Chapter 64

Mari, Karina, and Serena.

The three of them woke up the next afternoon.

Karina and Serena, still sluggish from mana exhaustion, dragged themselves downstairs and immediately went to thank Mari.

“Thank you, Miss Marisia. We heard you helped us escape to the Adventurer Guild.”

“Mari, if it weren’t for you, we might’ve died.”

But Mari, instead of puffing up with pride, just accepted their thanks with a weak expression.

“No, I didn’t do anything that special.”

She felt guilty for hiding her strength and putting the other two in danger.

Of course, there was a reason—if she revealed her ability to control spirits, she might have to quit being an adventurer. Still, Mari couldn’t help but feel responsible for their collapse.

Unaware of this, the two simply thought Mari was tired like them from overexertion the day before and didn’t think much of it.

“Hmm. Isn’t the guild a bit noisy today?”

“Yeah. Usually, around lunchtime, most people are out on requests, so it should be quiet…”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem that way…”

They lazily looked around the guild.

The adventurers still in the guild were all animatedly discussing something.

Seeing this, Karina, as the group’s representative, went to Wendy and asked.

“Wendy. The guild seems unusually noisy today. Did something happen?”

“Huh? Of course, it’s because of what happened early this morning. Someone brought in such a huge monster.”

“A huge monster?”

“Yeah. According to the night shift, someone dragged that massive thing in all by themselves… They thought they were dreaming and even pinched their finger so hard they sprained a ligament.”

“Pinched their finger…?”

“Yeah. A reality check, they said.”

“Anyway, how big was this monster they hunted…?”

“Huh? You didn’t hear?”

“Of course not, that’s why I’m asking.”

Karina looked at Wendy with a puzzled expression, as if wondering why she’d assume she knew. Wendy, seeing her face, smirked mischievously.

“Ah. I see how it is.”

“How what is? What are you talking about?”

“Well, if you don’t know, I guess I don’t need to say anything.”

“What?”

“Ah, I’m busy, so I’ll leave it at that.”

With that, Wendy dodged them and returned to the reception desk.

It was clear she knew about the morning’s events but deliberately avoided answering.

However, it didn’t seem like she was under orders to keep quiet or had any ill intent—it felt more like she was teasing them.

Seeing Wendy’s behavior, the three were left scratching their heads.

“Miss Wendy, isn’t something off?”

“Right? Miss Marisia.”

“Hmm. But since she’s joking around, it probably isn’t anything serious.”

As they were discussing the minor commotion in the guild, Kurt came down from the second floor, yawning.

“Yawn… What’s all the fuss?”

“Ah, Kurt! Just waking up now?”

“Pretty much. I fell asleep late.”

“Waking up later than us after we worked hard all day? Have you gotten lazy from not taking requests lately?”

“Right, Kurt. If you keep being lazy, you’ll ruin your health!”

They scolded Kurt for waking up later than them, but he just yawned, ignoring their words.

“Anyway, aren’t you hungry? You haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday because of exhaustion. Let’s eat.”

“Trying to change the subject like that…!”

Grrrrr

Mari tried to say she wouldn’t fall for Kurt’s diversion, but before she could finish, her stomach growled at the mention of food.

“T-this is…”

“Enough, sit down and wait. I’ll bring out the food soon.”

Kurt chuckled at Mari’s red face and headed to the Adventurer Guild’s kitchen.

—

“Yaaawn…”

I let out a big yawn to shake off the sleepiness and stood in the kitchen.

Yesterday—no, not yesterday.

I fell asleep late this morning and just woke up.

Of course, as a transcendent, missing a day or two of sleep isn’t a big deal, but old habits die hard.

It feels psychologically unsatisfying.

But that’s that, and cooking is cooking.

I placed the tail of the A-Dragon I hunted early this morning on the cutting board.

Thud!

Even though it’s just a part of the tail, the weight is immense.

Today’s lunch is a dish made from this A-Dragon’s tail.

It’s not like I have a habit of hunting and eating monsters that harm my comrades as a hunter.

But as an adventurer, hunting monsters that harm comrades is a rule, so this time, I’m just following the hunter’s rule of consuming what I’ve hunted.

The corpse mushroom was inedible, so I left it behind, but the A-Dragon is clearly edible.

And it’s my first time eating A-Dragon meat.

I’m curious.

What it tastes like.

First, I infuse aura into the kitchen knife and slice off the A-Dragon’s tail skin, then peel it off.

After peeling, I cut the tail into steak-sized portions.

Even though it’s just the tail, the A-Dragon’s size makes each slice a decent-sized steak.

While cutting, I encounter the tailbone, but with aura-infused knife, it cuts through easily.

If the bone doesn’t cut well even with aura, maybe I need to reflect on my aura level.

The meat feels firm to the touch, as expected.

That’s why I prepared Predatory Water’s juice in advance.

I carefully apply the juice to the A-Dragon’s tail, sprinkle salt and pepper, and let it marinate.

The juice will purify the corrupted mana and tenderize the tough meat.

But lately, I’ve been relying too much on Predatory Water’s juice for monster meat.

Maybe I should look for an alternative soon…

Anyway, while the meat marinates, I prepare the sauce for grilling.

Normally, I’d make a simple gravy with meat juices, but today’s different.

Since I recently bought soy sauce, I’ll make teriyaki sauce.

Teriyaki sauce usually pairs well with white fish and chicken, but A-Dragon is a reptile, and reptiles like snakes and lizards taste similar to chicken, so it should work.

First, of course, soy sauce.

I pour soy sauce into a pot, then add garlic, onion, and sugar for flavor.

Since pure soy sauce can be too salty, I dilute it with water.

Then, I add a bit of dried mushroom for extra flavor.

And the key to teriyaki sauce—sake.

Even soy sauce is rare in this continent, let alone sake, which is made from rice.

Getting this bottle of sake took several trips to the market.

I pour a generous cup of sake into the pot and simmer the mixture.

After reducing it by half, I strain out the solids.

By the time the teriyaki sauce is ready, the A-Dragon tail meat is tenderized.

With everything prepared, I set up the grill.

For the final touch, I use charcoal to infuse the meat with a smoky flavor.

I place the A-Dragon meat on the grill and brush it with teriyaki sauce.

Sizzle

The meat starts to cook, releasing the aroma of grilling meat and the savory, salty-sweet scent of the sauce.

Teriyaki sauce is the ultimate sweet-salty combination.

The sauce’s flavor seeps out just from grilling.

Since soy sauce burns at a lower temperature than meat, I grill it over medium heat.

A little charring adds flavor, but too much ruins the sauce.

Sizzle

As the meat cooks, the teriyaki aroma becomes more intense.

But I patiently wait for the meat to cook perfectly.

When it’s just right, I remove it from the grill.

And there it is—teriyaki A-Dragon grill, infused with the smoky flavor of charcoal.

Today’s lunch:

Teriyaki A-Dragon Grill.