Chapter 82: Food Education and Leviathan Tatsuta-age

The day after the Principality of Zahaba attacked the harbor—

“Everyone! Finish butchering the Leviathan before it spoils! We may never have the chance to eat one again!”

“OOOOOOOOOOH!”

The people of Luresia swarmed around the Leviathan Ryu had killed and began dismantling it.

The empress herself was directing the operation.

Even several nobles I had seen at the party had joined the workers carving up the carcass.

“The people of Luresia are certainly hardy—or perhaps simply obsessed with food.”

“We Japanese are in no position to criticize them. We eat natto, kusaya, and all sorts of things that no objective observer would ever put in their mouth.”

“Only because a tiny group of brave people ate them first.”

“…True. When you put it that way, maybe the Luresian Empire really is impressive for charging in with wild enthusiasm to eat a Leviathan no one has ever tasted.”

“Exactly.”

As we talked, the butchering proceeded smoothly.

“All right. We should probably stop avoiding reality.”

“…You mean deciding what to do about Ryu, don’t you?”

I looked toward the pier, where Ryu sat with Luka and the others, watching the Leviathan being dismantled.

Actually, Ryu wasn’t watching the Leviathan at all. She was staring intently at the sea slaters crawling all over the pier.

I wondered what fascinated her so much.

Then she picked one up and popped it into her mouth.

“WAAH! Ryu! Spit it out! Spit that out right now!”

“Mm… chew, chew… gulp. …I already ate it…”

“You swallowed it!?”

I had heard that sea slaters were technically crustaceans, but still…

“You can’t eat one raw!”

“Eight-kun, I know you’re panicking, but I don’t think that’s the main problem.”

“Mm… It was crunchy… and tasty…”

“The next time I meet Orvier, I’m going to make her give you a proper food education.”

“You may be the only person alive who would see a wanted criminal and start lecturing her about food education.”

Where had Orvier gone, anyway?

She had appeared at least somewhat injured when I saw her inside Luresia Castle. Perhaps she was hiding somewhere until her wounds healed.

For now, there was something more urgent.

“Ryu, I’ll make you delicious meals, so please stop eating things you pick up off the ground. From now on, never, ever do that again!”

“Mm… All right… If you say so… I won’t eat them anymore…”

Huh. She was much more obedient than I expected.

“…Say, Eight-kun. I have a favor to ask.”

“No.”

“I haven’t even said what it is.”

“You have the exact expression you wear when you’re about to dump some huge problem on me!”

“Oh, come on!”

When I tried to flee with all my strength, Hijiri clung to me.

Damn it, he was stronger than he looked!

“We’re friends now, aren’t we!? Friends help each other, right!?”

“My late grandpa always said that anyone who talks like that usually isn’t your friend!”

“Please! Please! Take care of the Dragon King at your place!”

Urgh.

“…I do think Ryu needs to be taught quite a few things, so I don’t mind looking after her. But there’s one problem.”

“What?”

“She fought with the Village Chief. Wouldn’t bringing her back to the village be a bad idea?”

“That old man will be fine. He’s probably so frustrated about losing to the Dragon King that he’s training right now.”

It sounded ridiculous, but the terrifying part was that the old man might really be doing exactly that.

Then—

“Eight-dono, there you are.”

“Ah, Your Majesty.”

“We have a request for you.”

Empress Elzaris, who had been personally overseeing the dismantling of the Leviathan, approached us.

“What would you like?”

“Would you prepare a dish—anything at all—with Leviathan meat?”

“A dish?”

“Indeed! It isn’t every day one obtains a Leviathan, so naturally we wish to eat it in the most delicious way possible! With your skill, Eight-dono, we’re certain you can create something excellent! We leave it to you!”

“Wait—”

Before I could stop the empress, she had already returned to directing the workers.

“You’re popular.”

“She just wants to eat something delicious.”

“I don’t know. Her Majesty’s face turned red while she was looking at you.”

Ignoring Hijiri’s teasing, I accepted a piece of Leviathan meat from one of the butchers.

…It looked like chicken.

“I’ll pan-fry a little and taste it first.”

I seasoned it simply with salt and pepper.

Once it was cooked through, I took a bite.

This was…

“It tastes less like chicken and more like snake.”

“Eight-kun, you’ve eaten snake before?”

“I once found a huge Japanese rat snake in the mountain behind our house and brought it home. My half-asleep grandpa butchered it by mistake, so we made soup rather than waste it.”

“How alarming.”

Still, if Leviathan tasted like snake, there was one dish I might be able to make.

First, I patted away the excess moisture with paper towels and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Then I placed it in a bowl with soy sauce, mirin, and ginger and kneaded the seasoning thoroughly into it.

After letting it rest until the flavors had soaked in, I drained off the excess liquid and coated every surface with potato starch.

This time, I deliberately didn’t shake off the loose starch.

Leaving it on would create a rough, extra-crunchy crust.

“Now I drop the Leviathan meat straight into a pot of hot oil!”

The trick wasn’t to add too much at once, which would lower the oil’s temperature.

At first, the coating came off easily, so I left the pieces alone until it set. Then I turned them and fried the other side.

For the finish, I raised the heat slightly to crisp the exterior, lifted the pieces from the oil, and let them drain.

“Leviathan Tatsuta-age—complete!”

“Something smells delicious!”

The moment the dish was ready, Levia came racing over.

And she wasn’t alone.

Ryu, Luka and the other children, Raphiel, Eve, Tifana, and the rest of the adults all gathered around.

The empress was with them as well.

“Please, help yourselves.”

“Thank you for the food!”

Everyone bit into the Leviathan tatsuta-age, and their eyes lit up.

“The coating is so crunchy! It’s delicious!”

“The meat has a surprisingly springy bite. I might like it better than karaage.”

“The flavors of the soy sauce and ginger have soaked all the way through. It’s excellent.”

“Mm… I… like this…”

“This is amazing!”

I was relieved it had been well received.

The empress seemed delighted too, declaring with sparkling eyes that tatsuta-age should be spread throughout the empire.

Then, at the edge of my vision, I noticed Levia happily eating a piece.

“Um, Levia? May I ask you something?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“If you eat a Leviathan… doesn’t that count as cannibalism?”

“…”

Levia quickly looked away.

“…This is, ah, a Leviathan’s way of mourning one of our own. It’s certainly not cannibalism.”

“I see…”

“But this dish truly is delicious!”

And so our turbulent trip to the Luresian Empire finally came to an end.

We returned to the Kingdom of Elde.

The instant we reached Papel Village, I stared in horror.

“Why is the Village Chief covered in muscles!?”

“Losing to the Dragon King vexed me, so I returned to the forest and retrained while all of you were in Luresia.”

“Gross! Your muscles are pulsing!”

Waiting for us in Papel Village was a Village Chief clad in an armor of bulging muscle.

Terrifying.