Chapter 42

Serena put a very small piece of meat into her mouth.

Considering she was a Dwarf and had a smaller frame than the average Human, it was still a tiny piece.

A piece so small it might barely cover a single segment of a pinky finger.

But the flavor that exploded in her mouth from that one piece was anything but small.

The moment it touched her tongue, an overwhelming, almost violent fruitiness filled her mouth.

It was sweet like a mango, fragrant like a peach, tangy like a pineapple, and finally, rich like an avocado.

It was as if all the fruits had been fermented together in a jar, creating a fruit-based poison—if such a thing existed, this would be its taste.

The fruitiness was different from the usual meat marinated in fruit juice and grilled.

Serena had approached Kurt with the intention of asking him to cook for her, so she had a certain greed for gourmet food and had indeed eaten many delicious dishes.

Among them was wild boar steak aged in wine, but even that didn’t come close to this level of flavor.

If meat is soaked in fruit juice long enough to remove its gaminess, the fruit’s aroma seeps in, but the meat’s inherent heaviness diminishes proportionally.

Of course, most people didn’t mind the loss of the meat’s weight because the fruitiness more than made up for it…

But after eating the piece of meat Kurt had grilled, Serena began to wonder if she had been underestimating the importance of the meat’s heaviness all along.

The meat of the Awakening Species, which still retained its elasticity and meaty aroma despite the dizzying fruitiness that seemed to have been aged with not just grapes but all kinds of fruits.

If it had been aged in fruit juice, the meat’s juices would inevitably seep out, resulting in an unavoidable loss.

But Kurt’s cooking, through the process of smoking, ensured that the meat’s internal components didn’t escape.

This Awakening Species meat not only had the fruit’s aroma from within but was also coated with fruitiness on the outside through the use of antlers in the smoking process.

Truly, the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer, famous for its meat having no gaminess.

If it were a wild animal and not a domesticated one, it would likely have a strong odor unless specially prepared, but the meat in her mouth only had a faint fruitiness lingering.

But that didn’t mean only the fruit’s presence was felt.

When her molars bit into the meat, its texture gently gave way, releasing a savory, rich meaty aroma.

It wasn’t so soft that it melted in her mouth like fruit-aged meat, but its elasticity reminded her that she was eating meat with a fruit aroma, not fruit with a meaty flavor.

And the more she chewed, the more the harmony between the meat and fruit flavors blended.

If the initial sensation was like eating fruit in the shape of meat, now it was a perfect harmony of meat and fruit.

She was chewing pure meat, but it felt like she was eating an entirely new dish where fruit and meat had fused.

However, since the piece of meat she had cut and put in her mouth was small to begin with, the pleasure quickly faded.

Like the matchstick flame of the Little Match Girl, the small harmony in her mouth extinguished quickly, only highlighting her hunger even more.

“Haa…”

The truly painful moment for someone lacking isn’t when they don’t know, but when they realize their lack.

Thus, Serena let out a sigh, her hunger far from satisfied but her senses intoxicated by the lingering aftertaste of the meat.

And to satisfy her desire once more, she picked up her knife and began cutting the meat again.

In her heart, she wanted to throw the knife aside, stab the center of the meat with a fork, and tear into it without caring about the grease on her lips, but she restrained herself because she thought Kurt might be watching.

But even so, her initial calm and composed demeanor was gone, and she frantically worked her fork and knife to cut the meat and stuff it into her mouth, unaware that the pieces she was cutting were now twice the size of the first piece.

…

When Kurt returned with the meat basted in rub, she was already happily eating.

By now, she had cut pieces nearly four times the size of her initial cuts and was shoving them into her mouth, a far cry from her original intention of maintaining decorum.

*Clunk*

“Good. It seems you’ve found your appetite.”

“Ku, Kurt…!”

In her frantic state, cheeks stuffed like a hamster with sunflower seeds, she was startled to see Kurt placing the basted meat on the table.

‘Oh no. If this keeps up, Kurt will think I’m a glutton. I need to cover this up somehow…’

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just eating enthusiastically because I appreciate the effort you put into cooking!”

Her intention was to convey that she didn’t usually eat like this, but that Kurt’s cooking was special, but the result was her coming off as cold and unfriendly.

No, perhaps she even looked like a dated, tacky character.

But thankfully, Kurt didn’t seem to mind and simply offered her the newly grilled meat.

“Here’s some more meat. Eat to your heart’s content.”

“Wh, what…!?”

…

Serena was now in a state of both happiness and misery.

She was happy because, just as she had hoped, the meat Kurt had cooked was incredibly delicious.

But her misery stemmed from the same reason—while eating the best meal she had ever tasted, she couldn’t tear into the meat as she wished but had to nibble at it like a noble lady, which didn’t suit her.

Even though the pieces she was cutting were now several times larger than her initial dainty cuts, the act of using a knife was frustrating for her.

But if that were all, it would just be inconvenient, not miserable.

What truly made her miserable was not being able to pair the meat with alcohol.

In fact, Kurt had already seen how much of a drinker she was before the mission, so her restraint was meaningless, but Serena either didn’t realize this or chose to ignore it, refusing to touch any alcohol.

To eat such delicious meat without being able to drink—it was torture.

The only saving grace was that the meat Kurt had grilled had a fragrant aroma and a refreshing taste that paired better with wine than beer or spirits.

Her preferred drinks were beer and spirits, so while she enjoyed wine, she wouldn’t go out of her way to drink it over other options.

If the meat’s flavor had been even slightly stronger, she would have already downed beer by the bottle.

But resisting the urge to drink was no easy task, and she felt like she might pull out the portable spirits she carried in her bag at any moment.

To distract herself, Serena thought it would be better to engage in conversation rather than keep eating.

“Ho, hoho… The meat is really delicious.”

If she could steer the conversation elsewhere and get closer to Kurt, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

But the move she desperately tried to make only backed her further into a corner.

“Glad you like it. Oh, right. Here’s the meat with the rub. Try this too.”

“Ru, rub… You basted it?”

“Yeah. It takes time for the rub to seep in, so I served the plain meat first, but this is the real main dish.”

*Slide*

As he spoke, Kurt placed a plate of meat coated in various colored powders in front of her.

And as the plate approached, the aroma that hit her was beyond violent—it was murderous.

The barbecue meat already had a strong aroma from the smoking process, but this was basted meat meant to intensify the flavor even further?

*Gulp*

The surface of the meat, coated in multicolored powders, gleamed under the Adventurer Guild’s lighting, reflecting a glossy sheen, while the aroma—spicy, sweet, fresh, and savory—assaulted her senses.

The moment she saw the basted meat, she knew.

If she ate this, she would lose all self-control.

This definitely pairs with beer.

The previous meat, without additional seasoning, had a variety of flavors but left a clean satisfaction after swallowing.

But this one would undoubtedly unleash a more destructive, intense flavor and wouldn’t go down as cleanly as the unseasoned meat.

So, if she wanted to make a good impression on Kurt, it would be best not to eat this.

She felt bad for Kurt, who had gone to the trouble of basting and grilling it, but she had to refuse.

‘Yes. I’ll refuse right now.’

‘Tell him the unseasoned meat is enough.’

‘I’ll let him have the basted meat.’

The rational part of her brain desperately tried to persuade her.

It was the right thing to do, and there was no room for argument.

But despite that, her eyes remained glued to the basted meat Kurt had offered, and her hand, which was supposed to push the plate away, felt as heavy as if a thousand-pound turtle shell were resting on it.

No, instead, her trembling hand slowly but surely pulled the plate toward her.

And with fingers clenched so tightly they turned white, she cut a piece of the meat.

Then, with a mesmerized expression, she put it in her mouth.

*Chomp*

*Chew chew*

*Gulp*

What she felt was a cascade of intense, stimulating flavors—bell pepper, rosemary, garlic, pepper, and all kinds of spices added to the fruitiness.

If the plain grilled Awakening Species meat was a harmony of flavors, this was an orchestra.

If the harmony made her tongue tremble, the flavor orchestra shook her brain.

While the plain smoked meat had a subtle sweetness and aroma, this one had a perfect saltiness that complemented the fruitiness.

The synergy between the sweetness and saltiness lingered in her mouth long after she swallowed.

And what she felt was incompleteness.

Unlike the clean finish of the plain grilled meat, the addition of the rub had disrupted that cleanliness.

‘Oh no! Don’t think about it!’

But the human brain is such that the more you try not to think about something, the more you do.

She needed to do something about the saltiness of this meat quickly.

This dish could be even more perfect.

And she knew exactly what would make it perfect.

It was.

‘Oh no! If I think about that, there’s no turning back!’

Serena desperately tried to control her thoughts, but the moment she ate the basted meat, it was already over.

It was…

‘Stop!’

Beer.

It was beer.

A cold, magically chilled beer would wash away the greasiness and the spicy, stimulating flavors, refreshing her mouth and melting away the fatigue of a day spent exhausting her mana.

The beer, fizzing with foam, would form an angel’s ring, and she would first sip the overflowing foam to taste the beer’s initial flavor, then without hesitation, gulp down the beer once the foam had settled.

The carbonation would burst in her throat, creating the illusion of bubbles popping inside her esophagus, giving her a pleasurable sensation.

As she gulped down mouthful after mouthful, she would eventually reach a point of satisfaction, and with a *Puhah~!*, she would pull her lips away from the cup.

Then, wiping the beer foam from her lips, the oxygen she had been holding back would rush into her mouth, making everything around her feel refreshing.

*Gulp*

Having imagined the taste of the beer she so desperately craved, Serena had no choice but to tightly shut her eyes.

“Ah, screw it! Wendy! Bring me a barrel of beer!”

And with that, her short-lived act of pretense came to an end.