Chapter 82

82.

Sizzle-

As the bright red meat was placed on the grilling plate, it emitted a mouthwatering sound.

The thickness was about two baby finger joints. It was the ideal thickness that provided a satisfying texture when bitten into, with a crispy exterior and a tender interior.

‘During drinking parties, I could only go for the thinnest cuts.’

In my previous life when I worked at a company, the most frequently consumed food was pork belly, especially the frozen or thinly sliced variety.

Junior employees, including newcomers, were too busy grilling meat, doing various errands, or simply serving as conversational partners during these gatherings, leaving no time to actually eat the meat themselves.

Thicker cuts of meat required some time to cook, and once properly grilled, they were first allocated to the seniors, resulting in the juniors rarely getting a proper taste, a truly frustrating situation.

Therefore, drinking party venues were often chosen based on their offering of thin-cut meat.

When someone suggested going to a place where the staff grilled the meat for you, a senior’s comment left a lasting impression.

“The boss didn’t like expensive places.”

There was one instance where a reservation was made at a cattle beef restaurant known for good value for money.

Upon seeing the final bill after the drinking party, the boss flipped out on all the department heads the next day. As for choosing an all-you-can-eat place, well, the boss didn’t like that either.

‘The more I think about it, the angrier I get.’

If only I had known I was headed towards death from overwork, I should have at least punched the team leader’s face.

The shameless expressions of the team leader, who used to send me on kindergarten pick-up errands, and his wife flash across my mind.

‘Ah.’

Shaking my head to cast away the unpleasant memories, I refocused on the grilling plate.

Listening to the exciting sizzling sounds, I placed the rest of the meat on the empty spots on the plate, sprinkled the pepper and salt I had bought in advance at the market to eliminate any gamey smell, and seasoned it just right.

With that, all preparations were complete.

All that was left was to wait until the outside became golden brown.

As I was staring at the meat under the cover of darkness in the pitch-black night where the grilling plate was the only light, Milene’s voice, brimming with interest, reached my ears.

“Even though it’s being cooked on a heated shield, it smells good. What kind of meat is this?”

“Pork. And it’s not a shield, but… nevermind. Anyway, I got it prepared earlier before this afternoon’s training, so you can look forward to it.”

Her green eyes stared blankly at the meat. Milene’s eyes sparkled as she inhaled the distinct aroma of the rising meat.

When the right moment came, I flipped the meat, and the only noble young lady among the knights, Luniya, spoke up.

“Already such a wonderful aroma at the start makes me look forward to when the dish is complete. Watching the cooking process like this is quite refreshing too.”

Luniya’s previously hesitant expression brightened.

I had told both Milene and the knight captain that I would treat them to dinner to show appreciation for their efforts from the monster taming to the wedding, and had asked them what they wanted.

Though I had meant for them to choose a fine dining place from within the palace walls where we could entertain nobles, after much deliberation, they modestly decided to follow the guildmaster’s suggestion and left the choice to me.

When I asked what they wanted to eat, the only response I received was, “Anything.”

If they’re just going to eat whatever is given, why bother deliberating? I should just make what I want to eat.

So here I am, in this pitch-black training ground, lighting a fire with firewood and grilling meat on a special custom-made grilling plate.

When I said I’d personally cook it, Milene and the others were quite surprised. But there’s nothing I can do about it. Good meat must be grilled by a skilled person to be enjoyed to its fullest.

‘Well, if you think about it, it’s not really cooking.’

It’s simply grilling pork.

When I mentioned this fact, Luniya looked a little disappointed.

“It’s quite similar to what we eat when traveling and grill over a fire.”

“Isn’t it good? There’s an atmosphere.”

“Y-yes, I also enjoy gathering like this to grill and eat meat.”

At Cruel’s indifferent comment, Luniya’s pupils showed signs of embarrassment.

Her awkward smile and cautious glances indicated that the distance between her and Cruel had been gradually closing since a while ago.

My heightened senses detected these subtle movements, entering the realm of superhuman.

‘That’s youth for you.’

With a light chuckle at the youthful scene, I retrieved the meat from the grilling plate.

Thick meat can lead to a disaster where the inside isn’t cooked while the outside burns, simply by flipping it front and back.

So the proper way to grill it quickly and appropriately is to first thoroughly brown the surface to allow the Maillard reaction, then slice it into bite-sized pieces.

Thud.

I placed the meat on a wooden cutting board on the dining table and carefully cut it into uniform sizes for easy consumption.

Slick. Slick.

The cooking knife is fundamentally a sword.

By intricately controlling the force to avoid cutting the board, the meat was swiftly cut, revealing a crispy exterior with a rosy pink interior.

‘The level of doneness is perfect.’

Though the firepower of the firewood couldn’t be accurately gauged, it seems like the meat is cooking quite well.

All that’s left now is to place this pink part back on the grilling plate.

Sizzle-

Once again, a delicate sizzling sound spread, and the oil on the plate started to joyfully spurt.

Now there’s no room for carelessness. Leaving your post for a moment puts the meat at risk of overcooking uncontrollably.

While everyone watched curiously, I quickly flipped the meat.

The initially bright red inside had now turned into an appetizing brown, and at the right moment, I picked up the most carefully prepared piece with a fork.

‘This should be fine.’

The meat on the fork was firm, and the juice flowed out from the punctured holes.

Originally, I prefer it slightly underdone compared to this moment, but eating something that undercooked could be somewhat risky here in this world.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

Freshly grilled meat is quite hot. But that’s part of the taste.

After blowing on it to cool it down and extending it towards Milene,

“Eh…?”

She was startled, staring entranced at the meat.

Judging by her alternating gaze between the meat in front of her and myself, she seemed quite surprised. Her emerald green eyes, shimmering under the light of the firewood, were trembling slightly.

The first bite goes to the deputy captain who worked hard while I was absent.

“Milene, deputy captain. Here.”

She fidgeted, appearing quite flustered.

“Are you not going to eat it? My arm is getting tired.”

“Hurry up and eat it. It’ll overcook.”

“I-I’ll eat it.”

Milene, closing her eyes tightly, cautiously opened her mouth.

A baby bird-like figure waiting to be fed. As I quickly inserted the meat, she frowned in apparent heat, blowing on it, and then…

“This is… how can it taste like…”

She turned to me while muttering her exclamation of surprise.

“Good. Let’s eat! Be careful, it’s hot.”

I, too, had already placed a bite of the meat into my mouth, and moved the rest of the meat onto the dining table.

The other knight captain, seeing Milene’s enthusiastic response, also picked up his fork with a small laugh and took a bite.

Their reactions were not very different.

“Indeed.”

“This is meat? What exactly was I eating until now?”

“Wow, there’s no gamey smell. The seasoning is excellent, and the texture is not only soft but also full of umami.”

Cruel silently picked up the meat and ate it, while Helsia played with her fork, tears welling up in her eyes.

Luina, who was slowly savoring the fork, noticed the meat on the dining table quickly dwindling, and hurriedly moved her hands.

“Eat slowly. There’s plenty.”

As the knight captains’ battle for the meat ensued, I placed more meat onto the grilling plate.

The grilling plate must not rest.

The method to ensure that many people eat until they’re full and swiftly is continuous grilling without interruption.

Thus, for a while, the training ground became noisy with the sound of grilling meat and the knights’ conversations.

From time to time, we called over palace patrol members, gave them some bites, and even shared the coolly stored alcohol.

As the mood softened with the influence of the alcohol,

When the speed of playing with the forks slowed, I slowly grilled the meat and, judging that it was the right time, opened my mouth.

“Everyone, listen while you eat.”

The four pairs of red faces turned towards me.

“War will happen soon.”

“…”

The lively training ground fell silent.

Thud.

When Milene’s fork dropped, everyone snapped back to reality.

“War, you say?”

At Luina’s shocked question, I nodded, and Milene, with a calm demeanor, asked.

“Who is the opponent?”

“Calhig.”

“The United Nations? Why….”

“Hmm.”

It might be the rejection of paying tribute.

It could also be a resistance to the long-standing anger of being treated as a vassal.

‘Or else.’

The religious belief of reclaiming the holy land, perhaps.

There could be various speculations about the reasons, but only they would truly know their intent.

As I flipped the almost cooked meat, Cruel’s voice reached my ears.

“Guildmaster, when do you expect this to happen? Spring? Summer?”

“Expected timing…”

Thinking simply, spring, which has the appropriate weather, is the best time. Right now would be ideal, and at the latest, it should start by early summer, I had thought.

However, analyzing the trends based on various intelligence, the conclusion reached in the Grand Duke’s meeting was,

“Summer is quite likely.”

The end of summer.

Just before the oppressive heat subsides and the coolness of fall arrives.

Based on the analysis of the meeting, the start of the war was expected to be at that time.

“Summer…”

Upon Cruel’s muttering, everyone’s expression turned serious. It seemed all traces of intoxication had disappeared, and their reddened faces returned to normal.

“Just predictions, so don’t think too deeply. We can’t tell how it’ll play out.”

The contents of the meeting were conclusions drawn from realistic considerations.

First, regarding the seasons.

Extreme heat and cold, representing characteristics of summer and winter respectively, have significant impacts on the human body.

War places countless individuals in extreme conditions where they wield steel and chaos of blood and slaughter prevails, making it difficult to maintain regular health.

Even managing to survive the seasons without heat or cold requires great focus, and during wartime, individuals don’t have the leisure to be concerned about such aspects.

Hence, spring or fall, which are less affected by seasonal changes, are considered the optimal periods.

From Calhig’s perspective, spring would have been the most ideal time to initiate hostilities.

‘With the Grand Festival and Sylvester still returning.’

The Western Continent’s attention is focused on Altaen due to the Grand Festival.

Because envoys from various nations had gathered, there was no easy opportunity to initiate war, and after the festival, the envoys were still returning to their respective countries.

Even if they wanted to disregard the other countries, Calhig couldn’t move. Sylvester’s envoy was still crossing the continent.

‘The main reason is that Helsia is with the envoy.’

A giant’s movement briefly forced them to bow their heads.

Naturally, as the season gradually transitioned from spring to summer, the scorching sun and the season of heavy rain would also remain silent, gathering strength.

And the reason the end of summer was chosen over autumn was simple.

Calhig is one of the countries most heavily influenced by the Bright Sect.

They believe that the sun’s blessing is strongest during summer, and thus, with that as a reason, there was a high possibility that the announcement of hostilities would be made toward the end of summer.

‘How such a religious state came to be, huh…’

While I was internally busy with internal suppression, they were causing trouble externally.

Even with the high likelihood of success, war is war. The mere thought caused my stress levels to skyrocket.

‘I should discuss other options.’

As I sighed inwardly while retrieving the meat, Milene, who had been silently bowing her head, finally spoke.

“Guildmaster, the implication of bringing up this story is…?”

Our eyes met with her tension-filled green gaze.

She had already noticed, it seemed. Cruel, who took a sip of wine beside her, didn’t say anything but exuded an atmosphere of understanding.

With a serious look, I nodded at Milene’s watchful gaze.

“The Royal Knights will spearhead the fight.”