Chapter 496 – Arrived at the Untouched Dungeon
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2710db/
Author: Eguchi Ren
“I- I thought I was gonna die… oooff…”
Gideon stumbled off Grandpa Gon on legs that were as wobbly as a newborn calf’s. He managed to take two steps forward before tottering and falling flat on his face, completely ruining his ruggedly handsome Hollywood actor presence.
“Heave ho! Ugh, heave ho! Goodness, this guy is really heavy!”
Gaudino and Feodora struggled to carry Siegwald down from the dragon. Despite his short stature, Dwarves were solidly built, which made him super heavy.
The poor Dwarf had pa.s.sed out the moment Grandpa Gon’s feet left the ground, his eyes turning white and… I swear he was even foaming a little at the mouth.
“Feeble,” muttered Feodora-san as she leapt off Grandpa Gon’s back to land gracefully on the ground.
“Tch, just because you’re an Elf…”
Even Gideon-san looked a little green around the edges.
Haha.
I had been there, so I totally understand the hards.h.i.+p you faced. I’m only fine now because I had already gotten used to travelling via GG Airways.
I pretended not to notice as Gideon and Gaudino-san hugged the ground and cried, happy to not be in the air anymore. Let’s not remind them that we may have to go back the same way…
As for my familiars… after Grandpa Gon shrank to a more manageable size, Fer grandly declared, “Let’s go.”
He was about to proudly lead the way when I shouted, “No, no, no, we’re not going anywhere today.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“”Oi!!””
“”No pew pew?””
“For one thing, the sun is setting,” I said. “And for another,” I pointed at the miserable members of the [Ark], “How far do you think they can go? Siegwald-san still hasn’t woken up yet.”
Fer curled his lip, “Weak.”
“Ahem,” I said and glared. That stopped Fer from saying anything else. I transferred my glare to the rest and they all looked away.
“Whose fault was it that we had to fly all over this place all afternoon just to find the entrance?”
“Mu…”
“Kuhh…”
“Who was it that confidently said that ‘Of course, I can find the entrance right away’ and yet found nothing after lunch had come and gone?”
“It can’t be helped…”
“It was hard to find…”
“That was not my question.”
“Mu…”
“Kuhh…”
To sum it up, we got to this area quickly enough. However, because the land was so broken up and [1] saturated with spent magical energy it was difficult to determine where the entrance to the dungeon was.
In the end, Dora-chan managed to finally spot it in a gap between two large rocks. I have no idea how he did it since it looked more like a bit of shadow than an actual hole or cave entrance.
“Anyway, we can only go tomorrow soonest,” I said firmly.
“I guess it can’t be helped…”
“Mu…”
Sui and Dora-chan also made some disappointed noises, but I ignored them and used my Earth Magic to clear a s.p.a.ce before taking out my new magic stove. While I did make as much food as time permitted, it’s still better to save those for the dungeon challenge. I have four more people to feed after all.
“M-mukouda-san?!”
“Hm?”
“Th-th-that…”
“That?” I looked at where he was pointing and, “Oh, this is my magic stove. Pretty nifty, isn’t it? It really can’t be helped since I’m serving so many gluttons. Hahahaha.”
That’s right, this is perfectly normal.
Absolutely, 100% normal.
“Cost aside, to carry that huge thing around, even in an [Item Box] is…”
I cleared my throat and decided to ignore him. Let him work out a reasonable excuse in his mind. I have some serious cooking to do, as well as people and monsters to feed.
Right, even though I took out the magic stove in front of the [Ark], I cannot reveal my [Net Super] before them.
So, my repertoire is limited to things already in hand. The best thing would be something meaty yet easy to make. Which ultimately meant a Don dish.
Meat on rice in a bowl.
For tonight’s meat, let’s go with a Pork & Cabbage Sesame Seed Stir-fry.
This Chinese-style stir-fry is simply irresistible with good-quality sesame seeds. Also, I’m limited in what I can make because those special sauces that come in convenient plastic bottles really should not be used before this crowd…
Hahhh… I really didn’t think things through when I was preparing for the trip. Will I have to sneakily buy stuff from [Net Super] from now on?
Whatever, let’s focus on the present situation first. The pork would be Dungeon Pork and the cabbages would be from Alban’s prided little vegetable garden.
A super easy dish.
First, roughly chop up the cabbage into bite-size pieces. Finely sliced the pork, which should also be about the same size as the roughly chopped-up cabbage.
Then, make the seasoning using soy sauce, saké, mirin, sugar and ground white sesame seeds.
In a pan, heat up some sesame oil, stir-fry the pork until it changes colour then add the cabbage. Once the cabbage had softened, swirl in the seasoning and toss the ingredients around until nicely coated.
Finally, place the Pork & Cabbage Sesame Seed Stir-fry onto bowls of rice.
“Right, all done.”
I looked up from the stove and had to take a step back.
There were several drooling faces looking at me. More specifically, at my food.
Feodora-san’s eyes were sparkling.
I coughed, “Yes, yes, please hold on.”
With a stomp, I made a table and set out the bowls of rice and meat. Naturally, I did not forget to serve my familiars. While Feodora-san was chowing away, I noticed that Siegwald had also woken up.
“Ah, Siegwald-san. How are you feeling?”
“Ugh, I’m not too sure. Something sure smells good though.” He struggled to his feet and tottered over to the table.
To encourage him, I brought out a few bottles of higher-end beer. “Ahem, since we shouldn’t drink in the dungeon, let’s finish these here, shall we?”
“Ooou!! You’re the best, Mukouda-san!!”
“Kaahhh!! To think we could drink liquor in a place like this~~”
“Hyahoo!!! It’s liquor! As expected of Mukouda-san~~!!”
Haha, at least they all cheered up.
“Liquor is it? May I have some too, Master?”
“Sure, hold on,” I said as I popped open a couple of bottles and poured them into a deep dish for Grandpa Gon.
Not wanting to leave Feodora-san out, I handed her a gla.s.s of slightly higher-end 100% apple juice.
In fact, everyone not drinking liquor is given 100% apple juice.
[2] After serving everyone and making sure they have a drink at hand, I finally settle down to eat. Oh my, the sesame seeds really make the flavours pop. The cabbage was delicious too.
After a bite of food, I took a swig of beer, “Kuuhh, that’s delish~!!”
“Seconds!”
“More drinks!”
“Delis.h.!.+”
Ah, time to work.
[2] The people from [Ark] were a little hesitant to ask for seconds, but…
“You know, this is the last night we get to eat and drink like this,” I said, “So let’s eat and drink to our heart’s content.”
“Ou! Beer!”
“…food.”
“Mukouda-san is the best!”
“Hear, hear!”
Even as I served everyone their food and drink, I can’t help but worry a little about tomorrow.
I wonder, just what we would encounter in an ‘Untouched’ dungeon?
[Gumihou: Cut off a loooooot of repeats at the end, probably close to 250 words]
[1] Give a proper-ish reason why they have difficulty finding the dungeon entrance
[2] Deleted ‘oh my delish’ x 6
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