Chapter 8: Meat Over Vegetables

Gurgle~

“Hm?”

A surprisingly human sound came from the Elf’s stomach, who didn’t seem like the type to even visit the restroom.

Startled by the unexpected noise, I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

• Hmm. Now that I think about it, you’re empty stomached. Is Earth such a stingy place that it offers no hospitality to guests? Bring me something right away.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry. The encounter was so intense that I completely forgot.”

Kasia, who claimed to eat five meals a day, had a lean, toned figure without an ounce of fat.

Her confident demand resembled the manner of a noble from the refined medieval era.

Of course, we were just as hungry.

We’d been awake since dawn due to the Dungeon incident and hadn’t eaten a thing until morning.

“Then, shall we eat some meat?”

“Again?”

• Elves don’t eat meat.

Minjun frowned while Kasia firmly refused.

But my thoughts were different.

“You don’t eat meat? Really? That can’t be. Such delicious food? Have you even tried it?”

• Not at all. We’ve been vegetarians since birth. Elves don’t harm animals and only eat plants that nature provides. And honestly, I’m not particularly curious about the taste.

“You’ve eaten nothing but greens for over a hundred years… I’ve barely made it three years. Kasia, you’ve missed out big time. You absolutely have to try meat.”

“Is it an Elf taboo or something?”

• Not exactly. It’s just that it’s been that way since our ancestors, and I never really felt the desire to eat meat… So, is it really that delicious?

“This won’t do.”

How can someone live in this world without tasting meat?

I absolutely don’t think that’s possible.

Gathering a new grill plate, I took them both outside the storage room.

The yard still had yesterday’s barbecue setup left intact.

• Looks like you had a big feast yesterday.

“…Well, for someone trying meat for the first time, I suppose I can eat a little more.”

Minjun seemed to secretly look forward to Kasia’s reaction after tasting meat.

We first lit the fire again like yesterday, then replaced the grill plate and waited for it to heat up.

‘Ah, right.’

I need to feed my kids, too.

Kasia and Minjun…

Kasia was staring curiously at the heating grill plate, and Minjun was watching Kasia with a look full of curiosity.

If I get back quickly, it should be fine.

“I’ll go feed our kids.”

Both of them nodded vaguely, and I hurried off.

I gathered feed and scattered it in the henhouse, then was about to leave when the chickens looked up at me.

“Ah, okay, okay.”

I petted each one’s head before finally stepping outside.

‘Leaving Kasia, who’s still awkward, and the taciturn Minjun alone would be rude.’

Since it was bound to be an awkward atmosphere, I stopped by home, grabbed meat and various ssam vegetables.

Just in case Kasia couldn’t eat the meat, it was a considerate move.

Besides, it’s delicious when wrapped up.

“Alright, let’s grease the grill with some fat~ Now, let’s put it on. Kasia, look at this. It’s Hanwoo Grade 2+. This isn’t everyday meat. Only someone like Minjun can afford to eat this as much as they want.”

• Hmm. I’ve never eaten red food before… So Minjun, do you eat that every day?

“…I’m not healthy just from eating meat alone.”

I placed three pieces of meat on the grill.

Sssizzlle.

Though it felt like I ate my fill just yesterday, the sizzling sound made my mouth water again.

“Sniff~ Ha. The smell is insane. Is this for real?”

Closing my eyes to savor the aroma, I opened them and saw Kasia looking at me with a puzzled expression.

It made sense — it was probably her first time smelling grilled meat.

Without any related taste in mind, she probably wasn’t expecting much.

• Oh, these are plants I’ve never seen before. They look pretty tasty.

Kasia’s eyes didn’t leave the ssam vegetables beside the grilling beef, probably too hungry.

She seemed curious about what kinds of plants existed in this world and what they tasted like, reaching for them.

But that was exactly my plan.

Once she tastes the meat, she wouldn’t care about those “leafy things” anymore.

And eating the vegetables first makes the meat taste even better.

• What plant is this? And this one, too? Can I eat them?

“Of course~ These are vegetables Koreans wrap meat with. In order, Lettuce, Perilla Leaf, Chicory, and Mustard.”

I explained the characteristics of these ssam vegetables that greatly enhance the flavor of meat.

Lettuce is the most common and favorite, said to make you sleepy if you eat a lot.

Perilla Leaf has a distinct strong aroma but is a popular choice.

Chicory carries a subtle bitterness and is often mixed with other vegetables or salads.

And Mustard brings a sharp, spicy scent and flavor.

Kasia’s expressions changed moment by moment as she tasted each variety.

“…It’s amazing you can eat that nasty stuff without wrapping anything.”

At Minjun’s comment, Kasia nodded while chewing like a goat grazing grass.

She said Elven lands didn’t have a wide variety of flavorful greens.

In other words, these were cultivated vegetables, a rarity to elves who only ate naturally growing plants.

The beef was now perfectly cooked.

Though Kasia’s gaze was still fixed on the vegetables, I was confident just one piece of beef would catch her attention.

“There are many kinds of meat in the world, but especially beef is incredibly delicious even without any seasoning, just its natural juices. Want to try a piece first?”

Though I tried to feed her a piece with tongs, Kasia hesitated, probably because the meat’s grain still showed some redness.

“Don’t you want to taste it?”

I shook the meat gently, releasing a strong aroma.

Still, she seemed reluctant about eating meat.

• Hmph, just one piece. Since you insist, and it’s offered by a benefactor, I’ll try just one piece.

Before she could change her mind, I quickly put the meat in her mouth.

It felt like teaching a child to do something naughty.

Kasia’s expression didn’t change much even with beef in her mouth.

Then, after a moment, she winced slightly and chewed with effort.

Her beautiful eyes widened, her mouth opened,

and she suddenly dropped to her knees.

• Hah, haah!

“Eh? Kasia! What’s wrong? Is it because you ate meat?!”

I panicked, unsure if I should make her spit it out or what to do.

But it was too late.

The meat had already gone down cleanly.

I briefly considered performing the Heimlich maneuver when Kasia’s body began to tremble.

“A-are you okay? Sorry, I shouldn’t have forced you to eat it when you didn’t want to…”

“Hyung, what are you talking about? Look closely.”

She lowered her hands that had been covering her face.

Her expression revealed overwhelming joy and happiness.

Tears filled her eyes, dampening her lashes as Kasia spoke.

• Wow… Th-this is… amazing!

“Pfft, hahaha!”

While I was doubting my ears, Minjun burst out laughing uncontrollably.

Seeing my own expression, he laughed again.

“What’s with that dumbfounded look?”

Minjun was right—I was staring blankly like a fool.

“Am I hearing this wrong? ‘Amazing’… you said?”

‘Amazing’ indeed. I wasn’t the only one who heard it clearly.

When I looked at Kasia, she was muttering while burying her face in her hands.

• Ot, otot…

Seeing her, I was sure I heard the right word.

From the context, it seemed she didn’t want her manner of speech to be caught.

“Amazing…? Pfft, hahaha! How delicious was it? Do elves really use words like that?”

“Probably something similar in the Elven language?”

I couldn’t help but laugh seeing Kasia’s reaction.

Once said, words can’t be taken back.

Kasia’s sharp, pointed ears peeked out from her silky hair, bright red with embarrassment.

Minjun joined in, and after a long laugh, even wiped away tears.

Kasia kept her head lowered for a long time in front of us.

“Ah, that was hilarious. I never thought an Elf who looks so noble and speaks so elegantly would use such words. Sorry if it was unpleasant.”

“You’re apologizing after laughing so much? Yeah right. Heh heh.”

Kasia suddenly pulled something out from her chest.

A long, sharp blade was revealed.

A chilling longsword.

“?! Kasia, that’s—!”

Her thin clothes hid the weapon well; the sword’s tip was sharp as a needle.

• This is a weapon our Elves use to hunt monsters. If you keep insulting me, even you won’t escape punishment!

Her expression was full of sulking.

It seemed best to calm her down quickly.

“Alright. It’s just that you’re cute with this hidden charm. I thought you’d only use refined words. Okay, sorry~ So, can you put down the weapon now?”

• I do sometimes say those things in comfortable places! Especially with friends! Though it’s the first time someone overheard…

“Your humanity is refreshing. I was so worried you’d collapse from trying meat, but you’re fine. Eat lots more—it’s amazingly delicious.”

• You…! Hmph… Meat really made me feel like I’ve lost a hundred years. I want to share this taste with other elves too.

Kasia’s eyes seemed to fill with tears again.

Are all elves so sensitive?

Watching Kasia fiddling with her lips and lowering her head, I was hit with an unexplained guilt.

It’s my fault for not offering meat to other elves!

“Then next time, I’ll treat the other elves too! …Once I earn enough money. I don’t have much yet.”

I didn’t know how many elves there were, but feeding the entire tribe by just selling eggs would take forever.

“If only I could farm, I could speed things up…”

Hearing me mumble, Kasia spoke up.

• Farming? You mean growing plants from the soil? Now that I think about it, there’s a lot of grass here—haven’t you already been farming?

Looking at my field, where only weeds grew because of failed farming, it was amusing to hear her say that.

Since Kasia didn’t understand weeds, the unmanaged, long grass must have looked like crops to her.

“Ugh, no. These are weeds, not something I grow. They all have to be pulled out.”

I explained the concept of weeds and the crops I needed to grow to Kasia.

She listened intently, eyes shining, upon hearing about edible plants.

• But the soil quality is quite good, even though it’s neglected. You might not even need to borrow Spirit Power.

“Spirit Power?”

• If you borrow the power of the earth spirits, the soil can become rich with nutrients.

“Do it! Then the crops will grow well!”

Kasia shook her head.

• This land is already fertile. I’d rather pull all these weeds out for you.

“Oh! That’s possible too? I was worried about farming because I’d have to pull out the roots.”

Ding~

A cheerful notification popped up.

[The elf you have bonded with wishes to assist you.

The effect of ‘Communication-Elf’ has been upgraded.]

[Communication-Elf (+)]

Allows conversation with other elves.

*Active Skill: Inactive

*Passive Skills: (1) Love of Nature’s Benefactor, (2) Inactive

• Love of Nature’s Benefactor

: Even if the elf uses Spirit Power for Domo Minjun, the spirits will not resist.

“Team Leader, a magical energy wave was detected in Chilcheon-ri!”

“A Dungeon Break?! Where exactly in Chilcheon-ri?!”

“Ah! The wave disappeared.”

“Why did it disappear? Who closed the dungeon in just one second? What’s going on?”

Before an emergency meeting could be held, the magical energy wave vanished.

The Hunter Association Dungeon Management Team deemed it a false alarm by the Magical Energy Detector and closed the case as resolved.