We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Seafood.
We were returning from the North Sea at Nimia’s full speed. We had played too much, and the sun had already begun to tilt low in the west! If we didn’t get back much sooner than sunset, Mistral and the others wouldn’t cook the freshly caught fish for us!
“I’ll prepare the fish Ruilala caught. Ruiseine, please cook that. Lyra, grill the shellfish. Sefina, I’ll leave the dismantling of the other fish to you. For anything left over, please process it so it can be preserved.”
“Yufi-san and Nina-san, please take Priscilla-chan to the bath, okay?”
“I shall go to the Dragon King’s Forest and call for Yuuri-sama and the others.”
“No doubt, the spirits will start making a lively racket too. I will take this chance to rest a little.”
The courtyard of the mansion was noisy with everyone bustling about. It seemed that tonight, we were all going to have a grand meal party in the courtyard. Shooting Star Sama and the Mimicho race people were mixed in, helping out as well.
And then, I was in a seiza position as usual!
“Kukuku. So, you didn’t catch anything?”
“Guf.”
“Elnea-kun, you’re still quite immature, aren’t you?”
“Shiku shiku.”
“Then, you who caught nothing will have no dinner?”
“Eeeeh?! …Or rather! Why am I being forced to do seiza and be toyed with by the Demon Race!?”
Mistral and the others were busy preparing dinner. Yufilia and Nina went to the bath with Priscilla-chan, Nimia, and Ares-chan. In the end, Priscilla-chan had entered the sea. Of course, it was in a shallow area, but even so, with her small body, she was instantly soaked when a wave came. So, she was all sticky with saltwater, hence the bath right after returning.
The vast mansion has many baths. There are baths of various sizes, from open-air ones to ones with the scent of cypress, each with different styles. Among them, in the area opened as the Dragon King’s Inn, there is a large public bath surrounded by natural rocks. Of course, they are separated by gender, and there are also smaller baths for those who dislike large public baths. The North Sea expedition team seems to be using the large bath for Shooting Star Sama and his entourage, to take their baths.
And so, I watched Priscilla-chan and the others off. Still in seiza! By the way, I haven’t done anything wrong, you know? It’s just that I was the only one who didn’t catch anything on my fishing trip… Before Ruilala interfered in the sea, I guess I was just bad at fishing…
“They say that with fishing, before bait or equipment, choosing the right spot is the most important thing. It seems you chose the wrong spot?”
“Thinking back on it? The fish are swimming in the sea, so I thought they would eventually notice the bait and bite, and even though there was no reaction, I didn’t change spots!”
“Fufufu. Elnea-kun, that was the cause.”
“It’s surprisingly deep.”
I’ve tried carp fishing in a river before. At that time, I’d put the paste bait on the hook, cast it into the river, and then just wait for a carp to bite. If I attached a bell to the tip of the rod beforehand, I wouldn’t even need to watch the fishing line or the rod tip. It seems challenging the sea fishing with that mindset was a mistake.
“Alright, next time for sure!”
“That’s a good spirit. But remember this: the large blue fish that I prefer swim in the deep parts of the sea. It’s not easy to catch them from the shore rocks.”
“Eh! So, you mean…?”
“If you want to aim for blue fish, you’ll either have to find a proper rocky area or take a boat.”
“Uh. But if I go out to sea on a boat…?”
“You’ll likely be attacked by Ruilala’s parent.”
“What did you say—!”
It’s really hard to catch those big blue fish! And then, I realized something.
“Wait a minute? So, you mean I was supposed to be unable to catch blue fish from the start!? I was deceived!”
“Kukuku. That’s why I attached Ruilala, wasn’t it?”
“If we ask Ruilala, she can obtain seafood that His Majesty prefers.”
“It was a trap! From the beginning, I was dancing on the scheme of the Demon Race! Muki—!”
Ruilala was smiling behind the Demon Lord and Charlotte. It’s cruel, isn’t it?
“So. Why am I being made to do seiza?”
Oh, right. I mustn’t forget. What is the reason for my seiza? Mistral, who ordered me to do seiza, is preparing to cut the giant fish Ruilala caught with an equally giant knife.
Mistral effortlessly lifts a fish, fat and round, more than twice his height, from the net with both hands. He places it on a large cutting board and inserts the knife into its belly. Then, without hesitation, he thrusts his arm in and removes the entrails. The cheers from Shooting Star Sama and the Mimicho people alike erupt at Mistral’s physical power as a Dragon Race member and his fluid movements. Mistral removes the entrails and swings the knife again. In no time, he precisely carves it into three pieces. The clean red meat and the fat-laden flesh, resembling pink, look beautiful.
According to Ruilala: “Bleeding is important, so let’s handle that part on-site without fail.” Following this expert instruction, the fish’s blood was already drained in the North Sea. Therefore, even when butchering a large fish, no unnecessary blood splatters. Well, with Mistral’s culinary skills, any ingredient would be impeccably prepared!
Ruiseine cuts the fish butchered by Mistral. Together with the Mimicho women and Shooting Star Sama’s entourage, they prepare it as simmered dishes and grilled dishes. From the looks of it, Shooting Star Sama’s group, who stayed at the mansion, seems to have blended in well with everyone. However, no one still approaches the Demon Lord or Charlotte familiarly. But that’s fine! Because if Shooting Star Sama’s group also gets caught up in the Demon Lord and Charlotte’s games, they’ll be miserable.
“Does that mean you’re saying we’re the ones causing you trouble, and you feel sorry for us?”
“Not at all, Your Majesty?”
“Fufufu. Elnea-kun, remember that no matter how unfamiliar we are, everything can get swept up depending on our intentions.”
“I’ve already forgotten! And, you shouldn’t involve Shooting Star Sama’s group!”
“In that case, you shall serve.”
“This Demon Lord is calling being toyed with ‘service’!”
While the Demon Lord and Charlotte were playing with me, the meal preparations were steadily progressing.
“To you two. We’ve finished preparing this first, so please, enjoy.”
Then, Mistral, ever considerate, brought over grilled shellfish and bivalves, along with some alcohol. Hot seawater dripped from the lids of the shellfish. The bivalves had opened nicely, revealing their plump insides. Mistral placed the grilled shellfish on the table and poured the alcohol. The Demon Lord downed the clear liquid in the cup in one gulp. Then, he stuck a toothpick into a shellfish, twirled it around to extract the contents, and popped the hot morsel into his mouth. And then, he drank some more alcohol.
Hmm. It looks delicious just watching! My stomach started to rumble.
“Hey, Mistral. I’m getting hungry too. Can I ask you something? Why am I being made to do seiza?”
While serving alcohol to the Demon Lord and Charlotte, Mistral looked at me. And then, he gave a wry smile.
“I’m sorry. I forgot.”
“Eeee—!”
“Just kidding. But it’s true that because you were keeping the Demon Lord and the others occupied, the dinner preparations proceeded smoothly.”
“In other words, I was made to do seiza as a sacrifice!?”
“That is your role, is it not?”
The Demon Lord laughed. Charlotte also smiled, and even Ruilala wore a smile. And then, Shooting Star Sama’s group, who had been observing us—or rather, the Demon Race—from a distance, showed a slight look of relief. Shooting Star Sama’s group still sees the Demon Lord and the others only as “members of the Demon Race.” Even though they spend time in the same space during the day and understand that they won’t cause any unnecessary harm, they still feel a strong sense of incongruity with the Demon Lord and Charlotte’s everyday actions like talking, laughing, and eating the same things in the same place as they do.
From now on. I hope that while we are staying in the forbidden territory, these feelings of incongruity and resentment will disappear. Therefore, I must be the first to break down the barriers between the Demon Race and the Human Race!
“So, I, who desires to eat those bivalves, am asking for them!”
“Oh, these?”
The Demon Lord picked up a plump bivalve with his chopsticks, drizzled with the juice of a strongly aromatic, acidic citrus fruit. And then, he ate it right in front of me!
“Of course! That’s something a Demon Lord would do, isn’t it! Mistral, please give me some too!”
“No. First, we must serve Ruilala’s superior, who brought the seafood as instructed. Your share will have to wait until everyone of importance has been served.”
“Bu-but…”
Needless to say, Ruilala brought back the most seafood. However, in front of the Demon Lord and Charlotte, Ruilala couldn’t be the first to eat. So, first, they were served to the Demon Lord and Charlotte, and then to the contributor, Ruilala. I, who was not useful, have to wait. Seeing me with my shoulders slumped dejectedly, the Demon Lord and the others laughed merrily. And then, Shooting Star Sama’s group watched from afar with curious eyes the Demon Race members displaying proper human reactions.
Grandma Yuuri and the others visited from the Dragon King’s Forest. The spirits illuminated the courtyard busily. After Priscilla-chan and the others, who had been cleaned up, had gathered, the welcome dinner party for Shooting Star Sama’s entourage began. Finally released from “seiza,” I eagerly pounced on the grilled fish with Priscilla-chan.
“Elnea-kun. His Majesty loves this grilled fish-head dish.”
“Ruilala, don’t hesitate to take some!”
“Hahaha. Chancellor-sama ordered me to have Elnea-kun bring some to you.”
“Don’t drag me into this!?”
“Um, Priscilla wants to eat it too.”
“Grrr. I can’t help it. Priscilla-chan, let’s both take this to the Demon Lord.”
“Okay!”
On a large plate was the meticulously grilled head of the day’s largest fish, a rare dish called “kabutoyaki” (head grill). The skin on the surface was crisply grilled and peeling back, revealing the delicious meat steaming within. I carried it to the Demon Lord. Priscilla-chan followed with plates for herself and me.
“Elnea-kun, please place it there. I will be in charge of serving.”
Charlotte inserted a small sword into the head of the kabutoyaki I placed on the table and extracted the piping hot meat. Unlike beast meat, the flaky chunks of meat came off as one piece, yet held together. Charlotte dripped a little lemon onto the meat and handed it to the Demon Lord. My throat involuntarily went dry.
It seems that acidic citrus juice pairs well with grilled fish. Moreover, it varies depending on the type of fish grilled and the part being eaten. Some have a strong aroma, some are very acidic, and some go well with salt. Seeing the Demon Race members select these with ease and squeeze them onto the meat, I thought: The Demon Lords must eat a lot of sea fish. The Demon Race, with its vast territory, especially the Giant Demon Lord, has expanded its domain to the North Sea by absorbing the territory of the Fairy Demon Lord Kusharilla. And they have Ruilala as a close aide. Therefore, even with their capital inland, they can eat sea fish and know delicious ways to prepare them. Yufilia and Nina mentioned that in the Armēdo Kingdom, royals and nobles occasionally eat seafood. However, even if adventurers risked their lives descending the Shū River and desperately obtained seafood, it would take many days to bring it back. Therefore, even for royalty, they only tasted dried fish processed for long-term preservation. Thus, being able to eat freshly grilled or simmered fish and shellfish like this is actually a very precious experience.
Shooting Star Sama’s group also cheered and rejoiced at the abundant seafood. They lined up neatly before the grilled fish, shellfish, simmered dishes, and various other dishes, and received their freshly prepared meals, eating them properly while seated. Everyone wore happy smiles. So, my stomach also craves seafood!
“Here, Priscilla. Eat carefully, it’s hot.”
“Hafuu hafuu. It’s delicious!”
Priscilla-chan, who sat unabashedly on the Demon Lord’s lap, took a bite of the grilled fish-head meat before the Demon Lord did.
“I want to eat it too!”
“Yes!” I raised my hand enthusiastically, and Charlotte threw a small fish into my mouth.
“Uwah. It’s bitter!”
“That bitterness is from the entrails.”
“What are you feeding me!”
“Oh, Elnea-kun. That small fish is a delicacy, isn’t it? The bitterness goes well with strong alcoholic beverages.”
“I’d rather stuff my mouth with fish meat than eat small fish that go with alcohol? Ah. And those bivalves the Demon Lord was eating earlier also looked delicious! The plump meat bursting with juice…!” I started salivating just remembering it. The larger shellfish were being grilled. The smaller ones were being made into some kind of soup by Ruilala. That Ruilala. Despite appearances, she’s surprisingly good at cooking.
“You’re learning to cook too, I see.”
“I specialize in eating what my wives make!”
“Priscilla too!” I can cook, you know, having traveled alone. But my cooking is pathetic compared to Mistral’s home-cooked meals, and everyone cooks for me because they want me to eat their food. So, I never had the opportunity to hone my cooking skills.
“Even so, you should be able to grill shellfish or broil fish. Tonight, instead of satisfying your own desires, why not serve someone?”
“Mumu. To hear that from the Demon Lord… But perhaps you’re right. I feel like I’ve always been on the receiving end. From now on, acting for everyone else is also important.”
Through circumstances, we’ve had grand adventures and gotten caught up in big commotions. In those times, everyone served me and followed me. That’s precisely why… in daily life, I must serve everyone else!
“Alright, I’ll start by learning to grill shellfish! Ruiseine, I’ll grill the shellfish for you!”
“Oh my, oh my, that would be a great help.”
Rather than satisfying my own appetite, I ran to the grilling area for my family, for everyone, putting down my plate.
