[Fire] Attribute People
"So, what’re we makin’?"
After changing clothes, we went straight to the kitchen, where we found the head chef, Mack, and Terry. Dolly seemed to have the day off.
I told them about the Karkinos and about Ijok.
Mack had cooked Karkinos before, but he was looking forward to seeing what kind of dish Joan would come up with this time—something he didn’t know, surely.
"Hmm, let’s see~ First, maybe grilled in the shell? Then crab rice and crab soup, I guess."
"It’s huge, so we’ll have to cook outside. Gotta build a hearth. Hey Terry, go get that sorted."
"On it."
"Alright, let’s prep while we wait… first, gotta thaw it out." Thud.
"Whoa!! That’s even bigger than I thought. But why’d you freeze it solid?"
"Well, wouldn’t the freshness drop otherwise?"
"Huh? Young Lady, your storage has time stopped inside—it doesn’t lose freshness."
"Ah… I forgot."
"Ahahahaha, well, fair enough then. Still, thawin’ this’ll take a while. What’ll we do?"
"Hmm~ oh! I know. Wait here a sec."
I left the kitchen and went looking for Rosso.
He was napping on the sofa in the living room with Grandfather. Seriously, I feel like Rosso’s always asleep.
"Okay then, I’m counting on you."
(Yeees, sure thing~)
"Whoa, hot!! The fire’s too strong!"
The Karkinos’s torso, laid out on the worktable, started melting rapidly under Rosso’s fire magic.
(But if I don’t go strong, it’ll take forever, you know?)
"Hmm, yeah, that’d be a problem. We’ve still got the claws and legs to go too."
(My magic alone might not be enough.)
"Ah, then let’s ask the others too. If it’s for food, I’m sure they’ll help. Wait here, I’ll go call them."
Saying that, Joan dashed out of the kitchen again.
"Who else has the [Fire] attribute? I hope it’s not the two I’m thinkin’ of..."
(Hmm? The only one I know is Belle.)
The two left behind tilted their heads in unison.
Let’s see, Fire attribute people… Belle, Young Master Eric, and Grandmother, I think? Wonder where they all are?
At times like this…
"Saaaaaaraaaaaah."
Whoosh. "Did you call?"
"Whoa!!"
Oof… that ninja skill never gets old.
Every single time, I have no clue where she comes from.
"Do you know where Belle or Young Master Eric are?"
"Both of them are at the private soldiers’ training grounds with Young Master Gene and Zack. Shall I call them?"
"Hmm, if they’re training, I don’t wanna interrupt~ Anyone else with the Fire attribute who’s free?"
"Let’s see~ At the moment, perhaps Sebastian might be available?"
"Huh? Sebastian’s Fire attribute?"
"Yes. Shall I fetch him?"
"Hmm, could you just tell me where he is? If I’m asking for help, I should go myself."
"He should be in his office right now."
"Thanks."
Knock knock knock."It’s Joan."
Click. "Oh? Young Lady, what brings you here?"
"I wanted to ask you for a favor. Actually, could you help me thaw out a Karkinos?"
"Thaw a Karkinos, you say?"
I explained the whole thing to Sebastian, including the part where I’d unnecessarily frozen it solid.
"Heh, heh, I see. Very well. If I can be of help, I’d be glad to assist."
"Thank you! Then let’s head to the kitchen."
"Ah, Young Lady, might I make a small request in return?"
"What is it?"
"I’d like to experience this ‘teleportation’ of yours once. The master’s bragged countless times—quite smugly, I might add—about how incredible it is, and I’d love to see for myself."
"Bragged smugly, huh… Well, teleporting’s no big deal. Sure, anytime. Here, take my hand."
"Like this?"
"Yup. (Kitchen… kitchen…) [Teleport].” Whoosh.
"Whoa!!"
"Hohoho! No wonder the master likes to brag… What is it, Mack? You look so surprised."
"Well, uh, why’s Sebastian here?"
"Huh? ’Cause he’s Fire attribute."
"… Right. (Man, of all people, Sebastian and Lady Lindsey are the last ones I wanted. Hurry up, Terry...)"
"Alright then, Sebastian, could you take care of these…" Thud.
"Please?"
I placed both of the claws in front of Sebastian.
"My, my, what splendid Karkinos this is. By the way, you’re planning to turn this shell into weapons, yes?"
"Yup, that’s right."
"Then a half-thaw would be best. You should probably ask Ijok himself how to separate the shell from the meat."
"Ah, true. If we mess with it now, it might become useless."
"Exactly. I’ll thaw them halfway, then."
Thanks to Sebastian and Rosso, the Karkinos was half-thawed. The legs thawed naturally just by being near the claws and torso. What we learned this time: with a storage that stops time, freezing things is completely unnecessary from now on.
"Finally, we can start cooking."
"Ahaha, yeah, no more freezing ever again. Okay, the claws will wait for Ijok, so I’ll put them in storage… Now, for the grilled shell dish—cut off the flap, flip the shell upside down, and remove the belly section… Think we can do it?"
This Karkinos was one of the larger ones. The flap alone was bigger than Joan’s face. Even if she could cut it, she wasn’t sure if they could pry it apart.
"Alright! Let’s try using Body Enhancement."
They managed to cut the flap, and with Body Enhancement active, Mack cracked and popped the belly section free.
""Ooooh."" Clap clap clap clap.
Terry and I clapped at the sight.
"Man~ This is the first time I’ve ever used magic or skills to cook."
"Seriously. You’d never think of eating Karkinos anywhere but in the wild. Guess that’s what makes you special, Young Lady."
"Oh, come on. If Search says it’s delicious, how could I not eat it? Or would you rather not?"
""Eat!!""
What do you think about this chapter?
