Chapter 86

Gulp

Mari, Karina, Serena, and even Nail, who had just returned from finishing his blacksmithing work, were all gathered together.

The four of them swallowed their saliva as they looked at the pepperoni pizza on the table, covered in a glossy, melting layer of cheese.

The pizza was already huge, looking like it was at least 17 inches in size.

Not just one, but two family-sized pizzas were placed on the table, enough to feed everyone present. It was a sight to behold.

Even though they had never tasted pepperoni pizza before, just looking at it made them think, “This must be delicious.”

The pepperoni, crisped up and curled from being baked in the oven.

It was a different texture from the original fatty pepperoni sausage, offering a crunchy experience.

And the sweet, oily fat from the pepperoni hadn’t completely disappeared during the baking process.

The oil that seeped out of the pepperoni had melted into the gooey buffalo cheese, giving it a glossy sheen mixed with spices and the salty oil from the meat.

And then there was the tomato sauce, hiding beneath the cheese, urging them to dig in.

The three of them each expressed their admiration as they looked at the dish Kurt had made. Kurt, with a bitter smile, used a kitchen knife to cut the pizza.

Normally, a circular rotating cutter or a traditional Italian crescent-shaped knife called a mezzaluna would be used to cut pizza, but for now, a substitute had to do.

“Hmm. Since we’re in the Dwarven Village, maybe I should ask them to make me a mezzaluna.”

Of course, it was just a thought. He didn’t actually have the money to spare for cooking tools, so it remained just a thought.

Kurt cut the pizza into equal-sized slices.

“Alright. It’s all cut. You can start eating now.”

…

…

…

Even though Kurt had finished cutting the pizza and said it was okay to eat, Serena still couldn’t bring herself to pick up a slice.

It wasn’t for any other reason.

There was the pizza Kurt had made, and then there was the pie Tommy had made.

At first glance, they both looked like the same pepperoni pizza, but upon closer inspection, they were clearly different.

One had bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms proudly showing off their presence among the pepperoni, creating a variety of colors. The other was densely packed with finely chopped meat, as if it couldn’t tolerate any empty spaces the pepperoni hadn’t filled.

The aroma was also different. While Kurt’s pizza had a harmonious blend of cheese, pepperoni, and the scent of vegetables like onions and bell peppers, Tommy’s pizza emphasized an intensely strong meaty flavor.

And the sauce smelled different too.

Gulp

Of course, Serena’s heart was telling her to eat Kurt’s pizza right away, but for some reason, she couldn’t take her eyes off Tommy’s pizza either.

As Serena hesitated over this agonizing choice, Kurt, sensing something was off, asked her worriedly.

“What’s wrong? Not feeling hungry?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just torn about which one to eat first…”

“Oh, that’s all? I thought it was something serious. You’re just debating which one to start with?”

“Which one first?”

A realization struck Serena.

Both Kurt’s and Tommy’s pizzas were large enough for everyone at the table to share.

That meant she could eat Kurt’s pizza and then try Tommy’s without running out of food…

No, in fact, to properly compare and see if Tommy’s dish was truly complete, she had to taste both.

Realizing this, Serena’s face lit up, and without hesitation, she grabbed a slice of Kurt’s pizza with both hands.

“W-what the!?”

Sluuuurp

Even though she had clearly picked up a properly cut slice, the mozzarella cheese, having melted and stuck together in that short time, stretched out sluuuurp, following her hands.

Not expecting the cheese to stretch so elastically, Serena let out a flustered sound as she lifted the pizza.

But even then, the cheese kept stretching until she stood up, raised her hands above her head, and only then did it finally break off.

“W-whoa, that was surprising…”

Still startled, Serena calmed her racing heart and took a bite of Kurt’s pizza.

Haaah

“Mmm…!?”

The first thing she noticed when the pizza entered her mouth was a chewiness she hadn’t expected from a pie.

The generously spread mozzarella cheese, which had stretched sluuuurp when she first picked up the slice, now offered the same chewy, bouncy texture in her mouth.

But the cheese wasn’t just about the chewiness.

Following the nutty aroma of the cheese itself, the mozzarella, which usually isn’t very salty, had absorbed all the juices and oils from the crisped-up pepperoni, giving it a rich, savory flavor.

Munch munch

As she continued to chew, the tomato sauce hidden beneath the cheese made its presence known in a spectacular way.

The umami and acidity unique to tomatoes, combined with the spices added while making the sauce, balanced out the richness of the fatty mozzarella cheese, enhancing the overall flavor.

And the crowning touch was the toppings.

The vegetables and sausage, roasted to a golden brown in the oven’s heat, were crispy and crunchy, some salty and others sweet, beautifully decorating the pizza both visually and flavor-wise.

And silently supporting all of this was the dough, which also served as the plate.

It was the dough that allowed all these ingredients to come together without being overwhelming.

The stable, hearty taste of carbohydrates firmly anchored the myriad of ingredients piled on top, creating a beautiful party of flavors.

Yes, it was a party.

In the sense of a lively little festival, and in the sense of different elements coming together to fulfill their roles, it was a party in every sense.

Munch munch

Munch munch

Gulp

Serena, who had been munching on the pizza as if entranced, quietly realized something after swallowing.

Why had Kurt decided to pass this recipe on to Tommy?

It wasn’t just because the Dwarven Village’s specialty was sausage made from A-Dragon meat.

This dish was fundamentally something that fit perfectly with the village.

Because…

“Beer! Bring the beer!”

There was no dish that paired better with beer.

Kurt. A terrifying chef.

Salty, oily, and strongly flavored dishes?

They were destined to go perfectly with beer.

Serena thought so.

…

…

…

Having devoured a slice of Kurt’s pizza in no time, Serena knew today wasn’t over yet.

Because on today’s table, besides Kurt’s dish, there was another dish.

The pepperoni pizza made by Tommy, the inn’s owner.

Honestly, after eating Kurt’s pizza, even the most skilled dwarf’s cooking might pale in comparison, Serena thought.

No matter how skilled a dwarf was, Kurt’s cooking had something beyond just good craftsmanship.

‘Still, I should at least taste and evaluate Tommy’s dish…’

Serena thought to herself as she picked up a slice of Tommy’s pizza and put it in her mouth.

Haaah

But the moment she tasted Tommy’s pizza, Serena realized she had been greatly mistaken.

Tommy’s pepperoni pizza was indeed simpler in flavor compared to Kurt’s, due to its more focused ingredients.

Simply put, the technique of using various spices to create a harmonious aroma required not just skill but also a deep understanding of various ingredients and cuisines, something Tommy couldn’t easily replicate.

But from the start, that wasn’t the point.

If that were all, she wouldn’t have hesitated between Kurt’s and Tommy’s pizzas before eating.

Tommy hadn’t just copied Kurt’s pizza; he had arranged it according to his own tastes.

“Spicy…!?”

The biggest difference was the spicy aroma from the tomato sauce hidden beneath the cheese.

It was the intense spiciness of the peperoncino Tommy had added while making the sauce.

From the beginning, Tommy had given up on trying to replicate Kurt’s use of various herbs to create a harmonious flavor, as it was both beyond his capabilities and not to his taste. Instead, he decided to go for a flavor he was familiar with and enjoyed.

And that wasn’t all.

The toppings were a straightforward, unrelenting rush of meat, with no vegetables or mushrooms in sight.

The already quite salty dish became even more intense and stimulating with its single-minded focus on meat.

The salty and oily taste of the meat was washed down by the spicy flavor of the peperoncino-infused sauce.

If the first pizza’s theme was harmony, this pizza was all about boldly emphasizing the meat’s natural flavor and numbing the richness with the intense spiciness of peperoncino.

It was a straightforward, impactful flavor.

It wasn’t about which was better or worse; it was a different direction, a separate taste.

“Ahh…! Spicy! Beer!”

Gulp gulp gulp

“Phew!”

Overwhelmed by the intense flavor, Serena immediately reached for the beer, gulping it down before she could calm down.

“Ugh… It’s too stimulating…”

As she said, the flavor was blatantly intense.

But

Because of that.

“Why can’t I stop eating it!?”

A pepperoni pizza that didn’t consider balance or health, just pure stimulation—salty, spicy, and oily.

But because of that, in a way, it paired even better with alcohol than Kurt’s dish.