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Gratitude to the Chef
Episode 7. Gratitude to the Chef
“Oh, look at that skin. It's perfectly crispy and crackling.”
When I scraped the finished Flaeskesteg with the fork I had brought, a pleasant crackling sound reached my ears.
It was thanks to the salt absorbing the moisture, making the surface of the whole pork belly crispy as if it were fried food or a snack.
While I was at it, I pinned the whole pork belly down with the fork and sliced the Flaeskesteg thinly with the freshly cleaned [First Sword].
“Keuh, those juices dripping down are to die for.”
The very charm of this Flaeskesteg was that the outside was roasted crispy, delivering a crackling texture, while the inside was cooked moist with meat juices, letting you enjoy a fried crust on the outside and boiled pork bossam on the inside.
Enjoying the sight with my eyes and smelling the deep aroma of the meat, I swallowed my saliva with a gulp.
No, no. The Constellation might be fine, but I'd die instantly from mana poisoning the moment I ate it.
“It's a shame for a chef to serve a dish to a customer without tasting the food he made.”
My pride as a chef was wounded, but I couldn't die protecting my pride.
[Upon seeing the completed dish, the Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield cannot contain herself and lets out a cheer.]
[Thunder rumbles in the Constellation's domain.]
See that? If I ate it leaving aside a Constellation like that, a divine punishment would surely befall me.
I smirked as I sliced the Flaeskesteg prettily with the First Sword and arranged it on the large plate I had brought from the shop.
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield urges you to offer up the tribute at once.]
“I'm coming right up.”
I hurriedly placed the plate atop the altar, clasped my hands, and prayed.
Then, golden flames roared up, and the dish disappeared along with the plate.
It wasn't surprising, as I had already experienced delivering food to Cain this way.
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield devours the Jelimnir-Flaeskesteg in an instant.]
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield is moved to tears by your cooking.]
Wow, it was so delicious it brought her to tears. A rewarding reaction for the one who made it.
The Constellation's reaction, moved by my cooking, didn't end there.
Perhaps to invite me to her domain as Cain had done, golden flames began to blaze up toward me.
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield marvels at the outstanding taste and attempts to invite you to her domain...]
“Wait a moment!”
Before I could be forcibly dragged into the Constellation's domain, I raised my hand to stop it.
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield earnestly asks to meet you in person to express her gratitude.]
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield makes a tearful face, asking if you perhaps do not wish to meet her.]
“No, it's not that, but...”
Isn't this Constellation's image a bit different from how she was at first?
She had an image of being so unreasonable, threatening divine punishment if I didn't hand over the food, but she had a cute side too.
I grinned at that Constellation.
“My lady, surely that amount isn't enough?”
The dish I had just offered used less than a quarter of the cut wild boar pork belly.
Since if I failed, I would lose all the ingredients, I had only tested a small amount.
And in the truck, there was still plenty of pork belly I had pre-seasoned with dungeon salt and medicinal herbs.
“It will take some time, but you want to eat more, don't you?”
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield nods her head urgently.]
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield says she wishes to eat with her subordinates as well.]
“Then all the more reason to make a lot of food.”
I smirked and took out all the remaining meat.
“It will take some time, but I'll make a lot this time, so please wait a little.”
And so, the cauldron heated up all through the night, and over 100kg of Flaeskesteg ascended to the Constellation's domain where the Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield resided, through the altar.
“This isn't the end either. If I have a cauldron and pork belly, of course I have to make pot-lid pork belly, right?”
I placed the leftover scraps of pork belly on the heated cauldron lid, grilled the pot-lid pork belly, and sent that along as well.
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield marvels at the outstanding taste and invites you to her domain.]
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield earnestly requests that you not refuse this time.]
“I won't refuse.”
This time, I had no intention of refusing either.
Because seeing the happy face of a customer eating my food was my happiness.
As golden flames surged from the altar and enveloped my body, I stood in the middle of a plain that looked like a battlefield rather than in front of my charcoal kiln.
And before me stood an army composed solely of women wearing ancient Northern European armor.
“You've finally come.”
The beautiful blonde female warrior standing at the very front approached me and smiled brightly.
Then she raised her spear high into the air and shouted powerfully.
“Gratitude to the chef who provided a delicious feast!”
“For the chef!”
“For the chef!”
The thunderous roars of the female warriors expressing their gratitude to me echoed across the plain.
Haha, this is the first time I've ever received thanks like this.
I was embarrassed, but a happy smile naturally formed on my lips.
* * *
“I am the 'Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield.' My name is Thrud Thorsdottir.”
“So it was Lady Thrud.”
Hearing the Constellation's true name, I tilted my head for a moment.
Wait, her surname is Thorsdottir?
Doesn't that mean she's Thor's daughter?
“Might your father be Thor?”
“That's right. I am indeed the daughter of Thor, the God of Thunder.”
To think that this innocent, proud girl puffing her shoulders out was Thor's daughter.
Ah, come to think of it, compared to the other Valkyries who looked well over 2 meters tall, Thrud boasted a frame with a head or two more in size.
As expected of Thor's daughter, who in the myths went around smashing the heads of large giants.
Thrud patted my shoulder with her large hands, befitting her massive frame.
Ugh, my knees nearly buckled for a moment.
“Thanks to you, not only me but all my subordinates were able to eat their fill.”
“That's a relief. Did everyone enjoy the meal?”
“It was perfect!”
“It was the first time I'd eaten meat this delicious! I want more!”
“Commander Thrud ate so much there wasn't enough for the rest of us!”
Thrud whistled and looked away at the Valkyries' outcry.
From what I heard, it seemed she had eaten over 20kg by herself.
To think the Valkyries enjoyed my cooking so much.
My lips couldn't help but curve up in satisfaction as a chef.
Then one Valkyrie stepped forward and asked.
“The Flaeskesteg was great, but what was that thinly grilled pork? By Odin's beard, it was the most delicious food I've ever tasted!”
“Ah, the pot-lid pork belly?”
“Pot-lid... what?”
I smirked at the puzzled Valkyrie and was about to explain the pot-lid pork belly as it was, but changed my mind.
Cooking is important for its taste, but its story is important too, as they say.
“Valkyries are also called Shieldmaidens, aren't they? Doesn't a pot lid look just like a shield?”
“It really does, doesn't it?”
“You heat an iron pot lid, shaped like a shield, red-hot like the heat of the battlefield, and grill the warrior's food—pork—on it. Literally a 'warrior's dish.'”
In truth, it was just pork belly grilled on a convenient pot lid, but would they buy this?
“Oooooh!”
“What a wonderful story.”
“It's a dish that suits us perfectly.”
It worked.
The Valkyries seemed greatly satisfied by my explanation.
Even the Constellation Thrud seemed completely captivated by the story, banging her shield with her spear and shouting, “Shieldmaiden!”
“This is the Constellation's repayment for the delicious meal you have provided.”
And with a satisfied expression, she extended the tip of her spear toward me.
Wh-what? Did she not need me anymore since the food was all eaten?
Was the repayment taking me to Valhalla? That's just killing me!
While I was bewildered by the sharp spear tip, a grin climbed up Thrud's lips, and golden light flashed from the spear tip.
[The Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield bestows upon you the 'Blessing of the Battlefield.']
['Blessing of the Battlefield' ensures the blessing remains active while you are on the battlefield.]
[Caution: As your class is Chef, your battlefield is the 'Kitchen.']
Thankfully, I didn't die. No, rather, I had received something tremendous.
Based on direct experience, the blessing of Constellation Thrud had an incredible effect.
It let me lift several tons of pork and cook in the heat of a charcoal kiln reaching 1,000°C without getting burned.
The fact that this power was limited to the 'Kitchen' was actually fine by me.
I had absolutely no intention of entering a dungeon. It was better to cook in the kitchen.
“You wanted to keep the blessing for good, right? It can only be used on the battlefield, but unless I revoke it, it will remain until you die.”
“For such an incredible blessing... thank you so much.”
“It's a fitting price for delicious food, isn't it?”
Thrud smiled brightly, seemingly pleased by my thanks.
Seeing that, gratitude welled up in me along with regret.
“If I could have tasted the food, I could have made it even more delicious. It's a shame.”
A chef is someone who constantly checks the seasoning while cooking and adjusts the taste.
But a chef who can't taste? That was no different from a half-finished dish.
“Is that true?! Why didn't you eat it?”
“If a human body eats ingredients from a dungeon, they die from mana poisoning. Even tasting it is dangerous.”
As I said that and let out a deep sigh.
Thrud shouted toward her subordinates with a serious expression.
“Bring that here!”
Immediately, a Valkyrie brought something small, and the Constellation Thrud received it and handed it to me.
What she handed me was a crude ring with a ᛀ rune carved into a small stone.
“What is this?”
“It's a little something to solve your problem. Check its effects after you go back down.”
“But you've already given me a reward...”
“Earlier was my repayment. This ring is repayment for feeding my subordinates too. Thanks to you, we were all able to enjoy a delicious meal together.”
Behind Thrud, who spoke thus, the Valkyries nodded vigorously as if in agreement.
So my efforts of hustling around the charcoal kiln all night paid off.
I bowed my head once more and expressed my gratitude.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, it's nothing.”
Thrud grinned and continued.
“And if you can taste, you'll make even more delicious food, right?”
“Hahaha, of course I must.”
Both Cain and Thrud were already booking the next meal.
It had been hard, but treating divine beings called Constellations to meals and receiving their gratitude wasn't a bad thing, so I nodded.
“Then, I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me back now. I have to open the restaurant again tomorrow.”
“I envy humans. Because if they go to that restaurant, they can eat your food to their heart's content.”
Constellation Thrud made an expression of genuine regret and pointed her spear toward me.
Then golden flames rose and enveloped me.
“Thank you for enjoying the meal. Please come again.”
And so, after treating a Constellation to another delicious meal, I returned to Earth.
* * *
“It had been so long since we had a truly delicious meal. Right?”
“I really want to eat it again, Lady Thrud.”
Watching the Valkyries still excitedly talking about the food even after the human chef had returned, Thrud smiled contentedly.
She had done something reckless in bestowing the 'Blessing of the Battlefield' upon an Awakened who hadn't even contracted with her, but seeing everyone so happy, she didn't regret it one bit.
She even enjoyed agonizing over what reward to give next while asking for another meal.
“Wait, now that I mention rewards, I feel like I've forgotten something...”
At that moment, a message went ding! and appeared before Thrud's eyes.
[Your contracted Hunter, Valkyrie Yun Jinha, has offered a prayer: 'When will you give me the reward, Constellation-nim?']
“Ah right! The quest reward!”
Thrud had forgotten to give the reward to her Hunter because she had been so busy eating.
“Bring the Jelimnir Capture quest reward!”
“You already gave that to the human chef. The Rune-Inscribed Ring.”
“Ah.”
Rune magic was a mystery among mysteries that none of the Northern European Constellations could handle except for a select few including Odin.
A ring engraved with such runes was appropriate as a reward for a Legendary-grade quest.
She had prepared it for this, but the thought of being able to eat even more delicious food had made her give it all away to Do Yeonseong. Thrud's face turned pale.
“Wh-what do I do? Don't I have anything else to give? What about Jelimnir's hide?”
“That must be returned to the Einherjar.”
“Shall I give my spear?”
“That's too much. Besides, Lord Thor wouldn't stay still if you gave that away.”
“Uwaaaah, I have nothing to give!”
Thrud screamed, tearing at her hair.
A subordinate Valkyrie who had been watching her pitifully opened her mouth.
“You know...”
“Hm? What?”
“That food you secretly stashed away, Lady Thrud.”
“Ah, no! I was saving that to eat later!”
Thrud desperately lunged to protect the remaining Flaeskesteg.
Watching Thrud sniffle and shake her head, the subordinate Valkyrie made a pitiful expression.
“Then just tell her to go screw herself and not give a reward.”
“Sh-should I?”
[Warning! Failing to provide a quest reward may lower a Constellation's rank.]
At the warning that her rank would fall, Thrud had no choice but to swallow her tears and send Do Yeonseong's cooking down as a reward.
[The Constellation Maiden of Strength Who Traverses the Battlefield bestows upon her contracted Hunter, Yun Jinha, the Legendary quest reward: Jelimnir-Flaeskesteg (Legendary-grade).]
“Farewell, my food...”
Of course, on the ground, the flustered voice of Yun Jinha echoed instead.
“The reward is food? What the hell!! Constellation-nim! No, you Constellation bastard!!!”