Shield Hero got lost in the crowd, but thanks to Hati and his perfect sense of smell, we found him easily. The road led us to a weapon shop. Just as we were about to go in, the door opened and the little blue-haired girl from before (Mel) came out with the knights. They ignored us and went on their way. I waited until they had passed us and went into the shop.
Inside the shop, a conversation was going on between the Shield Hero and the soldiers who had stood up for him during his argument with the Spear Hero, and who were trying to break up their duel. After the silence, I stood in the doorway, leaning against Hati, and waited for their conversation to end. From what I could pick up, they were talking about waves.
"Um… When the waves come… When the wave is here, we'd like to fight with you." said one of the soldiers.
"What?" Shield Hero asked.
"Myself, and many other lower-ranking soldiers, were very impressed by the way you conducted yourself during the last wave. Also, I come from Riyute, and I feel the need to repay all that you've done for my family and friends there."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And, well… A number of us were impressed with your actions that day. We came to realize that if anyone fought to protect others, it was you, the Shield Hero. We formed a group we want to fight with you."
"With me? I don't think your commanding officers will be too excited about that."
"You're right. They won't be happy about it. But you protected us when we needed it. We want to follow your example and help others."
"And so you came looking for me?"
"The guards posted around town are all in agreement. We've all talked it out, and we agreed that whoever found you first needed to stop you and tell you how we all feel."
"You don't say."
"We aren't supposed to fight against the wave directly. That's not our role in the battle. Even still, we believe our number-one priority should be protecting our citizens from harm."
"So please, Shield Hero. When the next waves comes, let us fight with you."
"If you just want to fight against waves, I don't see why you need to fight with me."
"We simply want to fight with you to protect our citizens."
"Are you trying to get a promotion or something?"
"Not at all."
The soldier shook his head in response so quickly it was clear he expected the question. Then he turned and waved to someone standing next to me. It was a young boy in robes like a wizard. I say, "Like a wizard," but his robes were nothing like the purple robes I'd seen at the magic shop. They seemed cheaper, shoddier. They were yellow.
"I… I am from Riyute. You saved my family, so I… I want to help you if I can."
"Ah, I get it now."
"I'm sure you're right that there are plenty of people that would us you to secure a promotion. But I just want to help you."
"Huh, I guess there are some curious people in your group."
"Um… Shield Hero?"
"This little guy is a real fan of the Shield Hero. Long ago, in a different country, there were legends of other Heroes appearing. This one as always looked up to the Shield Hero."
"Huh…"
"2 gold coins. If you can pay for that, I'll think about your offer."
"Huh?"
"What's wrong? If you guys buy this off me, I'll trust you."
The young, wizard-looking boy was still there, just standing around.
"You disappointed in me?"
The young wizard-boy shook his head.
"I believe in you."
"Heh."
Suddenly one of soldiers came
running back. He was out of breath.
"Huff… Huff… everyone chipped in. Here you go."
"That was fast."
"I was just going to run around to the knights, but I stopped by the dormitories on the way. Everyone chipped in."
"Each person could only give a little bit, but it should all be there. Please believe us."
"Sure. Okay. How many people are you representing?"
"Let me think. Including me… five."
"Huh."
Shield Hero took five items from the bag and gave them to the boy along with all the money.
"Um… This…"
"I asked you to get the money I didn't say I was going to take it. I just wanted to get a feel for your sincerity. Because of this little test, it must have made it easier, even among your own group, to tell who was in this for real and who just wanted to get their hands on money, or on a better position."
"This is…"
"You understand?"
"Sure."
"If you don't want to be the leader, then give the authority to that guy. You just need to get together a group that wants to participate. But don't misunderstand me. If you try to use us, or try to pull something sneaky, that authority will crumble, and the whole formation will break."
"Understood! Thank you!"
The two of them lined up and bowed deeply before leaving the room.
Finally it was my turn. Shield Hero looked in my direction and froze for a moment.
"You are..." Shield Hero muttered.
"Long time no see," I replied.
"What do you want? Didn't you run away? Whoa! What is that monster behind you?" asked Shield Hero.
"Uh, that's my pet. I've become something of a pet tamer."
[This seat is nobody's pet]
'Hush Hati, not now'
"I did, but I had to return when I reached level 40."
"Oh, weren't you just a victim from another world?"
"A lot has happened in the meantime, in short, I became a vassal hero, which is a sub-category of a main hero like you, but since I'm just a support type and when I heard how they treated you, I didn't want to have anything to do with the royal family of this country and the other heroes."
"If I hadn't bumped into you in the crowd when you were fighting with the Spear Hero, I wouldn't be standing here."
"Ughh, so even you know what happened to me? Don't tell me you believe in my innocence."
"I heard what happened from the Adventure Guild in the other country. The guild master who gave me this information also revealed that you are not the first victim of the first princess. Besides, as a person from the 21st century, I don't think rape is the first thing you'd do.
"Thanks man, so what do you really want?" the shield hero asked after a pause.
"I'm almost useless in direct combat, but thanks to my new weapon, the food I cook gives some bonuses. Since the wave is about to start, I thought I'd at least help you out. It's not much help, but it's something". I'd better not mention my unique skill. I think using the Vasal Weapon as the reason why my food adds a bonus is enough of an excuse.
"What? The food you cook gives a buff?" SHield Hero asked.
[I'm hungry], Hati said.
[Foof, food] Groot spoke up.
"You know what? I'd better cook something and then you'll understand."
"Boss, do you have a place where I can start cooking?"
"There's a kitchen behind, there's plenty of room. "
We all went to the garden together. All of us, I mean. Me, Hati, Groot, Naufumi (Shield Hero), his party members: Raphtalia and Filo, and the owner of the weapon shop.
It turned out that the weapon shop owner and Shield Hero knew each other well.
'Hmmm... Let's try making something kinda fancy'
After some dithering, what I eventually decided to make was salt-crusted baked meat. A long time ago, I tried making it because it seemed interesting. I used pork back then, but it didn't come out completely right. I did it as the recipe stated, but the meat was a bit too salty. When I looked it up online later, there were also recipes that said to wrap the meat in cabbage or lettuce so it doesn't touch the salt directly. With that incident in mind, this time I'd be wrapping the meat in cabbage.
'It's time for a revenge match! Round Two!'
This time, I planned to use bloody horn-bull meat. First up is getting the ingredients using my skill.I'd need sea salt and eggs for the salt crust, and I wanted something slightly higher quality for flavor, so I ended up buying natural salt, along with black pepper in its own grinding mill, as well as fresh rosemary.
'Okay, let's start.'
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First, lightly boil the cabbage that's going to be used to wrap the meat.For the salt crust, add in the sea salt and egg whites into a bowl, and mix by hand until it stays clumped a bit when you lightly grasp a handful of it. Once the salt crust isready, smear the bloody horn-bull meat with the natural salt and black pepper, and lay some finely cut fresh rosemary on top. Then, wrap that meat in several leaves of boiled cabbage.
Lay a cooking sheet over the baking tray, and spread the salt-crust mixover that so it's a little bigger than the hunk of meat before laying the cabbage-wrapped meat on top. After that, coat the meat so it's no longer visible with the salt-crust mix. Once that's done, bake it in a preheated oven
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The recipe called for baking at 200 degrees, but this kitchen's oven was a range combined with the magic stovetop, so I could only eyeball the temperature and how it was cooking. I also brought out my own magic stove in an empty space in the kitchen, and used its oven to bake too. Each oven was baking six bloody horn-bull roasts at a time. While I thought that might be a bit too much, I figured I could just store any leftovers in my Item Box."It seems about... done."I took the finished salt-crust baked meat out of the oven and let it rest. While the meat was resting, I made sauce. It seemed like it'd be delicious on its own, but I also thought powdered mustard sauce would fit it well, so I started making some.
Add powdered mustard, mirin, soy sauce to a pot and bring the mixture to a quick boil. Once the mixture has cooled from that, throw in a dash of olive oil to finish the sauce.
I wonder if the meat's cooled off? ...Yeah, looks fine now.
Using the handle of the knife, I tapped on the salt crust to break it. The nice smell of the meat and herbs rose up. I peeled the cabbage off from the now-revealed bloody horn-bull meat, and removed the rosemary as well. When I tried cutting into the roast, the middle was a faint pink: it was well-cooked.
When I tried tasting the end of it...
"Tasty!"
The smell of herbs tickled my sinuses. It was perfectly salty; the meat was nice and soft, cooked to perfection, and plenty delicious even by itself.
This time, the salt-crust bake was a huge success! Wrapping it in cabbage really was the right idea.
For now, I cut and plated an entire chunk of meat each for Hati and the others. I'd have them taste the meat without the sauce first. I also cut out a small amount for myself and put it on a separate plate.
Putting the plated dishes on the trolley, I rolled them out for everyone, who were waiting with empty stomachs.
"Sorry for making you wait."
"We were getting sick of it, you know?" Hati said, sulkily.
"Sorry, sorry. Man, when I thought that today would be the last day I could use such a fancy kitchen, I started wanting to make something good. So in exchange, I've got some good stuff here. So let me off, okay?" I served the plates full of the well-done bloody horn-bull in front of them.
"Ohhh, what scrumptious looking meat." Hati said.
[Yeah, yeah it smells kinda good.] Groot agreed.
"Looks tasty" Shiled Hero couldn't take his eyes off the food.
"Wow, this meat is soft and delicious! " Raphtalia said.
"Filo like this"
Finally we all got some real food and everyone got some more. When Shield Hero saw the buffs he got, he said it would definitely help during the next wave. When we were all done, I made a deal with Shield Hero to meet up tomorrow and start cooking for him and his party. Since he can store his food in the item box, he'll have it fresh before the wave starts. We said our goodbyes and went to check in for the evening.
◇◇◇◇◇
That was two days ago. Today I'm back on Hati and we're heading back to Karelina, from where we'll head straight for the Dungeon City that Hati and Groot are so excited about.