Chapter 74: Tessa and Takoyaki 

By order of the Empress, the palace chef soon returned carrying an enormous serving platter. Arranged upon it with meticulous artistry were paper-thin slices of translucent white fish, spread out in the shape of a magnificent blooming flower. The presentation alone was so extravagant that it immediately became the center of attention within the grand banquet hall.

Whoa… they really went all out.

“This,” the Empress announced proudly, “is sashimi prepared from a fish known as the Death Pig. Every single drop of poison contained within its organs is powerful enough to kill even a dragon instantly. In another world, I believe it was called… tessa.”

“Tessa…? You mean fugu!? That’s amazing! Then I’ll gladly have some!”

“W-wait, ah—”

Before anyone could stop me, I picked up several slices with my chopsticks and popped the entire serving into my mouth.

The delicate flesh spread across my tongue with a refined, elegant sweetness. It wasn’t overpowering—just clean, subtle, and incredibly satisfying. Every bite had a pleasantly springy firmness that pushed gently back against my teeth.

This is amazing.

The more I chewed, the more the natural sweetness of the fugu revealed itself. Before I knew it, my chopsticks were already reaching for another helping.

“T-that young man just ate Death Pig without the slightest hesitation!”

“Even Her Majesty herself hesitated before eating that fish… and yet he’s devouring it as though it’s the most delicious thing in the world…”

“H-how unbelievably fearless!”

“I’m… actually starting to find him frightening…”

“How wonderful…♡”

For some reason, the entire hall had erupted into whispers while I was simply enjoying the sashimi. Tilting my head in confusion, I looked around.

Hijiri, meanwhile, stared at me with wide eyes.

“Eight… you can actually eat that? Tetrodotoxin kills people if they get poisoned, you know.”

“It’s fine. If anything happens, Raphiel-sama is here.”

“Well… that’s certainly true. I could cure even the deadliest poison within seconds. More importantly, Eight, don’t keep eating it by yourself. I want some too.”

Apparently Raphiel had completely fallen in love with sashimi as well. Smiling happily, she began eating the tessa with obvious delight, quietly murmuring cheerful little “Mmm… yummy…” sounds between each bite.

Watching her enjoy it so wholeheartedly gradually gave courage to the nobles of the Luresia Empire, who until then had been watching from a safe distance.

One after another, they cautiously approached.

“S-so this is the infamous poisonous fish!?”

“It truly is delicious! The flesh is so firm it practically pushes back against your teeth!”

“And despite that… what an incredibly rich sweetness…”

“B-but eating a fish known to contain deadly poison still takes courage…”

“T-to hell with it! Here goes! Indeed!”

Soon, every noble brave enough to try it wore the same deeply satisfied smile.

Just as I thought.

Delicious food was always better when everyone shared it together instead of hoarding it alone.

Then—

“KYAAAH!!”

A young noblewoman’s terrified scream rang throughout the banquet hall.

When I turned toward the entrance…

An enormous octopus was squeezing its massive body through the grand doorway.

Whoa! What the heck is that!?

“My deepest apologies!” one of the attendants shouted frantically. “It appears a Devilfish hid itself inside one of the wagons delivering supplies to the food storeroom!”

“Get rid of it immediately!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

The imperial soldiers instantly leveled their spears and drew their swords.

Unfortunately, despite its gigantic body, the octopus moved with astonishing speed. It darted through the panicked guests with surprising agility, weaving between people so deftly that the soldiers couldn’t find an opening to attack without risking innocent bystanders.

Then…

Before anyone could react…

The octopus made its way directly toward Raphiel, who was still happily eating her tessa.

Its tentacles shot forward.

“Wahp!”

The thick appendages slipped beneath the hem of Raphiel’s dress, winding around her body as they slithered over her skin. One forced its way into her mouth while others wrapped themselves around her legs and chest, leaving her in such an embarrassingly compromising state that it became almost impossible to look directly at her.

W-wait… did this suddenly turn into some kind of tentacle scene!?

“Raphiel-sama! Are you alright!?”

“Mmph mmph… mmgh… (It’s slimy and feels kind of gross… but it’s nice and cool.)”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re saying, but somehow I can tell you’re completely fine!”

I immediately turned toward Hijiri.

“Hijiri! Do you have any kind of knife!?”

“I’ve got a self-defense knife. My proper weapons were confiscated before we entered the banquet.”

“Then please lend it to me!”

Taking the knife from Hijiri, I quietly circled behind the gigantic octopus, making sure not to produce even the slightest sound.

Fortunately, the creature seemed entirely occupied with… enjoying Raphiel.

It never noticed me approaching.

“Here we go.”

I grabbed the octopus firmly by the head.

Then, with one swift horizontal slash—

The blade sliced cleanly through.

The strength instantly vanished from every tentacle.

There were plenty of ways to dispatch an octopus.

But this one was the quickest.

“…Phew. Thank you for saving me, Eight.”

“A-ah, n-no… it was nothing. More importantly… here.”

I quickly removed my jacket and gently draped it over Raphiel’s shoulders.

Sticky octopus slime clung to nearly every part of her body.

I did my absolute best not to look.

“So… what should we do with this octopus?”

“Why don’t you cook it, Eight?” Hijiri suggested. “We’ve got cooking equipment loaded in the camping tank.”

“I don’t mind…”

“I’ll ask Her Majesty for permission first.”

As Hijiri walked off to speak with the Empress, I retrieved everything I’d need from the camping tank: the portable IH cooktop, the generator, and the rest of my cooking equipment.

The only thing left to decide was…

What should I make?

“Hey, Eight!”

“Oh, Hijiri. Did you get permission?”

“Yep. She approved. And Her Majesty also wants to thank you personally.”

Standing just behind Hijiri…was the Empress herself.

“You have my gratitude for rescuing us earlier. However… are you truly serious about eating this creature?”

“Huh? Yes, I am.”

“T-this is the Devilfish, a creature regarded throughout my empire as an omen of terrible misfortune.”

“Devilfish…”

Come to think of it…

I’d heard that in some countries, octopus was avoided because of religious or cultural beliefs.

What a shame.

It was delicious.

“Leave it to me! I’ll make something that’ll change everyone’s mind!”

“Oh! Eight,” Hijiri suddenly said, “I want takowasa.”

“That’s impossible. We don’t have any wasabi. You’ll have to wait until we get back to Papel Village.”

“Aww…”

“Eight! I want to eat that thing I saw on television before!”

That thing…?

…Ah.

Right.

We’d seen it during that television special introducing tourist attractions in Osaka.

Perfect.

“I guess we’ll start by making the batter.”

I combined flour, eggs, and a broth made from Japanese-style dashi granules in a large mixing bowl, whisking everything thoroughly until every lump disappeared.

Next, I took out the special takoyaki griddle I’d secretly packed from home in the hope that I’d someday have the chance to cook octopus. I heated it over high heat before generously coating every mold with oil.

I poured batter into each of the countless round indentations.

Then came the diced octopus.

After that, I added crispy tempura bits and pickled red ginger I’d brought from home, along with freshly chopped green onions borrowed from the palace kitchens.

Everything went neatly into each mold.

“W-what a wonderful aroma…”

“That young man appears to be cooking something.”

“In the middle of the banquet hall!?”

While Raphiel sat nearby with adorably puffed cheeks, I used a pointed pick to loosen the batter as it began to set around the edges.

Carefully…

I folded each piece inward.

Then gave them a smooth little turn until each one formed a beautiful sphere.

Once the surface became a rich golden brown, I added a little more oil to lightly fry them.

That final step was the secret.

It created an irresistibly crisp exterior…

…while leaving the inside wonderfully molten and creamy.

Once they were finished, I transferred them onto serving plates, drizzled them generously with mayonnaise and takoyaki sauce, then topped everything with heaps of aonori seaweed and fluttering bonito flakes.

“Takoyaki is ready!!”

Raphiel didn’t hesitate for even a second.

She immediately grabbed one.

“Haf! Ahf!”

“I told you to blow on it first…”

“Gulp…! Delicious! The outside is wonderfully crispy! The inside is so creamy! And the octopus has such a satisfying, springy bite! I can’t believe that creepy-looking creature could become something this delicious!”

Perhaps because Raphiel looked so blissfully happy while eating, the Empress and the assembled nobles couldn’t hide the longing in their eyes.

“Everyone, please help yourselves.”

“R-really? May we?”

“Of course! Consider it my way of thanking you for treating me to so much wonderful food today.”

“I-I see… Then we shall gratefully accept.”

For some reason, the Empress’s cheeks flushed slightly as she accepted a serving from me.

She took a bite.

“W-What’s this!? The outside is beautifully browned and wonderfully fragrant, while the inside is unbelievably soft and creamy! It rivals the finest oysters of my empire—no! It surpasses them entirely in sheer richness! And these white and dark sauces draw every last bit of flavor from the octopus!”

“Y-Your Majesty… is it truly that delicious?”

“It is! All of you, try it at once! You’ll find yourselves wondering how anyone could ever have called this creature a symbol of misfortune!”

Following the Empress’s lead, the nobles eagerly accepted servings.

One delighted cry followed another.

“I-it’s amazing!”

“I can’t believe it! That dreadful Devilfish has become such an extraordinary dish!”

“It’s no devil!”

“It’s an angel!”

“Your Majesty! From this day forward, let us stop calling it Devilfish and instead name it… Angelfish!”

“Come to think of it… the Devilfish—no, the Angelfish—is remarkably hardy. It can survive for quite some time even outside the water. Could this perhaps become… a profitable commodity?”

It looked like everyone loved it.

That was all I could ask for.

Of course…

There wasn’t nearly enough takoyaki to feed everyone in such a massive banquet hall.

“Young man! Would you consider becoming the chef of my estate!? I’ll pay you handsomely!”

“Wait! Don’t try to hire him all for yourself!”

“I shall offer double whatever he pays!”

Before I knew it, I was completely surrounded by Luresian nobles desperately trying to recruit me simply so they could eat takoyaki whenever they wanted.

There was no way I wanted to spend my life serving aristocrats, so I managed to smooth things over by teaching them the recipe instead.

As for how they were supposed to recreate mayonnaise and takoyaki sauce in this world?

Well…

I’d simply leave that problem to Tardolf, the Kingdom of Elde’s head royal court chef. If anyone could reproduce them, it would be him.