Chapter 62: Dragon Donburi and Bogus Complaints 

The day after Saril departed from Papel Village…

“Eight, I heard from the village chief that students from the Noble Academy will soon be invited to visit Papel Village. Is there anything I can help with?”

“…Huh? Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

That was unusual.

Normally, around this time of day, Raphiel would be wrestling with Eve over the television remote, the two of them bickering endlessly over which channel to watch.

As I stood there with my head tilted in confusion, Raphiel answered with complete seriousness.

“Saril told me that labor is an obligation.”

“I-I see… But, Raphiel, whenever someone gets injured, you’re always the first one to heal them. I don’t think you need to force yourself to work.”

“Recently, Luka and the others have been helping at the restaurant, so no one has time to keep me company anymore. I’m bored.”

“…Ah, so that’s the real reason.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“But the restaurant has enough hands as it is. Luka and the others have the lunch boxes covered too…”

“Is there really nothing I can do?”

At that moment, an idea struck me.

“Oh, that’s right. There’s actually a new dish I’m thinking of serving to the noble students when they arrive. Would you mind taste-testing it for me?”

“Gladly.”

Before I could say anything else—

“Hey, Boss!! Sounds like you’re talking about something interesting over there!!”

The lunch rush had just begun at Tsurugi Hachi, and several adventurers entered the restaurant together.

Leading the group was none other than Rorondo, one of the adventurers who had fought alongside us during the dragon subjugation not long ago.

I greeted them with a cheerful smile.

“Welcome, Rorondo. How’s your arm doing?”

“Heh! The Saint herself patched me up, so I’m good as new!!”

“You exaggerate,” Raphiel replied with a sigh. “Your arm was so badly mangled that no ordinary priest could have treated it. Had I not intervened, you would likely have lost its use entirely.”

“The Saint sure doesn’t go easy on people!! Anyway, Boss, let me try that fancy dish you’re planning to serve those noble brats too!!”

As soon as Rorondo volunteered, the other adventurers eagerly chimed in as well, each wanting to sample the mysterious new meal.

My smile widened.

“I’d be grateful for everyone’s opinions. Please, help yourselves!”

“OOOOH!!”

The first step was preparing the ingredients.

I sliced onions into thick one-centimeter wedges before trimming the dragon meat into thin, bite-sized slices.

Into a pot went water, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, Japanese-style dashi granules, and freshly grated ginger.

I stirred everything together before placing the pot over high heat.

Soon the broth began bubbling vigorously.

Once it reached a rolling boil, I added the onions.

The kitchen quickly filled with the comforting aroma of simmering soy sauce and ginger as the onions slowly softened over medium heat.

Only after they had begun turning translucent did I reach for the dragon meat.

“Now… add the thinly sliced dragon meat one piece at a time, separating each slice so it cooks evenly.”

As expected, foam and impurities rose to the surface.

Using a wire skimmer, I carefully removed every bit of scum until the broth was perfectly clear.

Then I placed the lid on the pot.

The ingredients simmered quietly, absorbing the sweet and savory broth.

Time passed.

The onions became meltingly soft, nearly dissolving into the rich sauce, while every slice of dragon meat soaked up the flavorful seasoning.

Finally, I filled large bowls with steaming hot white rice.

Without holding back, I generously ladled the glossy dragon meat and onions over the rice, making sure plenty of broth soaked deep into every grain.

To finish, I topped each bowl with a bright mound of crimson pickled ginger.

Then I proudly declared—

“Presenting… Dragon Bowl! A dragon version of gyudon!”

One by one, I placed the finished bowls before each adventurer seated in the restaurant.

Rorondo was the first to react.

“Dragon Bowl… Heh, I like the sound of that!! After what that dragon put us through, stuffing myself with its meat feels like the perfect revenge!!”

Without another word, he shoveled a massive mouthful into his mouth.

Watching him devour it with such enthusiasm ignited everyone’s appetite.

The other adventurers eagerly dug in.

Raphiel quietly picked up her bowl as well.

“Th-This…! The juicy dragon meat has completely absorbed the sweet and savory sauce. Every bite fills my mouth with rich, overflowing flavor!”

“The tang and slight spiciness of the pickled ginger refreshes the palate perfectly! You never grow tired of eating it! It’s absolutely delicious!”

“The rice soaked in all this broth is incredible too! Everything comes together inside a single bowl! It’s like the meal is perfectly complete all on its own!”

“And the onions still have just enough texture left to add a wonderful crunch! They’re the perfect accent!”

“I-I’m really glad to hear that.”

Their reactions couldn’t have gone better.

By the time they finished, Raphiel and Rorondo had each gone back for several refills, polishing off bowl after bowl before finally leaning back with thoroughly satisfied expressions.

“Whew… I’m stuffed,” Rorondo said while patting his stomach. “The nobles are gonna get completely hooked on this. Hell, before long, nobles from every corner of the kingdom might start coming here just to eat your cooking.”

“You’re giving me way too much credit.”

“No, seriously. If anything, we adventurers are probably eating better every day than a lot of those nobles.”

“Haha… now you’re really exaggerating.”

Rorondo certainly knew how to flatter someone.

Still, hearing praise that heartfelt made me genuinely happy.

Just then—

“HEY!! What kind of restaurant is this?!”

“…Hm?”

One of the middle-aged adventurers suddenly shouted loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear.

I didn’t recognize him.

He was probably one of the newer adventurers who had recently arrived in Papel Village.

“Is something wrong?”

“There’s a huge bug in my food!! Look! Take a good look!!”

“…Ah.”

Sure enough.

Lying inside the man’s Dragon Bowl was an insect roughly the size of the first joint of an index finger.

With my unusually sharp eyesight—good enough to spot tiny details from across the kitchen—I knew with absolute certainty I would have noticed something that large while cooking.

Which meant…

So that’s what this is.

Around the room, the other adventurers weren’t glaring at me.

Instead, they stared at the middle-aged man with expressions that practically screamed, You’ve got to be kidding…

At least no one seemed to suspect the restaurant had actually made such a mistake.

That alone was a relief.

“I’ll prepare you a fresh bowl immediately.”

“A replacement?! You ruined your customer’s appetite! I want compensation! Pay me damages!!”

I frowned.

This was troublesome.

I wanted to settle things peacefully…

But the man’s complaint was obviously fabricated.

If I admitted fault now, there was no telling what outrageous demands would follow.

Still unsure how best to handle my first encounter with such a customer, I hesitated.

Then the man’s eyes shifted toward Tifana, who had been helping serve the food.

“Actually… money isn’t necessary. If you lend that woman to me for one night, I’ll generously forgive the whole thing.”

I see.

So that’s your real goal.

Without saying a word, I calmly walked into the kitchen.

From beneath the sink, I retrieved something I had prepared for emergencies—

A riot shield.

And a titanium police baton.

“H-Huh…? What’s with you? You looking for a fight?”

I stepped back into the dining area, my expression completely devoid of my usual smile.

“Sir. She isn’t anyone’s property. She’s an important employee who works here.”

“Oh my…♡”

I heard Tifana let out an amused little giggle behind me.

I ignored it.

“The hell’s with that attitude toward a customer?! Guess you won’t understand your place until someone beats it into you!!”

“Hmph!”

The adventurer yanked his sword from its scabbard.

The instant the blade cleared—

CRACK!!

I swung the baton with all my strength.

The sword, forged using this world’s comparatively primitive metallurgy, collided head-on with solid titanium.

It didn’t stand a chance.

The blade snapped cleanly in two.

Holding the riot shield firmly before me, I lowered my voice into a chilling growl.

“If you keep running your mouth… I’ll butcher you, cook you, and feed you to a dragon.”

“…Eek.”

“Now… would you kindly leave my establishment?”

The man’s face turned ghostly pale.

Without another word, he bolted from the restaurant like a rabbit fleeing a wolf.

Only after the man disappeared down the road did I finally exhale.

“Whew… Thank goodness he ran away. I was honestly terrified.”

“…”

“…”

“…No, Boss… you’re the terrifying one.”

“…Huh?”

The adventurers immediately began whispering among themselves.

“Damn… Boss is always smiling, polite, and easygoing… but when he actually gets angry, that’s what happens?”

“Remember when I accidentally dropped a whole stack of dishes and ruined the food? He just smiled and said, ‘It wasn’t intentional, so don’t worry about it.'”

“Yeah… which is exactly why hearing him casually say he’d butcher someone and feed them to a dragon is absolutely horrifying.”

“But… seeing him stand up for Tifana like that was kinda cool!! If possible, I’d let him sweep me off my feet!!”

“…You’re a guy.”

Apparently there was at least one man in the adventuring party who swung that way.

I decided I’d heard absolutely nothing.

“Still… I can’t believe people like that really exist. That was my first time meeting someone like him.”

“Oh, they’re more common among adventurers than you’d think.”

“Really? Everyone here in the village seems more like… loud, generous people who laugh with a big ‘Gahaha!’ kind of attitude.”

“That’s because most adventurers who come to Papel Village are at least B-Rank and confident in their abilities. Once you reach C-Rank and above, your character actually affects whether you’re promoted. Idiots like that don’t make it very far.”

Later, I learned what had happened.

The middle-aged adventurer had actually been a D-Rank adventurer who’d previously been expelled from another town after extorting merchants.

According to Rorondo, his actual fighting ability was probably only around F-Rank.

He had likely ridden the coattails of stronger adventurers to earn promotions he never deserved.

“If trash like that ends up making you close this restaurant, it’ll be a disaster. I’ll report this properly to Branch Chief Kirara and have the guild come up with countermeasures. Lately we’ve even had people showing up just to eat free meals without contributing anything.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. I get why they’re tempted. Food is an adventurer’s lifeblood. If some idiots cause the only place where adventurers can get first-class meals for free—just by showing their guild license—to disappear… who knows what the decent adventurers around here might do.”

“U-Um… I know today’s incident was entirely his fault… but if we ever really do make a mistake, people might become afraid to speak up. So… maybe let’s not be too rough…”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I was joking.”

Even as he laughed it off…

Rorondo’s eyes weren’t joking in the slightest.

Maybe I should put a suggestion box by the entrance.

If customers have complaints, they can write them down and drop them in there.

Groundless accusations can simply be ignored.

But genuine criticism? Those are opportunities to improve.

Yes… that’s probably the best way to handle it.