"Are we done with the souvenirs now?"
"Hmm… dolls?"
"Oh yeah, that's a good point. But those are more for showing rather than giving, right? Let's wait until Rebecca-san and Rosalie-san are around to show them."
""Let's do that~""
"Then the rest is food, right?"
""You think so?""
"I'm guessing there'll be some outrageous things in that category too…"
When I said the remaining souvenirs were food-related, Wald-san let out a big sigh.
Still, since he wasn't complaining, it seemed like he had already accepted his fate when it came to food.
"They're delicious, I promise. I'll just cook some up bit by bit. Oh, we also went to the Dungeon of Ripples and restocked on brandy. Would you like some?"
"Oh! That would be great if you don't mind. Speaking of drinks, the Adventurers' Guild in Gista sends that fire liquor regularly. That stuff's quite something too."
"Did you like it?"
Apparently, when it came to food—and especially alcohol—Wald-san's tolerance was much broader.
"It's pretty strong, so I can't drink much at a time, but sipping it with ice is really nice."
"It also goes well mixed with orange fruit water."
"Oh, I'll try that next time!"
I made a note to recommend simple mixers like fruit water since carbonated options weren't possible without me around.
Next time we drank together, I'd get him to try some sparkling mixes too.
"Still, you've already found three kinds of new alcohol, haven't you? Most people wouldn't find that much in such a short time. And all of it from within the country, right?"
"Pure coincidence, honestly."
Finding hidden rooms was something the kids excelled at.
But it was true—it was impressive to find everything within Guardia. I wonder if other countries' dungeons would have similar odds?
Kind of makes me want to do a proper treasure hunt. Allen and Elena would probably complain, though.
Well, if I just said, "Let's go explore a dungeon," they'd probably come along without much protest.
"Anyway, I think I'll whip up a little something for tonight's dinner."
"Takumi, you just got back. Why don't you relax for today?"
"Nah, I've been sitting in a carriage all this time, so I'd rather move around a bit. I'll keep it simple though—please let me cook."
"Allen will help too~"
"Elena will cook as well~"
Honestly, even I was feeling a little antsy from the long carriage ride, though not quite as much as Allen and Elena.
Obviously, I couldn't go out on a request right now, so cooking sounded like the best option.
And so, we paused our chat in the lounge and headed to the kitchen.
"Alright, I said something simple, but what should we make?"
"Blue Dragon?"
"Sea Serpent?"
"Uhh~ using those right away would probably shock everyone. Let's go with… Golden Salmon."
There weren't too many new ingredients this time. Excluding the dragon meat narrowed the options quite a bit.
Still, with the Louven family, even dragon meat would probably be met with a surprised but happy response. Wald-san especially would grumble and then eat it happily.
"Grilling it with the pink rock salt we got from the Dungeon of Scorching Heat sounds like a safe bet."
""'Nother round!""
"… Where'd you pick that up?"
""Forgot~""
"Whatever… another one, huh? Okay, how about we do meunière with a cream sauce?"
""Ohh~ sounds good!""
"Alright, that's settled then."
After deciding on the dish with Allen and Elena, I got straight to cooking.
"Should we add anything to the cream sauce?"
A simple sauce would be fine, but butter-heavy or cheese-flavored ones sounded nice too. Or maybe mushrooms or spinach?
"Nn~ nn~… nothing!"
"Got it."
Actually, a refreshing version with yogurt might be nice too…
Ugh, now I'm torn.
"I'll just make all of them!"
""Hm?""
"Since I can't decide, I'll make a variety."
""Ohh~ that's great~""
I made several types of cream sauce, leaving them plain so everyone could mix and match freely.
"Here's the Golden Salmon meunière. The sauces, from left to right, are a regular cream sauce, a buttery rich version, one with grated cheese, and a refreshing yogurt-based one. Help yourselves to whichever you like."
"… Didn't you say you were going to make something simple? This looks a bit too elaborate…"
Matthias-san sounded a little exasperated, but I had no regrets.
I just felt like cooking, so I did!
"I've heard Golden Salmon is hard to get even in its native regions. You're giving this as a souvenir?"
"We happened to be nearby. Took a request and grabbed plenty for ourselves while we were at it."
""Lots and lots~""
"I'm always happy to eat good food, but you guys really don't play by the rules. —Whoa, this is amazing! Even though it's all cream sauce, each one tastes completely different. And they're all good!"
"Glad you like it."
Everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Honestly, I should probably make some of these cream sauces in bulk for later. They'd be great for a quick meal—just pour over grilled seafood or use them on pasta.
"Oh right, I almost forgot!"
While switching between sauces, Wald-san suddenly remembered something.
"Takumi, you're coming with me to the castle tomorrow morning."
"Huh?"
"To the castle. You don't have any plans, right?"
"No… but the castle?"
"Yeah, His Majesty summoned you."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yup, we'll go in when I report for duty."
"Hah~"
The castle—Tristan-sama had summoned us.
Still, getting called in on the same day we arrived… that's fast.
""Summoned?""
"Yup, that's right, summoned."
""Ohh~ summoned~""
The word "summoned" made me think of lectures or reprimands, but Allen and Elena were thrilled.
Well, it was probably more like a debriefing. Patrick-san and the others had surely already reported a lot.
"Hey Allen, Elena, what does a 'summons' mean to you two?"
""A visit~?""
"… Well… technically, that's not wrong."
They probably just thought it meant "Come over to play!" I guess it's fine to be excited about it.
"We have to give souvenirs!"
"And ask about Pastel Rabbits!"
"Right~"
We had our own reasons to visit, so it worked out.
Might as well take the chance if they were offering it.
"Well, we should probably get everything we want to give and ask organized by tonight."
There were lots of things to settle: thanking them for the letter of introduction we used for Kaiser to enter the dungeon, clearing up accommodation and travel costs, asking about keeping Pastel Rabbits at the knights' dormitory, and so on.
"… Takumi, I won't ask for details, but don't go making outrageous demands of His Majesty."
"Come on, Wald-san. We'd never do anything like that."
"… Yeah, I don't believe you. You just had that exact 'up-to-no-good' face."
"... Ehh~"
That's so mean!
Okay, maybe I *was* plotting a little…
Anyway, time to get properly prepared.