This is a special chapter.
Losing is admitting defeat if you worry about consistency.
“I want to eat udon…”
Marius was suddenly struck by a powerful desire one day.
Looking back, ever since he was reincarnated into this world, he felt he hadn’t eaten much “Japanese food.”
Perhaps not even once.
The thought only made him want it more.
(What should I do though…?)
Putting that aside for now, he had cooked for himself in the past, so if he had the necessary ingredients, he could probably make something like udon.
Even if the noodles and broth were store-bought and it could barely be called “cooking,” those who truly cook would likely be scorned or ridiculed.
He couldn’t make the noodles or broth himself, and he didn’t even know how.
(I guess I can manage the broth with other seasonings…)
The problem was the noodles.
He had flour, but he had no idea what to do to make it into udon.
After much deliberation, with no solutions coming to mind, he decided to resort to his final option.
“So, it’s me you’re after?”
Auraniess looked perplexed when asked the reason for being summoned.
Yes, Marius was relying on her intuition.
“Guess what I want to eat and how to make it. Don’t worry, you can do it.”
“You…!
She seemed exasperated by his unusually earnest plea.
“Please, Auraniess. If you succeed, I’ll spar with you at full power as a reward, on the condition that you don’t cause trouble for those around you.”
“Is that for real!?”
She, who had been completely unenthusiastic, latched onto the offer with the speed of a hundredth of a second.
“If you succeed.”
Seeing his seriousness from his expression and tone, she nodded powerfully.
“Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll handle it. Rest assured.”
Auraniess is very reliable when a satisfactory reward is offered.
Her eyes sparkled, and she immediately got to work.
First, she stormed into the castle’s kitchen.
“Whoa! Lady Auraniess!?”
She ignored the screams and unhesitatingly grabbed the flour.
“This is the ingredient, right?”
She showed it to Marius, who had followed her.
“Ah, that’s correct. As expected.”
In truth, this much was within his expectations.
He first apologized to the bewildered chefs and then explained the situation.
“A dish His Majesty wishes to eat?”
“Yes. I’d be happy if Auraniess could watch and learn how to make it.”
“Hahaha!”
The chefs bowed and agreed to the direct request from the King.
(Can Auraniess even cook?)
It was likely what everyone was thinking, but no one dared to voice it.
In the face of Marius’s authority, such doubts were trivial.
The Auraniess in question began the work with rough, or should I say, bold movements.
After watching for a while, noodles that looked like udon were eventually made.
Then, with a smile, she showed them to Marius.
“How’s this?”
“It’s mostly right.”
When he replied, small voices of admiration came from the chefs.
No one was surprised anymore when she performed such a feat.
“You really are amazing.”
Marius could only offer a wry smile.
She had managed to perfectly recreate something he couldn’t explain, purely on instinct.
“But that’s not enough. Do you understand?”
As he said that, Auraniess moved her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
Then she took out vegetable oil, salt, and other ingredients and began to cook.
“How about this?”
Making udon delicious without soy sauce, miso, or mentsuyu was a considerable challenge for him.
That was precisely why he felt somewhat dissatisfied with how easily Auraniess had made it.
However, considering the accuracy of her intuition, it was worth a try.
He skillfully twirled the udon onto a fork and put it in his mouth, chewing.
After swallowing, he looked as if he couldn’t quite believe it.
“…It’s delicious.”
Upon hearing this, Auraniess puffed out her chest with a smug look, and the chefs went to ask her how she made it.
She proudly explained.
“As expected of ‘Unreasonable-ness’…?”
Marius decided to go with that.
It was basically persuasion aimed at himself.
The dish Auraniess made quickly spread throughout the castle.
The biggest reason was likely that Marius had initiated it.
That night, udon was served to the royal family.
“Is this what Father wanted to eat? I wanted to make it for you, Neru!”
Nergal pouted slightly, her eyes shining with curiosity.
“Yes, make it for me next time. I’m looking forward to it.”
She nodded with a broad smile when her father said that.
“Yeah! Neru will do her best!”
It seemed the chefs were in for more trouble, but if he hadn’t said this, many more people would have been in even more trouble.
Through the chefs’ hard work and sacrifice, the peace of many was secured.
Sieg and Fried looked hesitant as they tried the dish for the first time.
It was probably understandable, as only Nergal ate it without hesitation.
The adults also ate, looking surprised.
“However, is this ‘udon’ all there is?”
Catherine tilted her head.
There was only enough for one portion of noodles, so she, and likely several others, must have felt they hadn’t had enough.
Marius had anticipated this.
Therefore, he signaled to the nearby waiting servants.
“I thought you might say that, so Auraniess made more.”
“Hmph. Leave it to me!”
She proudly puffed out her chest, drawing laughter from those around her.
What came out next was salted grilled fish and simmered vegetables.
Since similar dishes existed in this world, they could be considered “Japanese-style.”
(I actually wanted to eat sashimi and sushi as well…)
From what he had asked, there was no custom of eating fish raw, let alone such dishes.
Auraniess had eaten them without any issue, but she was not someone to be used as a reference.
Marius recalled some unverified information he had seen in manga and on the internet – that fish could contain parasites and be dangerous.
(It might not exist in this world, and even if it did, I and Auraniess probably wouldn’t die from it…)
He stopped them out of concern for his ordinary subjects.
He was particularly worried about Sieg and Fried.
Nergal was even younger, but like Auraniess, he felt it would be useless to worry about her.
“The seasoning is a bit unusual, isn’t it?”
Bara and Lovisa said as they tasted it.
“And to think, Auraniess, you could cook too…”
Catherine murmured, half impressed and half with a look that seemed to say, “This is unreasonable,” or “Anything goes, huh?”
“Hmm? Well, it’s special this time.”
She said that, casting a glance towards Marius.
No one mistook this for “Marius is the only special one.”
“Did you use combat as bait to make her obey you?”
Lovisa asked with an exasperated expression.
The others also had looks that suggested they thought as much.
“You understand well. Don’t worry, there won’t be any damage.”
When he said that, his wives backed down with a “Yes.”
In the end, nothing surpassed their trust in him.
“We have received many other recipes, so please look forward to the future.”
The head chef told them.
He had no qualms about creating dishes far removed from court cuisine.
Rather, he likely prioritized what the great King wanted to eat.
…A few hours after the dinner party, Marius and Auraniess disappeared, but no one found it odd.
They only understood upon seeing the expression of overflowing satisfaction on the Great Demon Lord’s face, even as she was battered and bruised.
