29 – Meat Party (1)
I used some of my saved up money and went up to the market on the Ascar Plateau to buy a lot of meat.
“What’s wrong with this stingy bastard! This piece of s***! The noble piece of s***!”
“Whether it’s a swear or praise, just say one.”
13th Calf Division was a special forces unit that only repeated training until there was a separate order. Things like duty or guard missions were all excluded.
Tetis Libra, bandaged on his foot, trained us as usual. He also expressed regret that he couldn’t participate in training himself and even complained about losing his appetite.
“How’s your wound?”
“Headquarters don’t need to worry. It’s just a simple injury. It’ll heal in a few days. Headquarters is a special elf.”
“I thought it was going to be broken again.”
“I’ll cut wood from there to that tree. Ready?”
“I didn’t even swear!”
Between the guards.
Tetis Libra is rigid. He still prioritizes military law and is a true soldier who risks his life for orders.
In contrast, Avakusa puts his own life first. And it seemed like he was looking down at Tetis Libra because he was the Calf Leader.
Will their relationship ever improve? I rested against a tree and asked the nearby Calf Leader.
“Calf Leader.”
“What?”
“Avakusa and I are planning to have a meat party today. Won’t the Calf Leader come too?”
“…Meat party? What makes the soldiers think they have the money for that?”
“I saved up some money.”
Tetis Libra turned and looked at me.
“…If I have time, I’ll come. But don’t expect too much. Headquarters is very busy.”
Will he come, or won’t he?
Avakusa chuckled when he heard the story.
“Don’t come. Don’t come. Don’t even come here if you’re going to die.”
You might as well curse him.
The market went up. This time, they arrived earlier than anyone else.
“How much will you buy? Honestly, we still need to buy food for three people…”
“Show me all of it, from here to there.”
I raised my hand and pointed directly at the meat.
Abakusa opened his mouth wide.
The resistance fighters were restless.
“Dammit.”
“Did a ghost who couldn’t eat meat and died stick to it?”
“Aren’t you buying too much?! What are we supposed to eat?!”
Eun-hwa handed over her purse. I saw the owner of the market smile for the first time.
It’s not likely that a soldier who wasted 30 silver on meat exists. It’s also too luxurious for just one meal.
But given Abakusa’s appetite, we had to buy this much. I also wanted to feast after such a long time.
“Seasoning! I’ll buy the seasoning! Shibaal! Let’s eat until we die!”
“The guy who only ate salt-grilled meat.”
“He’s trying to save money! You bastard! Give me the seasoning!”
They didn’t sell vegetables or anything like that in the market. So I snuck out of the Ascalon Plateau and wandered around the mountains.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m picking out edible vegetables.”
“What?! How do you know which ones to pick?!”
“I read about it.”
Of course, it was only what I had read in books. They were things I had read when Scarlett Peridot burned the curtains.
“……”
No.
Let’s not.
Don’t get swept away by emotions, move your body. Drakan.
I worked hard to pull out the vegetables. After sorting out the edible ones, I washed them thoroughly with water.
It was possible because I didn’t stray too far from the camp. I took out the newly supplied knife.
This is a truly magical tool. It can be used for most things.
I cut the meat into a good size. After bringing in suitable wood and chopping them roughly, I skewered them one by one.
“Screw this. Can you really cut something easy with this knife?”
“It’s all in the technique.”
“That’s just your excuse…you’re just using force to cut!”
He caught on.
The power was truly useful. It felt even stronger as the body grew.
A strength that could not be compared to ordinary dragons. Perhaps it was possible because Drake was originally set as a scam character.
A powerful character even as a child. But if he becomes an adult, he would be a monstrous being.
…And then.
Ever since being trapped in the mine, I have felt a sudden increase in strength. I have sudden chills every night.
It feels like it’s because the flesh of that gigantic eye monster has crawled inside my body…but when I went to the hospital, they said there was nothing wrong.
It can’t be a bad thing, right?
For now, let’s just cut the meat.
“Hmm…”
I turned the meat on the skewer. There are a lot of tendons. The meat quality is also not good. Most of it was greasy and sticky after being defrosted from freezing.
But this is a good place.
I continued to make meat skewers. Once I got used to it, it was easier to make.
“Why go through all this trouble when you can just grill it on a stone plate…!”
“Once you’re going to eat, it’s important to eat well.”
I recalled the cookbooks I had read in Albyon. Thanks to my unusual power of retaining information, I was able to easily follow a recipe.
There were more things missing than there were available, but I overcame that with resourcefulness. I sprinkled the seasoning brought by Avakusa onto the meat instead of using spices.
It was difficult to spread it with the knife, but it was better than using hands. The knife, sterilized in the fire, was much cleaner.
“What is this…”
“They said to stack the meat and grill it at the festival.”
“What?”
“I didn’t stack it, but let’s just say I did it roughly.”
“This little…!”
Avakusa laughed slyly.
“I remembered.”
“Instead, you shoot at the festival.”
“You’re trying to naturally take advantage of the situation! This punk! Okay! I’ll specially shoot for you!”
Muttering, he briefly marinated the skewered meat that he had tightly wrapped. He knew how to use a bowl he used as a substitute dish at times like this.
“Why don’t you eat it right away?”
“If you only want to taste the seasoned flavor on the outside, eat it now.”
“…You bastard. Were you a chef?”
“I wanted to be.”
With nothing to do, I looked up at the moon. It was already quite late.
“…Hey. You bastard.”
“What?”
“What do you plan to do once you’ve served your three years?”
“I’ll leave. Without looking back.”
“Damn it. You really have no attachment. No attachment at all.”
“Why? Do you want me to stay?”
“Is that even possible? Even someone like me wouldn’t stay. How can you trust that damn Vesmoph? Even if he offers more money, I’d rather become a mercenary.”
“Mercenary?”
“That’s what I originally planned to do. If you’re good at it, you can earn several times the salary of a soldier.”
…A mercenary.
All playable characters in Frontier Online start as mercenaries. They roam around cities and sometimes fight by joining any side as long as they get paid.
Occasionally, there were human mercenaries who attached themselves to other species. It required a special citizenship issued by the federation.
Well, of course, I know the gaze isn’t favorable.
“Avakusa.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Ha. You bastard. Who said I’m not scared of that punk? Hey, look. Whether I starve to death or get shot, it’s all the same. But the former is more agonizing.”
“Why don’t you try farming or something? Why starve to death?”
“You think anyone can just do farming? First of all, damn it, do you think it’s possible to go to a secluded place alone and do self-sufficient farming in the current situation? You bastard, listen to what your older brother says.”
Avakusa clicked his tongue.
“For now, that’s true. Not only here at the festival, but wars are occurring in various places. The funny thing is, not only humans but we ourselves are also fighting among each other. The federation is relatively quiet. If you leave here, you’ll just get caught up in the whole bloody mess. There’s no peaceful place. It’s just another piece of land for us to devour.”
“……”
“Farm work? Nice. But do you think you can handle it alone if you want to grow just one pumpkin? Farming is much harder than heading a soccer ball on the ground. It’s not just about living. Sometimes you gamble, hold a woman, and that’s what makes you a man, right? To do that, you have to live where there are people. Being a person means you can’t just survive by eating corn for a lifetime—that’s what this means.”
“So, what’s your point?”
“What’s my point? What a stupid question. Let’s say you farm where people live. Hey, you little sh*t. Don’t you know how high the taxes are these days? Most farms are practically losing half of their produce. The reason wars are evil lies there. These bastards buy weapons with the money they took from civilians. In the end, it’s the farmers who get screwed.”
“…….”.
“Well, nowadays machines are good, so we don’t worry about food anymore. But in the old days, damn it, just let us have enough to survive, and we’ll all die. That was everyday life. And it’s still the same now. Go curse those wealthy farmer bastards, but the truly poor farmers have no strength to curse.”
“So, you’re saying you’ll become a mercenary?”
“I hate poverty. You little sh*t. I hate it to the core. It’s nauseating. I’d rather be shot and killed. Until I die, my goal is to live full and satiated, laughing all the way.”
Abakusa looked directly at the skewered meat.
From Noble mtl dot com
“But, you little sh*t, when are you grilling this?”
“Now.”
“Ahahahaha, finally, I’ll get to taste the meat…”
A sense of popularity was palpable. Abakusa subtly reached into his pocket. I, too, placed my hand on my gun.
Emerging through the shaking bushes was Tetis Libra.
She brought something with her.
“…You haven’t started yet.”
Abakusa grumbled.
“Weren’t you busy?”
“I finished everything.”
Tetis Libra handed me something cool. Inside a large bag, along with some vegetables, the meat was neatly packaged.
Moreover…
“Alcohol?”
“You’re calling this alcohol?!”
Abakusa frantically rummaged through the bag. He held the alcohol in both hands, taking turns looking at Tetis Libra.
“Am I dreaming…? This knowledgeable platoon leader…?”
“What nonsense are you spouting in front of your superiors?”
Tetis Libra fake coughed with an air of sophistication.
“I only brought two bottles. I’ll drink enough not to get drunk. Got it?”
“hahahahaha! Of course! Ha! Pour the Dracan! Fill the cup to the brim!”
“Hold on.”
Tetis Libra snatched the alcohol away.
＂Exclude Drakan.”
“Uh, excuse me?”
“The head does not think Drakan is an adult yet. Can’t give a child alcohol.”
“What the hell? Are they serious about not treating the kid who’s taking out the enemy like an adult?!”
“The head will make a special exception to drink with him. But… What’s this?”
“Skewered meat marinated in seasoning.”
“Who made this? Is it… any good? It’s better to just roast it, isn’t it?”
Cheap, greasy meat soaked in seasoning.
Tetis Liebra furrowed his brow. He pulled out his meat as if to show it off.
“Seems like this might be better to start with. Quality meat. I had them bring a few from the supply depot.”
“Isn’t that embezzlement?”
“…It was brought with cooperation. Abakusa. Does the head think you’re that kind of guy?”
“Jesus, I can’t even make jokes.”
Even so, Abakusa was panting. He polished a large stone and placed it on the fire pit.
“Just grilling it is…”
“It’s delicious to grill in large quantities. Company Commander. I had to roast the meat a bit, so I found a fantastic stone plate.”
Abakusa’s tongue lengthened. It had one intention.
It was to charge in and tear the meat to shreds.
As a result, the meat Tetis Liebra brought was extremely delicious. Quality meat itself was invincible.
“This… This is meat…”
“Uhh… uuh…”
Tetis Liebra also subtly realized that he had good eating habits. I also diligently played with my fork.
It is delicious. Beyond being wonderful, it is extremely excellent. Such quality protein meat. It felt like it was denying all the meals I have eaten up until now.
“…This savory… The fat… It’s the best… Really…”
“Ha…huh…”
The meat Tetis Liebra brought was soon gone. If you rush to eat without talking, should I say you can’t even drink alcohol?
Abakusa glanced at the bottle of undrunk alcohol. He glanced at the large amount of meat marinated in seasoning.
“…Hmm.”
I get it from his expression.
Is it time to fill up on that now?
I chuckled. I picked up the marinated meat that had been seasoned. Despite its poor quality, I hoped the seasoning would fill the inside, and fortunately, it seemed that the seasoning had seeped well into the meat as I cooked it.
It wasn’t just a simple cheap seasoning but a special blend with vegetables from the mountain.
It enhanced the bitter taste and softened the sourness. I also added a pinch of salt to adjust the seasoning.
Tetis Libra said with a trembling voice, “I brought a few things to chew on.”
“…Why don’t we just grill a few pieces as a trial? You brat.”
…Both were looking down on my cooking.
“Don’t ask for more.”
It was a seasoning I had tasted beforehand with the sharp senses of a dragonkin.
Let’s press their noses.