Chapter 454: The Disassembly Plan
“Dragon Meat, huh? I’ve never actually eaten that,” Dean said after we had gone over the details.
“What part do you want?”
“Maybe the back, just a bit below the shoulder? No, if it’s a flying type, then the thigh?”
“Ribs or thigh?”
Dean seemed quite enthusiastic about eating, and he answered with his preferences.
“When Dean talks about dragon parts, it sounds like he’s talking about meat, but when I say it, it sounds like I’m talking about the body parts! That’s amazing!”
Chris looked at us with a face full of admiration.
“The flexibility to accept things… Is this what youth is all about?”
Haulon let out a voice that sounded somewhat resigned and pitiful.
“No, I should be the same age as Dean…”
Retze muttered quietly without looking at Haulon.
In this world, people look about five years older than the Japanese I know, but those with Spirits tend to look younger. So, to me, Dean looks his age.
I think it’s because having a Spirit improves one’s health. Well, depending on the type of Spirit, there are cases where a baby suddenly becomes an adult, but that’s just a common pattern.
“Haah… If we’re going to eat, at least have the Black Spirit removed at the Temple. If you can do it yourself, that’s fine too,” Retze sighed deeply.
Now that I think about it, both Adventurers and residents regularly visit the Temple, and materials, including ingredients, obtained from strong Demon Beasts are brought there to have the Black Spirits removed.
“Strong Demon Beasts have strong Black Spirits, and if they’ve started to merge, the Black Spirits are hard to remove even after the body dies. Dragons are strong, and the Black Spirits that possess them are strong too. Those who have Spirits might repel the Black Spirits to some extent, though,” Haulon explained.
“I see! So if we remove the regular Spirits too, can we all do a taste test?”
“…”
Haulon covered his face with both hands and leaned over, resting his head on Retze’s shoulder.
“Why? Why do you want to eat a dragon so badly? And why do you want to feed it to us?”
He let out a deliberately exaggerated whimper.
“Isn’t it natural to want to eat something rare together?”
Don’t you want to share your thoughts?
“That rare thing has various options before we eat it… Great Sage, calm down a bit.”
Retze straightened Haulon up.
“If Dean is going, then I’ll go too! I’ve heard it’s delicious!”
Chris placed one hand on his chest and extended the other, sparkling with excitement.
“Yeah! Delicious meat should be shared with many!”
Dean was in high spirits.
“Even the Great Mage Haulon hasn’t tried dragon meat; it’ll be something to brag about! You might not be able to tell others, but you can enjoy it yourself!”
Dean, who was drinking from his mug, was already the most tipsy among us.
He was drinking a lot, but he also got cheerful quickly, and that state lasted a long time. So, it can’t be said that he’s weak to alcohol.
“…! I’ll eat it! Yes, this is the joy of discovering the unknown…!”
Haulon shouted while still covering his face with both hands. Is he really crying?
Perhaps because of Haulon’s outburst, Karn, who had been quietly drinking, paused and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you serious?”
Karn’s muffled voice slipped out, blocked by his cup.
“Hey, don’t get all worked up.”
“Retze, you’ll be there for the disassembly, right?”
I asked Retze, who was looking at Haulon with a face that said, “Oh dear.”
“—I’m interested in the disassembly part. However, I’ll be a hindrance due to the influence of the Black Spirit, so I’ll refrain.”
I see, so that’s why he set boundaries from the start?
“We’ll remove the Black Spirits, and then call you. I’ve copied several methods for disassembling dragons; which one do you think is best?”
I laid out the disassembly diagrams in front of Retze.
I had copied diagrams from books on dragon meat, materials for weapons and armor, and materials for potions.
“Wow, so even among dragons, there are those that fly and those that don’t. I thought the non-flying ones were like worms, but there are various types in this diagram.”
Retze moved the wine glass and dishes away from in front of him and began examining the diagrams.
“Which of these shapes is closest to the one we have?”
“Ah, there were two types.”
“Yeah. The Demon Beast is the non-flying type, and this one here.”
“I can’t tell well from the diagram, but if the skeletal structure is similar, the position of the organs might be roughly the same. If we crush the organs or fail to drain the blood, it’ll become inedible. But there are also methods to intentionally leave blood in the meat for potions.”
Retze spoke as he looked through the diagrams one after another.
“We’re prioritizing securing meat for eating, right? What’s the next priority?”
“Since weapons and armor are conspicuous when worn, maybe potions for emergencies? But if Dean and the others want dragon gear, we can prioritize that instead.”
Upon hearing this, Retze pulled out several diagrams from the stack.
“Legendary dragon gear…”
“That’s the gear used by heroes in the past. How many are left?”
Dean and Chris exchanged words.
“Retze… You’re on that side too, huh…”
Haulon murmured with a hint of sadness.