Chapter 47: The Day a Beastman Wagged His Tail

In the heated pan, I sautéed the onions and garlic I had just chopped, then added the soaked rice.

Sizzle sizzle—

When the rice was almost cooked, I poured in milk and stir-fried it once more.

Bubble bubble—

Finally, I grated cheese and truffles on top.

The aroma alone was already extraordinary. 

When I served the dish, I could even hear Mary swallowing loudly beside me.

“This is truffle cream risotto.”

“The fragrance is wonderful. Let me try it.”

Sharin elegantly yet swiftly scooped a spoonful and brought it to her lips. 

She chewed with refined grace.

“Mmm~ The earthy scent is truly captivating.”

On the other hand, the beastman still hadn’t touched the food, his brow deeply furrowed.

Seeing this, Sharin spoke.

“Please try it. It’s absolutely delicious.”

“I can’t hold back any longer!”

The beastman twisted his lips.

“You’re telling me to eat food made by a human?”

“Chief Balbo, please calm yourself.”

“Calm myself? After you’ve insulted me like this?”

Balbo looked ready to storm out at any moment, his anger rising even higher.

“Don’t you know that humans and beastmen have bad blood from the past?”

“That wasn’t my intention at all. So please don’t be angry.”

While the beastman openly showed his displeasure, Sharin maintained her dignity to the end and politely apologized.

Balbo seemed to realize he had gotten too worked up and suppressed his excitement.

“Ahem. Then why is there a human in the Elf Forest in the first place?”

“This human is the most popular chef in our Elf Forest. I specially asked him to cook for you, Chief Balbo.”

“A human in the Elf Forest? The world must be ending.”

Balbo clicked his tongue.

“Please put aside your anger and eat, for my sake.”

At Sharin’s gentle, soothing tone, the beastman seemed to soften a little.

“Since you insist so much… I’ll at least taste it. It’s only food, after all.”

Despite his words, I could see him continuously licking his lips. 

Just like how he kept savoring the lingering sweetness of the watermelon juice he hadn’t been able to drink more of because of his pride.

Finally, as if he had no choice, Balbo picked up the spoon and took a big bite of the truffle risotto.

Grin—

A triumphant smile spread across my face. Got him.

Chew chew.

Glare!

“Th-this flavor?!”

Balbo’s eyes widened in shock, frozen as if he couldn’t recover from the impact.

“What’s wrong? Is it not to your taste?”

Sharin tilted her head.

“N-no, I mean… you’re saying this human made this?”

“Didn’t you watch him cook?”

The beastman stared at me.

Ears pulled back. 

Clear, sparkling eyes. 

A slightly protruding tongue.

It was no longer the venomous glare from earlier; it looked exactly like a farm puppy waiting for a treat.

See? Told you it’s amazing.

Balbo took another bite of the truffle cream risotto.

Twitch.

This time his triangular ears perked straight up and even fluttered. 

He definitely liked my cooking.

No matter how hard he tried to pretend otherwise, his body’s reactions couldn’t lie.

He silently savored the food, but his whole body was reacting intensely.

…Is his tail wagging too?

Curious, I glanced at his tail.

It was creaking as it tried to move. He was clearly forcing himself to keep it still.

His face was that of a scary wolf, but his behavior was pure puppy through and through.

The intimidating aura I’d felt from him at first had vanished completely, replaced by a sense of friendliness.

Clink clink.

In the quiet, only the sound of cutlery clinking rang out.

Before long, both of them had completely cleaned their plates.

Next, I took the wild strawberry milk pudding from the basket, plated it myself, and handed the tray to Mary.

“For dessert. Please enjoy.”

Mary placed the wild strawberry milk pudding on the table.

I wonder if his tail will wag this time.

For some reason, a strange competitive urge rose in me—I really wanted to make that tail wag.

I focused on Balbo’s tail.

This time, without any complaints, he immediately scooped up a bite of the pudding and brought it to his mouth.

At that moment—

Swish—

Like dogtail grass swaying in the wind, his tail gently wagged.

But Balbo immediately flinched and forced it to stop. It had only been a moment, but the fact that it definitely moved filled me with satisfaction.

The beastman’s guard had clearly dropped another level.

Only then did I casually approach the table and ask,

“How was the meal?”

“It was excellent. I’ve never had rice or truffles of this quality in my life.”

“And you, guest?”

“Ahem. Well… it wasn’t bad.”

Balbo, who had been devouring the dessert absentmindedly, flinched again when he saw me and answered.

“…Which country are you from, human?”

“The Kingdom.”

“I see. As long as you’re not from the Empire, there’s no need to be hostile.”

He said it nonchalantly, as if trying to justify his own behavior.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Even if it’s a human, if they have talent, one can’t help but like them.”

“Thank you.”

After finishing the meal, he stood up and extended his hand to me.

His attitude was completely different from when he first arrived at the stall.

“My name is Balbo. I’m the chief of the beastman village. Your food… there’s something special about it.”

“I used ingredients I personally grew and gathered on the Floating Island. They’re rare materials you absolutely can’t find anywhere else.”

“W-wait, did you just say Floating Island?”

Balbo’s jaw dropped in shock. I, on the other hand, was used to this reaction and stayed calm.

“Yes. My dishes are packed with nutrition, so they make your body feel full of energy.”

“No wonder I feel so light.”

Balbo sneakily looked me up and down, as if sizing me up.

“Not only the Elf Forest but the Floating Island too… You’re no ordinary human. Perhaps…”

He muttered quietly, then said,

“…Would you ever consider doing business in the beastman village as well?”

“In the beastman village?”

The beastman village was, in a different sense from the Elf Forest, a completely unknown world that no human had ever visited. 

Going there as a human meant being prepared for danger.

But the beastman village had a specialty that very rarely reached the Kingdom: products made from the soft, glossy fur of beastmen.

My mouth watered just thinking about it.

My curiosity and desire for adventure began to stir. 

Thanks to becoming much stronger recently, I was confident I wouldn’t go down easily even if beastmen attacked.

“It is a dangerous place for humans, so I understand if—”

“I’ll go.”

Balbo’s tail shot straight up horizontally.

“Y-you’re coming?”

He seemed to have gotten curious about me.

“Yes. Doing business there sounds fun.”

“Hahaha! That’s the spirit of a real man!”

Balbo laughed heartily.

“I like your guts. Since you’re taking the risk, it’ll be a great benefit to you.”

Finally, he showed me a genuine smile.

“I’m sure it will bring good change to the beastman village too. Just like it did for the Elf Forest.”

Sharin also smiled softly.

“Thanks to you, we had a very pleasant meal. Please be sure to visit me later.”

Balbo and Sharin left the plaza in a warm, friendly atmosphere.

“Phew!”

The tension suddenly drained from my body. 

I had been confident, but I guess I’d been more nervous than I realized.

“Mary, thanks for the hard work.”

“Hmph, you’re pretty amazing, you know that? Even a beastman acknowledged you.”

Mary gave an awkward compliment.

“Well, just smelling the aroma from the side made my mouth water. I have to admit it.”

She smacked her lips.

True, she’d worked hard today—I might as well be generous.

“There’s a little ingredients left. Want to try some?”

“Really? G-great! I wanna eat!”

Mary answered brightly.

“Wait just a moment.”

I put garlic and onions in the pot, added the soaked rice, and let it simmer.

Was watching me cook that interesting? While I cooked, Mary stared at me with eyes full of anticipation.

“Finally, grate some cheese and truffles on top and it’s done. Eat it while it’s hot.”

“I’ll enjoy it!”

Mary excitedly picked up her spoon.

Chew chew—

“Mmm! I’ve never had anything this luxurious! The cream soaked into every grain— it’s so soft and rich!”

“In one word: delicious, right?”

Every time she took a bite, Mary grinned from ear to ear.

Just like Balbo, her attitude toward me had completely changed from our first meeting.

Good food really does have a magical charm that can even change people.

***

Before returning to the Floating Island, I headed to Village Chief Sharin’s house.

There was still one question I needed answered.

“Has the guest left?”

“Yes, thanks to you everything went smoothly.”

“May I ask why you asked me to cook, even knowing beastmen feel uncomfortable around humans?”

“So that’s what you were curious about.”

“If things had gone wrong, the meal could have been ruined.”

“I was certain that once anyone tasted your cooking, no one could refuse it. And I wanted the beastmen to experience your food too.”

Looking at the flower beside her, Sharin continued.

“They tend to be too serious and prickly. If you do business in the beastman village, perhaps they’ll regain some laughter and ease. Just like our elves did.”

“So you planned this from the beginning.”

Instead of answering, Sharin simply smiled.

“Then I should reward you.”

She rummaged through a drawer and handed me a small bottle containing saffron.

“Thank you.”

“And take this too.”

“What is it?”

She offered me the flower that had been beside her. It was a flower of mysterious and beautiful color.

“It’s a flower that never wilts.”

“Wow, it’s really beautiful.”

“In the Eastern Continent, they call it the Rose of Sharon (mugunghwa).”

It was as charming as its name.

“This is also a token of our friendship.”

“Friendship?”

For an elf to give a token of friendship to another race meant they trusted them deeply. 

It was as rare and meaningful as a dragon accepting a human into their clan.

“I’m truly honored that you think of me that way.”

“I hope we can continue to build an unchanging friendship with the elf village.”

I gave Sharin the biggest smile I could, meaning every word.