Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Cafeteria, Stew, And Doria

“Mmm, delicious.”

Yuuri nodded with satisfaction after taking a spoonful of stew. The meat was well-cooked, tender without being tough, and practically melted in his mouth. The vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, were thoroughly simmered, absorbing the rich flavor of the demi-glace sauce. At Yuuri’s feet, his familiar, Rooks, was quietly crawling around, cleaning the floor with a squishy movement as Yuuri enjoyed his meal with a happy expression.

By the way, this wasn’t the hideout of Scarlet Lynx; it was the public cafeteria, Komorebi-tei.

“Roo-chan, you don’t have to clean our floor, you know?”

“Kyui?”

Said Sheila, the poster girl, as she watched Rooks sway curiously as if to say, “Why not?” Rooks had followed Yuuri when he came for lunch and had been busily cleaning the bustling cafeteria’s floor. Well, since slimes like Rooks, who were omnivores, absorbed dust and debris as energy, it was technically a meal for him.

Rooks glanced up at Yuuri as if to check, and, realizing he wasn’t being scolded, continued his squishy cleaning of the cafeteria floor, skillfully avoiding customers. Though initially surprised, the patrons soon noticed that Rooks was harmless and diligently cleaning. Some even started giving him food scraps—not that he was a pet.

Yuuri occasionally dined out like this. Gathering new information was essential, and even though Cooking skill varied, the use of ingredients differed by chef. Especially here, where the owner, Darius, used ingredients he hunted himself, offering a distinct and masterful way of handling otherworldly meats.

The stew Yuuri was eating now could be described as beef stew in flavor. However, the meat used was from a monster. Initially, Yuuri thought it was bison meat since it was bovine, but when he asked Sheila, she cheerfully informed him that it was “bicorn meat,” leaving him momentarily frozen.

A bicorn is essentially a unicorn with two horns. Unlike the holy unicorn, the bicorn is regarded as a dark or evil creature, but it’s still a monster that can be hunted without issue.

When Yuuri analyzed the meat in the stew using the [God’s Eye]-san, the strange evaluation said it tasted like a mix between horse and beef, though the meat came from a unicorn-like creature. Well, it tasted good, so he didn’t mind.

The only problem with bicorns is that they’re quite strong monsters. The fact that Darius could hunt one solo, kill it, and bring it back is impressive. There are stories that in his younger days, Darius was a well-known adventurer, and they seem credible. Despite suffering a major injury on his last hunt, he still went out again—perhaps a bit of a cheeky old man.

“Sheila, can I get some rice, please?”

“Oh, Yuuri-kun, not more bread?”

“Huh? Is rice not allowed?”

“It’s not that. Just wait a moment.”

Since the stew was so delicious, Yuuri decided to enjoy a doria-like dish. Though the bread had been tasty, as a Japanese person, he couldn’t resist craving doria. It was too much to ask the restaurant to bake it into doria, so he planned to do it himself. Honestly, he’d have loved for them to top it with cheese and bake it in an oven.

The rice arrived, and Yuuri began pouring stew over it with his spoon. Sheila watched in astonishment, but Yuuri didn’t care. He just wanted to enjoy good food and wasn’t concerned about how his actions might look to others. To him, deliciousness was justice.

By the way, doria is a dish said to have been created by a foreign chef working in Japan. The original version was white, but nowadays, there are many variations. Curry doria is also delicious. It seems Japanese people are quite adept at expanding their menu options.

“Bon appétit.”

The rice, now generously covered in bicorn stew, drew curious stares from those around him, but Yuuri didn’t mind. He dug his spoon in, scooping a mix of stew and rice, and took a bite. The flavors blended wonderfully—delicious. For a Japanese person used to curry rice, this kind of dish was quite familiar, almost like a rich hayashi rice.

However, as tasty as it was, Yuuri couldn’t help but feel something was missing. If only it had cheese baked on top, it would’ve been perfect. But he couldn’t very well make such a request, so he quietly continued eating.

“Hey, kid, what’re you doing?”

“Hm?”

“I’ve seen people eat stew with bread, but with rice?”

“It’s a doria knockoff.”

“Huh?”

The one who appeared, looking bewildered, was Darius, the owner. A hulking, muscular man, his pristine chef’s outfit looked out of place. He looked more like someone who’d be wielding a massive sword, fitting the image of someone who could hunt a bicorn alone.

“In my hometown, there’s a dish called doria, where you put the stew on rice, top it with cheese, and bake it in the oven.”

“Oh?”

“The stew was so good I put it on rice. It’s delicious.”

Despite his imposing presence, which could easily be intimidating, Yuuri wasn’t fazed. He believed anyone who could make delicious food couldn’t be a bad person. Moreover, anyone who provides affordable meals so even novice adventurers can eat properly surely has a good heart. So, it didn’t matter if Darius looked scary or didn’t fit the image of a chef. None of that mattered at all.

Yuuri’s smiling response must have stirred something in Darius, as he quietly turned back to the kitchen. A little later, he returned holding an unmistakable gratin in a heat-resistant dish.

“…Darius-san?”

“Is this what the kid was talking about?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right… Wait, why did you make this?”

“Just taste it and check.”

“…Understood?”

Yuuri didn’t really understand why he was being asked to do this, but he obediently took a bite of the gratin. The bicorn stew was delicious, and the melted cheese was perfect. It tasted great. The baking time was shockingly precise. As expected from a professional chef.

“It’s delicious.”

“Hmm. Not bad.”

“Oh really. I always thought stew went with bread, but rice works too!”

“Hey, Sheila, add this to the menu along with the bowls.”

“Okay, okay.”

“…Huh?”

Both Darius and Sheila tasted the gratin, and, convinced of its tastiness, decided to add it to the menu on the spot. Yuuri didn’t fully understand why, but since it meant he could enjoy the gratin, he didn’t mind. That’s about how much he cared.

By the way, the customers who had witnessed this exchange were trying to order the gratin, but Darius’ quick “The price isn’t set yet, so it’s impossible” crushed their hopes. After all, if they were going to serve it in the shop, they’d need to calculate the cost and set a price. Running a shop is tough, Yuuri thought. At least at home, you can cook whatever you want. He felt grateful for that once again.

“Thanks, kid.”

“For what?”

“There were complaints about stew and bread taking too long to eat. I was wondering if I could do something about it.”

“Time, huh?”

“Some adventurers don’t have time to eat leisurely.”

“That sounds tough.”

It turns out there are people who need to gulp down their meals because of their work. Some found alternating between stew and bread to be annoying. It’s probably similar to how hungry high school boys prefer curry or rice bowls because they can eat them quickly with just a spoon. Being able to eat the side dish and the main dish all at once makes it ideal for fast eating.

Yuuri’s bowl menu, which he had previously proposed to Urgus, was apparently well-received by those types of people. After all, it also let them eat meat. Now, Darius, who had returned to work, was coming up with various bowl dishes. Though none of them were particularly unique, the grilled meat bowl, which just had grilled meat on top, was extremely popular. Yuuri figured it was probably because of the type of meat they were using, but he wisely kept that thought to himself. And he was right.

“Kyuu.”

“Oh, what’s wrong, Roo-chan? Are you hungry?”

“Kyuii.”

Rooks, having finished cleaning the entire floor, was staring intently at the kitchen. It seemed he was incredibly bothered by the dirt on the kitchen floor. However, Rooks, who wasn’t allowed in the kitchen even back at the hideout, seemed to understand that he shouldn’t go near the place where food was being made. Still, the dirty floor was clearly bothering him. Yuuri didn’t understand why Rooks was so obsessed with cleaning.

While patting Rooks on the head, Yuuri chuckled to himself. If they were at the hideout, Yuuri would let Rooks clean the floor as much as he liked, as long as no one was cooking. Unfortunately, this was the Sunlight Inn, a place of business. Letting a monster into the kitchen didn’t seem like a good idea.

“What’s up, kid?”

“Oh, um. Roo-chan wants to clean the kitchen floor.”

“Huh.”

“Sorry, I’ll tell him it’s off-limits.”

“Lunchtime’ll be over soon. He can do it after that.”

“Huh?”

“Kyuu?”

For some reason, Darius permitted Yuuri, who had just apologized. Yuuri was dumbfounded, while Rooks bounced, seemingly asking, “Really?”

Seeing the two of them, Darius nodded deeply.

“After all, he’s made the rest of the floor this clean. If he’s gonna clean the kitchen floor too, I’d be grateful.”

“Kyuii!”

“Wow, Roo-chan is so excited. What? Is cleaning that fun?”

“Kyuu!”

Rooks hopped up, looking like he wanted to say, “Of course!” For him, cleaning meant praise from Yuuri, and he could recharge his energy. It was a win-win. Plus, when he found something lost while cleaning, others would praise him too. For Rooks, who had spent his life being hunted by humans, the idea that he could be praised for doing his best was a source of great joy.

So, after lunchtime ended, Rooks eagerly cleaned the kitchen floor. Meanwhile, Yuuri sat face-to-face with the inn’s owner, Darius, discussing all sorts of things about cooking.

Later, the gratin that had officially been added to the menu became a popular staple dish.