Chapter 60: The Taste of Mana, The Shadow of Wings

“Alright, shall we get started?”

I rolled up my sleeves and began stripping away the tough tendons and fascia from the magical beast meat in front of me.

As expected, Vulcanus’s Dagger proved useful in more ways than one. Right now, for example.

Cooking is truly fascinating. 

The same ingredient can taste completely different depending on how you prepare it.

Even magical beast meat, when handled properly, can be reborn as something delicious.

If I could create tasty dishes using magical beast meat… wouldn’t that bring the joy of eating to beastmen who mechanically shove food down their throats in harsh environments just to survive?

Perhaps that was why Chief Balbo had invited me to the beastman village in the first place.

Even beastmen who fight daily against unforgiving nature need healing.

To do that, I first needed to experiment with as many different kinds of magical beast meat as possible.

Thud!

For the first attempt, I prepared the leg meat of an “Angry Ostrich” I had bought.

A creature taller than a grown man, true to its name it was ferociously aggressive.

It couldn’t fly despite being a bird, but in exchange it could sprint at terrifying speeds on its massive legs.

“Dorori, you little—! I told you that’s off-limits!”

“Piiit!”

Dodo dodo.

Dorori had snatched Elenia’s hidden honey jar in his beak and was sprinting away at full speed.

Somehow he had sniffed out the jar she kept secret.

“…Sigh.”

I shook my head. 

Another peaceful day was clearly not in the cards.

Sometimes I seriously wonder if Dorori and the Angry Ostrich aren’t distant cousins.

Though, compared to an ostrich, Dorori’s legs are comically short.

“My hooooneeeey!”

Elenia’s cheeks puffed out like balloons as she fumed.

“Dorori loses all control in front of honey. He’ll bring something back later to make up for it.”

It’s practically instinct. Like a cat possessed by fish.

Whenever Dorori snaps out of it, he feels guilty and returns with something from the forest offered.

“Hmph.”

“Calm down and come here. I’ll make you something delicious instead.”

Still sulking, Elenia puffed her lips and fluttered onto my shoulder.

“Huh? Isn’t that magical beast meat? No matter how I look at it, it looks gross.”

“Just trust me. The boiled pork last time turned out pretty edible, right?”

Elenia watched with a sullen expression.

“First, I’ll cut the leg meat into bite-sized pieces.”

I sliced the meat into manageable chunks, then marinated it thoroughly with basil pesto and salt.

“And the indispensable ingredient is this.”

Kiwi syrup. I had harvested kiwis I planted a few days ago and made the syrup myself.

“Kiwis have a tenderizing effect on meat. And since these kiwis were grown on the Floating Island, the effect should be doubled, right?”

After much thought, this kiwi syrup was the secret weapon I devised specifically for magical beast meat. Along with plum syrup, it would become my ace in the hole.

I mixed the kiwi syrup into the meat and let it marinate.

Maybe it was my imagination, but the once-tough meat already felt softer.

“Young cow, I’m borrowing some oil.”

I set the meat aside for now, poured freshly pressed soybean oil into the pot, and lit the fire.

While waiting for the oil to heat, I coated the meat in batter.

Plop!

Into the pot it went.

Sizzle sizzle.

The golden batter puffed up beautifully as the meat fried.

“Ooh! It smells amazing!”

At some point, Elenia’s eyes were sparkling at my cooking.

I fished out the floating fried pieces and shook off the excess oil.

Well, since it’s the same avian family, calling it fried chicken wouldn’t exactly be wrong.

I plated it with lemon slices, and the delicious fried dish was complete.

“Want to try? Blow on it first, it’s hot.”

I speared a suitably sized piece with a fork and handed it to Elenia.

Receiving a piece almost as big as her face, Elenia sniffed it.

“It really does smell good.”

I was extremely nervous. What if the gamey smell remained? 

What if it was still tough?

In the tense atmosphere, Elenia took a bite.

Crunch.

The crisp sound tickled my ears, revealing pure white meat inside the bitten spot.

Chew chew.

“…”

Elenia closed her eyes and savored it more carefully than ever.

My throat was burning while I waited. I couldn’t hold back any longer and asked softly,

“How is it?”

Elenia opened her eyes and spoke. Vitality flowed from her pupils like a stream.

“It’s delicious!”

“Really?”

She nodded vigorously.

“Phew. Thank goodness.”

All the tension drained out of me. Just hearing “delicious” was a passing grade.

“If you hadn’t told me it was magical beast meat, I wouldn’t have known. But…”

Suddenly Elenia’s expression turned strange.

“What? Is something wrong?”

“Do you know the difference between magical beasts and normal animals?”

The abrupt question threw me off.

“Well… magical beasts are higher lifeforms that can handle mana, right?”

“Correct. That’s why magical beast meat contains mana.”

“And you’re bringing that up now because…?”

Elenia stared intently at the fried piece.

“I can feel it. While eating this magical beast meat, mana is being absorbed into my body.”

“What? Mana?”

She gave a small nod.

“I felt it faintly when I ate the horned boar suyuk last time, but I wasn’t sure. Today it’s unmistakable.”

Having never eaten magical beast meat in her life, Elenia seemed quite flustered by the change in her body.

I needed to give her a plausible explanation so she wouldn’t panic.

“Hmm… isn’t that kind of natural? Magical beast meat is used as an alchemical ingredient, after all. Some of it even goes into making mana recovery potions.”

It was surprising that simple cooking, not alchemy, triggered mana recovery.

Mana recovery potions are infamous for tasting awful. 

Even mages only choke them down when absolutely necessary.

The stronger the potion, the worse the taste, precisely because magical beast meat itself tastes terrible.

Whatever the reason, this felt like winning the lottery. 

An unexpected new effect had popped up out of nowhere.

Another reason to keep researching magical beast meat had just appeared.

“Is that how it works? Well, the fried stuff is delicious anyway.”

Elenia accepted it easily and finished the rest with a happy smile.

“Now then, I should try some too.”

The salty, crispy coating gave way to juicy, tender leg meat.

The basil aroma and olive oil had seeped in perfectly, erasing any gamey smell and boosting flavor.

The extreme tenderness was obviously thanks to the kiwi syrup.

Something felt missing, though.

“Huh, Dorori’s taking a while.”

“You’re right. I’m starting to worry something might have happened.”

“Should we go look for him? But how do we get down to the surface?”

“Ask Vivita. She’s resting in the north right now.”

“…Excuse me? You’re telling me to ride a dragon?”

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. I thought I’d misheard.

“Does that intimidate you? Didn’t you say we’re family?”

“W-well, yeah, but…”

“There’s plenty of fried meat left. Take some to her, it’s been a while, and ask while you’re at it. She accepted you into the flock, so it won’t be a difficult request.”

I fried a mountain of magical beast meat into more pieces and headed north.

The coiled red dragon lifted her head as I approached.

“Vivita, I made fried meat with magical beast meat. Want to try? I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Vivita sniffed, and her pupils shook.

“Grrr?”

“You’re asking if it’s definitely magical beast meat? It’s Angry Ostrich. Just try it, no need for explanations. It’s insanely good.”

The red dragon opened her massive jaws. Every last piece disappeared into her mouth in one bite.

Chomp chomp.

Vivita moved her jaw, then exhaled a satisfied “Huff!” The gust was so strong the nearby tree branches swayed.

“Grrrr!”

“Good, right? Absolutely amazing?”

“Grrr.”

“No need to thank me, we’re family… So, about that, could you do me one little favor?”

“Grrr?”

The red dragon tilted her head.

One hour earlier.

Dorori, having greedily devoured the stolen honey.

“Pii…”

***

His wings drooped.

He felt guilty now that he was heading back to the Floating Island.

The honey made on the Floating Island was on a completely different level from any other honey. The moment he discovered Elenia’s hidden jar, he hesitated briefly, but soon lost all reason and fled with it.

This kind of impulse was almost animal instinct. Dorori himself couldn’t control it either.

In short, he was hopelessly addicted.

This time, too, he planned to bring something back as an apology.

Flap.

Dorori spread his wings wide and soared powerfully into the sky.

He scanned the ground below.

Twinkle.

Something small glimmered on the earth.

“Piiit!”

Dorori glided low toward it. With his excellent eyesight, even tiny pebbles on the ground were clearly visible to him.

Twinkle.

Something exceptionally shiny.

It caught his eye even from high above.

Upon closer look, it was a transparent gemstone. He didn’t know what it was, but Elenia would surely love it.

Circling the area, Dorori gently descended toward the stone.

The moment he reached for the gem.

“Piit?”

WHOOSH!

A massive net shot up from the ground and enveloped Dorori.

“Piiiiit!”

Trapped in the net and unable to move, Dorori let out a desperate cry.

He was quite strong for his size, but no matter how hard he struggled, the tough net didn’t budge.

And then.

Thud thud.

A man riding a giant lizard approached Dorori.

“Something got caught in the net.”

The man dismounted the lizard and slowly walked over.

“Hmm? I’ve never seen a bird this big before.”

“Piiiiit!”

Dorori put on the most pitiful expression possible and begged for help.

But the man looked troubled.

“As you can see, we haven’t eaten in days. Sorry, but we have no choice.”

The lizard stared at Dorori and flicked its long tongue. Thick drool dripped from its mouth.

“Piiit!”

Every feather on Dorori’s body stood on end.

Being highly intelligent, Dorori understood the man intended to eat him.

“Pi! Piit! Piiiiit!”

He pleaded desperately. He couldn’t mimic human speech, but surely the man would understand this much.

“It’s no use struggling. That net is made for magical beasts.”

Despite Dorori’s pitiful efforts, the man drew his sword.

“Piiiiik!”

Tears welled up in Dorori’s eyes.

A chill ran down his spine.

Stealing Elenia’s honey had brought this karma upon him. He was now receiving his just punishment.

“Don’t hate me. I’ll make it quick and painless.”

Flash.

A sharp blade glinted coldly.

Step by step, the man drew closer.

“Piit! Piiiiit!”

Dorori mustered his last strength and cried for help.

But tragically, no one answered.

Only Dorori’s sorrowful voice echoed.

At that very moment.

The sky turned black.

A colossal shadow blotted out the sun.

Flap.

A single beat of wings unleashed a storm that swept across the land.