Chapter 90: A Send-off Gathering and Katsudon

The Principality of Zahaba.

The nation that had attacked the Luresian capital had now bared its fangs at the Kingdom of Elde.

“…No. That’s impossible.”

The first person to reject Kirara’s information was Hijiri, probably the person here most familiar with international affairs.

“Zahaba is still at war with Luresia. They’re already likely to lose, yet now they’re picking a fight with Elde as well? That’s clearly insane. There must be some mistake.”

“I’m serious! The Adventurers’ Guild headquarters in the royal capital contacted us!”

“…But still… They can’t possibly defeat two major powers at once…”

Zahaba’s reckless decision to start another war had visibly shaken Hijiri.

“Zahaba lies beyond Luresia and doesn’t even share a border with Elde. If they attack, it would have to be by sea, but…”

“Didn’t Eve destroy their fleet when they attacked Luresia’s capital before?”

“Yeff, I did. I mishfed a few shipsh becauff a Leviathan got in my way.”

“…Eve, please choose between talking and eating your okonomiyaki.”

“Munch, munch…”

“You prioritized eating!? …I feel like we’ve had a similar conversation before…”

The instant Eve finished chewing and swallowed her okonomiyaki, she spoke again.

“I definitely smashed their ships. A Leviathan interfered, so I failed to destroy two or three of them, though…”

“Mm… I… destroyed those…”

“So their fleet should’ve been completely wiped out.”

In other words, Zahaba’s navy should have suffered extraordinary losses.

It was hard to imagine them being capable of declaring war on Elde.

Even so, Hijiri believed the sea was the only route they could take if they truly intended to invade.

“What did the Guild headquarters say?”

“All adventurers Rank C or above are to prepare and assemble in the coastal town with the port.”

“What? Adventurers get called up when war breaks out too?”

“Knights and soldiers are part of an army. Moving them requires considerable preparation and time.”

Come to think of it, I remembered seeing something on television about armies being enormous eaters.

“Adventurers, on the other hand, can travel lightly as individuals, so they’re dispatched as the vanguard whenever war breaks out.”

“That sounds like a terrible nuisance.”

“Not necessarily. The Adventurers’ Guild was founded in Elde, and the kingdom pays adventurers enormous rewards during wartime.”

“Oh, I see.”

Apparently, quite a few adventurers considered war the best time to make money.

At that point, they sounded more like mercenaries than adventurers.

“If the order applies to everyone Rank C and above, then all the adventurers in the village may have to go to the battlefield.”

“That’s right. …They are going to war, so there is always the possibility that something could happen. You should say a proper goodbye.”

Something happening in a war.

In other words, there was a chance they would never return.

They had all become familiar faces, and the thought of them dying was painful.

“All right! Before the adventurers leave, let’s hold a send-off gathering!”

“Will you serve them your cooking, Eight?”

“Of course.”

I had already decided what to make. I needed to start preparing at once.

◇ ◆ ◇

Several days later.

“—So that’s why you gathered all of us here today for this send-off party.”

“Exactly.”

Rorondo and the other adventurers who had come to Dining House Tsurugi Hachi took their seats.

“Then I suppose we’ll look forward to it.”

“Yes. I’ll have it ready soon, so please wait.”

I placed an enormous block of pork on the cutting board after letting it come to room temperature.

I had made a fortune selling the orichalcum, mithril, and adamantite recovered from the dung those Behemoths had blasted in front of my restaurant.

So I had splurged a little and bought some high-quality domestic pork.

First came the preparation.

I sliced the block into pieces about two centimeters thick, cut through the connective tissue between the lean meat and fat, and lightly pounded both sides with the back of my knife.

This would keep the meat from shrinking or curling and make the finished cutlet tender.

Before frying it, I seasoned both sides with salt and pepper, coated it evenly with a thin layer of flour, and knocked off the excess.

“Then dip it in beaten egg and coat it thoroughly with breadcrumbs.”

“Hm? Boss, isn’t that…”

As expected of a regular at Tsurugi Hachi.

Rorondo immediately realized what I was making.

I placed the breaded pork in the hot oil and fried it.

Once both sides were golden brown, I removed it from the oil and let it rest on a rack for a short while.

The residual heat would cook it through to the center.

“Eight, is this not the same dish Hinoka made before we left for Luresia? Although she used dragon meat…”

“Heh, heh, heh. This is where it becomes different.”

The real preparation began now.

I sliced the tonkatsu into strips about two centimeters wide, then thinly sliced an onion along its fibers.

I added triple-concentrated mentsuyu, water, sugar, and onion to a small frying pan, placed it over medium heat, covered it, and waited until the onion softened.

“Next, arrange the tonkatsu in the center of the pan and let it absorb some of the broth.”

“Hey, won’t that ruin the crispiness you worked so hard to create?”

“Just keep watching.”

I cracked eggs into a bowl and lightly mixed them, cutting through the whites. Then I poured about two-thirds of the mixture into the pan.

I covered it and waited briefly, added the remaining egg, scattered mitsuba over it, and let it steam for about ten seconds. Finally, I slid the whole thing onto a bowl filled with piping-hot rice.

“The katsudon is complete!”

I placed bowls of katsudon in front of the adventurers.

“…Gulp. That certainly looks delicious.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“L-Let’s eat!”

The adventurers all stuffed their mouths with katsudon at once.

Raphiel, who had watched nearby the entire time, joined them.

“Th-This is!?”

“I thought tonkatsu wasn’t tonkatsu unless it was crispy, but letting it soak up the broth and become moist isn’t bad either!”

“The egg is so fluffy and gooey! Fluffy and gooey!”

The adventurers devoured their katsudon in no time at all.

Then Rorondo suddenly tilted his head.

“But why katsudon?”

“It’s a good-luck tradition from my homeland. The katsu in katsudon sounds the same as katsu, meaning ‘to win a battle.’”

“…Wouldn’t tonkatsu work just as well?”

“…The little details don’t matter!”

“Oh, Eight evaded the question.”

“Raphiel, if you keep making unnecessary remarks, I’ll confiscate your katsudon.”

“Munch, munch.”

Raphiel silently began shoveling katsudon into her mouth.

“Still, after eating this, I feel like we could defeat anyone!”

“Besides, how could I die in a war when food this delicious exists?”

“Exactly! We’ll survive, collect piles of money, and come back to eat piles of Eight’s delicious food!”

“Anyone who dies can rest easy. We’ll leave Eight’s cooking at his grave!”

“Absolutely not! Wahahaha!”

As I listened to the adventurers’ banter, Hijiri, who had watched the entire exchange, spoke to me.

“…Say, Eight-kun. I have a proposal—”

“No.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“Your face says you’re about to.”

“Would you cook at the front line?”

“I knew it!”

There was no way I wanted to go anywhere near the front line!