Chapter 307

Regina sat down at the table.

She stared at the mysterious fried dish placed before her, as if entranced.

Despite her usual habit of eating simple or preserved meals as a soldier, her upbringing had given her a discerning eye for evaluating food.

In other words, while she wasn’t picky about what she ate, her ability to judge food was exceptional.

But the fried dish Kurt had brought out was so captivating that even she was unconsciously drawn to it.

The frying oil, seemingly fresh and free of impurities, gave the dish a visually appetizing golden-brown hue, and the aroma was just as enticing.

Gulp.

In fact, given her deeper knowledge of cooking compared to the average person, Kurt’s dish struck her even more profoundly.

Just as someone who knows the taste of lemon salivates more than someone who has never tried it, Regina’s expertise made the dish even more irresistible.

“Well then…”

Regina picked up her fork and knife.

Crunch, crunch.

The dish made a sound like stepping on dry autumn leaves as it was cut smoothly.

‘I haven’t even tasted it yet, but the visual, olfactory, and now auditory stimulation…’

Gulp.

Regina felt a slight pleasure from the sound and the sensation in her fingertips as she moved the knife, her gaze unwavering as it focused on the contents of the fried dish.

Her sharp gaze was akin to interrogating a criminal.

‘The contents of the fried dish… A milky white color, and the texture that splits along its unique grain regardless of the knife’s movement…’

“This is fried fish.”

“Yes. It’s a fish cutlet made from the man-eating piranhas that have recently appeared off the coast of Leila, endangering sailors.”

“This is the man-eating piranha…”

Kurt smiled with satisfaction at her deduction, and Regina looked at the fish cutlet with renewed interest.

Though it was a monster, she felt no aversion to it.

After all, most monster ingredients, aside from a few herbivorous species, were creatures that posed a threat to humans, and some would attack and eat humans even if they weren’t monsters. There was no need to feel repulsed.

Her fascination stemmed purely from the fact that this was her first time encountering a dish made from man-eating piranhas.

Originally, man-eating piranhas were freshwater fish inhabiting rivers and lakes, and under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t appear near Leila.

Thus, she gazed at the dish with curiosity.

‘Even though it’s a freshwater fish, the preparation is so meticulous…’

Generally, freshwater fish tend to have finer bones compared to saltwater fish.

As a result, it’s common to either give up on separating the bones entirely or to endure the small bones while eating, or to cook the fish for an extended period until the bones soften.

The former is typical in Western cuisine, while the latter is more common in Eastern cuisine.

In the West, freshwater fish are often considered low-grade, while in the East, the lengthy cooking process and the addition of spices or medicinal ingredients elevate them to high-end dishes.

However, Kurt’s fish cutlet belonged to neither category.

He had chosen the straightforward method—removing all the bones and using only the fillet.

Though the man-eating piranha had grown larger due to monsterification, its origins as a freshwater fish meant it still had many fine bones.

Even if 99 bones were removed, leaving just one would cause discomfort while eating.

‘Not a single fish bone is visible in the cross-section. How meticulously must he have removed them…’

Unbeknownst to her, Kurt’s physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people.

His lizardman-enhanced senses and dexterity allowed him to cleanly separate every tiny bone from the piranha, leaving only the fillet for frying.

Regina stared at the fish cutlet in amazement.

But her gaze didn’t linger for long.

Her growing hunger had reached a point where simply looking at the dish was unbearable.

She speared the largest middle portion of the fish cutlet with her fork and, without hesitation, brought it to her mouth, already salivating in anticipation.

Crunch.

Munch, munch.

“Mmm…! Umm…!”

‘This taste…!’

As she began chewing the man-eating piranha fish cutlet, Regina’s eyes widened in surprise.

The perfection of the frying was evident even before tasting, just from its appearance…

But this was beyond imagination.

It wasn’t just fried in good oil at the right temperature; the coating itself wasn’t simply flour.

‘So that’s what the sound of stepping on dry leaves was!’

The secret to its crispiness was breadcrumbs.

Instead of just dipping the fish in flour batter, Kurt had coated it with flour, then egg wash, and finally breadcrumbs made from dried bread before frying.

Breadcrumbs, with their larger particles compared to flour batter, created a wider air gap, resulting in a significantly crispier texture.

Moreover, the breadcrumbs were made from high-quality white bread, ensuring no unwanted flavors interfered with the dish.

‘White bread is already quite expensive on its own… Using such high-quality oil for frying, what kind of adventurers are these…?’

The taste of the coating was so shocking that for a moment, she forgot she was enjoying the food and nearly slipped back into her soldierly habits.

Munch, munch.

“Hmm…!?”

Then, the true flavor of the fish cutlet hidden beneath the coating emerged.

This was the main ingredient of the dish.

The taste of the man-eating piranha.

“How can fish taste like this…!”

Though she had never eaten man-eating piranha before, Regina had expected its taste to be somewhat similar to other freshwater fish she had tried.

But the flesh of the fish cutlet far exceeded her expectations in a good way.

First, there was no fishy smell.

In her experience, fish, regardless of species, always had some degree of fishiness.

This wasn’t due to underestimating Kurt’s skills but rather her general understanding of fish.

Yet, the fish cutlet had no trace of fishiness.

But that wasn’t the most surprising part.

Removing the fishy smell was a skill even her father could manage.

What truly shocked her came next.

Second, there was no earthy taste.

Man-eating piranhas, being freshwater fish monsters, naturally had an earthy flavor, which is typically masked with strong sauces during cooking.

In Eastern cuisine, carp dishes are elevated with various spices and medicinal ingredients not only to justify the time invested but also to counteract the earthy taste.

However, Kurt’s fish cutlet required no special sauce; even without it, there was no earthy taste no matter how many times she checked.

This was because the man-eating piranhas had moved their habitat to the sea months ago.

Transitioning from shallow, muddy freshwater to deeper seawater had naturally diminished and eventually eliminated the earthy taste from their flesh.

And third.

If removing the fishy smell was due to Kurt’s skill and the lack of earthy taste was due to the anomaly, then what remained was purely the inherent characteristic of the man-eating piranha.

The flavor of the meat itself.

Perhaps due to their relentless carnivorous nature.

Though it looked like ordinary fish, the taste was completely different.

The texture and grain were undeniably fish-like, but with each chew, the meat broke apart finely, releasing a rich, savory flavor reminiscent of red meat like pork or beef.

It was like eating well-aged beef that looked and felt like fish.

The man-eating piranha’s flesh effortlessly split along its grain, becoming more impressive with each bite, rivaling even the flavor of the coating.

“Does it suit your taste?”

“Yes. I had no idea man-eating piranha tasted like this…”

Regina nodded blankly in agreement to Kurt’s question.

It was a miraculous flavor born from a series of coincidences.

The anomaly in Leila had caused countless harm to its citizens, but conversely, it had also created a limited-time event where this unique taste could be experienced.

The man-eating piranhas, usually found in rivers and lakes, had appeared in the sea, allowing them to be hunted, and their adaptation to seawater had eliminated the earthy taste, resulting in a clean, refined flavor.

It was as if the dish had combined the best qualities of freshwater and saltwater fish.

Overwhelmed by the taste…

Gasp.

Crunch.

Munch, munch.

Regina, as if hypnotized, forgot what she had been thinking moments ago and quickly lost herself in savoring the fish cutlet.