"Grey, I want to eat Hamburg Steak!" ［Yuna］
Yuna suddenly requested out of the blue with a serious and adorable expression on her face. She was staring intensely at Grey when she did so.
It has been a couple of days since the two arrived in Moterno, and like their usual daily routine in Galderia, they have been completing quests in the morning and afternoon while spending their evening leisurely.
Currently, they have just finished their quest for the day. It was a B-rank quest the Guildmaster had specially requested of them for since they were the only B-rank party available at the moment.
Since it was the only quest they took for the day, they have finished quite earlier compared to usual. The sun has yet to reach its zenith and the two still haven't had their lunch yet. It was the perfect time for Yuna to request a dish for lunch.
As Grey was currently in the process of dismantling their kill, the moment he heard Yuna's words, confusion struck him like lightning. His hands even stopped moving from bewilderment.
As for Yuna, she was squatting on the ground as she looked at Grey with innocent eyes. She was even supporting his head with both of his hands pressing on her cheeks as she carefully observed what Grey was doing.
"Umm... Why so suddenly?" ［Grey］
"Mmm... I just want to eat it... Is it no good...?" ［Yuna］
"N-No... I'll cook it for you later, but you'll have to help me, okay?" ［Grey］
"Un! I'll do my best!" ［Yuna］
Grey was helpless against Yuna's pleading eyes. The moment she had the look of a pleading innocent puppy, Grey instantly knew it was his loss. He was like a doting father who couldn't resist his daughter's plea.
Grey breathed out a lengthy sigh full of concern as he realized once again how much he was spoiling Yuna. While he was fully aware of it, he still couldn't help himself but spoil her. He has always been like that ever since he became Yuna's "guardian".
Ever since Grey saved Yuna, he had felt responsible towards her. It may be because he was mentally older than Yuna or just because he wanted the once vulnerable elven girl, but he has been protective and doting on her ever since.
With Yuna's eyes as excited as one could be, Grey continued to brandish his knife as he continued to dismantle the beast they had just subjugated. With it, they have yet another type of meat in store.
"Alright, I'm finished. Let's head back now." ［Grey］
"Yay～!" ［Yuna］
Yuna hummed happily as she traveled back to Moterno. Grey by her side was smiling warmly as he observed the adorable elven girl.
As soon as they arrived at the guild, the atmosphere quickly became more silent. There was none amongst the adventurers who wanted to look at them. If there was, it would only be a quick glance.
The only ones who could handle Grey and Yuna were the receptionist who had the chance to interact with them. They have become more comfortable with them the more they interact with one another.
"Good noon, Miss Anna, we would like to report the completion of the quest. Can you tell the Guildmaster about it?" ［Grey］
"Yes, of course." ［Anna］
"Thank you." ［Grey］
The receptionist Grey was talking to was called "Anna". She was still in her mid-twenties and happened to be the same receptionist who reported to the Guildmaster the commotion in the guild a few days ago.
She also happened to be the Guildmaster's, Althea's, younger sister. It was the reason that she was assigned to handle Grey and Yuna's procedures. Though she was just pushed into it by her older sister, she has become comfortable with the two because of it.
A few minutes after Anna left the reception desk, she came back to the lobby with the Guildmaster in tow. The latter has a look of surprise and relief on her face as soon as she saw Grey and Yuna.
"Grey, Yuna, you're finished with the quest already?" ［Althea］
"Yes, we also brought back some materials with us like you requested. We have some bones and crafting materials. A couple hundred kilograms of them." ［Grey］
"Really?! Thank you!" ［Althea］
Althea's eyes lit up like a light bulb as soon as she heard the world "materials". After all, materials from a B-rank beast was by no means easy to come by. It was especially rare in smaller towns like Moterno.
The bones and fangs of the beast alone could be used to create tough and durable equipment. Not to mention the hide or leather, it was useful for armor and could even be used as decorations by nobility.
Being a part of a B-rank beast's body, equipment made from them would at least reach High-grade if treated skillfully. Equipment which could easily fetch tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. They were super precious.
"Then, I'd like to purchase all of them!" ［Althea］
"Alright." ［Grey］
As soon as the Guildmaster declared her words, Grey, Yuna, and the Guildmaster headed to the cold storage to drop off the materials. Anna, on the other hand, continued with her reception work.
The moment Grey took out the materials from his "Inventory", the Guildmaster became akin to an excited child who just got a hand of her favorite toys. Her eyes were sparkling just as bright as Yuna's when she was also excited.
After weighing and calculating the worth of the materials, the guild immediately paid Grey and Yuna the full amount and rewarded points to their cards. They were able to earn more than 600 thousand kiels in a single transaction.
It was the most amount of money they have made in a single quest so far. That is of course not including the raid quest on Iblis. They still have yet to receive the reward from that one. It was highly likely that it could contain millions.
With their tasks at the guild finished, Yuna and Grey headed back to the "Blue Spring" inn . And since it was lunch time, a time where many people are away, there were barely any people in the inn.
"Good noon, how maー Oh, Mister Grey, Miss Yuna, will you be having lunch here today?" ［Mira］
Mira was about to greet the two like how she greets new customers, but stopped midway as soon as she realized it was just Grey and Yuna.
"Ah, well, yeah. But... could I borrow your kitchen for a bit? We can pay if needed. We only need a few minutes." ［Grey］
"The kitchen...? Are you going to cook your lunch yourself?" ［Mira］
Mira tilted her head out of pure curiosity. Although it wasn't the first time someone had asked to borrow the kitchen, it was still a rare situation.
"Yeah. If you want I could also cook a portion for you." ［Grey］
"Really?! Isn't that too much trouble." ［Mira］
"Not really. I'm used to cooking a large amount of food all at once. An additional portion or two wouldn't be a problem. Also, Yuna will be helping me so it really wouldn't be too much of a task." ［Grey］
"Un! We'll be done in a jiffy." ［Yuna］
Grey looked at Yuna's direction and the latter nodded in agreement. Her face was so innocent that it made people believe her instantly.
"Alright, then just wait a moment, I'll just ask permission from my parents." ［Mira］
With anticipation visible on her voice and face, Mira quickly left the reception desk and headed further inside the building. The direction she was heading to was towards the kitchen adjacent to the dining hall.
As most of the inns in Merusia are owned by a family, the ones working inside of it are most likely related. It was also the reason why receptionists like Helen and Mira were children of the owners.
A couple of minutes later, Mira came back with a positive atmosphere about her. She was smiling from ear to ear as she relayed the good news to Grey and Yuna.
"My parents said that you can use the kitchen as long as you clean things up properly and you don't break anything." ［Mira］
"Then about the usage fee..." ［Grey］
"You don't need to worry about that. My portion will serve as payment!" ［Mira］
Mira declared with a cheerful smile blooming on her face. A few moments later, Grey and Yuna then headed to the kitchen to prepare and cook the hamburg steak.
As soon as they arrived, four people greeted them. There was a man and a woman in their forties, a man in his early-twenties, and a young man who seemed to be a little younger than Yuna. They were Mira's father, mother, older brother, and younger brother, respectively.
The parents and the older brother looked at Grey and Yuna with pure curiosity while the younger brother looked at them with admiration. Especially towards Yuna, it seems like she was captured by her beauty.
"Pardon the intrusion." ［Grey］
"Thank you for letting us borrow the kitchen." ［Yuna］
"It's fine. You can take the rightmost stove since we'll be using the other ones. Just make sure to not make a mess, alright?" ［Mira's Father］
Just as Mira's Father instructed, Grey and Yuna headed to the rightmost stove and grabbed their cooking equipment and a variety of ingredients from Grey's "Inventory".
Meat, egg, bread crumbs, spices, cheese, and condiments came out of it. He also brought out a few cups worth of white rice along them. After all, to Grey, no meal is complete without rice on the plate.
Like usual, Grey has taken out quite a precious meat. While he did say he won't cook those types of meats while other people are around, he had realized that it wouldn't matter if they didn't know what it was. He just needed to keep his mouth shut.
"Yuna, could you cook the rice while I prepare the patties?" ［Grey］
"Un, leave it to me." ［Yuna］
As per Grey's request, Yuna took a pot and washed the rice inside of it. She washed it two times to make sure it was clean and placed it on a stove on high heat. It was a process which didn't even take a couple of minutes.
And just as Yuna prepared the rice, Grey also started making the patties. He first grounded the meat with the use of wind magic, grinding the meat into fine meat which could rival the quality of market brought ones.
After the meat was ground, he then placed it on a large bowl and mixed it with egg, bread crumbs, diced cheese, and spices. The spices were turned to fine pieces by processing it with high-speed winds.
He mixed it gently for a couple of minutes and when the perfect consistency was reached, he then started turning them into patties. Each patty was the size of an open palm and had quite the thickness.
Just as Grey finished preparing the patties, the rice had already come to a boil. Yuna then turned down the heat to prevent the rice from being burnt. After all, no one eats burnt rice which has the same bitterness as coffee grounds.
While there was a way to make coffee from burnt rice, that was when the rice grains weren't cooked and were still raw. Burning rice in the pot will just be a waste of precious and delicious rice.
"Grey, the rice is done." ［Yuna］
"Ah, thank you." ［Grey］
"Un. No problem!" ［Yuna］
A few minutes later, the rice had finished cooking and an aromatic smell started to waft the kitchen. It was the smell of freshly cooked rice which was enough to make people feel hungry.
With the rice finished, Grey placed a pan on the stove and heated oil on medium heat. Soon after, Grey placed the patties on the heated pan and a familiar sizzling sound resounded in the air.
Along with the sound of sizzling oil, the meaty aroma of the patties combined with the preexisting smell of the rice. It was quite the combo which can make people salivate in anticipation.
Mira's family who were minding their own business had their attention caught from the aromatic smell. Especially since they were cooks, their curiosity was aroused from the dish Grey was cooking.
"Young man, you're cooking quite the dish over there. What's it called?" ［Mira's Father］
"It's called hamburg steak. Would you like some as well?" ［Grey］
"Hm? Is that fine with you?" ［Mira's Father］
"Yeah. We're also cooking a portion for Miss Mira. Might as well cook a portion for everybody to enjoy." ［Grey］
"That's right. It's more fun eating with more people." ［Yuna］
"Hahaha, then I'll be imposing on you. As compensation, lunch will be in the house. That way, there'll be more dishes to choose from." ［Mira's Father］
With a boisterous declaration from Mira's Father, a smile appeared on everyone's faces. All of them couldn't wait to have a taste of each other's dishes.
As soon as the patties have turned golden brown, Grey flipped them one by one to the other side. A few minutes later, the patties were fully cooked. It was time to cook another batch.
After cooking the patties, Grey melted butter in the pan and placed back the patties on it for another few minutes for the final cooking and when all were finished, Grey sauce of them which he had prepared beforehand.
Of course, no meal would be completed without a refreshment. While Grey was cooking the hamburg steak, Yuna had prepared a pitcher full of orange juice and chilled it with the help of ice magic.
Strangely enough, even though Yuna's main attribute was ice, she wasn't fond of having too much ice in her drinks. She had the least amount of ice since she hates having brain freeze.
With a scoop of rice on the side, a serving of hamburg steak, and a glass of orange juice on the side, the meal was finished. It was time for lunch!
"""""Thank you for the meal!"""""
One after another, Grey, Yuna, and Mira's family took a bite of the hamburg steak and as soon as the flavors touched their tongues, it was like a surge of savoriness and juiciness flooded their mouths.
"Waah～ This is so delicious!" ［Mira］
"Young man, this is amazing. It's my first time eating quite the flavorful dish." ［Mira's Father］
"Un! Hamburg steak is delicious! As expected of Grey!" ［Yuna］
Grey was showered with praises as soon as everyone had a bite of the hamburg steak. While there were some who didn't comment, the glint in their eyes and smile on their faces were enough.
Mira's younger brother in particular looked at Grey with a peculiar shine in his eyes. He has newfound admiration towards Grey. Not only was Grey quite a looker, he was also a good cook. He was an idol to him.
"This rice is also delicious. It compliments the hamburg steak very well. It seems like Miss here is also a good cook." ［Mira's Father］
"Mhm... thanks." ［Yuna］
Even when Yuna was preoccupied with eating the hamburg steak, she was still able to respond to the compliment from Mira's Father. Grey thought Yuna was so cute when she tried to swallow her food quickly to respond.
Thankfully, she didn't choke on her food even though she was eating so quickly. It seems like the juice had other uses other than complimenting the dishes and serving as a refreshment.
"Mister Grey, could I have another one?!" ［Mira］
"Mira, don't be overbearing!" ［Mira's Mother］
"No, it's alright. We made plenty of hamburg steak and rice for everyone to enjoy. No need to hold yourselves back." ［Grey］
"Un. Please eat to your heart's content." ［Yuna］
As soon as everyone heard Grey and Yuna's answer, the three siblings' eyes lit up. It was as if a pair of benevolent angels descended before them. They have become more comfortable with them.
With the presence of "Inventory", there wouldn't be any food wasted if there are any leftovers, but Grey and Yuna decided to share all the hamburg steaks and rice with everyone. It was best to eat food without holding back.
And with the meal cooked by Mira's family, lunch became even more lively and hearty. It reminded Grey and Yuna of the feeling when they ate together with Gerd and family back when they were still in Galderia.
"Waah～! Thank you, Mister Grey!!" ［Mira］
"Then, I'd like to have some more as well." ［Mira's Older Brother］
"Me too!" ［Mira's Younger Brother］
With Mira on the lead, everyone had their plates refilled with another serving of rice and hamburg steak. Their faces were filled with happiness and satisfaction as they started with their second serving.
"Hey, kids, where's your manners at? You should at least thank the young man and young miss." ［Mira's Father］
"""Thank you, Mister Grey, Miss Yuna!"""
In unison, the three siblings gave their gratitude to Grey and Yuna who were sitting on the opposite side of the table from them. The recipients of their gratitude just smiled in response to them.
While the three siblings went ahead and had their second serving, Yuna was on another level. She was already on her fourth serving and was not showing any signs of slowing down.
Of course, Grey didn't lose out to her either. Even when he didn't eat as fast as Yuna, she finished about the same amount of servings as Yuna. It was an amount that had Mira and her family stupefied.
But for the two, it was just a normal amount to them. With the amount of times they move in a single day, it is only natural that they'll have to eat more to fuel those actions.
Mana could be substituted to sate one's hunger, but Grey and Yuna didn't want to resort to that method unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, eating meals was much more satisfying than using mana.
"""""Thanks for the meal!"""""
Just like how they started before eating, everyone ended the meal by expressing their gratitude for experiencing such a delicious meal. It was a tradition most people did in Merusia.
While it has only been less than a week since Grey and Yuna had left Galderia, they already missed the times and meals they spent with Gerd, Helen, and Selia. It already felt like a big part of their daily lives.
But as they wait for the time they can return, they will enjoy the new experiences in front of them. They wanted to explore more things and create more memories with every place they visit.
CHAPTER 38 END