Chapter 457: Feast
“Is it around here?”
“Yeah, cut along the indentation.”
“Not just the bones, but the tendons are tough too!”
“Hey, what’s this?”
“If you tear that, it’ll taste bitter. Be careful, do it gently.”
Under Retze’s guidance, Dean, Chris, and I are working, while Haulon directs Dinoss and Karn.
Amidst the lively disassembly, it feels like we’re at a construction site, engaged in some heavy labor. Ash and the Butler are helping by transporting the separated parts and cleaning materials for tools.
“It’s tough when it’s this big…”
Haulon comments while sketching.
It seems the Great Sage has started preparing materials, diligently drawing detailed illustrations and jotting down notes. His skill is impressive; the drawings on the parchment with ink could easily be turned into postcards. Perhaps it’s just me seeing it as antique-like.
Ink is common here, and using parchment likely has less influence from Spirits than regular paper. Is Haulon aiming for an anatomical diagram?
The drips from the disassembly process are being gathered into spheres by the Spirits, ensuring that no odors escape. The meat itself is odorless, but it seems the juices spilling out have a smell?
There’s a lot of it, and it feels different from typical meat drippings. Is something else flowing along with the blood?
“I’ve never seen this much blood and something else coming out.”
“I didn’t find anything like it in the books I read, but there are still plenty of dragon books left.”
“Where are they… I want to ask, but I also don’t.”
As I converse with Retze, Haulon makes a subtle face.
“Gene, didn’t you ask the Spirits to drain the blood? Normally, it might not be noticeable mixed in with the blood.”
“Should we [Store] this? Or just toss it into the sea?”
A number of slightly yellowish droplets are floating, and it’s hard to tell if it’s fantasy or grotesque.
“What about [Appraisal]?”
Dinoss calls out from his work.
“Oh. —Frostproof Blood. This dragon species has two types of blood circulating in its body, and due to the abundance of its bodily fluids, it’s resistant to fire and cold. That’s what it says.”
It mentioned something about a stout physique, but I’ll keep quiet since it’s probably a translation from the black one’s [Language].
Sometimes it happens, right? When a direct translation sounds strange. Plus, it seems it’s not something meant for eating, and the explanation is brief. The red one we collected first had various uses for sauces and such.
“Oh? There are two types of blood? If you don’t need it, could you give it to me? I’d like to study it.”
With Haulon’s request, we decide to collect it.
“Hey Ash, could you gather it over to Haulon?”
“Understood.”
The spheres move as if poked, remaining round. I had been gently pushing them away from the dragon to avoid obstruction, but now I’ll gather them towards Haulon.
Haulon, carrying the spheres, looks somewhat like an evil sorcerer, but I shouldn’t dwell on that. Still, the faintly yellow spheres reflecting the weak light of the Northern Lands do have a somewhat divine appearance.
Shiva is in charge of cutting the separated parts into manageable sizes. She does it swiftly and beautifully.
“I’ve removed the shell.”
Karn, having taken off his robe, is peeling the shell with a crunch. The king is the strongest among us.
Everyone is using their Spirit Swords, but it’s quite a challenge. The dragon, still Spirit Possessed, must be even tougher. The difficulty lies not in defeating it, but in disassembling it, which adds to the uncertainty.
Once the disassembly is complete, everything that can be used as material is [Stored]. And now, it’s time for meat!
—But first, a bath!
Then, meat!
Returning to the Northern Lands, we feast heartily on meat.
“Dreamy cartoon meat!”
“Cartoon meat?”
Haulon repeats, puzzled.
It’s not at the joints, but the bones are heavily laden with meat. The ideal shape and size, but there’s the issue of it being raw inside even when cooked.
However, this isn’t Japan. We’ll slowly grill it over charcoal, and I’ll ask the Fire Spirit to ensure it’s cooked through. The Fire Spirit flits back and forth between the surface and inside of the meat. Crisp on the outside, medium on the inside, please.
While grilling the large piece of meat, a regular-sized steak sizzles away.
“Wow, this is delicious!”
Dean exclaims, stuffing his face with the thick meat.
“When I first bit into it, it had a bounce to it, but it wasn’t tough at all.”
Shiva comments, holding her cheeks.
Taking a big bite, the thick meat fills my mouth with its presence. As I chew, the juices spread, and the meat is easy to bite through. The rib-like cut is the best steak!
The breast meat is light, and when chewed, it flakes apart like a scallop. The belly meat is fatty, but when well-cooked, the fat caramelizes, giving it a fragrant and delicious flavor. Even a bit charred is fine. It has a texture that’s a mix of firm and tender.
“While some characteristics overlap with other animals, the flavor is exceptional.”
Retze and Haulon sample various cuts, resembling culinary researchers savoring the meat.
“The fat is sweet, and it doesn’t linger in the mouth. I had no idea, but dragons are truly delicious.”
“Lord Ash, I too have learned this for the first time…”
Ash and the Butler are enjoying the same dish, elegantly cutting their thick steaks into bite-sized pieces.
“Oh, this pairs well with alcohol. The thick one is for beer, and this one is for wine.”
Dinoss has two different steaks on his plate.
“…”
Karn seems to be enjoying his meat with wine. While grilling, Haulon and Dinoss’s Spirits, along with many others, helped out, so the meat should be bursting with flavor.
—The meat that Dean’s Fire Lizard helped grill is on Dean’s plate.
Today, I won’t tell anyone to eat vegetables. They’re set out to reset our palates, but everyone is washing them down with alcohol.
I sink my teeth into that beautifully grilled meat. Is this ribeye? I’m quite full, but I’m going to eat!