Chapter 200 – Funeral Feast

On that day, the streets of Lafan were filled with people, even in the early evening. The smell of roasting meat filled the air, and the excited residents were bursting with laughter.

“Oh, the sea serpent is indeed a big one, isn’t it? What part of the meat is that?”

“It’s the back side near the tail, the part that gets moved around a lot, so it’s chewy and tasty. Don’t overcook it here, so we’ll lightly sear it and cut it into thin slices.”

With Owens, the lord’s personal chef, at the lead, twenty elite “sea serpent cooking group” are responsible for the dismantling, preparation, and grilling of the meat. …That’s what I heard.

“Is this rib meat?”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s the belly side right there. Sea serpents have a lot of fat there, but unlike land beasts, the fat is soluble and sweet. The meat is tender. When you bite into it, the juices come out…”

“Hmm? Wait, wait, I heard that it has been half a century since a sea serpent was landed fresh enough to eat; how do you know so much?”

“I tasted it while it was aging. Even a chef must have his perks.”

The crowd, who had been listening to the conversation between Myrril-san and Owens, raised their voices in protest at once.

“That’s enough! We’ve been waiting hungrily since noon!?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! There is no way you can cook well with ingredients you don’t know!”

The man, Owens, tall and thin with a goatee, a scarred face, and sharp eyes, looks more like a pirate captain than a cook, but he is the exclusive cook of the lord, so he seems to be a skilled one. He seems to be talking nonsense, but his hands are always working, cutting the meat and giving instructions to his subordinates while delicately adjusting the degree of doneness of the meat.

“Prepare yourself. For you’ll be eating some great meat that you’ll probably never eat again for the rest of your life!”

“””Ooooh!”””

Owens shaved off the slightly charred ends and popped them into the mouths of the women and children watching, lecturing them on the hardships of dismantling and anecdotes about the Sea Serpent. He is quite knowledgeable and a good talker. He seems to be a man who likes people, regardless of his appearance.

“Then, I would like to express my respect and gratitude to the heavens and the Sea Serpent, the sacred beast that has provided us with our sustenance. Cheers!”

Just before the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the “Sea Serpent Ascension Ceremony (named by Myrril)” began, led by the feudal lord.

According to the lord’s proclamation, the ceremony was to begin at dusk. The cooks were watching for the burn, but the barrels were opened while the sun was still up, and ale, wine, soup, and hot milk were served free of charge for the poor and the children. It’s cold. If they don’t warm themselves up from the inside, they will freeze.

“Your Majesty the Demon King, Your Majesty the Queen. We are honored to be invited. Forty-eight of the people of the eastern territories have come to join on this occasion.”

“Umu, make yourself comfortable.”

We were in a tent in the central square of Lafan, and a man we had met in a dispute the other day appeared at once.

“Tonight is a feast to celebrate the ascension of your guardian deity to the heavens. With a great sacred beast heard from the sound of music, you don’t want anything too harsh. Drink, eat, and talk to your heart’s content.”

“””Y-yes!”””

What is this? I don’t like it when people prostrate themselves like that.

Everyone seemed to be very conscientious and brought me a souvenir, a cheese-like “milk dairy.” I was told that it is a specialty of the eastern territory. I was given a small slice, and it was quite tasty. It has a little bit of a peculiar taste, but it goes well with whiskey or other strong drinks.

In return, I handed out a few bottles of liquor from Simon’s large selection to the people of the eastern territories.

“This is my hometown liquor. Please enjoy it with everyone.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Wow, I’ve never seen this before.”

“I think the green bottle will go well with the dairy product.”

I was told that the ale and wine would be provided by Lord McKin, so I decided to focus on distilled liquors this time. Gin, vodka, whiskey, and brandy. Whether it was Simon’s taste or the local distribution trend, there were a lot of J&B whiskies. I am not a heavy drinker, so I don’t like it that much, but it is very popular among the locals. It probably goes well with cheese.

“All of His Majesty’s whiskeys are good, but they are a bit strong, so don’t drink too much.”

For me, it’s amazing that they can drink such alcohol with more than 40 degrees alcohol by volume to the point of overindulgence. Nobody in my former world drinks it straight without mixing it with other drinks, right? I wondered how they could be so calm… but it seemed that they were not that calm.

“Hehehe… Tahifu! Drink up!”

“Oh, Sea Serpent, it’s a real delicacy! It’s so delicious! It tastes heavenly and wonderful!”

Louis and Tig are picture-perfect dead drunk. It’s early in the feast, and how much have they had to drink? After all, they are the muscle brains who don’t know moderation. Louis is getting a little too tangled up in her drink, and Tig is talking too much, but I’m glad they are having fun.

The residents of the eastern territory were puzzled when they heard that the symbol of their territory would be barbecued, but the southern territory residents, knowing how delicious it was, praised it highly and looked as if they had found a compromise.

In fact, if the Sea Serpent appeared in the neighboring waters, fishery resources would be damaged (and they would not be able to fish in the first place), trade would be cut off, and people would starve. They understand the necessity of defeating the Sea Serpent.

“Eat well, and be thankful, for it will be your flesh and blood.”

“Yes, I will eat with all my heart.”

“That’s right. Your guardian deity will be with you forever. Here it is.”

Myrril puts her hand on her chest for the people of the eastern territory. Some of the old people were in tears, and some were worshipping it, and it was hard for me to react to them.

“Oh, Demon King, are you enjoying yourself?”

Lord McKin came around with his guards. They were not on official business but were ordinary feast attendees with glasses in their hands.

“Yes, the ingredients are good, but the cooking is also excellent. I’ve never had Sea Serpent before, but I didn’t expect it to taste this good.”

“Umu, this is as good as the Earth Dragon.”

“Earth Dragon, You guys even managed to catch that kind of thing? You don’t mean to say that you eat them all the time, do you?”

“No, by some strange coincidence, I have recently had the opportunity to eat a variety of dragons. I think the Sea Serpent is also a dragon species. The taste is a bit similar.”

Both the fat lord and the guards are aghast, Myrril-san. Please don’t say something like, “If I eat the rain dragon and the ancient dragon, then I’ll have all the dragon species.” I don’t care about the rain dragon, but the ancient dragon is said to be a disaster-class monster, so I don’t want it to be flagged.

“The Sea Serpent is delicious, but this… “Burandee” is really good too. I can’t read the words on the bottle; what is it made of?”

“Well… I don’t know much about it, but it’s supposed to be some kind of distilled grape liquor, I believe.”

I don’t know exactly how it’s made, though. To begin with, I’m not much of a drinker.

“Distilled, I mean that stuff that mages cook in their cauldrons. How could they do it in such large quantities?”

“Uh… yes.”

“Wait, so this brown liquor is a relative of ale?”

“Whiskey, yes. It’s made from wheat, corn, and other ingredients, but it gets that color when it’s distilled and aged in charred casks.”

“It’s a wonderful thing. As expected of the Demon King’s territory. If we can trade with them, I’d love to have them.”

Well, it’s not like we’re making it in Casemaian. I think we can trade, if you don’t mind, with gold coins.

“Takifu-san.”

“Uncle!”

As soon as the lord left, the Calmon family of adventurers and fishermen visited our table. His wife, Rufia, his daughter, Nora, and their parents, Kayson and Trin, were all present.

They all looked happy with wooden cups in their hands, holding skewers and meat on the bone. I’m glad I did my best to finish it off. I’m not the one who killed it, though.

“Nora-chan, are you eating well?”

“Yes! There are so many different kinds of meat, all very tasty. Did you hunt these, Mir-neechan?”

“Yes. Eat a lot and grow up, okay?”

“Yes!”

So cute. Anyway, when Nora-chan grows up a little more, she’s going to be taller than Myrril-san.

Well, that’s okay.

“Takifu-san, I heard from Tig and the others that it was quite a big job.”

“It’s okay, Kayson-san. No one was hurt. I brought you some souvenirs, so I’ll check in on you before I go home.”

“Oh, yes.”

Calmon said as if remembering.

“Are you going back to Sarz, Takifu?”

“I haven’t heard what the Battlecry is going to do, but we’re thinking of making Sarz our base for the winter. We are still staying at our favorite inn.”

It’s been more than a week since I noticed. I hope the landlady is not worried.

“Oh, I see. That’s regrettable.”

“I’ll be coming back to visit again. I got a fast vehicle. It’s only half a day’s ride from Sarz.”

Calmon, not joining in the conversation with Kayson-san, looked a little anxious. What is it? I hope it’s not another problem.

Drawn by the young girl’s desire for something sweet, Calmon’s family moved somewhere else. When the family leaves, Calmon whispers to me.

“Hey, Takifu. Do you remember Ivan?”

“The captain of the guard of Sarz? Of course.”

“He sent word to you. When you get back to Sarz, you must show up at the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“He was in LaFan?”

“Yes. To report to the lord.”

“Is there a problem?”

“There were… some problems, of course, after all that ruckus, but that’s nothing to worry about. The Southern lord will be able to minimize blame, denunciations, and scrutiny. But…”

Here they come. What’s the trouble now? Who is the enemy? What is the target for destruction?

“The guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild. He wants to meet you.”

“The guildmaster, huh? I’ve never met him. I’m only acquainted with the receptionist.”

“That’s true. You’re just starting out, after all.”

Calmon’s face turned sour as if he had heard a bad joke. No, no, no, it’s true that we are just starting out. We’re still in the seventh grade or something.

“What’s the guildmaster like?”

“A female elf named Ekla. She is a legendary mage who, until about half a century ago, led a special party called “The Clowns” and was the most powerful in the Republic. Her nickname was the Witch of Sarz.”

“Half a century makes her an old lady, doesn’t it?”

“If it’s just her looks, she’s younger than Rufia. Her instincts, her nose, and her fighting ability have not diminished in the slightest. Be careful; while she won’t outwardly antagonize you, it will be troublesome if the witch gets her eye on you.”

“It’s not funny. So the witch has set her sights on the Demon King. No, this guy belongs to me,” said Myrril.

Calmon said, “This is no laughing matter,” and walked away.

“Shall we stop going back to Sarz?”

“If it turns out to be a problem, so be it. But it’s not too late to see what kind of a person she is, is it?”

“Woof!”

Before we knew it, Moff, the Snow White Wolf, was wagging his tail beside us. He seems to have something to say.

“Hmm. He seems to know about Ekla. From the look of him, she doesn’t seem like such a difficult person to deal with.”

It’s not really my style to think that there are no bad people who like animals. Still, seeing Moff’s tail wagging happily, it was hard for me to say no to him that I would not return to Sarz.

Oh well. Let’s just put the problem behind us and go back to the feast.