Chapter 304

I watched as my companions ate the crab fried rice.

Indeed, seeing people enjoy food is always a pleasant sight.

Especially when the food is something I made.

Both my companions and Lito seemed to have let go of their worries and were simply enjoying the meal, which was truly heartwarming to see.

In fact, the crab fried rice I cooked today was no ordinary crab fried rice.

The four of them didn’t seem to notice the difference between my dish and regular crab fried rice, but that was likely because they all came from cultures where rice wasn’t a staple food.

To understand what makes it extraordinary, one must first know what ordinary is.

The fried rice I made today wasn’t just crab fried rice—it was made using the innards of a ghost crab.

Yes.

The key ingredient was the ghost crab’s innards.

Originally, I had planned to make crab cutlets, but I changed my mind after tasting the ghost crab’s innards.

The flavor of the ghost crab’s innards was on a completely different level compared to regular crab innards.

Generally, crab innards are categorized into yellow, green, and black based on freshness and quality.

The lowest quality, black innards, are not recommended for cooking due to their strong fishy and bitter taste.

On the other hand, the highest quality, yellow innards, are prized for their rich, savory flavor and lack of bitterness.

But the ghost crab’s innards, likely due to the unique traits of the Awakening Species, didn’t fit into any of these categories.

Its transparent, jelly-like innards, possibly related to its ability to turn invisible, had a flavor unlike any crab innards I’d ever tasted.

Fishy and bitter?

Absurdly, the ghost crab’s innards had none of that. Instead, they were clean and refreshing.

In place of the usual bitterness, there was a soft saltiness, a nutty richness, and a deep umami flavor reminiscent of chicken stock, kombu, and bonito flakes simmered for hours.

It was no longer just crab innards—it was like a natural oyster sauce.

While cooking, I realized I didn’t need any additional seasonings besides the ghost crab’s innards.

In fact, this crab innard fried rice used no salt or soy sauce—only the ghost crab’s innards for flavor.

Despite the lack of seasoning, it had a depth of flavor that rivaled, if not surpassed, dishes seasoned with soy sauce, salt, and other spices.

Dishes using innards are inherently polarizing due to their strong flavors.

Especially for children, the fishy and bitter taste of innards is often off-putting.

That’s why I initially excluded dishes using crab innards from my menu.

But the flavor of these innards was so exceptional that it made me regret not using them sooner.

The ghost crab innard fried rice was a resounding success, making me feel proud of my decision to use the innards.

As I watched the four of them devour the fried rice, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

—

“Ugh… I ate too much. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“Hehe. You should’ve eaten in moderation. Ugh…”

“Hahaha. Look who’s talking, sis. You’re just as stuffed. Ugh…”

After the meal, Lito and Mari complained about overeating, teasing each other while struggling with their full stomachs.

Lito, trying not to laugh too hard to avoid regurgitating the fried rice, barely held it together.

“So, did you enjoy the meal?”

“Ah! Yes, it was amazing. I’ve never had such a delicious meal before!”

Lito thanked me with a bright smile.

“Good. And about your father…”

“…Yeah.”

“Ah…”

“Ah… I wish Dad could’ve eaten this too…”

“Hey! Kurt! Why did you bring that up…!”

As I mentioned Lito’s father, the mood grew heavy again, and Serena scolded me in a hushed voice.

Just before cooking, she was grumbling, but now she’s scolding me for bringing up a somber topic.

“What I meant was, don’t be too down. Your father is missing, but that also means we can’t be sure he’s dead.”

“No, you’re just saying that because you don’t understand how I feel.”

I tried to comfort Lito, but he snapped back, thinking I was just an outsider who couldn’t possibly understand his pain.

Well, anyone would get upset if someone who hasn’t been through the same thing tried to give advice.

“No, I’m not so different from you. I’ve been through something similar.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I once thought I’d lost my father too. But unexpectedly, he came back to life. So don’t give up hope. Despair can wait.”

“Huh?”

“…Huh?”

“Huh…?”

“What…?”

My words left the four of them frozen like broken toys.

Wait, I was comforting Lito. Why are you all so shocked?

“…What are you talking about!? Didn’t you say your father had passed away!?”

“When did I ever say my father died?”

After a brief silence, the three of them bombarded me with questions.

I was trying to comfort Lito, but now they’re all over me.

“Well, you never said it outright, but… you made it sound like he was dead in your stories!”

“Well, at the time, I thought he was dead. It’s a long story, but a series of coincidences saved him. It was winter, and his blood vessels contracted, putting him in a state similar to hibernation.”

“What!? So Lizardmen can regenerate even if half their body is gone?”

“Of course not. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been so despairing.”

“Then how did he come back to life!?”

“Well, being in a comatose state only delayed death. But there’s a highly skilled shaman in our village. Using the magic stone from the Eight-Headed Bird I defeated as a catalyst, they managed to regenerate his body. Though it wasn’t perfect—he had to retire from hunting and now needs a cane to walk… Magic is truly amazing.”

But Serena, instead of understanding, looked even more shocked and exclaimed, “That’s impossible! Magic that controls a living body!? That kind of magic hasn’t been used since the Ancient Empire! It’s considered lost ancient magic!”

“But my father came back to life. Maybe the shaman in our village uses a different kind of magic than what humans use.”

“…I can’t believe it! If one person could replicate ancient magic, the old mages in the Magic Tower wouldn’t be spending their days researching it! What kind of Lizardman is this shaman!? Kurt, tell us more about this shaman!”

“Ah! I want to hear more about your father coming back to life too!”

“Me too! I want to hear more about your father!”

My companions, led by Serena, crowded around me, demanding more details, leaving me flustered.

Wait, I was comforting Lito. What’s going on?

—

“Phew. Finally, lunchtime is over. Ouch… My body aches all over. I must be getting old.”

The owner of the Inn ‘Red Shell’ rubbed his sore shoulders and spoke in a tired voice.

The Inn ‘Red Shell’ had always been bustling during lunch, known for its signature clam chowder perfected over three generations.

But recently, the innkeeper began to doubt his confidence, thinking it might have been overconfidence.

His life changed after meeting Kurt, his spiritual mentor.

Though Kurt refused to be called a teacher, the innkeeper learned countless recipes from him, expanding the inn’s menu beyond just clam chowder.

Then came the recent commotion in Riela—a contest to determine the best restaurant.

Though they lost, the inn’s clam chowder had been upgraded during the preparation, and the attention from the contest brought even more customers.

Now, the Inn ‘Red Shell’ was more successful than ever.

“I can’t handle this alone anymore. I need to hire some staff…”

The innkeeper sighed as he looked at the still-busy dining area, even after lunchtime.

With dinner service approaching, he felt both happy and exhausted.

As he sat resting, he suddenly remembered something.

“Oh no! I forgot to serve Lito his lunch!”

Lito was the son of his old friend.

Whenever his friend went on long voyages, he’d leave Lito at the inn. But today, with so many customers, he’d completely forgotten about the boy.

“Tsk… Poor kid…”

The innkeeper had been deeply saddened when he heard his friend had gone missing at sea, but Lito must have been even more devastated.

Lito had always looked lonely when left at the inn, and since his father’s disappearance, that loneliness had only deepened.

Thinking of this, the innkeeper’s expression darkened.

“After losing his wife, they were the only family left. Now he’s all alone… How pitiful.”

Lito had been even more unstable in recent days.

“I’ve been so busy with the inn lately, I’ve neglected him…”

Today, he’d have to make something special, maybe one of the recipes he learned from Kurt, to cheer Lito up.

As the innkeeper turned to look for Lito, he spotted him surrounded by the party members, laughing brightly as Kurt struggled to answer their questions.

“…Hah. Never mind. Looks like he’s fine.”

The innkeeper chuckled to himself.