a little excessive?
If someone else saw it, they might suspect it was a case of culinary torture, but Mari herself wore a happy smile as she alternated bites from her plate.
“If you keep being so picky about fried food, you might gain weight.”
“Right? You really should eat a variety of foods instead of just the ones you like.”
Karina had come over and chimed in without missing a beat.
Yet, Karina’s table was no better, stocked solely with broth dishes like vegetable consomme made from various Trent ingredients, tomato three-legged fowl stew, and bomb clam chowder.
She was alternating sips of those broth dishes as if savoring every drop.
Unlike Mari, whose crunchy bites were audible, Karina’s quiet sipping made the whole scene almost serene.
It seemed slightly embarrassing for Karina to criticize Mari while she was guilty of uneven eating habits herself, as she quickly averted her gaze.
“…”
“But hey, soup is healthier than fried food, right?”
“I didn’t say anything!”
When I shifted my gaze to Serena’s table, I spotted it was well-stocked with grilled dishes like charcoal grilled three-legged fowl teriyaki, herb pork front leg schnitzel, and chicken steak with a hint of horse meat flavor.
And of course, Serena was busy tasting her grilled dishes, with a beer glass in one hand and her fork in the other.
When she caught my eye, she aloofly asked, “What? Why?”
“I haven’t said anything to you yet.”
Wow, what a determined table this is!
Even though quite a bit of time has passed since we’ve formed this party, these three have such strong preferences when it comes to food.
Still, all three of them are capable adventurers, and they make sure to manage their health; so I figured it was sufficient for them to enjoy what they found delicious without forcing a correction from me. But wow, their food choices really are extreme.
Eventually, I thought about saying something to them but ended up just smiling.
No matter how things went, seeing them enjoy the dishes I prepared brought me more satisfaction than dissatisfaction—it seems this is the fate of a chef.
While I was in that train of thought, Mari suddenly thrust a plate full of food toward me.
“Here you go, Mr. Kurt!”
“What’s this?”
“It’s your plate, Mr. Kurt! We picked only the most delicious dishes for you!”
…But isn’t it a buffet-style setup? Does that even mean anything?
Wouldn’t it be better to just choose what I wanted to eat myself…?
In that moment, I thought that, but they meant well by putting together the tastiest dishes, right?
I graciously thanked the three of them.
“Thanks, guys.”
“Hehe, no problem!”
The plate I received was filled with crispy pork schnitzel, thick tomato stew, and tender three-legged fowl skewers glazed with sweet, sticky teriyaki sauce.
It was perfectly clear in my mind who selected which part for me without needing to explain.
So, I sat down and started my meal a beat behind everyone else.
Crunch!
The first dish was the herb pork schnitzel that Mari had chosen for me.
I know it’s silly for the chef to judge their own cooking, but the schnitzel was crispy on the outside while juicy on the inside; the batter crumbled pleasantly without being greasy.
Generally, fried dishes are tasty and loved by everyone, but it might just be Mari who loves them to this extent. Her love for fried food likely stems from having quite a robust stomach. Most people would feel bloated if they only ate fried food, after all. Youthful, indeed.
Mari would deny it, but in this regard, I could see her youthful spirit shining through.
Slurp!
The second dish was undoubtedly Karina’s favorite—tomato three-legged fowl stew.
The warm broth of the tomato stew wasn’t particularly sweet or salty, but as the rich umami from the tomato melded with the deep flavor of chicken bone broth, the vegetable umami of the tomato and the animal umami of the chicken created a profoundly rich taste that seeped deep within me, and the light three-legged fowl meat paired perfectly with it.
This subtle flavor was definitely to Karina’s taste. She didn’t particularly dislike spicy foods, but the delicate depth of flavor wouldn’t have sat well with either Mari or Serena.
Chomp!
Finally, the teriyaki three-legged fowl skewers were perfect for pairing with drinks.
Unlike the American-style BBQ I often made, the skewers were boldly flavored with teriyaki, which leaned more toward being a side dish than a main meal. Reflecting the party lights, the glossy teriyaki glaze on the skewers blended with the rich juices, making them vibrantly sweet and salty at the same time. Sure enough, after eating just one skewer, one would definitely crave a beer—a wonderfully indulgent and rich dish.
With Serena often bickering with Karina, it felt like their preferences differed even in these fine details. Wait, was it their constant clashing that edged them toward that kind of dish harmony?
As I savored the thoughtful dishes prepared just for me, I suddenly overheard the three of them engaged in conversation.
“Fried food is definitely the best!”
“No way, grilling is where it’s at!”
“It might even be soups!”
Here they were, getting heated over something trivial.
I couldn’t help but take a rough guess at what was happening, even without listening closely.
“Are you guys seriously arguing about what kind of food is the best again?”
“No, that’s not it! Ah, instead of us fighting, let’s just ask Mr. Kurt!”
“What do you want to ask me?”
“We want to know what kind of food you like the most, Mr. Kurt!”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been curious about this for a while! You eat everything deliciously, but it feels like you’ve never leaned towards a particular favorite!”
“Even when you cook, you don’t seem to go for your favorite dish, just a pure desire to cook.”
It seems the conversation started with their usual silly debate over which dish is the best, and somehow it had shifted to discovering the best dish considering who was the top chef.
“Surely your favorite must be fried food, right? There’s no other explanation for why you keep making fried dishes that cost so much!”
“That’s just because you constantly want fried food, isn’t it? I heard the first dish you made while traveling together was golden skewers. So clearly, you must love grilled dishes!”
“That’s merely because in the limited camping environment, the types of dishes you can make are restricted! True favorites involve effort and time during cooking. In that sense, taking hours to brew a perfect broth surely means you adore broth dishes the most, right?”
“I’m not that pushy, you know! You’re the one who’s always singing about wanting BBQ!”
“When did I ever sing!?”
It felt like at times these three were acting incredibly juvenile, almost questioning whether they were actually adults.
…No, it wasn’t just sometimes.
“So what do you think is the best dish, Mr. Kurt?”
“….”
With Mari’s question, Karina and Serena were staring at me with eager, sparkling eyes.
They hadn’t spoken a word, but it was clear they were hoping for a response that would match their preferences.
…What’s the big deal about my favorite dish?
“The dish I think is the most delicious is… “
“What is it!?”
“It’s the dish I’ll be eating tomorrow. And even more delicious than that will be the one I’ll have the day after!”
“…Huh?”
“Basically, I’m saying there’s no reason to rush in deciding what the best dish is. Life is long, and you never know when you might come across a delicious meal. If you pick the ‘best dish’ too soon, you might miss out on the thrill of trying something new later.”
“Hmm… you make a good point.”
“True. It definitely feels like there are still so many dishes we haven’t tasted yet.”
“Right? Just traveling with you, Mr. Kurt, we’ve come across new dishes every day.”
I hadn’t expected them to take me seriously, despite my casual remark, but instead of dismissing my words, all three of them nodded earnestly, as if they found my argument convincing.
Surprisingly, I seemed to have sidestepped what could have been a petty argument quite beautifully.
Pleased with successfully handling this annoying situation, I continued my meal.
By the way, I vaguely deflected the question about my own preferences…
.
.
.
The last day in the Holy Kingdom approached, and the farewell party was drawing to a close.
The lively atmosphere from dinner transitioned into a more subdued drinking session, gradually quieting down as everyone headed off to beds, preparing for the next day, while I remained behind to clean up the now-empty venue.
“While everyone else is going to bed, aren’t you going to sleep, Mr. Kurt?”
“I was waiting for you guys.”
I stayed behind in the hall after finishing cleaning up because I was waiting for someone.
Returning to the hall was none other than Archbishop Tierra of the Holy Kingdom and archaeologist Seiri.
“So? You didn’t say anything at the farewell party but pretended to go home first. That must mean you have something to say to me that’s a secret from the others.”
“You’re sharp as ever. Actually, I came to find you because of this notebook.”
What Tierra handed over was an old notebook that looked like it was hundreds of years old, a relic worthy of being called an artifact rather than just an antique.
And that notebook was the same one I had once passed to Seiri.
“I guessed from the moment you arrived with Seiri that it would have something to do with this notebook.”
“You mentioned this notebook was something you found by chance during your travels, correct?”
“That’s right. It was during the early stages of my travels, back when only Mari was with me after I left Lizardman Village.”
The identity of that notebook was one I found in a hut while exploring a cave back when I was just starting my journey.
“I heard from Joyra when I met him before. He said that the reason he got his hands on the ancient empires’ magic was that he accidentally bought a damaged artifact that was for sale at an antique shop near Astram.”
And based on his description, the ones selling that antique were none other than Mari and me, right after we’d just arrived in Astram.
At that time, I had set it aside in case it was worth something and sold it without much thought, but knowing that someone got their hands on ancient magic through things tied to that item made me feel responsible.
The only saving grace was that the old notebook was too damaged to sell at the antique shop, and it remained deep in my backpack.
That’s why I explained to Tierra about the antiques I sold, thinking perhaps the old notebook could help solve the issues that might arise from the items I carelessly sold.
“So you’re saying you brought this notebook to find me because you’d discovered some clues for recovering those antiques?”
“…No, the notebook doesn’t contain any mention of the damaged artifact you sold. But the contents within it were important enough that I felt those antiques could take a backseat.”
Tierra’s expression as she said this was the most serious I had ever seen it, not to mention more than when she heard Lakia’s prophecy.
“…Just what was written in that notebook to make you look so grave?”
“Honestly, up until now, I only trusted around half of Lakia’s prophecies.”
“That makes sense. I wouldn’t expect anyone to immediately believe such a serious story without proper indication. So while we were heading to the Empire, you were investigating the validity of Lakia’s prophecy in the Holy Kingdom… “
“No, that’s unnecessary. I’ve come to believe her prophecies are indeed true. That’s the way things have unfolded.”
“…What? Just what was written in the notebook to trigger that?”
“You can find out the detailed contents later when you check the notebook. I’m going to return it to you. You’re going to need it more than I do. And… please, good luck.”
With that, Tierra concluded her words with what felt like a real goodbye and left with Seiri.
Left alone in the hall once more, I gazed quietly at the now-empty table.
On top was that old notebook I had picked up when I first started my adventure, just sitting there as if it held within it everything that had brought me here.