Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 158: Expanding the Gourmet Horizon
After our lively chat over hot milk and boiled eggs, I decided to press Douglas for more intel on delicious monsters.
“Douglas, the ingredients you’ve mentioned so far aren’t exactly… direct. Am I right in assuming you don’t eat monster meat itself?”
“Oh, I eat it. I’d just heard you keep monsters, so I avoided the more… obvious stuff out of consideration.”
“Ah—so you were being thoughtful about it.”
It was kind of like how you could keep a dog as a pet but still eat beef or pork. I’d even owned a parakeet once, yet never thought twice about eating chicken.
Maybe it was selfish, maybe even hypocritical— but I had my own personal line, and monster meat didn’t cross it.
“If you don’t mind, then I’ll go ahead and recommend some monster meats.”
“No problem. Please, I’d love to hear about them.”
“Right then. Let’s start with the meat of the Blogdori.”
From there, he produced several varieties of dried monster meat and let me sample them.
He’d picked only the ones he considered good… but to be honest, none really grabbed me.
They had an even wilder, gamier tang than regular game meat, and being jerky, the texture was tough— borderline leather.
To me, they didn’t seem all that different from the tougher cuts of this world’s ordinary meats.
“…What’s with that face? You look unconvinced.”
“Sorry. I just didn’t find them all that tasty.”
“Hmph. You’re rather blunt. I’ll have you know, being dried should’ve concentrated the flavor.”
Douglas grumbled as he chewed his own jerky contentedly.
Still, the biggest takeaway for me was learning that monster meat could be eaten at all.
If there were land monsters that tasted good, there was an even better chance aquatic monsters might be delicious— tougher muscles or not.
“Have you ever eaten aquatic monsters, Douglas?”
“Not once. I specialize in forest beasts. Aquatic monsters are far too hard to hunt— no one bothers.”
“I see… that’s a shame. But that means they’re still a mystery, right?”
“That’s one way to put it. …Wait. Don’t tell me you plan to become a gourmet hunter yourself?”
“No, I’m too weak to fight. But I do plan to hire someone to hunt aquatic monsters for me, so I can try them.”
Realistically, I’d be commissioning Lua and her party. And of course, I’d make them swear not to take any unnecessary risks.
“Fwahahaha! Now that’s good to hear. Just knowing there’s a new gourmet hunter in spirit makes my trip worth it.”
“And I’m glad you came all this way. You didn’t just visit— you brought all this food to share.”
“Think nothing of it. Sharing new ingredients is an unspoken rule among gourmet hunters.”
“Then I’ll do the same— if I find something good, I’ll come tell you in person.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
It was clear this was a small, tight-knit community, built on curiosity and mutual exchange.
I couldn’t call myself a gourmet hunter without blushing, but Douglas was the genuine article. I’d make sure to lean on him when needed.
“It’s hardly enough to call a proper thank-you, but… would you like to stay for dinner? It’s not monster-based, but I promise it’s tasty.”
“Tasty, you say? Hmph… if it’s not monster, then—”
“I’ll eat…”
Velvet cut in sharply.
“Even if Douglas refuses. I brought him here, so I have a say.”
Douglas clearly meant to decline, but Velvet’s decisive tone left him no escape.
“Of course. I wanted to thank you too, Velvet. Douglas, since you’re here, please join us.”
“I can’t exactly get home without her, so… fine. I’ll have a small portion.”
“Small? Hah. Sato’s cooking makes monster meat look pathetic. You’ll be shocked.”
“There’s no food better than monster ingredients. Impossible.”
That conviction lasted until his first bite. His eyes bulged so far I worried they might pop out.
So much for “a small portion”— he polished his plate clean, leaving me glad I’d insisted.
I’d worried my Japanese cooking might lure his attention away from monster-based cuisine… but instead, he left brimming with motivation, swearing to find a monster that could surpass it.