Chapter 148: New Year and Osechi Cuisine

” ” ” ” ” “Happy New Year!” ” ” ” ” “

New Year’s greetings are exchanged in the room warmed by the fireplace.

Even adventurers, who work year-round, were all spending the beginning of the year leisurely.

…Well, simply because the Adventurer’s Guild is closed, so we can’t accept requests.

For that reason, we were spending the beginning of the year relaxing.

“But man, a lot happened last year.”

When Jairo, relaxing on the sofa, mutters deeply, everyone nods in agreement.

“Right. We just became adventurers last year, yet we’re already C-rank.”

“A great feat!”

“Honestly speaking, it’s an outrageous speed promotion.”

“It hadn’t been long since I became B-rank either, but now it’s A-rank…”

” ” ” ” “This and that too is all…” ” ” ” “

There, everyone’s gazes gather on me.

“Thanks to meeting Big Bro.”

“Thanks to meeting Rex.”

“Thanks to meeting Rex, yeah.”

“Being able to meet Rex was incredibly huge.”

“It’s thanks to Rex giving us training.”

Everyone spoke my name in unison.

“That’s not true. This is entirely due to everyone’s own ability. I just pushed your backs a little.”

“It was training that felt like being pushed off a cliff, though.”

“I’ve had enough of that training.”

“I think it was normal training though.”

” ” ” ” “No, it was definitely not normal.” ” ” ” “

I don’t think that’s the case though.

It was at that moment.

A loud guuu sound rang in the living room.

“Ah-, I’m hungry.”

The sound came from Jairo‘s stomach.

“Then shall we have breakfast?”

“If I recall, Rex prepared Eastern cuisine for us this year, right?”

“Yeah, it’s a cuisine called Osechi.”

“A cuisine I’ve never heard of.”

“It’s a cuisine I learned from someone who came from the East. It’s a dish that keeps well, apparently thought up so mothers can have an easy time during the New Year.”

“Heh, that’s nice. Hey Rex, my mother has gotten well too, so I’d like to teach that cuisine to everyone in the village…”

“Ah, that sounds good. Then after eating breakfast, shall we go to Liliera‘s village?”

“Alright, then let’s eat Big Bro’s cooking!”

Unable to wait, Jairo runs toward the dining room.

“That idiot is impatient right from the start of the New Year.”

Mina raises an exasperated voice at Jairo, who dashed in unable to wait.

“Wh-What is thiiiiiiis!?”

It was at that moment. Jairo‘s scream was heard from the direction of the dining room.

“What’s wrong, Jairo?”

Wondering what happened, we entered the dining room, and there was the figure of Jairo standing dumbfounded.

“…Th-This is bad, Big Bro.”

Trembling all over, Jairo points to the dining table.

There, the figure of the Osechi prepared for everyone to eat… was gone.

“Th-The Osechi is gooooone!”

” ” ” ” “Ehhh!?” ” ” ” “

That’s impossible!?

This mansion is equipped with magic items that activate barrier magic as a countermeasure against intruders, you know!?

But as if ridiculing my inner impatience, the Osechi prepared on the table was cruelly ravaged.

“Terrible… who on earth?”

“M-My Osechi…”

It was at that moment, something moved in the corner of the kitchen.

“Something’s there!?”

“Who is it!? LIGHT BALL!”

Without a moment’s delay, Mina activates light magic and illuminates the corner of the room.

“Mogu kyuu?”

“M-Mofumofu!?”

There was the figure of Mofumofu, mouth covered in food crumbs, relaxing with a satisfied look.

“Gefu kyuu.”

Mofumofu spits out a bone held in his mouth puh, as if saying he can’t eat anymore.

” ” ” ” ” “MO-FU-MO-FUUUUU” ” ” ” ” “

“Kyu?”

Mofumofu looks this way seeming very bothered… and then his movements stopped dead.

“Kyu, kyuuuuuuuuuun!!?”

Noticing our presence, Mofumofu starts panicking as if saying ‘Crap, I’ve been found’.

“Mofumofu, did you, by any chance, eat the Osechi?”

“Kyu, kyu kyu kyu kyuu!”

Mofumofu stares at me with sparkling eyes as if saying ‘It’s not me, it wasn’t me’, but due to the food crumbs attached to his mouth, there was zero persuasiveness.

“O-Our Osechi is…”

“Unforgivable…”

“As expected, punishment is necessary for this.”

“Looking at this state, defending him is a bit difficult.”

“He brought it upon himself. It’s better to discipline him strictly once in a while.”

Jairo and the others also don’t seem to intend to forgive Mofumofu, who ravaged the Osechi.

“I’ll turn you into Osechi!!”

Jairo activates Body Enhancement Magic and throws a punch at Mofumofu.

“Gyuuu!”

In response, Mofumofu also intercepts using Body Enhancement Magic.

“Kyaaa!? Don’t start it in a place like this!”

“Providing cover.”

Mina complains to Jairo and the other who started fighting in the dining room, and Meguri, angered by the Osechi being eaten, jumps in to cover Jairo.

“Umm, what do we do about this situation?”

“Cleaning up the table for now, maybe?”

“N-No, this is no time for that!? If they rampage wildly with the Body Enhancement Magic taught by Rex, the house will be in tatters!?”

At Jairo and the others’ huge brawl, Norb is flustered with a pale face.

“This house belongs to Rex, and we are freeloaders, so if we break it, we’ll have to compensate!?”

“You can be surprisingly stingy, huh.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. Look, see the wall of the room Jairo was slammed into.”

“The wall?”

Everyone turns their gazes to the wall and makes a ‘Huh?’ face.

“It’s not… scratched?”

“Even though he was slammed into it that violently?”

“The mansion has protection magic cast on it to prevent deterioration. So it’s okay even if you rampage a little.”

“I don’t think that’s just a little…”

“I cast protection magic on the tableware while I was at it, so it’s okay even if you drop them accidentally.”

“Over there is a C-rank adventurer who can’t even break tableware.”

“Meguri, having mercy means not saying that.”

$diamond$

“Even so, what should we do about this?”

When Jairo and the others’ fight settled down, everyone stared at the table, which had become a disastrous sight.

“I’ve already used up the Osechi ingredients.”

“As expected for the first day of the year, decent ingredients probably aren’t being sold.”

“Does that mean we’re turning this guy into a dish after all?”

“Kyu!?”

At Jairo‘s proposal, Mofumofu turns a ‘Are you serious!?’ face.

But the fact that there are no ingredients remains.

“If that’s the case, I guess I’ll use those.”

“Eh? Do you have something?”

“Yes, high-grade ingredients for banquets that I saved just in case.”

“High-grade ingredients!? You had such things!?”

“You say saved, but are ingredients kept away for such a long time okay?”

“No need to worry about that. The inside of the magic bag is a sub-space, so time is stopped for the ingredients. That’s why the ingredients are fresh no matter when they are taken out.”

“Time is stopped!?”

“He said something amazing casually again…”

“Then I’ll remake the dishes using these ingredients.”

Deciding to remake the dishes, I head to the kitchen.

“Ah, I’ll help.”

“I-I’ll help too!”

Liliera and the others hurriedly offer to help with the cooking.

“Thank you very much. But there are ingredients that require detoxification processing, so everyone, please wait.”

“Eh?”

“Detoxification?”

“For cooking?”

“Why?”

Everyone tilts their heads asking why.

“Because these are monster meat ingredients.”

I line up the ingredients on the kitchen table.

“The meat of the Hell Blood Bear has deadly poison in its blood, so after draining the blood, the meat is soaked in an antidote potion infused with various medicinal herbs and herbs.”

” ” ” ” “Deadly poison!?” ” ” ” “

“Furthermore, the blood of the Hell Blood Bear makes a high-quality sauce, so parallel detoxification cooking is performed without leaving it for a time.”

Next, I take out giant crab legs.

“The tomalley of the Slip Purin Cancer is a deadly poison that kills ten thousand people with one spoonful, but if detoxified, it becomes an exquisite crab hot pot. Of course, the meat is exquisite too! It’s a deadly poison if not detoxified though.”

” ” ” ” “Yeah, predicted that.” ” ” ” “

“Furthermore, the Scarlet Harpy Matango living in the Poison Valley is an exquisite… where one bite gives a liberating feeling like flying in the sky and a refreshing taste…”

” ” ” ” “Poison mushroom.” ” ” ” “

“Yes, exactly! If soaked in elixir, the poison is removed, and furthermore, the medicinal liquid seeps inside, making the texture crunchy!”

“Why are every single one of them deadly poison ingredients…”

“Since olden times, it’s a given that grotesque things and things with poison are delicious. It’s a masterpiece that even gourmets who have exhausted all the delicacies in the world will groan over!”

“Isn’t that just groaning from suffering from the poison!?”

“It’s okay! The history of antidote magic was developed to pioneer new poisonous ingredients, after all!”

” ” ” ” “The gluttony of the history of antidote magic is terrible!?” ” ” ” “

“Alright, complete!”

And finally, the detoxified cuisine using high-grade monster ingredients is complete.

“Aah, it’s completed…”

I divide the completed detoxified cuisine onto everyone’s small plates.

“Now, please eat.”

” ” ” ” “…” ” ” ” “

“Kyu kyuun!”

Mofumofu plunges his face into the small plate placed in front of him with great joy.

“Kyuuun!”

It seems the monster hot pot pleased Mofumofu.

“Now, everyone eat too.”

I carry the dish served on my small plate to my mouth.

“…Yeah, good taste.”

Thank goodness. Since no one but Mofumofu was trying to eat, I thought I failed, but the taste has seeped in properly.

“Seriously…”

“This is… hmm, but… hmm… deadly poison.”

“It’s ingredients prepared by Rex… though it’s deadly poison…”

“There are people in the world who even lack their daily bread… though it’s deadly poison.”

“Normally scary.”

Hmm, I don’t think poisonous ingredients themselves are particularly rare though.

“Daaah! No use complaining! It’s food Big Bro made! I’ll eat it!”

Then, with a fired-up spirit, Jairo threw the food vigorously into his mouth.

“Jairo!?”

“Seriously!?”

“The taste!?”

“Umm, shall I prepare antidote magic?”

Norb, aren’t you being casually cruel?

“…Ugh.”

” ” ” “Ugh?” ” ” “

Jairo stands frozen, trembling purupuru.

“Delicioooouuus! What the hell is thiiiiiis!!”

” ” ” “Ehhh!?” ” ” “

“Really!? You could really eat it!?”

“Are you okay? Does your stomach hurt!?”

“Specific taste?”

“It’s not a hallucination caused by poison, right?”

Norb has been harsh since a while ago, does he have some bad memory regarding poisonous food?

“It’s amazing! Every ingredient is amazingly delicious! The taste is steeped in, and the texture is the best! I’ve never had such delicious food!”

“Th-That much!?”

“I-If he says it to this extent, we have no choice but to try…”

“The fact that Jairo finished eating safely means these monster ingredients really can be eaten safely… Kuh, however, as one serving God, I cannot refuse food offered to me!”

” ” ” “Here goes!!” ” ” “

Everyone carries the food to their mouths as if resolved.

” ” ” ” “…!?” ” ” ” “

“How is it?”

” ” ” ” “…Delicious.” ” ” ” “

“What is this, I don’t really understand but it’s incredibly delicious! Even though it’s deadly poison!”

“Every single one is unbelievably delicious! To think such delicious things existed in the world! Though it’s deadly poison!”

“Delicious, super delicious. Delicious even though it’s deadly poison.”

“Wh-What is this! This delicate and profound taste permeating the tongue! An exquisite texture that feels bouncy and elastic when chewed yet is never tough! Aah, this deadly poison blood sauce is also the best! I can assert without a doubt that it is not inferior to a full course at a high-class restaurant! Though it’s deadly poison!”

Thank goodness. Seems everyone accepted it.

Delicious things make everyone happy after all.

” ” ” “But somehow I can’t accept this!” ” ” “

Huh? Why? Didn’t everyone say it’s delicious!?